MIXED REVIEWS FOR COUNTY FINANCES SEE STORY, PAGE 3
SENIORS CELEBRATE CINCO DE MAYO SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 5
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Wellington Council To Review Magistrate Appointment Process
Volume 36, Number 19 May 8 - May 14, 2015
Serving Palms West Since 1980
WOMEN’S CLUB FASHION LUNCHEON
The Wellington Village Council approved the renewal of one of its four code enforcement special magistrate contracts last week, but decided to postpone the appointment of another magistrate until the appointment process is reviewed. Page 3
Wellington Garden Club Presents Scholarships, Installs New Officers
The Wellington Garden Club held its spring luncheon and new officer installation on Monday, May 4 at the Wycliffe Golf & Country Club. Also at the luncheon, scholarships were presented to those studying horticulture and environmentally friendly fields. Page 5
Elbridge Gale Aftercare Presents Disney Classic ‘The Little Mermaid’
Elbridge Gale Elementar y School’s aftercare program delighted parents, family and friends with a production of Disney’s The Little Mermaid on Friday, May 1 in the school cafeteria. The show was directed by Andrew Spinelli and Ashlley Rodriguez. Page 19
OPINION Open Communication Will Keep Civil Unrest From Flaring Up Here
In the wake of civil unrest in Baltimore over the past few weeks — on the heels of similar unrest in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson last summer — there have been many questions about the likelihood of such unrest taking place in other communities across the nation. The best way of handling a potential uprising is to prevent it from happening in the first place, through sound practices and open communication. That is why the actions taken by Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw this week are a good step in the right direction. Page 4
DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 9 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 23 BUSINESS......................24 - 25 SPORTS..........................31 - 33 CALENDAR............................ 36 CLASSIFIEDS.................38 - 41 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The Women of the Western Communities presented “Simply Chic: An Afternoon of Fashion” on Sunday, May 3 at the Wanderers Club in Wellington. Dress Barn in Royal Palm Beach provided three outfits for each of the six models, while Visions Salon provided hair and makeup. Shown here are Rose Allen, Donna Kuebler, Deena Rubio, Lisa Schwartz, Sky Skeel, Marissa Priore, Kerriann Spratt, Shereen Aziz, Ashley Smith and Andrea Match. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Zoners OK Movie Theater At Wellington Green
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board recommended approval Wednesday of a variance to allow a new, upscale movie theater to be built inside the Mall at Wellington Green. Wellington Planner Damian Newell said the theater needs a conditional approval since the Mall at Wellington Green, located in the central portion of the Wellington Green development, does not have approval for an indoor movie theater. The mall’s outparcels could have a movie theater, but one has not been built. The 45,000-square-foot theater will have 10 screens and 1,200
seats. It will be located in part of the current Ashley Furniture space. Ashley Furniture is reducing its area to 26,530 square feet. Also, an additional restaurant will be added to the exterior, and the mall’s roof will be raised to about 50 feet in the area of the theater to accommodate the movie screens, Newell said. Planning consultant Chuck Millar with Shutts & Bowen said the applicant is only asking to shift the approved theater location from an existing outparcel, explaining that the proposed theater will have several entrances, and the location would be more strategically located to enhance traffic and stimulate business at other shops
and restaurants within the mall. He pointed out that Starwood Capital, the current mall owner, has 29 malls nationwide, of which 23 have theaters. The company has found that movie theaters on outparcels have less success than those in mall interiors, and minimally increase overall commerce at the malls. Millar pointed out that they would be back for architectural approval and additional review before final approval. Mall at Wellington Green General Manager Marc Strich said that when the original Wellington Green development was approved in 1996, it included a maximum of See THEATER, page 4
Task Force And Committee Support Charter Protections For Equestrian Preserve Area By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington’s Charter Review Task Force and Equestrian Preserve Committee held a joint meeting Monday to discuss the inclusion of the Equestrian Preserve Area and the Equestrian Preserve Committee in the village’s charter. Village Attorney Laurie Cohen said consideration had been given to adding language to the charter to protect the Equestrian Preserve Area, and asked members of the committee to tell members of the task force what they considered most important. “The task force has been through the entire charter, and they have considered all of the provisions. They’ve come up with a fairly limited number of things that they would like to recommend, and they finalized some of that discussion tonight,” Cohen said, explaining that the council will discuss the proposed changes, and possibly consider things that the task force has not considered. If a supermajority of the council agrees to send the changes to the voters, they will likely be on the ballot next March. Ken Adams, who chairs the task
force, said an issue that got much interest at the public forum on charter changes was the equestrian preserve. “I didn’t sense that there was a lot of unanimity between people in terms of what the equestrian preserve is, but they certainly are on your side,” Adams told Equestrian Preserve Committee members. In possible changes not related to the equestrian preserve, the task force had considered a proposal to increasing council compensation, which is currently $300 a month, to $800 a month, but decided unanimously Monday not to carry that question forward. The task force did sent a change to the council that would reduce the requirement to raise compensation from a supermajority of four council members to a simple majority. The task force also discussed filling council vacancies, and decided to recommend a policy similar to provisions for filling a mayoral vacancy. If the remaining term is less than 180 days, the vacancy would not be filled, or if the mayor’s seat is open, the vice mayor would fill in for that time. If the remaining time is greater
