SCHOOL DISTRICT UNVEILS BIG PLANS SEE STORY, PAGE 3
EQUESTRIAN PANEL VOICES CONCERNS SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
Volume 37, Number 12 March 18 - March 24, 2016
Serving Palms West Since 1980
Gerwig, Drahos Win Big In Wellington
INSIDE
Wellington Chamber Honors ‘Outstanding Citizen’ Roxanne Stein
The Wellington Chamber of Commerce honored local newswoman Roxanne Stein with its Outstanding Citizen of the Year award on Wednesday, March 16 at a luncheon that also featured the installation of the chamber’s 2016-17 executive board and board members. Page 3
Wellington Mayor-Elect Anne Gerwig celebrates with supporters Tuesday night.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
WHS Students Raise More Than $42,000 At Dance Marathon
Wellington High School held its Dance Marathon event on Friday, March 11 to raise money for the University of Florida’s Dance Marathon program that helps sick children at Shands Children’s Hospital in Gainesville. Wellington students surpassed their original fundraising goal of $25,000 and raised $42,223.52. Page 7
Local Children Enjoy Easter Egg Hunt At Community Of Hope
Community of Hope Church in Loxahatchee Groves held its annual egg hunt Saturday, March 12 with popcorn, sno-cones, an inflatable slide, an obstacle course, a petting zoo, carnival games and separate egg hunts for various ages. Page 9
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Village Council will have a new face on the dais following election results Tuesday. Challenger Selena Smith narrowly defeated incumbent Vice Mayor Richard Valuntas 51.2 percent (3,372 votes) to 48.8 percent (3,215 votes) in the race for Seat 3. Councilman Fred Pinto will take control of the gavel from retiring Mayor Matty Mattioli. Pinto defeated former Councilwoman Martha Webster in the mayoral race, taking 59.9 percent (4,167 votes) to Webster’s 40.1 percent (2,793 votes). Councilman Jeff Hmara easily retained Seat 1, defeating challenger Lenore White 63.7 percent (4,210 votes) to 36.3 percent (2,394 votes). Smith, who ran unsuccessfully in 2012 against Hmara, thanked
Valuntas for his service on the council and to the village. “I know I have big shoes to fill,” she told the Town-Crier on Wednesday. “I look forward to being a part of the village’s future, and I’m excited for the opportunity.” Smith said she wants to continue her past work for local businesses to make sure that they thrive. “I also want to work with our senior population, as far as their next phase and what we can do to make sure that they remain members of the village,” she said, explaining that those are points that she has been working on for the past several years. Smith also wants to make sure that there is controlled growth in the village. Pinto said that going forward, he plans to earn the trust placed in him. “I want to express my gratitude
for your support,” Pinto told supporters at Madison Green’s MarBar Grille after the results came in. “I’ve never seen so many people coming together in one force with one result. This has been an interesting campaign, to say the least.” Pinto told the Town-Crier that he was happy with the decisive victory. “Obviously, I’m elated,” Pinto said, adding that a clear majority of voters rejected a campaign that he said was based on attacks and distortions. “I talked to a lot of people, and they know that things have been going in the right direction, and I’ve been doing a good job for them,” he said. “They’ve substantiated my trust in them. They are intelligent and aware of all these falsehoods that were being perpetrated.” Pinto said he thinks the dynamic See ROYAL PALM, page 4
B&G CLUB GREAT FUTURES POLO
Relay For Life Gets The Community Involved In Fighting Cancer
DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 9 OPINION.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 6 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 23 BUSINESS......................24 - 25 SPORTS..........................31 - 33 CALENDAR............................ 36 CLASSIFIEDS.................37 - 40 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
percent) to 5,980 votes (39.3 percent) for incumbent Mayor Bob Margolis. In the race for Seat 1, Drahos took 8,010 votes (55.5 percent) to unseat Vice Mayor John Greene, who garnered 6,420 votes (44.5 percent). Wellington voters also approved all three ballot questions put before them. Question 1, which adds protections for the Equestrian Preserve Area, passed 65 percent to 35 percent. Question 2, which changes the makeup of the Election Canvassing Board, passed 69 percent to 31 percent. Question 3, which forbids hotel and apartment See WELLINGTON, page 17
Pinto Elected RPB Mayor; Smith Unseats Valuntas
OPINION There are a number of different organizations and associations dedicated to raising both awareness of and funding to cure cancer. And the next few weeks are filled with such efforts, as area groups participate in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life program. Fighting cancer is a noble cause, and the Relay for Life is an inspiring way to tackle such a somber issue. We encourage the community to go out and support these important local events. Page 4
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington voters brought change to the Wellington Village Council on Tuesday, promoting Councilwoman Anne Gerwig to mayor and electing Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board Member Michael Drahos to the dais. A record number of voters cast ballots — more than 15,000 in an election that took place at the same time as Florida’s presidential primary. According to unofficial returns from the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office, Gerwig took 9,227 votes (60.7
Great Futures Polo Day to benefit the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club in Wellington took place Sunday, March 13, starting with a celebrity polo match at the Grand Champions Polo Club, followed by brunch at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. Shown here are John Walsh, Jaene Miranda and Nacho Figueras. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 19 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
ITID Hears Report On GL Talks
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors heard an update Wednesday on recent work by staff with GL Homes to minimize impacts of the planned development on The Acreage, and perhaps even derive some benefits from the 3,900-home community planned to the west. Attorney Marty Perry, who represents ITID, outlined issues that he and staff members have been discussing with GL Homes for its Indian Trail Groves project.
