Town-Crier Newspaper March 1, 2013

SOCIAL MEDIA GURU AT CHAMBER LUNCH SEE STORY, PAGE 3

EXPERTS SEE REAL ESTATE RECOVERING SEE STORY, PAGE 7

THE

TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

Your Community Newspaper

INSIDE Wellington Approves White Birch Master Plan With Changes

Volume 34, Number 9 March 1 - March 7, 2013

HAWK FAMILY FUN DAY AT SRHS

After two hours of debate, the Wellington Village Council voted Tuesday to approve a master plan that will allow for two estate homes at White Birch Farm. But last-minute conditions added without discussion with the applicant could see the issue return to the council later this month. Page 3

RPBHS SADD Students Mount Winning Posters

Students from Royal Palm Beach High School’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) program mounted posters from the third annual alcohol prevention poster contest on county school buses Tuesday, Feb. 19. Page 5

Bellissimo To Be Honored At SFBJ’s Ultimate CEO Awards

Mark Bellissimo, CEO of Equestrian Sport Productions, will be one of the honorees at the South Florida Business Journal’s 2013 Palm Beach Ultimate CEO Awards. The awards are given to business leaders who have set a high standard in the corporate community, not only in business but also in civic leadership and philanthropy.

Page 7

Wellington Garden Club Kicks Off Garden Week

The Wellington Garden Club kicked off Wellington Garden Week with “Gardening Makes a World of Difference” on Sunday, Feb. 24 at the Wellington Municipal Complex. Page 11

OPINION ‘Deannexation’ Is Not The Solution

The rift between the Wellington Village Council and some parts of the equestrian community continues to widen, and now talk of “deannexation” has entered the conversation. While we understand the frustrations on both sides of the current “equestrian civil war,” removing parts of Wellington’s equestrian area from the community is the wrong course of action.

Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 3 - 14 OPINION .................................4 CRIME NEWS ......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS........................ 8 SCHOOLS ............................ 16 PEOPLE ................................ 17 COLUMNS .................... 25 - 26 BUSINESS .................... 27 - 29 ENTERTAINMENT ................. 31 SPORTS ........................ 35 - 37 CALENDAR ...................38 - 39 CLASSIFIEDS ................ 40 - 43 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

The Seminole Ridge High School Hawk Band held its Hawk Family Fun Day Car Show, Barbecue & Carniv al on Saturday, Feb. 23. The event included live performances from the Hawk band, games, vendors and other family-friendly attractions. Shown here, Hawk band members Kayla Lunn and Kaylee Takacs paint the Broward County Fire-Rescue “Paint a Truck.” MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

Groves Candidates Rockett And McLendon Face Off At Forum

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The two candidates vying in the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council election March 12 faced off Tuesday.

Seat 2 incumbent Jim Rockett and challenger Todd McLendon met at a forum hosted by the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce at the chamber’s building on Southern Blvd.

McLendon helped circulate a petition to repeal council approval of a new Palm Beach State College campus and said he’s running because he thinks that current members do not listen enough to residents.

“A lot of times, decisions are made before the council meetings even start behind the scenes,” he said. “Everything is revolving around the college right now. I am for what the majority of the people want... and

for letting everybody vote to find out what they want.”

McLendon said the college’s potential impact calls for a vote of all residents, not just the five council members. “It’s an unfortunate situation, but that’s how our charter is written,” he said, explaining that a referendum can be called only through a challenge.

Rockett worked on volunteer committees, including the Finance Advisory & Audit Committee, before he joined the council.

“My finance background is 40plus years,” he said. “That has been my focus. I have had a lot of opportunities to move the town forward, including some improvements to our tax structure, reducing or trying to get money back to the people of this community where we could.”

Rockett grew up in rural New York State and put himself through college, receiving a bachelor’s de-

gree in accounting and later a national certificate in administrative accounting.

“My involvement throughout my life has been serving the community that I live in,” he said. “It was early on, working as a volunteer firefighter in New York State.

Later, in Atlanta and Florida, I found myself participating in homeowners’ associations, working in the communities where I lived.”

McLendon said his vision of Loxahatchee Groves’ future is to preserve and protect its rural nature, which was the intent of incorporation. “Although I voted against incorporation; we have it,” he said. “When I moved out here, it was fantastic, because you go from eight lanes on Okeechobee down to four and quickly two lanes, and you have a totally different atmosphere. You wonder, ‘What just happened?’ You’ve See FORUM, page 14

Clerk: College Petition Doesn’t Meet The Referendum Criteria

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The clerk of the Town of Loxahatchee Groves has determined that the petition to reverse approval of Palm Beach State College’s new campus is insufficient because those conducting the petition drive did not prove a complete copy of the ordinance in question was attached to the signing sheet.

This is the second attempt by a group trying to force a referendum to repeal the ordinance and resolution the council approved last August. On the first attempt, the initiators failed to maintain 10 members of their committee, as the town charter requires.

Town Clerk Sue Eichhorn said that this time, the committee gathered 267 signatures, which were then verified by the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections.

“They had to amount to 10 percent of the voters from the last election, which was 2,069 registered voters, so they would have had to

have 207 signatures,” Eichhorn told the Town-Crier Wednesday, noting that 244 signatures were deemed valid.

“After that, we had to go by our charter and review the petitions to see if they were sufficient or not,” Eichhorn said. “We had to go line by line by the dictates of our charter… The two areas of [insufficiency] were that the total text of the ordinance was not attached as far as we knew to the petition so that people when signing it could read it, nor was it indicated in their affidavit that they had submitted the full text of the ordinance to the registered voters to read.”

After the initiative committee received the certificate of insufficiency, one of its leaders, Todd McLendon, also a candidate for Loxahatchee Groves Town Council running against incumbent Jim Rockett, submitted an affidavit stating that the full text was attached when people signed the petition, Eichhorn said.

The issue will go before town council Tuesday, March 5, when they will have several options, including acceptance of McLendon’s affidavit. “Our charter gives any person who has had a petition certified as insufficient two days to come back and request that the council review it,” Eichhorn said. “They really didn’t request that, they just submitted this affidavit, which I have taken as their request to have the council review it.”

Eichhorn said she didn’t know if council members would take action at the March 5 meeting or the March 19 meeting. Options include rescinding the ordinance and resolution, calling a referendum or challenging the petition’s validity.

“There may be more options, depending on what happens in their discussion,” she said.

McLendon said the paperwork was attached when committee members circulated the petition. “I See PETITION, page 14

Serving Palms West Since 1980

Wellington Council Decides To Hire An In-House Attorney

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington will develop its own legal department after members of the Wellington Village Council voted Tuesday to bring the position in-house.

Council members voted 4-1 to change from a contracted attorney to an in-house attorney. Councilwoman Anne Gerwig cast the dissenting vote.

“My hope is we can [hire a new attorney] by April 1,” Councilman Matt Willhite said.

The vote came after a presentation by Chuck Thompson, executive director of the International Municipal Lawyers Association.

Council members hired the IMLA last year to evaluate Wellington’s legal options.

“When I interviewed each of you, I understood that what you were looking for was increased communications,” Thompson said. “We also heard that you were looking for increased responsiveness on litigation and other projects.”

Thompson said his firm compared Wellington’s legal situation with others of similar size and scope to come up with a recommendation.

“In the history of your cost for legal services, from fiscal year 2007

through fiscal year 2012, you averaged $552,364 in legal services,” he said. “Of that, an average $392,092 went to your attorney.”

By comparison, Thompson said that most municipal attorneys in the area make between $130,000 and $217,000.

“That led us to considering a range for in-house city attorney for $150,000 to perhaps $175,000, in terms of salary.”

Thompson said he recommends that Wellington hire both an attorney and a paralegal, and consider a second attorney in the future.

“An attorney and paralegal would bring you up to $309,000 in the third year for personnel salaries,” he said. “The total legal budget with two attorneys and a paralegal would be $532,000 in year three.”

For now, he felt Wellington could be served by a paralegal and an attorney.

“I think a staff of two would probably be all you need for this period of time,” he said. “But what you see with experience is the possibility of adding an additional attorney. It would not be unusual for the size of the city that you have.”

Thompson said that a municipality of Wellington’s size often See LAWYER, page 14

CELEBRATING PURIM

Temple B’nai Jacob of Wellington held a Purim Carnival on Sunday, Feb. 24. There was face painting, cookie decorating, crafts and games, a silent auction, and students performed a “Seussical Purim Spiel.” Shown here, kids enjoy the festival.

MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 11 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Residents Invited To Speak On Wellington Tennis Center Plans

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington residents will have three opportunities next week to weigh in on plans for the new Wellington Tennis Center.

Staff members will be available to meet with residents on Monday, March 4 from 6 to 7 p.m., on Tuesday, March 5 from 9 to 10 a.m. and on Thursday, March 7 from 4 to 5 p.m. in the Wellington Village Council chambers.

“It’s an opportunity to come and be involved in the process before any decisions have been made,” Director of Operations Jim Barnes told the Town-Crier Wednesday. “Oftentimes, residents

miss the opportunity to give us input until later in the process. This is a chance to get involved early.”

Last year, council members decided to move the tennis center from the Wellington Community Center.

“The council decided they wanted to move it, but they didn’t decide yet where it is going,” Barnes said. “They really want to have resident input before they make a decision.”

There are three sites in contention: the village’s 10-acre civic site near the Mall at Wellington Green, 15 acres adjacent to the Village Walk community on Lyons Road See TENNIS, page 3

Royal Palm Art & Music Festival Returns March 9-10

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The fourth annual Royal Palm Art & Music Festival, produced by the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce, returns next weekend.

The festival will shut down Royal Palm Beach Blvd. between Southern Blvd. and Camellia Park Drive for the duration of the festival, set for Saturday and Sunday, March 9 and 10.

“We have kayak races, chicken wing–eating contests and the battle of burgers between city officials,” the chamber’s Maritza Rivera said. “The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue will do dem-

onstrations. We’ll have street performers, fireworks and, of course, artists painting beneath our feet.”

The festival is sponsored by the Schumacher Family of Dealerships with support from the Village of Royal Palm Beach.

Other attractions include carnival-style rides in the vacant lot next to the Royal Inn, bounce houses and crafts for kids, including their own street painting area, face painting, and street entertainers including jugglers, magicians and stilt walkers. There is no charge for admission. Unlimited ride passes can be purchased for $20.

“Three years ago, this event made history by being the first two-day festival to close down

one of the western communities’ major traffic arteries for more than the typical few hours,” said Jaene Miranda, the chamber’s CEO. “Since that inaugural festival, we have continued to expand our offerings, and our residents have responded positively. We have over 25,000 spectators expected to attend the event.”

Two stages will feature local entertainers as well as two contestants from NBC’s The Voice.

“This year we are excited to announce that Michaela Paige and Laura Vivas from the hit NBC show will be performing on stage,” Miranda said. “In addition, the chamber is working with local volunteers to recruit both amateur and

professional bands. Music provides the energy to any festival — it sets the mood.”

Music will include jazz, blues, classic rock and country — a little something for everyone.

“We are most proud to present bands from our area schools,” Miranda said. “Showcasing young talent is a critical component of this festival.”

Other festival activities include the popular Pirates and Princesses Contest on Sunday, the chicken wing–eating contest, food vendors, a business expo, a pet contest, kayak races on Lake Challenger, edible artwork for the kids supervised by a professional chef, and two special tiki bar presenta-

tions by Tree’s Wings.

As always, there will be a beer garden outside Tree’s Wings in Royal Plaza.

Traffic will be rerouted onto Lamstein Lane and Camellia Park Drive, and parking for the festival will be off Lamstein Lane. Shuttles and buses will run throughout the festival.

The festival will open Friday, March 8 for just the carnival rides from 5 to 10 p.m. The full event will take place Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

For more information on the Royal Palm Art & Music Festival, visit www.royalpalmbeachfestival. com or call (561) 790-6200.

Page 2 March 1 - March 7, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 3

NEWS

Wellington Council OKs White Birch Master Plan With Changes

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report After nearly two hours of debate, members of the Wellington Village Council voted Tuesday to approve a master plan that will allow for two estate homes at White Birch Farm.

But a few last-minute conditions added to the application without discussion with the applicant could see the issue return to the council later this month.

The property, located on Pierson Road east of South Shore Blvd., was once considered part of the controversial Equestrian Village development to the west, but when approval for that site’s master plan was revoked, the owners of White Birch Farm opted to come in with a separate master plan.

Originally the property was zoned for multi-family dwellings, with six units allowed on the entire property. Village Manager Paul Schofield said that would be split when the property splits from Equestrian Village.

“Two units would go to White Birch, and the remaining four would stay with Equestrian Village,” he said.

Approving the master plan would create an entirely new tract within Wellington.

“This would create a new tract of approximately 36.8 acres,” Long Range Planning Director Tim Stillings said. “The change would label this as an equestrian facility.

However, the use designation for the site will remain open space recreation.”

As conditions of approval, the owner would have to record a site plan within six months, construct a proposed access point and allow for a 25-foot maintenance easement and 15-foot bridle path on the east side of the property.

Stillings noted that the easement would include a “multipurpose trail,” which could eventually be used for golf cart traffic.

But Vice Mayor Howard Coates was concerned about requiring White Birch to give up land for that purpose.

“Shouldn’t that be between Palm Beach Polo and White Birch, if they want that connectivity?” he asked. “Do you have a real issue with getting rid of this bridle path and easement and just requiring canal maintenance?”

Stillings said he would prefer to keep the requirements.

“I would be OK with changing the time frame in which we’d like to activate [the paths],” he said.

Coates noted that there was little need for a bridle path going north, as once riders hit Forest Hill they’re not likely to continue.

“We’re not just looking at horses,” Stillings said. “It would be for multipurpose use.”

Coates said he wouldn’t support that.

“I support the application,” he said. “I support what they’re trying to do with allowing development to occur. But I don’t want to put these requirements on them.”

Village Engineer Bill Riebe noted that the multipurpose path could be used by Wellington kids to get to Village Park.

“If you’re a kid in Wellington, it’s really hard to get to the park,” he said. “This would give them a way to get there.”

But Councilwoman Anne Gerwig pointed out that some people might not want nonresidents biking through their community.

“That would be allowing them through a private development on bikes,” she said.

Agent Michael Sexton said that property owners were agreeable to a canal maintenance easement but not a multipurpose path.

“What my client is not agreeing to is to allow the construction of a multipurpose path at that location,” he said. “We have some serious concerns with that.”

Sexton said that the path would affect the property owner’s use of the property. “It would completely change the character of the [property],” he said. “It could eliminate the real value of the easterly polo fields.”

Council members agreed to remove the path requirements.

Councilman John Greene also

suggested that the application designate the site as a private residential polo facility rather than just an equestrian facility.

“I don’t want to leave it open,” he said. “We need to start defining what some of these terms are.

If the intent here is truly to maintain this as a private polo facility, adding [the term] shouldn’t be an issue.”

But it was Coates’ suggestion to require that the application come back before the council for site plan review that put uncertainty in the success of the council’s decision.

Councilwoman Anne Gerwig thought that might be a “dealbreaker” for the applicant and instead suggested requiring a larger setback.

At the center of the issue were two planned barns whose locations could be of concern to neighboring Polo Island residences. The barns on Equestrian Village property have already caused controversy.

“If we required [a larger set-

back], it would ensure those residents are protected,” she said.

But Coates thought it was best to let the council see plans before approving anything.

“It would be a deal-breaker for me not having site plan approval,” he said. “We have already been through too many issues with this tract.”

Coates made a motion to require the conditions. Mayor Bob Margolis called the question, prompting an affirmative response from Councilman Matt Willhite, Coates, Greene and himself.

But representatives for White Birch, who had requested having the motion repeated, said they weren’t necessarily on board with the new conditions.

After some discussion, Village Attorney Glen Torcivia suggested that the council continue its vote and allow White Birch to return before them if there were issues with the conditions. Council members voted 4-0 to pass the motion. Gerwig was out of the chambers at the time of the vote.

Wellington Chamber Members Learn To Harness Social Media

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Members of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce got tips Wednesday on how to harness social media for their businesses from author and social media guru Jay Berkowitz.

Berkowitz, who wrote Ten Golden Rules of Online Marketing , shared tips of the trade at a luncheon sponsored by Aesthetic &

Family Dentistry of Wellington at the Wanderers Club.

The first strategy of social media, Berkowitz said, is to make “lots of friends.”

“You want to make lots of Facebook friends, who are not like our real friends,” he said. “By making those relationships, you have an opportunity to connect with people.”

A good way to find friends is to

Chamber Luncheon — Guest speaker Jay Berkowitz, Chamber President Alec Domb and sponsor Dr. Steven Miller.

PHOTO BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER

look for people with common interests by following other people in your field.

“If you’re on Twitter and you follow someone, they may follow you back,” he said. “Then they will be able to see your posts and share those with others who may then follow you.”

Having many people looking at your pages can lead to sponsorships, advertisement or other deals that can help boost revenue.

It can also help bring people into your own businesses, Berkowitz said.

To build these connections, he suggested that you have to help people.

“Great networking is actually having a conversation with people, finding out a bit about them and finding what they are looking for,” he said. “Social networking carries over.”

He noted that helping others can involve reaching out to them, answering questions and much more.

In today’s media, it’s not just about having conversations.

Berkowitz noted that a popular way to engage people is to create content — images, blogs or arti-

Wellington’s Premiere Boutique Legal Group comprised of the individual law firms of

Alan S. Zangen, P.A. Chapman Law Group, PLC Marc R. Goldstein, P.A. Quick Law Firm, P.A. Experienced attorneys practicing in: Ê UÊ Estate Planning and Probate Ê UÊ Equine Law Ê UÊ General Business and Contracts

A Western Community law group for all of your legal needs.

Ê UÊ Business Litigation Ê UÊ Marital and Family Law

Hablamos español

Ê UÊ Personal Injury Ê UÊ Wrongful Death Ê UÊ Wills and Trusts Ê UÊ Residential & Commercial

Real Estate The hiring of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements. Before you decide, ask us to send you free written information about our qualifications and experience.

Chancellor Building South 12008 South Shore Boulevard, Suite 107 Wellington, FL 33414 (561) 422-0400 www.wellingtonlegalgroupFL.com

cles that other people will want to share.

“We see this is rapidly rising,” he said. “From a business standpoint, this gives us tremendous opportunity.”

Berkowitz pointed to a life coach who posts several motivational images on his Facebook page, which have been shared by thousands of people. “He has been very successful,” he said. “When you get people to engage, others see it. If someone clicks ‘like’ on the image, it will be shared on their page. It gives people opportunities to share your content.”

Tennis

Public Input

contiued from page 1 and the K-Park property on State Road 7.

“We want residents from all of Wellington, but especially in these communities, to come in and give us their comments,” Barnes said.

Additionally, Barnes said Wellington staff is meeting with the homeowners’ associations in Village Walk and Olympia on Wednesday, March 6 at Village Walk.

Another important strategy is to position your business to show up at the top in search engines.

This includes adding content to your web pages or social media accounts that contains words that people would search for in your business.

He noted that a tennis pro became successful offering free online tennis videos with tips and tutorials, and was later able to monetize it by selling online courses.

“He’s making a million dollars selling tennis training off free YouTube videos,” Berkowitz said.

“Videos can be very powerful. If you can search-engine optimize your videos using keywords so that you come up in search engines, you can bring people back to your web site, get them to sign up for your e-mail list and then sell them products and services.”

Berkowitz said that the key is to create a community of friends who like and share your content, and then use that to boost your business.

For more information, or for social media advice, businesses are encouraged to visit www.ten goldenrules.com.

“We’re meeting with their boards so we can answer any questions and hear their concerns,” he said.

In addition to taking comments at the village meetings, Barnes said he would be available to answer questions or show residents the different options for consideration. “We’ll have comment cards available if residents want to submit them,” Barnes said. “Staff will be taking notes, and if anyone has questions, we’ll be happy to answer them with the information we do have.”

Barnes explained that plans for the new tennis center would vary depending upon the location.

“Ultimately, its location will dictate its look,” he said of the new facility. “It would likely match the architecture of that area.”

On Monday, March 4, Barnes will also be giving a presentation on the issue to the Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, and residents are invited to attend.

For more information, call (561) 791-4000 or visit www.wellingtonfl. gov.

Page 4 March 1 - March 7, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

OUR OPINION

Frustrations Are Real, But ‘Deannexation’ Is Not The Solution The rift between the Wellington Village Council and some parts of the equestrian community continues to widen, and now talk of “deannexation” has entered the conversation. While we understand the frustrations on both sides of the current “equestrian civil war,” removing parts of Wellington’s equestrian area from the community is the wrong course of action.

The “deannexation” idea was discussed at a recent informational meeting hosted by the Equestrian Forum of Wellington, and though it’s not likely this could happen anytime soon — or at all — it’s a sign that the battle has entered a new phase.

Proponents of the idea want to secede, or deannex, parts of the equestrian area from the village and place them under county control — not exactly a step forward in regard to autonomy. Thankfully, the informational meeting brought up many questions about the realities of such a plan, and the points brought up by village staff and council members helped add perspective to the issue. For instance, they would lose the services currently paid for by Wellington, such as enhanced law enforcement. And they would still be under the jurisdiction of the Acme Improvement District, an agency run by the village, and therefore still subject to all of Acme’s storm water drainage rules and regulations.

In addition to services, Wellington has special rules protecting the equestrian area, and leaving the village would mean giving up many of those protections. While the lack of progress on

solving the often-bitter disputes is disconcerting, it’s doubtful county government would be better. As we’ve seen time and again through the years, the county does not usually give people what they want. With deannexation, all proponents will be doing is changing one government for another. And in this case, replacing a local government comprising Wellington residents with a board made up of outsiders whose interests lie elsewhere.

There are key disagreements in the direction of Wellington right now, where the equestrian community is polarized between two different philosophies, and we understand that. But breaking up the village by taking large portions of the equestrian area out of the municipality is not a solution. Eventually, all the disagreements that are going on will have either a negotiated solution or a court-mandated solution. The crucial point is that when Wellington gets through this troubling time, the municipality has to remain intact.

It’s important that whatever decisions are made, that they’re based on deliberative, rational calculation, rather than as a reaction to current frustrations. This burn-the-bridges mentality is deeply problematic, and it doesn’t matter from which side it comes. You can’t pull apart the village. The equestrian area is strong because of Wellington, and Wellington is strong because of the equestrian community and the equestrian land. Pull them apart, and neither side is as strong as it was.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Support For Martha Webster The following letter is in response to Michael Axelberd’s letter “Support For Swift” published last week.

How odd that I was standing right next to you at the Saratoga Pines HOA meeting where you retell comments from our invited guest, Councilwoman Martha Webster, and I can honestly say that I heard none of them.

You say that she did not respond to the question, “Would you never vote for anything but residential on the [wastewater treatment plant property]? Yes or No?” Clearly she said she heard two suggestions from the group — residential and the senior housing. She said she would honor what the people wanted as there were several different opinions, not just the one of the questioner.

She commented on commercial development in the village when she said that “the horse was out of the barn on commercial development when the council before her voted on all the commercial and retail along State Road 7 and Southern Blvd.,” adding that “Mr. Swift was holding the barn door wide open!” From what I see, that is a pretty accurate statement.

It sounds like Dave Swift is having trouble getting support. Most likely because he did not do anything but just sit on the council for 20 years. It seems he has not earned the respect of the community enough to run against a strong incumbent. Councilwoman Webster has been active in working with everyone, so I have to figure that all the folks are more than ready to work for her.

Mr. Swift, you really have been there way too long. Dishonest statements don’t work anymore.

The last thing the people need is another man telling folks to “shut up.” Enough is enough — stay retired.

Jerry Coffman Royal Palm Beach

Beware Todd McLendon Todd McLendon is running for Loxahatchee Groves Town Council Seat 2 against Jim Rockett. He promotes himself as a protector of the town’s rural environment, a champion of “love it and leave it alone.” Yet Mr. McLendon filled and destroyed a large section of protected wetlands on his property — so he could put his business on top of it.

The State of Florida asked him to restore the wetlands. He didn’t, so they brought him to court and ordered him to restore it. He didn’t, so they brought him back to court, held him in contempt, and ordered him to restore it again. He didn’t, but decided to appeal the case to a higher court, where it sits now, all these years later. Apparently, he’d rather spend thousands of dollars on lawyers, tirelessly defending the damage he did, instead of just fixing the problem.

He’s just another bad developer, exploiting Loxahatchee’s unique and fragile environment for his own financial gain. Loxahatchee’s wetlands are protected by the town’s comprehensive plan, our environmental plan, and the State of Florida. They are a sanctuary for rare plants and wildlife.

Palm Beach State College, which Mr. McLendon so vigorously opposes, promises to preserve the wetlands on their property.

Mr. McLendon’s actions fully contradict his main campaign message — and the sentiments of a

large number of our town’s residents. I don’t think we need this on the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council.

Larry Lefkowitz Loxahatchee Groves

RPB Campaign Contributions Campaign contribution questions have now come to Royal Palm Beach. Everyone heard a lot about them in November, and now even in this little village. Contributions to political campaigns are public record, and I found that those of local candidates can easily be viewed right at Village Hall.

The record shows that Councilwoman Martha Webster has contributions with addresses outside of the village at about 80 percent, challenger David Swift has outside contributions of about 80 percent, and challenger Justin Sallenbach has outside contributions of about the same. Vice Mayor Fred Pinto gave himself $10,000.

Since I do not know how such things normally go, I decided to take a look at the RPB race last year, and what I found was that Mayor Matty Mattioli had outside contributions of about 85 percent and the new Councilman Jeff Hmara had outside contributions of almost 90 percent or more.

So that says that the village is poor, cheap or uninterested in elections and the process, or believes that all those signs, T-shirts and items in your mailbox are free. I would go further and say that from what I have just learned, if anyone is planning on running a political campaign anywhere, they better be rich or have a way of convincing others to help.

Jen Weiler Royal Palm Beach

Ryan Supports Jim Rockett Voters trust Loxahatchee Groves Town Council members to study issues, listen to public comments, discuss recommendations of town staff and committees, and then make informed decisions in the best interests of Loxahatchee Groves. This is local representative democracy.

I have been a close observer of Vice Mayor Jim Rockett’s efforts and votes on the town council, and his working relationship with town staff and committees for the past three years. On several occasions we have discussed the town’s growing pains, the Palm Beach County Inspector General’s positive role in local government, and the eventual turnover of Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District road functions to the town.

I have seen Jim’s work in a family business in Loxahatchee Groves and his assistance to residents when a need arises. Jim understands that the town must function to be fiscally sound and to balance neighbors’ rights, respect for the environment and our rural lifestyle. Jim’s background, experience, and positive record of town and community service are outlined in a brochure that is available to all interested voters (or visit www.jimrockett.com).

Jim’s support for the Palm Beach State College campus on the northwest corner of Southern Blvd. and B Road is in stark contrast to his opponent, who is knowingly promoting an illegal repeal of two ordinances that were publicly discussed for over a year and approved by the town council as a pre-condition for PBSC’s purchase of the property in late October 2012. Illegal repeal of the ordinances at this time will expose the

THE

TOWN-CRIER Your Community Newspaper

Serving The Palms West Communities For 33 Years Published Weekly By Newspaper Publishers, Inc.

12794 West Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31 The Original Wellington Mall

Wellington, Florida 33414 Phone: (561) 793-7606 Classified Ads: (561) 793-3576 • Fax: (561) 793-6090 World Wide Web: http://www.goTownCrier.com E-Mail Address: news@goTownCrier.com

town and taxpayers to more than $4.5 million in litigation expense and damages that were more fully described in my previous TownCrier letter. Jim’s opponent’s public record disrespect of his property (filling in and then refusing to remediate wetlands) and allowing nuisance levels of aviary noise (in contrast to responsible commercial aviaries in Loxahatchee Groves) are other serious questions for voters to consider.

My opinion is that Jim Rockett is the clear best choice for re-election to the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council. Please vote for Jim on March 12.

John Ryan Loxahatchee Groves Editor’s note: Mr. Ryan is an elected supervisor of the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District.

Selective Code Enforcement?

My husband [Tim] didn’t want me to write this letter. He believes if I speak freely in town, I’ll be victimized as he has been for doing just that. It was seeing Elyse Ryan’s letter printed on the same page as her husband’s that gave me the idea. Why should I not get the same opportunity to support my husband?

Here’s why I’m writing. There are so many dreadful things that have been done to my English husband since we came to live in Loxahatchee Groves it’s hard to know where to begin, and I know people have got better things to do than read something from me, so I’m keeping it to the two most recent.

Pretty much everyone knows my husband and I own the British Feed Company. And pretty much everyone knows that for over a year, we have been persecuted by the town manager with the full support of the council. Selective code enforcement initiated by the owners of Red Barn has caused us to have to move twice — code enforcement that was expensive for the town (we, the people who live here), unnecessary and contrary to the interests of the people of the town.

We have a feed store in an agricultural town. Our 700 customers, many of whom live in the town, want a choice. Our council and town manager, along with their Red Barn cronies, don’t want the people to have that choice. They have tried to extort money from us, they have leaked information, they have been rude and unhelpful, not replying to e-mails or returning phone calls, they have conducted city business outside the public eye, they have threatened us, and my husband has personal experience of them altering public documents for personal gain.

So my first reason for being ashamed, aside from just how badly this town has treated my husband, is that this morning I got a flier in the mail trying to persuade me to vote for [incumbent] Jim Rockett. In it, he claims he supports fair and cost-effective code enforcement without favor. This is a clear and absolute lie. Rockett has consistently supported selective code enforcement, in many cases promoting it as use as a punishment. I hear of many cases but can put my hand on my heart and swear I know of one, which is ours.

How can this deceit be allowed in my country? Can anyone tell me?

And my second reason is even more personal. I’ve watched my husband persevere against council bullying, town manager spitefulness and code manipulation.

He’s overcome it all with a patience

and determination I’ve never witnessed before. Now we have relocated to a third trading location in the Palms West Plaza, behind Boonies and across the street from the town office. We have our license and the fire marshal, despite coming under pressure from unnamed persons to do otherwise, has issued our fire certificate. Unless the town manager gets the council to change the rules, which they have form for, we are now able to work at developing our business.

And here’s the thing: Since we moved into our new store, only Councilman Tom Goltzené and candidate Todd McLendon have called by to wish us good fortune.

We are a properly run company, we are creating jobs for Americans, we are bringing prosperity back to our town, and we pay our taxes.

Why hasn’t the town manager or the mayor been in to wish us well?

Isn’t that what happens in real towns? “Hello, I’m the town manager; good to see an empty building occupied, good to see jobs created. I’m the town manager; my office is right there. If I can help in anyway, please let me know and good luck!”

Am I expecting too much? All he has to do is walk 30 feet! I’m ashamed this can happen in my country. Am I wrong to be?

Since my initial writing of this letter, for the third time, we received yet another code violation letter from the town offices — more of our money wasted on selective code enforcement. I guess I’m not.

Loring Hart-Woods Loxahatchee Groves

Support For Pinto And Swift In RPB Municipal elections in Royal Palm Beach are coming up on March 12, and there is no better choice for Village Council Seat 4 than the current incumbent, Vice Mayor Fred Pinto.

Fred has served on the council for 10 years, and through all of that time has demonstrated his caring and concern for this place we call home and for all of us lucky enough to reside here. In all of his actions, Fred has demonstrated his goal of doing what is best for Royal Palm’s residents and keeping things on track for our village. If you are not familiar with all of the accomplishments that Fred can take credit for, I’d like to mention a few.

Fred was a prime mover in the decision to put our village’s safety in the hands of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office six years ago, thereby ensuring reliable and experienced law enforcement and enabling us to maintain the good quality of life that we have. He was instrumental in making the wise business decision that our village needed to get out of the water business. Royal Palm Beach’s water service district, which extends well beyond the village’s boundaries, was sold to the county with the provision that Royal Palm Beach gets 10 percent of every dollar that the county takes in for providing water to the area. Few investments today pay that kind of return!

Fred is an ardent advocate for all children. He worked to increase the number and dollar amount of scholarships from four to six and from $500 to $1,000. Furthermore, he ensured that at least two of those scholarships would go to graduates of Royal Palm Beach High School. Fred’s devotion to keeping our youth involved has been demonstrated in his volunteering his time to activities such as coaching recreation baseball

BARRY S. MANNING Publisher

JOSHUA I. MANNING Executive Editor

JODY GORRAN Associate Publisher

DAWN RIVERA General Manager

JASON BUD JINSKI Community Editor

RON BUKLEY Managing Editor

EDITORIAL STAFF/ Chris Felker • Denise Fleischman Jessica Gregoire • Lauren Miró CONTRIBUTORS/ Jules Rabin • Ellen Rosenberg • Leonard Wechsler • Deborah W elky ART & PRODUCTION MANAGER/ Stephanie Rodriguez ADVERTISING/ Betty Buglio • Evie Edwards • Wanda Glockson STAFF/ Shanta Daibee • Carol Lieberman • Geri O’Neil

and football. It is clear that Fred’s commitment extends beyond our own community, as is evidenced in his having served on the Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Palm Beach County Fair Housing/Equal Employment Opportunity Board, to name just a few.

[Residents are concerned] about a proposal for industrial and commercial enterprise infringing on what we currently consider safe surroundings for H.L. Johnson Elementary School. I share your frustration with the strident, uncompromising behavior of one of our council members. That person’s behavior results in council meetings that resemble a civil war!

There is one obvious solution to this turmoil and misrepresentation of constituent wishes. That is the election of Dave Swift to Village Council Seat 2.

Dave’s record of service to our village speaks for itself. He has served 20 years. He voted to reduce taxes, sell the village’s water utility plant to the county thereby generating $73 million in reserve funds, beautify Royal Palm Beach Blvd., and construct many village parks, to mention just a few of his accomplishments. His caring for our residents and especially our youth is demonstrated in his opposition to commercial development in the former water treatment plant near our school, and his support for recreational and cultural centers, soccer fields, bicycle paths and other initiatives that make life in our village the enjoyable experience that it is. His commitment and achievements have been recognized by the Palm Beach County Police Benevolent Association and the Professional Firefighters/Paramedics of Palm Beach County, who have given Dave their endorsements.

While it is clear that Dave will listen to and represent all of us, we have to question whom his opponent represents, when approximately three-quarters of her campaign contributions come from individuals, corporations or businesses located outside of Royal Palm Beach. Where do you suppose her loyalties lie? And while she purports to speak for women who need greater representation on the council, I would suggest it is not gender but good sense, civility, fairness and experience that really count.

Go to the polls on March 12 and cast your vote for Fred Pinto for Council Seat 4 and Dave Swift for Council Seat 2.

Arlene Olinsky Royal Palm Beach

Horses Not Wellington’s Original Vision One man’s vision for Wellington, as detailed in the Feb. 22 Town-Crier, was a vision created after Wellington came into existence.

I purchased a lot in this community in 1976 and built my home in early 1977. At that time, the “Wellington community development” was owned by Alcoa Breakwater and the vision was to create a golf community, not a horse community. Then the money came to town and with it came the wealthy people who like to control things, including politicians.

The equestrian community in all its forms has done great things for this community but now we need to find the way to channel greed and control to constructive community development that satisfies all our residents’ egos and meets the needs of the community at large.

Joseph Manning Wellington

College Bad For ‘Rural Town’ Elected officials should uphold public consensus in public policy, not just the opinions of a few people at a few meetings. And a state college campus is not just a building, it is a development of local, regional and state impact, with people, policies and regulations that would dominate Loxahatchee Groves. This is clear from the council’s premature acceptance of college plans before rural town voters had a chance to vote against the college project. Now the council is embarrassed and voters are intimidated, but they should all just stop and think.

The council should have said no to the project, because for almost 100 years, Loxahatchee Groves has been one of the few havens for people who want an agricultural/residential lifestyle and activities that are not allowed in the urban areas of Palm Beach County. In fact, the majority of residents wanted Loxahatchee Groves to stay a rural community, and hundreds of residents attended years of community meetings and public hearings to meticulously document public consensus in a neighborhood plan and the rural tier policy of Palm Beach County’s national, award-winning comprehensive land use plan. “Love it and Leave it Alone” public consensus limited new non-residential buildings in Loxahatchee Groves to rural design and neighborhood serving uses of residential scale, like the Red Barn and Everglades Farm Equipment. But just as Loxahatchee Groves was ready to become a legal rural community in the county charter, some people with “Rural Town” T-shirts and white cowboy hats, but no written rural town plan, lobbied for city government to “save Loxahatchee Groves,” so voters made Loxahatchee Groves a city in 2006 and elected local people to be their public servants.

But after city government replaced the county’s rural tier public consensus, a rural town plan never appeared. Instead, council members seem to have plans to squash small rural businesses, support unspecific, unnecessary and excessive “mixed use” projects, and make Loxahatchee Groves a college town. Now think ahead. Rural residents would not be isolated in a college-controlled town, since hundreds of pro-college voters can live anywhere in the city and vote to change regulations for everyone in the city, not just land on Southern and Okeechobee boulevards.

Will a college town council keep Okeechobee Blvd. from being stripped out with commercial buildings, apartments and condos and extended past the L-8 Canal so Big Sugar can build housing developments on it? Why delay final limits on traffic and development of See LETTERS, page 20

The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor. Please k eep letters brief (300 words). 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 31, Wellington, FL 33414; fax them to (561) 793-6090; or you can e-mail letters@ goTownCrier.com.

POSTAL STATEMENT The Town-Crier (USPS #021547) is published weekly by Newspaper Publisher s Inc., 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414-7458.

Periodicals Postage P aid at West Palm Beach, FL. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: The TownCrier, c/o Newspaper Publishers Inc., 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 334147458.

Founded In 1980 By Bob Markey Sr. Copyright 2013, Newspaper Publishers Inc. The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising.

MEMBER OF

The Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce The Wellington Chamber of Commerce

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 5

NEWS

RPBHS STUDENTS MOUNT WINNING ALCOHOL PREVENTION CONTEST POSTERS Students from Royal Palm Beach High School’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) program mounted posters from the third annual alcohol prevention poster contest on county school buses Tuesday, Feb. 19 at the bus depot in Royal Palm Beach. Students countywide created and submitted posters that encourage students to be alcohol-free. The contest is sponsored in collaboration with the school district, the Palm Beach County Substance Awareness Coalition, the South Florida Fairgrounds, Adobe, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Acreage/Loxahatchee Rotary Club.

PHOTOS BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

Alexa Lee of the Substance Awareness Coalition, SADD coordinator Maureen Witkowski and SADD members display the posters.

Vanessa Nazaire and Kimberly Ruderman prepare with mounting supplies.

Maureen Witkowski addresses members on poster mounting.

Maya Williams cleans area on bus where poster will be placed.

Selena Hernandez mounts middle school poster contest winner Kyana Christian’s poster.

Marissa Premsukh, with Stefani Goodine, prepares to mount high school contest winner Madison Sanders’ poster.

THINKPINKKIDS DODGEBALL TOURNEY AT WELLINGTON HIGH A HUGE SUCCESS

The thinkPINKkids Wellington Dodgeball Tournament was held Friday, Feb. 15 at Wellingt on High School. There were 10 middle school teams with Wellington Landings, Polo Park and Emerald Cove middle schools represented. For the high school tournament, there were 13 teams, mostly from WHS, with one each from Palm Beach Central and Park Vista high schools. The club raised approximately $2,000 toward its cause. The next thinkPINKkids Wellington event is Dance Night for the Fight, a dance party for students and adults of all ages, to be held in the WHS cafeteria on Friday, May 10 from 5 to 10 p.m.

Emerald Cove’s Friends United team rests up before winning first place in the middle school dodgeball tournament.

The Destroying Dodgers celebrate winning gold.

The Minute Men take second.

Page 6 March 1 - March 7, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

CRIME NEWS

Afternoon Home Burglaries In Royal Palm Beach

You Deserve Quality CARE

SERVING OUR COMMUNITY FOR OVER 20 YEARS

SPECIALIZING IN: (BTUSPFOUFSPMPHZ t )FQBUJUJT .BOBHFNFOU 3FTFBSDI &OEPTDPQZ $PMPOPTDPQZ t "CEPNJOBM #MPBUJOH t $PMJUJT $POTUJQBUJPO t $SPIO T %JTFBTF t %JBSSIFB t )FBSUCVSO (&3%

)FNPSSIPJET t 3FDUBM #MFFEJOH t 6MDFST ."55)&8 + 4.*5) % 0 '"$0* .*5$)&-- / %"7*4 % 0 '"$0* 45&7&/ 3 4"$,4 % 0 .FEJDBM 1BSL #MWE 4VJUF 8FMMJOHUPO '- 0LFFDIPCFF #MWE 8FTU 1BMN #FBDI '- 7JMMBHF #MWE 4VJUF 8FTU 1BMN #FBDI '-

| XXX NZHBTUSPEPDUPST DPN

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report FEB. 20 — Two homes on Shoma Drive were the target of residential burglaries last Wednesday afternoon, according to reports filed with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office substation in Royal Palm Beach. According to separate PBSO reports, someone entered the victims’ homes through the south rear doors and removed electronics and jewelry. According to one report, sometime between 1:35 and 2:20 p.m., the perpetrator(s) removed a Nintendo Wii game system, a Kindle Fire tablet computer and a black Toshiba laptop computer, as well as several pieces of jewelry. The deputy believed the perpetrator(s) entered through the back door of the residence, which was left unlocked.

The stolen items were valued at approximately $1,185. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report. In a second PBSO report, sometime between 1 and 3:45 p.m., someone forced open the rear sliding glass door of the home and stole an Xbox 360 game console, several gold and silver chains, bracelets and rings.

The stolen items were valued at approximately $7,015. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report. ••• FEB. 16 — A deputy from the PBSO’s Acreage/Loxahatchee substation was dispatched Saturday, Feb. 16 to a home on Banyan Blvd. regarding a theft. According to a PBSO report, sometime between 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 14 and 6:10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 16, someone stole the battery from the victim’s recreational vehicle.

According to the report, the RV was parked outside the victim’s home. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

FEB. 18 — A resident of Hall Blvd. called the PBSO’s Acreage/ Loxahatchee substation last Monday to report a stolen vehicle. According to a PBSO report, the victim last saw his 2004 black Bray trailer chained to a tree in his back yard on Friday, Feb. 1. Sometime between then and last Monday, someone stole the trailer and the chain. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

FEB. 22 — An Acreage man was arrested last Friday night on drug charges following a traffic stop on State Road 7. According to a PBSO report, a deputy from the Royal Palm Beach substation was on patrol when he observed a green SUV traveling northbound on SR 7 with a broken tag light. The deputy initiated a traffic stop and made contact with the driver, 38year-old David Jardines. According to the report, the deputy could smell marijuana coming from inside the vehicle. A search of the vehicle revealed that Jardines was in possession of approximately 630 grams of marijuana and $2,100 cash. Jardines was arrested and taken to the Palm Beach County Jail, where he was charged with possession of marijuana over 20 grams and possession of marijuana with intent to sell.

FEB. 23 — A resident of Chapparel Way called the PBSO substation in Wellington last Saturday evening to report a vehicle burglary. According to a PBSO re-

port, sometime between 5:30 p.m. last Friday and 4:30 p.m. last Saturday, someone entered the victim’s unlocked vehicle and rummaged through the center console.

According to the report, nothing was stolen from the vehicle. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

FEB. 24 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington was dispatched to a home in the Eastwood neighborhood last Sunday regarding a vehicle burglary.

According to a PBSO report, sometime between 8:15 p.m. last Friday and 11 a.m. the following morning, someone entered the victim’s two unlocked vehicles and stole a portable DVD player, a pair of Gucci sunglasses and a black briefcase. According to the report, the victim left both vehicles unlocked and noticed that one of her glove boxes was open. Later, a neighbor returned some items that he had found in the bushes that were taken from the victim’s car.

The victim then discovered the items had been removed. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

FEB. 24 — A resident of Oakmont Estates contacted the PBSO substation in Wellington last Sunday night to report a residential burglary. According to a PBSO report, the victim left her home around 10:15 a.m. last Sunday morning and returned at approximately 9:45 p.m. to discover that someone had used a concrete paver to smash out her rear living room window. The victim said the perpetrator(s) removed her Toshiba laptop computer, which had been sitting on a small table in the living room, and then ransacked her roommate’s bedroom. The victim’s roommate was not available to identify if anything had been taken from her room. The stolen laptop was valued at approximately $400. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

FEB. 25 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach responded to a home in the Willows II community Monday regarding a residential burglary.

According to a PBSO report, sometime between 7:45 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., someone entered the victim’s home and stole an HP laptop computer valued at approximately $1,000. According to the report, a neighbor had surveillance video footage of the incident, and the suspect was observed entering the home and then getting into a white vehicle. There was no further information available at the time of the report.

FEB. 25 — A resident of Crassula Court called the PBSO substation in Wellington on Monday to report a case of vandalism. According to a PBSO report, the victim parked his 2012 Chevy Silverado outside his apartment at approximately 6 p.m. last Sunday. When he entered the vehicle at approximately 11 a.m. the following morning, he closed the driver ’s-side door, causing the rear window to shatter. According to the report, the victim believes someone cracked the window before he got in the vehicle.

The damage was estimated at approximately $700. There were no suspects or witnesses at the time of the report.

Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is asking for the public’s help in finding these wanted fugitives: • Raymond Craig is a white male, 6’2� tall and weighing 200 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes. His date of birth is 04/09/63. Craig is wanted for felony failure to appear on a charge of driving while license revoked (habitual traffic offender). His occupation is unknown.

His last known address was F Road in Loxahatchee Groves. Craig is wanted as of 02/21/13. • Noah Goelz is a white male, 5’9� tall and weighing 175 lbs., with blond hair and brown eyes. He has multiple tattoos.

His date of birth is 06/25/90. Goelz is wanted for felony sale of MDMA (ecstasy), transportation of drug paraphernalia and driving with a suspended driver’s license. His occupation is landscaper. His last known address was 44th Street North in The Acreage. Goelz is wanted as of 02/21/13.

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.

Raymond Craig

Noah Goelz

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

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 7

NEWS

Real Estate Experts: Market Showing Strong Signs Of Recovery

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report At Monday’s Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce luncheon, real-estate leaders said the market is showing strong signs of recovery, although the improvement is limited by remaining land to develop.

The luncheon took place at the Madison Green Golf Club in Royal Palm Beach.

Bill Richardson, managing broker of the Keyes Company of Boca Raton and Delray Beach, an expert in distressed-property sales, said 2012 year-end statistics are promising.

“Pending sales have been trending up,” Richardson said. “We see a serious increase in sales activity, pending sales and closing sales in the last six to seven months — enough that we’re considering this a real trend.”

He said the county’s inventory of available property, which he regards as key to gauging the market’s health, is about 5.9 months.

“If you want to contrast that, in late 2009, we were in a 33-month supply of inventory.”

Richardson added that inventory is a snapshot that measures supply (the inventory) and demand (sales). Six months indicates a balanced market; anything under six months indicates a hot sellers’ market, he said.

“We are no longer in a buyers’ market. For the first time since 2006, there is an increase in the median price,” he said, adding that home prices in Palm Beach County in 2012 rose around 8.5 percent. “So the good news is that’s turned around.”

Closed sales in January 2013 for single-family homes in the county are up 19.3 percent over 2012, with

about 50 percent being cash deals, he said. New pending sales are up 91.4 percent.

“Something that we’ve seen over the last six to seven months is that pending sales are way outpacing the closed sales,” Richardson added, explaining that some pending sales collapse and short sales take longer to close.

He believes 2013 will be the year of the short sale, no longer the year of the foreclosure, and noted that the Debt Forgiveness Act was recently extended.

“If you are the primary resident and going to do a short sale, the forgiven debt the IRS terms as income. Form 982 is your friend; it enables you to exclude that income from your tax return. That most likely will come to a screeching halt at the end of this year,” he said.

Dirk Neumann, a board member with the Florida Atlantic Builders Association who recently completed a successful 12-year stint with Minto Communities Inc., said 4,700 new home permits were issued in 2012, almost double the number in 2011.

“That’s a 21 percent increase in single-family permits, but the biggest increase was in multifamily, which was up 421 percent,” Neumann said. “Townhome construction and apartment construction pretty much came to a halt in Palm Beach County as there were so many affordable single-family homes on the short-sale and foreclosure market. There is such a low supply now that there is room for that, and it has started growing again.”

The all-time low in the county was in 2009, when only 1,400 permits were pulled. The all-time high was in 1986, when 23,000 permits

were pulled. “That will never happen again; neither will the high during the boom, which was 15,844 permits, the reason being that there is not that much land left in Palm Beach County to develop,” he said.

Projections are that about 6,200 permits will be pulled in 2013, and about 7,000 in 2014. “Much beyond that, there probably will not be any significant growth in permits, basically because Palm Beach County will be near buildout of most large pieces of land that are out there.”

Most of the large development will take place in the Agricultural Reserve Area, Neumann said. GL homes recently closed a deal for more than 600 lots at a hefty price.

Vavrus Land Star Development of Coral Gables bought the 4,763acre Vavrus property east of Mecca Farms in December. The 700acre Briger property near Scripps in Palm Beach Gardens is under contract and could have more than 2,000 units.

The 3,900-acre Callery-Judge Grove property, a portion of the 4,400-acre Palm Beach Aggregates and the 858-acre Parcel 19 in Jupiter are other parcels likely to see development at some point, Neumann said.

“This is the new reality. Some of these parcels that were considered a little out there are now coming into demand because the majority of land that was available was spoken for and builders are eager to find the next location,” he said. “The limited supply in Palm Beach County is going to drive demand and price.”

Commercial real estate expert Neil Merin said the office market for the study area south of Northlake Blvd. and west of Florida’s

Speakers at the luncheon were (L-R) Bill Richardson, Dirk Neumann, Neil Merin and Bob Bentz.

PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER

Turnpike did not suffer as much as the rest of the world during the recession.

“The office market out here was based a lot on local serving local tenants,” Merin said. “The western communities have fared well.

Right now you are running at about 13 percent vacancy rate. The overall county is about 16 percent.”

By comparison, he said, downtown West Palm Beach is at 27 percent. “I’d much rather be out here as an owner,” he said. “It’s a good business environment.”

New commercial construction in the western communities is flat; the last commercial building to go online in the area was three years ago, he said. “There’s going to be pent-up demand at some point,” Merin said.

He thinks the vacancy rate will drop to under 10 percent by 2015.

“That’s going to prompt new construction,” he added.

Retail vacancy, however, is another story. That remains high, Merin said, but it is filling in.

“When the recession hit, your vacancy rates went way up and your rental rates way down,” he said.

Rents are about half what they were before the recession. “The good news is it looks like it’s going to hit bottom because it has been down for so long,” he said, adding that about 80 percent of the tenants lost during 2008-09 have been replaced.

There is about 6 million square feet of industrial space in the western communities, which is about 15 percent of what’s available in the county. About 750,000 square feet of industrial space is available or becoming available.

“All of this is driven by users bringing employment out here,” Merin said. “The wonderful thing about employment is they buy houses.”

Landscape architect Bob Bentz of Land Design South said housing will lead commercial development. Housing will be driven by Palm Beach County’s population growth — predicted to rise to

about 1.6 million in 2025 from roughly 1.3 million now.

Bentz said about 162,000 homes remain to be built in the county, more than half of which will be in the Glades.

“That means we have only about 79 or 80 thousand homes to be built in the eastern part of the county,” he said. “You only have about seven to eight years of home supply left… at least the eastern portion of Palm Beach County.”

He agreed that the Briger and Vavrus properties will be important players in the residential development market, as well as the 58-acre Gulfstream Polo property on Lake Worth Road west of Florida’s Turnpike.

“Two years ago, we showed it to Lennar — zero interest,” Bentz said, but a year ago buyers were very interested. “A year later, the price had doubled on that particular property. Things have changed relatively dramatically. Nobody would have guessed this a year ago in Palm Beach County.”

Royal Palm Council Approves Changes To Garage Sale Rules

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Village Council voted 4-1 last week to increase the number of garage sales residents can hold each year from two to three. However, the council decided to not increase the number of allowable signs.

Planning & Zoning Director Bradford O’Brien said the sales would be restricted to one every four months.

Mayor Matty Mattioli opposed the change, saying it reflected the desires of only one resident, teacher Candice Cavaleri, who requested more garage sales in order to increase her opportunities to buy and sell school supplies and seasonal wares.

“I let my feelings be known then, and I’ll do it again,” he said.

“If we change our code to suit one

person, what’s going to stop the next person from asking, ‘You changed it for her, why not change it for me?’”

Councilman Jeff Hmara said he had considered the comparison of other municipalities in the county, most of which had fewer regulations on garage sales — some none at all.

“Even the larger communities had no limits, restrictions or requirements,” Hmara said. “I lean more toward favorably considering the request for an additional one, primarily for that reason.”

Vice Mayor Fred Pinto agreed that the council should not have knee-jerk reactions every time a person makes a request, but input from staff had suggested that there would be no harm in modifying the code for garage sales.

“Your point is well taken,” Pin-

to told Mattioli. “In my view, if we approve this, that doesn’t open the door to do so every time somebody wants to change something.

Each individual case has its own merit.”

Pinto, who noted that the change had previously been reduced from four sales to three, said he felt the council had done its due diligence. “We have grown as a village over the years,” he said.

“We have a lot more people here, and it might be to their benefit to have the opportunity to get rid of things in their garage.”

Councilman Richard Valuntas said that reviewing codes over time is one of the council’s jobs. “The fact is, back in the 1980s, when they said, ‘OK, you get two a year and you get two signs and that’s it,’ maybe it made sense, but today I thought [Cavaleri] stated a

decent case,” he said.

Valuntas added that if a person comes in with a bad idea for a code change, he would have no problem saying so. “We’re changing things because it makes sense,” he said. “It’s reasonable and sensible to do, and that’s what our job is.”

Director of Community Development Rob Hill said the impact of garage sales currently allowed has not been significant. “The addition of an additional one certainly appears to be manageable,” Hill said. “Is it a burden on our code enforcement resources? No, sir, it is not.”

Valuntas made a motion to grant preliminary approval to the ordinance, which carried 4-1.

The council rejected a related ordinance that would have increased the number of allowable

off-site signs from two to four.

Valuntas said that although he favored allowing additional garage sales, he did not see the need to increase the number of signs.

Councilwoman Martha Webster noted that there seemed to be a feeling that two signs did not necessarily get a driver where they wanted to go. “Two signs with the configuration of the roads and where some homes are, with cul de sacs and things like that, they just didn’t seem to meet the objective of letting people know where they were,” she said.

Webster made a motion to approve the sign change, but it failed with Pinto, Valuntas and Mattioli opposed.

In other business, the council gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that would allow homeowners to install concrete buttons

or pyramids on their swale to prevent drivers from driving onto the swale or cutting a corner short.

Village Manager Ray Liggins said the village requires the owner to be responsible for the swale area, but the village wanted to avoid allowing the construction of obstructions such as fences.

“We had a gentleman come in here several years ago who wanted to do it the right way and wanted to permit something, and we really just didn’t have a good solution for him because we were against obstructions in the right of way,” Liggins said, explaining that residents already have the traffic buttons and pyramids all over the village. “We’d have to deal with a large code enforcement issue and have these property owners remove them, but without a See RPB SWALES, page 20

Mark Bellissimo To Be Honored At SFBJ’s Ultimate CEO Awards Mark Bellissimo, CEO of Equestrian Sport Productions, will be one of the honorees at the South Florida Business Journal’s 2013 Palm Beach Ultimate CEO Awards.

The awards are given to business leaders who have set a high standard in the corporate community, not only in business but also in civic leadership and philanthropy.

“It is a great honor,” Bellissimo said. “However, a lot to the credit goes to our great team at Wellington Equestrian Partners (WEP) and Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP).”

The awards will be presented at a cocktail reception at the Breakers Palm Beach on Thursday, March 28 at 7 p.m.

Bellissimo has led his team to

create one of the most successful horse show circuits in the world, offering world-class amenities.

It was WEP who was willing to invest in the community, even in a tumultuous economy, Bellissimo said.

“As a result of WEP’s $40 million of capital investment during one of the most difficult economic climates in many of our lifetimes, we have accomplished the following over the last five years.”

He said he believes that successful CEOs must exhibit great leadership, salesmanship and perseverance.

“People need to have goals and be inspired to work together to accomplish them,” Bellissimo said.

“Without leadership there is little chance for success. Great leader-

ship can overcome or endure most challenges, whether it is deficiencies in the product, your service, your team, or in the marketplace.”

Though everyone will face both setbacks and criticism, Bellissimo said it is important to overcome those setbacks.

“In response to these setbacks and critics, you can either quit, adapt or get stronger, smarter and overcome,” he said. “The ultimate fact is, critics do not write great novels, produce great movies, build great buildings, invent cures, lead companies, build products or change society. They criticize. Criticism is important to improve a process, but it should not be the lasting legacy.”

Bellissimo also knows that he must share his success, and he and

his daughter, Paige, created an event to do just that. The Great Charity Challenge has distributed more than $4.2 million to Palm Beach County charities over four years.

“The focus is on communitybased charities that are so important during these challenging economic times,” Bellissimo said. “After seeing the reaction of the charities that benefit from this event and the specific lives we touch, you cannot help but feel that you are part of something special. We measure the success of this event not in the amount raised but the lives we touch.”

Other honorees include Daniel Cane of Modernizing Medicine Inc., Larry Feldman of Subway of South Florida/The Feldman Group,

Stephen J. Klingel of NCCI Holdings Inc., Jorge Pesquera of the Palm Beach County Convention & Visitors Bureau, Chris Pyle of Champion Solutions Group, Richard Rendina of the Rendina Companies, Dr. Mary Jane Saunders of Florida Atlantic University, Jan Savarick of Boca Regional Hospital Foundation and Lynne Wines of First Southern Bank.

The event will be held Thursday, March 28 at the Breakers Palm Beach (1 S. County Road). A cocktail reception begins at 5:30 p.m. with the awards presentation at 7 p.m.

Tickets cost $195 per person, and a table of eight costs $2,100.

For more information, contact Maureen D’Silva at (954) 949-7522 or mdsilva@bizjournals.com.

Mark Bellissimo PHOTO BY ELENA LUSENTI

Page 8 March 1 - March 7, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

NEWS BRIEFS Wellington Garden Club To Meet March 4

A Capella Group At Temple Beth Torah March 14

Wellington Art Society Offers Art Scholarships

The Wellington Garden Club will hold its next monthly meeting Monday, March 4 at the Wellington Community Center (12150 W. Forest Hill Blvd.) with a business meeting at 10:30 a.m. followed by lunch at 11:30 a.m. and a lecture at 12:30 p.m.

Guest speaker Michele Williams will examine various plants utilized by early Floridians as well as some of the “meatier” issues of early diet in South Florida. Williams is the director for the Southeastern Region of Florida Public Archaeology Network at Florida Atlantic University and has participated in excavations throughout the southeastern United States for the past 20 years. Her presentation, “Weeds and Seeds: A History of Dining in Southern Florida,” will answer the age-old question of “what’s for dinner?”

Guests are welcome, and there is no admission fee, but seating is limited. To reserve a seat, RSVP to Jayne at (561) 791-0273. For more information about club, visit www.wellingtongardenclub.org.

Temple Beth Torah in Wellington will present a performance by the Yale Spizzwinks on Thursday, March 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Founded in 1914, the Yale Spizzwinks are America’s oldest underclassman a cappella group. With a diverse repertoire ranging from traditional Yale songs and jazz standards to pop ballads and rock ’n’ roll, the Spizzwinks continue to perform and entertain with the same musicianship, humor and camaraderie of their founding members 98 years ago.

The Spizzwinks tour the globe each year, drawing standing ovations wherever they perform. In recent years, the Spizzwinks have performed at Carnegie Hall, ESPN, Disney World, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and the White House.

Advance tickets cost $20 for adults and $10 for students. All tickets cost $25 at the door. To purchase tickets for the concert, visit spizzwinks.ticketbud.com/ wellington.

To contact the temple, call (561) 793-2700.

The Wellington Art Society is now accepting applications for its one-time $500 to $1,000 college art scholarships for graduating seniors who live in and attend high school in Palm Beach County.

The scholarship is available to students planning a college major in visual arts at either a two- or four-year institution. Requirements for the scholarship are as follows: • Students must reside in and attend high school in Palm Beach County.

• Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA in visual arts and an overall GPA of 2.0.

• Three art classes in high school must have been completed.

• An artist’s statement and career goal must be submitted along with seven to 10 photographs for viewing, a letter of recommendation from a faculty member, and the transcript of the student.

Applications may be obtained from school art teachers or from the Wellington Art Society by

contacting Suzanne Redmond at sredmond75@comcast.net.

The application package for the scholarship is due April 12 and should be sent to the Wellington Art Society, P.O. Box 212943, Royal Palm Beach, FL 33421-2943.

The Wellington Art Society Scholarship, established in 2001, has provided 25 talented young artists with funds for their art-related expenses such as art/photographic supplies and books or tuition for visual art classes.

Proceeds from the Wellington Art Society’s annual art exhibitions and sales, such as ArtFest on the Green and Whole Foods Market art shows, support the scholarship fund and its other programs.

For more information about the scholarship program, e-mail Redmond. To learn more about the Wellington Art Society, visit www. wellingtonartsociety.org, www. wellingtonartsociety.blogspot.com or call President Leslie Pfeiffer at (561) 791-3676.

The Wellington Art Society is open to artists of all mediums and patrons of the arts, providing both local and regional artists the platform to share their work, learn more about their craft and serve the com-

munity through their art. Membership forms are available at meetings if you would like to become a member.

Boating Safety Class March 23 In Wellington Wellington has partnered with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary to offer residents a certified boating safety class Saturday, March 23 at the Wellington Community Center.

The Coast Guard will conduct the class from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a break for lunch. This course is designed for individuals 17 and older and will teach how to safely operate a boat and local laws and regulations. Participants will receive a certification at the conclusion of the course.

No payment is necessary to register; just bring it with you on the day of the class. The cost is $35 per person and there is a multi-family discount. To register for the boating safety class, call (561) 7914082. For more information on boating and water safety, contact the Coast Guard Auxiliary at (561) 818-7905.

Additionally, free vessel safety checks will be offered Sunday, March 24 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the front parking lot of the Wellington Municipal Complex (12300 W. Forest Hill Blvd.).

The courtesy vessel safety check (VSC) is performed at your boat by a certified vessel examiner, and usually takes up to 30 minutes depending upon the size of your boat.

Boats that pass the examination are awarded a distinctive VSC decal that alerts the Coast Guard, Harbor Patrol, Fish & Wildlife and other law-enforcement agencies that your boat was found to be in full compliance with all federal and state boating laws.

Passing the exam will give you the peace of mind that your boat meets minimum safety standards and that in an emergency; you will have the necessary equipment to save lives and summon help. Having your boat examined can help you avoid substantial fines, should you ever be boarded by law enforcement and found to be in violation, and your insurance rates may be lowered (check with your agent).

Call (561) 791-4082 to reserve your spot for the exam.

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 9

NEWS

COMMUNITY TURNS OUT FOR SEMINOLE RIDGE HIGH’S HAWK FAMILY FUN DAY

The Seminole Ridge High School Hawk Band held its eighth annual Hawk Family Fun Day Car Show, Barbecue & Carnival on Saturday, Feb. 23 on school grounds. The event included live performances from the Hawk Band, games, vendors and other family-friendly attractions. All proceeds go to programs at the school.

PHOTOS BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

Hawk band members Shania Leone, Nikki Baron, Stephanie Head, Katelyn Langevin and Victoria Osborne.

Sidney Clarke-Lequerique performs along with the Hawk band.

Hawk band members show their school spirit.

The Seminole Ridge Hawk band performs.

Connor Lavalette, Jade Stevens and C.J. Buttery sell fresh fruits and vegetables.

Holly Bickman and Darlene Snowball clean the Broward County Fire-Rescue “Paint a Truck .”

PBSO HOSTS ITS ANNUAL RUN FOR THE ANIMALS EVENT AT OKEEHEELEE PARK The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office held its sixth annual Run for the Animals & Family Fun Day on Sunday, Feb. 24 at Okeeheelee Park. The day started with a 5K run/walk and 1-mile dog walk. There were dog contests, pet-related vendors, pony rides, food for sale, raffles and more. The day was dedicated to fallen K-9 officers Kenzo and Drake.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Justin Bartlett Foundation members celebrate Don Wulff’s birthday.

PBSO volunteers Rita Exizian, Kathryn Hilton-Lizza, Theresa Mirolla and Helene Berner.

Stephanie Peskowitz with Isis pick out a food bowl from Kerry Friedman and Phyllis Gauger of Forever Greyhound.

Councilwoman Martha Webster promised she would work hard for you everyday.

Martha kept her promise.

“As a woman, wife and mother, I believe I bring a unique perspective to the otherwise all male council. That perspective has been good for the council and our village. I hope you agree.”

Martha Webster For the past five years, Martha has been a strong advocate for fiscal responsibility and transparency in government. Martha is committed to keeping our community a safe, thriving and sustainable place to live.

As your current Village Councilwoman, Martha supported:

t extending State Road 7 to Northlake Boulevard and the extension of Roebuck Road, to reduce traffic congestion in our village. t the new Commons Park which will be the centerpiece of our village. t adding a Dog Park to the new Commons Park. t upgrading our canal system. t increasing the speed limit on Okeechobee Boulevard to 40 mph. t a senior living facility at Commons Park, so our residents can stay here in our village. t a skateboard park at Preservation Park. t bringing the ALDI distribution center and grocery store to Royal Palm Beach, creating 300 good paying jobs for our community. t establishing the Foreclosure Registry, to ensure banks maintain foreclosed properties and protect the value of our homes.

And, Martha keeps weekly office hours, to meet with residents and hear their concerns.

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Martha Webster for Royal Palm Beach Village Council, Seat 2.

Martha has worked hard to earn our continued support. Let’s be there for Martha on March 12.

Page 10 March 1 - March 7, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

NEWS

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 11

PLENTY OF FUN AND FUNDRAISING AT TEMPLE B’NAI JACOB’S PURIM CARNIVAL

Temple B’nai Jacob of Wellington held a Purim Carnival Fundraiser on Sunday, Feb. 24. There was face painting, cookie decorating, crafts and games, a silent auction, and the students performed a “Seussical Purim Spiel” about how the Jewish people were saved in Per sia by Queen Esther.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Education Director Andrea Cohan speaks while Judaica instructor Sheila Katz gets flowers from Ashley Kulberg.

Skylar Finkel and Allison Robbert decorate cookies.

Zoe Chasinoff tries to pin the crown on Queen Esther.

Lexi Ramey, Alexis Blumberg and Carolyn Lane.

Rabbi David Abrams, his wife Sharon, and sons Josh and Micah.

Dr. Leonard Sukienik, Liz Thal and Valerie Solomon.

WELLINGTON GARDEN CLUB KICKS OFF GARDEN WEEK AT MUNICIPAL COMPLEX The Wellington Garden Club kicked off Wellington Garden Week with “Gardening Makes a World of Difference” on Sunday, Feb. 24 at the Wellington Municipal Complex. The guest speaker was Pamela Crawford, author of Best Garden Color for Florida. There was also a plant sale, raffles and seminars on gardening. For more info., visit www.wellingtongardenclub.org.

PHOTOS BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

Junior Garden Club coordinator Jan Everett with Wellington Landings Middle School Environmental Club members Ana and Marilene Rivas, and teacher and club sponsor Julie Hill.

Bobbi Ziegler with Pamela Crawford’s book, Laurie Jensen and Mary Drexler with garden makeo ver designs, and Laure Hristov.

Wellington Garden Club members Marilyn Walvoord, Linda DeSanti and Katherine Allan.

Page 12 March 1 - March 7, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 13

NEWS

GRAND OPENING PARTY FOR WELLINGTON WELLNESS INSTITUTE’S NEW LOCATION The Wellington Wellness Institute held a grand opening party Wednesday, Feb. 20 at its new location at 13421 South Shore Blvd., Suite 203. The Wellington Wellness Institute is an anti-aging and wellness boutique with equestrian chic decor. For more info., call (561) 333-3440 or visit www.thewellingtoninstitute.com.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Wellington Wellness Institute staff: Junelly Luna, Sandra Castrillo, Dr. Jennine Cabanellas, Juan Gonzalez, Shantih Coro and Stephanie De La Cruz.

Luis Bernal, Juan Gonzalez, Jimena Morero and Guillermo Forero.

Nu Face account manager Chantel Sawisch demonstrates a facial toning device on Huguette Berzon.

Mayra Garcia and Yolanda Lanz.

(Front row) Johnny Robb, Dr. Jennine Cabanellas and Cory Johnston; (back row) John Grimes and Julie Larson.

Belinda Brendler, Larry and Linda Smith, Juan Gonzalez and Aaron Menitoff.

AUTHOR BEN ROBERTS HOLDS BOOK SIGNING AT HILARY’S IN ROYAL PALM BEACH

Ben Roberts signed copies of his new book A Key West Family’s History and a Man’s Journey on Wednesday, Feb. 20 at Hilary’s Restaurant in Royal Palm Beach. Friends and family came out to support Roberts and his new book, which is an autobiography and memoir published by Lulu Publishing. For more info., visit www.lulu.com.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Ben Roberts signs a copy of his book for Louise Moreno.

