Town-Crier Newspaper November 2, 2007

Palm Beach Central High School’s varsity football team got back on the winning track last Friday with a 12-7 victory over crosstown rival Wellington. SEE STORY, PAGE 27A

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report

Wellington Village Manager Charlie Lynn announced last Friday that after 30 years working in municipal administration, he is hanging up his guns.

“It’s the 21st century. People retire from one career and maybe go into a second career and that type of thing,” Lynn said. “I’ve been a public administrator for 30 years. I’ve had a wonderful career, and I’m very grateful. God has blessed me. I just thought I had reached that point in my life that I should pursue a second career.”

Although the 54-year-old Lynn will receive a generous retirement package from the village, he said he will not get a classic government pension and will definitely need to pursue another occupation, as yet undetermined.

“I don’t have any complaints, but I’m not a point that I can just go off fishing or something like that, not by any stretch of the imagination,” said Lynn, who joined Wellington as its first permanent manager shortly after the village’s incorporation.

As for the timing, Lynn said it is coincidental that his Jan. 25, 2008 retirement date precedes the March election that will decide the seats of the mayor and two council members.

“I think it’s best to end on a high note,” he said. “My timing was not about the election. I think in a different groove. My issue was they needed another manager on board for the next budget cycle. There needs to be some continuity. I felt this was the window to do it.”

The council is expected to discuss Lynn’s retirement at their Nov. 13 meeting. Lynn said he has proposed a transitional management team, with Community Services Director Paul Schofield as his second in command.

Some have said Lynn’s biggest talent has been to assemble quality staff. “I want people smarter than me, and I want to empower them to do their jobs,”

Lynn said. “A lot of times my job is to run interference for them and explain what they are doing and let them do their jobs.”

Lynn said compliance with the goals set for Everglades resSee LYNN, page 8A

Abandoned Houses AbandonedHouses Adding Up In RPB AddingUpInRPB

By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report

The Royal Palm Beach Village Council is seeking to streamline the chore of maintaining abandoned homes in the village, as it is looking after more than a dozen such properties.

Mayor David Lodwick told fellow village council members Thursday that the village maintained one abandoned home a year ago. The number of abandoned houses in Royal Palm Beach now stands at 16, he said, with the village footing the maintenance bill on 13 of them.

“That number, I fear, will grow,” Lodwick said.

The village makes an effort to perform upkeep on abandoned homes in order to protect property values and safeguard public health. State law requires a municipality to obtain permission to perform abatement work to keep an abandoned property in compliance with its codes.

The permission allows village staff to go onto an abandoned

property for maintenance purposes.

Unfortunately, if the village is up to mowing an abandoned lawn, for instance, it must ask permission to do so every time. Looking to cut the red tape, the council directed village staff to request a change from the village’s code enforcement special magistrate that would allow them abatement permission on a recurring basis. The abandoned homes issue in Royal Palm Beach has come to the fore the past year as part of the nationwide mortgage crisis. Some homeowners in preforeclosure simply walk away from their properties and never look back. Until the bank officially forecloses on the property and becomes responsible for its upkeep, the property often goes into disrepair and becomes a neighborhood eyesore at the least and a safety and health hazard at worst. It also becomes a drain on taxpayers if a municipality steps in to maintain the property with

The villages of Wellington and Royal Palm Beach held their Fall Festival celebrations last weekend, just some of the many Halloween-themed events around town.

(Above) Brooke Goolsby admires a decorated pumpkin at Royal Palm Beach’s festival last Friday.

MORE PHOTOS, SEE PAGE 3A

(Right) Palm Beach Central High School seniors Jordan Benter, Melanie Eaton and Ashleigh Harrison at last Saturday’s Wellington festivities at Village Park on Pierson Road.

MORE PHOTOS, SEE PAGE 42A

By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report

Martha Webster is back for another try at a seat on the Royal Palm Beach Village Council. Webster, who ran unsuccessfully against Vice Mayor David Swift in 2006, has filed to run for the open council seat in the Jan. 29 election. The seat, currently unoccupied, was vacated with the July resignation of Barbara Isenberg.

As of Thursday afternoon, Webster was the only non-incumbent candidate who had filed for a seat on the council, although there is another de-

clared candidate seeking the vacant seat.

Mayor David Lodwick, Councilman Matty Mattioli and Swift each filed re-election papers on Oct. 26. Village Clerk Diane DiSanto told the TownCrier on Thursday that David Dangerfield, a retired New York City firefighter, had filed the appropriate papers for a campaign fund, the first step in formally filing for the vacant seat.

Qualified candidates have until noon on Friday, Nov. 9 to file with DiSanto’s office.

The 61-year-old Webster, who received 42 percent of the vote in her 2006 council race,

has lived in Palm Beach County for more than 40 years, and has been a resident of the village for the last nine. She also lived in the village in 1979-80.

“I’d been appointed to a number of boards, but that was the first time I ever ran for an office,” Webster said of her 2006 race. “It was exciting. I learned a lot of things.”

Webster served on the 2006 campaign staff of County Commissioner Jess Santamaria. She has also served as chairperson of the Royal Palm Beach Community Revitalization Advisory Board and the City of West Palm

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN AND RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER

ROYAL PALM BEACH HOSTS FALL FESTIVAL AT VETERANS PARK

Hundreds of people braved rainy weather to attend the Village of Royal Palm Beach’s Fall Festival on Friday, Oct. 26 at Veterans Park. Activities included pumpkin decorating, scarecrow stuffing, and plenty of food and live music.

PHOTOS

Justin and Erin Beaches with Nicollet Raffia, all of RPB.

Jessica, Maria and Alexandra Gabbert of The Acreage stuff a scarecrow.

Jennifer Moreno as a bug.

Brooke Goolsby.

Karina and Xander Carvallo with Steven Doutrich.

Paige Oliver, Anna Bednarek, Jenna Oliver and Jazmin Oliver.

Our Opinion

Replacing Wellington’s Charlie Lynn Will Not Be An Easy Task

Wellington Village Manager Charlie Lynn announced last Friday that he will retire in January after serving 30 years in government. Lynn spent 11 of those years in Wellington, which hired him just six months after becoming a functioning municipality. Lynn is the only permanent manager the village has ever known. Few towns can make such a claim in a time when most municipal managers last only about five years.

While there are certainly those who may have second-guessed Lynn’s leadership style, it is important to note that when he arrived from Kentucky, there was very little infrastructure. As village manager during Wellington’s formative years, Lynn had the difficult task of quite literally starting from scratch. This included drafting the village’s first comprehensive plan and figuring out what was necessary to enact it.

The village now has a planning and zoning department that is one of the largest in Palm Beach County. Its code compliance division is criticized both for not doing enough and for being too excessive — a sign that it is probably doing its job effectively.

Another thing the village lacked when Lynn arrived was parks. He oversaw the

RPB Should Rethink Village Commons Project

The [Royal Palm Beach] Village Commons Park plan seems to be metamorphosing into a Binks Forest of Wellington scenario. I voiced my apprehension toward this in a previous letter, and I’ll say it some more. I’m not against golf as a game, but Royal Palm Beach Mayor David Lodwick’s objectives concerning the long-defunct Tradition Golf Club don’t make sense. I get the impres-

sion that he really doesn’t care much about the “park” aspect (which I wholly support) and is more interested in the image of a prestigious golf-dominated extravaganza, which we need like a hole in the head. His justifications for the golf plan in response to extreme opposition from former Tradition general manager Ritt Dunham are short-sighted and leave a lot of questions.

Lodwick is bent on spending $20 million on this “ambitious” project; does this figure involve only the golf section or

TOWN-CRIER

Your Community Newspaper

Serving The Palms West Communities For 27 Years Published Weekly By Newspaper Publishers, Inc.

12794 West Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31

The Original Wellington Mall Wellington, Florida 33414

Phone: (561) 793-7606

Classified Ads: (561) 793-3576 • Fax: (561) 793-6090

World Wide Web: http://www.goTownCrier.com E-Mail Address: news@goTownCrier.com

JODY GORRAN Associate Publisher DAWN RIVERA General Manager

development of the village’s impressive park system, which is now one of its finest features. Lynn also oversaw the expansion of the village (remember when State Road 7 was the eastern border?), as well as the acquisition and renovation of the Wellington Community Center. In addition, there was the development of the Mall at Wellington Green, which has become the village’s default “downtown” area.

Of course, not everything has been perfect these past 11 years. Still, Lynn’s legacy affects everyday life in the western communities — and will continue to do so for generations to come.

The challenge now is how to move forward. This is the first time the Wellington Village Council is faced with the task of replacing its top administrator, and it comes at a time the village also needs to replace its top engineer. They are decisions that will have far-reaching consequences. Lynn might be the exception to the “five-year rule” of revolving village managers, but he doesn’t have to be. That is why it’s important the council takes its time to find the right person — someone who is in it for the long term and brings the unique skills necessary to lead Wellington effectively into its maturity.

the whole “park?” To build and maintain the proposed nine-hole course certainly would be a waste of taxpayers’ money — “a joke,” according to Mr. Dunham, who also maintains that very few people would play it. Lodwick’s big irresponsible defense is actually admitting that it won’t make money, but no matter what would be built, it would cost money to maintain and operate anyway. Stop avoiding the point, Dave — you don’t waste tons of money on an unnecessary thing. I mean, a couple of miles north is the Village Golf Club. Not far west is Madison Green — enough golf for the area.

ages. I hear teen and senior centers have been proposed. Mr. Lodwick has claimed that there’s not going to be a lot of development on the site. Some big words, and I sure hope they’re true. This was obviously not the standard for the ridiculously overblown Veterans Park just up the road. (Actually, I must commend this small park for its beautifully landscaped southern “tip.”)

A Town-Crier reader survey should be conducted on this whole issue: park or golf course? How many of those residents who have merely “expressed interest” in the golf idea have actually asked or pushed for it?

We have had multiple cancellations due the field conditions at the park. We were sharing the multipurpose fields with tackle football, and they made the decision to pull out from Friedland Park for this season because they had fallen too far behind in their game schedule. Due to field closures, they were having to do makeup games of makeup games, and the situation was untenable. Fortunately for them, they were able to move their games to Acreage Community Park and run the tackle games after the flag games.

Joe Giersher Royal Palm Beach

Improve Soccer Fields At Samuel Friedland Park

I am writing this to you to hopefully increase awareness of an issue that we have been facing at Samuel Friedland Park located on Hamlin Blvd. in The Acreage.

BARRY S. MANNING Publisher JOSHUA I. MANNING Executive Editor RON BUKLEY Managing Editor

JASON BUDJINSKI Community Editor MARK LIOI News Editor

WRITERS/ Denise Fleischman • Paul Gaba • Lisa Keeney Steve Pike • Carol Porter • Leonard Wechsler

CONTRIBUTORS/ Don Brown • Jules Rabin • Deborah Welky • Ernie Zimmerman

ART & PRODUCTION MANAGER/ Stephanie Rodriguez

ADVERTISING/ Evie Edwards • Wanda Glockson STAFF/ Betty Buglio • Shanta Daibee • Geri O’Neil

Founded In 1980 By Bob Markey Sr. Copyright 2007, Newspaper Publishers Inc.

The publisher reserves the right to refuse advertising.

Add to the ridiculousness, Lodwick’s statement that course architect Gene Bates has taken more land for golf than what was there makes matters worse! He maintains that “80 percent of the people there will have a golf view, the rest of a wooded bermed area.” Why ever would we need a berm around a park or any part of it? A park is normally a thing of beauty! As far as appearance, the landscape at the site is rather attractive already, so this wouldn’t be anywhere near as expensive as an Okeeheeleetype park-from-a-wasteland project. Adding some more native trees and adopting a nature theme certainly should be considered, along with a nature center that would benefit all

I am the regional commissioner of Region 1521 of the American Youth Soccer Organization located here in The Acreage. We are coming to the end of our fall season and our games are played at Friedland Park, that is, when they are played.

We, however, do not have alternative soccer fields. I have had many people ask why we could not just do as football has done and leave Friedland Park. If they would think back, they would realize that we did not have soccer at all until those fields were opened. There are no suitable playing fields available to soccer in The Acreage other than the ones at Friedland Park, and our goals are located there. There are a total of 10 goals, ranging in size from sixand-a-half-by-12 feet to eightby-24 feet, and they cannot be easily moved to another location, especially on short notice. I have lived in South Florida for over 20 years and I definitely understand that this is our rainy season. All parks in all areas have had issues with

The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor. Please keep letters brief (300 words). Submit letters, with contact name, address, and telephone number (anonymously sent letters will not be published), to The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414; fax them to 793-6090; or you can e-mail them to letters@ goTownCrier.com.

A Special Sixtieth Anniversary Party

Most of the wedding party was there — a “bit” older, a bit more infirm — but all fully cognizant and all with perspicuous memories. The talk was loud and loaded with laughter, the good old days were troweled to death.

Bridegroom Donald K., one of my very oldest friends, had a checkered yet highly impressive career. Reporter for Newsday (leading Long Island, NY daily), CBS television producer (Lamp Unto My Feet), chief of staff for former New York Sen. Jacob Javits and chief of staff for former Tennessee Sen. Howard Baker. Then Donald put in a 12-year gig as vice president and head of communications for the

Footloose and...

By Jules W. Rabin

prestigious Times Mirror Company and was responsible for opening and developing their Washington, D.C. operation. Not a bad résumé.

Also at the party of 23 were two former national corporation sales managers, the former deputy mayor of New York City and Newsday city editor, an award-winning Hollywood cinematographer, a retired New York City school

teacher, the chief, special features producer at a leading Boston television station, two very well known lawyers including one of international fame and repute, and the retired owner of a leading advertising agency. Wow! But after all was said and done, easily the star of the night was the bride. Why? The award given to Joan K. says it all: “Achievement Award given to Joan K. in recognition of decades of incredible dedication and patient service, above and beyond the needs and quirks of Donald K. May Donald’s demands, and Joan’s forbearance, continue for another 60 years... or whatever. Signed, Your Family and Friends.”

Charlie Lynn’s Retirement: Through It All, He Did It His Way

Just sit back and relax, dear readers, and imagine this column being sung by Elvis Presley, the favorite entertainer of soon-to-retire Wellington Village Manager Charlie Lynn.

And now, the end is here

And so I face the final curtain

My friend, I’ll say it clear

I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain

I’ve lived a life that’s full I traveled each and every highway

And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Yep, It’s true. Charlie Lynn announced last week that he will retire from his village manager job effective on Jan. 25 after 11 years on the job. During those years, Wellington grew from incorporation infancy to young-adulthood as the county’s fifth-largest municipality with nearly 50,000 residents.

Regrets, I’ve had a few

But then again, too few to mention

I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption

I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway

And more, much more than this, I did it my way

They were tumultuous years to be sure, often made more difficult by a string of council members, each with their own agendas that more often than not conflicted with building the orderly, upscale community imagined by earlyday organizers.

Mr. Lynn often had to walk a very tight rope between his council member bosses and the more kooky residents they represented. However, he almost always persevered by employing intellectual logic with council members and fending off the kooks, sometimes sacrificing his own popularity in the community.

Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew

When I bit off more than I could chew

But through it all, when there was doubt I ate it up and spit it out I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way

Mr. Lynn was faced with many challenges from the beginning of his Wellington career. In his early days there were Pierson Road paving and a neighborhood cell tower that was ultimately torn down, not to mention creating a comprehensive plan that would serve as Wellington’s blueprint. Over the

Mr. Lynn often had to walk a very tight rope between his council member bosses and the more kooky residents they represented. However, he almost always persevered by employing intellectual logic with council members and fending off the kooks, sometimes sacrificing his own popularity.

Letters

continued from page 4A wet fields, but the final straw for me was the weekend of Oct. 20. We had been dry all week, then on Friday night we received a lot of rain. I was at the fields at 6:30 a.m. Saturday to check field status for our scheduled games.

Field 1 (where most of our games are played) was completely soaked and was going to be closed all day, but Field 2 was marginal, and with no further rain we might have been able to salvage at least our afternoon games. My mistake was in thinking that we were dealing with ordinary fields. I was there at 12:30 p.m. to re-check Field 2, and it had not drained or dried out at all! We had had no further rain and the sun was out.

I am certainly not an engineer and have no idea how to properly build a playing field, but I have to think that something is wrong here. Even the smallest rain shower or regular irrigation causes havoc with those fields. The running joke out there is that we have to make sure the kids don’t spill their water bottles or the fields will have to close.

I was instructed by our county contact person Cliff Battles to have any complaints about the fields put in writing to be then submitted to the appropriate parties. Cliff, Mike Steele and the staff located at Friedland Park have been helpful and have done what they can to make the best of this bad situation, but it has been a challenging and disappointing soccer season for our players, parents and volunteers. We have players as young as four years old, and they can’t understand why their games are cancelled, especially when on Saturday at game time the sun is shining.

I have trouble understanding it myself. Our practices are at surrounding Acreage (Indian Trail Improvement District) parks, so teams have been able to have almost all their practices. But it isn’t the same as playing a game wearing your cool soccer uniform.

The birds have had more playing time on the fields this season than our players.

Lisa Seltzer

The Acreage

years, he solved the Christmas nativity display legal controversy that drew the attention of Fox News pundit Bill O’Reilly and mediated a solution to the Binks Forest Golf Course rezoning that ripped apart the community.

During all of these time-consuming political issues, he continued to push ahead with the larger job of running a fast-growing community.

I’ve loved, I’ve laughed and cried I’ve had my fill, my share of losing

And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing

To think I did all that

And may I say, not in a shy way, “Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way”

Mr. Lynn’s biggest hurdle was dealing with council members. While they were his bosses, many of them often disagreed with his recommendations (and each other!). Often these disagreements were based more on politics than on the logical management of the village. While many of them appeared levelheaded and friendly on the public dais, they were often privately contentious with Mr. Lynn.

However, he was usually able to either persuade council members to his view or to procrastinate until they came to their senses.

What set Mr. Lynn apart from his council members was his ability to solve the village’s problems. One of the huge ones was Section 34 and the phosphorous problem that was leaching into the Everglades.

Wellington was in the eye of the Everglades cleanup storm and Mr. Lynn was able to solve that problem, which threatened to nearly bankrupt the village a few years ago. He has told close friends that he considered improving

School District Not Doing Enough To Fight MRSA

When we arrived home last Friday evening from the Seminole Ridge High School football game we were greeted by a telephone call with a recorded message from Schools Superintendent Dr. Art Johnson.

In this recording, Dr. Johnson was assuring me and my family that the School District of Palm Beach County was doing everything in its power to combat against MRSA [infection] in our schools.

This recording also said that the school district would be holding a “hand-washing” campaign in the schools, and we were encouraged to speak with our children about washing their hands.

Funny thing is, while we were at the high school football game my husband used the men’s restroom, which, I might add, is directly next to the food concession stands. When he went to wash his hands, there wasn’t any hand

By Don Brown

the environment — especially in the equestrian community — his most significant achievement.

For what is a man, what has he got?

If not himself, then he has naught

To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels

The record shows I took the blows and did it my way!

Mr. Lynn, in my opinion, was the perfect village manager for our time. He led the village during its formative years — some might say the tough years — while earning the respect of the councils he served and residents alike.

He returned that respect with gratitude for both the council members he served and residents, which he expressed to me many times over the years. He has always loved Wellington and he showed it by making it the community we all wanted from the beginning.

Yes, it was my way

Now let’s here from Willie Nelson: On the road again

Just can’t wait to get on the road again…

I predict Charlie Lynn and his family will remain in Wellington while he finds his next career as a consultant, traveling all over Florida while solving many of the same problems he solved here. Fixing community problems is his way.

soap. He checked all of the numerous dispensers, and there wasn’t any hand soap in any of them.

How were the people serving prepared food washing their hands? I did not use the women’s restroom, so I cannot say for sure what the state of those dispensers was. However, my daughter’s friend did inform me that inside the school they never have hand soap in the dispensers, and one of the restroom stalls has been out of order for some time and reeks of human waste.

I know that the schools receive limited funding, but I would think that not only with the threat of MRSA, but also for the sake of hygiene, the school district would be able to supply each school with hand soap and fix the toilets.

I just wonder how many of the other schools around the state do not have hand soap. Maybe that is part of the problem we are facing.

Jennifer Wilcox The Acreage

Foot Chase Near Home Depot Leads To Double Arrest In RPB

By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report

OCT. 22 — A deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office substation in Royal Palm Beach arrested a Lake Worth man for shoplifting at the WalMart Supercenter on Belvedere Road last Monday. According to a PBSO report, a store employee observed 20-year-old Sean May remove several computers from a shelf, cut open the packages, remove disks from the packages and place the disks inside

CRIME NEWS CRIME NEWS

his shorts at approximately 8:30 a.m. According to the report, the employee also watched May remove several DVDs from their packages and place them in his shorts. The employee also observed May remove the detaching device from some mini cassette tapes and place the tapes in his shorts. May paid for some merchandise at the checkout counter but attempted to leave the store with the items in his

Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is asking for the public’s help in finding these wanted fugitives:

• Tanner Osborne is a white male, 6’2” tall and weighing 200 lbs. with brown hair and blue eyes. His date of birth is 03/09/87. He has a scar on his left foot. Osborne is wanted for fleeing or attempting to elude a law enforcement officer. His occupation is telemarketer. His last known addresses were Pine Grove Drive in Lake Worth and Sheffield Street in Wellington. Osborne is wanted as of 11/01/07.

• Raquel Sutton, a.k.a. Raquel Hambrite, is a black female, 5’4” tall and weighing 150 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. Her date of birth is 08/19/68. She has tattoos on her chest, back, left ankle and left shoulder. Sutton is wanted for unemployment compensation fraud. Her occupation is travel agent. Her last known address was Northlake Blvd. in The Acreage. Sutton is wanted as of 11/01/07. Remain anonymous and you may be eligible for up to $1,000 reward. Call Crime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS (8477) or visit www.crime stopperspbc.com.

THE INFORMATION FOR THIS BOX IS PROVIDED BY CRIME STOPPERS OF PALM BEACH COUNTY, WHICH IS WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE FOR ITS CONTENT.

shorts, according to the report. The employee confronted May outside the store, and May admitted to stealing the merchandise concealed in his shorts. He was arrested for retail theft and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail.

OCT. 23 — Deputies from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach chased and Tasered a man on State Road 7 for fleeing on drug charges last Tuesday. According to a PBSO report, a deputy observed a motorcycle driven by 32-year-old

Luis Davila of West Palm Beach traveling northbound on SR 7 at a high rate of speed at approximately 9:02 p.m. The deputy made a traffic stop at the entrance to the Home Depot store. Upon contact, the deputy found that Davila did not have a motorcycle endorsement on his license, according to the report.

A background check showed that Davila had a lengthy history of drug arrests and was on an inmate-release program. When the deputy attempted to arrest Davila, he fled eastbound through the Home Depot parking lot, according to the report. The deputy then pursued Davila, accompanied by a second deputy. When Davila failed to stop, one of the deputies fired a dart cartridge which hit Davila in the right leg. While he continued to pursue Davila, the other deputy returned to his patrol car and found 25-year-old Liliana Davila attempting to remove an item from the motorcycle. Upon contact with the deputy, Liliana Davila left the scene. The deputies managed to track down Luis Davila and placed him under arrest. Liliana Davila returned to the scene and ignored a deputy’s request to leave, according to the report. She was charged with resisting arrest. Upon searching the motorcycle, the deputies found a small plastic bag with green vegetation and a pipe with burnt residue. According to the report, the green vegetation tested to be marijuana. Davila was charged with possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia resisting arrest without violence, as well as no motorcycle endorsement. Liliana Davila was charged with resisting arrest without violence. Both were transported to the county jail.

Man

OCT. 23 — A West Palm Beach man was arrested for See BLOTTER, page 7A

Dies In Acreage Traffic Crash

OCT. 30 — A three-vehicle collision on Northlake Blvd. in The Acreage claimed the life of a Riviera Beach man Tuesday morning.

According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office report, a 1989 Chevy pickup truck driven by 49-year-old Peter Poole was traveling westbound on Northlake Blvd. approximately half a mile west of Coconut Blvd.

Fifty-seven-year-old Oscar Wray of West Palm Beach was driving a dump truck eastbound

on Northlake, and 32-year-old Daniel Balazi of The Acreage was driving a semi truck westbound behind Poole. At approximately 8:41 a.m., Poole’s vehicle veered into the eastbound lane, colliding with the left front side of Wray’s vehicle, according to the report. Balazi then struck the rear of Poole’s vehicle. Poole was pronounced dead at the scene. According to the report, Wray suffered minor injuries; Balazi was unharmed. Jason Budjinski

Raquel Sutton

Tanner Osborne

Webster Running For RPB Council

continued from page 1A Beach Self Sufficiency Board.

Prior to moving to Royal Palm Beach, Webster was vice chair of the City of Greenacres Planning and Zoning Commission. She is currently employed on the faculty of the University of Florida’s Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service.

Webster said her reasons for running again are simple. “I love my community. I’ve lived in Palm Beach County for 42 years,” she said. “I really enjoy working in the community. I like politics, and I like working with people in the community. I was director of housing for Consumer Credit Counseling Services, so I’m very familiar with affordable housing and housing issues.”

Webster, who has been married to her husband Gary for 33 years, said she has close ties with Commisioner Santamaria, having worked on his campaign.

She said the RPB council “has a very important role to play” in working with other municipalities and Palm Beach County.

“The county provides so many of our services, so we have to have that partnership,” Webster said. “I have a very strong partnership with the commissioner, so I am able to talk directly with him.”

Webster pointed to the vil-

Houses Upkeep Gets Expensive

continued from page 1A its own workforce. Such is the case with Royal Palm Beach.

And that number, Lodwick added, doesn’t count properties covered by homeowners’ associations.

Lodwick said one home in Royal Palm Beach has been vacant for more than five months. In that time, he said, the village has mowed the grass on a number of occasions and secured the pool. But each time the village has performed abatement on the property, it first had to go before the special magistrate to request access.

The council’s directed staff to prepare a request that the special magistrate allow the village to maintain abandoned properties on a recurring basis without asking for an abatement every time.

“We all know the house is

Blotter

continued from page 7A drug possession after being pulled over in Wellington last Tuesday. According to a PBSO report, a deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington made contact with 20-year-old Ramon Ortiz during a routine traffic stop on Wellington Trace at approximately 11:50 p.m. After observing a possible a weapon underneath the seat of Ortiz’s vehicle, the deputy conducted a search and recovered seven ecstasy pills and two grams of marijuana. He was arrested and transported to the county jail.

OCT. 24 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach arrested a Lake Worth man on multiple charges on Okeechobee Blvd. last Wednesday. According to the

lage’s traffic congestion woes as a good example of why the council must work in concert with the county. “We can’t do it alone,” Webster said. “We’re now looking at re-doing what was the Sector Plan, which impacts us tremendously. I think we have to work closely with all the municipalities around us. We have Loxahatchee Groves and a new group of people who I think are really doing a great job. They’re our neighbors, and Wellington is our neighbor, so we need to work with them.”

Webster said the various western communities have each

going to be vacant a while, and we all know the grass is going to grow,” Lodwick said. “It seems kind of silly to keep going back to relieve the same problems.”

Lodwick said the village’s stake in the matter is threefold: the abandoned homes need to be brought up to code, the health and safety of citizens must be

had a tendency to concentrate on their own issues instead of cooperating to address common concerns, but that attitude is changing. The united opposition to a massive “new town” at Callery-Judge Grove was a turning point, she said.

“Callery-Judge was the first issue that they realized there was going to be no success unless they worked together,” Webster said. “The extension of State Road 7 to Northlake Blvd. took everybody’s effort, but there is a lot more to be done to move traffic east and west in regard to the bottlenecks we have along Okeechobee.”

guarded, and the value of neighboring properties cannot be allowed to erode.

“Each and every homeowner around is negatively impacted,” Lodwick said. “We’re not going to go in there pulling out weeds and trimming all the hedges. We can keep the grass cut within code and do such things as fix broken windows.”

Tax Collector Returns Nearly $48 Million

Tax Collector Anne M. Gannon this week announced the return of nearly $48 million to Palm Beach County in excess fees and revenues collected for the 2007-08 tax year. The Tax Collector’s office collected $66,906,117 for services provided during this budget year.

Revenues collected in excess of the tax collector’s operating budget of $18.9 million are required by statute to be returned proportionately to all taxing authorities. A total of $39,925,791 has been returned to the citizens of Palm Beach County. The re-

PBSO report, the deputy stopped 21-year-old Juan Juradoaquino at approximately 12:02 p.m. for an expired tag. Upon contact with the deputy, Juradoaquino showed a fictitious Florida ID card that he later admitted having bought for $50. According to the report, Juradoaquino then showed the deputy another fictitious ID card. Juradoaquino was arrested for providing false identification and driving without a valid license. He was transported to the county jail.

OCT. 26 — A man was arrested in Wellington last Friday after admitting to possessing drugs. According to a PBSO report, 32-year-old Aaron Roche had been transported to Wellington Regional Medical Center, where he was found to

Art Society’s Fall Fling Nov. 10-11

Artists from all over Florida will grace the Wellington Art Society’s Fall Fling 2007 next weekend on the grounds of the Wellington Community Center.

The fine art and fine crafts festival Nov. 10-11 features paintings, sculpture, ceramics, photography, jewelry, glass and mixed media from more than 40 artists from Deland to Miami. Admission and parking are both free. “We’ve moved to a new location this year, and we’re looking forward to making our third annual Fall Fling the most successful festival yet,” said Susan Rose, the society’s president. “We’ll have more artists, both local and from around the state, food, music and more.”

The Wellington Community Center is located at 12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd. Event hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. For more Fall Fling information, call Adrianne Hetherington at (561) 784-7561 or Karen Knight at (561) 352-4075. For information on the Wellington Art Society, visit www.wellington artsociety.org or call (561) 795-1691.

Women’s Club To Meet Nov. 7

The Wellington Women’s Club will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at the Wellington Community Center. The buffet dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. followed by entertainment and the guest speaker. Club members will be entertained by championship winners from the Palms Ballroom dancing like the stars. The guest speaker will be Manuel Bornia, chief artistic officer of the Cultural Trust of the Palm Beaches. He will be updating the members on this season’s exciting events. To RVSP, call Carolyn Hellmann at (561) 346-1590. The guest fee is $25.

Project Lifesaver At Fuddruckers

A benefit for Project Lifesaver of Palm Beach County will be held Tuesday, Nov. 13 from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Fuddruckers restaurant near the Mall at Wellington Green.

A portion of each meal purchased will go to Project Lifesaver, an international organization that has been recognized for its outstanding programs and has used radio-tracking and locating technology to save the lives of 1,575 people who have wandered and become lost due to autism spectrum disorders and Alzheimer’s disease. Locally, the Project Lifesaver program includes a partnership with the Autism Project of Palm Beach County, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the Palm Beach County School District, Florida Atlantic University’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (FAU/CARD), the Southeast Florida Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, Alzheimer’s Community Care and Autism Speaks. For more information about Project Lifesaver, visit the program’s national web site at www.projectlifesaver.org. For more information about the Autism Project of Palm Beach County, visit www.autismproject.org.

CERT Rummage Sale Nov. 3

The Loxahatchee Groves Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) will hold a rummage sale fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 3 at Jesus Our Savior Church on the north side of Okeechobee Blvd. between E and F roads. The sale will take place from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. If you’re planning to clean out your barn, closet, shed or garage, now is the right time. For more information, call Darlene Crawford at (561) 798-3768.

maining revenues were distributed proportionately among other taxing authorities.

Excess revenues are a product of two factors. First, Palm Beach County’s property tax base grew creating more tax revenue. Second, Gannon implemented several cost-saving initiatives to operate the office more efficiently. Those initiatives include a new queue management system, technology improvements and an updated web site to allow more convenient on-line payments and less staff-intensive transactions.

possess cocaine and Xanax at approximately 7:45 p.m. Roche was taken to the county jail.

OCT. 31 — A Royal Palm Beach man was Wednesday arrested on a retail theft charge at the Dillard’s department store in the Mall at Wellington Green. According to a PBSO report, at approximately 6:30 p.m. a deputy from the Wellington substation made contact with a store security officer, who told the deputy he observed 46-year-old Nessell Beezer remove a pair of sunglasses from a shelf, remove the price tag and place the glasses on his head. Beezer then attempted to leave the store without paying for the glasses, according to the report. The value of the glasses is approximately $129. Beezer was transported to the county jail.

RPB Council Candidate Martha Webster

Lynn End Of An Era

continued from page 1A toration was one of his most complicated issues to solve, requiring a drastic reduction in the amount of phosphorus contained in the stormwater the village discharges.

Lynn said Wellington has developed a great relationship with the South Florida Water Management District, but in the early years following incorporation it was quite contentious. The SFWMD wanted to use an area called Peacock Pond in Palm Beach Polo as a filtration basin to collect phosphorus-laden water.

“We were threatened with a $10,000per-day fine and had to enter a consent decree to begin eminent domain proceedings on Peacock Pond,” he said. “I was furious about that because it poisoned our relationship with one of our most prominent developers [Glenn Straub] and got us into unnecessary litigation.”

That’s when Lynn assembled the village’s Surface Water Action Team, with the expectation that bringing the village into compliance on phosphorus runoff would be rife with confrontations. “I hate to get into unnecessary battles, but I was ready to put together a machine to fight,” he said.

Lynn first recruited former federal attorney Dexter Lehtinen, who brought in lobbyist Jim Harvey, engineer Bob Higgins and others. “The first thing Dexter said was if you want to go fight with them we will, but what you want to do is approach this in a cooperative partnership,” Lynn recalled. “They calmed me down and I said, ‘all right.’ That’s why I say I like to have people around who are smarter than me. We approached it as a partnership rather than adversarial. We also let them know we were serious about trying to solve the problem.”

Peacock Pond was ultimately abandoned as a filtration marsh, and the south

side of Wellington, designated Basin B, was “replumbed” to direct stormwater to other filtration sites instead of into the Everglades.

Another challenge in his 11 years with the village was instituting a system to process development applications, work that had been done by the county before incorporation.

“I remember when we didn’t have a building department and all that massive construction was looming on the horizon,” Lynn recalled. “We were scrambling to get that building department running. We had a couple of people in a trailer here, and yet we had to set up a very sophisticated permitting system almost overnight to accommodate the growth that was about to be unleashed or turned over to us from the county.”

The recreation system also went from a few vacant fields and a trailer to a worldclass recreation department during Lynn’s tenure.

Married 30 years, Lynn said he will remain a Wellington resident because his children Michael, 16, and Molly, 13, go to Wellington schools and participate in Wellington recreation programs. “That’s why the recreation programs are important to me,” he said. “I am a typical Wellington parent.”

Council members said they are sorry to see Lynn retire. Mayor Tom Wenham was on the original council that hired him back in 1996. “I’ve always been proud to call Mr. Lynn our village manager, and I still felt that way,” Wenham said. “He’s been a very, very great manager. I’m pleased with everything he’s done.”

Wenham, who plans to run for re-election in March, said he was not aware of any pressure on Lynn to resign. “He would have my total support,” he said. “I would support keeping him. I certainly hate to see him go, whatever his endeavors are. He’s still going to live in Wellington, and his wife will still teach at Binks [Forest Elementary School]. I wish him well. He has been a good manager.”

Councilman Dr. Carmine Priore, who is also up for re-election in March, was also on the inaugural council that hired Lynn. He said Lynn could have maintained his position in the village considerably longer.

“I guess you’d call it an era,” Priore said. “He came on in 1996; that’s 11 years. It has been quite a ride. In some cases managers don’t stay. In others they stay a long time. This would be a lot longer if he had not chosen to retire.”

Priore said the council would probably not select a new manager until after the March election, but that the change is always inevitable. “It’s a good, healthy thing,” he said. “Like anything else, you have to prepare for change.”

Asked if he was aware of any pressure for Lynn to retire, he said, “not from me. I’m the only one I can use as criteria. For others, I really can’t say. I don’t feel that was the case at all.”

Priore noted that Lynn’s management style of delegating work and authority was not always popular. “Some people like it and some people don’t. Charlie’s style is strong delegation. He has a first level of senior staff — finance, planning and engineering — three top people. Our council has had a history of dealing with that first echelon.”

One of Priore’s concerns is that Lynn’s delegates have been responsible for doing things but are not directly accountable to the council. “Where the rub comes, if you’re not happy you can’t take it up with them,” he said. “You have to take it up with the manager. Some would say that’s not a good system.”

Some village residents are more critical of Lynn. Julio Galvez, whose bid for

a council seat failed two years ago, said Lynn is exiting now because the village will face new challenges connected with decreasing revenues.

“Charlie had an easy job up until now,” Galvez said. “When the village is growing at the rate we grew, it’s fairly easy to manage because there’s a lot of funds coming in. I’ve been critical of the council and Charlie because they never really planned for the future. They should have either put money aside or planned. You keep money in the budget for the future when things were going to stop. I think he’s getting out at the right time because if he were to stay longer, he would have a mess on his hands.”

Former Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board member Alan Medoff holds Lynn partially responsible for his pet peeve, the village’s arrangement with Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue. He said the council declines to negotiate a better deal because Wenham is an administrator for PBCFR.

“We’ve wasted millions of dollars because the village refuses to contract with the fire department or have their own department, Medoff said. “Is Charlie partly responsible for that? Definitely. He did the same thing virtually every day during his career in Wellington, which was see if he could count to three — did he have three votes of support on the village council. He would never attack the fire department because that would mean losing the vote of Tom Wenham. The village manager is the employee of the council, but it’s the taxpayers that pay the manager, not the village council.”

Charlie Lynn

ANNUAL ‘HOWL AT THE MOON’ AT THE WELLINGTON DOG PARK

Courtyard Animal Hospital held its fifth annual “Howl at the Moon” Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Wellington Dog Park on Greenbriar Blvd. The event kicked off with a dog costume contest, followed by Silly Pet Tricks by Elite Greyhound Adoptions and Canine Good Citizen Testing by Marc Street. Other activities included pictures with your pet; pet adoptions by Pet Haven Rescue; microchip implantations; portraits painted by your pet; face painting; trick-or-treat bags for the dogs; and nail trimming by Kim Barker.

PHOTOS BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER

Bayleigh and Kaitlyn Kilpatrick and their dog Finn McCool, a chocolate Labrador retriever.

Daisy, a one-year-old golden retriever, enjoys a roll in the mud from the recent rain as master Jody King looks on.

Sharri Garzia and Dr. Marc Pinkwasser of Courtyard Animal Hospital with Sparky.

Carol Chapuis of Pet Haven Rescue with French mastiffs Max and Humphrey.

Leo and owner Beth Wolfe.Humphrey begs for dog cookies.

Higher Education Makes The Difference For Working Women

By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report

“Who’s teaching the businesswomen of tomorrow?” was the topic for discussion at Wednesday’s Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Palm Beach County luncheon. The second in the chamber’s “Phenomenal Women” series, the luncheon featured Florida Atlantic University’s Dr. Kristen Murtaugh and Northwoood University’s Dr. Cheryl Pridgeon.

The speakers at the luncheon, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in West Palm Beach, focused on the impact of university education for women.

Murtaugh, vice president of FAU’s MacArthur Campus in Jupiter, said that while ten years ago business was second to education as the most popular major among female students at FAU, today business is the most popular, and 50 percent of students in the school’s Barry Kaye College of Business are female. The business college, named by the Princeton Review as one of the top 290 business schools for 2008, offers classes at five of FAU’s seven campuses, she said.

“From the Davie campus in Broward County to the Treasure Coast in Port St. Lucie, there are about 5,500 students in our college of business,” Murtaugh said. “It is our largest college. We have three commencement ceremonies, and one is strictly for the college of business studies.”

Murtaugh said FAU caters

both to traditional students and working adults through a wide range of schedules and innovative programs.

“FAU is accessible to all students both male and female,”

Murtaugh said. “We have a large part-time population. We have day programs, night programs and evening programs. We have more and more online and virtual programs. FAU also has a low student/faculty ratio of 14 to one.”

FAU’s business training introduces students to the working world by placing them in reallife scenarios and internships, and stressing the development of strong communication skills. Many students who undertake internships work with small businesses and provide consultation on real-life projects such as development of business plans and marketing strategies.

“Last year on the Boca campus we opened a state-of-theart trading room so students are exposed to real-life Wall Street trading and the hardware, software and other programs that professional investors and money managers use,” Murtaugh said. “We also offer students rich opportunities in the studyabroad programs, and we have partner universities in Brazil, Germany, Spain and Sweden.”

As a public university, Murtaugh said FAU offers an educational bargain. For Florida residents, she said, a year’s tuition is $3,320 at the undergraduate level and $5,860 at the graduate level.

Murtaugh urged chamber

members to explore what FAU and its business school have to offer. “You will be impressed by what the public university offers you and the community,” she said. “We are accessible to women trying to juggle jobs and family lives and getting their degrees.”

Pridgeon, academic dean of Northwood University’s West Palm Beach campus, said that even though it has been part of the community for 25 years, the private, management-focused university remains a hidden gem.

“You see the sign on Military Trail, and that’s as far as people sometimes get,” Pridgeon said. “When they drive onto the campus, they discover the gem that it is. I have seen it grow from one trailer to the full college campus that it is now. We have 700 traditional students enrolled who are typically 18 to 22 years old. We have another couple of hundred in our university college programs.”

Pridgeon said that almost 60 percent of adult women work, a large number of them working full time in management, professional and related occupations, especially in public administration. Women also account for about 51 percent of workers in higher paying management, professional and related occupations, and outnumber men in professional occupations such as finance management, human resources and budget analysis, she said.

While women-owned businesses are growing at twice the

national average, and by minority women at five times the average, Pridgeon said, only 6.6 percent of American businesses with over $1 million in sales are owned by women, and the median weekly income of women who work full-time is only 81 percent of what men make. College degrees can make a huge difference in earning capabilities, she said.

“2005 statistics show that workers 18 and over with a bachelor’s degree earn an average of $51,206 while those with high school diplomas earn $27,900,” Pridgeon said. “Advanced degrees will add about $23,000 to the salaries every year.”

Pridgeon said Northwood University attracts students who know what they want, and gives them the tools they need to be successful. “Students start in their major from the first day they are on campus,” she said. “So instead of designing the curriculum or the courses you take, we start you right off from the beginning. We are trying to train business leaders, not just people for the work force. We put opportunities in front of students so they can build their skills.”

Pridgeon also said Northwood encourages students to think like businesspeople and form habits they will maintain in the work-

See WOMEN, page 40A

Women And Education — (L-R) Northwood’s Dr. Cheryl Pridgeon, Chamber President Suzanne Turner and FAU’s Dr. Kristen Murtaugh. PHOTO BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

County Eyes Indian Trail Land For Delayed Acreage Library

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report

Hopes for a Palm Beach County branch library in The Acreage have not died, despite budget shortfalls, the withdrawal of a land offer and dwindling money from the county’s library bond issue.

Callery-Judge Grove withdrew its offer of land on Seminole Pratt Whitney Road after its proposed 10,000-home development failed to win county approval, according to Library Director John Callahan.

In an August review of budget priorities, with bond issue money running short and apparently no land to build on, the Palm Beach County Commission moved the Acreage library to the bottom of its construction priority list.

Callahan said there is still money in the county budget to build the library — about $4.2 million — but there is just no money to buy land. CalleryJudge was asking for up to $3 million for about 10 acres after it withdrew its offer, he said.

Now the county is eyeing 6.6 acres owned by the Indian Trail Improvement District behind the Publix supermarket at Seminole Pratt Whitney Road and Orange Blvd. as a potential library site.

Callahan said the property would be an excellent site for the library “because it’s becoming the commercial hub of The Acreage — that corner, or those four corners. It’s going to be a great spot for a library, so we’re proceeding with asking Indian Trail to relinquish that property for a library.”

Indian Trail Improvement District Supervisor Mike Erickson said county Land Acquisition Director Ross Hering will make a presentation about the proposed Acreage library at ITID’s meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 7. Erickson said a decision on the location has to be made by mid-December, and since the Callery-Judge land has been withdrawn, he hopes ITID agrees to provide the land.

“There is a high figure on the Callery acreage to buy it,” Erickson told the Town-Crier “I’m just trying to get the library that was due seven years ago.”

Callahan said he is optimistic the proposal will work, although current land-use regulations restrict the size of the building. “At this point, as far as we know the restriction would allow us to construct a building that’s a

little over 14,000 square feet,” Callahan said. “Ultimately, we’d like to construct a building that’s 30,000 square feet on that site — not initially. I guess that would require some tweaking of the comp plan or a variance, but otherwise it’s going to be a great site.”

The property has some other issues, including the designation of part of it as a conservation area. “That shouldn’t be a big problem,” Callahan said. “We might be able to incorporate it and build around it.”

If everything goes according to plan, Callahan said, design of the Acreage branch could begin about the middle of next year. Construction could then begin in 2009, with opening in 2010.

The county’s current library expansion was funded under a

$50 million bond issue approved by voters in 2002 that included expanding the Wellington library from 8,000 to about 30,000 square feet and the Royal Palm Beach branch to about 20,000 square feet. The overall expansion is about 70 percent, to add about 187,000 square feet to the county library system.

Other libraries under planning and construction will not be affected if the Acreage plan is approved, Callahan said, including the Royal Palm Beach expansion work, which is to begin in April and is expected to last about a year.

“There seems to be a lot of support at Indian Trail and The Acreage for the library to, number one, get built, and, number two, on that site, so I think we can work out any difficulties there are,” he said.

New Indian Trail Administrator Already Getting Down To Work

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report

New Indian Trail Improvement District Administrator

Chris King put in his first workday Wednesday and is looking forward to the challenges that lay ahead.

Although King’s most recent job was deputy administrator of Fairfax County, Virginia, his roots are in Florida.

“I had been in South Florida for really the past 20 years,” he said. “I had done most of my work down in Broward County. I live in Palm Beach Gardens.

My wife and I moved here in 1988 and I worked for the Palm Beach County Zoning Division at the time, then moved around a little bit between Jupiter and Coconut Creek and Tamarac before going up to Virginia for a year.”

King said he was taking care of some family matters in Virginia while working there. “It worked out good for me for the short time I was there,” he said, “and I was able to get back down here when I wanted to continue my professional career.”

King said Indian Trail offers

a good path for his career with challenges that will motivate him.

“I really wanted to stay in the [South Florida] area,” he said. “My kids are in school here and I like the area where we are... This position came open and I reviewed the history of what’s going on, and I said, ‘with the right board, I can definitely make some positive improvements and get this area back well ahead of where they were and hopefully meet all their expectations, if given the opportunity.’”

Although he is more familiar

with growth management and planning issues, King said he is learning much about Florida’s special districts. King said he has learned much about Indian Trail in a short amount of time.

“I tried to do my homework,” he said. “Planners don’t usually jump into anything. We really like to get as much information as possible, and that’s pretty much how I operate. I like to find out all the facts before making any kind of decision and moving forward. That’s kind of how I did it with this.”

King said his first task is getting to know the current board of supervisors and learning what direction they want the district to take, and from there examining and assessing the district’s operations to find where improvements can be made.

“There are some internal improvements I’m going to be making, beginning with my executive team and sitting down with them and finding what their talents are and start dealing with some of the day-to-day issues,” he said. “It’s definitely a full plate, but I’m definitely up to the challenge to get as many of See KING, page 42A

ATV-Based PBSO Officer Is Now Patrolling In Rural Communities

By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report

A Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office deputy is now patrolling Loxahatchee Groves on an all-terrain vehicle, Loxahatchee Groves Landowners’ Association members learned last week.

Lt. David Kronsperger, executive officer for the PBSO’s District 3, gave LGLA members the update during his monthly law enforcement report to the association. He said the deputy is dividing his time between the rural areas of District 3 and has proved effective at addressing the problem of illegal ATV use.

“He goes between Loxahatchee Groves, The Acreage and Jupiter Farms,” Kronsperger said. “A lot of people on ATVs don’t put two and two together until he comes up upon them. They are not used to that. He is doing a lot of education. Some of the people he is seeing on a regular basis, and he is starting to cite them. That should be a fairly positive thing for the whole area.”

Kronsperger told members that area nurseries are still experiencing some crime problems, and he once again advised them to contact the PBSO if they notice anything unusual.

“We are keeping the same officers in the area,” Kronsperger said. “We’re getting to know the neighbors very well. It’s helping everyone. Don’t hesitate to call us. I’d rather come out here 50 times for nothing. The neighbors will

appreciate it if you call us. It feels good knowing that you have someone looking out for you.”

Landowner Ken Johnson asked Kronsperger for more patrols along Southern Blvd. for speeders, particularly at the B Road intersection. Johnson also noted that dump trucks have overturned when turning off Southern Blvd. onto Binks Forest Drive.

“The drivers of these large dump trucks must be all colorblind,” Johnson said. “None of them can see a light. We’ve got someone right here who almost got killed by a truck. We use that intersection. Just two days ago, you had a dump truck over there that was going too fast, and he couldn’t make the turn into Binks Forest and flipped over.”

Kronsperger said the accidents figure in the data the PBSO has collected, and suggested there might be a problem with the way the intersection was engineered. He said he would advise deputies to spread the word to the law enforcement personnel who worked in the area, and they would keep an eye on that intersection.

In other business:

• The association received nominations for five of its seven officers for 2008: Claus Von Grote as sergeant at arms, Ken Johnson as treasurer, Diane Von Grote and Nancy Handwerg as members at large and current LGLA President Marge Herzog as president.

The positions of vice president and treasurer are still open. Herzog said the LGLA would take nominations in November and December with the final vote in January.

“I need people working for us to find a secretary and vice president,” Herzog said. “Thank you for stepping forward.”

• Johnson, a local Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) organizer, said several of his team members are getting ham radio training with operator Rich Handwerg.

“One thing we don’t have is funding,” Johnson said. “We’re working on trying to come up with some ideas on how to raise some money. We are having a rummage/yard sale coming up… We would like to see if the LGLA would like to contribute some funding to help us get some equipment, mainly ham radios, medical equipment and whatever else we might need.”

Herzog made a motion to provide the CERT $300, about the cost of one ham radio, which passed unanimously.

• Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Supervisor John Ryan told members that the LGWCD and the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council would meet in the near future to discuss the scarcity of water, and urged LGLA members to attend.

“At the October meeting of the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District, we had a representative of the South

‘Don’t hesitate to call us. I’d rather come out here 50 times for nothing. The neighbors will appreciate it if you call us. It feels good knowing that you have someone looking out for you.’

— PBSO Lt. David Kronsperger

Florida Water Management District who gave us a kind of heads up,” Ryan said. “The combination of the direction from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the South Florida Water Management District has made decisions that have left Lake Okeechobee lower than prior years. We pushed for background information on the decisions and why they were made. There are a lot of competing interests. The bottom line is that the Corps and the Water Management District want to wean residents from looking at Lake Okeechobee as a reservoir. It just seems that the standard answer they have is we will have to conserve more. I think that may have some merit for some people. We depend on wells for our water supply. We really look at Lake Okeechobee and the C-51 [Canal] as a source during our dry season for recharging our wells. We don’t have the topography or money to create an alternative water storage source.”

Ryan said the meeting would help clarify the predicament of Loxahatchee Groves in the on-

going drought.

“We are trying through the town council and the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District to have a workshop to clarify in people’s minds where we are and what we can and can’t do,” he said. “We do think we can make our voices heard better than they have in the past. This is a year where we are going to be pressured more than normal. A lot of fishermen and businessmen who depend on the lake are really hurting.”

• Herzog invited members to view entries to the Town of Loxahatchee Groves logo contest, including one submitted by the LGLA featuring the art from the welcome sign they erected.

“You have to go to loxgroves.net,” said Herzog, who is also a member of the town council. “Once you open that up, you see the logo entries. The logos will be voted on by the town council, but we will take the consideration from the landowner web site.”

The entries can be viewed at www.lgla.loxgroves.org/ logo_entries. shtml.

Expert: Stay Healthy By Keeping Your Indoor Air Clean

By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report

An interior designer gave Loxahatchee Groves Landowners’ Association members tips last week on creating living spaces that are healthier for their occupants as well as environmentally friendly.

Denise Robinette of HealthyLiving Interiors told LGLA members on Oct. 25 that she focused her career on healthconscious interior design after one of her three children was diagnosed with asthma although there was no history of it in her family.

“That is how I got into healthy interiors,” she said. “When I found out he had asthma, I started researching it, and when my allergist told me I had to have environmental controls in my home I researched and found out there are a lot of things that can trigger asthma.”

Robinette, a Jupiter Farms resident who earned a degree in interior design at Florida State University, stressed the importance of air quality in the home.

“We spend 90 percent of our time indoors,” she said. “We are what we breathe. Indoor air quality is three to five times and up to 1,000 times more polluted than outdoors.”

A home that is healthy and environmentally friendly is good for both the homeowner and the community, Robinette said, and can also add to its resale appeal.

“When you ‘green’ your home, it makes your home more valuable,” she said. “There are tax benefits, and it improves your health and saves you money.”

“Green” remodeling can lower the energy consumption of a home by 30 to 50 percent, Robinette said, through energy-efficient building materials and appliances.

Robinette said a “green” home is designed with an eye to sustainability, health, and energy and water conservation. Exterior features would include metal roofing, double-paned energy-

efficient windows, native landscaping, light colors to help conserve energy, screens on all windows and doors, and use of recycled materials.

For a home’s interior, Robinette encouraged residents to choose energy-efficient appliances and environmentally sensitive cabinetry and countertops, as well as water-conserving plumbing fixtures. Homeowners can make use of salvaged furnishings, and avoid the use of paints and adhesives that emit toxic fumes. Instead of carpeting, homeowners can cover their floors in linoleum or cork flooring, ceramic tile, hard surface flooring such as bamboo or wood, and laminate flooring containing no urea-formaldehyde and using glueless or water-based glue installation.

Robinette recommended installing a central vacuum system, which she said is a lot more efficient than a plug-in vacuum cleaner. She also suggested homeowners avoid carpet because it retains much of what is tracked into a house.

“You need to find out the amount of dust mites and pesticides and chemicals in an average carpet,” Robinette said. “A lot of that is in the carpet. The carpet is like a sponge. Cork flooring was used 100 years ago in libraries, and it kind of faded away, but it’s coming back. It’s water-based and it’s resilient. Cork is also commercially used. Certain certified wood is coming from companies watching out for the environment.”

Robinette warned LGLA members to investigate any unpleasant odors, not just try to cover them. “If you smell something in the house, a lot of people like to use those plug-in air fresheners to mask odors,” she said. “You need to find out what’s going on. You might have a leak under the cabinet or mold somewhere. You should also seal your windows. Having a central dehumidification system is something they suggest. You need to keep the hu-

midity at 50 percent or less.”

Robinette also recommended opening up the house to good cross-ventilation at least once a week to let in some fresh air as people did decades ago. She said she finds it unbelievable that some people build homes with static windows that cannot be opened.

“Cross-ventilation is important,” Robinette said. “I talk to people who have their homes with the windows fixed. They need to be operable or there is no airflow. In the old days, you used to open a window, and the kids were not sick like they are now. I always tell people to open their windows at least once a week.”

Besides her interior design work, Robinette founded the HealthyLiving Foundation to raise the profile of indoor air quality issues, and said she has handed hollow coffee stirrers to state legislators to give them an idea of an asthma sufferer’s troubles.

“Right now, one in 13 children have asthma,” she said. “It’s expected to rise to one in five by 2020. I don’t understand why people are not talking about this. I am passionate about it. Sitting with a child with a nebu-

HealthyLiving’s Denise Robinette displays a piece of environmentally sensitive flooring at last week’s LGLA meeting.

lizer in a hospital is not fun. I ask everyone to breathe through a coffee stirrer straw, and they say, ‘I can’t do it. It’s too hard.’ Everyone says, ‘you have asthma and just take your medicine.’ You don’t need the medicine if you avoid the triggers and you

are in a healthy environment.” For more information about HealthyLiving Interiors, contact Robinette at (561) 743-1412 or visit www.healthylivinginteriors. org. For more about the HealthyLiving Foundation, visit www. healthylivingfoundation.org.

MetCare: Concierge Service Without The Cost

By Dr. Ravi Pandey

Special To The Town-Crier MetCare of Wellington specializes in diseases and medicines that affect the geriatric population and includes two boardcertified physicians, myself and Dr. Eddie Velazquez. Our office is different from other medical offices because we have met strict criteria for acceptance into the Platinum Care Program and have been designated a FiveStar Center of Excellence. We strive to maintain this certification by conducting ongoing patient satisfaction surveys and quality reviews for state-of-theart medicine. MetCare’s Platinum Care Pro-

gram is a VIP concierge program without the additional costs traditionally associated with this type of program. The Platinum Care Program has dramatically improved the quality of my practice and has given me the ability to approach my patient’s medical issues with the highest level of concern and effort. I enjoy knowing that my patients trust me to deliver the best and most personal medical care possible. As a result, my patients are satisfied and medical treatments are proven to be more successful. I take great pride and personal ownership in caring for my patients, particularly while they are in the hospital. This is the

time when care is most critical. Dr. Velazquez and I are at Wellington Regional Medical Center and Palms West Hospital 365 days a year, including weekends and holidays. This allows our patients to feel comfortable knowing they are receiving care from a physician they know. We follow their illness to resolution and coordinate with the finest specialists in the hospital. We have close personal communication with all specialists involved in our patient’s treatment and recovery. I feel that it is important for me to personally visit my patients to oversee their individualized specialist findings and recommendations, taking a See METCARE, page 16A

YOUR BOSOM BUDDIES AND MR. FOOD TEAM UP TO HELP A FRIEND IN NEED

MetCare Patients First

continued from page 15A comprehensive approach to optimize recovery. The Platinum Care Program ensures that we will be informed if our patient’s recovery process is not meeting our expectation, allowing us to take immediate action.

Our office has adopted a team-oriented approach that encompasses patient care, diagnostics, medications and treatments. This approach ensures that I, Dr. Velazquez and our highly knowledgeable clinical

The breast cancer support group Your Bosom Buddies II and Mr. Food No-Fuss Meals in Wellington donated meals to a cancer patient on Wednesday, Oct. 31. Mr. Food donated three meals and Your Bosom Buddies II members donated one meal to help out Karen Myles, who is having a difficult time in her fight against breast cancer. Myles picked out the meals and her friends assembled them and brought them to her. Mr. Food No-Fuss Meals is located 10160 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 110 in Pointe at Wellington Green. For more information, call (561) 333-4044.

(Above) Trish Pratt, Michelle Steiber, Susie Donovan, T. Franzoso and Abbe Felton with the completed meals ready for cooking and freezing. (Left) Trish Pratt prepares a Touchdown Meatball Sub.

nurse coordinate our communication to accurately and effectively monitor the well-being of each patient. Our clinical nurse enhances our ability to provide the highest quality of personalized healthcare services and treatment plans to our patients. The Platinum Care Program provides patients with complete access to care, guaranteeing that same or next day appointments can be scheduled to ensure that superior care is received. Our patients take comfort in knowing that when they call our office, the phone will be answered by a trained professional, not by

a voicemail recording. Our office does not close for lunch, providing total patient access to care.

My patients refer their loved ones to me because they appreciate the thoroughness of care they receive and accessibility, especially during times of emergency. I welcome you to experience our proactive, patient-focused system and come see how MetCare puts the “care” into healthcare.

MetCare of Wellington is located at 10413 Southern Blvd. in Royal Palm Beach. Call (561) 793-1713 for more information.

BAMBOO CLUB HOSTS KICKOFF FOR COMMUNITY FITNESS RUN

A kickoff mixer for the 11th Annual Community Fitness Run & Walk was held Friday, Oct. 19 at the Bamboo Club in the Mall at Wellington Green. The evening featured plenty of food and drink, as well as raffle prizes. All proceeds benefit Hospice of Palm Beach County. The Community Fitness Run & Walk will take place Saturday, Nov. 3 beginning and ending at Wellington Plaza at the corner of Forest Hill Blvd. and Wellington Trace. For more info., call Lauryn Barry at (561) 227-5157.

Jason Norcross, John Merrell and John Herring.

Wellington Mayor Tom Wenham with Lew Blatte and Dr. Sal De Canio.

Lauryn Barry, Barry Manning and Jill Merrell.

Jason Norcross, Beth Beattie, Danielle Norcross, Veronica Cantillo, Jill Merrell and Justin Merrell.

Elizabeth Bornia, Tensy Caine, Terri Priore and Carmine Priore III.

PHOTOS BY LEONARD BRYANT

The First World Diabetes Day Will Be Recognized Nov. 14

The Greater Palm Beach County chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the world’s largest charitable funder of type 1 diabetes research, is joining the United Nations and the global diabetes community to observe the first World Diabetes Day on Nov. 14.

