PRISCILLA TAYLOR NEW COUNTY MAYOR SEE STORY, PAGE 3
PBC TO SEEK MORE CORBETT BERM CASH SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE Equestrian Industry Leaders Upbeat As Winter Season Nears
Volume 34, Number 47 November 22 - November 28, 2013
KIBBLEZ OF LOVE PET FOOD DRIVE Kibblez of Love, a local pet food bank, held a pet food drive on Saturday, Nov. 16 at Royal Palm Mazda. Several rescue organizations had plenty of puppies and dogs available for adoption, and microchipping, and low-cost vaccinations were performed. Shown here are Justin Bartlett Animal Rescue volunteers Marc Colton, Jessica Douglas, Bev Mammino, Peter Torres, Tyler Colton and Vanessa Frum with dogs for adoption. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 17
Wellington’s upcoming equestrian season is slated to be better than ever, with more horses, riders, competitors and exposure. During the Wellington Chamber of Commerce’s luncheon Nov. 13 at the Wanderers Club, equestrian community leaders shared the success of prior seasons, and the scoop for the upcoming season. Page 3
LGWCD Continues Plan To Transfer Roads And Trails To Town Control
The Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Board of Supervisors approved motions Monday to move forward with bills to send to the state legislature that would make its roads public rights of way, thereby enabling it to transfer them to town ownership. Page 7
Wellington Green Market Features A Wide Variety
The Wellington Green Market takes place each Saturday at the Wellington Municipal Complex. People come together and are able to shop around at the many vendors on hand. Great greens, baked goods, fresh flowers and many other treats are available for purchase. Page 10
PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Bellissimo Targets $1.75 Million In Charity Challenge’s Fifth Year By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report The fifth annual FTI Consulting Great Charity Challenge presented by Fidelity Investments is back and bigger than ever, with $1.75 million in prize money for more than 30 lucky Palm Beach County charities. Though the giveaway isn’t until January, the excitement kicks off next weekend at Winterfest 2013 on Saturday, Nov. 30, giving the whole community an opportunity to get in on the spirit of giving while enjoying the family-friendly event. “It’s amazing that the Great Charity Challenge has grown from a dream my daughter, Paige, and I had to an amazing event giving
$1.75 million away,” said Mark Bellissimo, managing partner of Wellington Equestrian Partners. “We can measure the success not in terms of dollars raised, but in the people we’ve helped.” In the five years since Bellissimo and his daughter, Paige Bellissimo, began the program, the event has grown in leaps and bounds — from a list of 60 charities signing up in the first year to more than 300 applying this year. The event gave away $500,000 in its inaugural year, and has given more than $4.2 million to nearly 100 charities since that time. “Our goal is to make the annual fundraiser $3 million to $4 million per year,” Bellissimo said. “We’re well on our way to doing that as
we continue to grow. I’d love to get a lot more corporate sponsors and make that $5 million.” The FTI Great Charity Challenge will take place Saturday, Jan. 31 at 6 p.m. at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, where the selected charities will come out to cheer on their team of riders and horses, who will race over a course of jumps for the best time to win. But there’s plenty of excitement before then. Next Saturday, the hopeful charities, along with the entire community, will trek to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center for the Wellington Chamber of Commerce’s Winterfest 2013 and the See GCC, page 4
Fun Times For All At Binks Forest Carnival
Binks Forest Elementary School hosted its Hometown Harvest Carnival on Saturday, Nov. 16 in the cafeteria and courtyard. The family-fun event, presented by the Binks Forest PTA, included carnival games, rides, entertainment, raffles, food and more. Page 17
OPINION Be Sure To Shop Local On Black Friday
The holidays are upon us. Next week, after the festive Thanksgiving meal, millions will head out to the stores for some shopping. It has become a tradition, just as much as pumpkin pie and stuffing. This year, show your appreciation for your loved ones and your community by shopping local. 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 - 29 CALENDAR .......................... 30 CLASSIFIEDS ................ 30 - 34 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Last Year's Big Winners — The top three winners at last year's FTI Consulting Great Charity Challenge were the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Greater of Palm Beach County in first place, College for Kids/Take Stock in Children in second place and the Junior League of the Palm Beaches in third place. PHOTO BY SPORTFOT
RPB Planners OKs Residential On Shuttered Sewer Plant Site By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission approved the village’s own application Monday for a large-scale comprehensive plan amendment changing the 152-acre former wastewater treatment plant site at the north end of Crestwood Blvd. from utility use to single-family residential use. The land use change resolves three years of uncertainty over the future of the decommissioned treatment plant site. The Royal Palm Beach Village Council decided in April to pursue a low-density residential use for the area. The plant became surplus property when the village sold its water utility to Palm Beach County.
Since then, council members have considered several ideas for the property. An early plan suggested using the land for a commercial office business/research park, which many nearby residents protested. A plan for largely residential use also got shot down when residents said they wanted more input on what would be done with the land. In April 2011, the Wastewater Treatment Plant Task Force was formed. After members met for several months, they recommended that 55 percent of the site be single-family residential, which would allow 207 homes at 2.5 units per acre; 25 percent recreational; 10 percent industrial; and 10 percent commercial. The industrial and
commercial uses were to be lowintensity, such as storage for recreational vehicles and boats, and education centers. Thirty percent would have been devoted to natural areas for recreational uses. The site, at the northwest quadrant of Crestwood Blvd. and the M-1 Canal, now has a boat and RV storage lot on it operated by the village, abandoned percolation ponds and a vacant 10,000square-foot office and warehouse building. Site Plan Development Coordinator Kevin Erwin said staff had found the proposed land use change to be compatible with surrounding land uses, which includes the Saratoga single-family See SEWER PLANT, page 16
Serving Palms West Since 1980
Lox Council Begins Plan To Fight Minto West Development By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Members of the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council took steps Tuesday to oppose the development of Minto West, formerly Callery-Judge Grove. Council members said Minto West’s developers had been cherry-picking communities within a 5mile radius to compare its proposed 6,500-home development to, painting an unrealistic picture of what the area is like. Minto recently purchased the 3,800-acre Callery-Judge Grove property for $51 million and is preparing to ask for up to 6,500 homes and about 1.4 million square feet of workplace and community-serving commercial uses. The land 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. Former Councilman Dennis Lipp, who was recently appointed to the Palm Beach County Planning Commission, suggested that the council seek an opinion from the Florida Attorney General’s Office for a definition of “surrounding” communities, explaining that Minto West had skipped over the adjacent Loxahatchee Groves and Acreage communities to developments such as Madison Green for references to compatible neighborhoods. “We need to get our ducks in a row and plan how we are going to address this,” he said. Lipp read from the Minto packet, where county staff cites “smart growth” policies in its considerations for approval, to provide for sustainable communities and lifestyle choices. “Smart growth” includes directing the intensity of use and maintaining respect for the particular character of a geographical area. Other considerations are whether an application protects natural resources, pre-
vents sprawl, provides for efficient use of land, balances land uses and provides for facilities in a costefficient manner. “Minto’s response [was that] the surrounding pattern is not efficient and the Minto West community will provide much-needed balance in the central western area,” Lipp said. The Minto response went on to state that the increased densities and intensities are consistent with the surrounding area and allow for efficient use of the property, with a greater balance of land uses and additional opportunity for jobs and correct the “housing imbalance” in the surrounding area. “They’re mixing all sorts of metaphors together there,” Lipp said. “In other words, they’re going to make it better because they’re going to make it more dense.” He also read Minto’s response to county land use compatibility requirements, to ensure that land uses are not in conflict with those of surrounding areas, whether incorporated or unincorporated. Minto’s response was, “The Minto development lies in the center of a vast area committed to sprawl pattern development. The central western communities have been the subject of numerous county initiatives aimed at addressing the land use and balance in the area.” Lipp said the Minto application is similar to an application submitted by Callery-Judge in 2008 that was shot down by the Palm Beach County Commission, asking for up to 10,000 homes and 4 million square feet of non-residential space. That application reached out in a radius of 5 miles to pick up developments such as Madison Green, also ignoring Loxahatchee Groves and The Acreage, he said. “This is what we’re up against,” Lipp said. “We’ve got to have a See GROVES, page 16
Wellington Awards Reading And Math Grants To Schools By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Nearly $275,000 was awarded last week to 11 Wellington public schools as part of the Keely Spinelli Grant Program. The money will be used to help students struggling in reading and math get additional help to catch up. Members of the Wellington Village Council approved the grant last month, and principals from the 11 schools were on hand Tuesday, Nov. 12 to receive the checks. “This is the least we can do,” Mayor Bob Margolis said. “You’ve thanked us, but really we should be thanking you for all that you do for our children.” Each school was able to request up to $25,000 to benefit its lowestperforming students in reading and math. The grant was named in memory of longtime local educator Keely Spinelli, who touched the lives of children throughout the western communities. Spinelli, who died in 2008 after a long battle with cancer, taught in
Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee Groves before becoming principal at Binks Forest Elementary School in Wellington. She dedicated her life to helping students who struggled to perform in school. “There is nothing I have taken greater satisfaction in than supporting this initiative,” Vice Mayor Howard Coates said. “It’s not just a support for the children of Wellington, but also for the hard work and dedication of our teachers and principals. Thank you for your efforts. I know the money we have provided will be well spent on our kids.” Wellington financed similar programs years ago, but a down economy and a bare-bones budget meant the funding had to be halted for several years. Councilwoman Anne Gerwig called the grant an investment. “It’s an investment in our community,” she said. “I think I can say this is one of the things everyone up here feels good about. See GRANTS, page 7
Chabad Of RPB Takes Over Temple Beth Zion Property By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Chabad of Royal of Palm Beach has purchased the former Temple Beth Zion property at 129 Sparrow Drive with the help of the Brooklyn-based headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement of Hasidic Judaism. The 10,860-square-foot building located on almost 2.5 acres was purchased for $900,000 in August, according to records from the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office. The purchaser is listed as M.Y. Keren Hashluchim Inc., a nonprofit religious organization based at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, N.Y. — the same address as the international headquarters of ChabadLubavitch.
After 32 years of operation in Royal Palm Beach, the Conservative Jewish congregation of Temple Beth Zion announced in February that it was merging with Temple Beth El in West Palm Beach, citing demographic and economic changes for the decision. Rabbi Zevi Schtroks has been operating Chabad of Royal Palm Beach out of an office at 11440 Okeechobee Blvd., Suite 103, for several years. He followed reports of the temple’s closure with great interest. “We started to hear that the temple was going to be sold,” Schtroks told the Town-Crier on Monday. “As time was going on, we took an interest of how much it was being sold for.” While the original asking price
of $2.7 million was more than Schtroks’ congregation would be able to pay, he continued to look into it. “Between our members and the people we engage with — we’re not far, we’re just five minutes around the corner — we spoke about it and people made an effort to see who they could reach out to, and try to make this happen,” he said. “However, it was a bit beyond our reach.” Several organizations expressed an interest in the property, including the Village of Royal Palm Beach. However, the village later withdrew its offer. Schtroks continued to meet with temple representatives. “It was $1.3 or $1.4 million that See CHABAD, page 16
Rabbi Zevi Schtroks inside the former Temple Beth Zion building, now owned by Chabad of Royal Palm Beach. PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER