Town-Crier Newspaper November 21, 2014

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MELISSA MCKINLAY TAKES THE OATH SEE STORY, PAGE 3

COUNTY SETS LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES SEE STORY, PAGE 7

THE

TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

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Wellington Prepares To Seek New Waste Hauling Proposals

Volume 35, Number 47 November 21 - November 27, 2014

Serving Palms West Since 1980

INAUGURAL CAR SHOW AT RPBHS

The Wellington Village Council hired attorney David Dee as a consultant for solid waste services last week and immediately put him to work helping prepare a request for proposals. Council members had said that they were satisfied with their current provider, Waste Management of Palm Beach, but decided in September to seek proposals for a new contract rather than renew its current seven-year contract for another seven years. Page 3

Royal Palm Beach High School held its inaugural Cruisin’ with the Wildcats Car Show on Saturday, Nov. 15 on school grounds. The show featured antique cars, muscle cars, classic cars and more. Prizes were given out for the top three in each category. The event was a fundraiser for the school’s athletic teams. Shown here, Don Neely of Wellington won first place in the Antique Car category for his 1939 Buick Century. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 20 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Fun For All At Binks Forest’s Fall Carnival

Binks Forest Elementary School held its fall carnival Saturday, Nov. 15. The fun-filled afternoon featured games, entertainment and plenty of local sponsors and vendors, along with food trucks, a dunk tank and performances by the school’s chorus and cheerleaders, as well as other local groups. Page 5

Season Kickoff Party At Visions Features Glo Pro Makeup

On Friday, Nov. 14, Visions Salon in Wellington hosted a Glo Pro Makeup & Season Kickoff Party to introduce the Glo Pro cosmetics line to the community. It was a fashionable night pairing hair and makeup with drinks and snacks. Page 17

OPINION Ruling Majority Using Gavel To Stifle Dissent

This week, a majority of the Palm Beach County Commission effectively censured one of its own for nothing more than holding unpopular points of view. Without giving specific reasons, Commissioner Paulette Burdick was passed over for her turn at the gavel — and the largely ceremonial title of “mayor” — in favor of Commissioner Shelley Vana. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 9 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 25 BUSINESS......................26 - 27 SPORTS..........................31 - 33 CALENDAR............................ 34 CLASSIFIEDS................ 35 - 38 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

ITID Approves County Permit For 60th Street Intersection

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report In a 4-1 decision, the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors granted the county a special drainage permit Wednesday to improve the intersection at 60th Street and Royal Palm Beach Blvd. after hearing input from several dozen residents both for and against the project. The intersection improvement will complete the third connection of the State Road 7 extension to The Acreage, but some residents contend it is opening the floodgate to allow large developments to use Acreage roads for pass-through traffic. ITID Engineer Jay Foy said the plan was submitted to the district about a year ago and different options had been discussed during that time. The county proposes to improve the intersection by paving 60th Street 120 feet to the west and raising the road to improve visibility for drivers entering Royal Palm Beach Blvd. from 60th Street. A traffic signal will also be added.

Foy said the county had gone through several different iterations for the intersection before arriving at the final version before the board. He pointed out that the previous plan to pave the road west to 120th Avenue North, which raised strong objections from some residents and board members, was no longer in the plan. The county also added an item ITID did not ask for, which was a guardrail between 60th Street and the M-1 Canal that continues to 120th Avenue to increase safety. The county also changed the speed limit to 30 mph and prohibited truck traffic. “With all those changes, there is no reason I would recommend denial,” Foy said. Supervisor Michelle Damone made a motion to approve the staff recommendation. Supervisor Ralph Bair pointed out that the improvements will also enable the district to repair drainage in the area. During public comment, resident John Rivera said accommodations for equestrians had not been made at the intersection.

“A lot of people ride that trail. They get to 60th and there’s no way to cross it,” Rivera said, asking for some provision for a walkthrough that would not require riders to go on pavement. Damone asked county staff present at the meeting if some accommodation could be made for riders. Supervisor Jennifer Hager said she thought that paving would not be horse-friendly. “This whole pavement thing, when there’s pavement coming in, it’s not going to work,” Hager said. “It’s not going to accommodate horses there.” Damone amended her motion to try to accommodate horses. Rose Rodriguez favored approving the permit. “We need that road now,” she said. “Don’t worry about future development. It’s long overdue.” Michele Meredith said she did not understand why the horses were an issue when the road was needed for safety. “We should be talking to Minto See 60TH STREET, page 7

Wellington Council Decides To Switch Tallahassee Lobbyists

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council voted to hire lobbyist Coker Consulting last week to represent them in Tallahassee, replacing David Ramba of the Ramba Consulting Group. Council members were not happy with the services provided by Ramba, who was hired in January. Ramba was earning $60,000 a year. Village Manager Paul Schofield noted that discussion among council members focused on the lack of contact from Ramba and the number of appearances Ramba had made before the council. Using the same list of seven respondents considered in January, council members discussed their alternatives at the Nov. 11 meeting. Mayor Bob Margolis said he thought it was important for the

village to have a proactive lobbyist in Tallahassee. “We, as a council, have to determine if we’re satisfied with the results of our current lobbyist,” Margolis said. “If we are, we continue with that. If not, we have the option to pick another lobbyist. I, for one, have looked at some of the results that were delivered to us, and I’m not real comfortable with the results.” Vice Mayor John Greene said he had been a strong supporter of Ramba when the council first hired him. “There’s no question about his qualifications,” Greene said. “The issues we are having are communication issues, getting feedback on results and legislative issues that are important to us.” Greene asked if they have to go out for a new request for proposals (RFP), and Village Attorney