than 180 days, a special election would be held. The next recommendation would change the public notice requirement for special meetings. Cohen pointed out that the charter currently requires a 72-hour notice for meetings, but Florida Statutes only call for “reasonable notice,” and the task force is proposing that the 72-hour notice be removed in favor of the state law. Another question pertains to a charter call for a referendum if the village is to levy an ad valorem tax higher than 5 mills. The task force had a lengthy discussion about the question, and task force member and former Village Attorney Jeff Kurtz maintained that the village’s ad valorem tax rate is already higher than 5 mills if law enforcement and fire-rescue funding is factored in. “The original intent was that the village would not exceed 5 mills, and if it ever exceeded 5 mills, the voters would have a right to initiate a referendum and vote on that issue,” Cohen said. “As a practical matter, it is virtually impossible to comply with that. It doesn’t really See CHARTER, page 18
New IB Program A Big Win For RPBHS By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach High School was recently named the sixth Palm Beach County School District high school to offer the rigorous International Baccalaureate diploma program. The new IB program will get underway in the 2015-16 school year. RPBHS Principal Jesus Armas is thrilled that the school was chosen, and also that there is a centrally located IB program for local students. “It’s not that it’s important for Royal Palm Beach High School to have an IB program, it’s that it is important for the western communities to have an IB program,” Armas said. “For too long, our students in the western communities have had to get on buses at 5 o’clock in the morning to travel out of our community in order to get an IB curriculum and an IB diploma. It’s time now that those of us in The Acreage, Royal Palm Beach and Wellington have an opportunity to stay home to be able to earn an IB diploma.” At the district level, it was determined that the western communities needed an IB program, a prestigious international cur-
riculum originating in Geneva, Switzerland, that allows students to obtain college credit. “The minute that we saw that, we began the process of trying to be that school,” Armas said. “We did want to have the IB program here. We do feel that it will benefit all of our students to be able to have that program on our campus.” Armas said everyone in the school is excited about the program, which will increase the opportunities available to Royal Palm Beach students. “It has always been our goal to provide all of the students in the Village of Royal Palm Beach with a comprehensive high school that meets the needs of our students,” he said. “We believe that in these last five years we’ve brought in several programs that will meet the needs of our students.” The school has several special program offerings, including the Excelsior, Global Business, HVAC, Medical Sciences and STEM academies. “Now with the IB program, along with all of the existing programs that we’ve had, we believe that we provide all of the options that a student would want in a See IB PROGRAM, page 18
TEMPLE HOSTS PICNIC
Temple B’nai Jacob of Wellington held its annual picnic Sunday, May 3 at Loxahatchee Groves Park. At the event, religious school students received end-of-the-year awards, and everyone enjoyed fun games and socializing. Shown here are Sara Cohen, Hope Greene and Aili Delisi. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 17
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
Loxahatchee Groves Council OKs Waste Dumping Ordinance
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council approved the first reading of an ordinance Tuesday to immediately stop the dumping of waste material that has been piling up on some residents’ property, possibly at the consent of owners who receive tipping fees from the dumpers. On April 7, the council instructed town staff to draft an ordinance that would prohibit the dumping of waste materials on land within the town limits after hearing complaints from residents. Town Manager Bill Underwood said the ordinance is a stopgap measure intended to immediately stop the dumping of trash. “It will stop future dumping but won’t correct what has already occurred,”
Underwood said, explaining that his staff is working on a more detailed ordinance that would prohibit dumping without infringing on legitimate agricultural operations. “We wanted something that would put a halt to it immediately.” Underwood said that the ordinance would be the town’s first line of defense in halting more dumping, and that further action may be required to incorporate the provisions with the town’s unified land development code. It would become effective upon final approval, set for May 19. The council also added a clause suggested by former Councilman Dr. Bill Louda to prohibit dumping of any material where the property owner receives a tipping fee. Councilman Tom Goltzené said See DUMPING, page 7
SADD Safety Day Urges Caution Behind The Wheel
Students Brianni Guzman, Matthew Pannell and Lazaro Palenzuela with Florida Highway Patrol Trooper First Class Robert Guzman. PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach High School’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) club hosted an eye-opening safety day Wednesday, May 6. Coordinated by SADD sponsor Maureen Witkowski, the students, visiting various stations in three waves, learned how a few easy precautions can make the difference in situations where accidents can be fatal. “I don’t like funerals of teenagers,” Witkowski said. “I don’t want to be at any funerals of anybody sitting here. So, [we have] interactive ways for you to understand that, first of all, driving is a privilege, and there are certain things that can decrease your chances of being in an accident that we’re go-
ing to be discussing today.” She introduced the event’s guest speaker, an identical twin whose life changed in an instant. Emily Slosberg, CEO of the Dori Slosberg Foundation (www. dorisaveslives.org), stressed to the students the need for speaking up and how one small decision can change a life forever. Slosberg and her twin sister, Dori, daughters of State Rep. Irv Slosberg (D-District 91), got into a car one night with other teens. Nine teenagers piled into a twodoor Honda Civic, she told the students, and only four survived. Slosberg pleaded with students to speak up if they had any concerns about someone’s driving, to always wear a seat belt, and to always be careful. “I was lucky enough to have a
twin sister, Dori. Growing up, we did everything together. We shared clothes, we shared a bedroom, we talked about everything… there was never a day that we were apart. She was a built-in best friend,” Emily recalled. “Let me tell you about what happened that changed everything.” Slosberg told the students about a Friday night one February, when she and her sister were having a fun time at a bowling alley in Boca Raton. They were approached by a 19-year-old guy who asked if they wanted to go to a party. Emily and Dori Slosberg and their friends went with the guy and his friend. “The guy almost flips the car, and I’ll never forget looking into my twin sister’s eyes and everybody else in the car — we all See SADD, page 7