Town-Crier Newspaper November 1, 2013

Page 1

STATE ATTORNEY SPEAKS IN WELLINGTON SEE STORY, PAGE 3

WESTERN WATER HURTING L.W. LAGOON SEE STORY, PAGE 7

THE

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

Your Community Newspaper

INSIDE ITID Rushing To Get Data To FEMA To Avoid Flood Insurance Hikes

Volume 34, Number 44 November 1 - November 7, 2013

PIRATES VISIT RPB FALL FESTIVAL

Despite recent personnel turnover, district staff assured the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors last week that they will have updated flood data to the Federal Emergency Management Agency by the Nov. 30 deadline. Page 3

Boys & Girls Club Kids Learn To Fight Bullying

The Neil S. Hirsch Boys & Girls Club of Wellington held an antibullying rally on Friday, Oct. 25 in the club gymnasium. Wellington PBSO Deputy Vasile Ciuperger explained about bullying and what to do if confronted by a bully, and kids were able to ask questions. Children also performed original songs and dances. Page 5

Pink Fling Marks New Breast Center Opening At Palms West Hospital

The Pink Fling was held Thursday, Oct. 24, celebrating the opening of the new Breast Center at Palms West Hospital. The drink of the evening was a pink flamingo (raspberry cranberry and lemonade). There were tours of the new facility, goody bags, mini massages, vendors and more. Page 12

OPINION Local Green Markets Deserve Our Support

With the return of the fall season and a crisp bite in the air, it’s the perfect time to get out and enjoy the weekend. And with the Royal Palm Beach Green Market’s debut on Sunday, Oct. 20, and the return of the Wellington Green Market on Saturday, Nov. 9, we can enjoy ourselves while supporting the local community, returning briefly to a time when small growers sold directly to their customers. Not only are you supporting local farmers, but the cost of food is often less than you find in stores. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 3 - 12 OPINION .................................4 CRIME NEWS .........................6 NEWS BRIEFS........................ 8 PEOPLE ............................... 13 SCHOOLS .....................14 - 15 COLUMNS .....................16, 23 BUSINESS .................... 24 - 25 SPORTS ........................ 29 - 31 CALENDAR .......................... 32 CLASSIFIEDS ................ 32 - 35 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

The Village of Royal Palm Beach held its Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 26 at the new Commons Park. It was an all-day, family-friendly event with pet and kid costume contests, music, food, vendors, a kids fun zone, a pumpkin patch and more. Shown here are Blackbeard's pirate ship crew Hurricane Holly Roger, Commodore Cutter, Jaded Jetty and Capt. Dan Leeward with Madison and Dylan Wexler. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Serving Palms West Since 1980

County Sets Process To Consider Large Minto West Project By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Commission on Monday unanimously approved a special transmittal process for the proposed Minto West project — a decision that county planners said would actually give more time for the review process. County staff recommended approval of the request, explaining that the state now allows an unlimited number of large-scale amendment rounds to be processed each year. The commission can grant additional rounds by a super-majority vote. Planning Director Lorenzo Aghemo said there was an erroneous perception that the special process would accelerate the ap-

proval. “To the contrary, this will give us more time,” Aghamo said. “If this request is not granted by the board, we have to come in February with the submittal date, and we will have wasted almost four months for us to review this proposed amendment.” Residential developer Minto recently purchased the 3,800-acre Callery-Judge Grove property for $51 million. The land, located off Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, currently has a future land-use approval for up to 2,996 dwelling units and up to 235,000 square feet of non-residential uses. Minto is requesting an additional amendment round to allow for the components of their development proposal, which asks for up See MINTO, page 18

TRUNK-OR-TREAT FUN

Equestrian Village Gets OK, But Conditions Could Scuttle Deal By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Discussion of the controversial Equestrian Village proposal in Wellington may have come to a resolution last Thursday night, but confusion over the approvals granted by the Wellington Village Council could bring up the issue again in the near future. Council members approved two measures Thursday, Oct. 24 — a master plan amendment for the site and a compatibility determination — but both were approved with conditions. The conditions could be deal-breakers, representatives of show promoter Equestrian Sport Productions said after the vote was taken. The master plan was approved unanimously with an additional condition that would leave an entry point at Pierson Road as it exists today instead of moving it further east as requested. That was not contested. The compatibility determination was approved 4-1 with several additional conditions, chief among them that the applicant not be al-

lowed to construct a left-turn lane into the site on Pierson Road. Instead, council members requested additional studies be done over the next year to see if the turn is necessary. The turn had been contested by the Jacobs family, whose Deeridge Farm is east of the Equestrian Village site on Pierson Road. Attorney Amy Huber clarified Thursday that her client was requesting no left turn access into the site from the west by vehicles, but did not want to limit riders from using the entrance. “We’re not opposing hacking into the site or using Pierson Road,” Huber said. “We also heard from residents of Southfields who want to be able to make a right in off Pierson and then, when it’s time to leave, make a left turn out of the site and head west on Pierson Road. We’re not asking to prohibit that.” She said the only maneuver her client was asking to prohibit was a left turn into the site. But attorney for the applicant Dan Rosenbaum said the turn lane

is integral to plans for the site. “We have to do certain culvert work and other improvements that we’ve agreed to,” he said. “Everything was engineered around that turn lane. If there’s not going to be a lane there, everything we had in the land development permit needs to be changed.” Equestrian Sport Productions CEO Mark Bellissimo noted that the left-turn lane was proposed by village staff. “We had hundreds of hours of meetings with attorneys, traffic engineers and staff,” he said. “Staff produced this report, and it included a left-hand turn lane.” The proposal was approved by Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Committee and Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board as well, Bellissimo said. “There is overwhelming support for this,” he said. “Then you have one family who says they don’t want it. I think it’s our responsibility to listen to the people we trust.” Bellissimo said it was also a sitSee EV SITE, page 4

Wellington Council Agrees To Hire Assistant Village Attorney By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington will hire an assistant village attorney to help keep up with the day-to-day requirements of the village’s legal work. Members of the Wellington Village Council voted to create the position last Thursday. During manager’s comments at the end of the meeting, which had been continued from the previous Tuesday night, Village Manager Paul Schofield said he had reviewed the legal services department and felt there was a need for an assistant attorney. “The daily workload is such that research and special project needs are not being met,” he said. “It’s my recommendation that [the] council authorize the addition of an assistant attorney.”

Mayor Bob Margolis agreed. “I think it’s a great idea,” he said, because Village Attorney Laurie Cohen is still “playing catch-up.” Cohen said it’s a level of service issue. “I have time to get to the day-to-day stuff, and the things that are on fire, but what I don’t have time to do is get to the projects that need to be done,” she said. Cohen said she wants her office to be proactive rather than reactive. “I think an assistant attorney would be able to fill that gap and give you the level of service you want to have,” she said. “I think we will be able to offer a more proactive review of things rather than reacting to things as they come up.” Vice Mayor Howard Coates said

he was concerned about building a large legal department. “But on the other hand, I understand how much work is required in the position,” he said. He asked Cohen whether she thought the pressure would be alleviated once several lawsuits involving the village are settled. “Do you anticipate this assistant will be utilized for the foreseeable future?” he asked. “What I don’t want to see is that we settle these lawsuits and then have an assistant attorney on the payroll with nothing to do.” Cohen pointed out that the litigation is being handled primarily by contracted attorney Claudio Riedi. “Almost everything flows through the legal department,” she See ATTORNEY, page 18

The Village of Wellington held its annual trunk-or-treat at Wellington High School on Sunday, Oct. 27. Volunteers decked out their cars in Halloween themes and handed out candy to children. There were also food trucks, bounce houses and more. Shown here, the Delgado family takes part in the trunk-ortreat fun. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DAMON WEBB/TOWN-CRIER

