ITID PREPARING FOR MORE RAINFALL SEE STORY, PAGE 3
RPB ZONERS OK METRO DINER PLAN SEE STORY, PAGE 4
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE Star Liquors Will Temporarily Close Town Square Store
Volume 39, Number 21 May 25 - May 31, 2018
Serving Palms West Since 1980
‘BUILDING A STRONGER COMMUNITY’
The Star Liquors location in the Wellington Town Square shopping plaza will temporarily close next week as part of a longplanned redevelopment of the shopping center, located at the corner of Forest Hill and South Shore boulevards. Page 3
ITID Resumes Traffic Discussions With GL Homes
GL Homes has renewed its effort to build about 3,800 homes on approximately 2,800 acres in the northwest quadrant of Indian Trail Improvement District after trying unsuccessfully to transfer most of those development rights to property it owns in the agricultural reserve west of Boynton Beach. Page 4 The Wellington Community Foundation hosted its 2018 Kickoff Fundraiser on Friday, May 18 at the Wellington Community Center. The event raised more than $35,000, which will be used to help Wellington seniors, children and veterans in need with home improvement projects. Shown above are Julie Tannehill and Maggie Zeller with “screwdrivers” available for a $100 donation. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Palm Beach Central Bids Farewell To 700-Plus Grads
Quarter Auction Event Held To Benefit Barky Pines Animal Rescue
KB and MM Quarters for Kindness held a quarter auction to benefit Barky Pines Animal Rescue on Thursday, May 17 at the Wellington Trace Tavern. There were raffles as well as the quarter auction, and food was available for purchase. Page 8
New Club Pilates Wellington Celebrates Its Grand Opening
On Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20, Club Pilates Wellington celebrated the grand opening of its new studio, located at 10660 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 140. General Manager Christine Butta offered introductory classes for those who have never taken a Pilates class and held a raffle for a complimentary membership. Page 13 Pages 28 and 29
DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 13 LETTERS.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 6 PEOPLE................................. 14 SCHOOLS.............................. 15 COLUMNS............................. 16 BUSINESS......................26 - 27 SPORTS......................... 33 - 35 CALENDAR............................ 36 CLASSIFIEDS................ 38 - 40 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
By Dani Salgueiro Town-Crier Staff Report Palm Beach Central High School bid farewell to its Class of 2018 on Monday, May 21 at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center. The graduating class of some 700 students leaves behind a unique legacy comprised of not only record-setting test scores and athletic abilities, but also of extraordinary philanthropic school involvement, Principal Darren Edgecomb said. “The strength and perseverance you gained throughout the last three years truly enabled you to finish strong,” he said. “This class has left us with an amazing legacy, [and] Palm Beach Central is a better place simply because you were a part of it. Be proud of the legacy you have left behind.” Edgecomb, who began his time
Loly, Dominick and Sandy Alvarez after the graduation ceremony. as principal during the Class of 2018’s freshman year, expressed the overwhelming amount of pride he felt as the graduates prepared
PHOTO BY DANI SALGUEIRO/TOWN-CRIER
to cross the stage to receive their diploma. “It is my great honor to share See PBCHS GRAD, page 20
Wellington High School Honors The Graduating Class Of 2018
By Eve Rosen Town-Crier Staff Report On Thursday, May 17, Wellington High School proudly said goodbye to its Class of 2018 at a graduation ceremony held at the South Florida Fairgrounds. This year’s Wellington High School seniors were the first class to graduate under new Principal Cara Hayden, who replaced the retiring Principal Mario Crocetti earlier this year. Crocetti, meanwhile, was present at the graduation and helped in leading the seniors down the aisle to their seats and in passing out the diplomas after the graduates had taken their pictures with Hayden. The students were among the first to graduate under new Palm Beach County School Superintendent Dr. Donald Fennoy, who discussed the importance of
Graduates Sara Casey, Julie Cesta and Rebecca Kokot. thanking those who have helped the graduates to get to where they are today.
PHOTO BY EMMA ROSEN/TOWN-CRIER
“Saying ‘thank you’ is an acknowledgement that someone See WHS GRAD, page 11
Seminole Ridge Sends 593 Graduates Into The Future
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Seminole Ridge High School graduated 593 seniors during a commencement ceremony at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center on Monday, May 21. Principal James Campbell credited students for their support in assisting the school during a stressful year. “As I think back through this year, the real lessons that took place were not in the classroom,” he said. “Our school year began with the challenge of Hurricane Irma. Less than a month into school, we closed so our communities could prepare for the storm. After the storm cleanup began, some of you helped keep the campus open so we could serve as a shelter for more than 2,000 people. After missing seven days of school, we welcomed students
Wellington Readies For Storm Season With A New Debris Removal Ordinance
By Dani Salgueiro Town-Crier Staff Report As hurricane season approaches, the Wellington Village Council began the process this week of setting up an efficient post-disaster debris recovery system. At the Tuesday, May 22 meeting, council members reflected on the lessons learned from Hurricane Irma last year. “This is something we put together when we realized that we could do it well in advance in studying the way we went through the storm last year,” Councilman John McGovern said. “That’s what brought this forward at this point in time — the week before we start hurricane season.” Having learned vital lessons from Hurricane Irma — which created a deluge of vegetative waste that took months to collect
and dispose of — the council was on board with the idea of amending the village’s code of ordinances by creating an entirely new article that, through requiring right-of-access agreements from all community homeowners’ associations, will allow the village to more efficiently clean up disastercaused debris. Much of the new ordinance is to bring the village in line with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requirements. “As you know, in the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, in order for the village to pick up debris in private communities, FEMA required that we get right-of-entry agreements signed by the HOAs in order for us to be eligible for FEMA reimbursement,” Purchasing Director Ed De La Vega explained. “In See DEBRIS, page 4
PRH CHAMBER MIXER
On Thursday, May 17, the Puerto Rican Hispanic Chamber of Commerce held a business, educational and social networking meeting at the Home Depot store on State Road 7. Shown above are Victor Torres, Herb Rein and Juan Pagán. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 13 PHOTO BY EVE ROSEN/TOWN-CRIER
Royal Palm Beach Holds Annual Citizen Summit
By Eve Rosen Town-Crier Staff Report On Monday, May 21, the Village of Royal Palm Beach hosted its annual Citizen Summit at the Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center. The meeting allowed residents to voice their opinions about matters that are important to them regarding the future of the community. Opening comments were made by Mayor Fred Pinto, as well as consultant Lyle Sumek, who moderated the meeting and announced the rounds of the different questions. Pinto explained that the evening was an opportunity for the citizens to make their voices heard on key issues in Royal Palm Beach. “This is an important night for us, and it is one of our favorite nights here, because we get to hear from you, our citizens,” Pinto said. “We get to hear your mind, your thoughts, but more importantly, we get to share with you tonight some of the concepts and strategies that we have been working on [regarding] what direction we need to be going in.” Along with the importance of hearing these opinions, there were also some basic rules of the
Citizen Summit: everyone’s ideas are important; treat everyone with respect, even if you disagree; record everyone’s ideas on the provided large sheets of paper; and highlight the items deemed “most important” by a majority vote with a star. After the introductions were made, residents broke off into different groups that would discuss each given topic. A member of the Royal Palm Beach Village Council would rotate around each group as each question was being asked in order to personally hear the citizens’ concerns and opinions. The first group of topics consisted of two questions. First, “During the last two years, 2017-18, what has the village government done to enhance the livability of Royal Palm Beach?” and “What actions can be taken by the village government to enhance the livability of Royal Palm Beach, and are you willing to increase your taxes?” Denise Hopkins sat at a table with two younger children at the summit, who voiced their own opinions for question number one, their names were Dexter and Calvin Powers. One of the items that this group See SUMMIT, page 7
Jimmy and graduate Karen Starcher with Amber Nuss. back to campus. Over the next few days, I heard numerous positive stories of our students before, during and after Irma. Many of you
PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER
learned the value of helping others through difficult times.” Senior Class President Carsyn See SRHS GRAD, page 17
RPB residents take part in a roundtable discussion.
PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER