Town-Crier Newspaper June 3, 2022

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RPB HONORS 10 SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS JUNE 17 FILING DEADLINE FOR ITID SEATS SEE STORY, PAGE 3 SEE STORY, PAGE 4 THE

TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE Volume 43, Number 11 June 3 - June 16, 2022

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Serving Palms West Since 1980

HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION SEASON

Page 23 Board Approves Flat Roof Designs For Two Wellington Estates

Wellington’s Architectural Review Board approved the design of two homes with unusual, contemporary-style flat roofs on Wednesday, May 18. Both of the homes — 16754 Norris Road and 15565 Sunset Lane — had been discussed by the board before. Page 3

Hundreds On Hand To Enjoy Flavors Mobile Food & Wine Event

Roughly 400 people were on hand to enjoy the Flavors 2022 Mobile Food & Wine Event, an annual tour of eateries and entertainment destinations in Wellington. Held Thursday, May 19, Flavors is organized by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. It provides people with an opportunity to safely do three of their favorite things: eat, drink and enjoy time with friends. Page 7

TAP Brings ‘Addams Family’ Show To The Wellington Amphitheater

Theatre Arts Productions (TAP) staged The Addams Family at the Wellington Amphitheater on Saturday, May 21 and Sunday, May 22. It was a comical feast that embraced the wackiness in every family. Page 14

SRHS Girls Softball Team Wins District For Second Straight Year

The Seminole Ridge High School girls softball program is on the rise, and the immediate future of the program looks very promising. For the second straight year — and the third time in school history — the girls varsity softball team captured the district tournament title. The previous district title was in 2013. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 SPORTS..........................21 - 24 PEOPLE..........................24 - 25 SCHOOLS.............................. 26 BUSINESS............................. 27 COLUMNS............................. 28 CLASSIFIEDS................ 29 - 30 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

Smiling faces in red robes floated across the South Florida Fairgrounds stage Wednesday, May 25 as Seminole Ridge High School’s Class of 2022 accepted their diplomas. Shown above are former Principal Dr. James Campbell, Salutatorian Elizabeth Wilson, Valedictorian Christian Roque, JROTC Cadet Command Sergeant Major Kane Meyer, Class President Marley Ingram, SGA President Sophia Caprio and current Principal Bob Hatcher. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 18 PHOTO BY MEREDITH BUROW/TOWN-CRIER

Royal Palm Beach High School’s graduating Class of 2022 was celebrated at a ceremony on Monday, May 23 at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center. Shown above are Class President Jamie Marcus, SGA President Alexandra Agate and Class Vice President Jaden Suckoo. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 16 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Palm Beach Central High School’s Class of 2022 celebrated commencement Wednesday, May 18 at the South Florida Fairgrounds when 691 graduates crossed the stage to accept their diplomas. Shown above are graduates Alejandro Munoz, Melissa Gomez, Mariana Hincapie and Emma Ramos. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY MELANIE KOPACZ/TOWN-CRIER

PBSO: Crime Down Significantly In Royal Palm Beach

By Callie Sharkey Town-Crier Staff Report During the Royal Palm Beach Village Council meeting on Thursday, May 19, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office District 9 Capt. Ulrich “Rick” Naujoks gave his annual report to the council, putting a specific focus on falling crime rates in the community. It was the ninth straight year that Naujoks stood before the council to give the annual report, which focused on data from 2021. He provided general statistics before diving into what the crime trends really mean for Royal Palm Beach. “Calls for service depict the number of calls received from the community. The computer-aided dispatch system, which is also knows as CADS, captured a total of 94,629 incidents last year,” Naujoks explained. “Of those, 74,695 were proactive calls, such as business or residence checks, traffic stops and the like. The remaining 19,934 were law enforcement calls for service. Please note, there were 150 less calls for service in 2021 than there were in 2020. Calls for service decreased by 9 percent.” He went on to explain that the uniform crime report (UCR) is divided into seven major categories: murder, forcible rape or sexual battery, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary (which includes breaking into automobiles), larceny and motor vehicle theft. “The total crime index is used to measure the crime rate per 100,000 individuals. I’m extremely pleased to say that has incrementally dropped from 863 in 2017 to 523 in 2021,” Naujoks said. “I’m

equally pleased to announce that we had a 27.6 percent reduction in the overall crime rate in the Village of Royal Palm Beach in 2021. Six of the seven major categories in the UCR saw significant reduction in crime, with the exception of murder.” To provide some context, there was one murder in Royal Palm Beach in 2020, and three in 2021. All other categories saw decreases from 2020 to 2021. Naujoks compared five-year statistics to show trends since 2017 and noted there was an 80 percent decrease in residential burglaries over that period. He also provided support statistics for the PBSO in District 9, which is one of four areas in Palm Beach County that provides fingerprinting. “In 2021, District 9 processed 380 requests for fingerprinting services. The mounted unit provided 9.5 hours of horseback patrol in the village. Bicycle-equipped deputies provided 232 hours of patrol time. Marine-certified deputies provided 48 hours of marine patrol, and our deputies processed more than 86 pounds of unwanted prescriptions dropped off at the district,” Naujoks said. The captain addressed some of the council’s concerns about the license plate reader and camera system they had requested. It is in the negotiation process with an approved vendor and there is not yet a timeline for installation. “Some people are under the misconception that the license plate reader is a ‘big brother’ type of system that watches everything that goes on,” Naujoks said. “It’s See RPB CRIME, page 4

MEMORIAL DAY OBSERVANCES

Wellington Board OKs Larger Publix Stores In Two Plazas

By Joshua Manning Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington’s Architectural Review Board examined plans for the retrofit of two local shopping centers on Wednesday, May 18 and approved designs for two larger Publix supermarkets — one to replace the existing Publix store in the Courtyard Shops and another to replace the existing Fresh Market store in Wellington Green Square. Regarding the existing Publix store at the Courtyard Shops, the plan is to demolish the current store at the corner of Greenview Shores Blvd. and Wellington Trace, and then build a new, larger store. Originally built in 1991, the 13.29-acre Courtyard Shops plaza includes a main inline building, one standalone building and five outparcels with three banks, one gas station and a recently renovated McDonald’s restaurant. The plaza underwent a facelift in 2009 that modernized its appearance. The current site plan amendment razes the existing Publix structure and the retail bays immediately adjacent to it to construct a new, 59,000-square-foot Publix store with an adjacent,

Publix-branded liquor store of 2,100 square feet. Included in the request was a new design for exterior elevations and signage approval. In the plan, the entire structure between Kontiki Restaurant and the Courtyard Animal Hospital would be demolished and rebuilt. Village staff worked with the applicant on new elevations that met with staff approval, brightening up the plaza with a fresh, updated look. All awnings will be refurbished and will be black in color. The main Publix sign was requested to be 78 inches tall, which is 12 inches more than the 66 inches allowed by the village code. However, it will be a total of 119 square feet, which is less than the code’s maximum of 150 square feet. The entry feature wall signs that say “Courtyard Shops” will be replaced by multi-panel monument signs. Board Member Roger Grave de Peralta did not like the look of removing the existing sign lettering but leaving the retaining walls. He asked for additional landscaping at entrances to fill in where the existing Courtyard Shops signs currently are.

Land planner Josh Long with the Gunster Law Firm was on hand to represent Publix. “We had several calls with village staff, and I believe we have come up with a much more aesthetically pleasing project,” he said. “We agree with staff’s recommendations in their conditions of approval.” Architect Ana Alleguez said that the village will be pleased with the overall look of the plaza once the renovation is complete. “We wanted to blend into the existing conditions but at the same time update and streamline the project,” she said. Board Member Tom Wenham was impressed by the renovation plans. “This has been there a long time, and I think it is time for something new,” he said. “This will be a welcome addition to the community.” The plans to the Publix expansion and renovation at the Courtyard Shops were approved unanimously. The second plaza renovation on the May 18 agenda was for Wellington Green MUPD B, also known as Wellington Green Square. The proposal calls for the expansion of the existing inline See PUBLIX, page 4

On Memorial Day, Monday, May 30, the villages of Wellington and Royal Palm Beach honored those lost in service to the nation during solemn observances. (Above) The Palm Beach County Firefighters Pipes & Drums take part in the Wellington service. (Below) Army Sgt. 1st Class Johnny Castro and Army National Guard Sgt. 1st Class Traci Caicedo fold the flag during the Royal Palm Beach observance. MORE PHOTOS, PAGES 8 & 13 PHOTOS BY CALLIE SHARKEY AND DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Tempers Flare Over Youth Sports At ITID Meeting

By Louis Hillary Park Town-Crier Staff Report Long-smoldering tensions regarding the future of the Acreage Athletic League and its relationship with the Indian Trail Improvement District flashed to the surface at the Wednesday, May 18 meeting of the ITID Board of Supervisors. During a session that featured accusations of abuse of power, residents talking over board members, open sniping between supervisors Betty Argue and Joni Martin, and a strong defense of staff by ITID Executive Director Burgess Hanson, ITID President Michael Johnson gaveled and gaveled trying to keep order and finding only limited success.

“I don’t understand why the AAL has a monopoly on athletics in our parks,” said Martin at one point. “I think this is something the board needs to have an honest, open discussion about.” The AAL was founded in 1993 and runs basketball, soccer, tackle football, co-ed and girls flag football, and girls softball in The Acreage. Argue previously served as president of the ITID board and currently serves as vice president. She has long been seen as a supporter of the nonprofit AAL. She said later she felt “ambushed” by a vocal contingent on hand to support Nomad Mobile Fitness, a forprofit business that has operated in

Acreage Community Park since 2014 under a service provider agreement (SPA) with the district. Nomad owner Chris Harris told the board he felt his business was being singled out for scrutiny by Argue for its support of an alternative youth flag football operation, the Breakthrough Athletic League. Harris and his wife Sam, who was a longtime girls flag football coach at Seminole Ridge High School and former president of the AAL’s girls league, have been instrumental in creating the new nonprofit league that will operate on Palm Beach County School District fields. The alleged pressure applied to Harris in the form of an implied

threat to Nomad’s SPA “is wrong at so many levels,” Martin said. “It’s really despicable.” Argue asserted that Harris “totally misrepresented our conversation.” Most of the problem is related to residents not understanding the AAL’s role and the benefits it provides to the community, Argue said. She blamed much of the recent community frustration on the last-minute cancellation of an April 13 informational workshop meant, in part, to address residents’ concerns regarding the AAL. The meeting was canceled when Hanson and another ITID official could not attend due to deaths in their families.

At the most recent meeting, Argue forcefully told Hanson she wanted the workshop rescheduled. “I’m done being yelled at,” Hanson responded. “I take direction from the board president on when meetings are scheduled or rescheduled.” He also said he has been advised by ITID’s attorney that issues with and within the AAL are not something supervisors should be involved in other than as private citizens. Later, Hanson explained that the board’s only legal oversight of the AAL is in its annual decision whether to renew the organizaSee ITID, page 7


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