WINTERFEST RETURNS TO PBIEC NOV. 28 SEE STORY, PAGE 3
ZONERS POSTPONE SR 7 ANNEXATION SEE STORY, PAGE 7
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TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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Lox Groves Town Council To Address Ownership Of 140th Ave. Cut-Through
Volume 36, Number 43 November 6 - November 12, 2015
Serving Palms West Since 1980
PINK GLAMOUR AT REGAL IN RPB
The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council was surprised Tuesday to find that a cut-through from East Road to 140th Avenue North was not a town road but part of a Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District canal easement. Page 3
Young Professionals Of Wellington Host Wicked At Wanderers
The Young Professionals of Wellington held its annual Wicked at the Wanderers Costume & Casino Night on Friday, Oct. 30 at the Wanderers Club in Wellington. At the event, this year’s 2015 Community Impact Award was given to Todd Barron, chairman of the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club in Wellington. Page 5
Kids Cancer Foundation Hosts Golf Tournament
The ninth annual Kids Cancer Foundation Golf Tournament, in memory of Jenna McCann, was held Saturday, Oct. 31 at the Wanderers Club in Wellington. Page 17
OPINION
Make Plans To Honor Those Who Served This Veterans Day
Wednesday, Nov. 11 is Veterans Day, a special time set aside to thank all those who have served our nation in the military. In an age when we continue to make many demands on our military brethren, it is certainly fitting that everyone take the time to honor those who have served. Luckily, there are plenty of local observances planned for Veterans Day, just waiting for your participation. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 9 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 25 BUSINESS......................26 - 27 SPORTS..........................31 - 33 CALENDAR............................ 34 CLASSIFIEDS................ 35 - 38 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Palms West Hospital hosted its Pink Glamour Continues event Thursday, Oct. 29 at Regal Cinemas in Royal Palm Beach with a vendor fair and mixer, physician question-and-answer session with Dr. James Goad and Dr. Madi Ortiz, and a viewing of Bradley Cooper’s new movie Burnt. Shown here are Ilene Whitmore, Deborah Stevens and Joan Sinnett. SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 21
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
RPB Council Delays RaceTrac Vote To Get More Information
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Village Council last week set another hearing for Dec. 3 to get more information about a proposed RaceTrac gas station at the corner of Royal Palm Beach and Southern boulevards. The requested information included a market analysis by the applicant, a traffic letter from Palm Beach County regarding the number of gas pumps and a traffic study of the area with a particular focus on schools. The council also requested an analysis of projected crime anticipated as a result of the RaceTrac project. Several hundred residents, both for and against the proposed gas station, attended the meeting. Many of them spoke at the meeting, which ran for more than three hours. The hearing was postponed from the Oct. 15 council meeting
because so many people attended that an attorney representing those opposed to the station objected because everyone could not hear the proceedings. The Oct. 29 meeting was held at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center, which holds more people. According to a staff report, the proposed gas station meets all requirements of the village. Staff recommended approval of the application, which also received approval by the Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission in September. RaceTrac is seeking site plan and architectural approval to develop a 5,928-square-foot service station, which requires a special exception within the general commercial zoning district. The site consists of two parcels of land, a vacant tract at the corner and the shuttered TD Bank site. The service station would include 10 pump islands with 20 dispens-
ing pumps, and a canopy over the pump islands. The plan allows for the 30-foot queuing space required by village code. Primary access to the site would be provided from a right turn off of Southern Blvd., with a secondary access from Royal Palm Beach Blvd. Both of the access points would be limited to right turns in and out. There would also be several cross-access points from adjacent buildings. The site is 2.41 acres and exceeds the minimum area required for general commercial zoning, which would allow up to 40,000 square feet. The proposed building conforms to the design standards, and provides 34.7 percent of the site as pervious area, which exceeds the minimum 25 percent required by village code. The application meets the parking requirements for an automotive service station, which are See RACETRAC, page 7
Okee Moratorium Extended, But No Money For Workshop
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council approved the preliminary reading Tuesday of an ordinance extending its zoning-in-progress moratorium on Okeechobee Blvd. to June 30. The council was unable, however, to approve additional staff funding to prepare for a workshop and barbecue set for Saturday, Dec. 5 to get input on an overlay for the Okeechobee corridor. Town Attorney Michael Cirullo explained that at its last meeting, the council was not comfortable with proposed amendments to the town charter regarding the proposed overlay and directed further review, including the workshop set for Dec. 5. “As a result of that adoption, you would not have anything adopted by the end of the moratorium, which is currently scheduled
to terminate at the end of this year,” Cirullo said. “Hopefully, we can get this after we have the workshop, maybe get it done earlier, but this gives us a safety,” Mayor Dave Browning said. Councilman Ryan Liang made a motion to approve the ordinance, which carried 4-0 with Vice Mayor Ron Jarriel absent. But the council wound up in a 2-2 stalemate on approving financing for staff expenses in preparation for the workshop, centering on objections by Councilman Jim Rockett that town management was charging extra. Town Manager Bill Underwood said that about $13,800 is needed for additional expenses in preparing for the workshop and barbecue. “This is a change order to the original work order that was adopted in 2015,” Underwood said.
“It is an additional $13,800 for the year that we have been working on Okeechobee Blvd. The original budget is $28,650.” Rockett raised objections to the additional funding. “I think a month or two ago we discussed what we are paying for in town management,” he said. “I have no problem in paying an outside vendor. I’m presuming it would be [Planning Consultant] Jim Fleischmann to come in here and do some more work on the same subject, but I have real heartburn paying more money to our staff.” Rockett said that Underwood should not be getting more for this service. “To me, there shouldn’t be any more payment,” he said. “I can’t pay the town manager more in terms of what I think he should have been doing in other areas and he’s not.” Rockett made a motion to apSee GROVES, page 19
Annual Wellington Food Drive Seeking Holiday Donations By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report As many Wellington residents are planning their Thanksgiving feasts, there are many in Wellington — more than you might expect — who will only be able to celebrate the bountiful holiday through the generosity of strangers. That is why the Village of Wellington is once again running its Hometown Holiday Food Drive. Senior Services Specialist Meridith Tuckwood said that last year, more than 130 families were helped by the food drive. This year, approximately 150 families are expected to sign up for holiday assistance. “Every year, there are people in need,” she said. “While the perception is that Wellington doesn’t have a need, the reality is, we do.” Wellington’s InterFaith Group, along with the Goddard School, Ultima Fitness, Tom and Regis
Wenham, the Mall at Wellington Green, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and the Village of Wellington are collecting donations from now through Wednesday, Nov. 18. Gregg Harr, who works with other food projects year-round, took the lead on the Hometown Holiday Food Drive last year, and continues this year. “The numbers in Palm Beach County are staggering,” he said. “In Palm Beach County alone, the latest numbers say that there’s about 215,000 people who don’t know where their next meal is coming from, and that includes 30,000 children, and that’s about 16.5 percent of the population.” Seniors need help, as well as families. The Hometown Holiday Food Drive focuses on those in need here in Wellington. “Right now, we are praying that we have enough donations,” Harr See FOOD DRIVE, page 4
RPB HOSTS FALL FEST
Royal Palm Beach held its annual Fall Festival last weekend at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park. Activities included live entertainment and Halloween costume contests for several age groups. The park was filled with food vendors and fall crafts activities. Kids enjoyed trick-or-treating, carnival rides, a pumpkin patch and a petting zoo. Shown here are Brenda and Josh Burton with kids Jasper, Cherry, Abby and Zoey all dressed as robots. SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Council To Vote On Saddle Trail Paving Bond
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council will consider resolutions Tuesday, Nov. 10 to approve non-ad valorem assessments and a bond issue not to exceed $5.82 million for residents of Saddle Trail Park South for a neighborhood roadway, bridle trail and potable water improvement project. The council approved the project and assessment in April after residents had come to the village asking for the project about a year previously. The work will include paving, a 15-foot swale with potable water mains underneath, a 25-foot right of way and a 14-foot shellrock bridle trail separated from the road by a three-rail fence.
Staff has recommended that the village back the bonding for the project in order to secure a lower interest rate. The project has met with opposition from equestrians outside the Saddle Trail neighborhood, who maintain that the project will degrade the character of Wellington’s equestrian community overall. The majority of Saddle Trail residents, however, requested the work in order to reduce dust generated from increased traffic over the years, which has also raised concerns of pedestrian and equestrian safety on a dirt road shared by numerous vehicles. A total of 103 lots will be included in the assessment. The project See SADDLE TRAIL, page 19
FPL Reps Promise Power Upgrades In The Acreage
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Approximately 40 people attended a special community-based meeting between Acreage residents and Florida Power & Light officials Thursday, Oct. 29 at the Hamlin House Community Center in The Acreage. The meeting was spearheaded by longtime resident Ken Bell, who has frequently experienced electrical problems. “We were having as many as 30 outages, glitches, surges, whatever you want to call them. FPL has a name for all of them, but I call them interruptions,” Bell said. “We were getting many of them. I was on the first-name basis with the representative from the Public Service Commission in Tallahassee.”
Things improved, then got worse. Bell was given reasons such as squirrels and trees for the interruptions. “It just got to the point where I said, ‘How many people are really affected out here?’” Bell said. He found that many other residents were having similar issues. “This is where we’re at. We all have our issues. I’m going to turn the meeting over to T.L. Winder,” Bell said. “I know we’re frustrated. I know we may be angry. These gentlemen with FPL aren’t the reason we’re having problems. They’re here, hopefully, to solve our problems. They will hear our complaints, hear our grievances, and hopefully, if we’re patient, they’ll correct our problems.” Winder, FPL’s operations man-
ager for the distribution side, thanked Bell and Lillian Hall for putting the meeting together and giving the five FPL representatives — Winder, Chris McGrath, Bill Orlove, Stephanie Mitrione and Juan Khoury — the chance to speak face-to-face with customers. “I think we see this as an opportunity to listen, and to understand some of the issues that you’re facing,” Winder said. “Part of this will be a takeaway for us to do some things… I’ll be sharing with you some things that we’ve done, and I would expect that things are getting a bit better than they were during the summer.” Before Winder began his presentation with an overview of power interruptions, electrical See FPL, page 19
Florida Power & Light representative T.L. Winder addresses the concerns of Acreage/Loxahatchee residents.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER