WELLINGTON CHAMBER INSTALLS BOARD LOX COUNCIL DELAYS ROAD ROCK POLICY SEE STORY, PAGE 3 SEE STORY, PAGE 4 THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE
Volume 40, Number 13 March 29 - April 4, 2019
Serving Palms West Since 1980
WOMEN’S POLO CHAMPIONSHIP
2019 GUIDE
Pages 19 thru 21
RPB Rec Plans Include New Talent Show And Inflatable 5K Race
The Royal Palm Beach Recreation Advisory Board met Monday, March 25 and was treated to a “State of the Parks & Recreation Department” overview of accomplishments over the last year and a briefing on what village residents can expect looking forward. Page 3
Ribbon-Cutting Welcomes New ER Facility To Westlake
Wellington Regional Medical Center, representatives from the Universal Health Services and Westlake officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, March 25 marking the completion of construction of the new free-standing emergency room at Westlake. Page 7
Pilot Wins In Overtime To Claim Gold Cup And Continue Gauntlet Run
The thrilling final of the USPA Gold Cup on the U.S. Polo Assn. Field 1 required overtime with Pilot ultimately defeating Aspen 12-11 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach, claiming the second leg of the Gauntlet of Polo, the $125,000 prize and keeping their hopes alive to win the $1,000,000 top prize. Page 12
Wolverines Emerge As An Established Local Basketball Power
The Wellington High School basketball program has established itself as a local authority on winning. During the 2019 season, the Wolverines overcame early adversity to win its sixth-straight district title, back-to-back regional championships and made its secondstraight state finals appearance in Lakeland. Page 23 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 22 LETTERS.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 PEOPLE................................... 8 SCHOOLS................................ 9 COLUMNS............................. 18 BUSINESS............................. 19 CALENDAR............................ 22 SPORTS..........................23 - 24 CLASSIFIEDS................ 25 - 26 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
For the first time, the U.S. Open Women’s Polo Championship final took place in Wellington at the International Polo Club Palm Beach on Saturday, March 23. The event included tailgating in pink, along with a post-match brunch to support the partnership with Susan G. Komen Florida to raise awareness about breast cancer. The exciting match concluded with Team Hawaii Polo Life defeating Team Cabo Wabo 10-5. Shown above are Heather Laughlin, Kirsten Stanley and Susan G. Komen Florida Executive Director Kate Watt. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 10 PHOTO BY CALLIE SHARKEY/TOWN-CRIER
ITID Board Does Early Review Of Budget Plan For Next Year
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors got its first look at the proposed budget for fiscal year 2019-20 on Wednesday, March 27. The budget will attempt to hold the line on assessment increases while adding a second culvert replacement crew. District Manager Rob Robinson said he was going into the process a month earlier this year in order to give supervisors more time to consider it, as he and Finance Director Bruce Cuningham were relatively new last year. “We wanted to get more board direction at the beginning and give us another month to prepare a proper budget that will be acceptable to the board, to incorporate direction as well as recommendations from our professional associates and our staff,” Robinson said. He supplied a copy of the two previous budgets for comparison. “The goal is to keep the as-
sessment and current budget at its current level,” Robinson said. “I’ve directed staff to ‘use it or lose it.’ We don’t intend to add anything, only subtract with the intention of the board making any corrections or recommendations or directions.” In his executive summary, Robinson said infrastructure replacement includes culvert replacement, which proposes a second crew to expedite the process. “While the theory was well intended, the application will take twice as long with current staffing and equipment inventory,” Robinson said. “The preliminary numbers will take us to the year 2053 to complete a 100 percent replacement… To meet the goal of your 20-year replacement plan, we are going to need to double down on our current replacement package.” Robinson said he has been able to create a second crew with the possible addition of one staff member by converting a pipe
replacement crew and replacing rubber tire excavators with track excavators. During the past year, district staff has engaged in an intensive effort to grade swales to insure positive drainage to the canals during storms. “Proper swales enhance storage capacity and provide a faster way of removing storm water during rain events,” Robinson said. Canal improvements have also been an important part of the district’s drainage improvement plan by clearing canal easements so staff can effectively remove debris and inspect waterways, Robinson said. The new budget proposes replacing certain equipment, including several excavators and backhoes, two F-250 pickup trucks with more than 250,000 miles, a motor grader and two boom mowers, but not add to it, explaining that the old equipment scheduled for replacement is prone to breakSee ITID BUDGET, page 4
Loxahatchee Groves Looking For Committee Volunteers
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council last week discussed appointments to advisory committees, noting that nominations are due by Tuesday, April 2. The reminder had been on the consent agenda for the March 19 meeting, but Vice Mayor ProTemp Robert Shorr pulled the item for discussion. “We can’t not talk about committees,” Shorr said. “Every committee seat ends at the election, so we need to be reappointing. If you want to stay on the committee, if you’re not on a committee and want to get on a committee, please talk to a council person.” Shorr said he wanted to see full membership on all the committees. “I think these committees are very important, and I think this year, more than ever, these com-
mittees are going to be active,” Shorr said. “There has been a little bit less activity for whatever reason in the past couple of years, but we really need the citizens involved and serving on these committees.” Shorr noted that at the last meeting, there had been a motion approved to get all committee members who have served over the past year a certificate of appreciation. “I want to make sure that happens, that we get certificates to everybody who has served,” he said. Shorr pointed out that having alternates to all the committees had been approved earlier by the council in order to make sure that meetings have quorums. “There’s six positions on each of the four committees, so we need 24 people out there volunteering,” he said. Council members asked if they