Ben and Patti Roberts with Linda Lee.

Ben Roberts gathers with family members.

Page 14 March 1 - March 7, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

NEWS Forum

Rockett Vs. McLendon

continued from page 1 entered Loxahatchee Groves, and that’s how I want it to remain.”

Rockett said that he envisions the town continuing some of the measures the council has already accomplished, continuing to focus on low taxes, keep spending down and, if there’s a surplus, to funnel it back to residents.

“The next thing I see is movement in terms of the college, and working with the college to have that developed,” he said, explaining that the campus will provide economic development coupled with preservation of natural resources and wetlands. “We’re looking at the college as a good neighbor, a partnership that will last for many years.”

Rockett said the council needs to address maintenance of roads and get ownership transferred to the town, to enable a simpler approach to maintenance.

Asked what he thought responsible economic development is, Rockett said it would anticipate how it could serve residents’ needs. “We have a situation where we have a college that I think will provide us some responsible economic development,” he said.

“The idea of automatically having development of any kind is not something that I support.”

McLendon said more than half of Loxahatchee Groves’ property is bona fide agriculture, which means it has a commercial nature.

“We have plenty of jobs out here, and economic development is

Petition

Appealed To Council

continued from page 1 have since signed an affidavit that stated we had all the paperwork with the petition when we were circulating,” he told the Town-Crier. “Now, what they’re going to do is leave it up to the town council. They’re doing exactly what I expected them to do, which is to do everything in their power to stop the people from voting.”

McLendon said he believes the council is trying to stall action on the petition until after the March 12 election. “They’re going to present it to the council March 5,

here,” he said. “We don’t need to have a Ford Motor Company down the street. Nobody minds driving 10 miles to go to work. They don’t want it in their back yard.”

McLendon said the council must stop spending $60,000 a year on code enforcement. He asserted that its management group has doubled in cost. “That’s a step we can do to help everybody immediately,” he said.

McLendon was asked what he would do to protect individual rights in Loxahatchee Groves when residents face issues such as noise from large parties, off-road vehicles or dirt-bike racers on property next to a horse farm. McLendon said the council can’t legislate to make people good neighbors.

“Government can’t make you be a good neighbor,” he said. “It’s up to each of us to do that. If we have issues with our neighbors, we talk to them and work out the issue as civilized people.”

Rockett said one of the issues is the town’s Unified Land Development Code, still being revised.

“When we were given a responsibility as a council to put together a set of ULDCs, which we had to do to replace what Palm Beach County had for us, we spent a number of hours going through 200 pages involving the community and worked out what we felt were things that we were striving to achieve. First of all, we strived to be no stricter than Palm Beach County,” he said.

He added that the council is reviewing and fixing issues that have arisen out of the town’s code. “We do have to be careful and make sure we have balance and respect

for our neighbors’ rights and respect for the environment,” Rockett said.

Rockett said he thinks the town’s management firm, Underwood Management Services Group, is performing well and has met the council’s goal of pursuing grants for such things as underwriting for a trail system. “We also brought them in because they had the ability to manage all our resources in case of a hurricane,” he noted.

McLendon said he thinks Underwood is very professional but noted that costs continue to rise.

“In a sense, they are working against us financially because it’s in their best interest to increase their management and people in the office,” he said. “Unfortunately, that’s the opposite of where we want to be, which is government lite.”

McLendon said he thinks some council actions have jeopardized agricultural and equestrian interests. “Unfortunately, there have been a lot of codes that have been enforced on agricultural industries out here that have negatively impacted some,” he said. “We found out that that was against state law, so that has been changed.”

McLendon said equestrian trails need to be developed, but complained that the town’s focus has been more on commercial development. “Up until recently, 80 or 90 percent of the town council’s agenda is commercial development,” he said. “There have been very few things to help the people of this town.”

Rockett said he expects the town to continue with a predominantly agricultural balance and

and they’re not going to ask them to make a decision March 5 because it’s seven days before [the election].”

McLendon asserted that town staff could have presented the petition to the council two weeks ago. “How convenient is that?

They clearly could make that decision March 5, but they’re not going to,” he predicted. “The reason they’re not going to is they don’t want people to vote. They’ll be free to do that assuming Jim Rockett is re-elected.”

If the council deems the petition insufficient, McLendon said he would probably call yet another initiative. “That possibility is definitely open,” he said. “Would it be a big deal? We collected those

signatures, more signatures than necessary in less than half the amount of time, so could we do it again? Absolutely, so all it’s going to do is delay the inevitable, which is the people voting. I don’t care if we have to do the petition 10 times.”

If a referendum is conducted, McLendon said he would support the outcome either way. He added that he thought council members’ contention that repeal could cost taxpayers $4.5 million or more is a scare tactic; however, town officials are concerned that if the referendum occurs and passes, the college would be left holding a $4.5 million property it could not use, and probably would seek remuneration from the town.

makeup. “I don’t see any restrictions to ag in our community,” Rockett said, noting that he is a nursery owner himself. “I haven’t seen any restrictions on the business of having a nursery.”

Asked whether he wants any more commercial development along Southern Blvd., Rockett said that the comp plan specifically calls for commercial to be directed toward Southern. “That doesn’t mean that we favor everything to be built that people come to us and ask to build,” he said.

McLendon said he thinks there is room for commercial development on Southern, but that some residents on Tangerine Drive will be negatively affected if the commercial corridor is allowed to reach that far.

“There are commercial sites that have been zoned commercial for 10 years on Southern and nothing has been built on it because there’s no demand,” he said. “I don’t think you’re going to see a great need for commercial on Southern without the college being there.

With the college, I think there will be a big push for it.”

As for commercial development on Okeechobee Blvd., McLendon said he was at a recent workshop

Lawyer

In-House

continued from page 1 has a legal staff of five to seven staff members. “But you do not have some of the functions that other cities have,” he said.

Gerwig pointed out that Wellington might still need other firms to handle litigation.

“Is that with the understanding that we would continue to contract out those high, intense cases?” she asked. “If we had those cases handled in-house, would you consider us able to function with one attorney and one paralegal?”

Thompson noted that Wellington had shifted its litigation. “I didn’t look at whether you could handle the cases in-house because they were already being handled,” he said.

Councilman Howard Coates, an attorney, noted that litigation was not necessarily something an attorney would have to deal with every day. “That’s not something we can pretend to have control over,” he said.

Coates said he was in favor of moving the attorney in-house. “I don’t want to waste my time go-

Loxahatchee Groves Town Council candidates Jim Rockett and Todd McLendon at the forum.

PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER where residents complained about the traffic. “I feel for those people, and it’s a terrible situation,” he said.

McLendon said a heavily landscaped and divided two-lane road with traffic calming would defer more people to Southern Blvd.

“It’s going to look a lot different and make it more pleasurable for people to live on Okeechobee,” he said.

Rockett said the comp plan does not specify Okeechobee Blvd. as commercial but low impact nonresidential, which has to be evaluated based on the needs and ben-

efits to all residents. “Okeechobee is one of the most important roads to our town, and we should focus on that,” Rockett said. “I voted against the request to develop at the corner of Okeechobee [and Folsom Road].”

Rockett said the council has called for a tree-lined, divided Okeechobee with two lanes. “I’m a believer in retaining two lanes, and hopefully we will never get to four,” he said. “The day there is some discussion about funding four lanes, we need to put our buses together and head to the county chambers.”

ing down the outside counsel path when I feel that the sentiment of most of this council is that they want to go in-house,” he said. “I’m prepared to accept the recommendation that we proceed to hire inhouse counsel with one attorney and a paralegal, with a budget in the range of $482,000 to $535,000.”

But Gerwig said she was concerned that the report didn’t have a clear recommendation. “I find several different recommendations within [this report],” she said.

Coates pointed out that the majority of the council was interested in having an in-house employee.

“Now we need to focus our efforts on finding an in-house attorney,” he said. “I know what the sentiment of this council is. Given this report, I think that’s where our focus should be — finding inhouse counsel that meets everyone’s satisfaction.”

Councilman Matt Willhite asked whether Coates wanted to stick with the report in terms of recommended salary and other points, but Coates said that wasn’t necessary.

“I don’t think the report takes away our ability to negotiate our

own contract with whomever we hire,” he said.

Interim Village Attorney Glen Torcivia recommended Coates make a motion to simply hire inhouse counsel, rather than accept the report’s recommendations.

Coates made the motion, which was seconded by Willhite.

But Gerwig was concerned.

“Based on the findings of this report, it seems to be more expensive to go in-house when you project it out,” she said. “That is why I’m disagreeing, not just to be disagreeable. The report disagrees with it being cost-effective.”

Councilman John Greene said that was not his interpretation and called the question, which passed 4-1 with Gerwig opposed.

Village Manager Paul Schofield said he hoped to have the council interview applicants by the end of March. “We will propose a couple of different methods for how you want to do the ranking process to decide who you will interview,” Schofield said. “We’ll have those to you before your next meeting so you can get to the process of doing interviews in the last half of the month.”

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 15

Page 16 March 1 - March 7, 2013

NEW HORIZONS SECME TEAM TAKES SECOND PLACE AT OLYMPIAD

The New Horizons Elementary School SECME (Science, Engineering, Communication, Math, Enrichment) Club, under the direction of teacher Jennifer Schuler, recently participat ed in the annual district Olympiad. Students displayed bridges, rockets and mousetraps they created from various materials. The New Horizons white team placed second for the onsite build of an apparatus used to pick up a sample of potato. Pictured here are Jennifer Schuler with club members displaying the SECME banner.

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

SCHOOL NEWS

WHS Debate Team Wins Liberty Bell Classic For the second consecutive year, the Wellington High School speech and debate team traveled to the Liberty Bell Classic Debate Invitational on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania and brought home a championship trophy.

In Public Forum Debate, the

Vinnie Gasso and Rachel Ganon with their championship trophy.

team of Rachel Ganon and Vinnie Gasso went 10-1 and took home first-place honors from the UPenn tournament, scoring a 3-2 judges decision against Millburn High School (N.J.) in the finals.

In addition, the team of Ali Sina Booeshaghi and Yourui Ruan advanced to the octofinal round before being knocked out of the tournament.

It was Wellington’s third championship at a major national tournament since Paul Gaba became coach in 2002. The previous one was also earned at UPenn in 2012, when Ruan won Novice Lincoln Douglas Debate.

Wellington’s PFD teams of Sabrina Abesamis and Juliana Diatezua, Kevin Murphy and Greg Foster, and Sydney Rogalsky and Caitlyn Konopka each narrowly missed advancing to break rounds as well.

By advancing to at least the quarterfinal round, both Ganon and Gasso earned a bid to the 2013 Tournament of Champions national invitational in Kentucky at the end of April.

The team of Ganon and Gasso actually scored a double championship over the weekend of Feb. 15-17 by winning the second an-

Wellington Debate at the Liberty Bell Classic. nual LBC Public Forum Debate Round Robin Invitational, a pretournament competition where 10 teams squared off against each other as a precursor to the full tournament.

In the Round Robin, Ganon and Gasso took six of their ten preliminary round ballots, then swept teams from Timber Creek and

Union Catholic in two 3-0 decisions to take home the top prize.

Ganon and Gasso each earned 147 National Forensic League points during their 18 rounds of debate competition.

In addition, Rafael Blecher earned his varsity letter and his NFL Degree of Honor by surpassing the 75-point mark.

Alumni Panel — Aisha Jabouin, Bethune Cookman College; Aryele Nicoleau, Palm Beach State College; Christina Dearth, University of Central Florida; Herman Castro, University of Florida; Brianna Lozito, University of Florida; Katelyn Woodbury, University of Miami; Marqueshia Stallworth, University of South Florida; and Tommy Cox, University of North Florida.

Praise band members Sarah Twohill, Dean Hendricks and Jimmy Stanford.

Berean Musicians Perform At S.F. Fair The praise band and choir from Berean Christian School showed their talents to the community at the South Florida Fair on Saturday, Feb. 2.

The hour-long performance included songs that were both uplifting and inspiring. “The praise band was able to play some Christian songs in a public setting,” said Luke Schartner, praise band direc-

tor. “They were very thankful for all of the friends, family, faculty and youth group leaders that showed up to give them their support.”

The choir encouraged audience participation in clapping along to the songs they had to share. “It’s great to see students sharing their gifts and talents in their community,” said Michael Little, choir director.

SRHS Alumni Share Their College Experiences Seminole Ridge High School recently hosted a “Hawk Alumni Panel” for current Seminole Ridge seniors, in which eight former Hawks shared their thoughts on college and on life after high school.

The alumni panel idea came from Brianna Lozito, a graduate of the Class of 2009, who told the guidance department that “so many freshman college students don’t know what to expect when they transition from high school to college.”

“Many seniors found the event helpful and appreciated the alum-

ni sharing their college experiences,” guidance coordinator Sandy Baldwin said.

In other Seminole Ridge news: • The SRHS Spanish Honor Society recognizes student achievements in Spanish language and promotes interest in Spanish language and culture.

In addition to welcoming honorary faculty members Jonathan Kaplan and Dr. Eric Schoenfeld, the society inducted 33 students Jan. 24 at an evening ceremony in the Dr. Lynne K. McGee Auditorium.

The inductees are as follows:

Jennifer Almazan, Brady Alter, Sara Blair, Olivia Byrd, Cindy Cabrera, Kimberly Cannizzaro, Pricilla Cerqueira, Jessica Cody, Brooke Collier, Emily Cress, Brianna Day, Emily Greenall, Molly Hietapelto, Erica Hylton, Anthony Juncal, Tyler Kingree, Christian Labossiere, Taylor Lamoureux, Richie Laurent, Danielle Livingstone, Parth Patel, Carolina Pereira, Brandon Phan, Leena Rosario, Camilo Salazar, Sidney Shivers, Samuel Smith, Mikayla Thomas, Sashia Thompson, Kristen Tolbert, Katelyn Wiley, Rachel Wolfkill and Courtney Worthington.

• The SRHS French Honor Society inducted new members in an evening ceremony Feb. 28. Shawna Amhad, Robert Frick and Barbara Nicho were welcomed as honorary faculty members, along with the following 14 student inductees: Sarah Al-Buhaisi, Benoit Cloutier, Shanira Delgado, Patrick Dickson, Shaina Gallagher, Corey Hampson, Gabriela Hechavarria, Fallon McCoy, Alexis Parada, Leda Paul, Indra Ramirez, Jaclissa Reyes, Mikaela Samuel and Jessica Terkovich.

— Courtney Muscarella contributed to this story

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 17

PALMS WEST PEOPLE

Students Honored At ArtiGras Art Contest The winners of the 2013 ArtiGras Youth Art Competition were announced during the first day of the ArtiGras Fine Art Festival presented by Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center and produced by the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce.

More than 174 students in grades kindergarten through grade 12 submitted artwork for the competition in media ranging from pencil and crayon to chalk and paint.

Artwork was judged by local artists and art educators who had the daunting task of narrowing down the hundreds of entries to only 57 finalists then selecting a first, second and three place winner for each school grade.

A number of those who placed were from schools in the western communities. They are as follows: kindergarten, second place, Eliana Diaz, Panther Run Elementary School; first grade, third place, Connor Navm, Panther Run; third grade, honorable mention, Tracy

B. Corey Johnson in front of his piece Looking Forward Looking Back.

Corey Johnson Wins ArtiGras Competition B. Corey Johnson was recognized again as the leader in the mixed media category when he was awarded first place at the ArtiGras Art Festival at Abacoa Town Center in Jupiter this month. He continues to be listed in this category in art shows across Florida because the medium he uses for his images does not fit any conventional classification.

Johnson has pioneered a technique of creating images using metal leaf, ranging from pure 24 karat gold to copper and aluminum, which is then layered over wood or aluminum sheeting using traditional oil gilding techniques. He then applies various acid washes to chemically oxidize these metals, resulting in a patina that produces a broad range of the colors and textures. Most people are surprised when they learn that there is no form of paint anywhere in the image. He finishes them with a

gilded frame that he hand carves to complement the subject matter, creating a truly unique work of art.

“When applying to art shows across the state, it’s difficult for jury members to tell exactly what they are looking at from just a photograph,” Johnson said. “It’s reassuring to see that once actually viewed in person, the judges appreciate not only the process that I use, but the finished product as well.”

His first series, which was on display at ArtiGras last year, depicted the various breeds of Koi that are so realistic you feel as though you could reach in and pick them up out of the water. This year, Johnson branched out into other subject matter, including landscapes and butterflies. Many of his images are intended to be symbolic self portraits, but are left to the interpretation of the people viewing them.

Feuer, Panther Run; fourth grade, first place, Kailyn Bryant, Panther Run; fourth grade, honorable mention, Anthony Beaudoin, Elbridge Gale Elementary School; eighth grade, second place, Isabella Reynolds, Wellington Christian School; ninth grade, third place, Dominique Gbedey, Wellington High School; 10th grade, second place, Laura Louberti, Seminole Ridge High School; 11th grade, first place, Julia Greene, Palm Beach Central High School; 11th grade, third place, Robin Rosier, Seminole Ridge; and 12th grade, first place, Britney Molina, Palm Beach Central.

The 2013 ArtiGras Fine Arts Festival concluded Monday, Feb. 18 at Abacoa in Jupiter. The outdoor arts event showcases a juried exhibition of outstanding fine art along with activities, which include live entertainment, artist demonstrations, adult and children’s interactive art activities, the Youth Art Competition Gallery and the opportunity to meet more than 300

Youth Art Winner — Panther Run student Kailyn Bryant, first-place youth art winner in the fourth-grade level, with the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber’s Erin Devlin, ArtiGras poster artist Paul Seaman, ArtiGras Honorary Chair Don Kiselewski and Northern Palm Beach County Chamber CEO Beth Kigel. of the top artists from around the world. Listed as one of the top 50 festivals in the country, ArtiGras 2013 hosted more than 100,000 patrons over the three-day period.

For additional information on ArtiGras, visit www.artigras.org or contact the Northern Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce at (561) 748-3946.

Local Girls Chosen For National Honor Choir The 2013 national conference of the American Choral Directors Association recently announced the selection of Honor Choir Singers for the March invitational conference in Dallas, Texas. Of the 1,200 total participants from across the country, 22 of the singers selected to go submitted their audition tapes through Young Singers of the Palm Beaches, Palm Beach County’s premier communitybased youth choir. Among those selected, eight are from the western communities.

Selected to participate in the High School Women’s Choir were Akilah Etienne of Royal Palm Beach, Alexis Rizzolo of West Palm Beach and Katherine Hostetler of Wellington. For the Middle School/Junior High Choir, Amanda Shenkman and Michelle Balko, both from Wellington, and Tristan Butler of Loxahatchee were selected. Also from Wellington, Emily Shecter and Tayla Youngblood were chosen for the Community Choir.

Twenty-seven Young Singers applied and the group had an unprecedented 83 percent acceptance rate.

“Our singers, once again, have made us very proud,” noted Beth Clark, Young Singers of the Palm

Beaches executive director. “Their award-winning talent is most impressive, and we are thrilled that they are being recognized by such an important group in the choral industry. By teaching life skills through music, we aspire to give all our Young Singer members the opportunity to achieve their personal goals.”

Young Singers of the Palm Beaches is an award-winning, world-class troupe of youth singers who have not only performed at concerts all over Palm Beach County, but also at Lincoln Center in New York City, with Native Americans in New Mexico, and at international music festivals in Salzburg and Vienna.

The group’s next concert, “Ubuntu,” will be held May 19 on the main stage of the Kravis Center. Tickets start at $10. At a time in our country when even our neighbors might be strangers, “Ubuntu” is a South African concept illustrating the connectivity of humanity. The performance will be highlighted by an original song of the same name and world premiered at the concert. This year’s annual spring concert celebrates the group’s 10th anniversary.

For more info., call (561) 6592332 or visit www.yspb.org.

Lauren Snyder, Akiliah Etienne of Royal Palm Beach, Victoria Bell and Katherine Hostetler of Wellington.

Annick Gilles (center) with Wellington residents Emily Shecter and Tayla Youngblood.

Page 18 March 1 - March 7, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 19

POLO & EQUESTRIAN

Coca-Cola Defeats Audi 9-8 In Overtime To Claim Ylvisaker Cup Sunday, Feb. 24 was a full day of polo at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington, with the finals of the 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup, the finals of the 20goal Haas Cup (Ylvisaker Cup subsidiary) and the final opening round of the 26-goal C.V. Whitney Cup.

Chukker with Amber Marshall, star of the TV show Heartland.

The highlight of the day was the 3 p.m. finals of the 20-goal Ylvisaker Cup, which saw Coca-Cola edge Audi 9-8. The match featured the top two scorers in the tournament — Audi’s Nic Roldan, with 38 goals, and Coca-Cola’s Julio Arellano, with 35 goals in five games.

But it wouldn’t be the high-scoring match that many had anticipated.

Coca-Cola’s Tommy Collingwood scored the first goal of the game, but Audi responded with single goals from Nico Pieres and Mariano Gracida for a 2-1 advantage after the opening chukker.

Coca-Cola put up a pair of unanswered goals in the second period (Gillian Johnston and Collingwood), establishing a one-goal lead. The two teams exchanged goals in the third (Julio Arellano for Coca-Cola and Nic Roldan for Audi), and the first half ended with Audi trailing, 4-3. The two teams battled evenly through the fourth and fifth chukkers, each adding a pair of goals in each frame, and

entered the sixth period with CocaCola maintaining the one-goal lead, 8-7.

Audi came up with shutout defense, with Roldan scoring the only goal of the chukker for an 8-8 deadlock, forcing a sudden-death overtime period. After a brief recess, the teams returned to the field. Each had an unsuccessful run at goal, but it was an Audi foul just two minutes into the extra chukker that put Arellano at the penalty line, where he successfully converted the shot for the winning goal, 9-8.

Roldan was held to four goals on the day. Pieres added three goals and Gracida scored once in the loss. Arellano scored three goals for Coca-Cola. Teammates Collingwood, Johnston and Erskine scored two goals apiece for the overtime win.

Erskine received double honors at the end of the match. He was named Most Valuable Player for his personal efforts and his 8-yearold Bay mare, Leyla, was honored

as Best Playing Pony.

In last Sunday’s 10 a.m. contest, Port Mayaca downed Faraway 98 in the finals of the George Haas Cup in another game that was decided in sudden death overtime.

The 19-goal Port Mayaca team received one goal by handicap from the 20-goal Faraway lineup and found themselves leading 6-4 at the end of the first half behind four penalty goals from Carlucho Arellano. Faraway, however, took control of the game in the fourth chukker as they scored three unanswered goals (two from Pelon Escapite and one from Santiago Chavanne) to tie and then pass Port Mayaca, 7-6. Chavanne added a goal in the fifth, but Stevie Orthwein responded in kind for Port Mayaca who trailed 8-7 with one chukker left in regulation play.

The Port Mayaca defense stepped up to the plate in the sixth chukker, shutting out Faraway for the first time all day and knotting it up on a goal from Stevie Orthwein with a minute left in regula-

Laurie Ylvisaker with Coca-Cola players Sugar Erskine, Gillian Johnston, Julio Arellano and Tommy Collingwood.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LILA PHOTO

tion play. The two teams would have to return to the field for a sudden-death overtime period to decide the winner. Carlucho Arellano scored the winning goal for Port Mayaca, 9-8, just two-and-ahalf minutes into the overtime period, although both teams had earlier opportunities to end the game.

Arellano led the Port Mayaca offense with five goals on the day, including five penalty conversions for goals and the winning goal in overtime. He was named MVP for his efforts. Stevie Orthwein added two goals, and Robert Orthwein scored once in the win.

See POLO, page 20

Victoria Colvin Wins Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular Week seven of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, sponsored by Hermès, continued last Saturday with the $50,000 USHJA World Championship Hunter Rider Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular.

Fifteen-year-old Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee took home her second win in a row in the prestigious class, this year riding Dr. Betsee Parker’s Ovation to victory. Previous winners filled the secondplace spots: Liza Boyd and Brunello placed second, while Louise Serio and Castle Rock finished third.

Hunter horses and riders were showcased throughout week seven. Last Saturday night’s Hunter Spectacular competition saw the best of WEF’s Professional, Amateur and Junior riders, who qualified for the class during competition for their respective divisions throughout the week. The competitors with the top 12 scores from round one advanced to the second round of the class; among them was the 2012 Hunter Spectacular winner Colvin (who won last year with Way Cool). Colvin returned this year on another of Parker’s mounts, Ovation, and set the bar high for the night’s competition with a score of 91.5 early

on. The duo finished with a second round score of 90.37 for a top score of 181.87.

Brunello, a 15-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Janet Peterson and Boyd, was the only horse to compete at the 4-foot height and was first on course for round two. The pair made their presence known in no uncertain terms, galloping to an impressive 91.5 right off the bat. While no one caught their score, combined with their first round score of 86.5, their total score of 178 put them in second place.

The only pair to beat Colvin and Ovation in round one were veteran competitors Serio and Castle Rock, a 14-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Bryan Baldwin.

Castle Rock and Serio also received a score of 91.5, but had a higher score from the tie-breaker judges panel. Serio and Castle Rock couldn’t catch Colvin and Ovation during round two, scoring an 86.18 for a total score of 177.6.

The WCHR Calcutta, hosted in the International Club immediately prior to the class’ start, raised $28,500. Proceeds will benefit the USHJA Foundation.

The Peter Wetherill Cup was awarded to Lynn Rice, owner of

Gramercy Park. The Peter Wetherill Cup was established in October 2011 to honor the life and legacy of well-known equestrian Peter Wetherill, and to recognize the WCHR Hunter of the Year. Rice was joined for the presentation by Gramercy Park’s professional rider and trainer, Tom Brennan and Tony Workman.

Several other special awards recognized the night’s top competitors following round one of competition. The Charlie Weaver Memorial Award, which recognizes the conformation horse with the highest average score during round one, was awarded to Taken, ridden by Kelley Farmer and owned by Jessica Sttit. Empire, ridden by Peter Pletcher and owned

by David Gochman, was recognized as the Best Conditioned Horse of round one with the Mark Gregory Memorial Award. Empire is groomed by Gustavo Hernandez.

Amateur-Owner and Junior riders had qualified for the evening’s class only a few hours prior, with divisions awarding championship honors earlier last Saturday. The Bainbridge Amateur-Owner Hunter 18-35 division saw championship honors go to Lexi Maounis and her 11-year-old Hanoverian mare

Sienna. Sienna and Maounis were first and sixth over fences during day one and secured the championship title with a first place finish in the stake round. The reserve champion was Humor Me and Stephanie Danhakl, who were fifth and first over fences.

Rock Steady and Katie Robinson triumphed in the Hunt Limited Amateur-Owner Over 35 Hunter division. Robinson and her 13year-old Warmblood gelding were first and second over fences during day one of competition and finished second over fences and third under saddle on day two. The reserve champion was Gia, ridden by Katie Gibson. The pair was first and third over fences and seventh under saddle.

Junior rider divisions also competed throughout the day last Saturday for a spot in the night class, beginning with the Antares Large Junior Hunter 15 and Under division. Tori Colvin and Parker’s Inclusive were champions of the division after placing fifth under saddle and sweeping the over fences classes. Reserve champion was Kyle Owens’ Cinema, ridden by Kirklen Peterson. The pair was fourth and second over fences.

The older Junior divisions wrapped up the qualifying rounds

Victoria Colvin aboard Ovation.

PHOTO BY ANNE GITTINS PHOTOGRAPHY

for the Hunter Spectacular.

Garfield and Alexandra Crown triumphed in the Antarés Large Junior Hunter 16-17 division after the pair jumped to first-, second- and second-place finishes over fences, and fourth place under saddle.

Reserve champion was Chansonette Farm, LLC’s Madison, ridden by Lillie Keenan. Keenan and Madison were second, second and third over fences, and third under saddle.

Keenan and Jennifer Gates’ Parkland, another duo intimately famil-

iar with the WEF championship circle, unsurprisingly won the Small Junior Hunter 16-17 division.

Parkland, a 9-year-old KWPN gelding, and Keenan clinched the week’s title with three blue-ribbon finishes and one third-place round over fences in addition to another first-place prize under saddle. Reserve champion of the Small Junior 16-17 division was Good Humor, owned and ridden by Madeleine Thatcher.

Colvin also emerged victorious See WEF, page 20

Page 20 March 1 - March 7, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

NEWS

Wellington Equestrian Gallery & Mall Hosts Girls Night Out Event There wasn’t a parking space in sight Thursday night, Feb. 21, as the Wellington Equestrian Gallery & Mall began to fill up with jovial groups of women out to have a good time and support a great cause. The occasion was the gallery’s Girls Night Out, Trunk Show & Martini Reception, where there was something to appeal to everyone.

As soon as the guests entered the door of the gallery, they were greeted by volunteers from JustWorld International. Founded in 2003 by Jessica Newman, the notfor-profit, humanitarian organization funds life-changing nutrition, health and hygiene, education, as well as leadership and cultural development programs for impoverished children in Cambodia, Honduras and Guatemala.

At the entrance, the evening’s five raffle prize items were displayed, and the JustWorld representatives were busy selling a chance or two to be a prize winner to everyone who entered.

The evening’s grand prize was a pair of diamond horse-head earrings donated by Jack Van Dell,

Polo

C.V. Whitney Cup Action

continued from page 19 Escapite’s five goals (two on penalty shots) set the pace for Faraway. Chavanne was credited with two goals, and Goodman added a goal in the loss. Marianito Obregon’s Portena, a 12-year -old Chestnut mare, was named Best Playing Pony.

In other Sunday high-goal action, Zacara scored a 9-8 win over ERG in the final preliminary round of play in the C.V. Whitney Cup, securing a berth in the semifinals of the first 26-goal tournament of the season.

ERG took control of the game early on, and kept Zacara off balance, charging out to a one-sided 6-1 halftime lead. Zacara turned the

Letters continued from page 4 the county highway through the middle of town? A rural town hall

by Fire Station 21 in the exact heart of this square-shaped town would centralize community services and public participation. But most important, the civic landmarks and traffic-calming design of the main street of an actual rural town would structure development and hinder pass through traffic, on Loxahatchee Groves’ stretch of county highway, reducing need for extension further west to handle traffic from new development.

So is the purpose of city government to develop and urbanize Loxahatchee Groves more than county government? Will voters say no to the college and keep Loxahatchee Groves rural for the future? Developers and politicians are on the edge of their seats.

Rita Miller The Acreage Editor’s note: Ms. Miller was a longtime Loxahatchee Groves resident who was a leader in the pre-incorporation managed growth and sector plan processes.

Fred Pinto The Right Choice My fellow citizens, each of us has a chance to make a difference in the lives of people in our community, our beloved home, Royal Palm Beach. Yes, I am speaking of stepping up and making your voice heard as you rally together with friends and neighbors to vote to keep our current Vice Mayor Fred Pinto in office. Ten years of dedicated service to Royal Palm Beach makes Fred the perfect choice to continue to lead us into the future.

Voting for Fred says, “Yes, I want to live in a community where my personal safety is a priority.” It has been six years since he helped us achieve that goal by enlisting the expertise of the sheriff’s office.

This transition to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office decreased the response time for 911 calls and saved taxpayers money. Welltrained officers patrol our major roads and neighborhoods, helping us to maintain the tranquility that makes Royal Palm Beach so unique. Thank you, Fred Pinto, for helping us feel more safe in this age of danger and violence!

Voting for Fred says, “Yes, I appreciate the beautiful parks that I can use to enjoy quality time with my family.” Families who live in smaller residences are able to plan gatherings where all can enjoy fresh air and open space. Fred, a devoted dad who has coached his son’s teams, helped make it possible for our children to pursue a multitude of sports activities without ever having to leave the village. In addition, many village events that foster community pride and unity are held in these recreational facilities. Veterans

owner of Van Dell Jewelry. He also donated a Chamilia bracelet to the cause.

The raffle ticket-holders also had a chance to win one of three gift certificates to Rejuvia Medspa.

By the end of the evening there were five very lucky winners.

Once inside, the staff from Blue Martini at CityPlace offered everyone samples of two of their signature martinis — a chocolate martini, and of course, a Blue Martini!

The guests leisurely ambled through the gallery, admiring the beautiful, eclectic collections of art, jewelry, bronze statues, antiques and clothing on display, and had the chance to chat with many of the artists.

In addition to the gallery’s established vendors, there were visiting artisans and vendors who provided an added dimension to the night’s assortment of merchandise.

“Tonight was fun!” Van Dell said. “By having this Girls Night Out, Trunk Show & Martini Reception, we enticed some new faces into the gallery, and we had many returning clients, too. But, I tables on ERG in the second half, exploding for five fifth chukker goals that locked it up at 8-8. Defenses tightened on both sides in the final chukker with Facundo Pieres scoring the only goal of the period for the 9-8 win.

High-goal polo action takes place every Sunday through April 21 at the International Polo Club.

Ticket prices for Sunday polo range from $10 general admission to $120 box seating. Tickets for Sunday brunch at the Pavilion and its reception start at $55, upward to $330 for the Veuve Clicquot brunch package for two. Tickets can be purchased online at www. internationalpoloclub.com, or by calling (561) 204-5687. Find IPC on Facebook, follow on Twitter at @SundayPolo or visit www.ipc scoreboard.com for up-to-date scores, schedules, rosters and all other polo info.

Day, the Fourth of July and the annual holiday tree-lighting ceremony are among some of the occasions celebrated in our parks.

The newest addition to this list, Commons Park, will be opening March 2. We are the envy of many communities whose vacant land has been turned into strip malls and housing that contributes to overcrowding. Thank you, Fred Pinto, for preserving the magnificent beauty that made Royal Palm Beach our first choice for an exceptional standard of living!

Voting for Fred says, “Yes, I take pride in our neighborhood schools and am thankful that our young people can be recognized for their academic success and extracurricular achievements.” While Bright Futures Scholarships have diminished and become increasingly more difficult to attain, the village scholarships for students increased in number and dollar amounts during Fred’s years of service on the council. Thank you, Fred Pinto, for putting our children first!

Voting for Fred says, “Yes, I’m grateful that my family and I are able to continue my daily activities during and after heavy rains while some of my less fortunate neighbors are stranded and unable to access the basic necessities.” Under Fred’s urging, the village initiated a new storm water drainage management policy. The safety, convenience and well-being of our citizens have been improved by this decision. Thank you, Fred Pinto, for helping our community to fare well in the face of very difficult situations.

Voting for Fred says, “Yes, I have experienced far less traffic on my daily commute as a result of the State Road 7 extension. Less time on the roads equals more time with family. In the event of an evacuation, greater public safety would be ensured with additional access and exit routes. Thank you, Fred Pinto, for helping to alleviate a major transportation issue in our community.

Join me in saying thank you to Fred for his years of dedicated to service to the families of Royal Palm Beach. Say “Yes, I love my community; yes, I love the smalltown feel it has; yes, I love Royal Palm Beach — yes, on March 12, I will vote for Fred Pinto for Council Seat 4!”

Shirley Palmer Royal Palm Beach

Unger: Chamber And Bellissimo The Problem In order to understand the tumult we are experiencing today in Wellington politics, it is necessary to understand our political history.

After incorporation, the primary voting block was sports (athletic program) families, as we were building park facilities at the time.

think that they all had a great time socializing and seeing the one-ofa-kind merchandise we have to offer.”

Jeanne Chisholm of Chisholm Gallery LLC brought in an outstanding assortment of artists and vendors as part of the evening’s trunk show. “P.J. Bundy Collection, known for their classic, yet fashionable jewelry designs, was here,” said Chisholm, a leading international dealer of polo and sporting art. “Filip and Inna brought their clothing that employs the exquisite weaving, embroidery and beadwork techniques indigenous to groups of the Philippines. And for the silk lovers, Indo-Chic had their stunning silk clothing line of pants, jackets and tunics to complement a variety of lifestyles, shapes and sizes.”

There was a live pastel painting demonstration by renowned British portrait painter, David McEwen. “Guests were mesmerized while they watched McEwen bring to life on the canvas the international show jumper, Rodrigo Pessoa,” Gallery Manager Robin Carr said.

Once completed, the painting was donated to JustWorld Inter-

WEF

Hunter Action

continued from page 19 with Ovation in the Small Junior Hunter 15 and Under division.

Ovation won the under saddle class and placed second, first and third over fences.

Reserve champion of the division was Whatever, owned and ridden

by Vivian Yowan. Yowan and Whatever were fifth under saddle and third, second and first over fences.

Saturday afternoon featured the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic on the grass derby field at the Stadium at PBIEC. Richard Jeffery, of Phone banks were set up to contact every “recreation” family to solicit their vote for one set of candidates, our original council.

Years later, more recently, the Wellington Chamber of Commerce became the political mechanism, by supporting a slate of its members, never mind that they represent the business community in general, which is probably less than 5 percent of Wellington. They were successful and put in their candidates.

Now the interests of the chamber are not necessarily the interests of the homeowners in Wellington. To cite but a few divergences: density, signage aesthetics (more and larger), traffic, etc.

Enter Jeremy Jacobs, an Equestrian Preserve resident who became unhappy with the proposed changes near to him, inclusive of a large commercial element, a hotel and the possibility of necessitating widening both South Shore Blvd. and Lake Worth Road to accommodate the would-be burgeoning traffic.

Mr. Jacobs asks to build nothing, to construct and/or change nothing. He wants only to see the Equestrian Preserve stay as it was intended, so he used personal funds to back candidates that agreed with him.

Enter Mark Bellissimo, a member of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, and aspiring developer of the Equestrian Preserve. Besides no longer having an acquiescing council, he also appears to have problems meeting village codes and deadlines, and at times constructed without permits and took off village “red tags” that were put up for safety considerations.

On top of this, members of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce have insulted our elected leaders, besmirched our village as “antibusiness” and have whined and complained continuously, yet this in the only business that seems to be having trouble with our council. Anti-business? Hardly!

Ironically, it is not Mr. Jacobs who almost weekly is represented in paid ads in the papers and/or continual negative letters and quotes in the press. Rather, it is Mr. Bellissimo and his cohorts.

They foment the dissension and no one else. Especially insulting is his term “Gang of Three” because it is a play on the Chinese “Gang of Four” during Chairman Mao’s reign in China. All the nastiness, the name calling and yes, the implied threats (concerning the future of our equestrian community), all emanate from Mr. Bellissimo and cohorts.

Wellington and especially our revered equestrian community were around long before Mr. Bellissimo, and will be long after he is gone, and I find it sad that one person can cause so much ill will.

His lawsuits (about a dozen) hurt our village and will cost it hundreds of thousands of dollars, but

national for use in an upcoming silent auction event.

In addition, two award-winning authors were on hand: Beatrice Fairbanks Cayzer, author of Murder for Beauty, and Anne Rodgers, who authored Kiss and Tell: Secrets of Sexual Desire from Women 15 to 97 with Wellington’s own Dr. Maureen Whelihan.

The Wellington Equestrian Gallery & Mall is located in the Wellington Courtyard Shops at Wellington Trace and Greenview Shores Blvd.

For more information, call (561) 333-3100 or visit www.wellington equestrianmall.com.

Gallery Manager Robin Carr and Van Dell Jewelers owner Jack Van Dell with JustWorld International volunteers.

‘Whole Horse, Whole Rider’ March 7 At Whole Foods Market In Wellington The third lecture in the “Whole Horse, Whole Rider” series will be held Thursday, March 7 at 6:30 p.m. at Whole Foods Market in Wellington (2635 S. State Road 7).

The series investigates the mind, body and emotions of horses and humans.

Geoff Teall and Paolo Santana shared their philosophy on hors-

Bournemouth, England, was the course designer. Jeffery set the track for 31 entries in the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. Only three entries cleared the first round course to advance to the jump-off, and two cleared the short course. Ireland’s Cian O’Connor and Darragh Kenny finished first and second.

The Winter Equestrian Festival features 12 weeks of competition.

More than $6 million in prize money will be awarded through the circuit. For full results, visit www. showgroundslive.com.

The Palm Beach International Equestrian Center is located at 14440 Pierson Road, Wellington.

For more information, visit www. equestriansport.com or call (561) 793-5867. actually it is his “I can do what I want irrespective of village code,” and his denigrating my home town that I find so offensive.

It is my hope that our preserve remain as it is and that it does not become despoiled by a developer.

Large commercialism and a hotel have no place in our preserve, nor does the ensuing traffic and road widening that would follow. This was stated in the vision conference during incorporation and by the visionaries (over 150 volunteers) who spent an entire day developing the plan for our future, and then saw it come to fruition.

George Unger Wellington

Support For McLendon If the number of “vote for me” signs erected translated directly to votes, Todd McLendon should throw the towel in now. Vice Mayor Jim Rockett’s poster pests are going up faster than Challenger.

That didn’t end well either. In fact, the plague of signs with suspicious imagery of Jim “City Boy Trying to be Country” with his Photoshopped baseball cap and faraway Richard Nixon look, will, according to the received wisdom of generations of political analysts, have the reverse effect.

Why? Well, for openers, there are awkward questions about where the money comes from for such disproportionate overkill.

Who would gain from having Rockett around another three damaging years? The “incredibly unpopular in the town” Palm Beach State College? You might think so, I couldn’t possibly comment. His land-owning council colleagues who stood solid with Rockett in his denial of the freedom of speech for the townsfolk in respect of the college referendum and who outrageously endorse him? Again, I couldn’t say. His fellow nurserymen, currently sitting on significant tracts of near-worthless land, which would be hugely increased in value were the Groves to become a sister town to Wellyworld?

Then it will be asked, why is Jim so obviously desperate? Why the incredibly unsubtle attempt to overwhelm his opponent with the plethora of tacky placards and pics? Surely more than simply his fear that his feeble grasp of his 15 minutes of fame are finally slipping away completely? More sinisterly, what does he really stand to lose?

Then there’s the underdog syndrome. The signs are at infestation levels. If they were pythons, the town would be paying for them to be culled. The tipping point at which the floating voters not only ask, “Who’s the other guy?” but also, “What does he have to say and how come he doesn’t get the exposure Rockett does?” will quickly follow.

Add to that the fact that the overwhelming majority of Rock-

es and training at the first talk, while Jean-Pierre Hourdebaigt and Dr. Beverly Gordon shared tips to keep you and your horse physically fit at the second talk.

The third talk, titled “How Horses Help Us Heal and Teach Us About Ourselves,” will explore the inner relationship with horses — the emotional side to horses and humans and what connects us.

Guest Lizabeth Olszewski, director/founder of Horses Healing Hearts, Mary Ann Simonds and others will discuss the emotional

RPB Swales

Buttons OK

continued from page 7 good solution for them to do something else.”

Liggins noted that staff tried unsuccessfully to solve the problem with reflectors but eventually settled on the pyramids/buttons as the best solution.

Pinto asked about liability if someone damages their tires, and Liggins said the driver would have to be two feet off the pavement, driving where they are not supposed to be driving. “They do ett’s signs are on land owned by his family and confederates, and it’s all sadly transparent.

Finally, for the pedants, there’s the hilarious gaff that the message on the sign is grammatically incorrect. It’s not possible to “re-elect” Rockett, as in fact, he has never been elected in the first place!

That’s right, folks of the town: not one resident of Loxahatchee Groves has ever voted for Jim Rockett.

Check the history of how our town fathers got to be where they are on the town web site. It’s a disgrace. Fortunately, it seems certain the only people in Rockett’s orbit he can count on are his fellow nurserymen and his conspiratorial council cronies, who also have a great deal to lose should their clique be broken up.

Witness their dark and covert visits to McLendon supporters to tell them absolute untruths. Peddling propaganda about how homes will be foreclosed if Rockett doesn’t win. Not only nonsense but also shameful deceit.

By contrast, his opponent shows significantly more credibility. Compare the low-key honest “man of the town” McLendon with the brash and insincere politico and you can see this is an interesting election.

Straightforward McLendon? Or disingenuous Rockett? (Does Jim really think that photo of him on the horse is real? Anyone who rides can see it’s fake. A pathetic attempt to curry equestrian favor after years of blocking equestrian interests? Come on, Jim — seriously?)

So, a man for the people versus a man for himself. A working man with a young family and a job versus a man with land interests in the town. A man who wants to “love it and leave it alone” versus a man who wants it concreted over. A man for the equestrians or a man vehemently opposed to everything equine.

The signs on the roads point to the future of Loxahatchee Groves.

It’s pretty straightforward whichever way you slice it. If you like the town the way it is, vote McLendon; if you want it developed like Wellington, re-launch Rockett. This time around, unlike with the college, the council will have no choice but to allow your vote. Don’t waste it.

Tim Hart-Woods Loxahatchee Groves

Bellissimo Should Focus More On WEF I noted with interest that Mark Bellissimo has once again taken

bond between horses and humans.

Olszewski connects kids living in families with addiction with horses. She will share personal stories of how horses impact not just kids but the whole family. Simonds has conducted research for over 25 years on horse-human interactions.

For more information about the talk, call Whole Foods Market at (561) 904-4000.

For additional information, visit www.horseshealingheartsusa.org or www.maryannsimonds.com. have some fault of their own,” Liggins said.

Hmara said he has found the pyramids and buttons to be effective in keeping drivers off the swales.

Valuntas said he liked the idea and distinctly remembered the homeowner who had come to the council complaining that people were actually cutting through his lawn. “These things exist all over the village, and there’s a couple of them in my neighborhood,” he said.

Pinto made a motion to approve the change, which carried 5-0. to the media to berate and blame three Wellington officials and of course, his most popular straw men, the Jacobs family, for his continued mismanagement in Wellington.

When is this ridiculous blame game going to stop? When is Bellissimo going to take responsibility for his own poor planning and lack of organization? When does the blame someone else for his lack of foresight and preparation end?

Interestingly, I wonder if somehow Mark Bellissimo blames the Jacobs family for the Winter Equestrian Festival’s dramatic plunge in the latest rankings from the North American Riders Group?

After ranking seventh last year, the festival has nose-dived all the way to 13th in the rankings. Bellissimo’s WEF is one of the few equestrian events that moved down in the rankings. Most events improve year to year. WEF, on the other hand, is getting worse and going in the wrong direction. Is that the fault of the Jacobs family?

In their report this year, NARG stated that, for thousands of WEF exhibitors, the backstage experience (the stabling and infrastructure) has weakened. An overcrowded show grounds has led to numerous accidents, many of which go unreported to 911, by the way. Bathrooms are dirty and overused. No seating for competitors and no place to ride are just some of the inadequacies listed in NARG’s scathing report. Is that too the fault of the Jacobs family?

I wonder if Mark Bellissimo blames the Jacobs family for the awful mood that permeates the show grounds in Wellington from many of the competitors? Unfortunately, so many of them are afraid to speak up because of the punitive and hateful nature of the organizer who has already proven that, in retaliation for comments against him, will move stalls to the back of the show grounds.

I wonder if Mark Bellissimo blames the Jacobs family for the dislike and derision he has fostered among his many officials and most of the employees that work for him at Equestrian Sports Productions? Of course, none of them will go public for obvious reasons.

If Mark Bellissimo would plan ahead, work within the rules of the Village of Wellington, quit blaming the Jacobs family for all of his woes, and spend more time worrying about the competitors experience and less time about his outof-control development plans, the village, the industry and everyone involved with the Winter Equestrian Festival would be much better off.

Macie Michelson Wellington

The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor. Please k eep letters brief (300 words). 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 31, Wellington, FL 33414; fax them to (561) 793-6090; or you can e-mail letters@ goTownCrier.com.

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 21

Page 22 March 1 - March 7, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

LILA PHOTO

LILA PHOTO

ALEX PACHECO

The Perfect Match – Polo and Brunch

Enjoy fabulous cuisine, entertainment, fashion and, of course, world-class polo every Sunday, January 6 through April 21.

Entrance at 2 p.m. | Polo match at 3 p.m.

Ticket Prices

Champagne Brunch

January-April

January-February: $100 March-April: $120

m (FOFSBM "ENJTTJPO #MFBDIFS 4FBUJOH m /PSUI BOE 4PVUI 4UBEJVN -BXO 4FBUJOH m $FOUFS 4UBEJVN -BXO 4FBUJOH m #PY 4FBUT MJNJUFE BWBJMBCJMJUZ

The Pavilion Reception Pass January-February: $55 March-April: $65 r 1SF NBUDI DIBNQBHOF UPBTU r 1BTTFE MJHIU IPST E PFVWSFT r 5XP DPNQMJNFOUBSZ ESJOL UPLFOT

r 1BWJMJPO SFDFQUJPO r -BWJTI HPVSNFU CSVODI r 7FSBOEB TFBUJOH r 5XP DPNQMJNFOUBSZ ESJOL UPLFOT

Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brunch (for two) January-February: $300 March-April: $330 r $PNQMJNFOUBSZ WBMFU QBSLJOH r 1BWJMJPO SFDFQUJPO r -BWJTI HPVSNFU CSVODI r " DPNQMJNFOUBSZ CPUUMF PG 7FVWF $MJDRVPU

For tickets, please visit InternationalPoloClub.com or call 561.204.5687. Polo HOTLINE 561.282.5290 3667 120th Avenue South, Wellington, Florida 33414 *Tax inclusive. Parking additional, unless otherwise noted.

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

Learn Western Dressage With Trainer Carey Radtke

Wellington resident Carey Radtke has been competing in and teaching dressage all her life. She teaches anyone who’s interested in giving the unique and growing discipline of Western dressage a try, either at a barn in Deer Run or at their home barn.

Ellen Rosenberg’s Column, Page 25

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 23

Bronco Boys Lacrosse Defeats Cardinal Newman

The Palm Beach Central High School boys lacrosse squad defeated Cardinal Newman 17-6 on Friday, Feb. 22 in Wellington.

The Broncos dominated the Crusaders from start to finish. Their menacing offensive and defensive attack proved to be the perfect recipe for victory. Page 35

Shopping Spree A TOWN-CRIER PUBLICATION

INSIDE

Business Animal Palace Mobile Grooming Opens Facility In Royal Palm Beach

After eight years of coming to your front door, Animal Palace Mobile Pet Grooming now offers a centralized location for pet owners to take their furry friends. The new location, now called Animal Palace, is owned by Joyce Gropper. She decided to open a physical location in addition to the mobile trucks to better serve all her clients. “Some people can’t afford the mobile service but still want the high-quality service we provide,” Gropper said. Page 27

Sports Wellington High’s Girls Lacrosse Team Falls To St. Andrew’s 14-9

The Wellington High School girls varsity lacrosse team fell to St. Andrew’s School 14-9 on Thursday, Feb. 21 in Wellingt on.

Though the Lady Wolverines made several big plays throughout the game, the Lady Scots jumped out to an early lead in the first period and kept up the pressure to stay ahead. Page 35

THIS WEEK’S INDEX COLUMNS & FEATURES ........................25-26 BUSINESS NEWS.................................. 27-29 DINING & ENTERTAINMENT ...................... 31 SPORTS & RECREATION........................ 35-37 COMMUNITY CALENDAR ......................38-39 CLASSIFIEDS ........................................40-43

Page 24 March 1 - March 7, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 25

FEATURES

Learn Western Dressage With Local Trainer Carey Radtke Some months back, comic Stephen Colbert ran a recurring riff on Rafalca, Ann Romney’s Olympic mare, even taking a brief riding lesson with Michael Barisone. Colbert lampooned dressage as being an “elite” sport, mocking the formal attire and referring to a piaffe as “fancy prancing.”

It was all in fun, but it tended to reinforce many people’s stereotype of dressage being something done by people who don’t bother to check the price tag when shopping. But here’s the good news: Dressage actually is a sport that anyone can learn and enjoy. You don’t have to be wealthy or own an imported Warmblood. You can learn on your own horse, with your own tack, wearing your everyday clothes. Western dressage is a popular new discipline showing up at a lot of local horse shows, and it’s something Carey Radtke feels passionate about.

Originally from Wisconsin, she spent 15 years in Montana, a little while in Connecticut, and stayed in Wellington for the season for 10 years before finally moving here permanently eight years ago. And she has been competing in and teaching dressage all her life.

“I came up through the ranks,” Radtke said.

“I love the way dressage allows you to communicate more fully with your horse. When Get updates all week long... follow Ellen Rosenberg on Twitter at twitter.com/ HorseTalkFL or stop by the Tales from the Trails page on Facebook and click “like.”

Tales From The Trails

By Ellen Rosenberg Western dressage came along, I thought it was a wonderful idea, a way of showing people that anyone can give this sport a try. You don’t have to own that perfect Warmblood.

You can learn dressage with your Quarter Horse, Arab, Thoroughbred, whatever. That’s the beauty of this discipline: It invites everyone to participate.”

She is quick to point out that the goal of Western dressage is not to make Western horses into dressage horses. “It’s to help make Western horses better horses through classical dressage principles,” Radtke said. “You don’t want to take the ‘Western’ out of a Western horse — that’s their beauty, their heritage. Dressage allows a horse to do whatever he’s already doing in a better way, and teaches the rider a different way to communicate with him.”

Radtke teaches anyone who’s interested in giving Western dressage a try, either at a barn in Deer Run or at their home barn. She has worked with reiners and many trail riders who simply want to learn more about a different discipline. It doesn’t have to end in a horse

show class; sometimes it’s just about learning more.

“Western dressage is very inclusive,” she said. “I work with any horse and any rider, regardless of their level. It tends to be very attractive to women of a certain age who finally have enough time to do what they’d like.”

In the beginning, Radtke accustoms her clients to the dressage ring and common figures, such as a 20-meter circle. She starts with simple movements, such as diagonals and basic gymnastic exercises, so they can find their natural balance and rhythm.

“I want each horse to attain his own personal perfect 10 and be the best he can be. He can, when his rider is consistent and perceptive,” she said. “Once a rider learns how to help her horse bend properly on curved lines, carry his weight on the hindquarters and lighten up the front end, she’ll find her horse easier to ride and much more responsive. Dressage is a never-ending process. You don’t wake up one morning and say, ‘OK, I’m there, I’ve learned it all.’The fact that there’s always more to learn and work on is part of the fun.

You can always keep improving, building muscles, developing better balance, and advancing to more difficult exercises.”

Even though many people view dressage and Western saddles at different ends of the spectrum, Radtke explained that both set the rider in the same position, with shoulder, hip and heel in line, and back over the horse’s center of gravity. One main difference between traditional Western riding is, for dressage,

riding with two reins rather than neck reining, but that’s not too difficult.

“What dressage does is give a rider a consistent language which the horse can understand and rely on,” Radtke explained. “When you always do the same thing the same way, a horse relaxes. Horses are happy when they know what’s going to happen, when they understand their job, when there’s a reliable frame of reference. It gives a rider a methodical way to clearly communicate with any horse and interpret the horse’s response. Riding is all about reward and correction, never punishment. Punishing a horse is worthless. Pain confuses horses and makes them fearful, so now you’re dealing with a whole other set of issues. Correction simply shows him a different way of accomplishing something.”

Dressage is a very mental sport, Radtke said.

“I like to call it meditation in motion. When you’re really into it, you hardly know what’s going on elsewhere. It’s like you’re on your own planet,” she said. “It lets you really plug into the horse’s world, what he’s thinking and feeling. It’s very addictive, the coolest thing.

And again, that’s the beauty of Western dressage: It’s very inclusive, because anyone can do this with any horse. You don’t have to go out and spend money on special tack or clothing. And you’re never too old or too young to start.”

Radtke mentioned Jack Brainard, a highly successful reining and roping trainer for more than 60 years who helped organize the NaSee ROSENBERG, page 26

Page 26 March 1 - March 7, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier

FEATURES

Here’s What Happens When A Floridian Encounters Snow!

In the 40 years I’ve lived in Palm Beach County, I’ve seen it snow here once. I had only recently moved from the North and was therefore unimpressed. I didn’t realize it was an unusual occurrence. In fact, I was miffed.

Weren’t these people bragging about their high temperatures all the time? Obviously a bait-and-switch.

In retaliation, it never snowed here again.

Over the years, when I missed the white stuff, I would visit our timeshare in Colorado or family in Wisconsin. Colorado is beautiful and hip (if anything is “hip” anymore), and I am intensely grateful to its residents for having the political fortitude to ban billboards statewide. By sticking to their guns on this, they have preserved a smattering of what our country actually looks like. It’s a big outdoor Get your Sonic Boomer humor every day!

Follow Deborah Welky on Twitter at twitter.com/TheSonicBoomer or stop by “The Sonic Boomer” page on Facebook.

Deborah Welky is

The Sonic BOOMER museum where we get to see exactly what the pioneers saw — amber waves of grain and purple mountains’ majesty, not “Joe’s Bar & Grill! Turn left! Do it now!”

This winter, I am in Kansas City, visiting my new grandson and, hopefully, being available as a lifeline to my daughter. Last winter, Kansas City had 4.6 inches of snow. It was warm and sunny — “spring-like,” she said. Everyone was touting the benefits of global warming.

But I’m here now, so in rolled the storm of the century — they called it “The Blizzard of

Oz.” The temperature dropped to 18 degrees.

It snowed 4.6 inches in two hours. The cars in the driveway became indistinguishable from snowdrifts. My Florida license plate? Missing in action.

Because I like snow, I liked the weather. The leafless black trees were outlined in white. In time, twinkling crystal icicles formed. You couldn’t see roads or footprints. It was like people had never existed.

Best of all, businesses were closed and my daughter got to spend a rare day with her son. Because there were no noisy cars on the road and the snow insulated the house, it was calm, quiet and gorgeous — like in The Shining.

OK, maybe that’s not the best example.

What I’m trying to say is that the freezing weather warmed my heart.

Not so for my husband, Mark.

Mark moved to Florida because “Hot”lanta was too cold. During Kansas City’s storm, he stayed glued to the Weather Channel, misera-

ble, and called out the temperature every time it dropped one degree.

“23,” he’d moan. “Now it’s 22!”

“You’re in the house,” I’d yell back. “It’s 72!”

Then, because her own husband was on a business trip, Jen asked Mark if he’d shovel the driveway. His eyes got wide and he started to stammer, but then she introduced him to something the Midwesterners call a “snowblower.”

Mark loved the snowblower. He was out there for four hours, snowblowing everything in sight — the driveway, the walkways, the street in front of the house.

“The city does that!” Jen called out.

“Come back inside!” I yelled.

As soon as he’d created a turnaround for buses and a figure-eight just for fun, he did come inside. He came in, turned on the Weather Channel and hollered, “They’re predicting more snow for tonight!”

But he sure sounded like he was grinning.

I Watched The Academy Awards... And Was Not Impressed This past week, a large number of Americans tuned in to watch their favorite fashion show, the Academy Awards. At one time, this was an important event. The film selected as best would make a lot more money; it would be considered one of the “greats.” Things have changed. The buildup to the awards, the red carpet — where the most important (and often only) question is “Whose dress (or tux) are you wearing?” — gets almost as many viewers as the main event. And all the “chattering shows,” the ones whose hosts think that celebrities are by definition perfect, will spend hours dissecting what the women wore. Of course, the nastier critics make their names by clever cruelties that will build their reputations.

The event itself, of course, selected winners. By and large, who cares? I think Silver Linings Playbook is still in theaters; the others are generally available on DVD or “On Demand.” Argo’s winning means fairly little

Rosenberg

Carey Radke

continued from page 25 tional Reining Horse Association in 1966. He saw a video of a Western rider doing dressage movements, and, at the age of 91, decided to try a new discipline, finding that he’d already been using some degree of dressage training all along to master the five principles of Western dressage: collection, straightness, control of the front end, control of the hind end, and canter departures.

“Dressage is a beautiful thing, good for all horses and all riders,” Radtke said. “It makes a horse proud of himself, what he can accomplish. It gives a rider a consistent, methodical means of communication. Western dressage is a wonderful discipline, which helps people understand and trust their horses better. I love how inclusive it is, that anyone with any horse can give it a go. It can really help riders of all levels make their horses better. It’s fabulous.”

For more information, call Carey Radtke at (561) 596-3277.

‘I’ On CULTURE

By Leonard Wechsler since you can switch to On Demand and make it a TV experience. More people will decide to watch it on TV, but that’s about the effect it will have.

The same goes for the winning performers.

Daniel Day-Lewis was the obvious choice for best actor from the start. Anne Hathaway for best supporting actress was a sure bet. The voters had a choice between five old men, all of whom had previously won Oscars, for best supporting actor, and chose the youngest.

And, essentially, the show was a yawn with long musical numbers and inside jokes from host Seth MacFarlane that were not nearly as amusing as he thought they were.

The movie business has done this to itself.

Over the past few weeks, there have been stories about the greats who never got Oscars: Cary Grant, Peter O’Toole, Stanley Kubrick,

Alfred Hitchcock. Other entertainment news clips love to point out that Ordinary People, a good though not great movie, beat out Raging Bull. The cute Going My Way won over the brilliant Double Indemnity. Goodfellas lost to Dancing With Wolves. The clever and entertaining Shakespeare in Love beat Saving Private Ryan. None of the three new Batman movies, all highly praised, won. High Noon lost. Citizen Kane lost to How Green Was My Valley! Vertigo was not even nominated.

Part of the reason for the many strange decisions is the insularity of Hollywood denizens. They vote for their friends. They listen to the propaganda from the different studios and believe it. And thus, they have led to their own irrelevancy. Some people predicted Steven Spielberg would lose for best director not because of the job he did but because “Hollywood hates Spielberg.” Obviously, because he has made a lot of movies, that made most of them wealthy.

The music categories have turned into a joke. There have been great winners over the years. But great songs have been overlooked: no song from a James Bond movie had ever won before this year. And when they went through songs, most of us wind up singing along. Shirley Bassey might have lost a lot of

her voice, but she wowed the audience (and me) with Goldfinger. Did you know Saturday Night Fever was not even nominated for its music nor for any of its songs? In 1977, the best movie score was for The Omen.

Part of the problem, of course, is the makeup of the voters. The average age is 63. Right.

A lot of old people, probably many of whom are no longer really active, make up a key voting bloc. Don’t forget that the different, smaller groups select most of the awards. The only award for which nominations are chosen by the whole academy voting group is best picture. This is why directors of three movies nominated for best picture could not even be voted on. Ben Affleck (Argo), Kathryn Bigelow (Zero Dark Thirty) and Tom Hooper (Les Misérables) were not selected.

So the awards came and went. Did they affect anything much outside the fashion business? I would not put any money on it. Affleck will almost certainly get more films to direct. Jennifer Lawrence will become a bigger name (her slipping over her dress and falling on the stairs will be watched and snarked about for years), but she’s still set to continue doing the Hunger Games sequels. And most of us will simply hope we get better movies this year. And perhaps a better show.

Annual GPL Tournament Returns April 12-13 The Gay Polo League (GPL) will honor gay Olympians during the April 12-13 International Gay Polo Tournament festivities.

Six-time Olympian Robert Dover will serve as chairman of the Gay Polo Olympian Committee. Mason Phelps Jr., founder and president of Phelps Media Group International, will serve as committee vice chairman. The committee will reach out to several gay Olympians, including four-time Olympic diving gold medalist Greg Louganis and 2004 Athens Olympics tennis player Martina Navratilova to be a part of the fourth annual International Gay Polo Tournament that attracts some of the world’s top gay players to Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington.

“We would like to invite any Olympians who are interested,” Phelps said. “We would honor and recognize them both on Friday night and during the game on Saturday and ask them to be a part of the awards ceremony.”

All gay Olympians will be guests at the Friday, April 12 Jewels & Jeans kickoff party, sponsored by the Rotary Club of Wellington at the International Polo Club Palm Beach Grande Pavilion at 6:30 p.m.

On Saturday, April 13, they will be treated to the consolation and championship polo games at Grand Champions at a VIP table for lunch and beverages followed by a Victory Party field side in the Elite Tent.

Interested gay Olympians can contact Phelps Media Group at (561) 753-3389 or email gpl@phelpsmediagroup.com.

General admission to the tournament is $25.

The tailgate cost is $225, which includes eight tickets and one field-side parking place. VIP tables cost $1,000 and include seating for eight center field, four beverage tickets for each, gourmet food ticket for each, tableside service, including hors d’oeuvres, throughout the polo matches.

Gates open at noon, and Gay Polo Tournament matches run from 1 to 7 p.m. For tickets, call (561) 753-3389 or visit www.gaypolo.com/ the-event. For tailgates and VIP tables, call (561) 753-3389.

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

BUSINESS NEWS

Animal Palace owner Joyce Gropper and groomer Juritza Beltran with poodle Diva.

PHOTO BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

Animal Palace Mobile Grooming Opens Facility In Royal Palm Beach

By Jessica Gregoire Town-Crier Staff Report After eight years of coming to your front door, Animal Palace Mobile Pet Grooming now offers a centralized location for pet owners to take their furry friends.

The new location, now called Animal Palace, is owned by Joyce Gropper. She decided to open a physical location in addition to the mobile trucks to better serve all her clients.

“Some people can’t afford the mobile service but still want the high-quality service we provide,” Gropper said.

Once clients call in, they have the option to choose the service that best fits their budget.

“If they call for mobile grooming and find that the price is out of their reach, we’re able to offer them the option to come in,” Gropper said.

Animal Palace is located in Royal Palm Beach in the Belvedere Business Park on Benoist Farms Road at Belvedere Road, for easy access from all of the western communities. “We are able to support the same client base, but now it’s about $20 cheaper for them to come into the salon,” Gropper said.

Animal Palace will continue to offer the grooming services its clients are accustomed to. “We will still offer the personalized service that we offer on the trucks,” Gropper said.

“We have also hired more groomers for the salon to build relationships with clients who come through the door.”

In order to provide a transparent environment, the facility is equipped with cameras, so that clients can see their pets being cleaned and groomed. “We record every moment that their pet is with the groomer,” Gropper said.

“The entire grooming area is covered by two cameras, this way clients can feel confident that their pet is not being abused.”

Animal Palace also performs background checks on its groomers. “We check to see if they have any criminal history of domestic abuse or any kind of criminal activity, and if

they do, we won’t hire them,” Gropper said.

Animal Palace offers a basic package called the 14-step spa treatment groom, which includes everything from cleaning the ears to brushing out knots.

Other unique services are available at an additional cost and include the Fabulous Furminator treatment, which is a wash-and-combing process that reduces animal shedding by 60 to 90 percent if done on a four- to six-week basis. “This is great for people with allergies,” Gropper said.

Animal Palace also does “paw-dicures,” which are manicures and pedicures for animals. “Instead of just clipping the nails, we file them down with a drum, just like a nail salon would do,” Gropper said. “We actually sell the polishing pens here too, and they’re like using magic markers because they dry fast and are nontoxic.”

Gropper started Animal Palace Mobile Pet Grooming with her husband, Harris. As the former regional manager of a pharmaceutical company, Gropper felt that she wasn’t spending enough time with her children due to her constant traveling and working. “The quality of my own life was really poor,” Gropper said.

“So my husband and I, [he] was a teacher at the time, wanted a career change.”

They both enjoyed working with animals, and so decided to start a grooming business.

“He became the first groomer, and I stayed in the office part-time and really fell in love with it,” Gropper said.

Animal Palace Mobile Pet Grooming is also involved with animal rescue and adoption.

“We try to place animals that no longer have homes with new owners,” Gropper said. “We typically get the animals from our own clients who have either passed on or are unable to take care of their pets anymore.”

Animal Palace is located at 8100 Belvedere Road, Suite 13, Royal Palm Beach. For more info., visit www.animalpalacepetgrooming. com or call (561) 420-0868.

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 27

Page 28 March 1 - March 7, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier

BUSINESS NEWS

Wellington Chamber Welcomes Horace Mann Insurance The Wellington Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Horace Mann Insurance/Educators Premier Insurance located at 12230 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 103, Wellington. Donna Peterich is manager of the office.

People receiving a paycheck from any school system are encouraged to speak with Peterich regarding discounts they can receive in insurance policies through her company.

Peterich was born and raised in Lakeland and moved to Wellington in 1998. Her education includes a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Auburn University, where she also played on the tennis team. After her graduation, Peterich went straight into the insurance business. “My dad was in the insurance business,” she explained.

Horace Mann Insurance was created in 1945 to meet educators’ insurance needs. The company is based in Springfield, Ill., and currently has 800 agents nationwide with five agents in Palm Beach County.

The company is named after Horace Mann, a strong advocate for the creation of public schools in the mid-1800s. He pushed for both school buildings and trained, professional teachers to educate and discipline unruly children in order to turn them into judicious citizens. Modernizers and the Whig Party approved this idea at the time.

Mann was a politician and served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, the Massachusetts Senate, the Massachusetts State Board of Representatives and the U.S.

House of Representatives. Historians refer to Mann as the “father of the Common School Movement.”

Peterich said that educators are her niche market. Her company provides educators home, auto and life insurance plus annuities.

Peterich is also an independent agent, so she writes policies through other companies to non-educators for home and auto insurance as well.

When asked to describe her company, Peterich said, “Number one: I have two gals working for me, and we’re a great team.

Christine is a wealth of knowledge. We offer great customer service. We go out of our way to explain coverages and to help customers whether they are going to come to us or not.”