County Approves 2,000 Homes At Highland Dunes By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Commission voted 6-1 last week to approve up to 2,000 homes on the 1,209-acre Highland Dunes land within the Palm Beach Aggregates property, 2.5 miles west of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road. About 20 residents from surrounding neighborhoods opposed the development at a county zoning meeting Thursday, Oct. 24, saying it would complicate transportation and drainage, and compromise their rural way of life. Commissioner Jess Santamaria, who represents the area, cast the only dissenting vote. The commission had postponed considering the development in September to give staff additional time to notify surrounding communities, where residents complained they had not been aware of the project. Palm Beach County Zoning Director Jon MacGillis said his staff had sent notices, and Highland Dunes representative Kieran Kilday had met with several interested groups in the area.

The action last week essentially returns Highland Dunes to the same zoning it had five years ago, which was abandoned when the residential home market collapsed. Senior Planner Carrie Rechenmacher explained that the application asks for rezoning from a residential transitional (RT) zoning district to a planned unit development (PUD) district for 2,000 units at a gross density of 1.65 units per acre. The site had been rezoned in 2008 from the PUD to the RT to allow agricultural uses during the housing downturn, which saved the property owner about $1 million per year in property taxes. The agricultural zoning will be abandoned with the PUD request, Rechenmacher said. Highland Dunes is surrounded by Deer Run to the north; Palm Beach Aggregates, the West County Energy Center and the C51 Reservoir to the west; and Fox Trail, Lion Country Safari and the Town of Loxahatchee Groves to the east, although they do not border the property. The South See HIGHLAND, page 7

Wellington Green Market Returns For Third Season By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Green Market, presented by Grand Champions Polo Club, returns to the Wellington Municipal Complex next weekend, offering fresh produce from farm to table. The green market kicks off Saturday, Nov. 9 at 9 a.m. and will be open each Saturday through April 26. For the first time, the Wellington Green Market will be entirely a growers market, meaning all the fruits and vegetables will be sold directly by the farmers cultivating them, organizer Peter Robinson said. “It has always been my dream to have an all-growers market, and

we’re finally able to do it,” Robinson said. Farmers will come from Wellington, Loxahatchee Groves and The Acreage, and other parts of Southeast Florida. He noted that vegetables begin to deteriorate from the moment they are picked, but customers of the Wellington Green Market can trust their vegetables are fresh. “The advantage to having the growers there is you know everything was picked within the last 48 hours,” Robinson said. “You can talk to the grower about soil conditions, when it was harvested and even get recipes. They can tell you about other things they are growing and what is coming.”

Robinson said it’s also useful for customers who have questions about the produce. “If parents have concerns about allergies or consumption, the farmers can answer much better than I can,” he said. “That’s the great thing about having them there.” Another big change in its third year is that the Wellington Green Market is now sponsored by the Grand Champions Polo Club. “They’ll be there every week to promote their polo club,” Robinson said. The Grand Champions Polo Club, near the intersection of Lake Worth Road and South Shore Blvd., offers tournaments during the equestrian season. “They’ll be

out there promoting that they do polo lessons, have a beautiful polo field and more,” Robinson said. “They want the community to come out and get involved.” Though there are a lot of new things to be excited about this year, Robinson said customers can expect the same favorite vendors from the past, plus even more. The Wellington Green Market will boast more than 60 vendors this season. “All of the favorites are back,” he said. “The cider donuts, independent seafood, ghost peppers, they will all be there. There will also be two vendors selling local honey, orchids and more. We have a really good lineup.” The market is also dog-friendly,

and Robinson said two dog-biscuit bakeries would be selling treats for the dogs. Guests will be able to enjoy local talent during the green market, with new performers each week. “There’s also going to be more prepared food, so people can come and have breakfast,” Robinson said. Robinson said the turnout at the market has been great, but he still seeks to spread the word for those who don’t already know about it. “Our turnout is great,” he said. “But all we ever hear about is that people didn’t know there was a green market.” Robinson thanked the Village of See MARKET, page 18


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