Town-Crier Newspaper June 12, 2015

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RPB APPROVES SENIOR HOUSING RULES SEE STORY, PAGE 3

PRELIMINARY LGWCD BUDGET GETS OK SEE STORY, PAGE 4

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TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

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Wellington Council Will Not Pay Developer To Open Cross Access

Volume 36, Number 24 June 12 - June 18, 2015

Serving Palms West Since 1980

MAKING A SPLASH FOR WATER SAFETY

The Wellington Village Council rejected a settlement Tuesday with the Palomino Executive Park Property Owners’ Association. The settlement, proposed by village staff, would have had Wellington pay $90,000 to resolve Palomino Park’s dispute with the neighboring Wellington Parc development for cross access to join the two properties. Page 3

Mall Event Helps People Prepare For A Hurricane

On Saturday, June 6, the American Red Cross kicked off its “100 Days Of Summer, 100 Days Of Hope” campaign at the Mall at Wellington Green’s Grand Court. Attendees were able to participate in fun and interactive emergency response situations. Page 7

Wellington Art Society Installs New Board At Mayacoo Lakes Dinner

The Wellington Art Society held its annual installation dinner on Tuesday, June 2 at the Mayacoo Lakes Country Club. Outgoing board members were recognized for their work over the past year, and 2015-16 board members were installed. Page 17

OPINION Teachers Have A Right To Be Concerned With New District Contract

It may be summertime, but please forgive many professional educators employed by the School District of Palm Beach County if they feel like their first week of break was anything but joyful. That’s the takeaway from a contract negotiation between the district and the Palm Beach County Classroom Teachers Association (CTA), which has left a sour taste in the mouths of many teachers. The tentative agreement, reached Tuesday, June 2, offers a 2 percent pay raise for all teachers, retroactive to March 2. Page 4

DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 10 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 PEOPLE................................. 11 SCHOOLS...................... 12 - 13 COLUMNS.......................14, 21 NEWS BRIEFS....................... 15 BUSINESS..................... 22 - 23 SPORTS..........................29 - 31 CALENDAR............................ 34 CLASSIFIEDS................ 36 - 39 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

Wellington Aquatics Complex hosted Make a SPLASH (Safety and Prevention Leaves All Swimmers Happy) on Saturday, June 6. Pediatric residents from Palms West Hospital and first responders from Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue were on-hand to discuss water safety and more, while lifeguards led a demonstration of a near-drowning scenario. Shown here, Josh, April and Talen Endres get some water safety tips. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5

PHOTO BY SERGIO AGUILAR/TOWN-CRIER

ITID Approves A 2016 Budget Focused On Drainage Projects By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report In 3-2 votes, the Indian Trail Improvement District approved a $13.97 million budget for fiscal year 2015-16 on Wednesday, along with assessment rates calling for a small increase. Operational expenses are estimated at $11.77 million, while debt service is $2.2 million. Assessments will average $478.09 for all units, up 3.03 percent from $464.04 in fiscal year 2014-15; and $527.35 for active units, up 3.68 percent from $508.65 in 2014-15. The board was presented with the proposed budget last month and held a public hearing on May 27. Supervisor Gary Dunkley voted against the budget because he opposed the 3 percent increase and was against the addition of an administration employee. Supervisor Jennifer Hager also voted against the budget. Drainage remains the top focus

for the district, which has budgeted more than $1 million for canal improvements in 2016, including telemetry upgrades, purchase or lease of portable pumps, pump replacement or rebuilding, and projects approved as the board develops a comprehensive drainage plan. Telemetry expenditures include $97,000 for the M-1 Basin structures and $65,000 for M1S improvements. Canal improvements are ongoing for the fourth year, with efforts concentrated on the major east-towest canals. The budget includes funding for equipment purchases allowing district staff to conduct canal excavation on an annual basis, as well as canal bank clearing by district staff, and a general contractor when safety comes in question. Work includes $250,000 for slope repair on the south side of the M-O Canal, replacement of two gates at the Roach Structure at a cost of $16,000 and replacement of

pipe sleeves at two locations along with M-1 Canal for $120,000. The district will also rebuild two pumps at the M-1 Impoundment at a cost of $44,000, and rebuild a diesel backup pump and submersible pump at a cost of $32,000. The board also learned that an agreement is near for a drainage pilot project from The Acreage to the Moss property northwest of the district. Attorney Ruth Clements said letters had been sent to the South Florida Water Management District and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service asking for the drainage pilot project. “We received letters back, and they were basically in agreement with us,” Clements said, adding that Fish & Wildlife had agreed to a lower flow rate than they had requested. “They came back and said they would prefer to start off with a lower rate of 5 to 15 cubic feet per second, as well as a detailed data collection, so we took See ITID BUDGET, page 16

Wellington Moves Ahead On Possible Binks Golf Club Buy By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington officials agreed this week that there could be some value in purchasing the Binks Forest Golf Club, but brought up a number of concerns that would need to be resolved before completing such an acquisition. The Wellington Village Council authorized its staff to further explore the possibility at its agenda review meeting Monday. In February, the council authorized a preliminary review of the idea after the current owners expressed an interest in selling the golf course. Director of Operations Jim Barnes said village staff had completed an initial review of the property. “This is a follow-up to discuss it as a group and get some additional direction as to what our next steps might be,” Barnes said, explaining that they had inspected the course’s condition and compared

it with other public and private courses in the area. The owners had done an appraisal, which valued the property at about $3.6 million. He said the figure being discussed was closer to $3 million. “Based on the condition of the facilities and our estimates as to how we would operate — and we have a lot of different options on how to operate it — we see that probably our initial effort would have us operating at a loss,” Barnes said. That projection assumes that Wellington would operate it as a golf course and banquet facility, at least for the short term, until the condition of the course could be improved to a higher quality than a regular municipal facility. “The value of that improvement could be anywhere from threequarters of a million dollars on up,” he said. “We would have to See BINKS GOLF, page 16

PHILIPPINE FESTIVAL

The Philippine American Society (PAS) presented its 16th annual Philippine Summer Festival at the South Florida Fairgrounds on Saturday, June 6 to celebrate Philippine Independence Day and local Filipino culture. There was authentic cuisine, native singing, a traditional Catholic Filipino Mass, cultural speeches, dancing and more. Shown here are PAS board members Mercy Abellera, Rona Mae Mateo, Andrea Pedrano, Cristina Regino and Conchita Mateo. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 15 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

Indian Trail Officials Feel Prepared For Fun Fourth Of July Celebrations Hurricane Season Planned In Wellington And RPB

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Hamburgers, hot dogs, fireworks and fun are what Independence Day is known for, and Wellington and Royal Palm Beach will be holding spectacular events to celebrate all day long on Saturday, July 4. Wellington Community Programs Manager Michelle Garvey is excited about the celebration, which is expected to be one of the biggest in village history. Wellington will start off the day with a Patriotic Pool Party from noon to 5 p.m. at the Wellington Aquatics Complex (12150 W. Forest Hill Blvd.) with games and activities scheduled on the hour. The regular pool entrance fee applies. The Family Fourth Celebration

kicks off at Village Park (11700 Pierson Road) at 6 p.m. It will feature indoor and outdoor activities, such as pie and watermelon eating contests, sack races, egg toss games and more, as well as bounce houses, face painting, pony rides, bingo and a petting zoo. A different company is providing the petting zoo this year, Garvey said, so kids might find new furry friends to meet. “Our newest attraction this year is that we’re having food trucks,” she said. “We’re having 20 food trucks — all different vendors — a couple different ice cream or icee businesses, as well as traditional food.” There will also be live music during the evening. “Our band this year is Studio

54,” Garvey said. “They’re kind of eclectic, and they really get the crowds going.” Rain last year brought smaller crowds — closer to 6,500 people, compared to previous years’ almost 8,000. “As long as the weather holds out, we’re expecting a recordsetting year,” she said. “Last year we did have some rain early in the event, but it cleared out just in time for the fireworks. We’re hoping for a great, sunny day.” There will be a parking shuttle from the Mall at Wellington Green starting at 6 p.m. “Usually, by 8:30 p.m., we’re at our max at Village Park,” Garvey said. “Avoid the stress. Park at the mall, and take the bus over. It See JULY 4 FUN, page 4

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Two weeks into the Atlantic hurricane season, the tropics are quiet. However, the Indian Trail Improvement District remains vigilant, making plans to head off some of the problems caused by Tropical Storm Isaac back in 2012. “Indian Trail is a unique situation. We got hammered by Isaac, so we never really stand down at all after Dec. 1. When hurricane season ends, we’re still on alert,” ITID Manager Jim Shallman said. “After Isaac dropped 18 inches of rain in a 24-hour period, our directors and employees are pretty reluctant to let their guards down.” Every year, starting in May, ITID starts the transition to wet season control levels, lowering canal levels to meet South Florida Water Management District re-

quirements for the summer season, Shallman explained. In the last year, three of ITID’s major outfall structures have had backup antennas and towers assembled for use in an emergency. “We continue our annual maintenance with pump rebuilds at all four of our pump stations,” Shallman said. Based on direction from the ITID Board of Supervisors, the district is continuing to standardize and prioritize canal excavation and cleanup operations, he said. The push to make things more efficient began in the wake of Isaac. “Every year, we have interdepartmental training in the emergency response to a storm event,” Shallman said. Hurricane manuals are updated beginning in April every year, he See STORMS, page 16

Wellington Opens Tennis Center With Great Fanfare By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Several hundred people turned out for the grand opening of the new Wellington Tennis Center on Tuesday, highlighted by the appearance of tennis star Venus Williams. A few hours later, the village broke ground on a new community center at the site of the old community center. Williams’ company, V Starr Interiors, handled the interior design for the new tennis pro shop. Architectural firm Song + Associates worked alongside Pirtle Construction on the 4,506-squarefoot facility. “What a great facility. I’m at a loss for words,” Mayor Bob Margolis said. The center received divided approval by the council amid complaints from residents, especially

tennis players who used the old courts, that they liked the old location and that the new facility at the corner of Lyons Road and Stribling Way would be too remote. But those differences from two years ago were not the focus of Tuesday’s celebration. Vice Mayor John Greene said he had been driving past the new facility regularly for the past year. “It seems like yesterday that we broke ground, and what an incredible turnout,” Greene said. “So many things we do on the council seem to be faced with controversy. Many times it takes real courage and a vision to make some of the tough positions… We wouldn’t have this tennis center and this wouldn’t be here if we didn’t have the support for the tennis program over the years.” Councilman Matt Willhite was also enthusiastic.

“What a great day,” he said. “Not only do we have great weather, we have a beautiful crowd and a beautiful facility. I’m really invigorated about it because, normally when we have these ribbon-cuttings, the council and staff and maybe the designer come, but not the crowd, the public, the participants and the members who want to use this facility.” Willhite recognized longtime tennis pro Tommy Cheatham for his work to make the tennis program successful, to a round of applause from the audience. “He is a big part of why this tennis facility is here, because our program has grown,” Willhite said. “What this facility has allowed us to do is for us to grow. We went from 16 courts to 21. We have room to build more courts here.” Councilman John McGovern, See TENNIS, page 7

Tennis star Venus Williams was the star of the show at Tuesday’s Wellington Tennis Center opening celebration.

PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER


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