Town-Crier Newspaper November 2, 2018

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THREE ITID CANDIDATES AT ALA FORUM SEE STORY, PAGE 3

SAYING GOODBYE TO A HORSE ISN’T EASY SEE STORY, PAGE 7

THE

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

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INSIDE

WCF’s Red, White & Blue Jeans Fundraiser Returning On Nov. 9

Volume 39, Number 42 November 2 - November 8, 2018

Serving Palms West Since 1980

LEAGUE OF YES AT VILLAGE PARK

With November underway, the Wellington Community Foundation is gearing up for its growing tradition, the annual Red, White & Blue Jeans “Salute To Our Heroes” benefit. This year, the fundraiser will be held on Friday, Nov. 9. Page 3

Lox Groves Finance Committee Hears Audit Report With Issues

The Loxahatchee Groves Finance Advisory & Audit Committee met on Monday, Oct. 28 to hear a report by the town’s auditor for fiscal year 2017-18. Page 4

The League of YES (You Experience Success) held a showcase game at Wellington’s Village Park on Saturday, Oct. 27. Local children with special needs played several innings of baseball supervised by an army of volunteers. Shown above are Jon Schwartz, League of YES Florida organizer Kris Riedell and League of YES CEO Kristine Fitzpatrick. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 15 PHOTO BY CHRIS LEVY/TOWN-CRIER

Pups On The Piazza At Wellington National Benefits Rescue Group

Pups on the Piazza, a fundraiser organized by local Realtor Paula Castro to benefit Get A Life Pet Rescue, was held on Friday, Oct. 26 at the Wellington National Golf Club. There was a silent and ticket auction, as well as pet-themed vendors. There was also a Halloween dog costume contest, and several dogs available for adoption were there. Page 5

Red Balloon Celebrating 41st Anniversary With Special Events Nov. 3

Red Balloon, a family-owned consignment business established by Pat Snayd, is celebrating its 41st year of communityoriented services. Join Red Balloon on Saturday, Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at either the Wellington or West Palm Beach locations. Page 19

Lox Groves Town Council To Discuss Replacing Manager

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report In a Loxahatchee Groves Town Council workshop session Tuesday, Oct. 30 that was supposed to be a discussion of Town Manager Bill Underwood’s contract, Councilman Dave DeMarois asked that at its next meeting, the council make a request for proposals (RFP) or otherwise talk about finding someone to replace Underwood. Town Attorney Michael Cirullo reminded the council that the meeting was a workshop where they cannot give specific direction, and that DeMarois might want to include his request in his report at the next meeting. “If you don’t do it, I’ll do it,” Councilwoman Phillis Maniglia said to DeMarois. Underwood was not at the work-

shop, which had about 30 people attending who grew angry and started heckling council members after Councilman Todd McLendon, Councilwoman Joyce Batcheler and Mayor Dave Browning voted not to allow public input. “I don’t think we’d be discussing this contract if the residents didn’t have an issue with this management company,” Maniglia said. Browning stressed that the meeting was a workshop, and they were not changing anything. “All we’re discussing is the contract, and really it’s for the future, because we already have a contract that has been signed and executed,” Browning said. McLendon said that he has heard from the people, and he knows what their concerns are. “I don’t need to hear it again for the 50th time,” McLendon

said. “The only new information is that there are more people who want to quit, who want this town to fail, and that’s not an option. We’re going to continue as a town, and we’re going to move forward in a positive direction. If those people want to contribute in a positive manner, then I’d like to hear from them.” On Aug. 7, the council, by a 3-2 vote, approved a two-year extension to the management contract, with DeMarois and Maniglia dissenting. At that meeting, Underwood explained that the contract was a transition plan for the town to move toward hiring its own employees, rather than have a contractual form of management. Maniglia began the conversation about the contract on Tuesday, saying that she did not see the See LOX MANAGER, page 18

Meetings Update Residents On Plan For RPB’s Village Golf Club

Seminole Ridge Hawks Fall To Visiting Jupiter

The Seminole Ridge High School football team waged a real battle Friday, Oct. 26 at home on senior night, as the Hawks narrowly fell to district rival Jupiter High School 34-31 in a thriller. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 20 LETTERS.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 SCHOOLS........................... 8 - 9 PEOPLE................................. 10 COLUMNS............................. 16 CALENDAR............................ 18 BUSINESS............................. 19 SPORTS......................... 21 - 22 CLASSIFIEDS.................23 - 24 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

By Denis Eirikis Town-Crier Staff Report About 150 area residents turned out for a series of community meetings hosted this week by 13th Floor Homes, a Broward-based developer that has proposed buying and redeveloping the Village Golf Club in Royal Palm Beach. The proposal, which has not yet been formally presented to the Village of Royal Palm Beach, would build homes on nine holes at the golf course and work with the village to preserve the rest of the site as a nine-hole golf course or a natural area. The developer is seeking community feedback for its plan to build 250 townhomes and 200 single-family homes on the southern half of the Village Golf Club in exchange for turning the northern half of the land over to the Village of Royal Palm Beach. “We are very flexible on working with the village on whatever the community wants to do on the northern nine holes,” 13th Floor Homes Division President Michael Nunziata said. “If

the community wants to replace the proposed nine-hole course with green space or parklands, or whatever reasonable use the community wants, we are willing to work with them.” Nunziata stressed that all options are on the table, including deeding the northern portion of the course over to the village. Nunziata said that his organization has held a number of meetings over the past week with local homeowners’ associations and community groups. At an open house held Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the Village Golf Club’s clubhouse, about 50 Royal Palm Beach residents were briefed by 13th Floor Homes staff members and their development team, including staff from Urban Design Kilday Studios. Upon arrival, attendees were first briefed on the poor market for golf courses and shown a map depicting about 50 golf courses that have already shuttered in South Florida. An oversupply of golf courses and diminished demand for golf have resulted in a national