Laurie Cohen said that lobbying services are exempt under the village’s purchasing manual. “I think that you can choose any of the lobbyists,” Cohen said. “You can renew with our current lobbyist or you can choose one from the list. You did go through the process of scoring, and you do have a ranking here, so that should factor into your decision making.” Schofield said that in the past, lobbyists had not spoken extensively with council members, but it was their decision as to how they wanted to proceed. “The previous councils wanted to be separated from them,” he said. Councilman Matt Willhite said he thought the most important function of the lobbyist was to get council members in to see legislators when they go to Tallahassee. “I think every time I went to See LOBBYIST, page 4

Lox Council Moves Toward Purchasing Chamber Building By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council authorized its staff Tuesday to proceed with the purchase of the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce building at F Road and Southern Blvd. Town Manager Bill Underwood said he had gotten two appraisals of $581,635 and $583,824, which does not include the land because that belongs to the county. However, council members are hopeful that the county will deed the land to the town. Underwood also pointed out that he had spoken with Greenacres Mayor Sam Ferreri, an architect, who was involved in the building’s construction, who said it was very well-built. Although Underwood did not know the hurricane rating of the

building, he said it complies with the 2010 building code. He added that he had done several cost analyses, with and without inflation, and found that the town would come out well ahead financially over a 30-year period by buying the building rather than continuing to rent facilities. Councilman Jim Rockett made a motion to negotiate a purchase with the chamber, adding that he could not imagine a homeowner turning down the opportunity to buy a home as opposed to renting. Rockett added that he is frustrated with the office the town rents. “It’s not a place that we should continue to function in,” he said. “I don’t see a reason to do anything but move forward.” Councilman Tom Goltzené said he did not favor getting a mortgage See BUILDING, page 19

PRINCESS & PIRATE BALL RETURNS TO IPC

The Center for Family Services’ Kids Helping Kids Committee hosted its Princess & Pirate Ball on Sunday, Nov. 16 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach in Wellington. Kids of all ages enjoyed getting together for a great cause. Shown here, Richard Roberson, Pheobe Denemberg, Alex Walczak, Alexia Letsche and Charlotte Faxon enjoy the cotton candy. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9

PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

Grand Champions To Host The USPA International Cup

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Officials at the Grand Champions Polo Club in Wellington are excited to present the USPA International Cup Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 29. The opening ceremony takes place at 12:30 p.m., followed at 1 p.m. by the Carlos Gracida Memorial Legends of Polo match. Some of the best polo players in the world will be playing in the match to honor their late friend and polo legend Carlos Gracida, a longtime Wellington resident who died earlier this year. “Carlos played in the match last year, and he played in it with a lot of players who made a huge impact on American polo,” Grand Champions Polo Club owner Melissa Ganzi said. “This year, we decided to name the event after him and make it the inaugural Carlos Gracida Legends of Polo Memorial, and it will be played every year, from this point on, prior

to our international tournament.” The plan to have Mexico come, Ganzi said, was made with Gracida. “Many of his family members will be playing in the tournament. His son, Carlitos, will be playing for the United States team; his other son, Mariano, will be playing on the Mexican team. His nephew Julio will be on the Mexican team,” she said. At 3 p.m., Mexico, USA and Team USPA will compete in a round-robin tournament. A 20-goal championship game sanctioned by the United States Polo Association and the Chile Polo Association, the round-robin promises to be a captivating, high-speed event. This tournament serves as a pre-season game at the Grand Champions Polo Club. “We think it’s nice to host an international event in Wellington prior to the regular season, so there’s a lot of excitement for the See GRAND CHAMPS, page 7

Equestrian Leaders See Bright Season Ahead In 2015

John Wash, Noreen O’Sullivan, Scott Armand, Melissa Ganzi, Mark Bellissimo, Michael Stone and Dr. Randy Laurich at Wednesday’s equestrian-themed chamber luncheon. PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report With upbeat, optimistic presentations, leaders of the local equestrian community addressed members of the Wellington Chamber of Commerce during a luncheon held Wednesday at the Wanderers Club. Featured speakers included Mark Bellissimo of Equestrian Sport Productions, Marla Connor of the Gulfstream Polo Club, Melissa Ganzi of the Grand Champions Polo Club, Noreen O’Sullivan of Wellington Classic Dressage and John Wash of the International Polo Club Palm Beach. Sponsor Scott Armand of Armand Professional Services introduced the speakers. “I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for this day all summer,” Armand said, eagerly

anticipating the 2015 equestrian season. Wash, president of club operations at IPC, also looks forward to the upcoming season. “It’s great to be here with all of the different disciplines,” he said. “As we’ve talked about, we all need one another. A lot goes on during the season, and it’s great to see so many familiar faces here.” Wash highlighted some of the milestones from last season at IPC. With more than 12,000 people in the stadium for the final of the 110th Maserati U.S. Open Polo Championship, team Alegria defeated team Valiente 11-10 in overtime. “The final was broadcast on a tape delay,” Wash said. “You may have seen it on NBC — the main See EQUESTRIANS, page 19


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