Town-Crier Newspaper November 28, 2014

Page 1

PIONEER COMMERCIAL MOVES AHEAD SEE STORY, PAGE 3

LOX COUNCIL WANTS TRAFFIC CALMING SEE STORY, PAGE 7

THE

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

Your Community Newspaper

INSIDE

ITID Board Favors Negotiation Over Litigation With Minto

Volume 35, Number 48 November 28 - December 4, 2014

Serving Palms West Since 1980

SORTING FOOD DONATIONS IN RPB

The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors decided 3-2 last week not to go forward with litigation seeking to get the Palm Beach County Commission to back down or reverse its approval of Minto West. Page 3

Palm Beach Bulls Basketball Team Hosts Fundraiser

The Palm Beach Bulls travel basketball team held a happy hour fundraiser Thursday, Nov. 20 at the White Elephant restaurant in Wellington. Aside from supporting the team, the event collected food to be donated to Feeding South Florida and sold bracelets for the Kids Cancer Foundation. Page 5

Wellington Presbyterian Hosts Harvest Fun Fair

Wellington Presbyterian Church held its Community Harvest Fair on Saturday, Nov. 22 on the athletic field adjacent to the Eagle Arts Academy. The familyfriendly event featured a petting zoo, hay ride and cake walk, as well as plenty of crafts, games and more. Page 9

Royal Palm Beach Hosts Fall Fantasy Craft Show

The Village of Royal Palm Beach held its 13th annual Fall Fantasy Craft Show on Saturday, Nov. 22 at Veterans Park. All items were handmade or adorned by local residents. There was food for sale and music. Page 17

OPINION

Make An Effort To Shop Local For The Holidays

The holiday shopping season has officially begun. While there has been some pushback this year against stores insisting on opening before the Thanksgiving table has even been cleared, the major chains will once again be packed on Black Friday. If shopping on the busiest shopping day of the year is your thing, go right ahead. However, don’t overlook our local retailers. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 11 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.................33 - 37 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

On Monday, Royal Palm Covenant Church volunteers sorted donated food for Thanksgiving boxes to be distributed Tuesday. There was enough food for approximately 500 boxes. The church took applications from people in need. The sorting session featured volunteers from many groups. Shown here are Pastor Carolyn Rose and Pastor Michael Rose with Philippine American Society members Nathan and Angela Ledford. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 4 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Letter Rejects Environmental Challenge To SR 7 Extension

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report A letter from the Florida Department of Transportation setting aside environmental challenges to the completion of State Road 7 to Northlake Blvd. is seen by road proponents as the beginning of the end of a decades-long battle to get the road built. The letter, from FDOT District 4 Secretary James A. Wolfe to West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio, states that environmental concerns for the endangered snail kite have been sufficiently mitigated by a coordinated effort to reduce the footprint of the SR 7 right of way. The letter points out that during the March 2012 public hearing on the extension, the City of West Palm Beach submitted a letter

written by the Tew Cardenas law firm stating that the environmental analysis conducted at the time was inadequate. “Since the public hearing, the Florida Department of Transportation continued coordinating with the environmental agencies, including the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District,” the FDOT letter dated Nov. 20 stated. “A focus on the coordination has been related to addressing comments from the USFWS regarding potential impacts to the Everglade snail kite, an endangered mediumsize raptor.” Through the coordination effort, the proposed project footprint has been significantly reduced to minimize potential impacts, leav-

ing a wider conservation area that will act as a buffer between the proposed roadway and Grassy Waters Preserve. “As a result, the USFWS issued a Biological Opinion on Nov. 13 concluding that the construction and operation of the SR 7 project is not likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the Everglade snail kite,” the letter continued. “The Biological Opinion further states that ‘the critical habitat has been designated for the Everglade snail kite; however, the SR 7 extension project is located outside of the designated critical habitat.’ Based on the findings of the Biological Opinion and the proposed mitigation plan, the department will make a recommendation for the Federal Highway AdministraSee STATE ROAD 7, page 18

Young Growers In The Spotlight At Chamber’s Farm City Lunch

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual Farm City luncheon on Wednesday, Nov. 19, focusing on young farmers, with the theme of “Millennial Farmers.” Five young, local farmers sat on a panel to answer questions about the future of agriculture in Palm Beach County from moderator Mark Sodders, District 17 director of the Florida Farm Bureau.

Panelists were Ethan Basore, secretary of the Palm Beach County Young Farmers & Ranchers and harvest supervisor for TKMBengard Farms; Colin Friedrich, inventory manager for Excelsa Gardens; Nick Basore, financial analyst for TKM-Bengard Farms; Nick Larson, scientist with the Everglades Research & Education Center and owner of NK Lago Farm; and Krista Erickson, coowner of Erickson Farms. “Up until a few years ago, I

Farm City Luncheon — Tommy and Ann Holt with Buddy McKinstry PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER and Eva Webb.

was the young generation, but that has passed me by,” Sodders said. “Fortunately, we have a panel of superstars on the rise. They have the potential to keep Palm Beach County number one in agriculture east of the Mississippi. Remember, we are the winter vegetable capital of the United States. We can’t do enough as agriculturalists, especially in the schools, to explain this, not just to the students. It’s wonderful that the teachers know this.” Asked what makes them confident that agriculture in general in the county, and their farming operations in particular, will remain competitive, Erickson, who is a mango farmer, said she has confidence in her father, who keeps his hand on the pulse of the business. “Over the years, as imports started taking over, we couldn’t package two mangos for the same price as they could bring in 50 pounds,” she said. “We started researching. We went from growing about four varieties to almost 50. Most of what we grow is too delicate to be able to import, and instead of having customers who See FARM CITY, page 18

Code-Violating Developers Under Fire In Wellington

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council approved the preliminary reading of an ordinance Tuesday that would suspend review proceedings for developers that have outstanding code enforcement violations. Planning & Development Services Director Tim Stillings said the ordinance is intended to add leverage to bring developers with code compliance issues in line. “It is intended to improve code compliance and increase our resolution of fines and liens,” Stillings said. “It’s to restrict additional development due processing for property owners who have a known code compliance case fine or lien.” He said suspensions would apply to any applications for

comprehensive plan amendments, rezoning changes, site plan amendments, master plans or additional uses on any seasonal or equestrian use permits. It would be effective any time the special magistrate finds a property to be in violation of codes until they are corrected. “They would essentially be put in suspension of the process,” Stillings said. Councilman Matt Willhite made a motion to approve the ordinance, but Councilwoman Anne Gerwig said she would not be supporting it, referencing discussions at Monday’s agenda review meeting. “I wanted to be clear why I am not supporting this,” Gerwig said. “Last night, the vice mayor mentioned how cumbersome it is to work through our regulations as they are, and how difficult this See ORDINANCE, page 18

TURKEY DRIVE IN RPB

Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office volunteers collected turkeys at the Publix store on Royal Palm Beach Blvd. last weekend. Volunteers met Sunday, Nov. 23 at First Baptist Church of Royal Palm Beach to sort food into meals bags. Shown here, Emma Heslin makes a donation. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 11 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Toy Drive Aims To Spread Holiday Cheer In Wellington

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Because of the generosity of local residents and businesses, approximately 300 children will have a brighter holiday season. Wellington’s InterFaith group, partnering with Wellington’s Community Services Department, is hosting this year’s toy drive at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church. On Dec. 22, pre-registered parents will be invited to pick toys for their children at St. Peter’s, which is changing things in its third year hosting the toy drive. While parents are picking toys out for their children, and volunteers are wrapping and labeling the toys, there will be a place for the children to play. “We’re trying to infuse the community with positivity. Folks who have a lot can give some to folks who have a lot, lot less,” said Emily Denmark McGee, associate pastor at St. Peter’s. The community is working to-

gether to make this event possible, with groups such as InterFaith, the Mall at Wellington Green, Jet Hauling, Tara Management, Ultima Fitness, the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Binks Forest Elementary School and the Wellington Preservation Coalition working toward a common goal: collecting toys to make the holiday season brighter for young Wellington residents. Something as simple as a toy is all it takes to bring a smile to the face of a child in need. “I’ve seen these type of toy drives in the past,” Wellington Community Services Director James Poag said. “I think the best thing for me, when you have the opportunity to do something like this, it’s just to see the eyes of the child light up when they get to select a toy.” There is still a great need for toys, as gifts are needed for all ages, from babies to teenagers. See TOY DRIVE, page 4

AT&T Pioneers Help Feed Needy Families In Lox Groves

Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School Principal Richard Myerson joins Denise Caruso and Louise Zehnder of AT&T Pioneers with bags of food headed to families in need. PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER

By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report For some families with students at Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School, Thanksgiving dinner will be a special event thanks to AT&T Pioneers, a group of retired and current AT&T employees who have donated food and supplies to seven families this month. On Friday, Nov. 21, Denise Caruso and Louise Zehnder of AT&T Pioneers dropped off 22 bags brimming with all the food necessary for a special meal — pasta, macaroni and cheese, vegetables, stuffing and more — as well as gift cards to purchase turkeys, chickens, ham or another form of protein. The 22 bags will complete the holiday dinner table for 45 people in the community, and are adjusted

based on family size. Principal Richard Myerson was on hand to receive the bags from Caruso and Zehnder, pointing out just how meaningful the donation is for his students in need. “A lot of them go hungry at home,” he said. “Now they have food, not only for Thanksgiving, but for a little bit after that. There are smiles on their faces, and we know they’re well fed.” Earlier in the school year, the Pioneers ran a back-to-school supply drive and also donated six Kindles to the school. “Our school is blessed that we were adopted by this wonderful group with our needy families benefiting from their generosity,” Myerson said. “Our school has benefited by their generosity, too, See LGES, page 7


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