“After discussing this full procedure with the Minto West project, dealing with GL was really pleasant. The atmosphere was much easier from the standpoint of trying to work out a resolution of issues that we feel need to be addressed,” Perry said. “We’re trying to develop an understanding with GL that essentially will establish a framework for a continuing relationship.” As part of that, Perry said they discussed having the GL Homes project become a unit of development within ITID.
“That has been received fairly well,” he said. “The details are yet to be worked out, but we have discussed that the activation will be at or near the beginning of the project.” Perry said the most important thing that they’ve been working on is drainage improvements. “GL has offered to dedicate 640 acres for an impoundment reservoir,” he said. “We’ve had discussions on that, including that it be [done with] a special warranty deed, which they are comfortable See GL HOMES, page 17
Councilman Jeff Hmara (left) and Mayor-Elect Fred Pinto (right) celebrate their victories with retiring Mayor Matty Mattioli.
PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
McLendon Defeats Rockett; Browning Stays On Lox Council By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Challenger Todd McLendon defeated incumbent Councilman Jim Rockett for Seat 2 on the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council on Tuesday, March 15, while Mayor Dave Browning retained his Seat 4, defeating challenger Thais Gonzalez. McLendon won by a margin of 55.3 percent (489 votes) to Rockett’s 44.7 percent (395 votes), and Browning won by 65.1 percent (578 votes) to Gonzalez’s 34.9 percent (310 votes). McLendon said the win was particularly gratifying after he narrowly lost to Rockett three years ago. “It’s fantastic,” he said. “It feels better winning this time after the loss last time. They say you don’t appreciate winning unless you lose. There’s 395 people who didn’t vote for me, and I hope I exceed their expectations, and next time they vote for me.” With McLendon on the council, he said he thinks proceedings won’t be as divisive as in the past, and hopes that Vice Mayor Ron Jarriel, who supported Rockett in the election, will be willing to work with him as a team. “I hope that is what happens,” McClendon said. “I hope that he can put his personal differences aside and work as a council to get things going for Loxahatchee Groves, and I think he’ll do that.”
He said there are small charter issues that need to be addressed. “It doesn’t say that it’s mandatory to put together a town charter committee, but I think it’s time to do that and try to iron out some of these small flaws in the town charter, and move on from there in fixing the comp plan to preserve and protect Loxahatchee Groves, which is what the original intention was with incorporation,” McLendon said. “There’s definitely some mistakes made along the way, which is to be expected with a new town. I hope we can start fixing those mistakes and learn from them moving forward.” McClendon said that a longterm solution to road maintenance is needed. “I think a majority of the people are fed up with the dirt roads,” he said. “They’re fed up with the drainage. We need to think seriously about fixing those issues. It’s not cost-effective to grade these roads like the water control district did for 100 years. It’s more likely going to cost more money moving forward having a private contractor do it.” He believes that the long-term goal should be to improve the roads. “It’s going to cost us more up front, but in the long run, it’s going to be worth it,” McLendon said. He hopes that the council can keep Underwood Management See LOX VOTE, page 17
Elbridge Gale ‘Pi Day’ Raises Money To Fight Cancer By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Elbridge Gale Elementary School students (gently) smashed plates full of whipped cream into the faces of teachers and administrators (some are parents, too) in a fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society on Friday, March 11. “This is the second year that we’ve done this,” said Nicole Martinez, guidance counselor at the Wellington school. “We all rally to support this cause.” Events such as “Pi Day” help to brighten the future of what has been a dark past. School support for the fight against leukemia began when student Sebastian
Sarmiento was diagnosed in 2007. He died two years later. Current first-grader Andrew Dawson recently finished the maintenance phase of his chemotherapy treatments for the disease and is in remission. “We are raising this money for kids like Andrew,” Martinez said. “All of the students are very supportive of this fundraiser.” Pi Day, along with the Pasta for Pennies program, which is presented by Olive Garden, help raise money for the LLS and bring the school together. Last year, Elbridge Gale students raised more than $17,500. This year, the school has set a goal of $25,000 and is already more
than halfway there, with about $13,000 raised and the mid-April deadline looming. The school’s older students set up lemonade stands, hand out fliers and go door-to-door, with parents for security, Martinez said. She gave the students credit for their hard work in reaching the school’s goals. Students donated $10 for the chance to get the adults — clad in goggles, smocks, ponchos and even nose plugs — smeared with whipped cream donated by Chick-fil-A. For $20, students were able to go after Assistant Principal Chad Phillips. And, for the biggest donors, a $30 donation See PI DAY, page 7
Assistant Principal Chad Phillips get pied by his daughter, Colbie.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER