Town-Crier Newspaper November 15, 2013

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WESTERN COUNCIL MAY PUSH SR 7 PLAN SEE STORY, PAGE 3

FALL FUN FEST AT KOBOSKO’S CROSSING SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 5

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TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

Your Community Newspaper

INSIDE Lox Council Gives Preliminary OK To Code Amendments

Volume 34, Number 46 November 15 - November 21, 2013

COMMEMORATING VETERANS DAY

The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council gave preliminary approval Nov. 5 to ordinances designed to fix issues that town staff and committees had found in the town’s Uniform Land Development Code. Planning Consultant Jim Fleischmann said staff members wrote the proposed ULDC amendments at the direction of the council to create a more user-friendly special exception process. Page 3

Hetherington Featured At Whole Foods Market

Wellington and Royal Palm Beach honored Veterans Day with ceremonies Monday. (Above) Devon Cuevas, whose father Roy is a Marine Corps veteran, stands at the Wellington Veterans Memorial. Wellington hosted a morning parade and ceremony. (Lef t) Boy Scout Troop 111 members with VIPs at Royal Palm Beach’s evening observance. MORE PHOTOS WELLINGTON, PAGE 10 ROYAL PALM, PAGE 16

Whole Foods Market in Wellington hosted an artist reception for Adrianne Hetherington on Friday Nov. 8. Guests enjoyed food, drinks and browsing the artwork. Page 5

RPB OKs Letter Supporting Pioneer Road Improvements

The Royal Palm Beach Village Council will notify Palm Beach County that it supports improvements to Pioneer Road on the west side of State Road 7. The decision at the Nov. 7 council meeting was made despite complaints from residents in the unincorporated Westwood community, which borders the northern portion of the road. Page 7

Cancer Foundation Hosts Open House

The Kids Cancer Foundation hosted an open house at its new headquarters in Royal Palm Beach on Nov. 7. The activities included a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce. Page 7

OPINION Health Care District Marks A Milestone

Last week, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County marked the 25th anniversary of its creation. Formed by referendum in 1988 to help improve the health and well-being of county residents, the district has transformed local healthcare, helping thousands of people over the past 25 years. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 3 - 10 OPINION .................................4 CRIME NEWS .........................6 PEOPLE ............................... 11 SCHOOLS .....................12 - 13 COLUMNS .....................14, 21 NEWS BRIEFS..................... 15 BUSINESS .................... 22 - 23 SPORTS ........................ 27 - 28 CALENDAR ...................29 - 30 CLASSIFIEDS ................ 28 - 33 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

Serving Palms West Since 1980

Wellington OKs 120-Foot Tower At Marketplace Plaza

By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report The decision to allow a 120-foot cell tower in the Wellington Marketplace shopping plaza split the Wellington Village Council on Tuesday. Despite concerns that led Wellington staff to recommend denial of the project, council members approved it 3-2 with councilmen John Greene and Matt Willhite opposed. “I don’t agree this is the right location for it,” Willhite said. But the council majority thought it was necessary to give muchneeded cell service to residents in Wellington’s core. “To me, it’s undisputed that there’s a problem with coverage,” Vice Mayor Howard Coates said. “We all recognize there’s a problem that needs to be addressed.” The Wellington Marketplace is

located at the corner of Greenview Shores Blvd. and Wellington Trace. The cell tower would be built as a flagpole and located in the parking lot behind Park Avenue BBQ. Staff asked Clearview Tower Co., which proposed the tower, not to fly a flag on the pole to minimize its appearance. But Wellington’s staff added that there are other things that could be done by carriers like AT&T and Verizon Wireless — who plan to use the tower — to help residents’ cell service. “They have not demonstrated why an alternative antenna system could not suffice for their purposes,” said David Snavely, a metrical engineer hired to consult with staff. Other things the carriers could do would be to give homes elecSee CELL TOWER, page 16

OLQA FALL FESTIVAL

Wellington Council Finalizes Equestrian Village Settlement By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report At long last, a settlement has been finalized for the controversial Equestrian Village project after members of the Wellington Village Council declined to reconsider the issue at Tuesday night’s meeting. Although Councilman Matt Willhite asked the council to reopen the issue and clarify a motion made at the Oct. 24 meeting, he was without support on the dais. Mark Bellissimo, managing partner of property owner Wellington Equestrian Partners, told the TownCrier Wednesday that he’s prepared to drop the lawsuits that

were filed after several permissions were revoked for the site. “We will accept the settlement,” he said. “I believe that there’s a great path forward for this community, and we should do everything we can to distance ourselves from the controversy.” After the issue devolved largely into a discussion of Robert’s Rules of Order, Willhite made a motion to reconsider the issue, but none of the council members seconded the motion. “I think this opens us up for a challenge,” Willhite said. Last month, Willhite made a motion to approve a master plan amendment and compatibility determination for the Equestrian Vil-

lage site. With it, he altered several conditions in the application. The motion passed 4-1. But during a break following the vote, representatives of the property owner voiced concerns about some of the conditions, Village Attorney Laurie Cohen explained Tuesday. When the council reconvened, Vice Mayor Howard Coates asked to reopen the issue. “He made a motion for clarification and requested to clarify several specific things,” Cohen said. Among the clarifications was whether the site plan for Equestrian Village, which must be submitted to the council for approval, See SETTLEMENT, page 7

