BIG GRAND CHAMPIONS EVENTS NOV. 26 SEE STORY, PAGE 3
LGWCD INKS AQUATIC WEED CONTRACT SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE Official Outlines Effect Of New Development On Local Schools
Volume 37, Number 44 November 18 - November 24, 2016
Serving Palms West Since 1980
FOUNDATION SALUTES VETERANS
Palm Beach County School District Boundaries & Demographics Manager Jason Link reported on the effect of planned development on school boundaries in the western communities at the Royal Palm Beach Education Advisory Board meeting Monday. Most of the area’s existing schools are currently under capacity limit and will not experience overcrowding from an estimated 15,000 homes to be built in the next several decades. Page 3
Local Sons Of Italy Chapter Hosts Annual Picnic At Okeeheelee
The Sons of Italy Michelangelo Lodge #2864 of Royal Palm Beach held its annual picnic on Sunday, Nov. 13 at Okeeheelee Park. There were hotdogs, hamburgers and sausages with peppers to go with coleslaw, macaroni salad and corn on the cob. Page 7
Boys & Girls Club Hosts Wellington Golf Tourney
The Boys & Girls Club Wellington Golf Tournament took place Sunday, Nov. 13 at the Wanderers Club. Proceeds from the tournament will benefit the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club. Leading the charge this year was chairman Nic Roldan. Ed Portman served as the honorary chairman. Page 16
OPINION This Year, Let’s Emphasize The ‘Giving’ Part Of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is supposed to be a day of thanks, where Americans are reminded of the bounty of treasures that is a part of our lives. But Thanksgiving is also a call to action. It is vital for us to remember the word “thanksgiving” is composed of two words: thanks and giving. We are reminded to give thanks and to share and give — to share our material wealth, and to share also our time and talents with other people who could use our help. This year, let’s emphasize the “giving” part of Thanksgiving. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 10 OPINION.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 6 PEOPLE................................. 11 SCHOOLS...................... 12 - 13 COLUMNS.......................14, 21 BUSINESS..................... 22 - 23 SPORTS..........................27 - 29 CALENDAR............................ 30 CLASSIFIEDS.................31 - 34 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The Wellington Community Foundation held a special event to honor veterans on Friday, Nov. 11 at the Wanderers Club. Red White & Blue Jeans: “A Nostalgic Salute to Our Veterans” was a patriotic event where veterans, their families and members of the Wellington community came together for dinner, dancing and a special ceremony honoring prisoners of war and those missing in action. Shown above are foundation board members Jim Sackett, Maggie Zeller, Maria Becker, Mickey Smith, Robbin Lee, Karen Cavanagh and Tom Wenham in patriotic attire. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
LGWCD Asks Again For Road Meeting With Town Council
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Board of Supervisors on Monday reached out again to the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council to ask for a joint meeting about town roads and maintenance. A joint meeting tentatively set to happen before Monday’s LGWCD meeting did not occur. The meeting was to be discussed by the council at its meeting on Nov. 1, but the council did not get that far through its agenda. LGWCD Administrator Steve Yohe said that he had included an item for discussion among board members at the request of Supervisor Laura Danowski on whether they wanted to try again. “They didn’t get to that in their last two meetings because their agenda was so long,” Yohe said. Part of the issue revolves around the district’s hesitation to take over
maintenance of town roads and turning over remaining district roads to the town. About half of the town’s roads are maintained by the district and the other half by the town. Danowski said that part of the reason the district did not bid on the town’s last request for proposals for road maintenance was the poor condition of some district equipment that might limit its ability. “The grader wasn’t functional,” she said. “Basically, we didn’t have operating equipment to say, ‘Yes, we can perform the job.’” At one point, town officials had talked about hiring their own road crew, she noted. “I’m sitting here thinking, can the town buy the district a smaller grader to do the small roads, or the district make payments to the town, or can the town fund another operator?” she asked. Danowski added that no clear
agreement has been reached on the parameters of the district maintaining town roads. Supervisor Anita Kane said she and Yohe had a conversation with town officials about a plan for road maintenance. “I see this as an extension off that plan,” Kane said. “This is some of the stuff that Steve had submitted previously, the legality, whether it would employee sharing, or outright employee taking, or whether this be a branch. There’s a lot of logistics to be figured out, but I think it would be a nice solution, because you would have maintenance already here in place.” Supervisor Don Widing said that prior to the town’s incorporation, the water control district had envisioned that it would be the public works department for the community. “That was pretty much the conSee LGWCD, page 15
Hometown Holiday Food Drive Seeks To Help 200 Families
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Wellington is holding its eighth annual Hometown Holiday Food Drive in partnership with Interfaith, the Christopher Aguirre Memorial Foundation, the Goddard School, Ultima Fitness, the Mall at Wellington Green, Walmart and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. With food set to be given out this weekend, organizers are still looking for last-minute donations for the drive, which aims to help 200 families — up to 800 people — this holiday season. Gregg Harr, who works with many food projects, said that in Palm Beach County, as many as 250,000 people don’t know where their next meal is coming from. Though most people wouldn’t think that Wellington residents have the same issues with food insecurity, there are hungry seniors, low-income residents and families suffering with debilitating
diseases, he said, who benefit from the food drive. “This allows our faith-based organizations in the Wellington area to be able to join with a lot of community businesses who support this effort to be able to make Thanksgiving a thankful time for families who otherwise might not be able to have the means, or the money, to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal together,” Harr said. Last year, 150 families benefited from the food drive. This year, organizers hope to boost that to 200 families, but donations have been slow in coming in. The food drive is going to be able to help more people this year through a $2,500 donation from the Christopher Aguirre Memorial Fund, Harr said, which is allowing each family to receive a $20 gift card to use for a turkey rather than a $15 gift card, and for more families to receive a holiday meal. RoseAnn Voils, with the Christopher Aguirre Memorial Foundation, was glad to help. “We have been working the last couple of
years with the Village of Wellington,” she said. Voils and her family started the foundation when her son Christopher’s life ended tragically in 2006. They started the foundation as a way to remember him, and to help those in the local community through educational and athletic opportunities. The foundation has helped children attend camp, receive shoes and more, and is helping provide a nutritious meal during the holiday season. The foundation is also helping with Thanksgiving baskets and Wellington’s upcoming toy drive. Assisting those in need in the community is important to Voils. “That’s where my son grew up, that’s where we live. We want to give back to the community,” she said. “It feels great to give back and see that we’re doing good for the community.” Even if a family isn’t from Wellington, Harr said, if one of the faith-based organizations say See FOOD DRIVE, page 15
Wellington Survey Measuring Support For Cultural Facility
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington is currently conducting a survey to see whether a cultural arts center is needed or desired in the community. The village has partnered with an independent consultant to conduct a feasibility assessment on the potential for a community cultural center. Mayor Anne Gerwig said that the survey is an early effort to see if the idea can gain traction. “We have been talking about this for years, and every time I do an interview for an election cycle, people ask me what I think is important, and I think cultural arts is important to us,” Gerwig said. “However, it shouldn’t be what the mayor wants, it should be what the public wants. So, that’s the idea, to find out.”
There are several potential sites in Wellington for what has been described as a “mini Kravis Center.” She personally favors property near the Mall at Wellington Green, which currently has multipurpose athletic fields. “That’s what it’s used for now, but it was extracted from the mall for the purpose of a performing arts center,” she said, adding that several cultural events have been held there. The county offered funding for a cultural center at the site after the mall was developed, but that money was ultimately used to help finance the Wellington Amphitheater. “We built the amphitheater instead, and we’re not complaining about that,” she said. “However, when it comes to those community See CULTURE, page 4
VETERANS DAY EVENTS
Royal Palm Beach and Wellington held Veterans Day observances on Friday, Nov. 11. (Above) American Legion Post 367’s Rob Robinson, Ray Nazareth, Staff Sgt. Mark Hermann, Sgt. 1st Class John Castro, Jason Oliveras and Terry Storck at the RPB event. (Right) Loren Heistand, Mike Pancia, State Rep. Matt Willhite and Luke Willhite lay the U.S. Navy wreath at the Wellington event. MORE PHOTOS, PAGES 5 (RPB) AND 17 (WELLINGTON) PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN AND JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Staff Explains Next Step For Redevelopment
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington Planning & Zoning Manager David Flinchum gave a history of planning and zoning in Wellington at last week’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board meeting in preparation for a major reworking of the village’s comprehensive plan and land use development codes to focus more on redevelopment. When Wellington incorporated, it initially adopted Palm Beach County’s land use regulations, which were more focused on development than sustainability. At the Nov. 9 meeting, Flinchum said he and his staff have been working on revisions to the code for the past six months. “Wellington, like a lot of cities in Palm Beach County, took the county’s code as a template and initially adopted it or made revisions, and over time have added revisions to those county
templates,” he said. “What we’ve got here in Wellington is a combination of things. Unfortunately, it’s built on layers, and we’ve got more than 800 pages in our current land development regulations.” A lot of the regulations are outdated or will never be used. “Wellington in its life cycle is 30 or 40 years,” Flinchum said. “Housing types have changed, commercial needs have changed, branding and uses have changed over time. Some are not as controversial as they used to be, and some are definitely needed to address the younger generations coming up, such as the work-athome environment and people’s preferences to perhaps stay at home and work and not commute like they used to in the old days.” Flinchum said that the current goal is to edit the land development regulations down to around See PZA BOARD, page 7
Wellington Chamber Welcomes Equestrian Season
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Chamber of Commerce hosted its 10th annual kickoff to the equestrian and polo season luncheon at the Wanderers Club on Wednesday, featuring keynote speakers Mark Bellissimo and Noreen O’Sullivan. O’Sullivan, representing the Gold Coast Dressage Association and Wellington Classic Dressage, has been involved in the sport for more than 20 years. “It started as a hobby, it became my passion, and later, I guess you could say, it’s an obsession,” she said. A financial advisor with Coastal Wealth, she has hosted, managed, coordinated and run many dres-
sage events. “I truly understand the impact and the importance that equestrian sports have on our business community,” O’Sullivan said. Gold Coast kicked off its season the weekend of Nov. 12, she said, at the Global Dressage Festival complex. Last year, there were 2,600 horse-rider combinations, with participants from 23 countries besides the U.S. competing. Equestrians, she said, are a welleducated group with a great deal of discretionary income. “This will be an exciting qualifying year, as the 2017 FEI World Cup Dressage Finals will be hosted in Omaha, Nebraska, late March of 2017,” she said, noting that many
important events will take place in Wellington. Wellington will be hosting the Regional Championships and many other high-profile events that support the growth of the sport, O’Sullivan said. For more information about Gold Coast Dressage, visit www. gcdafl.org. Bellissimo is the managing partner of Wellington Equestrian Partners. His firm owns and operates the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, the International Polo Club Palm Beach, the Global Dressage Festival site and the Wanderers Club. “Visions are a dime a dozen. They’re easy to come by. Many See CHAMBER, page 4
Noreen O’Sullivan, Wellington Chamber President Debbie Crompton, Mark Bellissimo and Matt Bellissimo.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER