SRHS AND WHS GRADUATION PREVIEWS SEE STORIES, PAGE 3
MBSK AWARDS ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIPS SEE STORY, PAGES 12-13
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE
Volume 40, Number 19 May 10 - May 16, 2019
Serving Palms West Since 1980
A FLAG RAISING IN WELLINGTON
2019 GUIDE
Pages 16 thru 17
Equestrian Committee Discusses Crosswalks And Manure Disposal
Wellington’s Equestrian Preser ve Committee met on Wednesday, May 1 and featured discussions on equestrian crosswalks and manure disposal. Page 4
CAFCI Presents Annual Student Assistance Awards
Caribbean-Americans for Community Involvement (CAFCI) presented its 26th annual Student Assistance Award Ceremony on Saturday, May 4 at the Village Golf Club in Royal Palm Beach. The theme was “Empowering Youth and Investing in Our Future.” More than a dozen students were presented with scholarships. Page 11
Wellington Softball Squad Defeats Wildcats To Claim Title
The Wellington High School softball team defeated rival Royal Palm Beach High School 3-2 in a nail-biter district title matchup Wednesday, May 1. It was the second straight District 138A title for the host Wolverines (24-2), who won back-to-back against the Wildcats. Page 21
When the Wellington home of Ottis Moore, a U.S. Navy veteran, and his wife Velma was in need of sprucing up, but the work was beyond the capabilities and means of the couple, the Wellington Community Foundation stepped in to foot the bill. The project culminated with a ceremony and flag raising on Friday, May 3. Shown above is Wellington Community Foundation Chair Tom Wenham with Ottis and Velma Moore. STORY & MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Royal Palm Asks Residents For Help With New Slogan
By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report What the “Got Milk?” slogan did for the milk campaign is just what the Village of Royal Palm Beach is looking for in commemoration of its upcoming 60th anniversary. The village is seeking a slogan to encapsulate the quality of life in the community in a few concise words. Royal Palm Beach Parks & Recreation Director Lou Recchio said the idea for a slogan contest came about quickly. “This has happened so fast, and it is pretty simple,” said Recchio, who explained that the village will be turning 60 years old in the end of June and is now looking for a slogan to promote during the celebrations and events this year. Recchio invited residents to re-
view the village’s web site at www. royalpalmbeach.com and read the community’s mission statement, which reads, “The mission of the Village of Royal Palm Beach is to provide services and facilities to create an aesthetically pleasing, active and connected community.” This is a fairly comprehensive mission statement but a bit wordy for a banner. Some other facts about the village may help get residents of all ages to put on their thinking caps and inspire them to greater creativity. The village, which is home to some 35,000 residents, encompasses 11 square miles and is actually 10 miles from the ocean and the nearest beach, despite its beachy name. Led by a mayor and village council, the community
was incorporated in 1959 and has been named by Family Circle Magazine to its list of “10 Best Towns for Families.” Boasting 20 parks with an enviable standard of 10 acres of parkland per 1,000 residents, the village aims to provide diversified activities that fulfill and enrich the physical development, lifetime skills and personal needs of Royal Palm Beach residents. Proud that its planned, functional parks are designed with open space areas and are maintained to high standards in order to serve residents now and in the future, the village, which is also a bird sanctuary throughout all its borders, has also been named a Tree City USA annually for nearly three decades. In addition to the abundance See RPB SLOGAN, page 4
Major Road Repair Project Underway In Lox Groves
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council heard reports from most of its advisory committees, staff and consultants on Tuesday, May 7, with Town Engineer Larry Peters reporting that staff had put down more than 5,000 tons of rock on its dirt roads over the past year. Peters, who supplied the council with a comprehensive written operations and maintenance report, said staff put down 900 tons of base rock just over the past week, equating to about 50 truckloads. Councilwoman Laura Danowski said she was impressed to see new speed limit and “No Through Trucks” signs posted on town roads. Councilwoman Phillis Maniglia, however, said she had seen and heard reports that the road rock was too coarse for equestrian traffic. “We need to remember that we are an equestrian community, and when you put rock on the road, it has to be equine-friendly,” Maniglia said. “I’ve been seeing some huge rocks put on the road that I can’t imagine anyone would be able to pass on a horse.” Peters said his crew is still in the first phase of topping the roads. “We’re not finished,” he said. “There is another layer that goes on top of this rock. That’s only a base rock. There’s another step, [and] we’re not there yet.” Peters added that town staff would do the second step as soon as it has the personnel to do it. Mayor Robert Shorr asked specifically where the crew would be working this week. “I know with the rains, you’re chasing your tails, but I saw they
dropped a load on E Road,” Shorr said. “I know you’ve dropped hundreds of loads throughout the community, but if it’s not on somebody’s roads, they may not see the impact.” Peters said he starts the week on Monday with a safety meeting. “We’re pretty much up to date with all the safety issues,” Peters said. “Secondly, we go out and ride the roads, because in order to comply with your requests to at least grade the roads, the main lettered roads every Friday and again on Monday if possible, rain permitting, but last week alone, in one day, we put 900 tons of rock on North Road. For the entire period of time that we’ve been here, and we’ve been in control of the roads, we’ve placed more than 5,000 tons of base rock, so it’s being established, and everywhere we’ve had an opportunity to complete the job, there’s not any issues with water.” Peters added that if given enough staff, he would be able to get all the roads done properly. He currently has a three-person crew working on roads with a fourth mowing equestrian trails and canal banks. Maniglia pointed out that the OGEM (open-graded emulsified mix) roads that are now six years old have not been top-coated as they were supposed to have been and are breaking off on the sides. Peters said they were to have been sealed after five years, and that has not been done. “F Road is deplorable,” Peters said. “I drove down it today, and I was embarrassed. Tomorrow we’re going to try some patching, but we just patch and patch. We should be doing some fixing See LOX ROADS, page 4