As part of World Diabetes Day — and throughout the month of November, which is National Diabetes Awareness Month — the JDRF will be conducting a wide range of activities to help raise awareness of type 1 diabetes, urging the public to learn more about the symptoms and devastating effects of this unpreventable disease, and encouraging them to support research leading to a cure for diabetes and its complications.

Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease that affects children, adolescents and adults, in which the immune system attacks cells in the pancreas that produce insulin, a hormone that enables

Invisalign Day At Perfect Smile Dentistry

Perfect Smile Dentistry hosted Invisalign Day on Saturday, Oct. 27 at its locations in Wellington and Boynton Beach. The event was promotion for Invisalign, a series of clear, removable aligners that straighten teeth without using braces. The special promotion offered a free exam and records (a $500 value), a free take-home whitening kit ($450) and $300 off the total Invisalign case. For more information about Invisalign, or to schedule an appointment, call Dr. Rasmi Akel or Dr. Barbara Bates at Perfect Smile Dentistry at (561) 204-4494. The Wellington office is lo-

people to convert food into energy. People with type 1 diabetes are dependant on insulin for the rest of their life. But insulin is not a cure, and people with diabetes are at significant risk for a wide range of serious complications, including heart disease, blindness and kidney disease.

Developed by the UN, in conjunction with the JDRF and other diabetes organizations, World Diabetes Day marks a call to action to raise awareness around the world about diabetes, to urge governments to implement national policies for the care and treatment of diabetes, and to encourage individuals to get involved. The UN recognition of Nov. 14 follows the passing of Resolution 61/225 in December 2006. This landmark resolution, led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), began as the ambitious Unite for Diabetes campaign and recognizes diabetes as a worldwide threat, elevating it to the same level as HIV/AIDS,

cated at 12300 South Shore Blvd., Suite 208 in the Mizner Place building.

National Infertility Awareness Week

The Palm Beach Center for Reproductive Medicine and Resolve: The National Infertility Association are celebrating the 18th Annual National Infertility Awareness Week Nov. 4-10 joining thousands of infertile women and men, healthcare professionals, psychologists and others to promote greater awareness about infertility.

“Resolve’s National Infertility Awareness Week is a time for us to help educate the general public and create

tuberculosis and malaria.

“This global awareness effort is imperative to spread the word of the importance of education and research in order to better the lives of the estimated 200 million persons worldwide who have diabetes,” said Lora Hazelwood, executive director of the JDRF’s Greater Palm Beach County Chapter.

As the JDRF unites with leading diabetes organizations including the IDF and the World Health Organization to promote World Diabetes Day on a global level, the Greater Palm Beach County chapter is encouraging the local community to also learn more about type 1 diabetes and its complications. The JDRF will mark National Diabetes Awareness Month and World Diabetes Day with several events, including:

• Light up the Skyline — To mark the “monumental” occasion of the first UN observed World Diabetes Day, landmark monuments will be lit up in blue —

greater awareness and understanding about infertility in Florida, to help women and men find the answers and get the support they need to make important medical decisions and address the medical, emotional, social and economic challenges infertility can present,” Palm Beach Center for Reproductive Medicine Director Dr. Scott Roseff said.

During National Infertility Awareness Week, the Palm Beach Center for Reproductive Medicine will host the patient education symposium “Fertility Awareness and Family Building” on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn (Lake Worth Road near Florida’s Turnpike). In addition to Roseff, the

the logo color of the JDRF and the IDF Unite for Diabetes logo. Those local landmarks, monuments and buildings that will observe this occasion by lighting up in blue include the Empire State Building, Sears Tower and Seattle’s Space Needle.

• Kid’s Walk to Cure Diabetes — Kicking off in November and continuing throughout the remainder of the school year, the JDRF is visiting schools throughout Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast in an effort to educate children on the importance of diabetes and to encourage exercise.

Symptoms of type 1 diabetes, which often occur suddenly, are extreme thirst; frequent urination; sudden vision changes; fruity, sweet or wine-like odor on breath; increased appetite; sudden weight loss; drowsiness or lethargy; heavy, labored breathing; and stupor or unconsciousness.

For more info., visit www.jdrf.org/ greaterpalmbeach or call (561) 686-7701.

evening’s speakers will include:

• Urologist Dr. Diego Rubinowicz of the Urology Center of Palm Beach

• Doctor of Oriental Medicine Dr. Susan Schiff of the Acupuncture Associates of Delray Beach

• Licensed psychologist Dr. Sheridan Koplow

• Registered dietician Leslie Gonzalez of Nutrition2Physician

During the symposium, the center will hold a drawing, including a $1,000 certificate and two $500 certificates that can be applied to the cost of an IVF cycle.

For more information about the symposium, or to reserve a seat, call the center at (561) 333-8232.

‘Saving Face’ Has Taken On A Whole New Meaning For Me

I got a facial.

In the life of an ordinary woman, this is not earth-shattering news, but for me, it is. Even in “this day and age,” a day and age when men are running in for facials once a week, I had never gotten one before. Allowing a stranger to paw my face was just not something I was ready to shell out hard-earned money for. Then I actually looked at my face.

Hmm. Needed some work.

So I bit the bullet and called up a local spa, feeling sort of like I was making an appointment to have my face “read” by Helen Keller. When the big day came, I walked in the door full of fear and trepidation, whatever trepidation is.

Although I expected the staff to recoil in horror, I was greeted by a warm and friendly person who did not spend an excessive amount of time looking at me as if I were the Elephant Man. I was led to a dimly lit room and given a glass of tea. Soothing music played, and one of those little waterfalls was running. It was

very nice... but that running water made me want to go to the bathroom.

The bathroom was pretty and clean, and soon I returned to what I suspected was some sort of detox room, a place where I could leave the outdoors behind and focus on something really important: me. I sat down and sipped my tea and — wouldn’t you know it? — they had the nerve to bring someone else in there! Someone who wanted to talk to me, who was interested in who I was and what I did for a living and whether I had children! I hate that. I was just considering getting cards printed up to hand to people who need that kind of pertinent information when my aesthetician came back to rescue me. Whew!

She led me into what could’ve passed for a doctor’s office if it hadn’t been so, well, pink. She invited me to put on a robe and lie down and then she left the room. The robe was a real one — not like at the doctor’s office — so I felt a little more at home. Then she came back

and looked at my face and remarked that she couldn’t believe I’d never had a facial before. I didn’t know if this was a compliment, chastisement or regret on her part. Was it too late to save me? Had my face degenerated so badly it would have to be replaced? What? But that was it for heavy conversation from her. Instead, she massaged my hands and feet with cream and placed them each into a little heated sack. It felt so nice, and she was so quiet that I didn’t feel like pointing out that my face was really more near the top of my neck. She eventually got up there, working still more magic with lotions and potions and paying excruciating attention to detail. I started to feel bad for her — that I hadn’t done my part all along, that I hadn’t been using moisturizer and only applied sunscreen if I was going out on the boat. Without a word from her, I started to realize that I only have this one mug and if I didn’t pay attention to it, it would soon be scaring small children. I

vowed to be a better steward of my face. When the girl handed me a mirror, I looked better. I most certainly looked relaxed. But I was mostly happy for my hands and fingers. These poor things rap away on a keyboard every single day. If they do get a break, it’s because my husband needs me to help him lay sod or take a chimney off the house or something. On spa day, they came out of their mittens feeling brand new. They even looked brand new!

So I’m sold on facials — especially the ones they do on your hands. In fact, on my hands’ birthday, I’m going back.

‘The Subject Was Roses’ A Stage Production Worth Seeing On My

Palm Beach Dramaworks continues its incredible run of superb performances in November with a searing production of Frank Gilroy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Subject Was Roses. While less flashy than Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, the play demonstrates the same kind of ferocious look at the wars that tear families apart or turn members into casualties.

William Hayes put together a production so fine that it brought back memories of the original production, which I saw in its original form. How long ago was that? Well, the son in the family, just back from the service, was a young Martin Sheen.

Gilroy gives an unsparing look at the three members of the Cleary family the

day after son Timmy comes back from World War II. His parents, John and Nettie, take an all-too-brief timeout from their long-running battle with each other, and each tries to be first in the young man’s affections. Neither seems to realize how much Timmy has changed, and Timmy heats things up as he is drawn into their cold war of a marriage.

Zolan Henderson is a fine Timmy. He is a catalyst who is always believable as he tries desperately at first to please both parents and finally confronts both with his own need to go his own way. Henderson seems both real and touching as a character who represented, at least symbolically, the playwright.

Cary Barker is a wonderful Nettie. The

character is not a simple one. She long ago gave up hope for happiness in her marriage. She seemed to know, even from the start, that her husband had issues that could endanger her happiness. The scene in which she describes why she married John is painful in its honesty. This is not an easy role, and Barker was excellent.

James Rutledge’s John is the center of the production. John Cleary is not a sympathetic character. He is not able to communicate real feelings but mostly reveals his dark side at home, wearing a glad-handing mask when away. He is quick with jokes, but as he is reminded in one of the dramatic bits near the end of the play, has never told his son that he loved him. Rutledge gives a sensitive per-

Mind...

By Leonard Wechsler

formance. You can see his own agony at trying to avoid expressing his emotions and the toll on his soul.

Gilroy’s play, although focused on small frustrations in the lives of these Bronx Irish family members, reveals how the resentments and frustrations of a lifetime can destroy people. As anger is held

See WECHSLER, page 42A

SPOOKYVILLE HAUNTS YESTERYEAR VILLAGE AT FAIRGROUNDS

Spookyville took place Oct. 27, 28 and 31 at Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgrounds. A Halloween costume parade along with children’s games and activities were held all three days, including a cakewalk, sack races, a beanbag toss, milk-bottle throw, mummy wrap and tombstone rubbing, hayfield, pie-eating contests and pony rides.

“Officer” Donnie Burress and “convict” Bill DeLong.

Cakewalk winner Emily Moorehead with Yesteryear volunteer Carol Coursey. Sophia Kobussen, Linda Locke, Anastasia Kobussen, Becky Kobussen and Bobbie Maxwell.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Logan Griffin stuffs his face during the pie-eating contest.Noah Frye as a scarecrow.Pirates Kim, Julia and Mike Kuzemchak aboard their “ship.”

VINCEREMOS HALLOWEEN TRAIL RIDE AT JIM BRANDON CENTER

The Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center got some help from its friends Saturday as a group of caring citizens provided a wonderful riding experience for a group of disabled riders on a Halloween ride at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center on Forest Hill Blvd. Vinceremos Administrative Assistant Hannah Lopez said local businesses donated money and provided items for support. Members of Acreage Horseman’s Association were on hand as well. For more information about Vinceremos, call (561) 792-9900 or visit www.vinceremos.com.

“Flapper” Jessica Welsh.

Kathy Lamerson with Scooter.

Celeste Hathhorn, Christy Cole, Carol Jacobs, Zoe Hathhorn and Brenda Riol.

Nancy Bishop with Kali.

Volunteer Carah Leskovitz with her mother Pam.

Zoe Hathhorn. Kaley Walker aboard Jaime and Melissa Johnson on Belle.

PHOTOS

ALA HOSTS HALLOWEEN PARTY AT ACREAGE COMMUNITY PARK

The Acreage Landowners’ Association held its Halloweenthemed Acreage Community Fall Festival last Sunday at Acreage Community Park. The Hernandez family set up its Happy Face Party Rental events and Acreage youngsters got dressed up for a wonderful time. Children played games, took part in a hula-hoop competition and had a great time dancing.

ADULTS & PEDIATRICS

PHOTOS

Katie and Veronica Cordova.

Alexis and Madison Rufolo.Ashley Fitzhugh.

Kylie Weiss dressed in pink as a fairy princess.

C.J. and “mad scientist” Chase Goodall.

Indian Trail Improvement District supervisors Ralph Bair, Sandra Love Semande and President Michelle Damone.

Royal Palm Beach Defeats Park Vista; Hawks Fall To Vero

By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report

Royal Palm Beach High School proved it is still a force to be reckoned with in District 8-6A football last Friday. The Wildcats defeated previously unbeaten Park Vista 24-10 behind 144 passing yards from junior quarterback Marvin Payne and a solid defense that held Cobras star running back Johnny Celicourt to only 16 yards rushing on a soggy field at Palms West Stadium.

Payne, in his first season as a starter, went into this Friday’s game against Palm Beach Central with 1,088 yards passing and nine touchdowns. However, it was Payne’s feet rather than his right arm that put the Wildcats (5-

FOOTBALL

3) ahead for good against Park Vista.

Payne’s one-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave Royal Palm Beach a 17-10 lead.

The Wildcats jumped on Park Vista early with an 85-yard touchdown pass from Payne to sophomore wide receiver Chris Dunkley. The reception was Dunkley’s fifth touchdown catch of the season.

The Cobras (7-1) came back in the second quarter to take a 10-7 lead on a field goal and a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Eddie Sullivan to Jeremy Norfus.

Wildcats kicker Corey Inman tied the

game at 10 with a field goal in the third quarter before Payne’s touchdown gave Royal Palm Beach the lead for good. Junior defensive back Jordan Dangerfield sealed the deal when he returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

The Wildcats needed the victory over the Cobras to keep their district title hopes alive after a 20-19 loss to Lake Worth on Oct. 19. A Royal Palm Beach victory over Palm Beach Central this Friday at Palms West Stadium, combined with a Lake Worth loss to Park Vista the same night, would result in a three-way tie for the title between Royal Palm, Park Vista and Lake Worth. If Lake Worth defeats Park Vista, the Trojans win the district outright and the Wildcats, with a victo-

ry over the Broncos, would finish second.

Seminole Ridge, which scored 62 points in its previous two games, was held to only 188 yards of total offense in its 13-7 loss to Vero Beach last Friday. The Hawks’ lone touchdown came in the fourth quarter on a one-yard pass from quarterback Josh Jackson to running back Curtis Griswold.

Vero Beach held William Jones, the Hawks’ leading rusher to this season, to only 25 yards on six carries. Griswold, who scored three touchdowns against Palm Beach Central, got 28 yards on nine carries. Jackson completed 10 of 18 passes for 116 yards.

The Hawks (4-4) were scheduled to play at Palm Beach Gardens this Friday.

Palm Beach Central Bests Winless Wellington Wolverines 12-7

By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report

Palm Beach Central High School got back on the winning track last Friday with a 12-7 victory over crosstown rival Wellington.

The Broncos got a six-yard run from

FOOTBALL

senior standout David Ahola in the second quarter and a 19-yard run from senior Jon Bostic in the third quarter for a 12-0 lead. The winless Wolverines scored on

senior Chad Endres’ one-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Ahola, who broke the Broncos’ single-season rushing record in Palm Beach Central’s 24-8 loss to Seminole Ridge on Oct. 20, gained 39 yards on 16 carries against Wellington. He went into Friday’s game against Royal Palm

Beach with 1,021 yards and nine touchdowns.

Bostic had 50 yards on 10 carries against the Wolverines, who play their final game of the season Nov. 9 against John I. Leonard. Endres led Wellington with 78 yards rushing on 23 attempts.

Bronco Jon Bostic fends off Wellington defensive man Nick Bruckner.

Bronco Peniel Jean deflects this WHS kick in the second quarter.

Wellington’s Chad Endres takes down Bronco quarterback Jason Lesnick in the backfield.

Wellington’s Nick Bruckner avoids a tackle from P.B. Central’s Jarod Eaton.

WHS quarterback Winter Cullen hands off to Michael Garifine.

Royal Palm Beach Falls To Jupiter In District Championships VOLLEYBALL

By Lisa Keeney Town-Crier Staff Report

After topping Palm Beach Gardens in a post-season game on Oct. 24, the Royal Palm Beach High School girls varsity volleyball team lost to Jupiter in the District 9-6A championship match up last Thursday night at home.

The last time the two teams met, they battled for five games but Royal Palm pre-

vailed. With the district title on the line, the Wildcats stumbled, falling 25-22, 25-27, 25-21, 725 and 6-15.

The Lady Wildcats traveled to Spanish River Wednesday night for regional semifinal action, losing 25-19, 25-22 and 25-15.

The Wildcats ended with a record of 22-6.

Wildcat Latoya Harvin scores a point in the fourth game.

RPB’s Cassady Cook hits the ball during the second game. Taylor Johnson punches the ball past the Warriors’ defenders.

PHOTOS BY LISA KEENEY/TOWN-CRIER

Kelly Donovan tries to score a point for Royal Palm Beach.

Wildcats Shaina Abdell and Kelly Donovan block the ball.

Wellington Girls Basketball Team Looks Ahead To New Season

By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report

The Wellington High School girls basketball team will host the Tip-Off Classic this Wednesday and Thursday, Nov. 7-8 in the WHS gymnasium.

The Lady Wolverines, coming off a 12-12 season last year, will play John I. Leonard at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Lake Worth at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. Olympic Heights will play Lake Worth at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and

BASKETBALL BASKETBALL

Leonard at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday.

It’s the first time WHS has hosted the Tip-Off Classic, which for the past few years has been held at Lake Worth High School.

“This gives us two additional home games,” said Lady Wolverines Coach Vic Navarro, who added that the TipOff Classic is a good venue in which to showcase his program for area

schools and the public.

“We’re trying to run a very professional program,” said Navarro, in his second season as WHS coach. “We want to show teams how we run things here. That’s important to show Wellington in a good light and that we have good kids.”

The Lady Wolverines return two starters from last season’s team — senior Samantha McGee and sophomore Katey Applegate. McGee is one of the county’s top three-point shooters and Applegate, who averaged 10

points per game last season, could become one of the county’s better allaround players.

“She has gotten stronger and much better with her penetration,” Navarro said of Applegate. “One of the things we worked on this summer is her ballhandling skills so she can take on people inside. And she’s more confident. Last year she was very quiet. You could hardly get a word out of her. This year you see much more of personality. It’s a different Katey.”

After Nearly 15 Years, Football League Continues To Expand

The Western Communities Football League (WCFL) has been the flagship for youth sports in Wellington since 1993. In its early years, starting with more than 200 children participating, the league maintained stability despite a lack of proper facilities.

Through the years, the WCFL football and cheerleading programs have grown to more than 1,000 children participating in six divisions with 36 teams. A charter member of the Orange Bowl Youth Football Alliance (OBYFA), the league’s growth is the product of expansion from its roots in Wellington to West Palm Beach, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, The Acreage, Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee.

“We try to ensure that the program runs successfully and the children in our community have the opportunity to play in a fair and safe program,”

WCFL President Mike Pignato said. “Most importantly we want to oversee a program that represents the pure joy of football.”

Tracey Seberg has a vital role in the overall operations of the WCFL. She serves as secretary for the WCFL

Board of Directors, as well as cheerleading commissioner and the junior varsity and high school prep cheer team coach.

“Our goals are to reach as many families in and around our communities as possible through our cheer and football programs,” Seberg said. “Our affiliation with the OBYFA bolsters and reinforces our standing and credibility within our communities. Through the annual grant from the Orange Bowl Committee, we have been able to provide events and services we may not have been able to otherwise make available because of the financial burden.”

The WCFL is looking to expand further in the near future. The league has a goal of establishing a total of 48 teams, which would be divided into eight divisions with an average of 20 players per team. The league also hopes to offer a premier cheerleading program for ages five to 15.

“By expanding and maintaining the goodwill that we have within our communities, our hope is we will continually fill each division and team roster and place with each team quality coaches to men-

tor the youth in our communities,” Seberg said.

The WCFL cheer program is as popular and competitive as the football program and is gearing up for another successful showing at the 2007 Orange Bowl Cheer and Dance Championships on Nov. 11. For the past four years, each division of the cheer program has placed well at the Orange Bowl Cheer and Dance Championships. In 2005, the High School Prep division squad took first place in its division and captured the overall championship.

“As cheerleading coach, my main objective is to create a halftime routine with stunts, cheers and chants challenging enough for our entire squad,” Seberg said. “The cheer program’s goals are to encourage teamwork, good sportsmanship, self-esteem, healthy minds and bodies, making friends and most importantly to have fun.”

Another program Seberg oversees is the Spirit Award. The weekly award is presented to a cheerleader on each squad who displays sportsmanship, spirit and devotes 100 percent effort during practices and games. Award

winners receive a certificate of achievement and their names are posted on the WCFL web site.

The WCFL also acts as a “big brother” for surrounding leagues. It had an instrumental role in the startup of the new West Boynton Football League (WBFL), an OBYFA sister league. However, Seberg said the most rewarding part of her job is witnessing her older cheerleaders giving back to the program.

Royal Palm Rec Tuesday Night Men’s League Standings as of 10/30/07

Shootout Finalists — The Wellington Shootout took place Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 13 and 14. The Wellington Wave U-9 Boys Blue Team finished as finalists. Pictured here are team members Nicholas Martinez, Daniel Hart, Victor Sadovic, Anthony Grnja, Brayden Ivaniszyn, Remy Suarez, Tyler Whittaker, Alec Sunshine, Yoni Spencer, Alec Michael Petrizzi, Assistant Coach Doug Sunshine and Coach Alan Grnja.

Halloween Champs — The Pro Ball Cobras 10-U won the Okeeheelee Wood Bat Halloween Tournament recently. The team was undefeated throughout the tournament and won the championship game in a dominant performance. The Cobras include (top row, L-R): coaches Gary Goldenberg, Angel Rosado, Yosvani Hernandez, Jeff Church and Manager Oscar Santalo; middle row: Logan Goldenberg, Jordan Dobson, Amadeus Mullings, Brian Hernandez, Mathew Sternola and Eddie Villalta; bottom row: Luke and Jake Eder, Keaton Baird, Dylan Santalo, Brandon Betchel, Austin Dempsey and Jonathan Rosado.

NICOLE’S VILLAGE TAVERN HOSTS HALLOWEEN PARTY

Nicole’s Village Tavern held its annual Halloween Costume Party for adults on Saturday, Oct. 27. The night included “spooktacular” dinner specialties, thirstquenching “spirits,” costume contests and dancing. In addition to the regular menu, Nicole’s featured Halloween-themed dishes, desserts and drinks. Nicole’s Village Tavern is located at 12300 South Shore Blvd. For more information, visit www.nicolesvillagetavern.com.

Raquel Crowe

and Judith Simons as devil and angel.

Jerry

Brent and

as “Dead Elvis” and vampiress.

Nicole’s owners Ron and Jaene Miranda.

“Pirates” Chad Murphy and Heather Burkett.

PHOTOS BY BETTY BUGLIO/TOWN-CRIER

A ‘SPOOKTACULAR’ EVENING AT OKEEHEELEE NATURE CENTER

The Friends of the Okeeheelee Nature Center presented a Halloween Spooktacular on Friday, Oct. 26. Despite the rain, there was an impressive turnout. Activities included face painting, a bean-bag toss, storytelling, toasted marshmallows, arts and crafts, and a treasure hunt. The animal sounds heard on the nature trail tour were truly… spooktacular. The Okeeheelee Nature Center is located at Okeeheelee Park, 7715 Forest Hill Blvd. For more info., call (561) 233-1400.

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Growling kittens Karleigh and Hannah Farrell of Royal Palm Beach with “Miss Meow” Yailen Hernandez.

Maria Rigsby gives Quinn Van Popering a face painting.

Four-year-old Andrea Davis.

Naturalist Meghan Murphy with Cypress, a barred owl.

Anthony Bonavita of Wellington as a fish on a hook.

Matthew Cunningham, Alexi Rose, Ally Cunningham and Okeeheelee Nature Center Manager Clive Pinnock with Alex, a rescued great horned owl from the center.

Saturday, Nov. 3

• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) will present 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother in the Rinker Playhouse through Sunday, Nov. 4. Describing her experiences both as a gay mother of two sons and as the daughter of a quintessential Jewish mother, Emmy Award-winning stand-up comedian Judy Gold mixes autobiographical commentary with snippets based on more than 50 interviews with Jewish women across the U.S. Tickets are $28. For more info., call (561) 832-7469 or visit www.kravis.org.

• The West Palm Beach Antique & Collectibles Show will continue Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 3 and 4 at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center. Hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. For more info., call (561) 7930333.

• The Studio Theatre of Wellington will continue its Second Annual Festival of Short Plays through Nov. 10. Admission costs $10. The theater is located at 11320 Fortune Circle in Wellington. For more information, call (561) 204-4100.

• Ballet Florida will continue its mixed bill company performance Nov. 3 and 4 at Palm Beach Community College’s Eissey Campus Theatre. For more info., call (561) 659-2000 or visit www.balletflorida.com.

• The Community Fitness Run in Wellington benefiting Hospice of Palm Beach County will take place Saturday, Nov. 3 starting and ending at Wellington Plaza (corner of Forest Hill Blvd. and Wellington Trace). Registration will begin at 6:30 a.m., and the event will start at 7:30 a.m. The entry fee is $30 for adults on race day. Youngsters under 18 may enter for $25 on race day. Entry fee includes an event T-shirt, postrace refreshments, prizes and live entertainment. For more info., call Lauryn Barry at (561) 227-5157. Register in advance at www.hpbc.com.

The Town-Crier currently has a position available for a full-time writer. Knowledge of central Palm Beach County a must. Writing experience essential. Fax resume/clips to (561) 793-6090 or e-mail news@gotowncrier.com.

mit Blvd., West Palm Beach) on Saturday, Nov. 3. All children presenting a valid Palm Beach County library card will receive free admission to the zoo for themselves and one adult. There will be book giveaways and entertainment focusing on the importance of reading. For more info., call (561) 547-WILD or visit www.palmbeachzoo.org.

• Song and dance man Eddie Mekka of Laverne and Shirley fame will perform Saturday, Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. at the Sorrento Cheese Main Entertainment Stage in Abacoa Town Center in Jupiter. For more info., visit www.feastoflittleitaly.com or call (561) 427-0500.

Sunday, Nov. 4

• The Loxahatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association offers a choice of a fiveor a nine-mile walk in Jonathan Dickinson State Park on Sunday, Nov. 4. Meet at the entrance parking lot at 8 a.m. For more information, call Mary at (561) 391-7942.

• Temple Beth Zion in Royal Palm Beach will present humorist and musical entertainer Avi Hoffman on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $25 each. Refreshments will be served. Temple Beth Zion is located at 129 Sparrow Drive. For more info., call (561) 798-8888.

• The Gold Coast Business and Professional Women will hold its Autumn Tea featuring live and silent auctions on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 3 p.m. at the Ibis Golf & Country Club. Tickets are $45. For more information, or to receive a copy of the latest newsletter, call Sue at (561) 776-6349 or Gemma at (561) 625-0687.

Monday, Nov. 5

• Girl Scout Troop 453, partnered with the Safe Harbor Rescue League, will collect donations for battered women and abused/abandoned children on Saturday, Nov. 3 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Okeechobee Blvd. entrance to Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School (16020 Okeechobee Blvd.). For more info., call Denise at (561) 793-4955.

• Registration for the American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 3 at the AYSO Activity Building on the soccer fields at Okeeheelee Park (7715 Forest Hill Blvd.). For more info., call (561) 642-5449 or e-mail region345@aol.com or visit www.ayso345.com.

• The Maroone Chevrolet Salsa-Fest will take place Saturday, Nov. 3 from noon to 10 p.m. at Greenacres Community Park (Jog Road and 10th Avenue North). The one-day family event will celebrate the diverse Hispanic heritage connecting all people through music, food, entertainment and friendship. Admission is $8 for adults and free for children under 10. For more info., visit www.palmswest.com or call (561) 790-6200.

• Celebrate National Children’s Book Week at the Palm Beach Zoo (1301 Sum-

• The Palm Beach Center for Reproductive Medicine will hold a patient education symposium Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 6:30 p.m. at the Holiday Inn on Lake Worth Road near Florida’s Turnpike. The symposium will feature noted reproductive specialists including Dr. Scott Roseff, reproductive endocrinologist at the center. For more info., call (561) 333-8232 or visit www.reproendo.com.

• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) will present the Queen Latifah Trav’lin Light Tour on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. For tickets, visit www.kravis.org. Thursday, Nov. 8

• Palm Beach Community College’s Duncan Theatre (4200 W. Congress Ave., Lake Worth) will feature top studio musicians performing a recital of Pink Floyd’s The Wall on Thursday, Nov. 8 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $30 per seat or $75 for a three-concert series that will include Led Zeppelin IV (Feb. 7, 2008) and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (March 13, 2008). For more information, visit www.pbcc.edu/ duncan or call (561) 868-3309.

• Bob Lappin and the Palm Beach Pops will present “Contemporary Composers” featuring the music of Barry Manilow, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, John Williams, Billy Joel and Michel Legrande on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 8 and 9 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach). For tickets, visit www.kravis.org.

Friday, Nov. 9

• The Village of Wellington is gearing up for another Wellington Residents Academy, a free five-week “who we are” and “what we do” course on the village by department and function. The 2007 fall session will be held on Nov. 5, 14, 28, and Dec. 3 and 12 from 7 to 9 p.m. at the Wellington Community Center (12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). To receive an application, call Kathy Tatgenhorst at (561) 791-4097.

• The Crestwood Performing Arts League (C-PAL) will host a fundraiser Monday, Nov. 5 from 5 to 10 p.m. at Fuddruckers restaurant near the Mall at Wellington Green. To participate, present a C-PAL coupon when purchasing your meal. Twenty percent of each purchase during those hours will be donated to C-PAL. Coupons will be available at Fuddruckers. For more info., call George at (561) 793-6897.

• I’m Ready Productions will present Je’Caryous Johnson’s Whatever She Wants, a comic stage play featuring Richard Roundtree, on Monday, Nov. 5 at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach). For tickets, visit www.kravis.org. Wednesday, Nov. 7

• Mr. Food No-Fuss Meals will host a fundraiser to benefit the Wellington Chapter of Jewish Adoption and Foster Care Options (JAFCO) on Wednesday, Nov. 7. Two sessions will take place, the first from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the second from 5 to 9 p.m. To purchase tickets, contact Beth Saifman at bethsaifman@aol.com or (561) 204-4181, Jamie Shapiro at jamiehshapiro@yahoo.com or (561) 434-0602, or Wendi Seelin at wendi64@century fla.com or (561) 792-3111.

• Starting Friday, Nov. 9, the Cuillo Centre for the Arts (201 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach) will present Viagra Falls, a comedy about two old friends, a call girl and a little blue pill, starring Harold Gould, Teresa Ganzel and Lou Sutell. The show continues on the main stage through Dec. 23. For more info., call (561) 836-9226.

• “Feng Shui: What It Is, What It Isn’t and How to Use It” will be taught at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 9 at the Wellington library. Admission is free Call (561) 790-6070 for more info. Saturday, Nov. 10

• The Wellington Art Society’s fine arts and crafts festival Fall Fling 2007 will take place Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 10 and 11 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the grounds of the Wellington Community Center (12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). Works exhibited at the festival will include paintings, sculpture, photography, jewelry, glass, mixed media and ceramics. For more information, contact Susan Rose at sar512@bellsouth.net or (561) 795-1691, or visit www. wellingtonartsociety.org.

• A benefit concert for the Laura Brooke Music Foundation will take place Saturday, Nov. 10 the Bak Middle School of the Arts in West Palm Beach. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for students, and can be purchased at Boomer’s Music (12789 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite C, Wellington). For more info., call Boomer’s Music at (561) 656-1259 or visit www.passthe dream.net.

Send calendar items to: Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. FAX: (561) 793-6090. E-mail: news@ gotowncrier.com.

Acreage

Rotary Dictionary Drive — Acreage Rotary Club members Michelle Desjardins, LaJuana Helton, Richard Helton, Roland Greenspan and Suzanne Horwitz bring new dictionaries to Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School Tuesday.

PHOTO BY LEONARD WECHSLER/TOWN-CRIER

Rotary Club Visits LGES

By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report

The Acreage Rotary continued its tradition of providing free dictionaries for all third graders in the area on Tuesday morning when a group of its members met with the approximately 100 children in that grade at Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School.

Rotary President Richard Helton told Principal Richard Myerson just before the children filed into the school cafeteria that his greatest thrill was helping out the children.

“When I see their faces,” he said, “especially the faces of poor children who have never owned a book before, it makes me understand even better the great joy of giving. The children are so happy to get the book as a present.”

After discovering that almost none of the students had ever heard of Rotary, Helton told the children that it was a service organization, one that tries to make life better for everyone. “It was started by one man 102 years ago,” he said, “and now there are over a million members in a lot of countries.”

Helton told the students they could join the environmental club Rotokids in the fourth grade. Principal Myerson told the

children that members of the club had planted flowers and other plants around the school last year as well as other places in the area.

Rotarian Roland Greenspan told the students that a few years ago, members of that club had built solar ovens that were sent to Africa.

“These ovens don’t burn any fuel,” he said, “so they helped out a lot of very poor people there.”

Helton told the students there are plenty more opportunities for them to help others through Rotary-sponsored groups as they get older.

The students were pleased with the dictionaries, which also include reference material such as multiplication tables, maps and descriptions of all 50 states as well as foreign countries, the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, a sample of Braille as well as the American Sign Language alphabet. The last page of the dictionary has the longest word in the English language — 1,932 letters long.

Helton said Rotary is giving out a total of 720 dictionaries in Acreage and Loxahatchee Groves schools. He added that they also provided a $1,000 college scholarship to Laura Offie, who now attends Florida Atlantic University.

CYPRESS TRAILS HOLDS ITS FIRST VOCABULARY PARADE

Cypress Trails Elementary School held its first vocabulary parade on Wednesday, Oct. 31 at the school’s bus loop. Children and teachers alike showed their knowledge of new vocabulary words by designing and wearing costumes that illustrated each word. The first parade — held for younger students — took place from 9 to 10 a.m. The upper grades held their parade from 12:30 to 1 p.m. (Above) Some of the students show off their vocabulary costumes. (Left) Teacher Maureen Logan poses as an alligator with some of the students.

PHOTOS BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER

Seminole Ridge Debaters Shine At Nova National Invitational

Award Winners — Hawk debaters Stephanie MacInnes and October Reid showcase their public forum quarterfinal awards.

October was a busy month for the Seminole Ridge High School Forensics Team, which recently returned from Nova University’s Titan National Invitational tournament with many awards. In Lincoln-Douglas debate, Brianna Lozito broke to octofinals (placing her in the top 16) and Peter Burch made quarterfinals, placing him in the top four. In public forum, the team of Devon Arnold and Edward O’Hara broke to octofinals; the team of October Reid and Stephanie MacInnes made quarterfinals. Laura Belcher took

fourth with her original oratory titled “I Win.” Band Reels In Awards At Tarpon Springs — The Marching Hawk Band headed to the Tarpon Springs Music Festival recently and earned not only second place in Class 3A, but also Best Brass and Best Woodwinds in their class. The Hawk marchers’ score was the third-highest of the entire competition, breaking last year’s high score of 80.60 with a new record high score of 83.35.

Hawks Learn From Artistin-Residence — Students in Ms.

WHS, PBCHS Interact Clubs Partner For Road Cleanup

Wellington’s Interact clubs are off to a tremendous start this year helping the community and those in need.

A group of exceptional students from the Palm Beach Central High School Interact Club rolled out of bed very early Sunday morning for a car wash to raise money to support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk scheduled for Nov. 2 at the Meyer Amphitheatre in downtown West Palm Beach.

Participating in the event were PBCHS students led by Interact Club President Danielle Kimelstein. The club’s faculty advisor Carl Rosenberg assisted the students in staging the events that led to an impressive amount of money being raised for this event. “These exceptional students always rise to the occasion to support people in need,” Rosenberg said.

The students, through their various fundraising efforts, collected over $600 for the event. A special thanks goes out to Amit and Priti Patel of Star Liquors for donating the location that made it possible for the students to stage the fundraising event.

In addition, the PBCHS Interact Club and the Wellington High School Interact Club joined forces recently to participate in a street cleanup as part of the Village of Wellington’s Adopt-aStreet program. The students combed the streets of Wellington to collect litter. In a matter of a few hours the students were able to remove hundreds of pounds of refuse from along the roadways. For more information on the difference these student groups are making in the community, visit www.pbcinteract.com and www.wellingtoninteract.com.

Gwenn Seuling’s art classes recently worked with accomplished 2-D artist-in-residence Paulette Wong, observing her as she worked on a pencil composition. In addition to evaluating and providing feedback on student artwork, Wong brought many of her original prints, pencil compositions and paintings to share with Hawks. For recent donations of funds, materials and equipment to the 2-D art program, Seuling thanks students Nick Antonopoulous and Adrian Mitchell, and their families.

RPBHS Debaters

Dessert Theatre

The Royal Palm Beach High School Debate Team invites residents to join them on Nov. 17 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Royal Palm Beach High School for a dessert theatre. Experience an evening filled with debaters performing on stage in a variety of elocutionary forums while sampling the many delectable desserts that will be available. Team members will debate bills in a miniCongress session, a heated cross-fire and an oral interpretation of a literary work.

Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students, and are available at the door or in advance by calling Kris Walters at (561) 723-4261. There will be a raffle with tickets available at the event for $1 each. All proceeds support the Royal Palm Beach High School Debate Team.

Wellington and Palm Beach Central High School Interact students and advisors collect trash throughout the village.

BINKS STUDENTS ‘ALL EYES’

From Oct. 22 through 26, Binks Forest Elementary School students had fun raising money during their annual “All Eyes” contest. Each contestant donated $5 and was given a pair of eyeglass frames to decorate in a creative way. The glasses were then brought to school on Oct. 31 to be judged. Each participant received an ice cream donated by the Weingart family. One winner from each grade level received a wristband for the school’s upcoming carnival. The event raised a total of $1,000. Binks Forest Safety Patrols will receive $500 and the remaining $500 will go to the safety patrols at Gove Elementary School in Belle Glade. Pictured above are (front row, L-R) second-grader Colton Prochilo “Winky,” kindergartner Salvatore Albano and first-grader Cherry Bryant; back row: third-grader Alex Kaiser, fourth-grader Philip Weiss and fifth-grader Danoli Bryant.

Have Dinner At Buca Di Beppo With Wellington Debate

This Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 6 and 7 the Wellington High School Debate and Forensic Team invites supporters to its Buca di Beppo Benefit Night. From 5 to 9 p.m. each night, the Buca di Beppo restaurant near the Mall at Wellington Green will be assisting Wellington Debate by donating a portion of the proceeds from sales.

Tickets are $12 in advance and

include garlic bread; a mixed green salad or Caesar salad; spaghetti marinara or spaghetti with meat (beef) sauce; soft drink, tea or coffee; and dessert; plus tax and gratuity. Participation helps one of the nation’s top debate programs send students to national competitions.

For more information and to buy tickets in advance, call Wellington Debate Coach Paul Gaba at (561) 795-4911.

United Through Reading — Binks Forest Elementary School fourth graders have been participating in the United Through Reading program.

Binks Forest Book Drive Benefits Troops

This year, Binks Forest Elementary School fourth graders are learning important lessons about giving. Their first philanthropic act for the school year will reach overseas to military personnel stationed abroad and then back into their homes here in the United States. Thanks to United Through Reading, a program in which soldiers send videos of themselves reading children’s books home to their children or other young relatives, U.S. service men and women can stay connected to loved ones even though they are miles away. Seeing a parent on tape provides children with

the much-needed reassurance that their mother or father is safe and reinforces the importance of reading. The program is sponsored by Family Literacy Foundation.

Binks Forest fourth-graders, with the help of fourth grade teacher Mrs. Pam Campbell, organized a book drive to collect new or slightly used children’s books. Once the books were collected, they were sent to Task Force Lightning for distribution and taping. Now children all over America will be able to share stories with moms and dads far away. More than 200 books were collected.

WHS DECA Raising Money For Trip

DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America) members from Wellington High School will be traveling to New York this spring and the cost is very high. Fundraising plays a major part in ensuring the students will be able to participate in the trip.

Fuddruckers near the Mall at Wellington Green is hosting a benefit

night to support the local chapter. Everyone is invited to come out Monday, Nov. 19 from 5 to 10 p.m. to lend support to the club’s endeavor to explore the business aspects of New York.

For more information about the activity, call advisor Susan May at (561) 7954919 or e-mail maysue@palmbeach. k12.fl.us.

What is Organizational Management?

Organizational Management (ORM) is a broad-based program that emphasizes

You will enhance your career opportunities while you develop the knowledge and skills to compete with other college graduates. Learn how to lead effectively and apply sound business and management principles as you enhance your understanding of human behavior and its relationship to today’s global work

The ORM program is flexible in applying previously earned college credit to your degree. Professional Education Credit may also be awarded for professional licenses and certificates. If you have earned an Associate of Arts degree or the equivalent, you should be able to complete your degree in 1½ to 2 years.

Classes

Classes are accelerated and meet in the evening from 6 - 10 p.m. Attending two

How much will it cost?

Karen Ferreri

Earning an evening college degree is an investment that will pay off. Your total cost and your cost per semester will depend on several factors: full-time or parttime student status, the number of credit hours you transfer to PBA, the type of financial aid you qualify for, Florida residency, and tuition assistance from your employer. Full-time students who are Florida residents receive a $1500 Florida Resident Access Grant (FRAG) each fall and spring semester. “I

Come Cheer With The Wellington High School Cheerleaders

The Wellington High School Varsity cheerleaders will hold a fundraising clinic on Saturday, Nov. 3 at the school’s gymnasium. All interested girls from kindergarten to eighth grade are welcome to attend. The clinic starts at 8:30 a.m. and continues until 1 p.m. The registration fee is $35, which includes a cheer shirt.

Participants are asked to bring a bag lunch and drink bottle. The recommended attire is shorts, shirt and tennis shoes. All participants will be invited to cheer at the last football game of the season on Wednesday, Nov. 7 against the visiting John I. Leonard High School Lancers. For more information, call cheer coach Terry Powers at (561) 795-4900, ext. 70540.

Equine/Pre-Veterinarian Academy Open House — The

WHS Choice Programs Department has scheduled an open house for interested eighth graders and their parents for the Equine/Pre-Veterinarian Academy. The open house will be held in the school’s media center on Thursday, Nov. 8 from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The school is located at 2101 Greenview Shores Blvd.

Students and parents will be given an introduction to the school’s administration, science faculty and Choice Program policies that apply to the academy. The faculty will discuss the equine/pre-veterinarian curriculum and special programming.

An update will be given regarding the science department construction project that will include a new long-distance learning center and two super

labs for equine chemistry and equine biology.

The Equine/Pre-Veterinarian Academy at WHS provides students with an opportunity to pursue a rigorous, accelerated science program to prepare them for veterinary medicine and/or animal sciences at the college level.

Due to the rigorous science curriculum, this program is also appropriate for students preparing for a college program in pre-medicine or any field requiring a strong foundation in upper level sciences. Topics include horse anatomy and physiology, behavior, parasitology, disease, lameness, etc.

Academy students will be required to complete 20 hours of community service in an animal-based area during each year of high school. Academy

Poinciana Holds International Family Event

Poinciana Day School held an international-themed family event on Friday, Nov. 2. The free event had plenty of food, fun and prizes for children of all ages as well as adults.

Students received “passports” when they entered through the “Custom Stations” that evening. As they traveled to the various regions of the world, there were activities, crafts and food representing each area.

Some of the highlights included panning for gold in North America, a drumming circle in Africa, hair braiding in the Caribbean, cupcake dot art in Australia, creating Viking runes in

Scandinavia and origami games in Asia. An adult room for games and puzzles included prizes for a Presidential trivia puzzle. Some of the outside activities included cricket, badminton, horseshoes and a bounce house. There was plenty of food from countries all over the world, as well as a “melting pot” cookoff. A People’s Choice prize was awarded for the best chili, stew or ethnic dish entered. A highlight for adults was a raffle for a brand-new fully assembled grill.

The volunteer committee planning this wonderful international extravaganza include: Fran

Gervolino of Lake Worth, Mary Kyle of West Palm Beach, Laura Graves of Jupiter, Cliff Gordon of Jupiter, La Toya Bernard of West Palm Beach, Ranie Maharaj of West Palm Beach, Elizabeth Johnson of Wellington and Debbie Ullman of Wellington.

Poinciana Day School is an independent private school where every student is an honored student. All students pursue a strong academic curriculum as well as arts, technology, sports and Spanish.

For more information, call (561) 655-7323 or visit www.poincianadayschool.org.

students will also be required to intern with an animal healthcare facility and complete a research project in animal sciences/medicine as a senior in high school.

The following science courses will be required, along with the required math prerequisites: biology I honors, zoology honors, chemistry I honors, anatomy and physiology honors, physics honors, equine animal science honors (to be available in 2008-09), science research and a minimum of one advanced-placement science (AP biology, AP chemistry, AP physics or APenvironmental science).

Along with individual visits to local middle schools, the WCHS Equine/Pre-Vet Open House is designed to lend assistance as students seek ap-

pointments to various academies and magnet programs throughout the county. The School District of Palm Beach County Choice Programs application deadline for the 20082009 school year is Dec. 21. Applications can be picked up in the main office of WHS while supplies last or printed online at www.palmbeach. k12.fl.us/choiceprograms/ choice_app. htm. Applications can be submitted online or mailed directly to the Department of Choice Programs and School Choice, as listed on the application.

Applicants for the WHS Equine/Pre-Veterinarian Academy also need three favorable teacher recommendations, a 3.0 GPA and must be presently taking algebra I or algebra I honors in the eighth grade.

(Front row, L-R) Debbie Ullman of Wellington and Mary Kyle of West Palm Beach; (back row) La Toya Bernard of West Palm Beach, Laura Graves of Jupiter and Ranie Maharaj of West Palm Beach.

Santa To Visit The Mall At Wellington Green Nov. 9

This is one PJ party parents won’t want their child to miss! On Friday, Nov. 9 from 6 to 8 p.m., the Mall at Wellington Green will host a pajama party in anticipation of Santa Claus’ arrival. The first 100 children in line at the Grand Court wearing their PJs will receive a free goody bag filled with an elf hat and shoes, activity book, poster, a green screen photo coupon and more.

Complimentary cookies, cocoa and coffee will be provided and prizes will be given away in random drawings. A musical puppet show will entertain the children until they hear chiming bells, which is Santa’s cue to make his appearance. Santa will then escort the kids through the Fred Claus Interactive Snow Globe Exhibit, which includes a 20-foot walk-through snow globe where a cold winter blast and falling snow will welcome visitors to the North Pole. Inside the globe, guests can interact with lifesized sculptures of characters from the film and enjoy music from the movie soundtrack. The exhibit also includes three-dimensional scenes from Fred Claus showcased in three six-foot snow globes with buttons to launch interactive elements; a walk-through 28-foot holiday tree where visitors can be transported into Santa’s workshop; a “green screen” photo experience that gives visitors a chance to have their photo taken in the North Pole with Fred Claus characters; and the traditional visit and photo with Santa Claus.

For more information, visit www.shop wellingtongreen.com.

Challenge Of Champions

Nov. 8-10 In Wellington

The Humanitarian Society’s Challenge of Champions Charity Horse Show will take place Nov. 8, 9 and 10 at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club (14440 Pierson Road, Wellington). For more in-

formation, call the Humanitarian Society at (561) 362-8530 or the Stadium Jumping office at (561) 793-5867.

Events At JCC’s Wellington Branch

The Wellington branch of the Jewish Community Center of the Greater Palm Beaches will host “M&M: Movie & Mitvah Night” for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders on Saturday, Nov. 10. The night will run from 7 to 10 p.m. and include trivia, prizes, M&Ms, popcorn and a screening of Spiderman 3. The cost is $10 per person or a donation of two cans of food. To register, call Chad at (561) 689-7700.

On Sunday, Nov. 11 the Wellington branch will host “Tie Dye and Twister” on Sunday, Nov. 11. Children and adults are invited to play the popular board game Twister, make tie-dye T-shirts and have fun while socializing. Snacks will be served and pre-school activities will be available as well. The event will take place from 2 to 4 p.m. Admission is $10.

The JCC’s Wellington branch is located at 13889 Wellington Trace, Suite A-15. For more information or to register, call Sharon at (561) 253-6030.

Gem And Mineral Show Nov. 17-18

The 41st Annual Gem, Mineral, Bead, Jewelry and Fossil Show will be held at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo East Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 17 and 18. Dealers from all over the country will offer a wide range of fine jewelry, southwestern Indian jewelry, bead jewelry, loose beads, rocks and minerals for specimen collecting and cutting, loose precious and semi-precious gemstones, setting and finds, fossils, meteorites, tools and books.

Admission is $7 for adults; children under 12 are admitted free. Visit www.gemandmineral.cc for details and a $2 off coupon.

RPB COMMUNITY BAND GETS INTO THE HALLOWEEN SPIRIT

The Royal Palm Beach Community Concert Band presented a Spooktacular Halloween Concert Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the RPB Cultural Center. Led by conductor Fred Dart and assistant conductor Dale Olmstead, the 40-member band performed a collection of popular songs suited to the Halloween holiday, including “Phantom of the Opera,” “Ghosts in the Graveyard,” “Chillers and Thrillers” and more. (Above) Dart menaces Phyllis Elve with a toy snake. (Right) Sandra Beck as Little Bo Peep. For more information about events at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center, visit the village’s web site www.royal palmbeach.com.

Legal Administrators Association Holds Autism Casino Night

On Friday, Oct. 19, the Palm Beach County Chapter for the Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) held its 2007 Community Challenge at the Airport Hilton in West Palm Beach as a charity casino night. All proceeds directly benefited the Autism Project of Palm Beach County.

The APPBC is a local, parent-sponsored non-profit organization incorporated to generate funding for services, resources and education to improve the

POET SOCIETY

Sam Edwards and Maddie Gropka of The Acreage participated in the Palm County Poetry Society monthly gathering Oct. 27 at Memorial Gardens Mausoleum in Boca Raton. The group meets the last Saturday of every month at the mausoleum. Edwards recited two of his original poems “Tic Tic” and “My America.” Gropka recited her poem “Ketchup.” Edwards was invited to participate in the Palm Beach County Poetry Festival to be held in Delray Beach in January.

lives of individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families within Palm Beach County.

Chairperson Audrey Yeager, administrator of the Karp Law Firm, and her committee of legal administrators organized the event, which included roulette, craps and blackjack tables. Everyone who won had the opportunity to turn their chips in for a chance to win fabulous raffle prizes.

Autism Project Board Director Bob Rubin said he was extremely grateful for the ALA’s generous support.

Barefoot Mailman/Platinum sponsors were Integrated Data Technologies, Onsiteam advisors, GTS and Legal Office Products & Supplies. The event was supported by area law firms including Beasley, Hauser, Kramer, Leonard & Galardi and Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart and many legal supply/service vendors such as Kouwenhouven & Associates and Docutek Imaging Solutions.

For more information, contact David True, administrator for the law offices of Searcy, Denney et al. and PBC Chapter ALA president at drt@searcylaw.com or (561) 686-6300.

Gillette Named Engineer Of The Year

Dana Gillette was recently named the Engineer of the Year for 2007 by the Palm Beach Chapter of the Florida Engineering Society (FES).

FES selected Gillette for her contributions to the engineering community together with 20 years of professional work in Palm Beach County. Gillette’s career includes being a founding partner of Crossroads Engineering & Surveying, a firm that she and her partners grew to a staff of more than 20 and successfully sold to Erdman Anthony in 2004. Gillette is a graduate of the University of Florida.

The Palm Beach Chapter of FES elected Gillette as their president in 2002 and named her Young Engineer of the Year in 1999. Gillette currently sits on the Florida Institute of Consulting Engineers Transportation and Water Resources committees.

Gillette lives in Wellington with her husband of 20 years and two daughters. She now serves as a principal associate with Erdman Anthony in their Royal Palm Beach office, where she leads the company’s civil engineering efforts.

Autism Project Program Manager Michelle Damone with attorneys Lisa and Rob Hauser.

Dana Gillette

They operate from a simple premise: “We Get Fish… You Get Fresh”

Bonefish Grill is one of the fastest-growing upscale restaurant chains in the eastern and southern states. Founded in St. Petersburg in 2000 by veteran restaurateurs Tim Curci and Chris Parker, the Bonefish Grill originated upon the premise of simplicity and consistency, and a commitment to excellence at every level within the restaurant: food, service, décor and value. Over the past seven years they have grown to 50 restaurants in 15 states, serving fresh fish daily, to satisfy the most knowledgeable customers, in grand style. Regarded in the industry as “people who know fish,” they know how to choose, handle, cook and properly serve fish. Not everyone gets it right, but Bonefish Grill does!

We were impressed from our initial greeting, to the relaxing atmosphere, friendly service, great menu selections and the ever-changing fresh nightly specials. You might be in for a surprise with their very impressive wine selections from delicious homemade white and red Sangria at only $4.80 a glass, to bottled wines from California, Washington and Oregon, as well as international reserve wines from Italy, Spain, France, Australia

The Phantoms Visit

BONEFISH GRILL

9897 Lake Worth Road (at State Road 7) (561) 965-2663

and New Zealand. There are also 12 unique martinis — try the Georgia Peach, the Bellini of martinis made with Stoli vodka, peach schnapps and a splash of OJ ($6.90). Also, Bonefish has some of the best mojitos anywhere ($7.40).

Bang Bang Shrimp ($7.90) leads their list of appetizers. Even Emeril would approve of these crispy shrimp dressed with a creamy/spicy sauce. Also worthy of a mention is Mussels Josephine ($8.80), plump and lip-smacking good, and Prince Edward Islanders, sautéed with tomatoes, garlic, basil and lemon wine sauce. Ahi tuna sashimi ($8.80), a tender sushi-grade seared with wasabi and pickled ginger, was delicious. Other starters not to be missed are jumbo lump crab cakes, baconwrapped sea scallops, crispy calamari and our favorite, coconut-crusted shrimp: six jumbo shrimp in a sweet jacket of crispy coconut with marmalade dipping sauce ($7.90).

Bonefish Grill’s soups and salads are nice and fresh. Lump crab and corn chowder soup ($5.70) a New England specialty, is incredibly creamy and delicious and highly recommended. The Bonefish Salad ($4.90) with organic hearts of palm and pine nuts topped with Danish bleu cheese was the best we have ever tasted.

Bonefish Grill specializes in market fresh fish grilled over an

oak-burning grill, which gives the fish a savory, even cook. Original tantalizing toppings, ranging from fresh and light to rich and flavorful, are offered to enhance the flavor of the fish: Lemon Butter Sauce, Lime Tomato Garlic Sauce, Warm Mango Salsa or Pan Asian Style. If you like Chilean sea bass ($22), and who doesn’t, then you’re in for a special treat… we ordered it Pan Asian Style and savored every nibble. Other selections are: Grouper Piccata ($19.50), sautéed crispy, topped with a lemon caper butter sauce; Atlantic Salmon ($14.20) with sautéed spinach and lump crab and Diablo Shrimp Fettuccine ($12.90), a spicy treat served over noodles tossed in a seasoned white wine garlic cream sauce.

You never order steak in a seafood restaurant — except at Bonefish Grill, which is owned by Outback Steakhouse, so the exception to the rule most deliciously applies here. Try the center-cut grilled six-ounce filet mignon ($18.90), add the garlic gorgonzola butter, then be prepared to sit back and enjoy one of the best tasting, melt-inyour-mouth treats ever! Other selections are fire-roasted chicken marsala, pork tenderloin with a portabella piccata sauce, sirloin steak and surf & turf. All are as good as they get! All entrees, except pasta dishes, are served with fresh seasonal

locally grown vegetables and a choice of one other side: garlic whipped potatoes, potatoes au gratin, rice or angel hair pasta.

When a restaurant offers only three desserts ($4.70$5.50) they must be good. Their chocolate macadamia nut brownie cake, deep-dish Key lime pie and crème brulee are all the choices you need... unless the nightly special is our hands-down favorite, a wonderful Bananas Foster ($6). Sautéed in sweet butter rum sauce and topped with vanilla ice cream and a crispy cinnamon tortilla crust, this one is worthy of an e-mail alert when on offer!

Bonefish Grill is open for dinner only at 4 p.m. daily. For reservations or additional information about the Lake Worth Road location, call (561) 965-2663 and tell Managing Partner Joe Rotell that Joe & Kathryn, the Phantoms, highly recommended you call!

There are 34 other locations throughout Florida, including Palm Beach Gardens, Stuart, Coral Springs, Plantation and Weston.

Joe & Kathryn, the Phantoms, are freelance dining, travel and entertainment writers for the Town-Crier newspapers. Comments and recommendations are welcome at thephantomdiners@aol.com or (561) 309-4406.

Women Get A Degree

continued from page 10A force. Business majors are encouraged to network and get involved in local professional organizations while still students, so they can see how such organizations work.

“We stress free enterprise,” Pridgeon said. “We stress global and entrepreneurial aspects of business. We appreciate the free market system. You need to know economics, finance and math. Our curriculum is very heavy in these areas. We really stress that entrepreneurial spirit of business.”

Pridgeon, cofounder of the school’s Center for Ethics in Business, noted that Northwood recognizes that the competitive business world has a nasty side and stresses the development of a sense of ethics among its students, who are held to a code of ethics.

“We even ask our students to sign that they will pledge to follow the code of ethics,” she said. “We try to stress the ethical component of life and business by requiring our students to take ethics courses. Much of our programming involves our code of ethics.”

The Women’s Chamber of Commerce will host a champagne breakfast and conversation with tennis pro Chris Evert at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach Nov. 13. Tickets are $85 for members and $125 for nonmembers. For more about this and other chamber events, call (561) 253-0236 or visit www. womenschamber.biz.

ANNUAL FALL FESTIVAL CREEPS INTO WELLINGTON VILLAGE PARK

Wechsler

‘The Subject Was Roses’

continued from page 19A within, as conflicts go unresolved, they never go away.

“The Subject Was Roses” will continue until Dec. 2 at the Palm Beach Dramaworks Playhouse. See it. William Hayes and the rest of the wonderful folk of this wonderful company continue to give some of the best drama around. They remind us all why drama is so satisfying. The rest of the season looks quite good. They will perform The Fourth Wall from Dec. 21 though Feb. 3, Agnes of God from Feb. 22 through April 6, and Benefactors from April 25 through June 15.

Palm Beach Dramaworks is located at 322 Banyan Blvd. in West Palm Beach. Call (561) 514-4042 for more information or visit www.palmbeach dramaworks.com.

The Village of Wellington held its Fall Festival celebration Saturday, Oct. 27 at Village Park on Pierson Road. The evening featured the Old Gym Haunted Hallways, the Amazing Mr. A’s Freaky Magic Show, face painting and airbrush tattoos, bounce houses, door-to-door trick or treating, hayrides, inflatable rides and fun foods. In addition, parades were held throughout the evening for different age groups. A scary time was had by all.

King

New Boss On The Job

continued from page 11A them done as I can in the first year, and hopefully we’ll be able to build on those.”

The ITID supervisors voted Oct. 24 to hire King by a 4-1 vote with Supervisor Ralph Bair dissenting.

On Saturday, ITID Supervisor Carol Jacobs told the Town-Crier she is looking forward to working with King. “He was wonderful at the interview,” she said. “He seemed to know what all of us want to do.”

Jacobs was contacted at a fundraiser for the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center with members of the ITID Trailways Committee.

“We’ve been working hard on building our trails,” she said. “Mr. King wrote a $2.3 million grant for trails. We’re all excited about working with him. We want the best trail system in the state.”

ITID President Michelle Damone said King’s refer-

ences all spoke of him with high regard.

“Everyone we spoke to was quick to praise his work,” she said. “All of us on the board want to work with him to move us to a new level. And he’s the kind of administrator who can do it.”

Supervisor Sandra Love Semande also praised King. “He’s worked for some very good places,” she said. “He’s a top professional. I’m very optimistic about our future. He understands that our problems really come from forces outside the district, and he’s ready to work with us to deal with them.”

Supervisor Ralph Bair, the lone dissenting vote against King as first choice, was also upbeat.

“Even though he’ll have a longer learning curve than my first choice, [former ITID president] Bill Gotthelf, it’s clear that Mr. King knows how to manage effectively. He understands technology, he understands how to use his experts and he understands politics. We’re lucky to have him.”

PHOTOS BY DENISE

Julia Gonnello gets a face painting by Cliff Turner of Painted Phoenix Body Art.

“Devilicious” Vanessa Tavera and “Snow White” Antonella Hernandez.

Chase Calloway with mom Belkis and grandmother Chris.Michelle Diaz plays the organ.

Yanely Carvajal and Rachel Giles from Christy’s NY Cheesecake Bakery with a tray full of candied apples.

The Amazing Mr. A (Richard Adler) performs with a “mummy dummy.”

Lauren Mundt and Andrew Rubenstein ride the giant slide.

PALMS WEST

Business,

A TOWN-CRIER Publication

Pooches Are Pampered ArePampered At VIP AtVIP Dog Daycare, Hotel & T DogDaycare,Hotel&Training raining

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report

If you leave your pooch at Very Important Paws (VIP) Dog Daycare, Hotel & Training when you go away, your pet may very well have a better time that you while you’re on vacation.

Don’t use the word “kennel” to describe VIP, which is roughly tripling its space to care for clients, including a new 5,000-square-foot facility in Wellington due to open in mid-November.

Their current care center at 561 Park Place in West Palm Beach has been in operation about four years and is in the process of doubling its space to about 10,000 square feet outside and 10,000 square feet inside, to include “executive suites” complete with flat-screen televisions.

Televisions? Yes, it’s important to create an environment the dogs are accustomed to, and in most cases that includes a television, said Marc Street, who runs VIP with business partners Will Corrente and Kevin Keene. “Dogs like some stimulation, like when they’re at home,” he said.

But television is for bedtime. The dogs’ day is busy with time outside and inside socializing in common areas with other dogs under human supervision at all times, and observed from the reception area with television cameras.

The long hours a dog spends away from the owner’s attention takes its toll in lack of exercise and boredom, leading

to misbehavior and depression, Street explained. VIP Doggie Daycare is a healthy alternative that will enable the pet to exercise, socialize and have a great time with other animals.

Manager Jennifer Rehm describes VIP as a “canine Club Med.”

“They love it. People are just amazed at how well the dogs socialize and get along with each other,” said Rehm, who mans the front desk. Through a video monitor she keeps tabs on the doggie play areas, one for larger and another for smaller dogs, revealing several dozen wide-eyed, open-mouth canines sniffing and running around engaged in doggie activities.

“I had someone ask me if they could monitor the dogs from work and then said, “oh, never mind. I’d never get any work done,” Rehm recalled.

VIP dogs spend their day socializing and interacting with other dogs of similar temperament. Every two hours they are let outside to play and relieve themselves, and spend most of their time in a common play area. Dogs that are boarding are put in their individual suites for a nap. Then they are let back out until 6 p.m.

“It’s like a mini-vacation for the dog,” Rehm said. “So when clients go on business trips or on vacation, they know their dogs are being well taken care of.”

Dogs unaccustomed to socializing with other dogs are introduced slowly, first in a cage near the other animals, Street said.

Street, who has 17 years of experience in dog training, said dogs are naturally social animals. Dogs that remain at home long hours during the day while the owner is working do not develop their naturally social nature.

“One of the biggest issues I’ve had with clients is dogs that are just totally antisocial around other dogs,” he said. “It’s not because they are aggressive. They have just not had great opportunities in their youth to be able to play. Not only do dogs love playing, it’s crucial and essential. One of the reasons why Will and I opened VIP was because of

all the dogs that I saw in Palm Beach County in the six years that I’ve been here. One of my prescribed therapies to the clients is, ‘we need to get your dog socialized.’ I love to see the transformation.”

Once exposed and adjusted to the environment at VIP, dogs do not have to be coaxed back in. They usually bound through, eager to be back at VIP, sometimes to the slight chagrin of owners who do not get a proper goodbye.

“People ask about the schedule,”

VIP, page 4B

VIP Treatment — VIP co-owner Will Corrente, managers Jennifer Rehm and Elaine Rodriguez, and co-owner Marc Street.

See

Monitech Security Services Offers Remote Home Surveillance

By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report

In a room adjacent to his office, Landy Peluso pulled out a device that at first glance looks like a run-of-the-mill household thermostat. In reality, the device is a camera, one of a variety of surveillance tools Peluso’s company Monitech Security Services uses to keep people and property secure in Palm Beach, Broward and Martin counties.

Security is big business these days, and Monitech is one of the area’s largest and most successful companies. Licensed in Florida since 1999, shortly after Peluso left his job as general manager of Brinks Home Security Co., the company has been in Wellington since 2005.

Monitech offers a range of services, Peluso said, including 24-hour monitoring for new and existing alarms, alarm installation, camera monitoring systems, home and business smoke detectors, intercom installation, cable/phone jack installations, installation of central vacuum systems, and cable computer/voice networks.

“We provide the standard alarm system, which when the alarm goes off the police are called,” Peluso said. “We also offer two-way voice, which means the consumer can have the alarm go off and speak to us. We do a lot of different camera systems for home and businesses. We do daycare centers and hospitals all over the area.”

One of the company’s more distinctive services is central vacuum cleaner installation, which has been gaining popularity in new home construction the past few years. “You just go to the wall, plug your hose in and your vacuum cleaner works,” Peluso said. “You never have to carry a canister with you.”

Peluso has been a franchisee and au-

thorized dealer for Dallas-based Monitronics International, one of the nation’s largest monitoring companies, since 2003. Monitronics, Peluso said, is the third-largest residential alarm monitoring service in the U.S.

“All of our service is done through them,” Peluso said. “All of our monitoring is done through them. It’s just like having a corporate office. They support you on everything. All the billing, for example, goes right through them.”

Peluso said a centerpiece of Monitech’s camera security system is “remote view access,” which means a customer can view his or her home or business from a laptop computer anywhere in the country. “You get live video from your cameras right over the Internet,” he said. “We have cameras all through Wellington and the Palm Beach County area. We do cameras for the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami.”

Monitech’s warehouse features approximately 15,000 security-related products, from spy and covert cameras to high-tech, 16-channel security recorders. Monitech technicians can set up an entire data network for homes and businesses. “If a business is opening and needs computers all over the place, we run all the wires,” Peluso said.

Every technician Monitech clients work with is a company employee. “We don’t use subcontractors,” Peluso said. “Everybody is in a marked truck when they drive through the neighborhoods.”

Alarms and camera security systems, Peluso said, are 75 percent of Monitech’s business. “We’re experts at those,” Peluso said. “We do everything well, but in regard to those two things, we haven’t had one complaint since 1999. We’ve never been sued; we’re completely compliant with all of our permits.”

Peluso said approximately 70 percent of his alarm business is residential, while

the camera security system business is divided more equally between residential and business customers. “Cameras used to be 95 percent in businesses,” Peluso said. “Now they’re really big on the residential side. Every year it increases.”

Peluso said camera surveillance systems have become more popular because they are more affordable. “Years ago four cameras would be $12,000,” he said. “Now four cameras, installation, the monitor, everything, is around $2,500.”

Monitech’s camera systems are maintenance free, and all the video is stored on a hard drive, Peluso said. “You don’t have to change tapes or anything. The DVR automatically records over the oldest date,” he said.

Monitech installs approximately 25 camera surveillance systems per month

and about 50 new alarm installations per month. The company’s alarm systems are made by Honeywell, Peluso said, while the camera equipment comes from a variety of vendors.

“We use Samsung and Sony,” he said. “We make 95 percent of our own equipment and bring it in from China. The reason we do that is because we’re able to make it to our specifications. In one of my DVRs for example, Motorola makes the processor and somebody else makes the motherboard. We get the best of everything wrapped up into one board.”

Monitech Security Services is located in Wellington Commerce Park at 11360 Fortune Circle, Suite E-5. For more information, call (561) 383-6551 or visit www.monitechsecurity.com.

Remote Viewing — Monitech Security Services owner Landy Peluso demonstrates the company’s remote view access system.

PHOTO BY STEVE

Quality Life Solutions: Coaching For Businesses And Individuals

By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report

For people and businesses that find themselves in a rut, Quality Life Solutions can help shift them from “neutral” to “drive.”

Kristin Chamberlin, founder of Wellington-based Quality Life Solutions, said she and her fellow coaches can help make ordinary lives extraordinary. “Our main purpose is to help you fulfill your desires,” she said.

Chamberlin said coaches from Quality Life Solutions can provide the support that people need in order to make lasting changes.

“There are a lot of people who want to make needed changes but they don’t know how to do it,” she said. “Look at how many self-help books and seminars we see. If they worked, there wouldn’t be a market for coaches. People need feedback in order to stay with a program, even when they know how important it is for their own success and happiness.”

Chamberlin, who earned a master’s degree in industrial organizational psychology from the Florida Institute of Technology, said both individuals and small businesses will find value in the coaching experience.

“Individuals and small businesses cannot afford the kind of information and training provided by large human-resource divisions of large corporations,” she said. “They have to plan out specific goals and then create action plans to reach the goals. It is much easier to do when you have a coach to be a sounding board and an advisor. When you get feedback, you can learn to adjust to changing situations and challenges.”

Chamberlin said getting a client oriented toward setting and reaching goals is fundamental.

“When my team starts to work with a small business, a boutique sometimes owned by a husband and wife, the first thing we do is ask to see their business plan,” she said. “Sometimes we just get a shrug or perhaps a one-page piece of material. We begin to help the owners focus on what they want to do with the business: Do they want it to stay the way it is? Do they want it to grow quickly? Do they want to create a situation where they can sell it? They should take different steps for each type of goal.”

Chamberlin, a Wellington resident, is particularly well equipped to handle this kind of work. Following her graduate work, she worked for several years for a large construction company, creating its human resources department and helping reduce its annual employee turnover rate from 80 percent to 20 percent.

When the company was bought by a larger corporation, Chamberlin decided to go out on her own. “We went from an exciting entrepreneurial company to being a cog in a big machine that did not favor creativity,” she said.

Since her first love was helping people and businesses, Chamberlin decided to become a coach. She trained at the College of Executive Coaching, one of only a small number of programs that are recognized by the International Coaching Federation, the most prestigious professional organization in the field. “I went to that program because it was designed for people who already held advanced degrees,” she said. “The program was very structured and methodical.”

Chamberlin said she has many individuals as clients. “Imagine a 45-yearold woman who is divorced with three children,” she said. “She has worked so much her whole life helping other people, she has never had a chance to decide what she wants to reach her dreams.

We ask her to define what she really wants for her life. Where does she see herself being in five years? Does she want to create something new? Then we help plan purposeful actions, much of it helping to change the way she feels about herself.”

Chamberlin said a coach provides the client important feedback and perspective.

“People need coaches because some of the time they are not the best judges of their own actions and impressions,” Chamberlin said. “Sometimes they think they have a great relationship with someone, and the other person cannot really

VIP

stand them. They need a sounding board; someone who can be both critical and helpful. We help focus on value clarification, on being objective.”

But Chamberlin also noted that clients are not considered “lifelong” in the coaching business.

“We help people get started,” she said, “help move them toward their goals so they overcome obstacles, and then we step back.”

For more information on Quality Life Solutions, call (561) 228-8856 or visit www.qlscoach. com.

Dog Day Care

continued from page 1B Street said. “Every two hours they are outside.”

At other times they are in an air-conditioned common area or in their individual suites. “They have a blast here,” Street added. “When they go back to their suites, they are exhausted.”

The staff also accommodates an owner’s special requests, such as special food or toys or a favorite bed for those staying overnight.

“Dogs don’t want to stay in a cage for a week,” Street said. “It’s not healthy for the dog. We create the healthiest and friendliest environment for the dog without being at home.”

VIP also offers dog training, grooming and spa services, and a dog boutique. Individual and group classes are available for puppy kindergarten and obedience, basic and intermediate obedience, and canine good citizen training.

A full range of grooming services, available by appointment five days a week, include baths, clipping, massage, fur conditioner and blow dry. Flea and tick treatment is available if needed or requested.

Two-week advance reservations are requested for overnight accommodations at VIP. The cost for daycare is $27 per day. Boarding is $39 a night for small dogs and $44 for large dogs. There is no additional daycare cost for boarders. Grooming prices range from $45 to $150, depending on the breed and style of cut desired.

Pet owners can come in Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. VIP Dog Daycare’s Wellington location is in the Wellington Business Park at 11120 South Crown Way, just off Pierson and Fairlane Farms roads.

For more information, call (561) 3669000 or visit www.veryimportantpaws. com.

Kristin Chamberlin of Quality Life Solutions

SANDRA WILLIAMS CUT-ATHON

Sandra Williams Salon in Wellington hosted a cut-athon on Sunday, Oct. 21 to benefit Hospice of Palm Beach County. Salon customers, as well as their friends and family, enjoyed food, raffles and entertainment in addition to receiving quality haircuts, manicures and pedicures. Sandra Williams Salon is located at 13873 Wellington Trace, Suite B-4. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call (561) 795-8885. (Above) The salon staff gathers for a group photo. (Left) Greg and Matthew Latulipe. PHOTOS BY ERICA BLATTE

THE GIFTBASKET CONCIERGE

The Giftbasket Concierge is an online store that offers custom-made gift baskets for any occasion, from holidays to corporate packages specially designed for that special someone. For more information, call Joana Donovan at (877)259-4438 or visit http://shop.thegiftbasketconcierge.com. Shown here are Donovan and her family with Wellington Chamber of Commerce ambassadors.

MetCare To Host Open House Dec. 5

Dr. Ravi Pandey and Dr. Eddie Velazquez of MetCare of Wellington will host an open house on Friday, Dec. 5 from 3 to 5 p.m. Guests will be able to personally meet the physicians and office staff, take a tour of the facility and learn more about the Platinum Care program during a short informational presentation. Refreshments will be served.

The Platinum Care program, which provides patients with complete access to care, ensuring that they will speak with an actual person and not reach an automated service, and will have the ability to schedule same or next day appoint-

ments to visit their healthcare provider. The program’s team-oriented approach encompasses patient care, diagnostics, medications and treatments, all the while offering patient coordination of healthcare services that are personalized to meet individual client needs including disease management, comprehensive recovery plans, acute care systems, as well as follow-up after any hospitalization or a specialist visit in conjunction with their primary physician.

MetCare is located at 10413 Southern Blvd. For more information, or to RSVP, call (561) 793-1713.

P.W. CHAMBER WELCOMES XCSTACI

Xcstaci Café & Ice Cream Parlor — Located at 601 Royal Palm Beach Blvd. in the Royal Plaza, Xcstaci serves ice cream, international coffee, herbal teas, breakfast and a variety of treats for lunch and dinner, as well as wireless Internet access. The name is an acronym for Exotic Caribbean Sorbets, Treats and Cuisines Inc. For more information, call (561) 798-5858.

Pictured here are owner Lyndon Sherriffe, Stephon Sherriffe, Norma Lynn Sherriffe, Chantell

Sherriffe, Kiara Sherriffe and Palms West Chamber of Commerce ambassadors. Not pictured are JaQuan, Shamal and Elijah Sherriffe.

Win Tickets To Hannah Montana Concert At

Attendees at this Saturday’s SalsaFest will have the chance to win luxury suite tickets to Hanna Montana’s Nov. 20 concert at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise. Presented by the Palms West Chamber of Commerce, the Maroone Chevrolet SalsaFest will take place from noon to 10 p.m. at Greenacres Community Park, located near Jog Road and 10th Avenue North.

To enter the drawing, register at the Maroone Chevrolet Auto Plaza. The winner will be announced by Wild 95.5 on the main stage at 6:30 p.m. and must be present to win.

The one-day family event will celebrate the diverse heritage of Hispanic populations from many backgrounds connecting all people through music, food, entertainment and friendship. Sway, dance or tap to traditional Latin sounds of salsa, cumbia and traditional folkloric sounds. Devour the inimitable cuisine of rice and beans, ropa vieja, tortilla, tamales and tingling hot sauce.

SalsaFest activities will include:

• The Sizzling Salsa Celebrity Cookoff

• An all-day dominoes tournament with cash prizes

Saturday’s Salsafest

• “So You Think You Can Salsa?” dance competition and demonstrations

• Chihuahua races

• Interactive games, crafts and hip-hop dancing

• Obstacle courses, rides and more. Attendees will also be able to sample culinary delights of genuine Latin food. Entertainment includes headliner Frankie Negron, Ritmo! Azucar, High Voltage and Mariachi México International.

Negron is celebrated for including a distinctive pop sound to his electrifying salsa groove. His previous productions have sold millions of copies worldwide for WEA Latina, the record company that first signed him.

Now SGZ Entertainment and Sony International have formed a partnership that promises to launch Negron to new heights in both the Spanish-language and English-language markets.

Ritmo! Azucar is an educational theatrical entertainment show for kids and adults featuring a fabulous cast of dancers, musicians and more. The show features a collection of Latin tropical costumes, unique stage props and decorations, and a magnificent orchestra per-

forming popular music and rhythms from numerous Latin countries, as well as the tropical sounds that were created in the United States (Latin rock, Latin jazz, mambo, boogaloo, salsa and the Miami sound).

As seen on The Ellen Degeneres Show, at Universal Studios, Disney’s Pirates & Princess Party and ABC’s Monday Night Football, High Voltage is always a crowd favorite. Come learn a few moves and meet them up close and personal.

Mariachi México International features members from throughout Latin America, including Mexico, Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Colombia. They have performed with Celia Cruz, Juan Gabriel, Thalía and Emmanuel, to name a few.

In addition to the food and entertainment, there will be a children’s play area. Community organizations will display exhibits and information. The Salsa Pavillion will host all kinds of dancing and interactive demonstrations, as well as cultural and local performing groups.

Admission is $8 for adults and free for children under 10. For more information, visit www. palmswest.com or call (561) 790-6200.

WELLINGTON CHAMBER HOSTS RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONIES

The Diabetes and Nutrition Center — Located at 12230 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 160 in the Lake Wellington Professional Center, the Diabetes and Nutrition Center has been open for three years and is accredited by the American Diabetes Association. The Diabetes and Nutrition Center provides individual and group diabetes education classes, insulin pump training and nutrition counseling for diabetes and all medical conditions, as well as general wellness and disease prevention. For more information, call (561) 515-0848. Pictured here are President Jerry Fonda, Office Manager Angela Fonda and registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Laura del Valle (with baby Matthew) and Wellington Chamber of Commerce ambassadors.

JJJ Automotive — JJJ Automotive is a family-owned-and-operated business. With more than 20 years automotive service experience, JJJ Automotive is well-equipped to serve all your repair needs. JJJ representatives will come to you, and in most cases repairs can be completed on site. All quotes and services are guaranteed. For more information, call JJJ owners John and Jennifer Lawson at (561) 753-0964 or visit www.mitsurepairs.com. Pictured above are the Lawsons with Wellington Chamber of Commerce ambassadors, board members and staff.

Send business news items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. Fax: (561) 793-6090. E-mail: news@goTownCrier.com.

Holiday Business Expo And Fundraiser Nov. 29

On Thursday, Nov. 29, the public will have the chance to join local businesses at a holiday business expo at the Abacoa Golf Club (105 Barbados Drive, Jupiter). The event, which runs from 4 to 8 p.m., will raise money for two non-profit organizations — the Palm Beach County Heart Gallery and Santa Sleigh Riders, a division of Family First of Palm Beach. The Heart Gallery helps foster-to-adopt children find an adoptive family, and Santa Sleigh Riders provides less fortunate families with food and presents during the holidays.

There will be a silent auction, door prizes, food and fun for everyone. Win a cruise for two aboard the Mariah, spa certificates, gift baskets, golf foursomes, a chance at a five-day, four-night stay in St. Thomas and more. The first 100 attendees receive a free gift.

Cartridge World of Wellington will host an additional fundraiser and will donate all money received from your recycled ink and toner cartridges to these two charities. Bring in your used printer cartridges and help save the earth and support these deserving charities, children and families.

Admission is a $10 donation. For more information, contact Brenda Ammon at (561) 307-4978 or ultimatehealth4u@ aol.com.

Weisman Named Overseer

At Beth Israel Deaconess

Paul Weisman of Wellington was recently elected to the Board of Overseers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Mass.

Weisman is an analyst/portfolio manager at Evergreen Investments (formerly JL Kaplan Associates). In the past, he has worked as a security analyst at Delphi Management. Weisman is involved with the Bernice S. Weisman Foundation.

Weisman received his master’s degree in economics from Boston University. He and his wife Susan have three children: Krista, Alexa and Noah. Overseers act as good-will ambassadors within the communities served by the medical center. The overseers highlight the importance of BIDMC’s mission to their local communities and strengthen the medical center’s ability to advance its mission through philanthropy. Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more information, visit www.bidmc.harvard.edu.

Senior Living Community

Planned For Fall 2009

William Meyer and Steven Tendrich, co-developers of Devonshire at PGA National and dozens of other properties in Florida and around the country over the last 25 years, recently announced plans for their newest property: Devonshire at Wellington Green.

This innovative senior resort-style community combines the advantages of a traditional clubhouse community with the long-term security of a continuingcare property. The 47-acre community, located adjacent to the Mall at Wellington Green, has already attracted more than 150 founding members and is scheduled to open Fall 2009.

Devonshire offers a choice of one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments or villas, designed to capture premium views of the community’s 90-acre lake, waterscapes, courtyards and “Waters of the World” multiple soaking pools. Residences, which range from 913 to 2,435 square feet, start in the low $200,000s.

“This property combines all of the best features of senior living into one convenient location,” said Meyer, who points to the prime location next to the Mall at Wellington Green. “We’re committed to

giving our residents outstanding amenities for an active, fulfilling lifestyle, while also providing them long-term security with an on-site healthcare facility and the flexibility to select a payment plan that best meets their needs.”

Leading a new trend in continuing-care retirement communities, Devonshire at Wellington Green is considered a “fee for service” model, which enables residents to take advantage of the property’s on-site health facility as they need it. This lowers monthly fees because it eliminates the cost of a service that a resident may never use. A pay-as-you-go model, residents can opt to utilize their own longterm and home healthcare plans that they already have in place.

Devonshire at Wellington Green is also expanding the payment options available by offering a 100 percent refund plan on its entrance fees, likely the first senior community in Florida to do so. Prospective residents can select from one of three payment structures for each residence: a traditional plan, where you pay the lowest price and your refund depreciates at 2 percent a month until it is exhausted, but gives you the flexibility to invest on your own; a guaranteed 50 percent refund plan; and a 100 percent guaranteed refund plan, where residents pay a higher

entrance fee but reclaim the full entrance fee if they relocate or pass away.

The property’s two-story clubhouse serves as a mini city, affording residents an upscale, all-inclusive lifestyle. Amenities include five restaurants with menus serving up a choice of casual, formal and buffet-style dining options, a New York-style deli and a marketplace for take-out items; a state-of-the-art fitness center with exercise classes and water aerobics; a movie theatre; a performing arts center and ballroom; art studio and classrooms; putting green; swimming pools; bank; convenience store; hair salon and barber shop; gift shop; and much more. Residents can also select from a choice of housekeeping and meal plans, and can take advantage of a concierge service, valet parking, maintenance services and transportation.

Top-notch security features at Devonshire at Wellington Green includes a gatehouse with 24-hour security; 24hour emergency response system; hurricane impact-resistant windows in all residences and the clubhouse; and an onsite health care center, therapy services and wellness center.

For more information, call (561) 7956100 or visit www.devonshireat wellingtongreen.com.

Senior Living — An artist’s rendering of Devonshire in Wellington.

BUCKLER HOLIDAY CRAFT SHOW RETURNS TO THE FAIRGROUNDS

Buckler’s Craft Fairs held its 17th Annual Holiday Craft Fair Oct. 26-28 at the South Florida Fairgrounds. The event featured more than 275 vendors offering creative gifts and home accessories, delicious fudge and gourmet delights, gold and silver jewelry, cozy quilts, fragrant potpourri and candles, handcrafted furniture and more. For more information about Buckler’s Craft Fairs, visit www.bucklerpromotions.com.

Jeri and Jill Canter of Wellington make cat- and dog-themed items and sell them to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America. (Jeri has MS.)

Pat Sorensen helps Ryan Revoet try on a Kozy Collar heat pack while her daughter Kate Sauls (back) operates the booth.

A Portrait in Time’s Betty Gorman can create a graphite or colored pencil drawing from any photo.

Ultra Balm Distributors Edward Merrifield and Darlene Campbell. Sue Long and Kari Reeves at the Mary Crafter booth.

Eileen Damirjian made these items from aluminum cans.

Working On Holidays: I’ve Endured The Best And The Worst

When I was a cop in the NYPD, the two days of the year I hated to work were New Year’s Eve and Halloween. The reason why I didn’t like to work on New Year’s Eve is clear to anyone who has ever been on the road driving on New Year’s Eve. It is amateur night. People who are perfect citizens for 364 days of the year become animals on New Year’s Eve. Folks who normally would never drink and drive think it is OK to do so on New Year’s Eve. In my opinion, the safest place to be on New Year’s Eve is in your bedroom sleeping. The only way I go to a party on New Year’s Eve is if I can walk there from my house. I will never drive on New Year’s Eve.

In many ways Halloween was a harder workday for a cop than New Year’s Eve. Most folks weren’t drunk on Halloween, but many thought it was OK to break the law. The police radio wouldn’t stop barking out jobs for a minute. The jobs they were dispatching included everything you could think of, from kids throwing eggs at passing cars to eggs breaking some very large windows in folks’ homes.

We also encountered many older kids robbing candy

Wondering And Wandering

With Ernie Zimmerman

from the younger kids. These younger kids worked very hard, going door to door, doing their trick-ortreat thing, only to be ripped off by a bully who was too old or lazy to do his own trick-or-treating. Sometimes the older kids would also slash a younger kid’s costume with a knife. Sometimes they also slashed a bit of skin in the process.

I can’t begin to tell you all of the so-called pranks (to this day they are mostly unsolved) that were pulled off on Halloween in the big city. Some brought a smile to my face, but others almost made me cry. Unfortunately the kids thought Halloween was a day they could do

anything they wanted without getting into trouble. Of course this wasn’t true. My partner and I had to arrest many first-time offenders on Halloween. Most of these kids would never get into trouble any other day. I hated calling their parents and telling them to come down to the police station. Most parents were in a state of shock. For most it was their first time inside a station.

At the end of most Halloween nights we would have over 100 cartons of eggs. We would always give them away to homeless shelters.

The best day to work was Christmas Eve. I loved to work on Christmas Eve. The people were very friendly — they all felt sorry for us because we had to work on such a joyous day. There was no crime to speak of. Most of the bad guys took the day off.

As midnight would approach, my partner would play Christmas music over the loudspeaker in our patrol car. The people loved it. Too bad Christmas Eve had to come to an end. I have always wondered, why can’t every day be like Christmas Eve?

Of course, a week after Christmas Eve comes New Year’s Eve. Need I say more?

Winter In South Florida Is A Delight For Vegetable Gardeners

Many of our local commercial farms have been harvesting their fall produce for several weeks now and you’ve probably noticed a wider variety of fresh vegetables at markets than in the summer.

If you like having fresh vegetables and want to grow some yourself, we have one of the most ideal climates for it. Our winters are mild enough that we can continue gardening even through the middle of the winter.

Many of our local garden centers have vegetable seeds available, and if you’re into herbs, you can buy many types of herb seeds as well. If you’re one of these impatient people who don’t like to wait for things to sprout and grow, many retail centers offer small plants of both vegetables and herbs so you can get a head start.

Gardening doesn’t take a lot of time and effort, and people who started veg-

etable gardening years ago often continue it every year even well into their advanced years. Gardening is also a nice activity for the entire family, since children often love growing vegetables and watching them finally start producing, and then pick the produce to take it inside for their meals.

Make sure you put your garden in the right location. Most garden vegetables do best in full sun all day long, but if you have a heavily shaded area, you can still grow some vegetables, particularly leafy ones.

Gardening areas must have excellent drainage since almost all vegetables will drown if they are flooded for more than one or two days.

If you have poor, sandy soil, which is common, taking a little bit of time first to enrich the garden area with organic material will pay off in a much healthier and more productive garden. You can

add things such as peat moss, animal manure or even potting soil or topsoil. Anything and everything you add will make your garden grow better, and you’ll have much more success.

If you’re new to gardening or haven’t had a lot of practical experience, don’t try and do too much to start with. An eight-by-ten or ten-by-ten-foot plot is big enough to supply a large amount of produce for the average couple or small family. Once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you can increase the size as much as you want to with increasing experience.

If you don’t have an outside growing area or live in a condo or apartment, you can still garden. Most garden vegetables are quite happy being grown in containers or attractive hanging baskets.

Most gardens require regular fertilizing and watering, so make sure you have enough time to do that yourself, or have other family members take care of those

Gardening With Gene By Gene Joyner

chores for you.

Pests and diseases can occur at any time, so it’s important that you make regular inspections of your garden — at least once or twice a week. There are many safe pesticides available if you wish to spray your garden, or if you want to grow organically, you can hand-pick pests or pick off diseased leaves as they occur. For more information about gardening, check with the Palm Beach County Extension office or call them for free advice at (561) 233-1750.

$18-$25/HR — Teachers/Tutors P/T. All subjects PreK to Adult. Certification/Experience required. Palm Beach County Areas Fax 561-828-8128 or E-mail Tutorking@WPB3331980.COM

HELP WANTED/BOOKKEEPER EXPE-

RIENCED; Familiar with QUICKBOOKS - Full-Time position. Pay commensurate with experience. Fax resume to A. Silver - 561-432-2825

CLEANERS RESIDENTIAL FT — Car required, Pd. Training. North and West Palm Beach Cty. Up to $10/hr Start. 561-756-2282

OVER 62?? — Minimum $1,000 after training. Fund your own reverse mortgage and get paid to teach others. MadelynPage@BellSouth.Net

561-422-2910

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT — computer & telephone skills required. Flexible hours FT/PT 561-784-9613

MANAGEMENT LEVEL PERSON — for Dental Practice with customer service experience. Good Salary. Fax resume to 561-969-1668

HOUSEKEEPER NEEDED FOR WELLINGTON - Resident must be experienced, honest & dependable. Flexible hours; Non-smoker, must speak English. 561-790-4941

PALM BEACH NANNIES ETC. is looking for nannies, housekeepers, elderly care, dula & newborn care specialist. Visit our website: www.palmbeachnanniesetc.com 954-436-1411

HOUSECLEANING/MATURE LADYneeded Tuesday & Thursday morning each week. Experience & references required. 561-795-7552

TUTORING NEEDED - for 13 yr. old participating at WEF. Must be willing to sit one-on-one and HELP study for exams and go over homework assignments in all subjects including Spanish. References please. Call 716-479-9949

STUDIO/ 1 BEDROOM APT. NEEDED December 1 – April 1 in Wellington for Wellington Equestrian Season. (203) 984-1238

132-B SPARROW DR. 3/2/2CG Duplex 1550 Sq. Ft. W/D, hurricane shutters, fenced yard on waterway, new paint & carpet, pest control & lawn care included. Kids OK/NO PETS Rent, $1,400/Mo Sec. Deposit $2,800 Total to Move In- $4,200. 561-790-4109

GREENWAY VILLAGE SOUTH 55+ COMMUNITY — 2/2 enclosed porch, tile, accordian shutters, ceiling fans, (water, cable & pest control included) $900/ mo. Call Maria 379-3685 or 310-2904

2/2 CONDO IN THE TRAILS - $1,250/ mo unfurnished $1,350/mo furnished. Beautifully decorated and redone. Phone service included. 561-422-2910

2/2 CONDO IN THE TRAILS - Minimum 6 Month Rental. $1,500/Mo furnished. Beautifully decorated and redone. Phone service included 561-422-2910

DUPLEX 2/2/ - W/D & WATER IN-

CLUDED. $950 a month. Small pets. Great Area. Call 561-723-6805

ROOM FOR RENT: Fully furnished room available in 2BD 2BA condo in Wellington. Rent $600/Month plus ½ utilities. Includes pool access and basic cable. Available immediately 6 or 12 month lease available. Contact Paul at 352-0635.

FURNISHED ROOM IN SINGLE FAMILY HOME — In gated community. Includes utilities, water, cable, use of W/ D & Kitchen. $850/Mo.

LOWEST PRICES! — Nobody beats our Price! Free Est. Complete A/C units from $1,150. Repair Specialists. Lic./ins. 561-795-1130 toll free 888-981-9815

RANDY POULETTE AIR CONDITIONING, LLC — Quality workmanship, Reliable Service, Honest Results, A personal touch, all for exceptional prices. I service all makes and models. Lic. #CAC1815549 and Insured. 561-7903275.

JOHN C. HUNTON AIR CONDITIONING & REFRIGERATION, INC. - Service & new installation FPL independent participating contractor. Lic. CAC 057272 Ins. "We are proud supporters of the Seminole Ridge Hawks" 561-798-3225. Family Owned & Operated since 1996.

The only non-profit petting zoo in the area. - featuring parrots, mini horses, ponies, pony rides, sheep, goats, pigs, chickens, and Llamas and more and farm club. 561-792-2666

HOUSE CLEANING AVAILABLE — Over 13 yrs. experience. Great references. Very Dependable. Karen. 561-632-2271

HIGH QUALITY LAMINATE FLOORING — at affordable prices. Hardwood floors. No deposit until delivery. Contractors welcome. Western Communities resident. Family owned and Operated. Licensed and Insured. Se Habla Español 561-568-6099

GUARDSMAN FURNITURE PRO — For all your furniture repair needs including finish repairs, structural repairs, upholstery services, chair regluing, antique repairs, kitchen cabinet refurbishing. 753-8689

HOME STANDBY GENERATORS — Complete packages including fueled system - Best Prices & reliable new Generator systems installed from 15 to 200KW “More Practical and much quieter” Maintenance & Service for all types of generators. Factory Authorized Dealer. 561-707-0575 Palm Beach. Tropical Power Systems, Inc.

LOW COST REPAIR OF GENERATOR SYSTEMS - 561-795-0916

NEED CROWNMOLDING? — Repairs?

Remodeling? New construction? or Just about anything. SHORE COUNTRY CONSTRUCTION. Doug 254-6503 #CGC032864

CAN FIX IT — build it, move it, plant it, and more. Call Bruce, 793-2494. TFN

BILLY’S HOME REPAIRS, INC. — Interior Trim, crown molding, rottenwood repair, door installation, minor drywall, kitchens/cabinets/countertops, remodeling, wood flooring. Bonded/Insured U#19699. 561-791-9900 Cell: 561-3705293

COMPLETE IRRIGATION — PVC/PIPE supplies.Citrus ,Vegetables, Power units. Water Wheels, design services, Fairways Polo fields, Pumps/Engines mowing of all types. 1-863-675-6333.

TNT LANDSCAPING & LAWN CARE

561-644-8683 — Lic. & Ins. Landscape design, low maintenance gardens, professional plant installation, mulching, monthly property maintenance, sprinklers maintenance & repair, expert hedge & tree trimming. Yard cleanup too!

AFFORDABLE LANDSCAPING — Brick pavers/patio/driveway. Basic landscaping services. Offered 3D Landscape Design. Including water features, and outdoorkitchens. for more information : www.affordablelandscapingflorida.com Lic. & Ins. 561-459-6166

ARMENTO PAINTING & SONS, INC. ––Painting, Interior, Exterior. Pressure cleaning. Custom painting, faux art. Lic. No. U14736. 798-8978. BD

JOHN PERGOLIZZI PAINTING INC. ––– Interior/Exterior, artistic faux finishing, pressure cleaning, popcorn ceiling, drywall repair, & roof painting/cleaning. Free est. Call 798-4964. Lic.#U18473

LARRY’S PAINTING & WALLPAPER — Licensed • Bonded • Insured. Interior/ Exterior painting. 561-309-2845. Wallpaper - Luanne 561-801-2018

Painting • Residential • Commercial • Historical Restoration • Faux Finishing • Stucco Repair • Roof Painting • and Pressure Cleaning • Sand Blasting • Mold Removal. FLEISCHER’S PAINTING • 561833-6661.

LET US AD A LITTLE COLOR TO YOUR LIFE — Residential/Commercial. Licensed • Bonded • Insured. Owner/Operator. Ask for Paul 561-309-8290. COLORS BY CORO, INC. — Interior/ Exterior, residential painting, over 20 years exp. Small Jobs welcome. Free estimates - Insured. 561-383-8666. Owner/Operated. Lic.# U20627 Ins. Wellington Resident. RJA PAINTING & DECORATING — interior, exterior, custom colors, faux artwork, all work guaranteed. Lic. Bonded & Insured. 561-616-2255

“You dealt with the rest now deal with the best” maintenance and repairs. Inquire about 1 months FREE service. 561-7915073 ELITE POOL CLEANING

J&B PRESSURE CLEANING — Established in 1984. All types of pressure cleaning, roofs, houses, driveways, patios etc. Commercial & Residential.Call Butch 561-309-6975 BD

PRIMROSE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT, LLC — Full Service. Residential Home Care for full or part time residents. Weekly inspections, repairs, Monthly reports. Reasonable rates. 561-602-6857 or email: primrosepm123@aol.com

MINOR ROOF REPAIRS – Roof painting. Carpentry. License #U9 865. 9675580. BD

SHAKE ROOF SPECIALISTS –– New roofs, repairs, preservation. License #CC025465. Shake Masters, Shake Chem. Members of Shake Bureau. 4396668 BD

ROBERT G. HARTMANN ROOFING ––Specializing in repairs. Free estimates, Bonded, insured. Lic. #CCC-058317 790-0763. BD

ROOFING REPAIRS REROOFING ALL TYPES — Pinewood Construction, Inc. Honest and reliable. Serving Palm Beach County for over 20 years. Call Mike 561-309-0134 Lic. Ins. Bonded. CGC023773 RC-0067207 BD

D.J. COMPUTER — Home & office, Spyware removal, websites, networks, repairs, upgrades, virus removal, tutoring. Call Jeff 561-333-9433 or Cell 561252-1186 Lic’d- Well. & Palm Beach COMPUTER REPAIR - We come to you! After hours and weekends services available. Spyware/Adware/Virus Removal, Networking, Wireless, Backup Data, Upgrades. Call Anytime. 561-713-5276

CONCRETE RESURFACING — Pools, decks, patios, & interior floors, spray deck, kook deck, stone design, Paver Repair & Resealing. 561-790-4588

ROCKANDRECORD.COM - A professional DJ and Videography Service. Disc Jockey • Music • Entertainment • Professional MC's • Weddings • Bar/Bat Mitzvah • Sweet 16/Birthday Parties • Anniversaries • Private & Corporate Events • Holiday Parties 561-422-4336

HOT WYRE ELECTRIC — For all your electrical needs. Panel upgrades, installations, repairs, lightening protection, troubleshooting. Licensed, Insured, Free Estimates. 561-313-0134

ANMAR CO. –James’ All Around Handyman Service. Excellent craftman Old time values. Once you’ve had me! You’ll have me back! Lic. Ins. Certified Residential Contractor CRC 1327426 561-248-8528

*TOP RATED* by www.AngieList.com Atlantic Shore Home Improvement. Call Anthony Palermo 561-756-0428

MCA CUSTOM WOODWORKING, INC. — “Make your home standout from the rest” Call us for all your home improvement needs. Kitchen & bathroom remodeling, custom wall units, design your home office, cabinetry, tile & drywall repair. Lic. #U-19564. Bonded & Ins. 561-723-5836

BOB NICHOLS PAINTING — Serving the Palm Beaches for 19 years. Quality interior & exterior finishes. 561-248-6070. Lic. #16555 PAINTING — HOME PAINTING Interior – Exterior. $1290 +tax up to 2500 sq. ft. (walls area) 561-674-HOME(4663) J&C’s Faux Painting Service, Inc. Lic./Ins. U14092

AT YOUR SERVICE PET CONCIERGE - pet sitting, play dates, sleep overs, arrange pet grooming, vet visits, flea & tick products, Holistic/Natural pet foods. Come home to a well stocked fridge & your plants alive. Upscale services for all your beloved four legged friends. Bonded & insured. 561-791-2086

JOHN’S SCREEN REPAIR SERVICE — Pool & patio rescreening. Stay tight,wrinkle-free,guaranteed! Lic.#9001390. 798-3132.

ROLL DOWN SHUTTERS — Accordion shutters, storm panels and rolling shutters...prices that can’t be beat. All shutters Systems, Inc. 863-0955

AFFORDABLE HURRICANE PROTECTION — 2 - 4 wks. Installed Guaranteed! 10% deposit . Will get you started. All products, Dade County approved. We manufacture our own product. 561-5686099, 772-342-8705 Lic. & Ins. CGC 1511213

SALES, SERVICE AND INSTALLATION FOR ALL TYPES — Windows, doors, accordion & panel shutters. Impact glass. USA IMPACT WINDOWS & DOORS. 561-502-1518

AQUATIC SPRINKLER, LLC - Complete repair of all types of systems. Owner Operated. Michael 561-964-6004 Lic. #U17871 Bonded & Ins. Serving the Western Communities Since 1990

&