Town-Crier Newspaper May 22, 2015

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GROVES TOWN, DISTRICT OK TRAIL PACT SEE STORY, PAGE 4

VILLAGES TO OBSERVE MEMORIAL DAY SEE STORY, PAGE 16

THE

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

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INSIDE

Wellington Renames Street After Village Pioneer Ken Adams

Volume 36, Number 21 May 22 - May 28, 2015

Serving Palms West Since 1980

ANTI-GMO MARCH IN WELLINGTON

The Wellington Village Council renamed Country Club Drive leading to the Lake Wellington Professional Centre in honor of Wellington pioneer and former County Commissioner Ken Adams last week. The street will now be known as Ken Adams Way. Page 3

McKinlay Requests Removal Of Folsom As A County Arterial

Commissioner Melissa McKinlay on Tuesday requested that the removal of Folsom Road from Palm Beach County’s arterial roadway map be placed on the Palm Beach County Commission’s next meeting agenda. The request was made after officials from the Town of Loxahatchee Groves asked that Folsom Road be removed to enable the installation of traffic-calming devices. Page 5

Wellington’s first ever “March Against Monsanto” was held Saturday, May 16 with a rally at the original Wellington Mall followed by a march along Forest Hill Blvd. The participants were opposed to the use of “genetically modified organisms” or GMOs. Shown here, Johnny Meier PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER and Dr. Randy Laurich lead the march. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 3

RPBHS Graduation Ceremony Reflects A Year Of Successes

Bubbles & Bouquets Event At IPC Benefits Petals With Purpose

Bubbles & Bouquets, an event benefiting Petals with Purpose, was held Sunday, May 17 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. Contestants had 30 minutes to arrange flowers and seek donations from the guests. The couple that collected the most donations during the competition was declared the winner. Page 17

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach High School sent more than 500 graduating seniors out into the world Monday evening during commencement exercises at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center. Principal Jesus Armas thanked parents and guardians for their support.

“Thank you for your support of your children, especially these four years of high school,” Armas said. “It has been an honor and a privilege to educate your child.” He also thanked the leaders of feeder schools, several of whom were sitting on the stage, for preparing their students well for high school. He also thanked Palm Beach County School Board

OPINION

Show Appreciation For All Those Who Served

Memorial Day is a time to remember fallen soldiers — members of the U.S. military who gave their lives in service to our nation. While many will get to enjoy a day off from work, it is also important to recall the meaning of the holiday and show appreciation for those who were lost, as well as the veterans who survived. Yet too often, we have not paid our veterans the respect they deserve. Memorial Day is a day of reflection, of realizing that the oft-cited “freedom isn’t free” mantra is more real than ever, as the U.S. continues to have soldiers across the globe. Page 4

RPBHS Class of 2015 graduate Selina Cabrera with family members Isabelle, Angelina and Lizzette.

PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER

Member Marcia Andrews for her support, as well as village officials and the faculty at Royal Palm Beach High School. Palm Beach County School District Chief Academic Officer Keith Oswald said district students will earn more than $110 million in scholarships and head off to colleges near and far. “Others will enter the workforce by using certifications they have earned right here by attending Royal Palm Beach High School,” Oswald said. “Others will enter the armed forces to protect our freedoms.” Oswald said setting the right goals is one of the most important things a student can do. “During the process of goalsetting, you have to answer one of the most profound questions: What do I want for my life?” he said. “Too many individuals underestimate the positive effect that goal-setting can have.” Oswald also stressed persistence, taking care of family and friends and being kind to others. “There is a lot of hatred in this See RPBHS GRAD, page 9

More Than 650 Class Of 2015 Grads Bid Farewell To PBCHS By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Amid plenty of hoots, hollers and celebration, approximately 650 Palm Beach Central High School students making up the Class of 2015 walked across the stage and became high school graduates Wednesday, May 20 at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center.

Principal Darren Edgecomb greeted the hundreds of friends and family members who came to see the transition. The crowd was treated to a beautiful rendition of the national anthem by the Senior Ensemble prior to Student Government Association President Natalie Marcelo leading the Pledge of Allegiance. “I am pleased to welcome and

DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 10 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 11 SCHOOLS...................... 12 - 13 COLUMNS.......................14, 21 BUSINESS..................... 22 - 23 SPORTS..........................29 - 31 CALENDAR............................ 34 CLASSIFIEDS................ 36 - 39 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM New Palm Beach Central High School graduates Jordan Levi and Kelsey Hodge with Emma and Carter Hodge.

PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

thank our honored guests who have joined me on the stage today to join in the celebration of your commencement,” Edgecomb said before introducing a wide array of school district and local Wellington officials on hand for the ceremony. Edgecomb also thanked the teachers and staff at Palm Beach Central for their hard work. “Finally, and most importantly, we thank the parents, grandparents, guardians, family members and friends who have supported, loved and guided our graduating seniors,” he said. In his 27 years as an educator in Palm Beach County, Edgecomb said that the Class of 2015 is the most impressive that he’d had the pleasure of working with. “As I reflect back on our first senior class assembly, I shared a vision for our school,” he said. “The Class of 2015 has exceeded my expectations in the areas of academics, behavior and climate. In the area of academics, your class has led the way. You have assisted our school in vastly increasing our See PBCHS GRAD, page 7

ITID Draft Budget Calls For Small Assessment Hike By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors was presented with a draft budget Wednesday that will focus on drainage improvements and new maintenance equipment. While the new maintenance equipment will be leased at a savings, the budget calls for an average assessment increase of approximately 3 percent. ITID Finance Director Don Rinzel said district staff members are almost finished developing a comprehensive drainage plan for the community and prioritizing what needs to be done. “This is going to be a 20-year process, but we’ve got to start somewhere,” Rinzel said. ITID is developing an in-house canal improvement crew, and will continue to upgrade telemetry gates so they can be opened and closed more quickly, and without the need for workers to go out in inclement weather. “While doing this, we will continue to have the same level of service that our residents expect, and be flexible enough in our budget to handle situations as they arise,” he said. Maintenance and operations

consumes 40 percent of the budget, and another 16 percent is debt, Rinzel said, pointing out that park bonds of about $120,000 will be paid off next year. Stormwater management takes 21 percent, and there is 10 percent in the parks budget and 13 percent in the administration budget. The average assessment for all units will go up about $14, a little over 3 percent. For active units, the rate will go up about $18, or approximately 3.7 percent. “These numbers are very similar to what it was six years ago,” Rinzel said. “We’ve been cutting, cutting, cutting, and we’re back here. It’s the first year we’ve gone up in about six years. There has been inflation and increased costs, and we’ve done our best to keep the budget in line and keep our costs in line.” The average assessment will be about $478 per acre for the year, which breaks down to about $40 per month, Rinzel said. Administrative costs went up about $80,000, mainly due to an increase in employee costs, primarily for professional staff, he said. The parks budget will increase about $300,000, due primarily See ITID, page 4

GRAND CELEBRATION

The Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce held its annual Grand Celebration, presented by the Center for Bone & Joint Surgery of the Palm Beaches, at the International Polo Club Palm Beach on Saturday, May 16. Thomas Bean of FPL was inducted as the new chairman, while attorney Frank Gonzalez was honored for his service as outgoing chairman. Shown here are Frank Gonzalez, Thomas Bean, CEO Wayne Burns and Carmine Priore III with Young Entrepreneur’s Academy winner Kayla Abramowitz. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

Incumbent Snowball Faces Challenger In LGWCD Election

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Loxahatchee Groves resident Laura Danowski is challenging incumbent Supervisor Robert Snowball next month for the seat that he has occupied for 15 years on the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Board of Supervisors. Snowball’s seat is the only one filled by a vote of qualified electors, rather than a proxy vote based on acreage. Qualified electors are registered voters who also own property. The election will be held June 22. Danowski has lived in Loxahatchee Groves almost 11 years and manages her horse farm on E Road. She also tutors in math and English. She graduated from the University of Maryland in 1990 with

a degree in public relations. Her work experience includes a 10year span in water control, including the management and repair of pumps, motors and control panels with Sullivan Electric & Pump in Lake Worth. “I also spent a few years restoring eroded lake banks,” Danowski said, explaining that the process included demucking, creating a gentler slope and planting vegetation to preserve the banks. “I do feel that I have knowledge that could be a breath of fresh air on how to improve our canal system. So much of our agricultural way of life depends on water, and in a general sense, we are wasteful and oblivious to conservation and behaving in a more responsible manner.” As an equestrian, she supports See LGWCD VOTE, page 16

Wellington Elementary Teacher Wins Dwyer Award

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Kelly Jo Mills won the prestigious William T. Dwyer Award in the Elementary Education category earlier this month. The 31st annual William T. Dwyer Awards for Excellence in Education ceremony was held Wednesday, May 6 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts. The honor was particularly

special to Mills, and not only because she was nominated by her fellow teachers at Wellington Elementary School and went on to win the award, but because she has family ties to award namesake William T. Dwyer, former vice president of Pratt & Whitney in the Government Products Division and founding president of the Education Foundation of Palm Beach County. “My father-in-law was Tom Mills, superintendent of schools in

Palm Beach County for 13 years,” she explained. “He was right there with William T. Dwyer when they set up this educational foundation. He [Tom Mills] was always considering the teachers. He was here that night, and I think that it was very touching for him for a family member to receive it.” Mills is a small but mighty force to be reckoned with. She started teaching at Northboro Elementary School in 1988 before moving on to Liberty Park Elementary

School. She earned her master’s degree in education in 1998 at Florida Atlantic University. After serving as a guidance counselor at Royal Palm Beach Elementary School, she joined the Wellington Elementary School family in 2003. Mills loved working as a guidance counselor, but eventually the call to teach in the classroom pulled her back. “I was really missing that creativity,” she said. “I just felt like I really wanted to go back and be

with the students and do active teaching, because I love that.” Her favorite subject to teach is science. “A lot of kids, when they come to me, say they don’t like science,” Mills said. “It’s really fun to expose them to all those concepts that are so intriguing. I just love for them to learn about the world around them.” At each school, Mills explained, someone is nominated for a Dwyer See MILLS, page 16


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