CART POLO RETURNS
DeveloperPullsPolo StadiumRedevelopment Proposal... ForNow
ByCarolPorter Town-Crier StaffReport
Anapplicationfromdevelopersseekingtoredeveloptheold PalmBeachPolostadiumas a commercial development with an assisted-living facility for seniorcitizenswas withdrawn Tuesday just hours before a scheduled reviewbythe WellingtonVillageCouncil.
Duringthecouncil'sTuesday meeting,MayorTomWenham confirmedthattheproposalfor the 7.8-acre parcel, requesting a land-use change from com-. mercialrecreationtomixeduse, had been withdrawn.
''Therewillbeno'furtheraction by thiscouncilon this issueatthispointintime,"Wenhamsaidoftheproposal,known astheHospitali_tyShoppes.
The withdrawal of the controversial project came on the heels of"word last Friday that George Banks, the property's main investor,hadsold his interestinthe site, located atthe intersection of South Shore Blvd.andPiersonRoad.
Attorney Al Malefatto,who represents the investors who want to develop the property, saidtheapplicationmightreturn in time.for the July round of comprehensive plan amendments.
"Weneededmoretimetoaddress the issues related to the project," Malefatto told the Town-Crier Tuesday. "We decidedtoaskforapostponement
so we can focus back on the realmerits of the project. The decision thatthecouncilneeds to make is.whether or not the assisted-living facility will get built."
Malefatto said the property ownershave therightto build 35,000squarefeetofcommercialspace on the property,but thatanassisted-livingfacilityin combinationwith20,000square feet of retail space and 10,000 squarefeetofofficewouldhave beenfinanciallyviable.
"Others have said to us, 'whydon'tdoyou[just]dothe ALF?'Economically,theproject doesn't work that way," he said.
Theapplicationalsocontained· a request to remove the property from the village's Equestrian PreserveArea, which restricts development options in favor of equestrian-oriented uses.
Council approval of the applicationwouldhaverequireda four-vote supermajority,a fact complicated by aromantic relationship between Banks and CouncilwomanLizbethBenacquisto, who recused herself from councilvotes on earlier versionsoftheproject.Village Attorney JeffKurtz said this week that Banks' withdrawal appearedtoremoveanyconflict of interest from a future vote byBenacquisto,buttheultimate decisionwould behers.
"Ms. Benacquisto would See STADIUM, page 42A
Governor,LegislatorsHail Insurance 'Fix'At Signing
ByCarolPorter Town-Crier StaffReport
chaseaprivatepolicy.Previous regulations forced the Isimingers outofCitizens,the GovemorCharlieCristjoined insurer of last resort, simply DemocraticandRepublicanleg- because a private insurer was islators Thursday to sign a • willing to offer them a.policy, windstorminsurance reliefbill Cristsaid. at the home of a North Palm "In 2002,theyweredropped Beachcouple. byStateFarm,"Cristsaid,"and The bill, a duplicate of the purchased property insurance originalhesignedintolawear- fromAoridaWindstormUnderlierthatdayinTallahassee,was writingAssociation,theprecur� draftedduringaspecialsession sortoCitizens. Thecostatthe of the state legislature this timewas$2,400.Lastyearanmonth. Itisdesigned toreduce otherinsurer,FloridaPeninsuthehomeowners'insurancepre- Jar Insurance, was willing to miurns of some customers of· insuretheirhome.Itwasalmost the state-runCitizens Property $4,000 more than Citizens. InsuranceCorp.byasmuchas They were forced to switchto 10or20percent. the more expensive insurance
At the home ofCharlie and simplybecauseoneinsurerwas Becky Isiminger,Crist said he willing to write a policy,even fought hard for a provision in thoughthecostwasthreetimes thtr.billthatall<_>wsCitizenscus- whattheywerepaying. Thisis tamers to remain with the in- a perfect example of why the surer unless they opt to pur- See SIG!'I.ING,page lOA
Wellington'sfirst 50+ Fun & Fit GameswereheldJan. 19-21atvariouslocations throughoutthe village.Shownhere, JohnBondereceives hisgoldmedalforcatchingthebigfishin the fishing tournament. (L-R) Tennis star and event organizer Dick Stockton, Wellington Councilman Dr. Carmine Priore, BondeandWellington Mayor Tom Wenham. MOREPHOTOS& RESULTS, SEEPAGE20A
Therese and Emma HairofWellingtonfeedahungry goat
ChillyWeatherWelcomesWinterEquestrianFestival
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier StaffReport
The 35th Annual Winter 'EquestrianFestivalisunderway inWellingtonandorganizerssay they hope it remains there for years to come.
Disagreements between the organizers oftheshow and the owners of the show grounds have raised some doubts as to whetherthefestivalwillremain iri Wellington - but Gene �ische,presidentof showpro-
ducer Stadium Jumping Inc., brushed aside concerns at a pressconferenceheld Tuesday atthePalmBeachPoloEquestrian Club to announce details of the fe�tival. utStweek,ajudgerefused·to grantMische's former partners an injunction barring Stadium Jumpingfromseekingotherlocations (see relatedstory, page 7A), but Stadium Jumping spokesman Mason Phelps Jr. told the Town-Crier the primarygoalistokeepitattheshow
grounds on Pierson Road.
"You can see by the way things life laid out here, and some of .the classes are being held at the Littlewood facility, we"ve basically got a problem with space,more so now than ever," Phelps said. "Our first desire i� to stay at this facility.. Our second choice obviously, is to stay in Wellington, and thirdly to stay in Palm Beach County."
TheWinterEquestrianFestivalisbiggerthanever,withmore
prizes, riders and horses,and morespectatorsareexpectedto attend thanlastyear."We have increased prize money this year," Phelps said.'There are more international horses andriders thanever.Over 30countriesare represented,"he saiq. Blustery weather on Thursdayprovidedatoughchallerige forthestartinglineupof50ridersforRound 1 of the$25,000WEFChallengeCuponthesecond day ofthe festival .A cool Se� WEF, page.37A
Wellington CouncilApprovesPalmBeachAtlantic Campus OnSR 7
was seconded by Vice Mayor ByCarolPorter B bM 1· I ed
Town-Crier StaffReport • 0 argois. tpass unarumously 5·0
TheWellingtonVillageCouri- Inotherbusiness: cilapprovedthefirstreadingof • The council discussed posan amendment to the Welling- sibletopicsforupcomingworktonReservv.OfficePark<level- shops,including the future of opment order that will permit Stadium Jumping,a developPalmBeachAtlanticUniversity mentmoratoriumintheEquesto hold regular classes there. trian Preserve Area and possiPalmBeachAtlantic;aChris- ble revisionof theEPAbound- tian-based institution with a aries, the budget prcicess and main campus in downtown overview,K-Parkplanning,sale West Palm Beach,announced of·village land,a t�x-exempt lastyeartheestablishment of a foundation, Capital Improvesatellite campus in the office ments Plan review,seniors'is. parkonStateRoad 7.The uni<,-· sues,the Section 24 environversiryplanst9 convert 12,000 mentaleducationcenter,disposal square feet ofspace in the of- cif h6niemanureandtown cenfice park to dayti�.andnight- terrevitalization. time classroom use.; ._• However,in light of recent
Theapplicationrequestedthe countypoliticalscandals,Maraddition of the use "college or golissuggestedaworkshopdisuni�ersity" to the development cussing ethics issues aµd the orderfortheofficepark,village SunshineLaw. planner Olga Prieto told the Margolis said he was imcouncil.Councilman Dr.Car- pressed by comments Palm mine Priore made a motion to Beach County Commissioner approvetheapplication,which WarrenNewellmadeatarecent
commission meeting denouncingethicsviolations·andurging full disclosureandopennessin government.
"I had an opportunity to watch the.county commission meeting a few weeks ago," Margolis said, "and noticed when Commissioner Newell madepointsaboutgettingallthe information from all parties involved with land useandother stufflikethat.I had the opportunity to send him a note congratulating him on his stance. In the light of everything that hashappened,Ithinkitisagood ideatodo."
MargolisalsosaidPalmBeach GardensViceMayorJoeRusso commented on the subject in a recentinterview,sayinghetried tohaveastaff member present any time he met with developers, applicants or attorneys. MargolissuggestedthatWellingtoncouncilmembersfollowthe examples set by Newell and Russo.
•CouncilwomanLaurieCohensaidthemaintopicofdiscussion ata recent Metropolitan Planning Organization meetingwastheseverallargescaleresidentialdevelopments plannecj for sites north and west of Wellington.She said sbe and other officials at the ineetingproposeda public forum in the western communities to gather more feedback from residents.
"One.of the comments echoed by commissioners [Karen] Marcus and Jess Santamaria, RoyalPalmBeachMayorDavidLodwickandmyselfwasdtat we needpublic input on what the visions of the residents are forthewesternpartofthecoun·ty,'' Cohen said."It was suggested that a publichearing or workshop be held somewhere outhere.Iwouldencouragethe villagecouncilanq residentsto participate in the process.It is goingto-beimportantinourfuture that we have a voice out
here.If we fail to take astance and do not make our desires known,we can't complain if it develops nottoourliking."
• Councilman Dr. Carmine Priore said several Wellington residents had contacted him with concerns about the new village parking regulatio11 that allows a fine on first violation. Priore said an Emerald Forest resident with children in high schooIand in college told him both older children and parents are struggling to find space to pa,rk all their cars.
'Thisissomethingthatneeds to be put on the front burner," Prioresaid."Wecreatedtheordinance.We aregoingto ticket andgiveout.warnings.Wehave to com�up with a solution.He made a comment asking, 'do youwantmetotakeeverything out of my garage and put it on my frontlawn and throw atarp over it so I can park in there?' Garagesinourlifestyleare not used for vehicles."
Gene Mi�chespeaksatTuesday's pressconference.
OurOpinion
Redevelopment:ComeUpWithAPlanEveryoneCanSupport
NowthatplanstoredeveloptheoldPalmBeachPolostadiumhavegonebackto the drawing board, the postponement will perhaps buy enough time for a more even-handed proposal to bedrawnup beforeit'sshownto theWellingtonVillage
partoftheproposal,thedevelopmentshould bepartofaregionalmasterplanthat takesinto accountthe equestrianneedsofthelargerarea.
And we especially hope that the next timesuch a proposal comes before the village council, the vote won't be clouded by any conflict of interest, real or perceived,betweenCouncilwomanLizbethBenacquistoandtheproperty'sformer owner George Banks. We are glad that a vote did not proceed on schedule this week, for if Benacquisto had chosen to vote,just days after her boyfriend had sold offhisinterest, a pall ofimpropriety would have been cast over the whole proceeding Whilesome havearguedthat Benacquistohasanobligation tovoteif thereisno "technical"conflictofinterest,westronglydisagree.Weliveinatime thathasseenseveralhigh-profilelocal politicians losetheir careers toscandal, so anything that even appearsto suggest aconflict of interest is best avoided. Council.
Though the development plarrwould have given Wellington its first assistedliving facility,something the village's senior community haslong demanded,the siteislocatedinsidetheEquestrianPreserveArea,whichhasraisedtheireoflocal equestrians.Whilesomewill beunhappywith anyplan toredevelopthesite (no one wants more traffic), it is importantthat suchvoices areheard beforeanother proposal is drawn up, not after. We hope that before a new development plan comes forward, the developers workwith the concerned equestrians to envision a projectthat canoffer theinvestorsafairreturnwhileeasingthe concernsofthe equestriancommunityandprovidingWellingtonaprojectofwhichitcanbeproud. SunriseSeniorLivinganditslocalagentRockyGoinshavelobbiedtoprovidea facilitythatissorelyneededinWellington.Butifanassisted-livingfacilityistobe
Kudos To Santamaria
On Wednesday, Jan: 17, I had the privilege of attending District 6 County Commissioner Jess Santamaria's first community forum at the WellingtonMall.Thistownhall meetingisnotarequirementof Commissioner Santamaria's job, nor have his predecessors or fellow county commissioners held them. He is merely keepinghis campaignpromise ofbeingintouchwithhisconstituents. Jess has pledged to bring integrity and honesty back to our local government
The developersnow.have the chance to start over and create a project that is mindfulofthecommunity.Theyknowtheequestrians'concerns;nowit'stimeto address them. Otherwise, the drawingboardmight be as far as this plan goes.
LettersToTheEditor
and focus on "protecting the qualityoflifeweallcamehere for."
Jessviews himselfasapublie servant for the people of District 6 and asked those in attendance at the meeting to thinkofhimnotas acommissioner, but as a neighbor and friend.Healsopointedoutthat hisroleascommissionerdidnot start when he took office last November,butisratheracontinuation of what he has been doingfor thewesterncommunities for the past 32 years. It is evident that Jess intends to practicewhathepreachesabout opengovernment.Hecaresfor
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theaveragecitizenandhasconcern for the western communities.
Perhaps"wethepeople"can learn from Jess and get more involvedinourgovernmentand show up atJess's meetings on the third Wednesday of every month.Thanks,Jess,forbringingthegovernmentbacktothe people.
Brian Hanley
RoyalPalm Beach
Deforestation
Sanctioned By Wellington
PeninsulaBank,developerof thelong-dormantBinksForest GolfCourseinWellington,has -apparentlywiththeapproval oftheWellingtonVillageCouncil -embarked on what can onlybedescribedasadeforestation effort.
What began as a project to cleardeadanddyingpinetrees hasevolved intothewholesale removal of any tree the bank sees fit to remove, for whatever reasonitdeemsappropriate - and it doesn't seem to matterif it's a pine tree, palm tree or cypress.
This morning, I witnessed the downing of a beautiful, . majestic pine tree that had to be over 50 years old. It stood at least 75 feet tall, and had a fullcanopy,greenand healthy. Sappoured from its trunk as it lay dying on the ground. The bank said it cast a shadow on whatwillbeoneofthegreens, however, so it had to go.
I then witnessed the crew taking down healthy cypress trees in the next fairway, for no apparent reason. Those trees, along with more healthy pines that were in a stand together, stood on the farrightside ofthe widepart of the fairway, and in no one'swayasfarasthisgolfer could see. I fear this is only the beginning. The workers told me they had removed over 2,600 treesthusfar,and were on a mission to remove many more.
Whata sad commentary fora village that notlong ago receivedthedesignationof"Tree City USA." The Division of Forestrywillnodoubt wantto reconsiderthisdesignation.And whereisyouresteemedvillage
council? Squarely on the side ofthe bank, asusual. BillUnderwood Wellington
Don'tTrust
The County
At the last Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District meeting Jan. 8, Palm Beach County started the process of asking thedistrictfor theright to sink 11 water supply wells on district rights ofway.These wells would tap the upper AoridanAquiferinordertosupply water to the county's new water treatmentplant inRoyal PalmBeach.
Mr.Juan Guevarez, a representative from Palm Beach WaterUtilities,providedlimited details about the project, but promised thatground and surface water in the Groves wouldn't be impacted.
Intherecentpast,thecounty askedforandreceivedapproval from the district to run county waterlinesalong district rights ofway inorderto reachfuture users in TheAcreage and beyond. For this favor, the district is receiving a number of free fire hydrants and a North Road canal refurbishment.
It's time we asked ourselves, what's going onhere?
First the county asks to use our rights of way for transporting water to other areas and now they want to driU wells on our rights ofwayso that we will betheonesactually supplying the water to thosefutureuserstothewest.
Will we besupplying the water that will allow all those high-density communities to develQp? I believe most of us are vehemently opposed to high densities out west, but here we are, being asked to supply their water. It is possible.that they thinkus fools?
Whydidn'tthecountybring upthewellquestionwhenthey came to us about the water transport pipes? Obviously, they knew they wanted the wellsatthattime.Itseemsthey thought it would be easier to getbothitemsiftheyseparated the two. I don't like that type ofsubterfuge.Additionalcy,I'm not sure I believe the county whentheysayourwaterwon't beaffected.Itwouldbeatrag-
edy ifwe lost some or all of our water resources due to some unforeseen hydro-geologicalproblem.
I believe that the district, no matter what the county is offering, should tum down the county'srequestforwellrights.
Bill Gurney Loxahatchee Groves . .
Why Implement
Dress Code Now?
I am writing in reference to the dress code that is scheduled to take effect atSeminole RidgeHighSchoolinMarch. As a parent ofa senior student at SRHS, I feel that it is very unfair to the senior class of 2007 to change their dress code three quarters into the year! I have had the opportunity tospeak with someofthe senior students who are not happyaboutthis.change.While I do appreciate safety, I also appreciate timing.Why would youimplementsomethinglike this toward theendofaschool year?Why nt>tstartfreshatthe beginning of a new school year?
The seniors have dressed (most of them appropriately) with some type of writing on their shirts. I don't feel that "Abercrombie"and/or"Hollister" written on shirts is inappropriate.Ifthereissomething inappropriateontheshirts,then I feel this should be dealtwith byadministration.Iunderstand that new rules need to be formed, but a total change in dress codeisunfairtostudents and/or parents, who will have to purchase new clothing for the final two months of the school year.
Iappreciatethedesireforadministration to improve the overall school cultureand producepositiveresults,butIdon't feel that changing the dress code at this time will have a positiveresult.
MaryGilbert 'I_'he Acre�ge
Thanks For
Honoring RPB's Vivian Ferrin
At this time each year, my thoughts dwell on Dr. Rev. MartinLutherKingJr.'swords SeeLETTERS,pageSA SEND IN YOUR
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ShoplifterBitesStoreEmployee,RPB WomanRobbedAtHome
�y Ron Bukley Town-Crier StaffReport
JAN.20_:_ABoyntonBeach manwas arrested.lastSaturday forretailtheftandbatteryatthe Nordstrom store in the Mall at WellingtonGreen.Accordingto Palm BeachCounty Sheriff's Officedeputies,48-year-oldLyle Viselman was apprehended at approximately 7:40 p.m. after being caught by Nordstrom .employees after attempting to steal$994worthofpurses.The PBSOreport further noted that Viselman bit a Nordstrom loss prevention officer on the arm
while he was being detained. Viselmanwastransportedtothe PalmBeachCountyJail,where hewaslaterreleasedonbond.
•••
JAN.17 -After being arrested lastWednesday for violation ofparole, a Royal Palm Beach man was charged with possession of marijua·na, according to a PBSO report .(\t approximately 9:30 p.m..last Wednesday, a PBSO deputy fromtheRPBsubstationarrived at the Counterpoint Estates
home of 22-year-old Lanorris Patterson, assisting his probationofficer,whowasintheprocess of arresting Patterson for aparoleviolation.Whilesearching Patterson, the deputy discovered approximately two gramsofmarijuanainhisright sock, according to the report.
JAN.18-AnOhiomanwas arrestedlastThursdayforshoplifting at the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Belvedere Road in RoyalPalmBeach.Atapproximately 2 p.m., a deputy from thePBSOsubstationinRPBmet with loss prevention officers, whowitnessedRandy Nichols,
Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is.asking for the public's help in finding these wanted fugitives:
• Eulanda Dawkins, a.k.a. Eulanda Parker, is a black female, 5'5" tall and weighing 140 lbs. with black hair and brown eyes. Her date of birth is 07/24/80. She has atattoo on her left arm. Dawkins is wanted for public assistancefraud. Her occupation isunknown. Herlastknown address was Tangerine Blvd. The Acreage. Dawkins is wanted as of 01/25/07.
•Lucas Palavecino is awhite male, 6' tall andweighing130 lbs. with black hair and brown eyes. His dateof birth is01/07/77. Palavecino is wanted for failure to appear on the charges of habitual driving while license revoked and possession of marijuana, and violation of supervised own recognizance on the same charges. His occupation is construction. His last known address was Ponce De Leon Street in Royal Palm Beach. Palavecino iswanted as of 01/25/07. Remainanonymousand youmaybe eligibleforupto a$1,000 reward. Call Crime Stoppersat (800) 458-TIPS(8477)orvisitwww.crimestoppers pbc.com.
THE INFORMATION FORTHIS BOXIS PROVIDEDBYCRIMESTOPPERS OF PALMBEACH COUNTY, WHICH IS WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE FORITS CONTENT.
37,stuffarticlesofclothinginto a plastic bag, according to a PBSO report. The employees furtherobserved Nicholsorder chicken fingers from the deli and head over to the shoe department,where he selected a pair of shoes, placing them on his feet and putting his own shoes in the plastic bag. The employeesstoppedNicholsafterheleftthestorewithoqJ:paying for the items. In lotal, Nichols took six articles of clothing,onepairofshoes and aboxofchickenfingers,worth atotalof$161.14,accordingto the report. He was transported tothecountyjail.
JAN.19-Apursecontaining$4,000wastakenfromacar parkedoutsideLaPetiteAcademy in Royal Palm Beach last Friday. According to a PBSO report,'the 2005 Lexus LS430 was left unlocked and running while the victim went into the building at approximately 8:36 a.m. There was no suspect informationorphysicalevidence found at the scene.
JAN.19-ABelleGladeresidentwhoworksinRoyalPalm Beachwas arrested last Friday for possession of marijuana. Followingatipthat25-year-old Weiman Emelius possessed a largeamountofmarijuanainhis 1999Buicksedan,PBSOdeputies arrested him short!y after midnightafterpullinghimover forimproperlydisplayeddecals on his license plate. Deputies spotted half of a joint in Emelius's ashtray and further·discovered a bag of marijuana weighing 19 grams, according toaPBSOreport.Emeliuswas
releasedwithanoticetoappear and.issued citations for traffic andequipmentviolations.
JAN. 20-Four panels of white,accordion-stylehurricane shuttersweretakenfromahome inWellington'sAeroClubsome time between Jan, 15 and Jan. 20,accordingtoaPBSOreport. The report.notedthatthemethodoftheftissimilartotwoearlierincidents,wherethreetofive panels weretakenfromtherear of the homes
JAN.20-AWellingtonman wasarrestedlastSaturdayafter fleeing from a traffic stop on the12thFairwayinWellington. AccordingtoaPBSOreport,at approximately 8:40 p.m., 30year-old Adam Easley was arrestedandchargedwithfleeing and eluding police, failure to obey a law enforcement officer's order to stop, drivingwith asuspendedlicense,resistingan officer and obstructionwithout violence,andpossessionofmarijuana less than 20ounces.
JAN. 20 - Sometime between Jan. 13 and Jan. 20, a poolpumpandheaterweretaken from a home in Wellington's Olympia neighborhood while the victim was out of town. According to a PBSO report, suspect(s) turned off the power to the pump and heater,cut PVCpipes and removed it. Their value wasestimated at $2,000.
JAN.22-ABoyntonBeach man was arrested Monday at a Wellingtonbarforpossessionof cocaine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia, according to a PBSOreport.Atapproximately SeeBLOTTER,page42A
Eulanda Dawkins
LucasPalavecino
