Town-Crier Newspaper January 29, 2016

ZONERS OK ROYAL PLAZA LANDSCAPING SEE STORY, PAGE 4

COLLEGE PREPARATORY INVITATIONAL SEE STORY, PAGE 7

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RPB Council Approves First Phase Of Acme Ranches Project

Volume 37, Number 5 January 29 - February 4, 2016

Serving Palms West Since 1980

‘PAINT RPB PURPLE DAY’ AT RPBHS

The Royal Palm Beach Village Council approved several ordinances and resolutions last week that will allow 392 multifamily units on almost 30 acres south of Southern Blvd. and west of State Road 7 on the former Acme Ranches property, as well as architectural approval to allow 131 single-family homes on almost 60 acres in the same area. Page 3

South Florida Fair Wraps Up 2016 Run This Weekend

The South Florida Fair continues its 2016 run at the South Florida Fairgrounds until Sunday, Jan. 31 featuring great entertainment, fair food, parades, exhibits and more. This year’s theme is “Discover the Palm Beaches.” Page 11

Wellington’s Temple B’nai Jacob Celebrates A ‘Tu B’Shevat Seder’

Temple B’nai Jacob of Wellington celebrated the naturethemed holiday of Tu B’Shevat with a special “Tu B’Shevat Seder” on Sunday, Jan. 24.

The holiday, also known as the Jewish Arbor Day, reaffirms the bond with the land of Israel by celebrating the birthday of the trees. Page 13

OPINION

30 Years Later, Challenger Casts A Long Shadow On NASA

Thirty years ago, the United States suffered a serious blow to its psyche. Even more importantly, it suffered a serious blow to its worldly exceptionalism, and our nation has never truly recovered. It was during the crisp morning hours of Jan. 28, 1986, when the Challenger space shuttle soared into the sky like so many prior missions.

But just 73 seconds into its flight, disaster struck, with an explosion that ended up killing all seven crew members.

Another casualty was NASA’s reputation and America’s space invincibility. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 13 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 14 SCHOOLS.............................. 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 23 BUSINESS......................24 - 25 SPORTS..........................29 - 31 CALENDAR............................ 32 CLASSIFIEDS................ 33 - 36 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

Royal Palm Beach High School celebrated “Paint RPB Purple Day” in honor of the American Cancer Society’s Royal Palm Beach Relay for Life on Tuesday, Jan. 26. Shown here, Selena Mejia and Rose Aquino offer words of encouragement for cancer patients. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Wellington Council Considers Senior Housing Community

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council sent a report on senior housing to its Senior Advisory Committee for comments Tuesday, with most council members showing interest in a 10-acre village-owned parcel near the Mall at Wellington Green for some type of senior living facility in the future.

Planning & Zoning Director Bob Basehart gave a presentation, saying that the impetus came from the Senior Advisory Committee, which suggested that the village participate in providing some type of housing for seniors.

“The senior population in Wellington has been growing pretty quickly,” Basehart said, explaining that the 2000 Census showed the senior population in Wellington 65 and over to be 8 percent. In the 2010 Census, it grew to 10.5 percent. The latest estimate from the Bureau of Economic and Business Resources is 13 percent,

which brings Wellington’s senior population to somewhere between 7,600 and 8,000, Basehart said.

“The question is, what is senior housing,” Basehart said. “It’s a lot of things. At the top of the list is what we call extensive care, which is basically nursing home care. We have assisted living, which most people refer to as congregate living facilities or CLFs. In Wellington, we have four categories of CLF housing. Then there’s what we call conventional restricted-age communities, basically 55 and up. We have a couple in the village. From there, you have programs, and Wellington has some, that provide assistance to residents who wish to age in place.”

He said that Wellington has one extensive care facility, the NuVista facility near the Mall at Wellington Green, which currently has 38 assisted-living beds and 120 skilled nursing beds, some of which are used as rehab beds.

The four different types of CLF

facilities are Type 1, which under state law must be allowed anywhere that single-family homes are, and allow up to six residents.

Type 2 facilities can have up to 14 residents and Type 2a facilities can have up to 21. The state also requires CLF facilities to allow halfway houses and homes for battered spouses or drug rehab patients, Basehart said, adding that there are 17 Type 1 and Type 2 facilities in Wellington, and most of them operate at capacity.

There are two planned Type 3 CLF facilities with more than 21 people, which include NuVista, which has more than 600 beds approved as part of the project, and Wellington Regional Medical Center, which has a 75-bed nursing home approved that has not yet been built.

“We have 700 or 800 Type 3 beds approved that haven’t been built yet,” Basehart said. “I’m presuming the need isn’t there, or See SENIORS, page 18

Spring Cleaning Spruces Up Campus At Wellington School

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington Elementary School, the oldest public school in Wellington, did an early spring cleaning on Saturday, Jan. 23.

Art teacher Pam Saeig and third-grade teacher Amy Bermudez headed up the organizational group that coordinated more than 120 people last Saturday, as they painted, cleaned up plants, added

new foliage, put down mulch and made the school a prettier place to be.

Principal Dr. Maria Vaughan was amazed at the turnout and community support.

“I’m astounded and almost dumbfounded by what I’m seeing here today. We didn’t really know what to expect, but this is way over and above our expectations,” she said. “It’s heartwarming

Ericka Shibley, Blake Seow, Enzo Mosconi, Nevin Fergson, Mauricio Mosconi and Joshua Dimaiwat on a pile of mulch.

and great to see that community spirit still exists and people are willing to give up their time and energy… Some people have donated resources to help us better our school. It’s all for our students, and it’s great to see that people are supporting public education.”

The school has 776 students with a new fine arts academy about to launch.

“It was so important to me that the older buildings become a part of the newer buildings, to make them feel included,” Saeig said.

The school has three new buildings — an administration building, a two-story building and the cafeteria, along with pods 4 through 14, which were the original buildings at the school.

Media Specialist Cathy West is one of the few who have been with the school since it opened.

“This is very exciting. It’s good to see everyone come and jump on board,” West said. “It just shows more support for our new program that’s coming in.”

When she started, the school See CLEANUP, page 18

RPB Workshop To Discuss Cultural Center Expansion

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report A design workshop will be held for the planned expansion of the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. at the Cultural Center, located at 151 Civic Center Way. Recreation Supervisor Mike Mikolaichik announced the workshop at the Recreation Advisory Board meeting Monday.

“We’re looking to add a 3,800-square-foot addition onto the Cultural Center,” Mikolaichik said. “That facility gets a lot of use. There are a lot of nonprofits, churches and rentals in that facility, so we believe that there is definitely a lot of demand for it.”

Right now, the estimated $1.2 million plan is in the pre-design stage, which includes a large meeting room that can divide into four smaller rooms to enable separate functions at the same time. There are also plans for storage rooms.

“Storage is always an issue at the Cultural Center, so this would give us more storage, but also give renters and user groups the opportunity to lock things up at the

facility and keep things in-house,” he said.

Additional administrative offices, handicapped-accessible bathrooms, an additional kitchen and more parking are also proposed.

“This charrette is going to give those nonprofits and renters, those churches and the general public the opportunity to come out and actually have a draw-up of the facility and come up with a floor plan and a site plan with the design team,” Mikolaichik said. “It will give us an idea of what they believe the facility needs. I encourage everybody if you can get there to give us your input.”

Board Member Ray Nazareth asked whether staff could have projections at the workshop of anticipated revenue from the expansion.

“We’re talking 3,800 square feet, if you could explain roughly the percentages of the expansion and the percentages of the storage,” Nazareth said, explaining that at the last board meeting, concerns were expressed about See REC BOARD, page 18

HAIR FASHION SHOW

Visions Salon in Wellington held a special hair fashion show event — “50 Years of Hair, from Sassoon to Arrojo” — to benefit the American Cancer Society on Sunday, Jan. 24. More than $2,600 was raised as models showed off looks from each decade. Shown here, Visions owner Tom Monticello explains one of the hair designs. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

ITID Engineer: Improved Drainage With RPB Agreement

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report At the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors meeting on Wednesday, ITID Engineer Jay Foy reported on a potential for thousands of dollars in pumping cost savings to the district due to a partnership with the Village of Royal Palm Beach.

“It seems appropriate on a rainy day that I talk about how we operate our system in the M-1 Basin,” Foy said. “We did quite well.”

He said that the M-1 Basin, located in the northeastern part of The Acreage, tends to have more trouble during storms. However, a partnership with Royal Palm Beach is enabling better drainage.

In the past, ITID had not used its manual gates in the lower M-1 Basin to control the water level between the district into Royal Palm Beach.

“It matters a whole lot,” Foy said, explaining that the village had been reluctant in the past to allow drainage through the village.

“They couldn’t be serviced better by anyone,” Foy said. “We are now servicing them; they are our partners. They get what they need, and then they don’t object to us passing water through them.

It’s perfect.”

He said that the arrangement is a great improvement to what the South Florida Water Management District was doing for the village.

“We have more ability to control water in Royal Palm Beach than South Florida has over all the water it can send,” Foy said.

He said that during the wet season, ITID was able to hold the water control level in the lower M-1 Basin at what it should be, about 17 feet, which enabled the See ITID, page 4

Bippity Boppity Boo… GCC Makes Dreams Come True

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report “Fairy tales can come true,” said Mark Bellissimo, co-founder of the Great Charity Challenge, CEO of Equestrian Sport Productions and majority partner of Wellington Equestrian Partners.

Thirty-four charities from Palm Beach County are in for a treat Saturday, Feb. 6 at the seventh annual Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, starting at 6 p.m.

Last year, there were 32 charities taking part. The GCC team was approached by more sponsors, allowing them to add more teams, Bellissimo explained.

“I think it’s a great opportunity

to celebrate all the great things that exist in the community and how everyone is working collaboratively to improve the lives of people across all kinds of dimensions, whether it’s social, physical or environmental,” he said. “There’s all kinds of elements we hope to highlight within an event like this.

We really do want the community to come out for it.”

By the end of the night, 34 charities will walk away with funding that will, like a fairy godmother’s magic wand, have the ability to truly make a difference. Every charity walks away with something — the minimum prize is $15,000.

The Great Charity Challenge is the brainchild of Bellissimo and his daughter Paige, and executed

by Equestrian Sport Productions

and Wellington Equestrian Partners, along with GCC Executive Director Anne Caroline Valtin.

Paige, now 24 years old, a jumper, was only 17 when she saw the opportunity for the equestrian community to give back to Palm Beach County. Paired with her father’s business expertise, they created an unforgettable night full of laughter, fun, hope and, most importantly, change.

Each of the 34 charities is paired with professional and amateur riders at the free, family-friendly event, which has raised and distributed more than $7.5 million to more than 150 local charities.

After Feb. 6, it will be close to $10 million. According to the rules, 75 percent of all funds raised have to stay in Palm Beach County.

“It has such a huge impact,” Bellissimo said. “You translate that dollar figure into the amount of lives we’ve touched, I’m sure it’s tens of thousands of lives.”

Valtin, he said, has been crucial to the challenge.

“Without her leadership, a lot of this doesn’t get executed,” he explained. “She has been able to cultivate great relationships within the community, and it really makes a big difference when you start thinking about how we can do this.”

The Great Charity Challenge was created with an emphasis on an entire networking effect. By helping a set of charities, those charities in turn help other charities, providing a larger impact.

See GCC, page 18

Paige and Mark Bellissimo with miniature horse American Pie. PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

Page 2

January 29 - February 4, 2016

The Town-Crier

www.gotowncrier.com

JANUARY 14TH VILLAGE COUNCIL MEETING REGARDING THE RACETRAC GAS STATION

At the January 14th Village Council public meeting, the audience was comprised mostly of white shirts with “NO” opposing RaceTrac and green shirts with “YES” supporting RaceTrac. Both sides appeared similar in number.

The previous Village Council meeting (October 29th), the Palm Beach Post reporter estimated that there were approximately sixty (60) white shirts in opposition and forty (40) green shirts in support. Majority of the “white shirts” with “NO” were either the owners of competing gasoline stations and convenience stores and/or their employees.

(Majority are not residents of Royal Palm Beach Village).

Prior to the January 14, 2016 Royal Palm Beach Village public meeting, over nine hundred (900) Village residents provided the five Village Councilmen signed petitions supporting the approval for the RaceTrac application. Many more Royal Palm Beach Village resident supporters are signing the petition every day.

For every village resident that opposes RaceTrac, over (10) village residents support RaceTrac. The great majority of village residents have no interest at all.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF MONICA KALAS/SHARP SHOOTERS MARKETING

Village Council and Villlage Staff

Wide Angle Photo of Audience

The main reason this application got some additional

attention is that three new candidates that have filed for the March 2016 Royal Palm Beach municipal elections, who have done nothing good for the Village, wanted to create an illusion of controversy, and thereby get some media publicity to use in their campaigns for the March 2016 Royal Palm Beach municipal elections.

The very serious problem with this deceptive campaign strategy is that there has already been a precedent set in 1985, when a similar application of a convenience store with gas, that also complied 100% with Village Ordinances and laws, was voted down 5 to zero.

The lawsuit that followed resulted in Judge Walther Colbath, Jr. reversing the denial and stating:

“The defendant’s (Village of Royal Palm Beach) actions were arbitrary, capricious, and unreasonable…the defendant had made up their minds and did not want to be confused by facts…Elected public officials are vested with a trust and duty to cast their votes in accordance with their sworn oath and not with an eye toward selfpolitical preservation, and the latter is precisely what the Court feels happened in this case. Hopefully, this Order will put those parties and other similarly situated on notice that such future conduct will not be viewed favorably by the Courts”.

A denial of this application would have been very expensive for Royal Palm Beach - millions of dollars in legal fees for both the Village and the applicant, together with business damages to both the applicant and the property owner!

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The Town-Crier

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

Page 3

NEWS

RPB Council Approves First Phase Of Acme Ranches Project

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Village Council approved several ordinances and resolutions last week that will allow 392 multifamily units on almost 30 acres south of Southern Blvd. and west of State Road 7 on the former Acme Ranches property, as well as architectural approval to allow 131 single-family homes on almost 60 acres in the same area.

The approvals for Southern Boulevard Properties Phase 1 North included allowances for smaller units than allowed by code, as well as tandem parking for the apartments and a 50-foot private roadway in lieu of the 60-foot right of way required by code.

The first item was the second reading of an ordinance rezoning eight tracts totaling 29.86 acres from the county’s agricultural residential and planned unit development to the village’s multifamily residential with a density of 18 units per acre, although the developer is only building about 13 units per acre.

Village staff recommended approval, and the project was recommended for approval by the Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission.

Former Councilwoman Martha Webster, now a candidate for mayor, spoke against all the

items on the agenda regarding the project. She questioned why all the items are coming before the council at once. “There seems to be some urgency in getting this single project done,” Webster said. “I looked at this 392 units.

This is not of benefit to the Village of Royal Palm Beach. I don’t see what it brings that is of any value.

It’s much too dense.”

Councilman David Swift asked why the project was given such a high density, and Planning & Zoning Director Bradford O’Brien explained that the village does not currently have a designation between RM-12 and RM-18, but staff is working on developing one. O’Brien added that 14 units per acre is a reasonable density for the tract closest to Southern Blvd.

Swift also asked about the type of tenants the developer was trying to attract, and O’Brien said that the apartments would probably attract singles and singles with a spouse or significant other living and working in the area.

Village Manager Ray Liggins said staff had told the applicant that it was working on eliminating the RM-18 designation, which was why they came through with a density under 14 units per acre.

Liggins estimated that about half of the target tenants probably owned homes before the recent recession, and Swift agreed. “I

see this as a step in the housing market,” Swift said. “I also see firemen, teachers, folks we need to have housing for.”

Councilman Jeff Hmara said he drove down to Doral in MiamiDade County to look at a complex built by the same developer.

“It is pretty much young couples who are professionals and teachers and folks who are looking for something that doesn’t burden them with maintenance,” he said.

“It does appear to be something that is needed. We have people teaching here but don’t live here.”

Hmara made a motion to approve the ordinance, which carried 5-0.

The next item was a request for reduced floor space for the same apartment complex. Negotiation of such requests is required under the state’s Local Government Development Agreement Act of 2011, which also permits the imposition of additional conditions of approval by the village.

The developer asked for a minimum of 719 square feet for a onebedroom apartment, where village code requires 1,000 square feet; a minimum of 1,099 square feet for two bedrooms, where 1,200 is required; and 1,215 minimum square footage for three bedrooms, where 1,350 is required.

O’Brien explained that the applicant asked for reduced floor

space based on an abundance of outdoor and other recreational amenities. However, village staff feels that the project does not offer any more outdoor amenities than other complexes, and recommended denial.

Jeff Brophy, representing applicant the Wantman Group and the Related Group builder, said the complex would be the most luxurious in the western communities.

“What is proposed here is above and beyond anything ever seen in this area,” Brophy said, explaining that the complex’s open space and community areas would be much more active, with a lagoon-style pool, adult clubhouse and separate area for private parties, volleyball and tennis courts, seating and picnic grills.

Swift said that he was concerned about the square footage, although some multifamily complexes that asked for reduced square footage, such as the Enclave on SR 7, had promised high-end luxury apartments and delivered.

Hmara asked about the guidelines under the statute for reaching an agreement, and Village Attorney Jennifer Ashton said it allows more flexibility for discussion.

“This is more like a contract negotiation with the applicant,” Ashton said. “The applicant makes an offer, and the council will decide if it wants to make a counteroffer.”

Hmara said that in his visit to Doral, something that jumped out at him was an impressive movie theater. The Southern Boulevard Properties application also had provisions for a theater, but with what Hmara considered an escape clause of “or similar,” and asked the developer if it would make a hard commitment to the movie theater.

Swift asked whether the application would set a precedent for future developers, and Hmara said under the statute, it obligates the council to bargain with the developer. “The open space is very poor here,” Swift said. “I have concerns going down that road.”

Councilman Fred Pinto said he was impressed with the development overall.

“The question was asked, what road does this put us on,” Pinto said. “We keep talking about what we did for the Enclave. I kept looking at that as an opportunity to see something that we hadn’t seen previously in the village.”

He said it showed him amenities that hadn’t been provided for before.

“This is far and above, this is what the future of the market is demanding,” he said. “Projects like the Enclave and projects like this have for us set a standard of expectations for these kind of developments in the future.”

Liggins said that the Enclave was presented as luxury apartments with a host of amenities. “It did turn out that way,” he said. “It is managed by a single owner. This is a contract negotiation, so you will be creating it as you go along.”

Vice Mayor Richard Valuntas made a motion to approve the application with the condition offered by Hmara to make a hard commitment to a theater. It carried 4-1 with Swift opposed.

The council also approved tandem parking for 39 of the apartments, which allows one car to park behind another.

Valuntas made a motion to approve the application with the condition that the developer would provide more parking if it did not work out as planned, which also carried 4-1 with Swift opposed.

The council also approved a variance to allow a 50-foot roadway in lieu of 60 feet required by code. O’Brien said 50-foot private roadways have been approved in the past, including in Saratoga.

Valuntas made a motion to approve the variance, which carried 4-1 with Swift opposed.

Finally, the council gave architectural approval for the 131 single-family residences on 59.84 acres to the south of the multifamily development. Valuntas made a motion to approve that application, which carried 5-0.

Stem Cell Doctor Speaks At Wellington Chamber Luncheon

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Dr. Burton Feinerman, president and CEO of Stem Cell Genetic Med, was the guest speaker at the Wellington Chamber of Commerce’s January luncheon at the Wanderers Club on Wednesday, Jan. 27.

“I think a lot of the people who are here today are here not because of the wonderful luncheon, as much as they have some interest or questions,” Feinerman said.

“Often, when I’m in a group of this size, there will be at least 15 or 20 people who have a friend, a relative, some connection with someone who has some of the serious, incurable diseases that I do treat. There’s usually a lot of personal interest in this.”

Feinerman, who has been in medical practice for 62 years, has spent most of his career in Florida.

He is a graduate of New York Medical College and trained at the Long Island College Hospital in New York, then the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He was the chief of medicine for the U.S. Army in Germany, chairman of medicine at Miami General Hospital, and chairman of Cancer Technologies, Kids Medical Centers of America and Anti-Aging Medicine Technologies.

Feinerman is also a member of the Society of Apheresis, the Society of Bone Marrow Blood Transplantation, the International Society for Cellular Therapy, the Society for Cranial Transplantation and Brain Repair, and the Society for Cardiac Translational Therapy.

Feinerman started out as an innovator.

“I opened up the first AfricanAmerican hospital in Dade Coun-

ty,” he said, explaining that in the 1950s, the medical field was different from what it is today, especially in the south. “That’s how I started off my career in Miami.”

Another highlight of his career, he said, was when a mother brought a young infant into his office. The child, he explained, eventually became known as the “bubble child.” The baby was born without an immune system, had a blood transplant, and lived. Now, the child, as an adult, is a teacher in a high school in south Miami.

Feinerman began to get restless, and started practicing in Hawaii, where he stayed for 15 years. He learned cosmetic dermatology, anti-aging medicine and stem-cell science.

“That’s where I am today. It has been a journey where I’m constantly learning new things, battling the establishment — which

seems to be a habit of mine — and it has been exciting and wonderful.

The patients I deal with,” he said, “often, it’s like a 15-minute conversation before they say, ‘When can I have the treatment?’”

Feinerman deals in an experimental and often controversial area of medicine. Stem cells, he explained, are challenging the future of medicine and incurable diseases, but are here to stay.

Stem cells can be utilized to treat various diseases, ailments and medical issues, he explained, with applications for erectile dysfunction, kidney function, anti-aging and recovering drug addicts, with the bulk of his work on incurable diseases such as ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, traumatic brain damage, autism and more.

For more information, call (561) 557-3358 or visit www.

Dr. Burton Feinerman of Stem Cell Genetic Med. stemcellgeneticmed.com. Feiner- W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 255, in man’s office is located at 10111 Wellington.

PUBLIC NOTICE The Village of Royal Palm Beach and the Village Council hereby gives notice that DHGA Design-FL of West Palm Beach will make a presentation at the Village Cultural Center, 151 Civic Center Way, Royal Palm Beach, Florida 33411 on February 11, 2016 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., or as soon thereafter as possible and continuing from time to time and place to place as necessary regarding the following: The expansion of the existing Cultural Center facility. The purpose of the meeting will be to receive public input and discuss ideas regarding the expansion of the Cultural Center as well as provide a conceptual floor plan and site plan for this expansion. Residents are invited to attend and participate. For more information contact Chris Marsh, Village Engineer, at 561-790-5161.

PUBLISH DATES: Week of January 29 and February 5, 2016

Page 4

January 29 - February 4, 2016

The Town-Crier

www.gotowncrier.com

OUR OPINION

30 Years Later, Challenger Casts A Long Shadow On NASA

Thirty years ago, the United States suffered a serious blow to its psyche. Even more importantly, it suffered a serious blow to its worldly exceptionalism. And our nation has never truly recovered.

It was during the crisp morning hours of Jan. 28, 1986, when the Challenger space shuttle soared into the sky like so many prior missions. But just 73 seconds into its flight, disaster struck, with an explosion that ended up killing all seven crew members: Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, Ronald McNair, Ellison Onizuka, Gregory Jarvis, Judith Resnik, and New Hampshire school teacher Christa McAuliffe.

The disaster resulted in a 32-month hiatus in the space shuttle program, as well as the formation of the Rogers Commission, a special panel appointed by President Ronald Reagan to investigate the accident. In its study, the Rogers Commission found that NASA’s organizational culture and decision-making processes had been key contributing factors to the accident. Further, NASA managers had known for nearly 10 years that the shuttle’s solid rocket boosters’ design contained a potentially catastrophic flaw in its O-ring seals, but they had failed to address this problem properly.

The Challenger disaster remains one of those unique and singular moments etched into the collective and individual souls of those who watched it unfold. Like the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the falling of the Twin Towers on 9/11, there are millions who can tell you exactly where they were and what they were doing when Challenger exploded. In fact, it may have been the first major disaster broadcast live and uncut to the world; the launch was broadcast live on CNN and was being simultaneously shown at countless schools across the United States in recognition of McAuliffe’s involvement with NASA’s “Teacher in Space Project.” It is likely more children than adults witnessed the event while at school that day. Media coverage of the accident was extensive; one study reported that 85 percent of Americans surveyed had heard the news within an hour of the accident.

In a televised address to the nation that night, President Reagan told a shocked and grieving

nation that the legacy of Challenger would not be curtailed ambition for the space program, but accomplishments that would have made Challenger’s crew proud: “To reach out for new goals and ever-greater achievements — that is the way we shall commemorate our seven Challenger heroes.”

But through a wider view of history, that was not to be. In many respects, Challenger derailed the unparalleled American space program so much so that it never truly recovered. Despite occasional successes, like the Hubble Telescope in 1990 and collaborative efforts with other nations on the International Space Station, the body blow of Challenger is one that has left NASA a hobbled shell of what it once was. The agency that put a man on the moon suffered terrible damage to its reputation, followed up more than a decade later by the disintegration of the Columbia space shuttle during re-entry in February 2003.

This is ironic, given the near universal reverence nearly all Americans had for NASA from the mid-1960s until Challenger. The space race pitted the former Soviet Union against the United States, creating a post-World War II Cold War scientific golden age. Fifty years ago, we had a space rival to fight. By 1986, the United States had far and away won the space battle, and Challenger became not only a signal of our own mortality, but of NASA’s insulation from accountability.

Since then, the space shuttle program has ended and NASA largely looks to less lofty efforts, as private firms compete to lead a new space era where American space exceptionalism is challenged by other nations around the world. We Americans fantasize about space adventures in Star Wars and Star Trek, but NASA has neither funding nor a spacecraft to deliver astronauts to Mars any time soon, and its budget is minuscule compared to other federal projects.

This is depressing. If the United States looks to continue standing high on the lofty pedestal of world leadership, space exploration is one area where we have a chance of truly taking the torch and running with it. Fifty years ago, we were champions of space. America has a duty and an obligation to reclaim that crown.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Swift Endorses Martha Webster For RPB Mayor

First I must respond to Jess Santamaria’s full page political advertisement in last week’s Town-Crier warning both Martha Webster and I about encouraging residents to attend Royal Palm Beach Village Council meetings and speak out about a project that will impact their neighborhood.

Mr. Santamaria, this country has a Constitution and a Bill of Rights that protects free speech at public meetings. Yes, at times, it can be loud, boisterous and the people speaking may not agree with you, however most Americans call that democracy in action.

You also insinuate that I ignore the legal advice of our village attorney. All the statements I made at the RaceTrac meeting were discussed with our attorney prior to the meeting. Prior to the vote, I asked our attorney, “Does the council have the legal right to reduce the number of fuel pump stations?” She indicated that we had that right as long as we could show that the project does not meet Special Exception Standard No. 7 (the special exception is compatible with the character and living conditions of the existing neighborhood in which it is to be located). I provided six pages of testimony indicating why the project does not meet that standard. Councilman Jeff Hmara used that legal argument to reduce the number of pumps from 20 to 16.

And finally, Mr. Santamaria states that in 1998, he won the Saratoga lawsuit against the village. He lost that lawsuit and paid the village $15,500 in attorneys’ fees (check #40188, dated Sept.

9, 1998).

The intent of his advertisement was to smear the reputations

of both former Councilwoman Martha Webster and myself for speaking up for our residents at a public meeting. Ms. Webster is running for mayor, and Mr. Santamaria is concerned that his next hand-picked mayoral candidate now has some real opposition.

I am endorsing Martha Webster for mayor of the Village of Royal Palm Beach. For some, that may seem odd, since we have campaigned against each other in past election cycles. What I have learned is that we both share the same concern as to where this village is headed in terms of future development, and we cannot continually elect our mayor based on the wants and needs of the largest landowner in town.

I have been impressed with Martha’s ability to engage our residents and have them attend meetings — that is always a good thing. In fact, in my 29 years on the council, I have never received so many phone calls, personal letters and e-mails from residents concerning a proposed project. I applaud Martha’s advocacy for our residents.

I would like those residents who have supported me in the past to seriously look at the upcoming mayor’s race and choose the person you think would listen to your concerns and best represent all the residents of our village. I believe Martha is your best choice. She has five years of experience as a councilwoman and vice mayor in Royal Palm Beach. She is well-known to our residents and local business community, and has represented the village as a Palm Beach County League of Cities board member; but most importantly, she is not beholding to any developer or special interest group. Please consider Martha Webster on March 15.

Councilman Dave Swift Royal Palm Beach

Tax Us More To Support Development?

Do you need an “argument” for opposing new development anywhere in Palm Beach County? It has been argued in the past that “development does not pay for itself.” Need new proof?

Palm Beach County, with the support of most municipalities, and many services provided by all, including roads, bridges, schools, environmental resources, etc., are all arguing that we need a referendum that assesses everyone an additional 1 cent sales tax on everything we buy just to pay for these “amenities” of convenience.

If new development generated enough in impact fees, prop share, etc., would there be a need to go to the general public to support a new additional sales tax on everything we buy? Each and every development approved comes with some sort of unique argument of how it will be an improvement to the economy, generate revenue for the government and just generally be an economic boon. Why is this not being borne out?

I am sure that some of you, who have lived here long enough, remember that until just a few years ago, we were already paying a half-cent more in sales tax just to cover the Palm Beach County School Board, which needed to build new schools or expand existing ones. Now they are claiming that they need more revenue for the same, exact purpose.

Why is new development, an economic boon, not generating enough revenue to cover the cost? Ask your local and county officials who keep approving new development!

Patricia D. Curry The Acreage

Remember, We Are A Country Of Laws

I would like to bring to the attention of my fellow residents in Royal Palm Beach the “We Are a Country of Laws” commentary

by Jess Santamaria in last week’s edition of the Town-Crier. If you have not already read it, you should. It describes past acts by the Royal Palm Beach Village Council at the time that did not follow the law and resulted in expensive lawsuits for our village and taxpayers.

This is precisely the situation we could have found ourselves in had Martha Webster and her followers succeeded in their efforts to defeat the RaceTrac proposal for our village. Had this group succeeded in convincing our representatives on the council to defeat the RaceTrac proposal despite the fact that RaceTrac had complied with all the legal requirements, a subsequent lawsuit would have been a distinct possibility. Thus, under a façade of speaking for the people, this group could have created a huge liability. I ask you to think about it: are these the individuals we want representing us on our village council?

In addition, those of us who attended the public meetings were both annoyed and embarrassed by the behavior of those shouting out, jumping up out of their seats in protest and generally behaving like spoiled children in defiance of the mayor’s and council’s requests for respect and adherence to the rules. So I leave it up to you, my fellow Royal Palm Beach residents, is this lack of civility, bordering on civil disobedience, the kind of representation we want on our council?

Arlene Olinsky Royal Palm Beach

Gunfight At The Lox Groves Corral

The phantom of the town’s opera has filed a complaint with the Palm Beach County Office of the Inspector General. The complaint reflects a significant lack of understanding and appreciation of Underwood Management in its service to the Town of Loxahatchee Groves.

The opposition to Underwood Management for the past eight months consists of only two people who have publicly expressed their exceptions: one being Councilman Jim Rockett and the other Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Supervisor John Ryan. The actions of these “guns for hire” have been an effort to disrupt the town’s progress, are both persons of interest in state investigations, and are up for re-election.

The phantom alleges, “Town manager formed an advisory committee of his own initiative that was intended to provide advice to the town council regarding proposed changes to the Unified Land Development Codes regarding the rental of recreational vehicle trailer space allowed on properties.” The complaint asserts that the advisory committee meetings were not publicly noticed, their agendas were not published and no minutes were taken.

Mayor Dave Browning responded to the OIG, “The allega-

tion that an advisory committee was established is false.”

We cannot prevent questionable challenges in the form of complaint filings with the OIG. Everyone has rights to be heard and appropriate recourse for wrongs, but public and legal attacks should be fact-based and well-considered.

Unproductive efforts result in unnecessary expenses — especially legal. Better approaches are participation in conversations with residents on both sides of the fence, and taking time to understand the reasons for the town manager’s actions.

Elected public officials with background issues and frustrations with their own circumstances should better consider their actions and the unintended consequences on the residents and not simply focus on the phantom’s agenda. If unsubstantiated attacks against Underwood Management are intended to get attention for political reasons, hopefully the general public will consider this in the upcoming town election in March with Mr. Rockett and the LGWCD election in June with Mr. Ryan.

The phantom’s complaint to the OIG is an example of unfortunate, disjointed anger. All of us would be better served if the phantom’s “guns for hire” stay informed, participate in town workshops and support positive developments in the Groves.

Keith Harris Loxahatchee Groves

The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor.

Please keep letters brief (300 words suggested).

Submit letters, with contact name, address and telephone number (anonymous letters will not be published), to The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 33, Wellington, FL 33414; or you can e-mail letters@goTownCrier.com.

NEWS

RPB Zoners OK Landscape Modifications At Royal Plaza South

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission on Tuesday recommended approval of an application by property owner Jess Santamaria for landscape site plan modifications at the Royal Plaza South, located at the northeast corner of Southern and Royal Palm Beach boulevards.

Site Plan Coordinator Kevin Erwin noted that the original construction of the shopping center was completed prior to the adoption of the village’s landscape code and has had several additions over the years.

“The applicant is seeking a

ITID

Better Drainage

continued from page 1 district to gravity-feed water to the village.

“At the beginning of the supposed wet season, our staff held the water a little higher than the

major site plan modification in order to obtain approval for the existing landscaping on this site,” Erwin said. “The current landscaping on the Royal Plaza South site does not match the approved landscape plan, and in addition, it deviates from the current requirements of the village landscape code.”

Erwin said that the applicant is seeking approval of the existing landscape plan under the major site plan modification approval process.

He added that the shopping center is across the street from the Royal Inn, also owned by Santamaria, which also recently

went through a similar site plan modification process.

There is a condition that if any of the existing landscaping material dies, it will be replaced with similar material that meets village code.

Staff recommended approval of the application.

Commissioner Richard Becher said he had spoken with landscape architect Richard Bartlett, who is in charge of the project, and gone to the site and walked around.

“It seems that once RaceTrac gets done, I think it’ll look pretty nice, the whole facility,” Becher said. “The parking was neat; the plants were OK. I recognize

that there’s plants there that are substandard, but I’m not going to get into that. But under the circumstances, I’m going to vote for it because I think it’s something that needs to get finished once and for all.”

Chairman Joseph Boyle pointed out that the plan will match the landscaping at the Royal Inn. “The landscape plan does not meet our code right now, but the good thing about it is that both sides of the street will meet any changes in the code in the future, which they didn’t have to do,” Boyle said. “In essence, what we’re doing is the applicant is voluntarily bringing it into the

village code, which I think is good for the village.”

Commissioner Jackie Larson made a motion to approve the application, which carried 4-0.

Commissioner June Perrin, who works for Santamaria, recused herself from voting.

In other business, the commissioners recommended approval of: • A special exception use for Palm Beach Pit Crew tire and alignment shop at 160 Business Parkway.

• Architectural approval to change the existing signage at 117 S. State Road 7 in the Lowe’s shopping center.

• Architectural approval for Nothing Bundt Cakes to deviate from the approved sign criteria to allow the use of its trademark and logo for its proposed store in the Anthony Groves Plaza at 171 S. State Road 7.

• Architectural approval to allow a proposed Dunkin’ Donuts in the Anthony Groves Plaza to use its trademark and logo for a wall sign and a drive-through pricing sign.

• Architectural approval for Acquired Realty & Investments at 11337 Okeechobee Blvd. to use one illuminated sign and a monument sign, and to paint the building exterior.

requirements,” Foy said. “We were trying to hold water at the beginning of the wet season so we don’t over-drain the canals. When it comes close to September and October, we’d better be prepared, and sometimes in August, we drop the waters purposefully and we come much closer to regulation.

Unfortunately, it didn’t rain a lot in October like it’s supposed to,

and it took us two months to get back up. But we are operating the system appropriately, as close to regulation as we can.”

Foy said that the district’s impoundment is currently receiving very little water, which he pointed out must be pumped twice when it is needed. “You’re paying twice to pump the water into the impoundment,” he said.

Due to recent actions of the SFWMD, he said it’s not desirable for ITID to send water west to the L-8 Canal anymore. “We might as well just directly discharge it to the C-51 Canal,” he said. “We are saving tens of thousands of dollars in pumping costs,” he said.

“I like what you’re saying about saving money,” Supervisor Michelle Damone said.

Supervisor Ralph Bair said he thought it never made sense to pump water north and then west.

“When we have light rains, it makes a lot of sense just to send it south,” Bair said. “We were trying to get more discharge in the south, so you did a good job keeping it about where it’s supposed to be.”

Foy added that if the district had a storage facility planned in the

L-8 Basin as had been anticipated in the North County Plan, it could have had stored water for later use.