could solicit volunteers through social media, and Town Attorney Michael Cirullo said that was OK, as long as responses were routed through the town, either by the council member or the respondent. “Also, just so you know, anybody can just come into town hall and put in an application, and you all can go through anything that comes through town hall,” Cirullo said. During public comment, Paul Coleman said he would like to volunteer, but it was hard to take time off from work. “I was asked to be on a committee before, and the biggest drawback to being on the committee for me, like a lot of the other folks out in the audience, is I work Monday through Friday, so when the meeting is at 9 a.m. on a Tuesday or a Wednesday, in order to participate or be a part of the See VOLUNTEERS, page 22
Aquatic Harvesting Contract Readies RPB For Floating Weed Season
By Denis Eirikis Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Village Council voted unanimously Thursday, March 21 to award a contract to Texas Aquatic Harvesting to remove floating vegetative debris as needed during the upcoming rainy season. The village boasts almost 20 miles of scenic canoe trails, lakes and recreational waterways. The waters are clear and inviting this time of year, but village officials are already gearing up for their annual war on floating weeds and debris, fought every summer on a battlefield consisting of the village’s 750 acres of waterways. Many residents cherish everyday views of bass jumping, ospreys diving, wading birds hunting and mother ducks swimming with ducklings in tow, but vegetation threatens these idyllic vistas. Each summer, environmental conditions can cause local populations of floating plants to explosively bloom so enthusiastically that entire lake surfaces can become hidden from view under all the floating plants. It’s an annual battle. Temperatures get warmer, the rainy season washes fertilizers from lawns into waterways and floating plants bloom so prolifically that beautiful reflective waterways are turned
almost overnight into marshes of thick floating weeds. The village chose to “piggyback” on a contract that Texas Aquatic Harvesting already negotiated with the South Florida Water Management District. The contract calls for an initial one-year term, followed by two options of one year each. Since the contract is “piggybacked,” the village can only request an annual extension if the SFWMD does. Public Works Director Paul Webster briefed the council on the item that was pulled from the consent agenda for a full discussion. “For failure to remove floating vegetation properly, we dismissed our former contractor for poor performance,” Webster explained. “This vendor is contractually required to respond to village needs within 72 hours of a request.” Summer floating weed blooms can become so thick that fishing and boating can become problematic, and the aesthetic pleasures of village waterways are debased by acres of rotting vegetation. That’s also when scores of residents pick up the phone each May through September to complain to village officials. “The frustration is understandable. Residents want the canals to be available for their intended See WEEDS, page 22
A harvester cuts through aquatic weeds last season in RPB.
PHOTO COURTESY THE VILLAGE OF ROYAL PALM BEACH
BROOKE USA GALA
Brooke USA’s Sunset Polo & White Party raised more than $350,000 for working equines and the people who depend on them at an elegant and well-attended fundraiser held at the Wanderers Club in Wellington on Friday, March 22. More than 1,000 people joined together for the signature event. Shown above are Tristan Nunez, Paige Bellissimo, Sidney Shulman and David Oberkircher. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Vet Liam Dwyer To Receive A New Place To Call Home
Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer with his wife Meghan.
PHOTO COURTESY HOME FOR OUR TROOPS
By Callie Sharkey Town-Crier Staff Report After two tours with the U.S. Marines and suffering major injuries during his deployment, Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer is finally coming home to the western communities, courtesy of Homes For Our Troops (HFOT), a nationwide nonprofit that builds homes for veterans at no charge. In 2011, Dwyer sustained severe injuries to his arm after stepping on an improvised explosive device (IED) and has undergone more than 50 surgeries since then. “The biggest issues that I have dealt with physically since the injury is the amputation of my left leg above the knee. This required the use of a prosthetic leg,” Dwyer explained. “I am currently under-
going intensive rehabilitation to improve my range of motion, as well as learning how to walk again. I am able to focus on the rehabilitation and recover with the support and care of my family, especially my wife Meghan.” As the Dwyers continue to work on building a new life, they knew it would require finding a permanent place to call home. With Liam’s physical restrictions, it would need to be someplace truly special. “We heard about Homes For Our Troops through other wounded warriors and their families while I was completing the medical board process at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland,” Dwyer said. “The application process was fairly simple, and within 24 hours
of completing the application, we received a call from a representative thanking us for applying and that our information was going to be reviewed.” HFOT, founded in 2004, is a nonprofit that builds specially adapted custom homes for veterans. These homes are built with more than 40 special adaptations offered, from roll-under sinks and lower countertops to wider doorways and accessible showers. “Right now, we have completed more than 270 homes nationwide and 79 projects are underway,” HFOT marketing associate Teresa Verity said. “We have built in 42 states. The homes provide a safe and comfortable living environment for veterans, who are then able to go back to pursuing careers
or back to school. The rebuilding of a life aspect of the home is an important part of our mission.” Dwyer and his wife began their search for a new area to rebuild their lives and found themselves exploring central Palm Beach County due to its close proximity to family. “Meghan and I found our plot of land in our dream neighborhood while training my Golden Retriever, Stella, to be my service dog,” Dwyer said. “Paws 4 Liberty is a nonprofit organization that trains service dogs for veterans. As Meghan and I would attend weekly training sessions, we would drive around Lake Worth/ Wellington area to explore the town. We fell in love with our See DWYER, page 4