GARDEN CLUB’S SPRING LUNCHEON
Acreage, Loxahatchee Groves Prepare For Hurricane Season
Wellington Wild Hosts Girls Fast-Pitch Softball Tournament
A total of 52 teams were in attendance at the Walk on the Wild Side Fast-Pitch Softball Tournament on Saturday, May 4. The annual tradition is hosted by the Wellington Wild Fast-Pitch Softball Association. Page 22 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 20 LETTERS.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 PEOPLE................................... 8 SCHOOLS................................ 9 COLUMNS............................. 16 BUSINESS............................. 19 CALENDAR............................ 20 SPORTS......................... 21 - 22 CLASSIFIEDS.................23 - 24 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Acreage and Loxahatchee Groves are preparing for the upcoming hurricane season under the guidance of two seasoned veterans. Indian Trail Improvement District Manager Rob Robinson worked for the South Florida Water Management District before his current job, and Loxahatchee Groves Town Manager Jamie Titcomb was CEO of the Palm Beach County League of Cities for 20 years, working as liaison to Palm Beach County’s Emergency Operations Center, and he was the manager of the Town of Ocean Ridge through Hurricane Irma before coming to Loxahatchee Groves. Robinson said that he has a drill set up on May 29 to get his crews ready for emergency management in the event of a hurricane.
“We’re going to have a mock exercise for readiness of personnel,” he told the Town-Crier on Wednesday. “We will also be holding some training classes to go over proper procedures around our power lines, as well as chain saw safety.” Robinson said the district monitors the weather service and local television for severe weather information. “TV has excellent coverage,” Robinson said. “Tuesday afternoon, crews were put on notice when we had the tornado alert. Crews were told to hunker down in position and be ready to respond in the event of a touchdown so we could clean up any of the infrastructure.” Although a tornado did strike on private property in Loxahatchee on Friday, May 3, tearing off a portion of a barn roof, there was no actual touchdown reported on Tuesday.
“We had a few branches down and some palm fronds, but no serious damage,” he said. Robinson said he has grading crews working overtime to keep the roads in good shape. “We will have them on rotation throughout the summer,” Robinson said. “We understand concerns of residents when it comes to unpaved roads and getting the potholes filled in a timely manner, so we have directed operations to come up with a rotation for overtime, so we have coverage during the wet season.” Robinson noted that ITID is putting more rock down on the dirt roads than in the past, which will improve drainage when a storm hits. “We’re trying to be more proactive by putting more rock down,” Robinson said. “We’ve increased our budget $300,000 for road base See HURRICANES, page 4
On Monday, May 6, the Wellington Garden Club hosted a Kentucky Derby-themed spring luncheon. The event, sponsored by the Red Hat Ladies and chaired by Dee Rolfe, took place at the Mayacoo Lakes Country Club and included raffle prizes, a best hat contest, the installation of a new board and the presentation of this year’s scholarship winners. Shown above, is Carol Krenkel with her first-place-winning butterfly hat. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 15 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Night Of Heroes Event May 18 Will Support Hayden Chipley
The fundraiser will support young Hayden Chipley and his family.
By Gina M. Capone Town-Crier Staff Report Hayden Chipley and his family look forward to seeing a strong turnout from the community on Saturday, May 18 at the First Baptist Church of Wellington, located at 12700 W. Forest Hill Blvd. Starting at 5 p.m., Hayden’s Night of Heroes will raise money for the family of a seven-year-old with an unusual illness, helping defray the mounting costs of his treatment. Hayden isn’t your typical first grader. He doesn’t eat ice cream or French fries, pizza or donuts. He has to go to a hospital in Colorado each year because he is fighting a rare disease of the esophagus called Eosinophilic Esophagitis.
White blood cells from the bone marrow move into the bloodstream and migrate toward inflamed areas of tissue when he eats food. The food causes an allergy, and his body misunderstands the food. Instead of digesting the nourishment, it attacks it, causing inflammation. Right now, Hayden’s diet consists of lollipops and white Gatorade, as well as an expensive drink formula that is not covered by insurance. The Chipley family has a long road ahead. But mom Jennifer Chipley keeps her composure because she needs to be strong for her family. She talked lovingly about her son in a recent interview.
“My son is hilarious. He is funny. He likes to play baseball. He is athletic. Hayden is introverted by nature, and he’s a thinker. So, he will sit back and watch you, then join in the conversation. So, when he is silly, it just warms your heart,” she explained. At his heart, Hayden is a normal seven-year-old boy. “He’s a sweet kid,” Chipley said. “He goes to Binks Forest Elementary and loves it. He loves his friends, his family, going to church and being involved there. He likes Pokémon cards, Nintendo, all of that. He just likes to be active.” At Binks Forest, his favorite teacher has been his Kindergarten See HAYDEN, page 20