Regarding the homeowners market, Peterich said, “If we can’t help them, we’ll educate them regarding how to keep their rates down with their current company. We have a lot of expertise behind us.”

Regarding educators, “We have excellent discounts for teachers that no other company can provide,” Peterich said. “We have a lot of benefits on the school premises as far as theft and vandalism, reducing deductibles, and things like that for educators. We have special life insurance rates for educators as well. That’s still our main focus.”

Peterich added that Horace Mann Insurance/Educators Premier Insurance is busy helping out in the community. “We provide a defensive driving course for AARP, so those

New Insurance Office — Denise Carpenter, Barbara Nola, Mark “Boz” Bozicevic, Cristine Clements, Donna Peterich, Jeanie Doriot, Dale Grimm and Carmine Marino hold a ribbon cutting for Horace Mann Insurance. people can get discounts on auto insurance whether they are with us on not,” she said.

“We offer those classes right here at the Lake Wellington Professional Centre.”

Staff members also volunteers at schools reading to children. “We want to partner with and help the schools,” Peterich said.

For more information about Horace Mann

Insurance/Educators Premier Insurance, call (561) 214-6164, email donnapeterich@horace mann.com or visit www.horacemann.com.

For additional information about businesses in the Wellington area, call (561) 792-6525 or visit the new Wellington Chamber of Commerce web site at www.wellingtonchamber. com.

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 29

BUSINESS NEWS

Carr, Sollak Open Engel & Völkers Office In Wellington Top real estate professionals Amy Carr and Carol Sollak have joined forces to open an Engel & Völkers office in Wellington.

For the past 14 years, Sollak has been the No. 1 real estate agent in Wellington as presented by The Wall Street Journal. Her impressive sales figures also rank her among the top 50 real estate professionals in the United States. Having owned her own agency, Carr now brings her years of experience and impressive

track record to Engel & Völkers, specializing in luxury real estate.

“Carol and I have worked together for many years, and the opportunity came along to do something that was really fun and exciting,” Carr said of the new venture. “Partnering has allowed us to create the No. 1 real estate office in Wellington and gives us the confidence of knowing that we can bring something new and invigorating to the Wellington market. As a team, we

ABWA Meets March 13 At Embassy Suites The Northern Palm Beach Chapter of the American Business Women’s Association will meet Wednesday, March 13 at the PGA Embassy Suites Hotel in Palm Beach Gardens.

Networking will take place from 6 to 6:30 p.m., with the dinner and program beginning at 6:30 p.m. The March speaker will be Carol O’Neil, owner of CEO Financial Services.

The topic of the program will be, “How Business Accounting Works.” Predictions are that more women will become entrepreneurs in 2013 than in past years. As excit-

ing as an entrepreneurship may be, the numbers and reporting requirements may frighten you. This meeting is intended to give you some knowledge of business accounting so you have a comfort level opening up your own business.

The cost to attend is $20, and guests are welcome. To make reservations, call Dottie Smith at (772) 545-7145 or Sharon Maupin at (561) 329-4485. For more about the Northern Palm Beach Chapter of the ABWA, call (561) 908-4798 or visit www.abwanpbflorida.org.

are stronger than any one individual.”

With unparalleled experience in the Wellington real estate market, Carr and Sollak form one of the top real estate offices in the United States. Both Realtors have an intuitive feel for what both buyers and sellers are looking for. By working under the Engel & Völkers umbrella, Carr and Sollak are able to offer their clients unsurpassed service and innovative listing techniques, including the high-tech Engel & Völkers app that allows users to locate and view properties for sale in the immediate vicinity.

Another advantage of Engel & Völkers, a modern, forward-thinking European-based company, is international access. Sellers will have the opportunity to showcase their properties in an international market, while buyers from overseas are easily able to identify ideal listings that fit their needs.

“Our clients appreciate our outof-the-box thinking,” Sollak said.

“The unique knowledge we have gained in the equestrian community from working with both experienced clients as well as international buyers who are new to purchasing Florida real estate allows us to successfully navigate every possible sce-

Real estate professionals Carol Sollak and Amy Carr. nario and situation that can arise.

With the support of Engel & Völkers, a true leader and innovator in the industry, we can concentrate on forward-looking practices and find unique solutions that no one else is able to offer. It is very exciting, and revitalizing, to introduce Engel & Völkers to the Wellington real estate market.”

Combining years of experience with the advantages of a worldwide agency, Carr and Sollak are able to cater to both American and

international clientele.

Carr and Sollak welcome the Wellington equestrian community to visit their new Engel & Völkers offices conveniently located at the corner of South Shore Blvd. and Pierson Road. Located in the same complex as Tackeria and the Welli Deli, the offices of Engel & Völkers are easily accessible from the show grounds.

Engle & Völkers is proud to be the Preferred Realtor of Week 5 and Week 10 of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival.

Page 30 March 1 - March 7, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

HEALTH & FITNESS SPOTLIGHT

When Devising A Workout Plan, Use The Buddy System

By Lynette Laufenberg Special to the Town-Crier In cooperation with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ new Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, Ultima Fitness wants to encourage you to “Bring a Buddy” to workout with you this month. The guidelines highlight the importance of social support in exercise — and we do, too!

Did you know research shows that social support significantly improves one’s enjoyment of and adherence to an exercise routine? Not only does working out with a friend increase the pleasure and stress relief you experience while exercising, but it also pushes you to work out to your full potential. Additionally, if you enjoy your workout, you are far more likely to stick with it.

Good social support is vital for good exercise adherence. You must have the backing of your family and friends if you are going to remain

faithful to your exercise program.

Your family must be aware that there may be occasions when you will be home late or up early in order to exercise. Your spouse, in particular, must be understanding and accepting of this. Your friends must also be supportive and should try to avoid scheduling events that may interfere with your exercise time.

It is up to you to make sure that your family and friends understand how important your exercise program is to you. That way, you can avoid any potential conflicts or distractions which will affect your exercise adherence. If you vocalize your personal goals by sharing them with others in your inner circle, you are far more likely to succeed.

Depending on your personal preference, exercising with others can greatly improve your exercise adherence. This can be either by taking part in group exercise classes or by having a training partner. A training

partner can be a personal trainer, a friend, older child or someone you just met at the gym who works out around your time and is about the same fitness level as you.

Having a regularly scheduled exercise time, for which others are depending on you, is an excellent way of ensuring that you maintain high exercise adherence. If you have arranged to exercise with a personal trainer or training partner, you are more likely to keep that appointment rather than miss it and let someone else down. Having a training partner keeps you honest. Knowing that you will let someone else down, in addition to yourself, by missing a workout session, is very good motivation for high exercise adherence.

We are almost always more accountable to somebody else than we are to ourselves.

Not feeling so creative? The same is true if you take part in a group exercise class. Just bring a friend to

one of our group workshops or classes. There, the two of you can experience a fun, exciting workout with one of our certified group fitness instructors. Check our web site at www.ultimafitness.com for the current class schedule.

If you miss a class, you normally have to explain the reason for your absence to others. The feeling of being held accountable is often enough to maintain high exercise adherence, which is the desired outcome.

Exercising with others is something to consider if you feel that you may not adhere to your exercise program if you workout alone. So grab a pal, a relative, a neighbor, your partner, or even a co-worker and come to Ultima Fitness. Bring a buddy to Ultima this month and receive a complimentary two-week membership on us for each of you!

Lynette Laufenberg, a certified personal trainer, is program/fitness

Lynette Laufenberg director at Ultima Fitness/Xtreme Tae Kwon Do. Ultima is located at 12799 W. Forest Hill Blvd. in Wellington. For more information, call (561) 795-2823 or visit www. ultimafitness.com.

Health & Fitness Spotlight Sponsored By Ultima Fitness Of Wellington

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 31

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

Irish Fest On Flagler Returns To West Palm March 9-10 Irish Fest on Flagler returns for the 25th installment in downtown West Palm Beach featuring traditional Irish food, fun, dancing and great Irish music Friday, March 9 and Saturday, March 10.

This year’s entertainment headline is an eclectic mix of traditional Irish music and dancing to edgy Irish rock bands that offer up a diverse mix of entertainment as unique as the Irish themselves. Headliners for this year’s fest are the Screaming Orphans, Seven Nations, the Young Wolfetones with Derick Warfield, Paddy Noonan and Fire in the Kitchen. “We brought the Screaming Orphans back from last year by popular demand as they were a huge hit with the younger audiences,” festival organizer Sheila Hynes said. “Adding in Seven Nations, a Celtic rock band utilizing bagpipes, targets the 20- to 50-yearolds who grew up listening to this music, so we have something for Irish music lovers of all ages.”

The Screaming Orphans, four beautiful and high-spirited sisters from County Donegal, draw on diverse influences ranging from the Beatles and ABBA to the Cranberries. International attention came quickly for the girls when Sinead

The Screaming Orphans take the stage Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

O’Connor took them on as her backup singers, and now these singing siblings are touring the world with their uniquely exciting concerts that reflect their Celtic roots but crosses many cultural boundaries. The Screaming Orphans take the stage on Saturday at 7 p.m. and again on Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Seven Nations has been in the media numerous times, most notably during the Dewar’s Scotch campaign ads, which featured a print

campaign in over 20 major magazines, as well as use of the Dewar’s tour bus during late 1999 to 2002.

PBS also did a feature titled An Evening with Seven Nations, which was aired in the late 1990s. In the early 2000s, ESPN approached them to create the theme for their extreme sports show, which airs internationally. Perhaps the most successful media exposure, short of the Dewar’s Campaign, was during the XIX Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake

The Tir Na Greine Irish Dancers perform Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 4 p.m.

City, Utah, where they performed in the torch-lighting ceremony. Seven Nations takes the stage Saturday at 5:30 p.m. and Sunday at 6 p.m.

In addition to the music, don’t miss the always popular Noel Kingston, Tir Na Greine Irish Dancers, the Keltic Kids Korner, great Irish Marketplace and the best Irish food this side of Dublin, including bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, corn beef and cabbage, fish and chips and much more.

Irish Fest takes place at the Meyer Amphitheater, Datura Street and Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach.

The festival runs Saturday, March 9 from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday, March 10 from noon to 8 p.m. with a Gaelic Mass on Sunday at 11 a.m. Admission costs $5 per person and is free for children 14 and under.

For more information, visit www. irishflorida.org or call (561) 394-5121.

Phantom Recommends Vic & Angelo’s In PGA Commons Vic & Angelo’s is one of my fa- Delray Beach, and the Office, also • Entrée ($19.95 to $36.95) — vorite and most visited restaurants on Atlantic Avenue in Delray Beach. Veal or chicken cooked your way.

— delicious food, great ambiance Whenever I am in that area, I make You can choose from Scallopine, and attentive service! an effort to enjoy lunch or dinner at Picatta, Francese, Marsala or ParmiThere are a lot of reasons why I those restaurants as well. giana. Steaks include filet mignon, like Vic & Angelo’s, from their great Now to their taste-tantalizing of- New York strip and skirt steak, or Italian food, to their friendly staff, to ferings: you can choose veal or pork chops. their “world-famous happy hour” • Antipasti ($12.95 to $18.95) — Vic & Angelo’s fish selections are from 3 to 7 p.m., seven days a week. This includes calamari (grilled or second to none: you can select from It reminds me of being on vacation fried), eggplant parmigiana, beef car- snapper Francese, roasted sea bass, and cozying up to the bar to chat paccio, grilled artichoke and their trout, grouper, wild salmon and my with fellow guests, and just relaxing Signature Starters, Sicilian chicken two favorite ocean dwellers, Branziand having a great time. Whenever wings, and their jumbo meatball. I no and Dover Sole. I selected Dover I have a bad day, I go Vic & Ange- selected Oregenatta with a mouth- Sole because, in my opinion, it is lo’s for happy hour, and I have a watering trio of lobster, shrimp and perhaps the best-tasting fish in the great night! calamari, lightly breaded and cooked world (and not offered at many resI was fortunate enough to attend to perfection. I also opted for their taurants). Found only in the waters their grand opening in 2008, and I delicious San Marzano tomato of Dover, England, this tasty treat have been there over 50 times — sauce for dipping, which was quite must be filleted table-side to give it way more than any other restaurant yummy! its proper due. It was cooked to perin Palm Beach County. I will proba• Pasta ($16.95 to $28.95) — fection here, and it was superb!

The outdoor patio at Vic & Angelo’s in Palm Beach Gardens. bly go there as soon as I finish writ- Nona’s Sunday Gravy is a must. This By now you can see why I go to ing this article! dish is quite soul-satisfying and fea- Vic & Angelo’s as often as I do. sy with old-world charm. There is look at some photos, and learn more Italian restaurants are also my fa- tures rigatoni with meatballs, pork But of course, there are seven other so much to see and admire that I about this special place. vorite, and Vic & Angelo’s is a terrif- and sausage, all simmered in San reasons, such as desserts ($9 to don’t want to spoil it for you. Their Please, do the following: pick up ic, reasonably priced Italian restau- Marzano tomato sauce for 48 hours $12). Do you love old-fashioned oversized patio, filled with canvas your phone and call General Manrant for brunch, lunch, dinner and — this is just the best! There is also banana cream pie? This mile-high umbrellas and comfortable seating, ager James Diggs or Restaurant happy hour. I have taken many out- their shrimp penne alla vodka, lin- dessert was our choice and wow is the perfect spot to relax and enjoy Manager James Stewart at (561) 630of-town guests to this restaurant, I guine and clams (white or red), lob- — it was the perfect ending to a your meal.

9899 in Palm Beach Gardens or call have celebrated family birthdays and ster risotto, ricotta gnocchi, lasagna, most romantic Valentine’s dinner!

Whether you come for lunch, din- General Manager Diego Nasissi at anniversaries here over the years, ravioli and keeping with the time, Then again, there are tiramisu, zep- ner or a small bite, you will not be their Delray Beach location at (561) and I have never been disappoint- vegan pasta (gluten-free spaghet- poles, cannoli, tartufo and their disappointed. They are open every 278-9570, and tell them that the ed. ti). Vic & Angelo’s pappardelle, authentic, highly recommended day of the week, so you have some Phantom highly recommended that Owner John Rosatti — a talented which is mixed with wild mushrooms ricotta cheese cake! time to work through their fantastic you call. You will thank me, and you restaurateur and entrepreneur — in an incredibly tasty parmesan Best of all, you get to dine on menu. Visit their web site, at will also enjoy one of the best — also owns the sister Vic & Angelo’s sauce, was my guest’s excellent these delectable dishes in a restau- www.vicandangelos.com, and you and most authentic — meals of your restaurant at 290 E. Atlantic Ave. in choice. rant that combines a touch of whim- will get to read through the menus, life!

Joe Nasuti, the Phantom, is dining, travel and entertainment writer for the Town-Crier newspaper and www.yournews.com.

Page 32 March 1 - March 7, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier

Camp Cambridge, serving age two through second grade, combines academic excellence, summertime fun and a safe environment to create an unforgettable summer experience. Theme-based curriculum and in-house field trips complement the concepts explored by all. There are nine weeks of camp offered at Cambridge Schools, located at 1920 Royal Fern Drive in Wellington. Activities include swimming, art, math, computers, sports, science and cooking. A certified swim instructor provides instruction to children ages three and up, Mommy & Me classes, private/group lessons and team swim programs. Bilingual classes, kindergarten readiness and enrichment classes are available as well. For more information, visit www.cambridgepreschools.com.

Camp Dovewood is a dynamic Christian camp for girls ages 7 to 16 in North Florida. The camp features an outstanding equestrian program featuring English and western riding, stable management, vet care, horse shows, trail rides, rodeo riding and dressage. Campers can also enjoy art, swimming, great books, Christian leadership training, Bible, tennis, drama, archery, basketball, volleyball, cheerleading, photography, wat er ballet, music, ballet, baton, soccer, gymnastics and river rafting. This year, Dovewood celebrates 36 awesome y ears. The camp is accredited with the American Camping Association and the Camp Horsemanship Association. For more information, call directors Jim and Roberta Richmond at (386) 935-0863 or visit www.campdovewood.org.

Camp Varsity/Building Up Sports Academy is a full-day sports camp during the summer located at Wellington Landings Middle School. This camp is action-packed, combining a mix of team sports with fishing, karate and dance/cheerleading. Camp Varsity focuses on sportsmanship and teamwork as well as developing new sports skills. The camps have a different sports theme each week.

No matter the theme or week, campers will have the option to participate in many different sports and recreational games. Sports included every week are basketball, soccer, baseball, football, kickball, fishing, dance/cheerleading, golf, recreational games and more. For more information, visit www.buildingupsportsacademy.com or call (561) 601-5248.

Casperey Stables Horse Camp is a small, fun-filled day camp for children ages seven to 14. With four riding opportunities each day, arts & crafts and outdoor games, campers find little time to be bored. The low counselor-child ratio ensures your child will receive individual attention. There are camp sessions for spring and winter school breaks, and during the summer. Each two-week session has a theme, such as Indian Days, Circus Days and Medieval Days. Casperey Stables has a weekly swim party and ends each session with a horse sho w and family barbecue. To learn more about the camp, located at 2330 D Road in Loxahatchee Groves, call (561) 792-4990 or visit www.casperey stables.com.

The Lab/High Touch High Tech brings science to life with hands-on experiments provided b y High Touch High Tech, the leader in science education for the last 18 years. Each day will be a new adventure, from interacting with real lab critters to launching rockets and panning for gems. Conveniently located off State Road 7 and Lantana Road, this unique facility offers affordable pricing, experiments with lots of cool take-homes, arts and crafts, physical activities and more. The Lab taps into children’s natural curiosity and provides them with safe and fun activities that help them learn about the world. Children can expect to have fun while they make slime, erupt volcanoes, make ice cream, make tie dye t-shir ts and more. Call (561) 4 44-3978 or visit www.thelabforkids.com for more information.

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Mattisyn School offers an early childhood campus summer camp as an extension of its academic excellence, combining themed curriculum with summertime fun. The camp focuses on age-appropriate activities including music, dance, games and arts & crafts in a clean, safe and secure environment. Conveniently located on Okeechobee Blvd., one mile west of the turnpike, it is a fully-licensed campus with webcam services. The Mattisyn School’s mission is to empower and inspire the individual child by creating meaningful positive experiences. For more information, visit www.mattisynschool.com or call (561) 318-5750.

At Noah’s Ark Summer Camp, children will enjoy field trips and activities such as swimming, bowling, skating, South Florida Science Museum, movies and picnics. Tuition includes camera surveillance, creative curriculum, computers and all meals. Registration is now being accepted.

Registration is free for new customers only. Noah’s Ark is located at 14563 Okeechobee Blvd. in Loxahatchee Groves. For more information, call (561) 753-6624 or visit www.smallworldpbc.com.

Take the stage this summer at the Plaza Theatre’s P erforming Arts Conser vatory Broadway at the Plaza Camp. Campers will spend the day working on fully staged Broadway musicals, as well as receive group and private instruction from working professionals in auditioning, monologues, improvisation, dance and voice. There will also be guest appearances from Broadway performers, casting directors and agents. Session one is for elementary and middle school students and runs June 10 through June 28 Campers will perform Broadway musical Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Session two is for middle and high school students, and runs July 1 to July 19. Camp tuition is $200 per week, and before and after care is available. For more information, call (561) 588-1820 or visit www.theplazatheatre.net.

Tiny Tikes Preschool Camp is geared towar d the elementary-age camper. Daily activities are sure to keep the campers happy, busy and engaged. Trips include bowling, skating and weekly mo vies, as well as special trips to the zoo, the science museum and more. Tiny Tikes has three conveniently located centers, which are open from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Activities occur throughout the day, both at the center and out on the bus. Meals are included. Call (561) 790-1780 now to reser ve your space or visit Tiny Tikes Academy at 16245 Okeechobee Blvd. in Loxahatchee.

Located on the beautiful campus of the Florida Institute of Technology, Wellspring Weight Loss Camp is the only scientifically based summer fitness and weight loss camp in Florida. Wellspring Florida campers enjoy a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities including kayaking, surfing, scavenger hunts, dodge ball, planned trips to Disneyworld and Universal Studios and much more.

With extensive athletic facilities, two outdoor swimming pools and the 30-acre Botanical Gardens, the Wellspring Florida campus is an ideal setting for a summer of fun and sun for boys and girls ages 10 to 18. For more information, visit www.wellspringcamps.com or call (866) 364-0808.

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 33

Page 34 March 1 - March 7, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 35

SPORTS & RECREATION

Bronco Boys Lacrosse Dominates Cardinal Newman 17-6

By Gene Nardi Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach Central High School boys lacrosse squad defeated Cardinal Newman 17-6 on Friday, Feb. 22 in Wellington.

The Broncos dominated the Crusaders from start to finish. Their menacing offensive attack continuously pressured the Crusader defense. That, combined with the clattering hits the Bronco defense used

Br onco Nick Griffin tries to get around the Newman defender.

PHOTOS BY GENE NARDI/TOWN-CRIER

to keep the Newman offense off balance, proved to be the perfect recipe for victory.

The Broncos jumped out to an early lead in the first period by racking up five goals. The Crusaders did not get on the board until the second period, and scratched out two goals before the half to close the gap 7-2. The Broncos were not done scoring and managed to tally another 10 goals in the second half. Newman attempted to rally by putting in five of their own, but it was not enough to patch up the damage done by the constant Palm Beach Central attack. The end result was a 17-6 rout for the Broncos.

Eight different players put the ball into the net for the Palm Beach Central squad, helping the Broncos earn their second win of the season.

Palm Beach Central’s duo Sammy Peede and Nick Griffin combined for nine of the 17 goals scored and three assists. Palm Beach Central senior Nick Ferro scored two goals in the contest. Team Captain A.J. Blouin, Danny Riccobono, Andrew Brown, Shawn LeMay and Alex Hood each had a goal. The Broncos remain unbeaten at (2-0).

Palm Beach Central traveled down to Miami Tuesday night to play Columbus. The Broncos next travel to John I. Leonard on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. game.

Bronco senior defender Connor Chavez passes the ball up field.

Bronco Sammy Peede tries to win the ball in a face-off.

Bronco Nick Griffin scores one of his five goals on the night.

Lady Wolverines Lacrosse Team Falls To St. Andrew’s 14-9

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington High School girls varsity lacrosse team fell to St. Andrew’s School 14-9 on Thursday, Feb. 21 in Wellington.

Though the Lady Wolverines made several big plays, the Lady Scots jumped out to an early lead in the first period and kept up the pressure to stay ahead.

The Lady Scots dominated early

Wellington’s Kathleen Gerrits controls the ball.

PHOTOS BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER

on, scoring twice as many goals in the opening of the first period as Wellington. With 14:20 left in the first half, St. Andrew’s was up 6-2.

But Kathleen Gerrits nabbed the ball on the next play and drove it up the center to put in a goal and make the score 6-3.

Both teams battled for several minutes over ball control on the next play, but it was the St. Andrew’s team that gained the advantage and put away the ball to extend their lead to 7-3 with 10:26 remaining in the half. The Lady Scots scored again about five minutes later, making the score 8-3.

But Wellington wasn’t going down without a fight. The team rallied in the remaining minutes to put more points on the board. First, with about 4:37 left in the half, Gabby Klyotskin took hold of the ball and dominated the field, sending a ball soaring over the St. Andrew’s goalie’s head to make the score 8-4.

On the next play, Gerrits picked up the ball off the draw, ran down the field and tossed it to Klyotskin, who put it in the net for another goal.

With 4:23 left in the half, the score was 5-8.

But the Lady Scots were able to score once more, several minutes

later, to make the score 9-5 going into halftime.

Though both teams came out of the second half with more vigor, the Lady Scots were able to keep the pressure on Wellington. They took control of the ball early on and put one into the net, making the score 10-5.

On the next play, St.Andrew’s got the ball again and snuck it past the Wellington goalie to make the score 11-5.

Though the Lady Scots had begun to pull away, Lady Wolverine Monica Schell scored to help cut into the St. Andrew’s lead, 11-6.

But ultimately, the Lady Wolverines were not able to catch up. Gerrits put in three additional goals, including one with only 30 seconds left on the clock. But the Lady Scots also managed to score twice more to seal their 14-9 win over Wellington.

The Lady Wolverines traveled to Pope John Paul II High School on Tuesday and also faced Cardinal Gibbons at home on Thursday, but results were not available at press time.

Wellington next travels to St. Thomas Aquinas High School on Tuesday, March 5 for a 6 p.m. game.

Wolverine Kathleen Gerrits guards a St. Andrew’s ball carrier.

Wolverine Sasha Jimenez races for a loose ball.

Page 36 March 1 - March 7, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

SPORTS & RECREATION

Hawk Jared Skinner Signs For Soccer

Briar Macfarlane and Nik Bonadies.

Wellington Wrestlers Place At FSAA Tourney The Wellington Wrestling team saw two of its wrestlers place at the FHSAA Wrestling Tournament the weekend of Feb. 16-17 in Lakeland.

Junior Briar Macfarlane (120 pounds) placed sixth in his weight class and finished the season with a 43-6 record. Macfarlane lost his firstround match by pin to the eventual fourth-place finisher, Jared Neyer of Orange University, and found himself in the consolation rounds where he had to win three consecutive matches against the fourth-, fifthand ninth-ranked wrestlers in the state for a chance to place.

Macfarlane, who missed the entire season last year due to injury, came back with a vengeance and defeated those three opponents on way to his sixth place finish.

Junior Nik Bonadies (126 pounds) placed sixth in his weight class and finished the season with a 44-9 record. Bonadies won his first match of the tournament and advanced to the quarterfinals, where he lost to the eventual fourth-place finisher, Charles Cuthbert of Fleming Island.

Bonadies, a two-time state qualifier, defeated his next two opponents to earn his place on the medal stand.

Seminole Ridge High School senior Jared Skinner has signed an athletic letter of intent and will play soccer for Palm Beach Atlantic University, which fields one of the nation’s top collegiate teams.

“After 14 years of hard work and dedication, my dreams have come true,” Skinner said. “And thanks to my family, friends and coaches. Without them it wouldn’t have been possible.”

In other Seminole Ridge sports news, the Seminole Ridge girls track and field team finished second, and the boys team placed fourth, in area competition Feb. 20. Outstanding team effort at the meet came from the following: Kiana Favors, Michelle Howell Anisa Kornegay and Danielle Livingstone, who took first in the 4x400-meter relay; Cassie Barrett, Michelle Howell, Sabrina Kirmani and Anisa Kornegay, earning gold in the 4x800-meter relay; McCartney D’Or, Ramiz Kirmani, Frederick Lee and Oreste Ruiz, silver winners in the 4x400-meter; E.J. Elien, Oreste Ruiz, Silas Spearman and Jalen Young, who won the bronze in the 4x100-meter.

Outstanding individual athletes at the meet were as follows: Cassie Barrett, bronze winner in the 1,600meter run; Michelle Howell, placing

(Front row) Jared Skinner (third from the left) with sister Jenna and parents Tim and Tammy; (back r ow) SRHS boys soccer coach Earle Wright, Principal James Campbell and Athletic Director Scott Parks. first in the 400-meter and second in the high jump; Alexandria Jackson, who finished first in the shot put and the discus; Ramiz Kirmani, silver winner in the 800-meter; Sabrina Kirmani, finishing second in the 3,200-meter; Danelle Livingstone, who finished first in the 110-meter hurdles and the long jump; Alejandro Mejia, earning second in the high jump; David Mejia, taking the gold in the high jump; and Kyle Shortridge, silver for the shot put.

“Our students did a fantastic job,” coach Triciana Grey said.

Jared Skinner is congratulated by his father Tim and SRHS boys soccer coach Earle Wright.

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 37

SPORTS & RECREATION

Binks Forest Golf Club Hosts Hurricane Junior Golf Tour The Hurricane Junior Golf Tour ventured to Wellington to hold the Palm Beach Jr. Challenge, the tour’s second tournament of the month.

The tournament was hosted Feb. 910 at the recently redesigned Binks Forest Golf Club.

The tournament was ranked by the Junior Golf Scoreboard and the top 10 finishers in all divisions received points toward All-HJGT teams and the Hurricane Cup. All winners also received an entry into the 2013 Tour Championship.

Jake Leffew took home the gold in the boys 15-18 age division after an exciting sudden-death playoff.

Leffew registered a 78 on Feb. 9, which left him two strokes ahead of his closest competitor. After shooting an 80 during the final round, Leffew found himself in a sudden death playoff. Leffew kicked it up a notch and finished the playoff after a dramatic par on the first hole. Leffew registered the most pars among the boys 15-18 age division with a total of 22. Second place went to playoff runner-up Ryan Lynch. Lynch managed to record a staggering 6 birdies throughout both rounds of the tournament. Tied for third place were Andrew Chambers and Cole Sposato, who both finished only 2 strokes behind the leader.

Girls 15-18 winners Ashle y Turnquest, Alexandra P apell and Megan Turnquest.

Alexandra Papell won the girls 1518 age division in impressive fashion. Papell stayed consistent, firing a 78 and 79 in consecutive days to take home her second HJGT tournament win of the year. En route to her victory, Papell led the field in total birdies with 3, and total pars with 18. Megan Turnquest placed in second, with a final score of 175.

She scored par or better on 41.7 percent of the 36 holes she played this weekend. Ashley Turnquest came

in third, and finished only one 1 stroke behind her sister.

Alberto Martinez was crowned champion in the boys 11-14 division after building a dominating lead on Feb. 9. Martinez shot par on Sunday, and tallied a total of 5 birdies throughout the tournament. Martinez also led in par 4 and par 5 performance, registering average scores of 4.10 and 5.12, respectively. In second place was Miles Castoro. Castoro totaled a remarkable 20 pars

Boys 15-1 8 winners Cole Sposato, Jake Leffew and Ryan Lynch. during his tournament and led in par 3 performance with an average of 3.25. Coming in third was Clay Gibbs, who scored par or better on 58.3 percent of his holes, including impressive birdies on the fourth and 11th holes.

Sabrina Hoskins continues her tear as she won her second consecutive and fourth HJGT tournament of the year in the girls 11-14 age division. Sabrina led all players in total pars, racking up 23 in the dura-

tion of the tournament. Hoskins shot par or better on 66.7 percent of her holes was really able to enforce her will on par 5s, where she averaged 5.12 strokes. Sydney Jones came in second place, and did most of her damage on par 3s, where she averaged 3.25 strokes. In third place was Sydney Hoskins, who tied for first in total birdies with 3.

For more information on the Hurricane Junior Golf Tour, visit www. hjgt.org.

Page 38 March 1 - March 7, 2013

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Saturday, March 2 • The Wellington Green Market will take place Saturday, March 2 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wellington Municipal Complex.

Call (561) 283-5856 for more info.

• Mounts Botanical Garden (531 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach) will host “Designing, Creating & Maintaining Your Home Landscape” on Saturdays, March 2, 9 and 16 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants will start with the basics of good design and go through each step of the planning process.

The cost is $55 for members and $60 for nonmembers. For more info., or to register, call (561) 233-1757 or visit www.mounts.org.

• The Village of Royal Palm Beach will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open Royal Palm Beach Commons Park (11600 Poinciana Blvd.) on Saturday, March 2 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. A food truck invasion will run throughout the day. Enter tainment will be provided by local talent beginning at 10 a.m. at various locations within the park. Other activities include inflatable games and rides, canoe, kayak and paddle boat rentals. Children can bring a bathing suit for the interactive fountain. For more info., call (561) 7905124 or (561) 790-5149.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host “Celebrate All Things Seuss!” for all ages Saturday, March 2 at 10:30 a.m.

Celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday with crafts, songs, stories and snacks. Call (561) 7906070 for more info.

• Seminole Ridge High School will host the 2013 Ridge Classic Golf Tournament on Saturday, March 2 at the Madison Green Golf Club in Royal Palm Beach. Registration will start at 11 a.m., followed by a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start. The cost is $125 per golfer or $400 per foursome. Sponsorship opportunities are available. Proceeds will benefit all students at the school. For registration information, call the Seminole Ridge Athletic Department at (561) 422-2611.

Sunday, March 3 • Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, will hold its main fundraising event, Walk Now for Autism Speaks, on Sunday, March 3 at the Meyer Amphitheater in West Palm Beach. Registration for the run starts at 7 a.m., and the run begins at 8 a.m. Registration for the walk starts at 9 a.m., and the walk begins at 10 a.m. For more info., call (561) 645-0050 or (561) 465-0053 or visit www.autismspeaks.org.

• The YMCA of the Palm Beaches will host

its annual Polo with Pedro Brunch on Sunday, March 3 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. The brunch starts at noon, followed by a live auction and the C.V. Whitney Cup Finals at 3 p.m. Bricks and rooms are available for sponsorship beginning at $125. Call Jacqueline Frost at (561) 968-9622 at the YMCA of the Palm Beaches for more info.

Monday, March 4 • Early childhood staff at the Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center (100 Sweet Bay Lane) will host Early Childhood: Passport to Adventure to help prepare pre-schoolers for VPK and kindergarten through recreational activities that teach alphabet, color, name and number recognition. Classes are held twice a week for two hours on Mondays and Wednesdays, or Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to noon. Monday sessions are March 4 to April 10 and April 15 to May 15.

Tuesday sessions are March 12 to April 18, and April 23 to May 21. The cost is $135 for residents and $150 for nonresidents. Call (561) 790-5124 or visit www.royalpalm beach.com for more info.

• Panther Ridge Conservation Center (14755 Palm Beach Point Blvd., Wellington) will host “Walk on the Wild Side” on Monday, March 4 from 4 to 7 p.m. to benefit the lifelong feline residents of Panther Ridge and conservation projects in Africa that protect cheetahs. There will be tours of the big cats, music, great food, and silent and live auctions. Call (561) 795-8914 for more info.

• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will host Crochet Club meetings for age 9 and up Mondays, March 4, 18 and 25 at 5 p.m. Learn basic stitches and socialize while you work on projects. Call (561) 790-6030 to pre-register.

Tuesday, March 5 • The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host “Tween Tuesdays: Gaming” for ages 8 to 12 on Tuesday, March 5 at 4 p.m. Bring a friend for fun, food, Wii and other interactive games. Call (561) 790-6070 for more info.

• The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council will meet Tuesday, March 5 at 7 p.m. at the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District office (101 West D Road). Call (561) 7932418 or visit www.loxahatcheegroves.org for more info.

Wednesday, March 6 • The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will feature “Noodle Necklaces” for See CALENDAR, page 39

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

COMMUNITY CALENDAR CALENDAR, continued from page 38 age 3 and up Wednesday, March 6 at 10:30 a.m. Celebrate National Noodle Month and make a necklace or two. Call (561) 7906070 for more info.

Thursday, March 7 • The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host “AARP Tax Help” on Thursdays, March 7, 14, 21 and 28 at 10 a.m.

AARP volunteers will provide individualized help to taxpayers with low and moderate incomes, with special attention to age 60 and older. Bring current tax documents and last year’s tax return. Call (561) 790-6070 for more info.

• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host “Truth or Dare?” for ages 4 to 7 on Thursday, March 7 at 2 p.m. Enjoy songs, games and stories about the importance of telling the truth. Then make a paper pocket mirror to reflect on honesty each day. Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.

• Wellington’s Food Truck Invasion will take place Thursday, March 7 from 5 to 9:30 p.m. at the Wellington Amphitheater (12100 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). Call (561) 753-2484 or visit www.wellingtonfl.gov for more info.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will feature “Frosted Notes” for grades 6 to 12 on Thursday, March 7 at 6 p.m. Bring the current book, graphic novel or manga you’re reading and share it while snacking on ice cream. Call (561) 790-6070 for info.

• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host “Anime Origins” for ages 12 to 17 on Thursday, March 7 at 6:30 p.m. Enjoy a Japanese snack, check out the latest anime and learn about the culture that inspired it.

Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host a Writers’ Critique Workshop for adults Thursday, March 7 at 6:30 p.m.

Share, offer and accept constructive criticism to improve your fiction, nonfiction and poetry in a supportive atmosphere. Call (561) 790-6070 to pre-register.

• The Royal Palm Beach Village Council will meet Thursday, March 7 at 7 p.m. at Village Hall (1050 Royal Palm Beach Blvd.).

Call (561) 790-5100 or visit www.royalpalm beach.com for more info.

Friday, March 8 • Mounts Botanical Garden (531 N. Militar y Trail, West Palm Beach) will host “Stories in the Garden: Butterflies” on Friday, March 8 at 10 a.m. for children ages 2 to 6.

It includes interactive stories and songs followed by an activity in the garden. Reserva-

tions are required for parties of six children or more. For more info., or to register, call (561) 233-1757 or visit www.mounts.org.

Saturday, March 9 • The Royal Palm Art & Music Festival is set for Friday and Saturday, March 9 and 10 at Royal Palm Beach and Southern boulevards. For info., visit www.cpbchamber.com.

• The Wellington Green Market will take place Saturday, March 9 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Wellington Municipal Complex.

Call (561) 283-5856 for more info.

• The South Florida Science Museum’s 27th annual engineering competition “Drop It, Build It, Fly It, Launch It, Thrill It” will be held Saturday, March 9 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Students from all over will be competing for nearly $5,000 in prize money. The competition is in partnership with the Florida Engineering Society. Call (561) 370-7723 or visit www.sfsm.org for more info.

• The Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center (100 Sweet Bay Lane) will host Indoor Soccer Tots, for boys and girls ages 2 to 4, in eight sessions Saturdays, March 9 to May 4 and May 11 to June 8 at 9 a.m. The cost is $90 for residents and $110 for nonresidents. Call (561) 790-5124 or visit www. royalpalmbeach.com for more info.

• Mounts Botanical Garden (531 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach) will host “Edible Well-Being from the Garden” on Saturday, March 9 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees will see how medicinal, fragrance, health and culinary herbs can be used. For more info., call (561) 233-1757 or visit www.mounts.org.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern Drive) will host “Tween Scrapbooking” for ages 9 to 12 on Saturday, March 9 at 11 a.m. Use your photos and memorabilia to create an “all about me” scrapbook full of notes, quotes, clippings, cards and photos.

Call (561) 790-6070 for more info.

• The Acreage library (15801 Orange Blvd.) will host “Teen Writing Club” for ages 12 to 17 on Saturday, March 9 at 2 p.m. Call (561) 681-4100 to pre-register.

• Rocketman’s Tribute to Elton John will perform Saturday, March 9 at 7 p.m. at the Wellington Amphitheater. Tickets cost $40 for VIP seats and $25 for general admission.

Tickets are available from the First Baptist Church of Wellington by calling (561) 7935670 or visiting www.fbcwellington.com.

Send calendar items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. FAX: (561) 793-6090. Email: news@gotowncrier.com.

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 39

Page 40 March 1 - March 7, 2013

HUNTINGTON LEARNING CENTER — in Wellington needs EXAM PREP COORDINATOR Bachelors Degree- Demonstrate Solid Performance on SAT and ACT (either verbal or math sections) Available to work evenings and Saturdays.

Also needed: EXAM PREP TUTORS Now Hiring SAT/ACT Preparation Tutors. Must have a 4 year degree preferably in Mathmetics or English. Be available to tutor on Saturdays. Please e-mail resume tomarlenegiraud@hlcwellington.com PART-TIME LEGAL SECRETARY — for legal/accounting office. Fax resume 333-2680.

TEACHING ASSISTANT 1 - 5 P.M. MONDAY- FRIDAY — Experienced preferred 561-793-5860 TEACHERS/TUTORS - P/T SAT/ACT/FCAT All Subjects PreK - Adult Flexible Hrs. Great Pay. P.B. County Area.

Experience required.

Apply: ClubZ.com WANTED QUALIFIED INDIVIDUAL FOR REGIONAL AND LOCAL SPONSORSHIP SALE S for an event production company , specializing in live show/concerts and sporting events. Serious inquiries only.

Experience required.

Commission and incentive base.

Christy@extremeeventsunlimited.com 615-491-8388 GENERAL MAINTENANCE PERSON Needed for community association. Full-Time $10 per hour. Drug & Background check required. Fax resume to 561-967-7675 or call 561-967-3337 for appointment or Email resume to: TKISER@capitalrealtyadvisors.com DRIVERS WANTED — Full-Time/ Part-T ime retirees welcome.

Wellington Town Car. Call for details. 561-333-0181

This Saturday, March 2 ,7:00 a.m. till Noon. — Moving many items including black oriental furniture 13723 Ishnala Circle, Wellington, Pinewood Manor, Behind St. Rita Catholic Church

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

JOHN C. HUNTON AIR CONDITIONING & REFRIGERATION, INC.—Service & new installation FPL independent participating contractor. Lic. CAC 057272 Ins. "W e are proud supporters of the Seminole Ridge Hawks" 561-798-3225.

Family Owned & Operated since 1996. Credit Cards Accepted

BOB CAVANAGH ALLSTATE INSURANCE — Auto •Home • Life• Renters •Motorcycle •RV • Golfcart • Boat Serving the Western Communities for 24 years Call for a quote 798-3056, or visit our website. www.allstateagencies.com/ rCavanagh

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

RJA PAINTING & DECORATING, INC. — Interior Exterior, Faux Finish, Residential,Commercial.Lic. #U17536 Rocky Armento, Jr. 561793-5455 561-662-7102 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

MOBILE-TEC ON-SITE COMPUTER SERVICE — The computer experts that come to you! Hardware/Software setup, support & troubleshooting w w w . m o b i l e t e c . n e t .

561-248-2611 D.J. COMPUTER — Home & office, Spyware removal, websites, networks, repairs, upgrades, virus removal, tutoring. Call Jeff 561-3331923 Cell 561-252-1186 Lic’d Well. & Palm Beach. We accept major credit cards.

DRIVEWAYS — Free estimates A & M ASPHALT SEAL COATING commercial and residential. Patching potholes, striping, repair existing asphalt & save money all work guaranteed. Lic.& Ins. 100045062 561-667-7716

THE MASTER HANDYMAN — All Types of Home Repairs & Improvements. No job too big or small done right the first time every time 40 yrs of satisfied customers. See me on Angies List. Tom (561) 801-2010 or (954) 444-3178 Serving Palm Beach and Broward Counties.

BILLY’S HOME REPAIRS INC. REMODEL & REPAIRS — Interior Trim, crown molding, rottenwood repair , door installation, minor drywall,kitchens/cabinets / countertops, wood flooring. Bonded and Insured U#19699. Call 7919900 or 628-9215 HANDYMAN AND CLEANING SERVICES — Caza Services for all your handyman and cleaning needs. 18 years experience. No job is too small. Call us today. Insured 561-802-8300 or 754-242-3459

ANMAR CO .—James’ All Around Handyman Service. Excellent craftman Old time values. Once you’ve had me! You’ll have me back!

Lic. Ins. Certified Residential Contractor CRC 1327426 561-248-8528

HOUSECLEANING — 20 yrs experience. Excellent local references.

Shopping available. 561-572-1782 HOUSECLEANING — affordable cleaning services, Royal Palm Maids. 561-666-7738 “For all your cleaning needs”

HURRICANE SHUTTERS P&M CONTRACTORS — ACCORDION SHUTTERS Gutters, screen enclosures, siding, soffit s, aluminum roofs, Serving the Western Communities. Since 1985. U-17189 561791-9777

www.jbpressurecleaningandpainting.com

JOHN PERGOLIZZI PAINTING INC. — Interior/Exterior - Repaint specialist, pressure cleaning, popcorn ceiling, drywall rep air & 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. 561-383-8666. Owner/Operated. Lic.# U20627 Ins. Wellington Resident JEREMY JAMES PLUMBING — Licensed plumber, legitimate estimate. Water heaters, new construction. CFC1426242. Bonded Insured.

CFC1426242. 561-601-6458

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

Interior & Exterior p ainting.

Certified pressure cleaning & painting contractor. Lic. #U21552 Call Butch at 309-6975 or visit us at www.jbpressurecleaningandpainting.com

PSYCHIC ELIZABETH — Love & Soulmate specialist. Past, Present, Future, Love, Career, & Health, Palm & Tarot Card Readings. Call for appointment 561-284-6056 or 561-601-6264 CAZA SER VICES — Taking care of your home is our family business.

Remodeling, Handyman Service, Cleaning Service. 561-228-1084 Lic. Ins.

SECURITY — American owned local security company in business 30 plus years. Protection by officers drug tested. 40 hour course. Licensed & Insured. 561-848-2600

JOHN’S SCREEN REPAIR SERVICE — Pool & patio rescreening.

Stay tight,wrinkle-free,guaranteed!

CRC1329708 call us 798-3132. www.poolscreenrepair.com

ACCORDION SHUTTERS — Gutters, screen enclosures, siding, soffits, aluminum roofs, Serving the Western Communities. Since 1985.

U-17189 561-791-9777

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 SKYLIGHT REPLACMENT SERVICE and minor roof leak repairs 561-670-1368 danflanders1@gmail.com

EXPERIENCED TAX PREPARER With expertise with individuals and small businesses - Hack Tax and Accounting Services 561-214-6171

SPECIALIZING IN BATHROOM REMODELING — Free estimates serving South Florida since 1980.

Quality you expect, service you deserve. Lic. bonded & Ins. U21006 561-662-9258

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

CLUB Z! In-Home TUTORING All Subjects: PreK - Adult 561•333•1980 CLUBZ.COM America's Largest In-Home Tutoring Co.

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

MINOR ROOF REPAIRS DON HARTMANN ROOFING — Roof painting, Carpentry. Lic. #U13677 967-5580 ROBERT G. HARTMANN ROOFING — Specializing in repairs. Free estimates, Bonded,insured. Lic. #CCC 058317 Ph: 561-790-0763.

ROOFING REPAIRS REROOFING 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 RC0067207 PLACE YOUR BUSINESS DIRECT ORY LISTING HERE CALL 7933576

ATTENTION NUTRITIONAL NETWORKERS! Billion Dollar Giant Releases Unmatched Joint & Skin Regeneration Technology.

Radically Reverses Appearance!

FreeInfopak 330-989-4516/ ReplenishYou@gmail.com

The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier

WWW.GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 41

Page 42 March 1 - March 7, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 43

Page 44

March 1 - March 7, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

March 1 - March 7, 2013 Page 45

Page 46

March 1 - March 7, 2013

WWW. GOTOWNCRIER. COM

The Town-Crier