“Because that was taken away for use in the Everglades, it doesn’t make sense, and the other response is, yes, we have a lot of discharge capability. We can discharge more than an inch per day as long as the SFWMD doesn’t cut us off,” Foy said.

BARRY S. MANNING DAWN RIVERA JOSHUA I. MANNING Executive Editor Publisher General Manager

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NEWS

‘PAINT RPB PURPLE DAY’ AT HIGH SCHOOL SUPPORTS RELAY FOR LIFE EVENT

Royal Palm Beach High School celebrated “Paint RPB Purple Day” in honor of the American Cancer Society’s Royal Palm Beach Relay for Life on Tuesday, Jan. 26 in the cafeteria courtyard during lunch. Once a week, one minute is designated a “Moment of Hope” to give spare change to the cause. School clubs that have formed Relay for Life teams had booths set up around the courtyard to increase awareness about the relay, set for April 2. Everyone was encouraged to wear purple to school and participate in activities such as making cards for cancer patients, creating colorful banners, playing games and more.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Zafiro Paredes, Merille Tervo and Kimberly Urizar trace their hands on a banner.

Jose Lopez makes a Valentine’s Day card for a cancer patient.

Marcella Marques at the top of the rock-climbing wall.

Kashine Johnson and Crichanni Watson.

RPBHS Principal Jesus Armas and Activities Coordinator Monique Paramore.

Malik Bullard, Jonea Budhoo and Brianna Lustig.

Presidents Project Fundraiser Feb. 9 At RPB Cultural Center

The nonprofit organization Presidents Project Inc. will host a special one-day performance of the national touring company Presidents & Their First Ladies, Dramatically Speaking on Tuesday, Feb. 9 at 1 p.m. at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center.

The veteran acting/writing couple of William and Sue Wills have 34 presidential couples in their repertoire. The February program, entitled “From Majors to Major Generals,” will focus on James Monroe and William McKinley (the majors) and Rutherford Hayes and James Garfield (the major generals), along with their wives.

Although not the most well-known presidents, their stories are eye opening, including two men who were seriously wounded in com-

bat, a disputed election almost causing a second civil war, an assassination, a troubled marriage and a marriage of unbelievable devotion.

The Wills will receive no compensation for the performance, and all profits will be donated to Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit group that builds specially adapted homes for severely wounded veterans. The organization has helped approximately 18 veterans in Florida, including one in Wellington.

Tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased by visiting www. presidentsproject.org. Donations can also be made at the web site.

Checks for tickets or donations can be sent to: Presidents Project Inc., 1853 Linden Road, Winter Park, FL 32792.

William and Sue Wills as President James Garfield and his wife, Lucretia.

Dorri Raquib, Michelle Stern and Giovanna Garza sell snacks to raise money at the student council table.

Kendra Hanford, Aileen Ruiz, Shanice Unnithan, Chantal Anderson, Ravin Hemchand and Samantha Douglas at the medical science glove toss table.

RPB Rotary To Honor Matty Mattioli March 5

The Rotary Club of Royal Palm Beach will host a testimonial tribute dinner for retiring Royal Palm Beach Mayor Matty Mattioli on Saturday, March 5 at 6 p.m. at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. The general public is welcome and encouraged to attend.

An outstanding lineup of speakers and guests will assemble to honor Mattioli, who is retiring after almost three decades of public service.

Mattioli is a three-term mayor of Royal Palm Beach and served on the Royal Palm Beach Village Council before being elected mayor. The Pennsylvania native and his late wife Marion moved to Royal Palm Beach more than

30 years ago. Mattioli is a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. He was employed by Corning Glass for most of his adult life before retiring to Florida.

Lynn Balch is serving as chair of the committee arranging the event.

He is assisted by a committee consisting of Jean Morris, Diane Smith, Keith Hernandez, Michael Fehribach, Roland Amateis, Eric Gordon, Jeff Hmara and Dan Splain. Balch expects a sellout crowd to honor Mattioli on his retirement.

There are sponsorship opportunities for the event at multiple levels. Dinner tickets are available at $50 each by calling Dan Splain at (561) 688-5112.

Meet the G&A Partners:

E Q U I N E L AW

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Open House Enjoy a Lecture by Richard Lubliner “Jumping the Fences of Equine Issues”

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

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CRIME NEWS

Suspicious Incident At Shoma Homes Community In RPB

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report JAN. 25 — A deputy from the Royal Palm Beach substation of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office was called Monday evening to the Shoma Homes community on Shoma Drive regarding a suspicious incident. According to a PBSO report, just inside the gate to the Shoma Homes community, a young black male was observed running from the area where two boxes were placed. According to the report, the boxes, approximately 2-foot cubes, had black marker writing on them, including the words “kaboom,” “I see you,” and “lol its empty,” along with drawings of a skull and crossbones and the symbol for radiation. According to the report, the boxes were deemed safe and gathered for processing.

••• JAN. 22 — A deputy from the PBSO’s Royal Palm Beach substation was called to the Walmart store on Belvedere Road last Friday evening regarding a case of shoplifting. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 9 and 9:35 p.m., loss prevention officers noticed a man placing cosmetics and beauty items into his pants and jacket pockets. According to the report, the man, later identified as Billy Cavitt, paid for some of the items before being stopped

for stealing $29.78 worth of items from the store. Cavitt was arrested for petit theft.

JAN. 22 — A deputy from the PBSO’s Royal Palm Beach substation was called early last Friday morning to the intersection of Saratoga Blvd. and Crestwood Blvd. regarding a drunk driver.

According to a PBSO report, someone noticed Aaron Coen passed out behind the wheel of a 2013 Chevy Silverado. Coen was arrested, issued a DUI citation and booked into the Palm Beach County Jail.

JAN. 24 — A deputy from the PBSO’s Wellington substation was contacted by a resident of Carlton Street in the Greenview Shores community Sunday regarding a theft. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 1:30 and 5:30 p.m. last Saturday, someone stole the victim’s recycling bins from the swale in front of his home.

JAN. 24 — A deputy from the PBSO’s Wellington substation was called Sunday afternoon to the parking lot of the Whole Foods Market store on State Road 7 regarding a case of vandalism.

According to a PBSO report, sometime between 3 and 5 p.m., someone shattered the front driver’s side window of the victim’s 2012 Mitsubishi Galant, causing $250 in damages.

PBSO Issues Alert About Phone Scam

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office has issued a scam alert regarding a telephone scheme in which the caller falsely identifies himself as a PBSO official.

On Friday, Jan. 22, a victim reported receiving a call from a suspect who identified himself as “Lt. Cross” of the Palm Beach County Sheriff Office. The suspect told the victim that a warrant had been issued for his arrest for the failure to attend jury duty, but that the matter could be resolved if a fine of $5,555 was paid.

The caller instructed the victim

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to purchase prepaid NetSpend or Reloadit cards with a $500 value each and call back with the authorization numbers. Once the authorization was received, the caller said that the warrant would be released. The suspect called from (561) 232-8580; a recorded message answers the line.

PBSO officials stress that it is not a practice of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to request payment over the phone. This is a scam, and victims are urged to make a report with their local law enforcement agency.

Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is asking for the public’s help in finding these wanted fugitives: • Tracey Lynn Thompson is a white female, 5’5’’ tall and weighing 120 lbs., with brown hair, blue eyes, and tattoos on her left ankle and left hand. Her date of birth is 07/30/69. Thompson is wanted on felony charges for the violation of supervised own recognizance for the possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia, and for failure to appear in court on felony charges for the possession of heroin and drug paraphernalia. Her last known address was Polo Gardens Drive in Wellington. She is wanted Tracey Lynn Thompson as of 01/21/16.

• Crickett Toole, alias Kathleen C. Toole, is a white female, 5’5’’ tall and weighing 120 lbs., with brown hair, blue eyes, and tattoos on her left shoulder, back and right leg. Her date of birth is 09/30/75. Toole is wanted on felony charges for grand theft, false verification of ownership and dealing in stolen property. Her last known address was Pimlico Court in West Palm Beach. Her occupation is listed as house cleaner. She is wanted as of 01/21/16.

Remain anonymous and you may be eligible for up to a $1,000 reward. Call Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crimestopperspbc.com.

Crickett Toole THE INFORMATION FOR THIS BOX IS PROVIDED BY CRIME STOPPERS OF PALM BEACH COUNTY. CRIME STOPPERS IS WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT SHOWN HERE.

NEWS BRIEFS

ACS Bark For Life Feb. 21 At Fairgrounds

Join in at the American Cancer Society’s third annual Palm Beach County Bark for Life event on Sunday, Feb. 21 at the South Florida Fairgrounds Agriplex show arena from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

All money raised will support the American Cancer Society’s continued fight against cancer.

Admission is a donation of $10 per dog to the American Cancer Society and includes a Bark for Life bandana and a goody bag.

Attractions will include pet-related vendors, pet photography, dog costume contests, a kids activity area, food and more. All dogs must be kept on a leash.

A survivor walk will be held to honor those that have survived cancer and the furry family members that support them. Sponsor and vendor opportunities are available. For more info., contact Bill Lerner at (561) 596-0926 or blcs2000@gmail.com.

WHS Dance Team Showcase Set For Feb. 12

The Wellington High School Dance Team Showcase will be held Friday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. in the school theater at 2101 Greenview Shores Blvd.

The show will feature a variety of dance styles, including jazz, lyrical, pom and contemporary, with original choreography. The show will feature group performances as well as solos and duets.

The high school step team will also perform.

As the highlight of the evening, the students will perform a special dance in memory of their coach’s mother.

All members of the public are welcome. The admission to the show is $5 for students and $8 for adults. Tickets can be purchased at the door. All proceeds will go toward the team’s upcoming competition expenses to compete at the National Contest of Champions in Orlando.

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

Page 7

NEWS

College Prep Invitational Brings Young Riders From Near And Far

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report The College Preparatory Invitational, an equestrian event where high school riders compete and meet with more than 40 college representatives and coaches from around the country, came into town for its sixth year from Friday, Jan. 15 through Sunday, Jan. 17.

“It is designed to educate equestrian athletes about their options once they go to college,” event organizer Lindsay Martin explained.

“There are several different options out there.”

Student riders can receive either full or partial scholarships, depending on which organization they choose to work with. Some colleges have equestrian programs, and students will choose those schools, or students will choose a school based upon the equestrian program.

“There are many schools out there that have equestrian programs that a lot of people don’t know about,” Martin said. “We provide the opportunity for all of these colleges to come here, free of charge. They get a table, and they are allowed to meet with all of these students that we have here.”

The college representatives are able to talk with the students and help make the best match for the students’ needs and goals.

Equitation — a style of riding based upon the rider and not the horse — is the category that the riders compete in at the CPI. “In this sport, you draw a horse.

You never ride your horse. You draw it, and you’re expected to get on it and perform,” Martin said.

She leases horses every year — 32 horses this year — and they work at all different levels with riders.

Riders have come from as far away as Hawaii. This year, Martin added a CPI in California, and already has a rider from Alaska.

Applications for the CPI generally open in July, with high school juniors and seniors having application priority. Around September, the competition event opens to freshmen and sophomores.

The Florida-based 2016 CPI attracted 140 high school riders to the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center, many of whom traveled long hours — some even coming from Texas — to compete and meet coaches.

Ashley Gregory from Davie won first place for high point rider, followed by Hayley Antonelli of Maryland and Amalya Silverblatt of New York, in what was originally a three-way tie.

Mollie Green of Ohio won the Essay Award, Caydee Dickennsheets of Texas won the Written

Alexis Zapalski, 14, of Wellington, with Juliette.

Horsemanship Test Award and Ellie Tradup of Texas won the Champion of Service Award.

This year’s essay contest focused on courage.

“I haven’t really had the easiest life,” Green said.

Green’s parents divorced when she was in third grade, which was the beginning of her difficult times. Her father moved to Connecticut and remarried within a few months. At first, she flew to Connecticut, but eventually drifted apart from her father.

When she was in sixth grade — she is now 16 years old — they received a phone call about her father. He was missing, and the police were looking for him. He

Lindsay Martin with essay winner Mollie Green. was in trouble and had been labeled a sex offender. It was news that quickly followed Green to school.

“Going to school on the first day of sixth grade was miserable.

Everyone knew. I think everyone looked at me differently. It was really hard for me. Everyone was talking about me at school, behind my back,” she said. “It wasn’t easy for me. I had to show a lot of courage and get through school, through life, and not let those things affect me.”

Riding, she said, has helped her.

“When I’m at the barn, it’s just me and my horse. When I’m riding at the barn, I can be myself. It has been my home. Everyone there is

Candace FitzGerald, Dr. Maryann Tobin, Peter Cashman, Lindsay Martin, Sherry Cashman, Jane Da Costa, Christina Bernal and Christian Luneburg. so supportive. I feel like horses which she had volunteered at for understand you at a different level years. Seeing the smiles on the ridthan people do,” Green said. ers’ faces when they ride, connect The United States Hunter with colleges and learn about the Jumper Association awarded five industry, Martin said, makes all the $1,000 grants to students Chloe effort of putting such a large event Bellerive of Maryland, Alexa together worthwhile.

Donsbach of Indiana, Elizabeth “That’s why I do what I do — to Gilbert of Texas, Tanner Pfeffer make a difference. This is a very of Ohio and Chace Simmons of privileged industry. To be able to Virginia to compete in the 2016 give back a little bit, it means a lot East Coast College Preparatory to me,” Martin said.

Invitational. Each student had to A second horse show will take either have a 3.5 out of 4.0 GPA place March 11-13 at the Los or be in the top 20 percent of their Angeles Equestrian Center’s Equiclass to qualify. dome in Burbank, Calif. That CPI Young riders come from near is still accepting applications, and far to compete, Martin ex- which are available online. plained. This is her second year For more information, visit running, and owning, the event, www.collegeprepinvitational.com.

Rockin’ Rio Raises A Record $1.5 Million For USET Foundation

On Friday, Jan. 22, the United States Equestrian Team Foundation hosted its Rockin’ Rio benefit at Louisburg Farm in Wellington. With more than 600 guests in attendance, the party featured honorary chairs Patti Scialfa and Bruce Springsteen.

The celebratory evening included award presentations, an elegant dinner, a surprise performance by Springsteen and a lively auction, which helped raise more than $1.5 million for the USET Foundation.

The tent was transformed into a festive Brazilian wonderland by designer Reed McIlvaine and included an exquisite dinner by Ken Rose Catering. USET Foundation Executive Director Bonnie Jenkins and committee chairs Kimberly Boyer, Gloria Callen, Margaret H. Duprey, Elizabeth Johnson, Elizabeth B. Juliano, Jacqueline B. Mars, Robin Parsky, Rebecca Reno, Jeannie Tisbo and Akiko Yamazaki all helped organize the highly successful event.

Olympian Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil kicked off the festivities, welcoming the American delegation to his country this summer for the upcoming 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. USET Foundation Treasurer Philip Richter then welcomed honorary chairs Scialfa and Springsteen, who recognized the guests for their dedication to equestrian sports.

“Patti and I have been involved with the horse world for 20-plus years since Jess started riding

when she was 5 years old,” Springsteen said, referring to his daughter Jessica. “Needless to say, retirement is nowhere in sight for me. I literally play for horse feed night after night.”

Springsteen thanked the horse world for enriching his family’s life.

“I’ve gotten to watch my daughter grow up into a young woman of character and excellence,” he said. “I’ve gotten to watch a lot of you grow up with her. I’ve gotten to watch the best in the world compete year after year, and I know what that takes.

We’re here tonight to honor your focus, your hard work and your dedication.”

Later in the evening, the awards ceremony began with 16-year-old Lucy Deslauriers being named the recipient of this year’s Lionel Guerrand-Hermes Trophy, which is presented to a young rider in one of the Olympic disciplines who exemplifies both sportsmanship and horsemanship.

The next award was presented to U.S. eventing team member Phillip Dutton, recipient of the Whitney Stone Cup. The award is presented annually to an active competitor who displays consistent excellence in international competition and high standards of sportsmanlike conduct while serving as an ambassador for the United States and equestrian sport.

The final award, the Bruce Duchossois Distinguished Trustee Award, was presented to Brownlee

William Cleary and Jacqueline B. Mars with Robin and Gerry Parsky.

O. Currey Jr. The award is presented annually to a USET Foundation trustee who exemplifies exceptional leadership, philanthropy and character.

Following dinner, the auctioneer took control of the microphone and revved up the crowd to begin the live auction, which raised money for the USET. Auction items included a four-piece equine collection by artist Sharon Lynn Campbell, tickets to the International Tennis Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony and Championships with a stay at the Relais & Chateaux Castle Hill, and the painting Precision by Andre Pater, donated

by Misdee and James Miller, to name just a few of the amazing items up for bid.

The benefit really started to rock when the final item was introduced as donated by Scialfa and Springsteen. What started as a signed guitar by “The Boss” quickly escalated to 10 VIP tickets with sound check and backstage meet-and-greet passes to one of Springsteen’s concerts. To encourage the bidders, Springsteen took to the stage and brought the guests to their feet with one of his iconic performances. The hotly contested item eventually sold to two lucky bidders for $300,000 each.

The money raised will help USET riders as they prepare to compete at the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For more information about the United States Equestrian Team Foundation, visit www.uset.org.

Alex Hamer and Georgina Bloomberg.

USET Foundation Treasurer Philip Richter.

Rocker Bruce Springsteen takes to the stage.

Brazilian dancers entertain the crowd.

Jessica and Bruce Springsteen with Patti Scialfa.

Kristen DiCecca with Bill and William Weeks.

Elizabeth B. Juliano, Debbie McDonald and Adrienne Lyle.

PHOTOS BY REBECCA WALTON/PHELPS MEDIA GROUP

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

St. Rita Festival Returns Feb. 4-7

The 2016 St. Rita Catholic Church Festival will take place Thursday, Feb. 4 through Sunday, Feb. 7. The community is invited to visit the church, located at 13645 Paddock Drive in Wellington, for fun, food, entertainment, rides, vendors, raffles, bingo and more. Entertainment will include a mariachi band on Spanish Night, set for Friday, Feb. 5. The four-day extravaganza runs from 5 to 10 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 4; 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 5; 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 6; and noon to 7 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 7. The event will conclude with a pre-game Super Bowl Party with food and drinks. For more info., call (561) 252-2773.

Date Night Cooking At Bootz

Spend a date night by learning to cook together in a creative setting from Sandra Axelrod, a Cordon Bleu-trained chef and author of Affairs to Remember. The class

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NEWS BRIEFS will take place Friday, Feb. 12 from 6 to 9 p.m.

Axelrod has more than 40 years’ experience in the kitchen. She was owner and executive chef of Affairs to Remember Catering for 18 years. Now, in addition to writing a blog about food, restaurants, travel and life experiences at www.foodandfondmemories. com, and writing cookbooks, she teaches private hands-on cooking classes, does small catered parties and is a freelance food writer and photographer.

Registration for the class is $75 and must be done at least 24 hours in advance. To register, visit www. bootzculturalartscenter.com or call (561) 290-2753,

FLARA Meeting Set For Feb. 1

The Western Communities Chapter of the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans will meet Monday, Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. at the St. Peter’s United Methodist Church classroom building (12200 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Wellington). Dr. Richard Hattwick, a retired profes-

sor of economics, will discuss “Income Inequality in America” with a focus on causes and solutions.

The meeting is free and open to the public. For more info., call Nancy Tanner (561) 793-9677.

Car Show At RPBHS Feb. 13

Royal Palm Beach High School’s annual car show will take place Saturday, Feb. 13 at the school, located at 10600 Okeechobee Blvd. in Royal Palm Beach. Hosted by South East Rods & Customs, the event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. with registration starting at 8 a.m. The day will include food, awards, music and fun for the whole family.

Admission is free.

Download an application to enter your car online at www. rpbhs.org. The car show is open to all makes and models, antiques, classics, street rods and muscle cars. The school is also accepting registrations for merchandise vendors. For more info., e-mail robert.kreitzmann.c@palmbeachschools.org.

Hadassah Purse Auction Feb. 17

Shulamit Hadassah will hold a purse auction fundraiser Wednesday, Feb. 17 at 7 p.m. The event will be hosted by Felice Krebs.

A purse/pocketbook auction is an event where each attendee brings one or more new or slightly used bags, each containing a surprise item. Each bag is auctioned one at a time, with the opening bid set at $10. Proceeds will help to complete the operating rooms of the Sarah Wetsman Davidson Tower at Hadassah Hospital. To RSVP, contact Susan Daniels at smow@ comcast.net.

SRHS Freshman Parent Night

The Seminole Ridge High School guidance department invites the parents of ninth-grade students to Freshman Parent Night on Wednesday, Feb. 3 from 6 to 6:45 p.m. in the Dr. Lynne K. McGee Auditorium. The evening’s presentation topics will include graduation requirements for the

Class of 2019 and the course selection process for 2016-17. For more info., contact the guidance office at (561) 422-2610 or lizzie.singletary@palmbeachschools.org.

Art Society To Feature Nicole Galluccio Feb. 10

The Wellington Art Society will feature local pop artist Nicole Galluccio at its Wednesday, Feb. 10 meeting at the Bootz Cultural Arts Center (420 State Road 7, Suite 118). A meet-and-greet will begin at 6:30 p.m., followed by a member spotlight and a brief meeting. The main attraction will be the demonstration by Galluccio, followed by a raffle.

Galluccio has been painting and creating her pop art in South Florida for 20 years. She graduated with a degree in studio art from Florida Atlantic University and began creating her own unique style.

Her paintings combine 1960s mod fashion and style, comic, music and media tabloids, spinning them into a visual explosion of color

against a black and white paper collage background.

Galluccio often includes headlines and wording that exemplify her emotions. She is constantly evolving and continues to experiment with her technique, beginning to use imagery from other sources, including old children’s books and vintage magazines.

Galluccio has exhibited at the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County, the Continuum Pop Up Art Exhibition, the Boca Museum of Art Artist’s Guild and several other local galleries.

For more information, visit www.wellingtonartsociety.org.

RPB Rotary Launches Evening Club

The Royal Palm Beach Rotary Club is launching an evening satellite club Wednesday, Feb. 3 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Oak Bistro & Wine Bar (11051 Southern Blvd., Royal Palm Beach). For more info., call Dr. Bruce Elkind at (561) 798-4077.

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Page 9

NEWS

VISIONS SALON IN WELLINGTON HOSTS A HAIR FASHION SHOW FUNDRAISER

Visions Salon in Wellington held a special hair fashion show event — “50 Years of Hair, from Sassoon to Arrojo” — to benefit the American Cancer Society on Sunday, Jan. 24. More than $2,600 was raised as models showed off looks from each decade. The evening also featured a special performance by Michaela Paige from The Voice. For more information, call (561) 790-1696 or visit www.vhsalon.com.

PHOTOS BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

Visions Salon owner Tom Monticello gathers with the hair fashion models.

Linda and Tom Monticello with Tara Weldon and Michaela Paige.

Singer Michaela Paige performs for the crowd.

Visions Salon owner Tom Monticello leads the hair fashion show.

Chris Crockford, Jenna Dickinson and Jordan Perry.

Lily Uribe with hair model Bianca Morales.

Alicia DeLuca, development manager with the American Cancer Society.

Elaine Ozarow and Kim Jensen.

Wellington Regional Returns As 2016 Polo Season Sponsor

Wellington Regional Medical Center has returned as the “official hospital” for the 2016 high-goal polo season at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.

As the official hospital of IPC, WRMC will have medical services and an ambulance on-site at every Sunday match through April 24.

“We are proud to announce that Wellington Regional has renewed its sponsorship for the winter polo season at IPC,” said John Wash, president of the International Polo Club. “Not only is Wellington Regional our community neighbor, but it is an exceptional medical facility known for its compassion, teamwork and patient care. As our

on-site hospital, we know we are in excellent hands, and we are pleased to continue our successful partnership.”

Wellington Regional Medical Center is a 233-bed, acute-care facility and medical center that has been serving the region since 1986. It is a thriving community hospital, offering the high-tech advantages of a big-city hospital with the personalized care of a hometown provider.

“As Wellington’s premier hospital and medical center, we take great pride in providing exceptional patient care,” WRMC CEO Robbin Lee said. “We are proud of our relationship with the Interna-

tional Polo Club, and we are honored to be their ‘official hospital.’”

As an accredited community hospital, WRMC prides itself on its continued commitment to remain on the forefront of advanced technologies, while offering expanded programs and services to meet the needs of the growing community it serves.

Services include the only Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in the western communities, da Vinci minimally invasive robotic surgery, emergency services, wound care, orthopedic services and much more.

For more information, visit www.wellingtonregional.com.

Wellington Regional Medical Center CEO Robbin Lee and COO Pam Tahan with Team Enigma, which won last Sunday’s featured match at the International Polo Club Palm Beach.

PHOTOGTAPHY BY LILA PHOTO

Page 10

January 29 - February 4, 2016

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

Page 11

NEWS

SOUTH FLORIDA FAIR WRAPS UP 2016 RUN AT FAIRGROUNDS THIS WEEKEND

The South Florida Fair continues its 2016 run at the South Florida Fairgrounds until Sunday, Jan. 31 featuring great entertainment, fair food, parades, exhibits and more. This year’s theme is “Discover the Palm Beaches.” For more info., visit www.southfloridafair.com.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Judge Richelle Miller declared Cassidy Polston to be the Senior Showmanship winner with Dodge, a Brangus bull.

Miss South Florida Fair Shelby Bomford rides in the parade.

2016 Florida Junior Angus Queen Gabby Hernandez.

The Wellington High School Majorettes entertain at the fair.

Retired PBCFR Lt. Steve Barnard discusses fire safety with students at the Yesteryear Village Fire Museum.

Palm Beach Central High School performers at the fair.

Theresa Agricola with a puppy up for adoption.

Trey Quinn won the mutton-busting contest.

BUSINESS ALLIANCE HOSTS SOCIAL EVENT AT CATANIA ITALIAN RESTAURANT

The Western Business Alliance held its January social at Catania Family Style Restaurant in the Marketplace at Wycliffe on Thursday, PHOTOS BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER Jan. 21. For information about upcoming events, visit www.thewesternbusinessalliance.com.

Natalie Stolbach, Ron Tomchin, Peter Gates, Amy Brand and Marcia Berwick.

Faye Ford and Ken Bell.

Claudia Camacho and Peter Wein.

SHOULD I RENT OR SHOULD I BUY? RIGHT NOW, BUY IS THE LIKELY ANSWER!

With a 3.5% down payment you can purchase a property for $250,000 and only pay about $1750 per month! That payment estimate includes Principal, Interest, Taxes and Insurance (PITI). It also includes Primary Mortgage Insurance (PMI). In most areas of Palm Beach, you would be paying $2000 or more in rent for a similar property.

Combine that with the $6000 or more upfront costs related to renting such a property today and it becomes a very similar transaction.

But I had a short sale or Foreclosure, I can’t buy can I? In most cases the wait time is now 3 years or less before you can purchase again, in some cases 2 years!

“I don’t want to worry about maintenance, I just want to live in my home!”. There is something to be said about this in the sense of not having to come up with lump sum money to replace major items, however there are some very good Home Warranty plans on the market that can be purchased to spread that cash flow out. In the end you will spend at least the same amount of time if not longer waiting for that hot water heater to get replaced by the landlord as calling the plumber yourself.

Worried about the market having a “Bubble” again? The market today is largely ash supported. In other words, there are a lot of investors that have paid all cash for many of the properties in the area up to this point. The market is very unlikely to ever drop below this “cash value” threshold. Lenders are just starting to free up funds for regular buyers and the rules and regulations are much tighter now, reducing the risk of an over inflated market and preventing the types of fraudulent loans that led to issues in the past.

In addition, buying a home is the easiest way for most people to save for retirement. Studies show that home Owners have an average of 45 times the net worth of Renters and at least 38% count selling their home upon retirement as the largest net income they will have available to them.

The bottom line is that with housing prices just making their way out of post-recession, post bust pricing and interest rates at near historic lows (3.96% avg), this may just be the best time to buy a home of your own!

Call me for more information!

Andrew Burr, Broker Associate

RealtorAndrew1@yahoo.com 561.324.8914 AndrewSellsPalmBeach.com

Joan Scherer, Elaine Tomchin, Brittany Coomer and Claudia Camacho.

Page 12

January 29 - February 4, 2016

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

Page 13

NEWS

WELLINGTON’S TEMPLE B’NAI JACOB CELEBRATES A ‘TU B’SHEVAT SEDER’

Temple B’nai Jacob of Wellington celebrated the nature-themed holiday of Tu B’Shevat with a special “Tu B’Shevat Seder” on Sunday, Jan. 24. The holiday, also known as the Jewish Arbor Day, reaffirms the bond with the land of Israel by celebrating the birthday of the trees. It is also a day to commit to protect the environment. Attendees celebrated by eating different fruits and planting seeds.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Rabbi David Abrams, Vice President Alan Cohan and Religious School Director Andrea Cohan.

Ella Bender led the Tu B’Shevat Seder.

Lenore Glickman, Valerie Solomon, Liz Thal, Susan Feldman and Cari Sukienik organized the event.

Cari Sukienik plants parsley.

Sallee Silverman with Zan Liebowitz collect for the Jewish National Fund to plant trees in Israel.

Arnie Liebowitz and Judy Franklin share a cookie.

GREAT AMERICAN COOKIES GRAND OPENING EVENT AT WELLINGTON GREEN

On Saturday, Jan. 23, Great American Cookies celebrated its grand opening of a new location at the Mall at Wellington Green with free cookie cake slices for all. Attendees also received coupons for their next visit. For more info., visit www.greatamericancookies.com.

PHOTOS BY SERGIO AGUILAR/TOWN-CRIER

Camille, Angelo and Amanda Schinina pick up a sweet treat.

Rob Tanner decorating a cookie cake.

Chris Rodriguez, Briana McEntee and Pete Panichi.

14569 Southern Blvd. • Loxahatchee Groves, FL 33470 561-793-1370 • www.arthurmurrayre.com 10 ACRES LAND — beautiful high and dry, cleared 4/2.5, Loxahatchee Groves $749,000 CBS, fenced.

20 ACRE RANCH — Owner financing, 24 stall barn, two residences, turn key. Riding arena, great location. Paved road.

Loxahatchee Groves. $2,300,000 2.5 ACRES LAND — Owner financing, South of Okeechobee, paved road, paddocks, fenced and cross fenced, full irrigation and lighting.

Loxahatchee Groves $285,000 10 ACRES LAND — South of Okeechobee, fenced, cleared, electric, water subdivided into two 5 acre lots. $739,000 5 ACRES LAND — 1/4 mile north of Southern Blvd. and Wellington high and dry, fenced partially cleared. $450,000 20 ACRES LAND — Okeechobee Rd. frontage Great Commercial potential, cleared, fenced, water, electric. $2,200,000 5 ACRES LAND — with cabin, paved road, fenced, electric, water, septic, clear, high and dry.

Loxahatchee Groves $324,999 OKEECHOBEE RD. FRONTAGE — Commercial potential, electrical, high and dry, fenced.

Loxahatchee Groves $995,000 5 ACRES LAND — House pad, well, electric, high and dry, fenced, 900 feet from pavement.

Loxahatchee Groves $299,000

5 ACRES LAND — High, dry, electric, well, paved road.

Loxahatchee Groves $199,000 5 ACRES LAND — 3 bedroom, 2 bath, South of Okeechobee, 1 mile to Wellington CBS High, Dry. Call for price.

1.25 ACRES — hi, dry, close to schools and shopping.

The Acreage $68,000 1/2 ACRE 3-2 fantastic location 200 Ft. From Southern Boulevard Loxahatchee Groves. $225,000 5 ACRES — private, Delwood, close to White Fences. $149,000 1 ACRE 3-2 HOUSE — W/1-1 guest house, four stall barn, fenced, 200 feet from Southern Blvd.

Loxahatchee Groves. $345,000 1.15 ACRES 3-2 w/garage Close to schools and shopping.

The Acreage $224,900 1.25 ACRES 5-3 CBS HOME — plus 1000 Sq.Ft. Guesthouse, 25X40 detached garage.

The Acreage $282,900

Tammy and Emily Astrin enjoy their cookies.

Page 14

January 29 - February 4, 2016

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PALMS WEST PEOPLE

Diana Hauter Of Wellington Wins County’s High School Poetry Contest

Susan R. Williamson, director of the Palm Beach Poetry Festival, and Blaise Allen, the festival’s director of community outreach, recently celebrated the winners of the annual Palm Beach County High School Poetry Contest.

The $100 first place prize went to Diana Hauter, an 18-year-old senior at Wellington High School, for her poem, “One Day Closer.”

The next four $25 winners were all students at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach. They are in order of their finish: • Rhiannon O’Neil, a 17-yearold senior from West Palm Beach, for her poem, “She.” • Cassandra Adair, a 18-year-old senior who lives in Wellington, for Kids take part in last year’s run.

Young Singers To Host 5K Feb. 6 At Okeeheelee Park

Who wouldn’t want to take a run or walk through the beautiful Okeeheelee Park and enjoy free pancakes when they’re done? The Young Singers of the Palm Beaches’ third annual 5K on Saturday, Feb. 6 will feature Boy Scout Troop 141 manning a 5-foot griddle, serving up pancakes to re-fuel runners and walkers. The public is invited to participate.

The 5K is named in memory of Mary Murray, and her children and grandchildren from Palm Beach County; Dallas and Waskom, Texas; Monroe, La.; South Bend, Ind.; and New York, N.Y., will all be there to honor her memory — along with about 350 local friends and family.

This year’s 5K event will feature, in addition to pancakes, pre-run snacks, a flag ceremony by the Boy Scouts, a pre-race warm-up by Jazzercise, a live emcee and live entertainment, including the talents of some of the Young Singers, a raffle and a medal awards ceremony. All who sign up to race will receive a free T-shirt and goody bag.

The Young Singers of the Palm Beaches’ annual 5K event benefits

the Mary Murray Scholarship Fund, which was created to assist children who have an interest in singing and a desire to train and perform with the Young Singers but are unable to do so financially.

Murray’s family formed the fund to honor her memory by helping others.

“When my mother was taken unexpectedly, it brought such sadness to our family,” said Melanee Blankstein, Mary Murray’s daughter and managing director at the Young Singers. “To celebrate her love for music and children, we felt that we could create joy by bringing families together for exercise and fun.”

Murray’s connection to the Young Singers began more than 10 years ago, when her grandsons, Drew and Tyler, became members of the choir. Murray’s attachment grew when her daughter, Blankstein, began working for the nonprofit organization eight years ago.

Online registration is now open at www.yspb.org/5K, and a family registration discount is available.

For more information, call (561) 659-2332 or visit www.yspb.org.

her poem, “My Favorite Book.”

• Kayla Kirschenbaum, a 16-year-old junior who lives in Lake Park, for her poem, “Red, White and Blue.”

• Brianna Steidle, a 16-year-old junior who lives in Jupiter, for her poem, “Auschwitz.”

Open to Palm Beach County public and private high school students, teacher and poet Lorraine Stanchich-Brown reviewed 307 entries, narrowing the list to 25 finalists. Dr. Jeff Morgan of Lynn University selected the winner.

The winners read their poems at the Palm Beach Poetry Festival’s award ceremony on Jan. 18 and had their winning poems posted on the official web site at www. palmbeachpoetryfestival.org.

Poetry contest winners Cassandra Adair, Rhiannon O’Neil, Diana Hauter, Kayla Kirschenbaum and Brianna Steidle.

Amanda Ng Raises $1,100 At Quarter Auction For Children’s Miracle Network

Crestwood Middle School seventh grader Amanda Ng has been the ambassador for Model for Miracles for the past three years, raising more than $7,000. Her goal this year is $3,500.

Model for Miracles fundraises for the benefit of the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. For every $250 Ng raises, she is able to sponsor a child from the hospital to attend the Model for Miracles charity event and walk the runway with her. Her sponsors also get to purchase a new outfit that the child can keep.

To start off 2016, Ng was chosen to raise money for West Palm

Beach’s January quarter auction.

With the help of her mother, friends, teachers and sponsors, they filled the West Palm Beach event hall, made T-shirts and solicited donations of auction items.

Her team raised more than $1,100.

Her mother, Sandi Ng, was extremely proud.

“I’ve always been the one to plan and run these with her. This year, the auction landed on my birthday and Amanda was able to run the entire event with her friends,” Sandi Ng said. “It’s amazing what teens can accomplish with the right guidance and support.”

Amanda Ng, Jacqueline Alves, Jenna Brooker, Tracie O’Connor, Mary DiCampli, Isabella Flores and Karen DiCampli.

RPB’s Von Wachter Competes For Miss Teen Title Amanda Martinez Von Wachter of Royal Palm Beach was recently selected to participate in the 2016 Miss Teen pageant competition that will take place on Sunday, Feb. 14.

Amanda learned of her acceptance into this year’s competition when the pageant announced its selections following interviewing in the local West Palm Beach area.

Amanda submitted an application and took part in an interview session that was conducted by this year’s West Palm Beach pageant coordinator.

Amanda will be competing for her share of thousands of dollars in prizes and specialty gifts that will be distributed to contestants.

She will be competing in the Miss Teen division, one of four divisions that will have young ladies ages of 7 through 19 competing in modeling routines, which include casual and formal wear.

Most importantly, she will display her personality and interviewing skills while interviewing with this year’s judging panel. Personality is the top aspect that each contestant is judged on during all phases

of competition.

If Amanda were to win the title of Miss Teen, she would represent West Palm Beach and the surrounding communities at the national competition that will take place in Orlando.

More than $30,000 in prizes and awards will be presented at the national competition, while each winner enjoys an expense-paid trip of five nights and six days in Orlando.

For more information, contact the Miss Teen pageant coordinator at (877) 403-6678.

Amanda Von Wachter

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SCHOOL NEWS

11 RPBHS DECA STUDENTS QUALIFY FOR STATES

January 29 - February 4, 2016

Page 15

68 RPBHS STUDENTS RECEIVE MORE THAN $387,000 FOR COLLEGE

The largest group of Royal Palm Beach High School students in school history has qualified for the DECA state competition in March.

Eleven of Melissa Basinger’s students will compete in eight different categories. Highlighting the Wildcats’ success at the district competition were third-place finishes from Alicia Harrison in Principles of Marketing, Gianni Nailor in Professional Selling, and Crichanni Watson and Chanel Rennie in Business Law Ethics Team Decision Making. Other notable finishes came from Luke Hollander, Dejon Jackson, Danielle Fearon, Gevaughn Lewis, Alex Micciche, Kate Kollar-Dye and Jahmir Russell. (Above left) Royal Palm Beach High School DECA students. (Above right) Danielle Fearon and Dejon Jackson.

Sem Ridge Students Donate Baby Supplies

Last month, members of the Seminole Ridge High School Students for Life Chapter donated more than $300 worth of diapers for needy moms and their children, delivering them to the First Care Women’s Clinic in West Palm Beach, then taking a tour of the facility.

“They were ecstatic to receive our donations,” Chapter President Marium Houraney said.

The national Students for Life organization chose the school chapter as its December group

of the month, noting that its members have “shared the prolife message at their high school by hanging educational flyers, passing out pro-life literature, and inviting students to join the group.”

Royal Palm Beach High School is proud to announce that 68 Wildcats were awarded more than $387,000 in scholarships at the Historically Black and Hispanic College Recruitment Tour at the Palm Beach County Convention Center on Jan. 22. Many students were offered immediate acceptance based upon their curriculum vitae to colleges including FAU, FIU, FAMU, Barry University, Keiser University and Palm Beach State College. Shown above are RPBHS scholarship recipients.

(Right) Students of Life members Max Zimmerman and Kristen Bown, clinic director Lorie Bishop, SFL Chapter President Marium Houraney, and SFL members Julia Stremel and Lanarrisha Ware.

STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT WES RUNNING CLUB LIFE AS A TEACHER TAKES PART IN FAIR RUN FUN WITH BUBBLES

New Horizons Elementary School students have an opportunity to peek into the lives of their teachers by joining the Teachers of Tomorrow Club on campus. As a club member, students assist their mentor teacher with tasks like creating bulletin boards and preparing the classroom for students. Both the current and future teachers report that the club improves the climate of the school.

Shown above are members of the club.

On Jan. 16, the South Florida Fair hosted the Read, Run & Recycle Kids Mile Run. The Wellington Elementary School Running Club was proud to participate in the event. The club meets before school a few times a week and trains for runs like this one. Ronda Wayne has been heading up the club for several years and enjoys watching the students take an active role in exercising to stay healthy. Club members learn proper warm-up techniques, along with selecting healthy food choices. The members also get to run before school, so they can start the day ready to learn. All the runners completed the race, some in record-breaking times.

Shown above are running club members at the fair.

Rosanne Tatti’s third-grade class at Wellington Elementary School enjoys learning outdoors. Recently, the class was seen demonstrating how light refracts by blowing bubbles.

When the light refracts, they were able to see the color in light-rainbows. (Above) Grace Essery learns about light and bubbles. (Right) Michelle Bobrek, Rylee Prazak, Eula Jangm and Anthony Sokolov experiment with bubbles.

Page 16

January 29 - February 4, 2016

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FEATURES

Want The Lion Suit From The ‘Oz’ Movie? You’ll Need Big Bucks!

This is kind of old news, but it was new news to me: I just read that in 2014, the lion costume that Bert Lahr wore in The Wizard of Oz sold at a Bonhams auction for $3 million.

You know what it cost to make that film back in 1939? That’s right, $3 million.

Ironic, huh? They didn’t even break even on the movie. I mean, movie tickets were selling for ten cents each — maybe a quarter in the ritzier theaters. And, having been one of the first ever filmed in color, it had been extremely expensive to produce. The Wizard of Oz didn’t break even until it was run on television years later — where almost everyone saw it in

Deborah Welky is

The Sonic BOOMER black and white! If you told those harried producers back then what that raggedy old outfit would sell for in the future, they would’ve laughed in your face.

But, as Bonhams pointed out, it is a one-of-a-kind item.

Unlike the other actors, ol’ Bert didn’t have more than the one costume. It turned out to be too difficult to make an exact copy. In the days before imitation fur, it was constructed of real lion skins. Real lions have identifying swirls and patterns to their coats the way human beings have identifying swirls and patterns to their fingerprints.

Can you imagine how much that thing weighed? And how hot it was? Bert’s original perspiration is probably still in there. Maybe that’s what pushed it over the three mill mark — someone hoping to preserve his DNA until they figure out how to make a new Bert Lahr.

Or it could simply have been that the buyer shares my philosophy that the best line in the whole movie is when the Cowardly Lion cries, “Somebody pulled my tail!” and he had done it himself. That scene makes me laugh every time. The delivery is perfect... and the very tail he pulled now has a new home.

Speaking of obscure “Oz” facts, did you know that Toto (the dog) was paid $125 a week while each (human) Munchkin received only $50 per week? I guess little people had no rights back then, but little dogs had a few. Or maybe the dog had a better agent.

And here’s something even more un-

believable. Do you remember Professor Marvel who appears in the first Kansas scene, then again later as the “Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz?” Costumers wanted the professor to look distinguished in a vintage sort of way, so a rack of coats from a thrift store was brought in for him to try on. According to Oz lore, when they decided on the perfect coat, Morgan noticed a label inside that read, “L. Frank Baum.” Could the coat have once belonged to the author of the book? Baum’s widow ascertained that it had.

This is the kind of thing that makes me wonder if those who have passed See WELKY, page 18

Leonardo DiCaprio Shines In Overly Long Film ‘The Revenant’

The new film The Revenant is beautiful, with a powerful grace that almost makes up for its being overly long and too overtly poetic. The cinematography is incredible; you may never have seen the American wilderness quite in this way.

Director Alejandro Iñárritu has strong notions about America in its original state: untouched and beautiful until defiled by white invaders. The stunning beauty of the background is part of the action. The place is gorgeous; there is an almost unspoken homage to the natives here, and the invaders are generally hateful. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki deserves an Oscar for his work. We see fabulous natural views that are astounding and make a lot of the human action seem inconsequential.

The plot is based on the life of Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio), a white man with a half-native son (symbolically making him a slightly better person than those who merely want to make money) who,

‘I’ On CULTURE

By Leonard Wechsler on a trip where he guides a group of men led by John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), he is attacked and not only left for dead but actually buried alive.

Glass crawls out of the grave; for those who never heard the word before, a “revenant” is someone or thing that crawls out of a grave. It could be a ghost or zombie or, in this case, someone who got buried a bit too early. Actually, Glass is symbolically buried a few times, coming out of each situation even more intent on survival and revenge.

I have read that the director forced the cast and crew through enormous privations in order to get the kind of shots needed. It is beautiful, but it is also harrowing.

After a while, I just wished Glass would get to civilization so we could go on with the ending.

Fitzgerald is portrayed rather more as the symbol of white men’s greed rather than a person. He says, rather too often, that the best way to civilize the natives is through shooting them. And he and his companions do that a bit, although Iñárritu is quick to show them all willingly doing business, perhaps a sarcastic commentary on capitalism. Then again, the natives are corrupted as well. They shoot at the whites, kill and scalp them, but they are ready to trade. And, as the film works hard to demonstrate, they are usually cheated.

For some reason, this movie reminded me of The Martian, where astronaut Matt Damon had to wander over the vast land-

scape of that planet in order to survive. In this film, the lead performer has the same problems without all the good humor and wisecracks. Since heroes generally make it to the end, we sort of know that although many things will harm our hero, nothing will actually kill him. This reduces some of the tension and weakens the film.

DiCaprio is exceptional in the movie; it seems designed to win him an Oscar.

Unfortunately, in what is essentially a “spaghetti western” kind of story (think The Outlaw Josey Wales with Clint Eastwood), I was almost overwhelmed by this overdone production. DiCaprio comes through well, but at times seems almost irrelevant. Hardy is very good as the evil Fitzgerald, not so modestly accepting praise for his work trying to help Glass, while knowing that he had, he thought, killed him. I liked Forrest Goodluck as the half-native son, Hawk. It was well-played for a young performer. Will Poulter as a

young, not very bright Jim Bridger, was also very good. But the film belongs to DiCaprio in terms of the acting.

The problem with this kind of film — and this is Iñárritu’s specialty — is that it is so intent on making its point that a lot of the drama is lost. Fitzgerald is just so, so evil. DiCaprio is so intent on revenge.

That means melodrama. There are no shades of gray.

I liked the movie a lot. The action scenes are intense and very well done. And, yes, there is that now famous scene with a bear, although a lot of it was done through computer imagery. But in between are long spaces with beautiful vistas. It could have lost about 20 minutes and been a better film.

But it is one of the best films I saw from 2015. I thought Birdman was one of the weaker films last year, even though it won the Oscar. This is a much better movie, but I wish the editing had been tighter. See it.

The Town-Crier

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

Page 17

It’s YOur MOve.

Our world famous Wellington Equestrian Preserve is in great danger. Nine thousand acres of world class equestrian show grounds, horseback-riding parks, polo fields and surrounding neighborhoods are under constant threat of commercial exploitation and over-development. If we lose the beauty and peace of the preserve, we lose our identity, damage our brand, endanger our economy and destroy our environment.

But voters like you have the power to change all that.

On March 15th, Wellington voters will have their say.

VOTE

YES ON

QUESTIONS 1&3

QUESTION 1

QUESTION 3

protects the boundaries of the preserve and makes it harder to shrink the size of the preserve area.

prohibits excessive development like motels, hotels, condo-hotels and apartment complexes from being built within the Wellington Equestrian Preserve Area.

These amendments protect our precious community investment from exploitation and overdevelopment. They reduce the traffic in our neighborhoods and around our horses. They preserve our green space and sustain the peace and prosperity of our village.

The power is in your hands.

On March 15, Vote to SAVE THE EQUESTRIAN PRESERVE Vote YES on Charter Questions 1 & 3

Pd. pol. adv. paid for by Preserve and Protect Wellington, Inc., 11924 Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 10A-335, Wellington, FL 33414

EPA Ad 5.123115.indd 2

1/20/16 5:18 PM

Page 18

January 29 - February 4, 2016

The Town-Crier

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NEWS

Sunny Weather Welcomes Fans As Enigma Rides To Victory At IPC

Sunday polo on Jan. 24 was graced with abundant sunshine and crisp, cool weather that hovered in the mid-50s, while stylish spectators embraced the opportunity to wear their winter fashion best.

Eight teams competed on different fields in hopes of advancing to the final round of the 2016 Joe Barry Memorial Cup. The featured match of the day resulted in Enig-

ma taking the victory over Villa Del Lago in the second half, with a final score of 11-7.

Sarah Marince, a rising star in the country music industry, rocked the stadium with a pitch-perfect delivery of the national anthem, followed by Wellington Regional Medical Center CEO Robbin Lee tossing the coin that signaled the start of the match.

Enigma’s Carlucho Arellano showed impressive stickwork, which earned him the MVP award presented by Equestrio magazine’s Heather Buchanan, while his steed Morisette was named Best Playing Pony, an honor bestowed by Scott Velozo, communication and public relations manager at The Palm Beach Post.

The International Polo Club

Palm Beach is located at 3667 120th Avenue South in Wellington.

Polo matches are open to the public, with a wide range of hospitality and guest seating. Tickets start at $30.

For ticketing and sponsorship information, call (561) 204-5687 or visit www.internationalpolo club.com.

Mo & Sally of KOOL 105.5 with Dave Denver, Sarah Marince and John Wash.

(Left) Enigma and Villa Del Lago battle it out on the field. (Right) Keith Williams and Nicole Dina.

Cleanup

Volunteers

continued from page 1 was all portables. The buildings were being constructed, and everyone worked together. Some of the original teachers still get together,

Seniors

Housing Proposal

continued from page 1 they would have been built. The village would have no need to participate in any programs to develop that kind of facility.”

Mayor Bob Margolis said that when the NuVista application came before the council, it asked the developer to build the first part of its facility for assisted living and rehab. “It was always my intention, their intention, to complete the facility,” Margolis said.

Basehart said that NuVista officials had met with staff recently and indicated that they are preparing to move ahead.

Conventional age-restricted communities include the Buena Vida neighborhood with 642 homes, all single-family or patio homes. “They are not what you would call senior home market rate,” he said, explaining that the Property Appraiser’s Office had recorded homes there selling for between $250,000 and $500,000.

The 110-unit Mayfair project has had sales between $160,000 and $190,000, he said.

Aging in place remains a popular option among seniors, Basehart said. “The village has some programs to allow grants or loans for people to rehab their property to senior standards with handicapped

GCC

Fairy Tale Theme

continued from page 1 Those involved are able to meet each other at the event, find common areas of interest, and discover ways of cost sharing and how to best serve their populations.

“How many charity events do the beneficiaries get to come out, have a really fun night, and support possibly winning first prize, or even if they’re in 34th place, where they’ll win $15,000?” Paige asked.

Last year, horses and riders flew over jumps in superhero costumes.

After all, the teams — riders, horses, team sponsors and corporate sponsors — truly are superheroes to the organizations. This year, the theme is all about fairy tales.

Paige, with her long blonde hair, truly looks like she could be a Disney princess. On Feb. 6, she is going to be dressed up as one of Disney’s most popular new princesses — Elsa, from Frozen.

Rec Board

Cultural Center

continued from page 1 collecting enough revenue to offset costs. “I wanted to see if there’s ways that we could increase our revenues for our village here.”

Mikolaichik said maintaining sufficient revenue is always staff’s goal.

“We want to operate in complete self-sufficiency here,” he said.

“We’re always trying to find ways to bring it in. That’s why you’ll always hear a lot of ideas and proposals.”

Board Member Phyllis Katz noted that she volunteers at the Cultural Center and is impressed by the number of calls they get inquiring about rentals, explain-

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LILA PHOTO

Ryan Brandt, Stacey Brandt, E.J. Reynolds, Lauren Reynolds, John Couris, Marissa Lavin and Ben Drumm.

to this day, every month.

“It makes me excited to come back to school each day,” West said. “It’s showing progress, and showing that we’re still here.”

Years ago, when West was in a pod building, she wanted to be in a rectangular room. Now, the

library is rectangular, with multiple rooms, and is being painted in bright, cheery colors.

Yellow, green and blue adorn the media center now, and West was looking forward to the children’s responses to the new paint.

All of the pods are being painted

to match the three new buildings, with intentional artistic decorating.

“The art club will be doing paintings on the walls, that we do in our club, so there will be a focal point of art in every building in the campus,” Saeig said. “It is not just art going on in the art room, or mu-

bars and wider doorways and a number of things like that, also transportation assistance and other things,” he said.

Staff looked at village-owned sites that may be suitable for an age-restricted community and narrowed them down to two: the 10-acre Village Green Park near the Mall at Wellington Green, currently used as lacrosse fields, and a portion of the K-Park land on State Road 7.

“It’s important that senior housing meet certain criteria,” Basehart said. “One is that it should be on public transportation routes, they should be near hospitals and other types of medical care. They should be near shopping, they should be near dining and entertainment opportunities, and to get any reasonable level of development, they need to be at least 10 acres.”

Staff came up with conceptual designs for the Village Green site, the first being 50 downsized homes. “A lot of seniors in town said that if they moved, their first preference would be a downsized single-family home, so we did a patio home type of development, and we got 50 units on 10 acres with a clubhouse, pool and a lot of open space,” Basehart said.

They also looked at a multifamily concept at about 10 units per acre.

“One of the advantages to this type of site is it is on that huge lake, and that derives some nice ame-

nities, so we provided waterfront activity area, and we did 120 units at 12 units to the acre,” he said.

They also considered a 20-unit concept with five-story buildings, which would produce about 200 units. “We did an orientation so that almost everybody had views of the lake as an amenity, a pool and some open space,” he said.

He said it would be a conventional age-restricted community.

Basehart said a survey of seniors conducted by the village showed that most of them would like to stay where they are with assistance.

“With 7,500 or 8,000 seniors in the community, that doesn’t mean you couldn’t fill up a 200-unit or 100-unit or 50-unit retirement community, but a majority of people would like to stay where they are,” he said, adding that most seniors indicated that they would be comfortable with a monthly housing cost of $1,000 to $2,000.

He said the question was also asked what kind of amenities they would want in an age-restricted community, and the response was that they would like assistance with maintenance, have healthcare services be provided or available, as well as housecleaning and laundry assistance.

Staff also concluded that nursing homes and congregate living facilities should be run by private providers. “Except in large municipalities, government-owned

nursing facilities are extremely uncommon, but there is a need for conventional age-restricted housing,” Basehart said, suggesting some form of a public/private partnership. “You can set requirements and performance responsibilities as part of any partnership deal.”

Councilman Matt Willhite said he agreed with a public/private partnership concept where the village owns the land and enters into an agreement with a builder for about 50 units.

He agreed that the Village Green property was an ideal location. “I don’t know of a better site,” Willhite said. “I would like to see the village move forward with this and start this process.”

Councilwoman Anne Gerwig objected to the Village Green site, saying that the original intention for that land was as a cultural arts center. Willhite suggested that a cultural arts center be incorporated into the K-Park design.

Mayor Bob Margolis also agreed that Village Green would be an ideal location.

Willhite asked for council consensus to send the report back to the Senior Advisory Committee for more input.

Vice Mayor John Greene said that the council should continue its research.

“It’s clear there is not consensus now, but this is about people, not politics,” Greene said. “We need to respond to the needs of seniors.”

“It’s great for riders to volunteer their time and their horses,” Paige said, explaining that the GCC competition is a non-ranking class that truly focuses on the spirit of giving.

Riders and sponsors alike want to be involved. The sponsors, Valtin explained, are impressed.

For the riders, this is a chance to give back and connect with the community. After all, it isn’t every day that they get to dress up like their favorite characters.

Their hard work all goes to a good cause that quickly ripples out.

“There’s not a place I go in Palm Beach County where I don’t run into someone, if I’m making a presentation or sitting on a board, there isn’t an event that goes by where someone doesn’t come up to me and say they were a beneficiary of the Great Charity Challenge,” Bellissimo said.

“People come up to me and say they would have had to close their doors without the grant.”

Valtin has received many

e-mails explaining what an impact the GCC has had on various charities, be it those that have been part of the event or those who just want to share how amazing they think the program is.

“Funds allocated through the event make a huge difference in everyday life,” Valtin said. “This is a true role model when you think of what one organization has done for one county. Imagine if others got inspired to do the same. This is a true role model of corporate social responsibility.”

Paige and Valtin recently went for a visit to the Food Bank of Palm Beach County, as well as other nonprofits, and learned that more than 200,000 people in the county are food-insecure — meaning that they don’t necessarily know where their next meal will come from.

For Paige, it was heartwarming to volunteer and meet and learn about the volunteers who regularly sort food and help keep overhead and administrative costs low.

The grants given through the GCC help the recipient organiza-

tions work on their infrastructure — something that is often overlooked with other fundraising activities, yet is desperately needed.

“It has been great fun,” Bellissimo said. “It’s a lesson for all of us. We’ve all learned about the challenges that exist in this community and every community in the country. I think there’s a lot of great energy to solve it, or at least address it in this community.

I think there are many more years of fundraising that will continue to at least provide some resources to a lot of these groups that just struggle to get by every day.”

The equestrian community has truly embraced the community, coming together with a sense of camaraderie and a spirit of goodwill.

“We’re giving hope to so many,” Valtin said. “Nobody touches that many lives in one single event.”

One example of the community coming together is the Wellington PTA/PTO/PTSA. It has won more than $300,000 at the event, which helps with new technology, art projects and other needs within

area schools. Each week during the Winter Equestrian Festival, a different school comes out, fundraises and sings the national anthem.

“It has become a key component of Saturday nights,” Valtin said.

“People come to see these kids, and there’s a certain pride with coming.”

The Great Charity Challenge has free parking and free admission.

The fairy-tale experience isn’t limited to the riders and the charities. The Bellissimos have extended an invitation for everyone to come dressed up and take part in the fun.

“I’d love to have the largest fairy-tale party, in terms of everyone, riders and non-riders alike,” Bellissimo said, putting the call out for all princesses and princes to dress up in their best royal garb for a costume contest that cares.

This year’s 34 participating charities are: Alzheimer’s Community Care, Animal Rescue Force of South Florida, Back to

ing that it is booked months in advance.

“We have the church services on Sundays, which means anybody who comes in for a family event is cut out because they can’t do anything Sunday afternoon,” Katz said.

Mikolaichik said that a divided meeting room would enable numerous additional activities.

“You’re talking 50-plus people in each room, so hopefully that will help out with that situation,” he said.

He added that organizations that currently meet at the Harvin Center, tentatively scheduled for demolition to make way for a senior living facility, will be moved to the Cultural Center.

Vice Mayor Richard Valuntas, council liaison to the committee, recommended that anyone in

touch with any organizations, especially nonprofits, make contact with them about the Feb. 11 workshop.

“There may be a spot for you over at the Cultural Center,” Valuntas said.

In other business, Mikolaichik said that capital improvements budget preparations are underway for the upcoming fiscal year.

“Believe it or not, it feels like we were just doing it, but we are already in preparation for the next fiscal year budget, so what we’re proposing to you is some homework,” he said. “We would like to have some input from our board members for some capital improvements.”

He requested that members e-mail their suggestions to Parks & Recreation Director Lou Recchio or bring them to the board’s next

meeting in March. All suggestions need to be submitted by April.

Mikolaichik said that preparations are underway for repairs at Katz field. At the last meeting, the board heard soccer team reports that the fields are in disrepair and need seating.

“One of the issues we really concentrated on was from our youth soccer provider,” he said.

“They expressed concern with the field conditions and spectator seating. We said every year we were going to do two fields. We did evaluate the fields and decided that we are going to go ahead this summer with our maintenance season, and we are going to re-sod the west fields at Katz.”

Staff members are also designing spectator seating for the fields’ perimeter.

“We’re looking at possibly

taking diamond-rail fencing, enclosing the fields and building up the perimeter with some bench seating so that there is some separation from the spectators and the game play that’s going on, but it also gives fans the opportunity to sit around the entire perimeter,” Mikolaichik said, explaining that they’d looked into the use of existing bleachers at Katz and found they were underutilized.

“We believe that perimeter seating with some team bleachers and things like that around the entire perimeter would actually benefit them the most because parents are bringing out their chairs and sitting on the edge of the field anyway,” he said.

Mikolaichik explained that the perimeter would be built up so that spectators would have no problem seeing over the fence.

sic going on in the music room. It will be going on in all of the pods, and there will be a visual impact.”

That, Saeig explained, signals a change. Having that change be obvious for the students changes the atmosphere.

Teachers are integrating aspects of the fine arts academy into the school, she explained.

The big cleanup happened to beautify the campus and make it feel more like a home, Saeig stressed. Because students spend so much time at school, the goal is to make the school feel warm and inviting, creating a community and providing an atmosphere conducive to learning.

Saeig chose the colors and the focal points to make the school look better, making it a better place for the children.

Bermudez, also a parent of three students at the school, is a business partner coordinator and actively involved in the PTO. “I’m so proud, especially since this was our first experience, starting with a campus cleanup,” she said.

Having so many people come to help meant a lot to Bermudez, who asked Cub Scout Pack 165 to

help the school as a service project.

“I think it’s only going to get even better,” Bermudez said. “I think that this can become an annual thing where everyone’s going to take pride in the school.”

She predicts that students who took part in the cleanup will take more pride in the school, and that as the students’ pride grows, they will want to take better care of their school environment.

The cleanup garnered local attention as Mayor Bob Margolis and his wife Linda took a tour of the changes taking place, as did Councilwoman Anne Gerwig.

Beyond current students, staff and parents, former students, middle and high school children, and Cub Scout Pack 165 came to assist.

Sponsors/donors Arbor Tree & Land Inc., Home Depot and Cub Scout Pack 165 provided essential support, helping to give the school an immediate facelift.

“I don’t think we could have asked for it to be any better. We still have some work to do, so we’re going to be working at pinpointing other areas we need to focus on. We’ve had a really great start today,” Vaughan said.

Cathy Eckstein, Dave Morrison, Dr. Maria Vaughan, Mayor Bob and Linda Margolis, Cathy West, Pam Saieg and Amy Bermudez.

PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

Basics, Bella’s Angels, Big Dog Ranch Rescue, the Blue Sky Foundation, the Caridad Center, the Center for Child Counseling, the Center for Family Services, the Children’s Healing Institute, the Christopher Aguirre Memorial Foundation, Club 100 Charities, Danny & Ron’s Rescue, Friends of Foster Children, the George Snow Scholarship Fund, Glades Initiatives, Gulfstream Goodwill Academies, the Habilitation Center for the Handicapped, Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County, the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County, JDRF, the Junior League of the Palm Beaches, the Kids Cancer Foundation, Nonprofits First, the Palm Beach County Food Bank, Twin Palms Center for the Disabled, the Urban League of the Palm Beaches, Villages of Hope, the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center, Wellington PTA/PTO/ PTSA, Wycliffe Charities, the YWCA of Palm Beach County and two wild-card charities to be announced at the event.

For more info., visit www. greatcharitychallenge.com or www.facebook.com/greatcharity challenge.

Welky

Some Fun ‘Oz’ Trivia

continued from page 16 still walk among us. I mean, L. Frank Baum obviously wanted to be in that movie! Incidentally, upon completion of filming, the coat was given back to Baum’s widow even though there is no record of her saying she wanted it. Poor thing. She may have tried to surreptitiously donate it again when no one was watching. Or maybe she sold it at auction. If she did, back in 1939, she probably made about $3.58. In which case, her heirs would never forgive her.

The Town-Crier

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

Page 19

Page 20

January 29 - February 4, 2016

The Town-Crier

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Friday, February 29, Gates Open at 6:00 pm FEI Grand Prix Freestyle, presented by U.S. PRE Association

Saturday, February 30, Gates Open at 6 $130,000 Adequan® Grand Prix CSI 3*

C O R P O R AT E | M E E T I N G S | C H A R I T Y | L U N C H E O N | P R I VAT E C E L E B R AT I O N S | PA R T I E S | O N S I G H T D I N I N G

THE SUITES If you want to watch the Winter Equestrian Festival in style, host a corporate event, or entertain friends and family, reserve your Suite today! With upscale decor and dining, these ringside seats for up to 22 people are available and offer a full buffet and premium bar options.

Buy a whole Suite, or just a few seats! Individual seats are available and prices are per person. Mention the Town-Crier Newspaper for a discount! Contact 561.784.1110 for more information or to make a reservation.

JANUARY 7 - APRIL 2 , 2016

JANUARY 13 - APRIL 3, 2016

FREE GENERAL ADMISSION AND PARKING

FREE GENERAL ADMISSION | PARKING $20/CAR • VALET $30/CAR

Adequan® Global Dressage Festival at THE STADIUM AT PBIEC

Winter Equestrian Festival at the PALM BEACH INTERNATIONAL EQUESTRIAN CENTER

World-Class Dressage Freestyle Competition, Food, and Variety of Vendors The Stadium •13500 South Shore Boulevard Wellington, FL 33414 www.globaldressagefestival.com (561) 793-5867 Premier Seating call (561) 784-1120

EquestrianSportProdTCRD1_18.indd 2

World-Class Show Jumping & Entertainment for the Whole Family!

Main Grounds at PBIEC • 3400 Equestrian Club Drive Wellington, FL 33414 www.pbiec.com (561) 793-JUMP Premier Seating call (561) 784-1120

1/19/16 10:29 PM

The Town-Crier

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Popular Lunch & Learn Series Returns To WEF

If you haven’t started attending the weekly Lunch & Learn series, you’re missing one of the most enjoyable parts of the season.

Every Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., friends and colleagues gather in the Wellington Club at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Ellen Rosenberg’s Column, Page 23

January 29 - February 4, 2016

Ashman Leads Wolverines To Big Win Over Chiefs

On Wednesday, Jan. 20, the Wellington High School girls basketball team hosted Santaluces High School, and Latoya Ashman accounted for 63 percent of the Wolverines’ scoring to lift her squad to a 63-25 senior night win. Ashman totaled 40 points, with five three-point baskets, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Page 29

Shopping Spree

A TOWN-CRIER PUBLICATION

INSIDE

Business

Page 21

Your Authorized Miele Vacuum Dealer

Cynthia And Robert Heathcoe Invite Area Residents To Visit Contemporary Living

Cynthia and Robert Heathcoe invite residents of the western communities to visit their Contemporary Living store, which opened in March 2014 in Downtown at the Gardens. Contemporary Living is filled with mid-priced, high-styled furniture. The emphasis is on clean lines, customization and personalized design.

The duo work together to provide superior furniture selections and customer service. Page 24

Sports

Comeback Lifts Wolverines Past Broncos 74-65

The Wellington High School boys basketball team traveled to Palm Beach Central High School on Friday, Jan. 22 to take on the Broncos for the second time this season. Wellington put together a secondhalf rally to defeat the Broncos 74-65 before a capacity crowd. Page 29

THIS WEEK’S INDEX TAILS FROM THE TRAILS............................. 23 BUSINESS NEWS....................................24-25 SPORTS & RECREATION.........................29-31 COMMUNITY CALENDAR............................. 32 CLASSIFIEDS......................................... 33-36

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Page 22

January 29 - February 4, 2016

The Town-Crier

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WELCOME TO THE WINTER EQUESTRIAN FESTIVAL

held at the Main Grounds at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center

JANUARY 13 - APRIL 3, 2016 Join Us Every Wednesday through Sunday to Experience Equestrian Sport at Its Best!

Watch The Equestrian Action Visit WEF during the day from Wednesday through Sunday, take in the exciting scene of several thousand horses and riders competing in 12 arenas.

Stroll the grounds at your leisure, grab a bite to eat and shop till you drop at our unique boutiques, art galleries, jewelers, high-end fashion and so much more.

Grab a Bite to Eat A variety of Food Vendors are located throughout the property, including: •

Coliano’s Pizza

•

Tito’s Tacos: Margaritas, Tacos, Burritos, Chips, Salsa

•

Tiki Hut: Grilled Chicken, Variety Burgers, Grilled Fish, Salads

•

Oli’s Fashion Cuisine: in the Vendor Village

Take a Lunch & Tour See the world-renowned equestrian competition, vendors, stables and various venues that Palm Beach International Equestrian Center has to offer, followed by a catered lunch with your group.Your tour will allow you to explore twelve of the competition rings, the stabling area where horses prepare for competition, and a stroll through Vendor Village.The tour will be both exciting and informative, and there is a good chance you will see some Olympic riders gearing up for competition! Equestrian Lunch & Tours are available by appointment Wednesday through Sunday during the WEF season.

Shopping Around the Show Grounds You are invited to shop in a variety of locations throughout the PBIEC, including the Vendor Village, Hunter Hill, and The Bridge Deck, the outdoor courtyard oasis filled with exquisite shops and boutiques offering fashion, jewelry, home design, fine art, photography, horseware and more.Visit a new Vendor area each week!

Children’s Activities Entertainers, live band, balloon artists, face painters, bounce houses... and more!

The Suites If you want to watch the Winter Equestrian Festival in style, host a corporate event, or entertain friends and family, reserve your Suite today! With upscale decor and dining, these ringside seats for up to 22 people are available and offer a full buffet and premium bar options. Reserve a whole suite, a table, or individual seats.

Contact 561.784.1110 for more information or to make reservations. Reference Palms West This Week to receive a discount!

VENDOR VILLAGE

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FEATURES

January 29 - February 4, 2016

Page 23

Lunch & Learn Series Returns To WEF Show Grounds

If you haven’t started attending the weekly Lunch & Learn series, you’re missing out on one of the most enjoyable parts of the winter show season. Every Thursday, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., friends and colleagues gather in the Wellington Club at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center show grounds.

The tables are set, and participants partake in a lovely buffet. Each week, a different topic is presented, and there are always great door prizes. The season finale door prize includes a custom trunk provided by Clever Jumps & Trunks.

“We’re excited to have all new speakers and topics this season, with fresh ideas and approaches to horse and rider wellness, from top to bottom and start to finish,” sponsor coordinator Laura Bostwick said. “This is our sixth year, and each year we’ve grown and improved. Our goal is to offer a well-rounded series of lectures on a variety of topics.”

This year, the lectures are also viewable 24 hours following the event at www.pbiec.com, and while attendees can still register at the door, people are invited to sign up in advance at www.pbiec.com/page/lunch-learn-sign-up.

The first session, on Jan. 14, was “Optimizing Equestrian Performance for Horse and Rider.” The presenters were chiropractor Dr. Matthew DiLallo, director at Ultima Sports Performance; chiropractor Dr. Addison SeitGet updates all week long... follow Ellen Rosenberg on Twitter at twitter.com/Horse TalkFL.

Tales From The Trails

By Ellen Rosenberg ter; and Dr. Beverly Gordon, product creator and founder of Equi-Tape.

The Wellness Center at Ultima Fitness offers a variety of holistic health services, including reflexology, cranio-sacral therapy, manual lymph drainage, cupping therapy, chiropractic care, nutritional counseling, massage and stress reduction through mindful living.

“We can help with the health and well-being of both horse and rider,” DiLallo said. “Ultima has a variety of modalities to improve training or recovery from an injury. If the rider is unbalanced, the horse is also affected. We can find the seat of the problem, which may not be the part that hurts.”

Seitter agreed with the benefits of chiropractic therapy. “We can help riders improve all aspects of their performance,” Seitter added.

“Correcting a person’s posture and range of motion translates into improved horses’ gaits.

We can help riders train for specific goals.

Riding is a team sport, and both halves, horse and rider, have a lot in common. The goal is to prevent injury and maintain health.”

Dr. Addison Seitter, Dr. Beverly Gordon and Dr. Matthew DiLallo at the Jan. 14 Lunch & Learn event.

Gordon spoke about kinesiology tape, ter, no matter the discipline or level of riding. particularly the brand she created specifically You can also use it in conjunction with other for horses, Equi-Tape. “It’s latex-free and has modalities — in fact, it often enhances them.” different degrees of elasticity, allowing you Each speaker gave an interesting presentato specifically modify each application,” she tion and took questions afterward. They were said. “It has many benefits. It decompresses also available for more in-depth questions the tissue and lifts the skin, increasing circu- or follow-up conversations later. There were lation and lifting pressure off painful areas. It also giveaways. Everyone received a free onecan support an area during training to prevent week pass to Ultima Fitness, and Gordon gave injury, or aid in recovery during rehab. It can everyone strips of Equi-Tape and offered to help your horse stay sounder and perform betSee ROSENBERG, page 31

Page 24

January 29 - February 4, 2016

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BUSINESS NEWS

Owners Invite Area Residents To Visit Contemporary Living

Acreage residents Cynthia and Robert Heathcoe invite residents of the western communities to visit their Contemporary Living store, which opened in March 2014 in Downtown at the Gardens.

Contemporary Living is filled with mid-priced, high-styled furniture. The emphasis is on clean lines, customization and personalized design. The husband-and-wife duo work together to provide superior furniture selections and customer service that clients will not find at big box stores. When customers arrive, they are greeted and made to feel like part of the family.

With each piece available in a variety of options, there are countless ways to create a unique look.

Hence, the company slogan, “Make Your Room Happen.” Cynthia hosts a radio show every Thursday at 3:30 p.m. on 900 AM Talk of the Palm Beaches, appropriately titled

“Make Your Room Happen.” The show features discussions on the latest design trends with guest hosts and local artists, many of whom are featured in the showroom.

Community involvement is important to the Heathcoes. Cynthia was just named a finalist in the Entrepreneur Category for the Central Palm Beach County Community Foundation’s Women of Worth (WOW) Award, which honors outstanding women who have achieved professional excellence, serve their community, and have strengthened and enriched well-being in central Palm Beach County.

Cynthia and Contemporary Living were prominently featured on the front page of the business section in the Palm Beach Post’s Monday Morning Q&A in mid-December, and Cynthia and the showroom appear in a major photo spread in the January issue of Retailer Now, a

full-color national magazine written for and about leaders in the home furnishings industry.

For the Heathcoes, an important part of running their business is giving back to the community.

Cynthia recalls a time when she was homeless, and the Lord’s Place, a local nonprofit that works to break the cycle of homelessness, provided her with a transitional apartment for her and her infant son for six months while she got back on her feet.

“Now we partner with the Lord’s Place to accept and donate our clients’ old furniture to assist in furnishing new residences for clients at the Lord’s Place,” Cynthia said. “This is an ongoing campaign that we are honored be part of on a regular basis.”

In an effort to reconnect with nature and live a more relaxed lifestyle, the family relocated to The Acreage in September. “We are glad to be part

Cynthia Heathcoe in front of the Contemporary Living store. of the western communities,” Cyn- We’d love to meet you and help you thia said. “Please let us know when ‘Make Your Room Happen.’” you come in to visit — we really For more information, visit www. want to get to know our neighbors. contemporarylivingpbg.com.

PC Professor Providing Free Classes For Unemployed Through March 1 PC Professor Technical Institute is offering free classes to help unemployed people in their job search.

Beginning every Tuesday from Jan. 26 through March 1, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the West Palm Beach and Boca Raton locations,

job seekers are being given the opportunity to take a full day Microsoft Windows 10 class free of charge.

Normally, the cost of this introductory class is $345. The class is open to anyone actively seeking and available for full-time employment.

“Knowing how to use Windows, and computers in general, are skills that most employers demand,” said Robert Fellman, one of PC Professor’s owners. “We want to do our part to help the unemployed obtain the skills that they need to meet the

demand from local employers.”

Classes are offered on a firstcome, first-served basis with limited space available. To sign up, visit or call either location between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

In West Palm Beach, PC Professor

is located at 6000 Okeechobee Blvd.

For more info., call (561) 684-3333.

PC Professor is a family-owned business and licensed Microsoft IT Academy. The school’s classes begin weekly. To learn more, visit www.pcprofessor.edu.

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BUSINESS NEWS

January 29 - February 4, 2016

Page 25

EcoJet Brings Cooling Technology To Local Equestrians

For horse owners dreading the thought of riding through another hot show season, EcoJet, which produces climate control evaporative cooling technology, offers an innovative solution for cooling stalls, arenas and other equine facilities.

EcoJet’s products are unlike anything else offered to equestrians. As the international winter show season launches in Wellington, EcoJet can help competitors keep their cool.

“Differently from fans that blow hot air, this product lowers the temperature up to 20 degrees,” EcoJet’s Rick Alle explained.

EcoJet fans work by breaking

water into a fine mist that is thrust into fan blades rotating at 1,700 rpm.

The result is an ultra-fine mist that won’t wet hair or faces but will cool and cleanse the air.

For horses that are competing or are regularly exposed to a high-temperature environment, this cool, humidified air makes a difference.

“The horse, of course, is the main character involved. Horses gets tired, stressed and hot,” said Lucas Pohlmann, EcoJet’s business development manager. “Our product comes to cool down the horses and relieve them from stress.”

EcoJet’s fans are easy to use and

install and come in a variety of models. EcoJet options include wall mounts, which connect to standard garden hoses. Portable EcoJet units come with a water reservoir and a stand. The company has sold more than 500,000 units in 40 other countries. “EcoJet is something that people didn’t know they really needed until they used it,” Pohlmann said.

The fans are now offered for sale at www.ecojet.us, at the Tackeria in Wellington and at the Horse of Course’s mobile tack shop at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. To learn more about EcoJet, visit www. ecojet.us or call (305) 713-4424.

Horses enjoy clean, cool air courtesy of EcoJet.

Chamber’s Women Of Worth Award Luncheon Set For Feb. 4

The Central Palm Beach County Community Foundation will host its fifth annual Women of Worth Award Luncheon, presented by Mercantil Commercebank, on Thursday, Feb. 4 at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach. This year’s guest speaker will be Rachel Docekal. Registration and networking will take place from 11 a.m. to noon. During this time, a Chinese auction will be conducted as part of a fundraising effort for the foundation. The event will begin promptly at noon.

“I am thrilled to be chairing the Women of Worth Awards on behalf

of the Central Palm Beach County Community Foundation,” Rachelle Crain said. “It has been exciting to work with the WOW Committee, Mercantil Commercebank and Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach to present an event that is worthy of these outstanding women.”

The finalists in the corporate category are: Hallie Agostinelli, BNI- Palm Beach; Natalia Alvaraz, Sabadell Bank & Trust; Jennifer Berthiaume, Lion Country Safari; Ileana Carlisle, Biotest Pharmaceuticals; Robbin Lee, Wellington Regional Medical Center; and Liz

Quirantes, WPEC CBS12.

The finalists for the education category are: Marcia Andrews, Palm Beach County School Board, District 6; Enid Cochran, Pahokee High School; Diane Howard, Crossroads Academy; and Candace Tamposi, Sacred Heart School.

The finalists in the entrepreneur category are: Claudia Bartra, La Granja Restaurants; Annie Davis, Palm Beach Travel; Cynthia Heathcoe, Contemporary Living; Kimberly Leland, Print It Plus; and Shanon Lynn Materio, McMow Art Glass.

The finalists in the nonprofit

category are: Claudia Barto, Junior Achievement; Tami Donnally, EBC Ministries; Carolee Ellison, South Tech Vet Assistant Academy; Anne Gannon, Tax Collector of Palm Beach County; Dr. Laurie George, the United Way; Kim Kerr, Women in the Window International; Amy Mauser, Red Cross South Florida Region; Jaene Miranda, Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County; Deborah Morgan, Palm Beach Harvest; Tina Phillips, Palm Beach Habilitation Center; and Penny Pompei, Palm Beach SCORE. The volunteer category finalists

are: Maria Becker, Palm Beach Urology Associates; Samantha Conde, WXEL TV; Donia Roberts, Donia A. Roberts PA; Meredith Rollo, Florida Power & Light; Virginia Savietto, VS Development Solutions; and Selena Smith, Quad S Solutions.

The finalists in the young professional category are: Kelly Boudreau, Schumacher Family of Dealerships; Loverly Sheridan, Learning Excelling Applying Persevering (LEAP); and Sarah Shullman, Office of the Attorney General-West Palm Beach.

To register, call (561) 790-6200 or visit www.cpbchamber.com.

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

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SPORTS & RECREATION

January 29 - February 4, 2016

Page 29

Second-Half Comeback Lifts Wellington Past Broncos

By Gene Nardi Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington High School boys basketball team traveled to Palm Beach Central High School on Friday, Jan. 22 to take on the Broncos for the second time this season. Wellington put together a second-half rally to defeat the Broncos 74-65 before a capacity crowd.

The Wolverines handled the Broncos earlier in the season 6454, again in a close contest. The

two squads together, on the same court, have the chemistry for an epic match-up.

The Broncos (10-13) played as if they were shot out of a cannon, and jumped out to a 17-14 lead over the defending state champions. Palm Beach Central was more aggressive under the net and more accurate from the corners and the key as the team maintained a lead throughout the first half.

Guard Michael Shakes poured it

Wellington’s Alex Dieudonne goes up for a dunk shot.

Wellington’s Trent Frazier tries to sneak in a score under the basket over Palm Beach Central’s Trevon Savage.

on in the first period for the Broncos with 11 points and two three-point baskets. At one point, Wellington (20-4) found itself down by 15 points, but clawed back to cut the margin to end the half down 35-26.

The second-half rally by the Wolverines proved catastrophic for the Broncos. A third-period surge with the aid of Trent Frazier and Alex Dieudonne led Wellington to its first lead of the game 54-47. The

Palm Beach Central’s Theo Deluca heads for the basket.

dynamic duo combined for 20 points in the third period.

“We started to share the ball a lot better, and Trent hit some shots, too,” Wellington coach Matt Colin said. “They were willing to give up the ball and find the hot man, and hit the shots.”

Palm Beach Central continued to See WHS VS. PBCHS, page 31

Palm Beach Central’s Michael Shakes goes in for a layup as Wellington’s Sage ChenYoung attempts to defend.

PHOTOS BY GENE NARDI/TOWN-CRIER

Ashman Leads Lady Wolverines To Big Win Over Chiefs

By Gene Nardi Town-Crier Staff Report On Wednesday, Jan. 20, the Wellington High School girls basketball team hosted Santaluces High School, and Latoya Ashman accounted for 63 percent of the

Wellington’s Camryn DeBose goes up for a score.

Wolverines’ scoring to lift her squad to a 63-25 senior night win.

Ashman totaled 40 points, with five three-point baskets, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

The tip-off started a bit slow, with both playing solid defensively.

Santaluces broke the ice to get on the board first, and briefly held on to a 3-1 lead. The lead was exchanged twice before the first period buzzer, with both teams hitting three-pointers, but the Chiefs recaptured the lead 9-8.

Wellington’s Gwen McCoy attempts to make her shot.

The second period appeared to be going in the Chiefs’ direction.

Santaluces built a five point lead, but Ashman kicked into gear, propelling the Wolverines to tie the score 22-22, ending the first half of play.

The second half delivered two

Haley Thompson with the layup.

things, a hot Wellington offense, and a dominating defense for the Wolverines. Ashman continued to roll with some assistance from Julia Duncan and Jill Duncan. The two combined for 15 points. More imSee WHS GIRLS, page 31

Latoya Ashman adds to her points, which totaled 40 on the night for Wellington.

PHOTOS BY GENE NARDI/TOWN-CRIER

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

The Town-Crier

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SPORTS & RECREATION

WELLINGTON WRESTLERS Sem Ridge Ballplayer WIN AT OLYMPIC HEIGHTS Signs With Panthers Seminole Ridge High School senior Kyle Farjad has signed an athletic letter of intent to pitch for the Palm Beach State College Panthers.

Farjad has been a four-year starter for the Hawks baseball team, helping the team to its two best seasons in school history and to a regional playoff appearance in 2013.

“It’s a great feeling, and I’m excited,” Farjad said.

Hawk baseball coach Trent Pendergast said he is proud of Farjad’s success.

“Kyle is a talented young player who’s earned a great opportunity to play at the college level,” Pendergast said. “Our coaching staff is proud of him.”

(Right) Kyle Farjad with his father Tom and Coach Trent Pendergast.

Registration Open For Wellington Idol Competition

The Wellington High School wrestling team competed at the second annual Tri-County Tournament at Olympic Heights High School last weekend and placed fourth in the 27-team field. Top place winners for Wellington were: champion Jared Abramson, 10th grade (113 lbs.); second-place finishers Colton Macfarlane, 12th grade (126 lbs.), and Tyler Difiore 11th grade, (132 lbs.); third-place finisher Donovan Ortiz, 9th grade (106 lbs.); and fifth-place finisher Cameryn Townsend, 10th grade (120 lbs.). Shown above (left to right) are Colton Macfarlane, Jared Abramson, Tyler Difiore and Donovan Ortiz.

Wellington is now taking registrations for its fifth annual Wellington Idol singing competition. Enter now for a chance to win the $500 grand prize or one of three $250 prizes for the runners-up.

Contestants must be individual singers at least eight years old as of March 1, must reside in Wellington or attend a Wellington school and cannot be professional performers.

All previous grand prize winners from Wellington Idol or the Wellington Talent Search are ineligible to compete. Contestants will be divided into three age groups: ages 8 to 12; ages 13 to 17; and ages 18 and up.

To register, contestants must submit an application form, proof of age, one head shot and a short performer biography, along with a non-refundable fee of $25 per individual payable to the Village of Wellington.

Contestants must also submit a YouTube link of their performance to Cultural Programs & Facilities Manager Joe Piconcelli at jpiconcelli@wellingtonfl.gov. Wellington will also accept non-returnable CDs or DVDs, of a maximum four minutes in length, in lieu of a YouTube entry.

Registration packets can be sub-

mitted at the Lake Wellington Professional Centre (12161 Ken Adams Way, Suite 300) between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and at Village Park (11700 Pierson Road) between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m., Monday through Thursday. The deadline to register is Monday, Feb. 22.

For the official rules and application form, visit the Lake Wellington Professional Centre, Village Park or download them online at www. wellingtonfl.gov/idol. For questions, call Piconcelli at (561) 791-4756 or e-mail jpiconcelli@wellingtonfl. gov.

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Rosenberg

Lunch & Learn Series

continued from page 23 schedule hands-on demos at their barns.

The big prizes included a functional movement assessment with an Ultima sports performance specialist

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SPORTS & RECREATION and an Equi-Tape assessment.

For more information about the Wellness Center at Ultima Fitness, call (561) 795-2823 or visit www. ultimafitness.com. To learn more about Gordon, visit www.thehorse inmotion.com or www.equi-tape. com.

The Jan. 21 session covered “Sport Nutrition for the Equine Athlete” with Russell K. Mueller,

sponsored by Nutrena and Progressive Nutrition Supplements, while Jan. 28 was “Drugs, Devices and Decisions: Understanding Your Options in Managing Equine DJD” with Dr. Marian Little, sponsored

by Adequan.

But just because you may have missed January, that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. Upcoming sessions include: “Regenerative

WHS Vs. PBCHS

Close Game

continued from page 29 pressure the Wolverines, but it was Wellington that could do no wrong under the net, turning the ball over only once in the second half.

“A big difference to five turnovers in the first half,” Colin said. “We were patient yet intense and a lot stronger with the ball in the second half.”

Wellington did just enough on both sides of the court to keep the determined Broncos at bay and held on to win 74-65. Frazier had 24 points and four three-point scores, Dieudonne recorded 18 points, and Lester Gates tallied 11 points and one three-point score for the Wolverines. Shakes totaled 24 points and three three-point scores for the Broncos. Forward Trevon Savage also had 18 points for the Broncos.

January 29 - February 4, 2016

Medicine for Humans and Horses” on Feb. 4; “Recent Advances in Navicular Syndrome for the Equine Athlete” on Feb. 11; “Prevention of Tendon and Ligament Injuries” on Feb. 18; “Innovative Product Panel: Equine Technology” on Feb. 25; “The Stuff of Legends: How Ice and Joint Therapy Support Top Athletes” on March 3; “Maximizing the Recovery and Future Success of the Injured Competition Horse” on March 10; “Biomechanics of the Horse’s Movement” on March 17; and “Pulsed Electromagnetic Therapy (PEMF) and the Control

Page 31

of Pain and Inflammation” on March 24.

You’ll find me and some friends at each and every session. They’re not only a great way to learn about useful, cutting-edge technologies and ideas; they’re the social highlight of each week, and a terrific place to meet other horse enthusiasts and network with like-minded people.

Oh, and the food and the door prizes are marvelous, too.

For more information about Lunch & Learn, contact Laura Bostwick at (561) 784-1130 or laura@ equestriansport.com.

WHS Girls

Win Over Santaluces

Bronco Gyvecht Geneus tries to make his way around Wellington’s Alex Dieudonne.

Lester Gates grabs a rebound for the Wolverines.

PHOTOS BY GENE NARDI/TOWN-CRIER

continued from page 29 pressively, the Wellington defense held the Chiefs scoreless in the third period and limited them to just three points the entire second half.

The Wolverines rolled through the Chiefs in the second half to grab the 63-25 win. Wellington is 14-8 on the season. Aurelia Lebron and Jill Duncan both had three-point scores.

The district playoffs started this week, but results were not available by press time. Wellington is the second seed in District 9-8A.

Wellington’s Jill Duncan moves the ball up court.

PHOTO BY GENE NARDI/TOWN-CRIER

Page 32

January 29 - February 4, 2016

Saturday, Jan. 30 • The Okeeheelee Nature Center (7715 Forest Hill Blvd.) will host Raptor Day for ages 6 and up on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 8 and 10 a.m. Call (561) 233-1400 to pre-register.

• The Green Market at Wellington will be held Saturday, Jan. 30 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wellington Amphitheater (12100 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). Visit www.greenmarketatwellington.com for more info.

• The Wellington Art Society will present ArtFest on the Green 2016 at the Wellington Amphitheater (12100 W. Forest Hill Blvd.) on Saturday, Jan. 30 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Jan. 31 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more info., visit www. wellingtonartsociety.blogspot.com.

• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts will present Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 11 a.m. Visit www. kravis.org for more info.

• The Lilly Pulitzer store at the Gardens Mall will host a Shop & Share to benefit KidSanctuary on Saturday, Jan. 30 from noon to 6 p.m. E-mail bethany@kidsanctuarycampus.org for more info.

• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host Electric Java Jam for adults on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. Get amped with this pluggedin edition of the library’s music jam. Call (561) 681-4100 for more info.

• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will host a Teen Lip Sync Battle for ages 12 to 17 on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. Show off cool dance moves as you lip sync to your favorite songs. Call (561) 790-6030 to pre-register.

• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will host its Anime Club for ages 12 to 17 on Saturday, Jan. 30 at 3 p.m. Meet other teens who enjoy anime and share your knowledge about manga. Snacks will be provided. Call (561) 790-6030 to pre-register.

• Saturday Night Lights at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center will feature the $130,000 Adequan Grand Prix CSI3* on Saturday, Jan. 30 starting at 5 p.m. For more info., visit www.pbiec.com or call (561) 793-JUMP. Sunday, Jan. 31 • The eighth annual Butch Smith Poker Classic will be held at Palm Beach Kennel Club on Sunday, Jan. 31 benefiting the Rooney’s Golf Foundation, the Quantum House, the Florida Firefighter Cancer Support Network and the Professional Firefighters and Paramedics Benevolent Fund. Visit www.pbkennelclub.com for more info.

• The International Polo Club Palm Beach (3667 120th Avenue South, Wellington) will continue the 2016 polo season on Sunday, Jan. 31 with the 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup. For more info., visit www.internationalpoloclub.com or call (561) 204-5687.

• Maestro Aaron Kula and his Klezmer Orchestra will appear at Temple Beth Tikvah (4550 Jog Road, Greenacres) along with Cantor Irving Grossman on Sunday, Jan. 31 at 3 p.m. Call (561) 967-3600 for tickets,

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COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Monday, Feb. 1 • The Wellington Garden Club will meet Monday, Feb. 1 at Village Park (11700 Pierson Road).

A business meeting will start at 10:30 a.m., followed by lunch at 11:30 a.m., and a program at 12:15 p.m. on “Gardening for Birds and Other Wildlife,” presented by Kirsten Hines, a noted writer, photographer, biologist and environmental educator. Visit www.wellingtongardenclub.org for more info.

• The Western Communities Chapter of the Florida Alliance for Retired Americans will meet Monday, Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. at St Peter’s United Methodist Church (12200 W. Forest Hill Blvd, Wellington). Dr. Richard Hattwick, director of the business and economic research center at Western Illinois University, will speak about income inequality. Call Nancy Tanner at (561) 793-9677 for more info.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host its Art Club for ages 6 and up on Monday, Feb. 1 at 3 p.m. Live through art by exploring different mediums. Dress to get messy.

Call (561) 790-6070 for more info.

• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will host Stitching Starters Beginning Crochet on Monday, Feb. 1 at 4:30 p.m. Learn the basics of crocheting. If you know how to crochet already, then bring your projects in to work on them and help out new crocheters. Children must be able to work independently. Materials will not be provided. Call (561) 790-6030 to pre-register.

• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will host English Exchange on each Monday in February at 6:30 p.m. Practice speaking English in a fun and informal atmosphere.

Intermediate knowledge of the language is recommended. Call (561) 894-7529 to pre-register.

• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach will present Dancing With the Stars Live! Dance All Night Tour on Monday, Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. Visit www.kravis.org for more info.

Tuesday, Feb. 2 • The Okeeheelee Nature Center (7715 Forest Hill Blvd.) will host Science for Seniors: Armadillos for ages 50 and up on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 9:30 a.m. Call (561) 233-1400 to pre-register.

• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will host Art for Adults: Rendering for Beginners for ages 16 and up on Tuesdays, Feb. 2 and 16 at 2 p.m. Develop the fundamentals of rendering light and textures in objects. Graphite, colored pencils and other media will be provided.

Call (561) 790-6030 to pre-register.

• The Village of Wellington will host a Walk & Talk in the Periwinkle/Lily Communities on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 4 p.m. Visit www.wellingtonfl. gov for more info.

• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts will present Che Malambo, an all-male dance company from Argentina, on Tuesday, Feb. 2 and Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. Visit www.kravis. org for more info.

• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts

will present Shatner’s World starring William Shatner on Tuesday, Feb. 2 at 8 p.m. Visit www. kravis.org for more info.

Wednesday, Feb. 3 • For the 11th year, Macy’s in the Mall at Wellington Green is supporting the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women campaign from Feb. 3 through Feb. 8. Shoppers can wear red or purchase the official 2016 Red Dress pin for $3 to receive special discounts, with 100 percent of the pin sales benefiting the cause. Macy’s will also donate 10 percent of the purchase price of three exclusive red dresses, as well as exclusive Go Red Ideology active wear available in select stores and online at www.macys.com.

• American Legion Unit 367 of Royal Palm Beach will meet Wednesday, Feb. 3. at 10 a.m. at the Palms West Presbyterian Church (13689 Okeechobee Blvd. Loxahatchee Groves). For more info., call Marge Herzog at (561) 791-9875 or Joan Shewmake at (561) 792-2317.

• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host Super Sports Spectacular for ages 7 to 11 on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 2:30 p.m. Celebrate the Super Bowl with a zany version of training camp. Strike it up with bowling or try your hand with some tossing games. Have you ever played human foosball? You’ll be amazed at what you can do with pool noodles. Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host Not Your Grandma’s Bingo for ages 5 to 12 on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 3:30 p.m. Create your own card and see if luck is on your side. Call (561) 790-6070 for more info.

• The Village of Wellington will hold a Neighborhood Watch meeting in the Black Diamond neighborhood on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m.

Visit www.wellingtonfl.gov for more info.

• The Village of Wellington will host a Fair Housing Workshop on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 6 p.m. in the Community Services Conference Room. Visit www.wellingtonfl.gov for more info.

• The Sons Of Italy Michelangelo Lodge #2864 will host a Pasta Night on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. Dinner will start at 6:30 p.m., followed by guest speaker Wayne Picone from the Attorney General’s Office, who will explain new scams facing seniors. For more info., call Pat DeVivo at (561) 249-1298 or Sam Pittaro at (561) 412-8684.

• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts will present An Evening with Patti LaBelle on Wednesday, Feb. 3 at 7 p.m. Visit www.kravis. org for more info.

Thursday, Feb. 4 • The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will host Chinese New Year Lanterns DIY for ages 16 and up on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 10 a.m. In Chinese New Year celebrations, lanterns traditionally symbolize the letting go of one’s past self in hope of a bright new future.

Celebrate the beginning of the lunar new year by creating Chinese paper lanterns. All materials will be provided. Call (561) 790-6030 to pre-register.

The Town-Crier • The Central Palm Beach County Community Foundation will present its Women of Worth (WOW) Award Luncheon on Thursday, Feb. 4 at 11 a.m. at the Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach (2800 S. Ocean Blvd., Palm Beach). For more info., call Martina Sanchez at (561) 578-4813 or visit www.cpbchamber.com.

• The Wellington Amphitheater (12100 W. Forest Hill Blvd.) will host food trucks with the Whitestone band on Thursday, Feb. 4 from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Call (561) 753-2484 for more info.

• The next meeting of the Women of the Western Communities will be held Thursday, Feb. 4 at the Wanderers Club, with happy hour starting at 6 p.m. and seating beginning at 6:30 p.m. RSVP to Mair Armand at (561) 635-0011.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host a Writer’s Critique Workshop for adults Thursday, Feb. 4 at 6:30 p.m. Share, offer and accept constructive criticism to improve fiction, nonfiction and poetry in a supportive atmosphere. Call (561) 790-6070 to pre-register.

Friday, Feb. 5 • The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host Chinese New Year Calligraphy for ages 8 to 17 on Friday, Feb. 5 at 4 p.m. Celebrate the Year of the Monkey by mastering some basic Chinese calligraphy. Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.

• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts will present 2Cellos with young Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser on Friday, Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. Visit www.kravis.org for more info.

Saturday, Feb. 6 • The ninth annual Kids Yard Sale will take place Saturday, Feb. 6 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Veterans Park in Royal Palm Beach. Items ranging from infant goods, clothing, toys and kids athletic gear will be available at great prices with a Kids Fun Zone area featuring a bounce house and face painting. For more info., call (561) 790-5149.

• The 21st annual Hanley Center Foundation Family Picnic will take place Saturday, Feb. 6 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. Money raised is earmarked to support the foundation’s research-based prevention programs in public and private schools. For more info., visit www.hanleycenterfoundation. org, e-mail events@hanleycenterfoundation.org or call (561) 841-1166.

• Fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers and all blends of families are invited to take part in Wellington’s annual Father Daughter Dance on Saturday, Feb. 6 at the Village Park Gymnasium (11700 Pierson Road). For more info., call (561) 791-4005.

• Saturday Night Lights at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center will feature the Seventh Annual Great Charity Challenge on Saturday, Feb. 6 starting at 5 p.m. For more info., visit www.pbiec.com or call (561) 793-JUMP. Send calendar items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 33, Wellington, FL 33414 or e-mail news@gotowncrier.com.

The Town-Crier

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GARAGE SALES

REAL ESTATE

PETS

WELLINGTON

DAYTONA BEACH PROPERTY

THIS SATURDAY, JAN. 30 8:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. — Household items, artwork, Christmas decorations, laptops for parts, computer table, leather jacket, clothing, tagged beanie babies, etc. 14218 Wellington Trace (near Greenview Shores Blvd.) No Early Birds Please.

DREAMING ABOUT LIVING AT THE BEACH? — It is more affordable than you think. 1st Florida Realty can help. Sign up for FREE property alerts at: www.CarolBigelow.com

FOREVER GREYHOUNDS — is looking for foster and medical foster homes for Greyhounds. Please call Kerry at 561-574-7756

Town-Crier Classifieds Get Results Call 793-7606

EMPLOYMENT PART-TIME ACCOUNTANT ASSISTANT — Part time, flexible, assistant to accountant.

Must be organized self-starter, computer literate (Excel, MS Word), to answer phones, do filing, do scheduling. Must be willing to learn new tasks. Royal Palm Beach.REFERENCES WILL BE CHECKED.Respond to arnoldsachs1@att.net No phone calls.

VET TECH WANTED — Help wanted in the Western Communities. Experienced Vet Tech for small animal practice. Please leave name, phone & e-mail. Call 305-394-1279.

Help wanted in the Western Communities. Experienced Vet Tech for small animal practice. Please leave name, phone & e-mail. Call 305-394-1279.

TEACHER WANTED — 2 year old teacher Fulltime, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Mon-Fri. call (561) 793-5860

COFFEE SHOP MANAGER — Local Federal Emp. Opportunity! $30k-32k. Federal Benefits Pkg! 3 yrs Mgmt. Exp. Send resume to:canteenrecruiter@gmail.com

Drivers: New Pay! $3,500 Sign-On Bonus!

Consistent Freight, Great MIles on This Regional Account, Werner Enterprises: 1-855-517-2488

CWP & GOV

Salesperson Come work for the BEST! #1 JD Dealership needs a salesperson to sell new and used CWP agricultural and turf equipment to new and existing customers.

Base Plus Salary. Excellent Benefits, matching 401K. email dpadron@evergladesfarmequipment.com

AG Equipment Salesperson Come work for the BEST! #1 JD Dealership needs a salesperson to sell new and used agricultural and turf equipment to new and existing customers.

Base plus commission. Excellent benefits, matching 401K. email dpadron@evergladesfarmequipment.com

WELLINGTON - POLO RENTAL OR PURCHASE 3BR/3BA — Overlooking water, golf and pool furnished $11,500 per month or for sale $740K Exit Realty, Greg Richard 561-252-4044

PLACE YOUR CLASSIFIED HERE CALL 793-7606 FOR GREAT LOW RATES!

January 29 - February 4, 2016 Page 33

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

A/C AND REFRIGERATION

PRESSURE CLEANING

JOHN C. HUNTON AIR CONDITIONING & REFRIGERATION, INC.—Service & new installation FPL independent participating contractor. Lic. CAC 057272 Ins. “We are proud supporters of the Seminole Ridge Hawks” 561-798-3225. Family Owned & Operated since 1996. Credit Cards Accepted

J&B PRESSURE CLEANING & PAINTING, INC. — Established 1984. All types of pressure cleaning, roofs, houses, driveways, patios etc. Commercial & Residential.

Interior & Exterior painting.

Certified pressure cleaning & painti n g c o n t r a c t o r. L i c . # U 2 1 5 5 2 C a l l Butch at 309-6975 or visit us at www.jbpressurecleaningandpainting.com

CLEANING - HOME/OFFICE WE CLEAN OFFICES & PRIVATE HOMES — Licensed & Insured. Call for an estimate and to schedule your apartment. Discount for Central Palm Beach County Chamber members and to all new clients for first cleaning. 561-385-8243 Lic. #2012-252779

CONSTRUCTION GOT WOOD? — Rotten wood specialist, Docks-New or replacement, fencing, equestrian friendly - we do barns. Wood General Contracting. 561-805-0278. Licensed & Insured.

DRIVEWAY REPAIR D R I V E W AY S — F r e e e s t i m a t e s A & M ASPHALT SEAL COATING commercial and residential. Patching potholes, striping, repair existing asphalt & save money all work guaranteed.

Li c.& Ins. 1 0 0 0 4 5 0 6 2 5 6 1 -6 6 7 - 7 7 1 6

HOME IMPROVEMENTS ANMAR CO.— James’ All Around Handyman Service. Excellent craftsman Old time values. Once you’ve had me! You’ll have me back! Lic. Ins. Certified Residential Contractor CRC1327426 561-248-8528

LAWN SERVICE YELLOWHAMMER LAWN SERVICE — Serving Loxahatchee, Acreage and Loxahatchee Groves ONLY High quality, affordable yard maintenance. NO CONTRACTS! Locally owned and operated. 561-320-1118

LOCKSMITH C.K.s L O C K & S E C U R I T Y 561-7329418 Full Service Security Since 1960 — Service and installation of locks, safes, camera’s alarms, monitoring, duplication of keys, car remotes and so much more.

MOVING SERVICES ICON MOVING SERVICES — Provides full service moving, packing & storage. Rated “A” plus by BBB. Lic. & Ins. FREE ESTIMATES. Call 561-338-3157.

TOWN-CRIER CLASSIFIEDS CALL 561-793-7606

PAINTING J&B PRESSURE CLEANING & PAINTING, INC. — Established 1984. All types of pressure cleaning, roofs, houses, driveways, patios etc. Commercial & Residential. Interior & Exterior painting. Certified pressure cleaning & painting contractor. Lic. #U21552 Call Butch 309-6975 or visit our website at www.jbpressurecleaningandpainting.com JOHN PERGOLIZZI PAINTING INC. — Interior/Exterior - Repaint specialist, pressure cleaning, popcorn ceiling, drywall repair & roof painting. Family owned/owner operator. Free Est. 798-4964 Lic. #U18473 COLORS BY CORO, INC. — Int./Ext. Residential painting, over 20 yrs exp. Small Jobs welcome. Free est. Ins. 561-578-2873. Owner/Operated. Lic.# U20627 Ins. Wellington Resident

PET DOCTOR - MOBILE/HOME CARE TIRED OF HOLDING YOUR CAT IN THE WAITING ROOM? — Call Critter Home Care and Stay Home Dr. Don Denoff. 561-517-8705

PLUMBING JEREMY JAMES PLUMBING — Licensed plumber, legitimate estimate. Water heaters, new construction. CFC1426242. Bonded Insured. CFC1426242. 561-601-6458

ROOFING ROBERT G. HARTMANN ROOFING — Specializing in repairs. Free estimates, Bonded,insured. Lic. #CCC 058317 Ph: 561-790-0763.

ROOFING ROOFING REPAIRS RE-ROOFING ALL TYPES — Pinewood Construction, Inc. Honest and reliable. Serving Palm Beach County for over 20 years. Call Mike 561-309-0134 Lic. Ins. Bonded. CGC-023773 RC-0067207 NEIL O’NEAL JR. ROOFING — Roofing & Reroofing. Family owned and operated.

Residential/Commercial. Wood Replacement, Roof Coatings, Solar Vents, Skylights & Roof Ventilation. 561-656-4945 Lic. & Insured CCC1330208.Free Estimates

SECURITY SECURITY — American owned local security company in business 30 plus years.

Protection by officers drug tested. 40 hour course. Licensed & Insured. 561-848-2600

SCREENING JOHN’S SCREEN REPAIR SERVICE — Pool & patio re-screening. Stay tight,wrinkle-free,guaranteed! CRC1329708 call us 798-3132. www.poolscreenrepair.com

SPRINKLER SYSTEMS AQUATIC SPRINKLER, LLC — Complete repair of all types of systems. Owner Operated. Michael 561-964-6004Lic.#U17871 Bonded & Ins. Serving the Western Communities Since 1990

TRAIL RIDES TRAIL RIDES AT THE GOOD EARTH FARM — You get a 20 min. lesson on what to do before you go on your trek in the woods, then you go with your experienced trail boss. We can serve up to 3 people. Kids have to be at least 10 years old. Everyone has to wear some kind of boot that covers the ankle and has a heel. We have the helmets. Cost is 75$ each for a 1.5 hour experience and a personalized trail ride, walking (trotting in the ring only) at the end you wash your horse. 561-792-2666

TREE SERVICE TREES TRIMMED AND REMOVED — 561-798-0412 D.M. YOUNG TREE SERVICE. Family Owned & Operated Lic. & Insured 1992-12121 Visit our website at dmyoungtreeservice.com

TUTOR READING TUTOR — Certified, retired New York State Teacher - Will come to y o u . . . $ 3 5 p e r h o u r. 5 6 1 - 7 9 8 - 2 7 8 3 .

\

WALLPAPERING

PAPERHANGING BY DEBI — Professional Installation,Removal. Repair of Paper.

Neat, Clean & Reliable. Quality work with a woman’s touch. 30 years experience.

No Job too big or too small. Lic. & Ins. References available. 561-795-5263

WATER SUPPLY & TREATMENT WELL WATER AND CITY WATER — Supply, Service and water treatment. 561-7845210. Loxahatchee Irrigation Supply Inc.

TOWN-CRIER CLASSIFIEDS CALL 561-793-7606

Page 34 January 29 - February 4, 2016

PALMS WESTTHIS WEEK’S

www.gotowncrier.com

The Town-Crier

WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

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January 29 - February 4, 2016 Page 35

HERE’S MY CARD

Lic & Insured CFC057392, CAC1817688

SEPTIC & DRAINFIELD SPECIALISTS

Page 36 January 29 - February 4, 2016

www.gotowncrier.com

The Town-Crier

HERE’S MY CARD

PALMS WESTTHIS WEEK’S

WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS CARD FOR A S L O W A S $2 1 A W E E K

The Town-Crier

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

Page 37

Page 38

January 29 - February 4, 2016

www.gotowncrier.com

The Town-Crier

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January 29 - February 4, 2016

Page 39

GREATNESS STARTS

HERE

CSUSA’S

NET PROFICIENCY GROWTH IN READING, MATH, WRITING AND SCIENCE IS ALMOST

X 10

ENROLLMENT SESSIONS Now Available for the 2016-2017 school year SERVING SIX GREAT SCHOOLS IN PALM BEACH COUNTY

HIGHER

than the state of FLORIDA.

Renaissance Charter School at Wellington Renaissance Charter School at Cypress Renaissance Charter School at Central Palm Renaissance Charter School at West Palm Renaissance Charter School at Palms West Renaissance Charter School at Summit

K-8 K-8 K-8 K-8 K-8 K-8

WellingtonCharter.org CypressCharter.org CentralPalmCharter.org WestPalmCharter.org PalmsWestCharter.org RECSSummit.org

At CSUSA we have clearly defined, high standards for academic excellence, personal growth and social development incorporated into our curricula, across all grades.

TUITION FREE!

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Learn more at www.CharterSchoolsUSA.com

CHARTER SCHOOLS USA

Page 40

January 29 - February 4, 2016

The Town-Crier

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BOYNTON BEACH 3960 Hypoluxo Road 561.964.1255 lic:MM22404

Open 7 days, Open evenings Same day appointments usually available

WELLINGTON 2465 State Road 7 561.333.5335 lic:MM20994

www.ZenMassageUSA.com

BOCA RATON 21334 St. Andrew’s Blvd.

561.447.8590 lic:MM31173

We proudly use and sell Dermalogica facial products.