trend for courses to be closed and repurposed. La Mancha resident Joe Breier was not happy with the proposal. “I feel they are using scare tactics,” he said. “Their message is, ‘The course is going to be sold anyway. Do this deal with us and only half the course goes away instead of all of it. Say yes to us or the next developer might want even more homes.’” The Town-Crier has confirmed with the owners that the course is for sale and has been on the market for several years. Diana Catala, a businesswoman and 25-year resident of the village, feels so strongly that the project will hurt the community’s roads that she has started to organize residents in opposition. “We are killing village quality of life with projects like this,” she said. “We don’t need 900 more cars on our already crowded village streets.” Catala said that she is starting a web page and petition drive against the 13th Floor Homes See VILLAGE GOLF, page 18

Wellington’s Jenifer Brito Working Hard To Improve Lives Of Senior Citizens

By Chris Levy Town-Crier Staff Report Jenifer Brito has only been with Wellington’s Community Services Department for nine months, but she is already making a huge impact on seniors in the community. Brito attended Ohio Valley University in West Virginia where she studied psychology, but a devastating diagnosis to her beloved grandmother inspired a different career path. “My grandmother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s when I graduated,” recalled Brito, who began spending time at the nursing home where her grandmother was being treated and noticed a disturbing trend. “So many seniors in the nursing home had no families.” As a result, Brito began spending more time at the nursing home

— not just with her grandmother, but with other residents as well. “I loved being around seniors to help them,” she said. Brito grew up in Marietta, Ohio, in the southeastern part of the state near West Virginia. It was this rural upbringing that inspired her family’s move to Wellington. “I wanted to choose a place that had some ‘country,’” Brito said. “I had horses as a kid.” Brito went to work for the Alzheimer’s Association and relocated to Wellington with her family in 2016. Her husband, Erick, works in accounting for Blue Team Restoration. Their son Noah, 6, is a student at Elbridge Gale Elementary School, while daughter Brooke, 3, is at the Academy of Little Learners. When a job with See BRITO, page 18

WICKED AT WANDERERS

The Young Professionals of Wellington held its sixth annual Wicked costume party on Saturday, Oct. 27 at the Wanderers Club. Attendees danced into the evening after first being feted with appetizers and cocktails on the club’s patio. Shown above are Pam Tehan as a baseball player from A League of Their Own, Samantha Rosen as a vampire and Dana Anderson as Wilson from Cast Away. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 7 PHOTO BY CHRIS LEVY/TOWN-CRIER

Wellington’s Food Drive Continues Through Nov. 16

By Chris Levy Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Wellington is currently in the midst of its annual Hometown Holiday Food Drive. The ongoing food drive is accepting donations through Friday, Nov. 16. Although the village is home to some of the wealthiest residents in Palm Beach County, there are also a number of residents in need who will not have a joyous holiday season without assistance from the community. A community’s greatness is measured by how it takes care of those in need, and the current food drive — as well as the upcoming Hometown Holiday Toy Drive — provide Wellington residents with a great opportunity to help their neighbors in need. By donating to the food drive, residents might make a difference between a family enjoying a warm, healthy meal on their Thanksgiving holiday versus not eating at all.

Morgan Cintron, senior program coordinator for Wellington’s Community Services Department, is leading the effort to collect donations. “The reason we do this drive is because there are underprivileged people in Wellington, and this is one of the ways the village likes to give back during the holidays,” Cintron said. The village has partnered with several businesses throughout Wellington to establish food dropoff points at convenient locations. Drop off locations include the Wellington Municipal Complex (12300 W. Forest Hill Blvd.), Village Park (11700 Pierson Road), the Wellington Community Center (12150 W. Forest Hill Blvd.), the Community Services Office (1092 Wellington Trace), the Lake Wellington Professional Centre (12133 Ken Adams Way), Ultima Fitness and Schaefer Drugs in the Wellington Plaza, and all Palm See FOOD DRIVE, page 4

Arrive Alive Simulation Warns Of Driving Dangers

By Chris Levy and Jessica Sorensen Town-Crier Staff Report Every day, people drive intoxicated more than 300,000 times. Some 3,200 of them are arrested, leading to fines and legal complications costing in excess of $10,000 — and worse, injury or death. These are facts about the dangers of distracted and impaired driving distributed by Unite’s Arrive Alive Tour. The tour made a stop at the Loxahatchee Groves campus of Palm Beach State College on Wednesday, Oct. 31, where it used resources including a high-tech simulator and impact video to simulate, in a controlled environ-

ment, the potential consequences of distracted and impaired driving. Kent Tiedman and Mallory McKenzie were on hand to administer the simulation, which had three settings. The first simulated texting while driving. The second simulated driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.12 to 0.19, which Tiedman estimated was between three and six beers, depending on a number of factors, including age, gender, weight and recent food intake. The final test simulated driving while high on marijuana after smoking just one joint. Tiedman noted that about one million drivers are arrested annually for driving under the influence or while intoxicated.

Katherine Kato-Burke, president of the Campus Advisory Board, who was involved in bringing the Arrive Alive Tour, was dressed in costume as an accident victim. “[The Campus Advisory Board] works behind the scenes to bring these events to fruition,” KatoBurke said. Tiedman estimated that by midafternoon, at least 40 students had tried — and failed — the simulator, and they were then written simulated traffic citations. Most of the students received those infamous tickets that carried legal complications and fees in excess of $10,000. They were the lucky ones, as several participants sufSee SIMULATIONS, page 7

Jessica Sorensen in the Arrive Alive driving simulator.


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