Town-Crier Newspaper June 3, 2016

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

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Elbridge Gale Students Celebrate Fundraising Success At Olive Garden

Volume 37, Number 23 June 3 - June 9, 2016

Serving Palms West Since 1980

MEMORIAL DAY IN WELLINGTON

Approximately 90 Elbridge Gale Elementary School students, teachers and chaperones were treated to a special meal at Olive Garden in Wellington on Monday, May 23 to celebrate raising more than $27,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Page 3

Newly Configured Wellington Equestrian Panel Looks At Goals

Wellington’s newly configured Equestrian Preserve Committee met for the first time on Wednesday. The panel elected officers and also heard a presentation on the village’s Equestrian Master Plan. Page 7 The Village of Wellington and the American Legion Chris Reyka Memorial Wellington Post 390 held a Memorial Day Parade and Observance on Monday, May 30. The parade started at the Wellington Municipal Complex and ending at the Wellington Veterans Memorial, where those who lost their lives were honored during the ceremony. Shown here, American Legion members march in the parade. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 19 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

Wellington Elementary School Students Stage Musical ‘Annie Kids’

The Wellington Elementary School chorus and drama club, led by Musical Director Dave Morrison, presented Annie Kids on Wednesday, May 25 and Thursday, May 26 in the school cafeteria. Page 6

Art Society Hosts A Reception For Artists At Wellington’s Gallery

The Wellington Art Society hosted an artist reception Tuesday, May 24 in the second floor art gallery at the Wellington Municipal Complex. The public was invited to enjoy the local art on display. Page 17

OPINION Make Summer Break An Exciting, Fun And Educational Experience

By the time you read this, classrooms throughout the School District of Palm Beach County will have emptied for the final time this school year. It is important that students not lose their educational focus just because the structured class setting has stopped. At its best, summer break is not a time for laziness, but rather a time for a different type of less-structured learning. Page 4

DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 11 OPINION.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 23 BUSINESS......................24 - 25 SPORTS..........................31 - 33 CALENDAR............................ 36 CLASSIFIEDS................ 38 - 42 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

Property Appraiser Has Good News For Area Municipalities By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Local municipalities emerged as winners in the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser Office’s list of net new property values released June 1. With property values on the rise, budget decisions are likely to be easier for local leaders. The Town of Loxahatchee Groves had the biggest percentage of property value increase in the county at 15.62 percent. The total taxable property value went from $221 million in 2015 to $256 million for the 2016 estimate. New construction accounted for $4.4 million. Royal Palm Beach property values increased 9.86 percent, from $2.28 billion in 2015 to $2.51 billion in 2016, with new construction accounting for $38.3 million.

Wellington property values increased 7.79 percent, from $6.95 billion in 2015 to $7.49 billion in 2016, with new construction accounting for $79.1 million. Palm Beach County’s overall taxable value increased 7.85 percent, from $152.56 billion in 2015 to $164.54 billion in 2016, with new construction representing $2.09 billion. Loxahatchee Groves Mayor Dave Browning told the TownCrier on Tuesday that he hadn’t been aware of the most recent increase but was happy with the result. “I didn’t realize that, but it doesn’t surprise me,” Browning said. “I know last year we were probably one of the lowest in the county, so I have an idea that we were just a little bit behind the See VALUES, page 4

Commencement Celebration ROYAL PALM RECALLS Honors WHS Graduating Class OUR LOST WARRIORS

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Wednesday, May 25 marked the end of an era for Wellington High School’s Class of 2016. A graduation ceremony held at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center concluded their high school careers. The commencement began with a pre-graduation concert and processional by the WHS band, conducted by Mary Oser, and the chamber choir, directed by Bradford Chase. Senior Class President Ashley Knoblauch led the Pledge of Allegiance before Student Government Association President Tessa Wallis gave a message of inspiration. “Once upon a time, we all lived in a magical land where horses galloped down the streets and the sun was always shining. This land was known as Wellington,” Wallis said. “Some of us grew up here. Others of us moved here in later

New WHS graduates Austin LaBorde, Hunter Eisenhower, David Velez, Bailey Babowicz and German Escobar.

PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

stages of life. But all of us, at one point or another, have appreciated its magical qualities.” The fairytales that the students discovered as children taught lessons, Wallis said.

“It’s up to each and every one of you to create a story that you’ll proudly remember,” she said. “It will take a lot of effort to reach our happy ending, whatever that might See WHS GRAD, page 11

The Village of Royal Palm Beach held its 30th annual Memorial Day Observance at the Veterans Park Amphitheater in Royal Palm Beach on Monday, May 30. The event included a flag-raising ceremony and patriotic presentations. Shown here laying a wreath are U.S. Army Sgt. Gene Braxton, Mayor Fred Pinto, Nima Aria, William Gulley, U.S. Army Sgt. Sabo Caicedo and U.S. Air Force Sgt. Tomas Coles-Reyes. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Forum To Offer Look At LGWCD Palm Beach Central Graduates More Than 700 In Class Of 2016 Board Candidates

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Palm Beach Central High School said farewell to 712 seniors at commencement exercises Thursday, May 26 at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center. Principal Darren Edgecomb said that he was proud of the Class of 2016. “You have embraced your senior year and conducted yourselves in such a positive manner,” Edgecomb said. “Palm Beach Central High School has provided you with a rigorous educational experience. We have exposed you to AICE, AP, career academy and dual-enrollment courses that will prepare you for the next leg of your journey. Many of you will enter college having already earned college credit, while others will enter fields of employment with industry certification in hand.” Edgecomb noted that the Class of 2016 has driven the school’s course offerings because of its members’ intelligence and high level of motivation. “Palm Beach Central has provided you with a collaborative culture of mutual respect,” he said. “Our school is a melting pot

Newly minted Palm Beach Central graduates Jake Adler and Jason Rosenbaum celebrate after last week’s ceremony.

PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER

of diverse cultures and beliefs. However, I can say with complete confidence, that every culture is respected and embraced. I have often said that serving as principal at Palm Beach Central is similar to being mayor of a small city. Our school serves as a model of how the world should function.” Palm Beach Central has encour-

aged all students to become lifelong leaders in the global society, he said. “We believe that all students can become successful with the proper support,” Edgecomb explained. “I would like to strongly encourage every graduate in the room to wear the cap and gown at least one more See PBCHS GRAD, page 9

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report A candidates forum will be held Thursday, June 9 at 7 p.m. at the Palms West Presbyterian Church (13869 Okeechobee Blvd.) featuring the three candidates running for two available seats on the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Board of Supervisors. The Loxahatchee Groves Landowners’ Association is hosting the event. The three candidates are incumbent Supervisor Dave DeMarois and first-time candidates Simon Fernandez and Anita Kane. DeMarois is running on the strength of his 18-year history on the board and its improved working relationship with the Town of Loxahatchee Groves, which had been strained in the past. “I’ve seen it all there,” DeMarois said. “I believe I’ve done a pretty good job. We’ve made a lot of advancements in the last 18 years.” He pointed out that he was on the board when the county first put road rock on district roads and later started open-graded emulsified mix, or OGEM, paving projects and canal clearing projects that

started under former LGWCD Administrator Clete Saunier. “We’ve worked with the town now and the gas tax money,” DeMarois said. “We have interlocal agreements with them to go ahead and collect gas tax for all the roads, and after five or six years, we’ve started turning over the OGEM roads to them, and we’ve been turning over some of the other roads. We’ve also bought equipment so we can keep up the canals ourselves.” DeMarois said that there has been talk of the LGWCD becoming a dependent district to the town, which would involve approval from the state. “We’ve been talking with our attorneys,” he said. “It’s quite entailed to do that.” DeMarois added that he has been in conversations with town representatives, including Town Manager Bill Underwood and Mayor Dave Browning, about improving relations between the district and the town. “We’re trying to progress through that,” he said. “You have to have a little bit of past knowledge to sit down and know what See LGWCD, page 4

Wellington, RPB Prepared As Storm Season Arrives

By Julie Unger and Jason Stromberg Town-Crier Staff Report Wednesday marked the official start of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season, which continues through Nov. 30. For the past decade, Wellington and Royal Palm Beach have been spared direct hurricane hits, suffering only limited flooding from storms such as Tropical Storm Isaac in 2012. Wellington, however, is ready for anything that might cross its path. “It’s the same thing we do every year,” Assistant Village Manager

Jim Barnes said. “We are fairly well prepared on a regular basis for hurricane season and just throughout the year for any kind of emergency.” Addressing the impact of weather events, and the corresponding effects on roads, infrastructure and residents, is something that Wellington has been working on. In advance of the federal government making it mandatory for all agencies that receive disaster aid to have an incident command system, Wellington had one in place. “We have an emergency re-

sponse setup ready. Staff members know their positions and duties that are required in the event of an emergency, depending on the level of the emergency and how much of the staff we activate to address it,” Barnes said. Wellington has already gone through its mock drill and exercises to prepare for storm season. There is a detailed hurricane plan that sets out how to secure equipment prior to a storm making landfall, Barnes said. Those involved are prepared and ready because of the drills and exercises. “In a worst-case scenario storm

event, existing operations have to be maintained and ongoing services have to be maintained, in that even if the hurricane happens on a weekend, the following week, there are people expecting to conduct business,” Barnes said. There is another segment of the staff that maintains non-emergency functions, with a reduced number of personnel. That plan, he explained, is called the “continuity of operations” plan, to dedicate a portion of staff to maintain normal daily business. Barnes suggests that residents and their families have a plan in

place in the instance that there is a major storm. In the event of evacuation during a storm, arrangements for pets should be made. Securing your home and belongings is also important. Residents can still prune their trees and landscaping. However, once there is a named storm, residents should not continue with yard maintenance. There may not be sufficient time for the vegetation to be picked up, Barnes warned. “A lot of times, the planning is really something that should hapSee STORMS, page 18


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