TEEN SURPRISED WITH A WHEELCHAIR SEE STORY, PAGE 3
LINKEDIN LOCAL EVENT IN WELLINGTON SEE STORY, PAGE 17
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Meeting Offers Details On New Lox Groves Solid Waste Pickup
Volume 40, Number 43 November 15 - November 21, 2019
Serving Palms West Since 1980
RED, WHITE & BLUE JEANS EVENT
Loxahatchee Groves held a public input meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 13 with a presentation on the solid waste and recycling pickup by new vendor Coastal Waste & Recycling. Coastal is credited by town staff for picking up the ball after the town’s previous long-time provider abruptly pulled out of its contract. Page 3
Garden Club Unveils Blue Star Memorial At Vets Day Ceremony
Wellington held its annual Veterans Day observance with a parade and ceremony on Monday, Nov. 11. Also at the event, the Wellington Garden Club sponsored the placement of a Blue Star Memorial, unveiling it to the public at the end of the service at the Wellington Veterans Memorial. Page 5
St. David’s Episcopal Church Women Host Annual Fashion Show
The St. David’s in the Pines Episcopal Church Women held their Fall Luncheon & Fashion Show on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Breakers West Country Club. Six models sported items sold by local clothing store Backstreet Fashions. Page 15
The Wellington Community Foundation held its fourth annual Red, White & Blue Jeans “A Salute To Our Heroes” event on Friday, Nov. 8 at the Wellington National Golf Club. The night was all about breaking records, with more than 220 guests in attendance and more than $100,000 raised. Shown above in patriotic attire are Maureen Gross, Maggie Zeller, Allyson Samiljan, Hope Barron and Julie Tannehill. STORY & MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 11 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Chamber Looks Ahead To Equestrian Season
By Callie Sharkey Town-Crier Staff Report With the busy winter season arriving soon, the Wellington Chamber of Commerce held its annual equestrian season kickoff luncheon Wednesday, Nov. 13 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. The event’s guest speaker, Equestrian Sport Productions President Michael Stone, gave a snapshot covering the history and future of the local equestrian industry. “Rather than doing the same old thing we do every year, I thought maybe we’d have a little look at the industry and how it contributes to the economy here,” Stone said. “27 million people ride a horse. Think about that in terms of the people who are actually involved in equestrian sports — it’s a mas-
sive market that is hugely undertapped.” The equestrian industry has several economic components, including entertainment, hospitality, commerce, tourism and real estate. “The equestrian market worldwide is $317 billion in global economic impact. There are 753 million equestrian fans worldwide, and 95.5 million of those are in the U.S.,” Stone said. “No matter what part of the industry you are in, there are opportunities.” According to the IPC’s data, competitions host more than 300,000 attendees and have more than 20 countries represented on the field. The purses are higher, too, with the first million-dollar purse for polo, and $370,000 in prize money up for grabs in Gladiator Polo. “The annual economic impact is
$250 million at the last survey. We think it’s actually more than that,” Stone said. “It supports almost 1,000 jobs during the season in the local area, and 50 percent of the small businesses in Wellington claim they would not exist without the equestrian industry.” During the winter months alone, $46 million is spent on direct equine-related expenses. “All the sports are growing. They are growing globally,” Stone said. “Even in Dubai and Qatar, they are organizing winter festivals. One benefit we have is people are invested already here in Wellington.” Stone also addressed some of the challenges and opportunities for the equestrian industry, including new venues on the horizon in Ocala and California. “We almost have too many See CHAMBER, page 7
RPB Now Serving Seniors Free Continental Breakfast
Open House In Royal Palm Beach Shows Off PAL Boxing Program
An open house for the Police Athletic League boxing program was held Saturday, Nov. 9 at the David B. Farber Training Center in Royal Palm Beach. The boxing program dates back to the Royal Palm Beach Police Department before that agency merged with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office in 2006. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 LETTERS.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 PEOPLE................................... 8 SCHOOLS................................ 9 COLUMNS............................. 16 CALENDAR............................ 18 BUSINESS............................. 19 SPORTS................................. 21 CLASSIFIEDS.................23 - 24 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report With more and more attention being paid to the health and welfare of the growing senior population in the area, Royal Palm Beach has just begun serving a free continental breakfast to seniors at the Royal Palm Beach Recreation Center, located at 100 Sweet Bay Lane. The breakfast is part of the congregate meal program that also serves lunch daily at the same facility. The village’s emphasis on senior services includes the Royal Palm Beach Village Council providing funding for the recently initiated senior ride sharing program and the seasonally active Young At Heart organization of some 350 members, as well as the Senior Referral Program and much more. The Senior Referral Program provides a staffed information desk at the recreation center on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons
from 1 to 3 p.m. to help seniors and their caregivers in identifying and accessing available services for seniors. For more information on the resource, call (561) 790-5188. Sheryl Sawyer, a program director with the Village of Royal Palm Beach, said the new breakfast program serves a free continental breakfast of coffee, juice and rolls from 9 to 9:30 a.m. each weekday. She said that during these initial days since the new program has been instituted, only a handful of people have participated, but that should grow over time as awareness of the program grows. “We have averaged 6 to 10 people at breakfast so far,” Sawyer said. “All they have to do is fill out a registration form prior to the day they want to start.” The form is so the provider, the Department of Senior Services, which organizes the food and handles the funding, knows how many breakfasts to send over. Staffed by senior volunteers, the new breakfast program is in a
minimum three-month test window to see if there is a positive senior response. Sawyer said that the lunch program draws an average of 40 to 60 people daily, but that its popularity took time to build. “It has been going on for years,” she said. While the lunches provide a minimum of one-third of the United States Department of Agriculture’s daily dietary intake of nutrients that are recommended for good health, the continental breakfasts are an eye opener and morning starter. “The camaraderie is more important than the food,” explained Sawyer, who said that the real benefit is not the nutrients of the morning meal, but the fact that attendees are meeting one another and communicating with peers. “They are up and out of the house and mixing with other people.” For more information on the new breakfast program, call (561) 790-5149 or visit www.royalpalm beach.com.
Garden Of Hope Nears Completion At Acreage Park
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Garden of Hope at Acreage Community Park is landscaped and near ready for opening — along with the general opening of the park’s entire southern expansion — after more than a decade of discussion and preparation. “It took a long time, but it’s happening,” said Tracy Newfield, the founder and leader of the Garden of Hope project, which features a sidewalk in the shape of a ribbon commemorating cancer victims and survivors, as well as many others. A date has not yet been set for a grand opening, but Newfield estimates late 2019 or early 2020 for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. “We don’t have anything planned at the moment because we’re still working on the rest of the park, but whenever they choose a date, we will definitely have a ribbon cutting and invite
all the people who have purchased bricks to come out, and we will be giving out goody bags and have some baked treats and things,” Newfield said. She said plenty of commemorative bricks are still available for sale memorializing loved ones who have succumbed to cancer or other types of misfortune, although the park’s sidewalk has already been laid. “Right now, when you place your order, you won’t have it in time for the grand opening because there’s six weeks’ processing time,” she said. “We also have benches and trees that you can find on the web site [www.gardenofhope.net] that can be sponsored.” Newfield got the idea of building a park dedicated to cancer victims and survivors after her daughter, Jessica Newfield, now 26, was diagnosed with brain cancer at age 11. “She was part See GARDEN, page 18
VETERANS DAY IN RPB
The Village of Royal Palm Beach and American Legion Post 367 presented the inaugural “Honoring Our Veterans” Breakfast & Ceremony on Monday, Nov. 11 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. American Legion members cooked up a hearty breakfast, and the Royal Palm Beach Community Band played patriotic songs. Shown above are American Legion Post 367 Commander Johnny Castro, Royal Palm Beach Mayor Fred Pinto and American Legion Post 367 Chaplain Richard Feltz. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 22 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Council Approves Coach House Project
By Gina M. Capone Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council gave final approval Tuesday, Nov. 12 to 50 high-end luxury condominiums that will soon be built on the 5.58-acre parcel at 13410 South Shore Blvd. where the vacant Players Club restaurant and nightclub currently stands. The Coach House Wellington project was given preliminary approval by the council in September and transmitted to the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity for review and comment. The DEO had 30 days to respond with any concerns about regional or statewide impacts. No comments were submitted by the state to Wellington regarding the comprehensive plan changes associated with Coach House. To convert the existing restaurant into a 50-unit multifamily condominium, owner Neil Hirsch
and Sperin LLC needed Wellington to amend its comprehensive plan map, get comprehensive plan text and zoning text amendments, and get approval of a master plan. All four items were approved as part of Tuesday’s council agenda. Ordinance 2019-07 amended the future land use map designation of the Players Club site from commercial recreation to residential. Ordinance 2019-05 allowed a text amendment to modify the building height limitations in the comprehensive plan for multifamily residential properties. The applicant requested 72 feet but was approved for 56 feet. Ordinance 2019-06 modified a section of Wellington’s land development regulations to increase the allowable building height for multi-family residential properties. The extra height was approved because the applicant provided See CONDOS, page 4
Back To Basics Continues Angel Program Tradition
Back to basics volunteers wrap presents for kids in need.
PHOTO BY CALLIE SHARKEY/TOWN-CRIER
By Callie Sharkey Town-Crier Staff Report With Thanksgiving around the corner, many people take the time to reflect and show appreciation for what they have. But at Back to Basics, a completely volunteerbased nonprofit organization, helping children in need is a year-round commitment. The charity was founded by Wellington resident Beverly Perham in 1984 and has been serving kids in Palm Beach County through its signature Angel Program ever since. “In the beginning, it was 30 kids, and I donated money that my friend needed that she wanted to use for Christmas. So, I got started and enjoyed it, and I wanted to do
more for those 30 kids,” Perham said. “The next year, it turned out to be 165 kids. In 1986, we took two of the schools in Riviera Beach, and that year we did about 350 kids.” Over the years, the program continued its expansion and now reaches more than 7,500 children in Palm Beach County. The purpose of the program is to provide “the basics” — new sneakers, socks, underwear and a toy. More than 50 Title I elementary schools, with over 85 percent of their students on free or reduced lunch, receive support from the partners and volunteers of Back to Basics. “We need individuals, clubs, businesses, organizations and churches to join us in support by
taking ‘angel cards,’ which have specific information, such as shoe sizes, for the children,” Back to Basics Treasurer Kelle Enriquez said. “Participants shop and wrap the gifts for each child, and then return them to us for distribution.” When a group commits to taking a stack of angel cards, the return rate averages 85 percent. What happens to those missing presents? Back to Basics makes sure no one is left behind. “If we make a commitment to 1,000 students, and 85 percent come back, that leaves out 150 children,” Perham said. “When I went to Belle Glade one time, the kids just sat and cried. I asked the principal why, and she said, ‘It’s See BASICS, page 18