Dr. G’s Wants Community’s Holiday Help To ‘Change A Life’ By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Hoping to inject a little holiday spirit into the community, Dr. G’s Weight Loss has launched its Change A Life Wellington: Holiday Edition contest, hoping to make the holidays a bit brighter for those in need. Until Friday, Nov. 29, residents have the opportunity to share their story for the chance at a bit of holiday help. Meanwhile, Dr. G’s is asking for community members and businesses to donate to make the dreams a reality. “We want to help as many people as we can,” said Lisa Butcher, wellness coach at Dr. G’s Weight Loss of Wellington, who started Change A Life Wellington. “I thought, ‘Why can’t we, as a community, rally around those in need?’ Everyone has something

to give. It doesn’t have to be monetary, it could be your time or your talents.” The contest is a holiday edition of Dr. G’s successful Change ALife Wellington contest, which each year donates a complete makeover to a deserving resident. Butcher said she wanted to help even more people. “We were thinking about what we could do to take this to the next level,” she said. “For the holidays, I wanted to do something to bring the community together.” Applications for the contest are being accepted online by visiting www.changealifewellington.com, and entrants may nominate themselves or others. The requests for assistance can be for anything; Butcher said she has received requests for everything from diapers and a doll for

someone’s daughter to assistance cleaning a resident’s house. The deadline is Friday, Nov. 29, and winners will be selected the first week of December, with gifts distributed no later than Dec. 20. The application asks for the number of members in your family, their ages and genders, what assistance they need and why they deserve the opportunity. The winners will be chosen based on the stories. Butcher said she hopes to help multiple families, but that will depend on the generosity of the community. “We want to get as many businesses and individuals involved as possible,” Butcher said. She said whether you choose to donate services, time or money, it will go to a good cause. “Everyone has a gift to give,” See CHANGE LIFE, page 16

Our Lady Queen of the Apostles Catholic Church held its Fall Festival from Thursday, Nov. 7 through Sunday, Nov. 10. There was plenty of food and carnival rides for everyone to enjoy, as well as a silent auction, a bake sale, raffles and more. Shown here, Kailyn Luaces, Calli Brown and Cheyanne Brown enjoy one of the rides. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 17 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Royal Palm Council Supports Call For IB Program At RPBHS By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach Village Council members last week unanimously agreed to send a letter of support for an International Baccalaureate program that is in the approval process for Royal Palm Beach High School. At a meeting Thursday, Nov. 7, Royal Palm Beach High School Principal Jesus Armas said support for the IB program began building over the summer when officials at the Palm Beach County School District determined that there was a service gap in the IB program in the western communities. “When we saw that, it didn’t take us long to jump on board, because we’d like to see it at Royal Palm Beach High School,” Armas said, explaining that the IB program has a series of four programs beginning in elementary and middle school, and also has a career option, but the best known is the high school diploma program. “The IB diploma program is very

rigorous, college-level, and at the end you take a test, an assessment,” he said. “The IB courses are weighted higher, so they’re just like Advanced Placement courses, which is good for our students and parents. Ultimately, based on these assessments, students can receive college credit.” Armas said that the nearest IB program to Royal Palm Beach is 13 miles away. There are four IB programs in the district, at William T. Dwyer, Suncoast, Forest Hill and Atlantic high schools, the closest one being Forest Hill. “The community of Royal Palm Beach sends over 100 students to IB programs,” Armas said. “That’s over 100 students who travel elsewhere to receive this.” RPBHS has instituted a number of magnet programs in the past several years that appear to be drawing Royal Palm Beach students back to the community, Armas said. “Student enrollment trends indicate that when we bring the right programs to Royal Palm Beach See RPBHS, page 4

Murphy: Bill Would Delay Flood Insurance Rate Hike By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Local members of the U.S. House of Representatives announced the introduction of a bill last week designed to slow down and mitigate the increase in flood insurance rates proposed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a result of new flood maps. The Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act is intended to postpone increases brought on by the Biggert-Waters Bill Flood Insurance Reform Act passed in 2012, which was intended to reduce FEMA’s estimated $25 billion deficit. It makes a number of changes to the National Flood Insurance

Program, including increased premiums so the rates people pay will more accurately reflect their risks. However, it has resulted in major revisions of FEMA’s flood maps that have led to widespread potential increases in flood insurance. The announcement was made Friday at a press conference held at the Realtors Association of the Palm Beaches office in West Palm Beach attended by U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy (D-District 18), U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch (D-District 21) and U.S. Rep. Lois Frankel (DDistrict 22), as well as local Realtors, county officials and others. “We had quite a few businesses represented, including Florida bankers and the Florida Realtors Association. We had several folks

from Palm Beach County administration, local government and elected folks there,” Murphy told the Town-Crier on Tuesday. “You also had some of the engineers from Palm Beach County who do that business day-to-day and understand the mapping.” Murphy said the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act will allow at least a two-year delay and a two-year study. “It will go through all residents who are going to be affected and see what income bracket they’re in, what their house is worth, how much it’s going to go up and see what makes sense,” he said. “Obviously, it’s hundreds of millions of people around the country. In total, it

will be about a four-year delay to get that right.” Murphy said he believed FEMA released the draft maps and affordability study before they had been vetted properly. “It is very clear that FEMA acted way too quickly and didn’t take the time to do the correct mapping or to finish the affordability,” Murphy said. “They got in front of themselves a bit, and it’s evidenced by residents getting up to a 4,000 percent increase in rates. For some, it has doubled, and for some it has tripled.” Murphy said the bill has bipartisan support in both houses, explaining that when the rates started coming out to constituents, a bipartisan meeting was called by

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and U.S. Rep. Michael Grimm (D-N.Y.). “The key to it is, it’s not only bipartisan, it’s bicameral, so there’s a version in the Senate as well,” Murphy said. Although many Republicans have joined in, he pointed out that U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has not. “What came out of the meeting is that the bankers and the Realtors especially are going to put pressure on people like Marco Rubio, who have held off this, and other Florida Republican members who aren’t on this bill, to urge them to help their constituents by supporting this,” he said. Royal Palm Beach Vice Mayor See FEMA, page 7


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