Town-Crier Newspaper October 11, 2013

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ALA HEARS PRESENTATIONS ON PROJECTS SEE STORY, PAGE 3

RPB SECME CLUB GOES OUT ON A STEM SEE STORY, PAGE 7

THE

TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

Your Community Newspaper

INSIDE RPB Weed Contractor: Situation Under Control

Volume 34, Number 41 October 11 - October 17, 2013

EVENT HELPS BIG DOG VOLUNTEER

After months of strife involving Royal Palm Beach residents’ complaints of weeds choking village canals, representatives of Clarke Aquatics told the Royal Palm Beach Village Council last week that the issue has been largely controlled. Page 3

Serving Palms West Since 1980

Wellington To Fight For Tax Money Paid Due To K-Park Error By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington is seeking to undo a mistake that left the village paying $184,000 in taxes on its K-Park property and is willing to take the issue to court, Village Attorney Laurie Cohen said Tuesday. “I don’t know whether it will be successful, but we’re going to give it a shot and press the issue,” she said. “If necessary, I may come back to you and ask you to authorize us to file a lawsuit.” Earlier this year, Wellington paid nearly eight times more in taxes than it should have on K-Park because Wellington did not file for

Wellington Sets Policy On When Staff Can Use Village Money

Members of the Wellington Village Council voted Tuesday to enact a public purpose expenditure policy governing what items Wellington staff can purchase using village funds. The new policy allows spending on meals and refreshments for certain events, or under certain circumstances with approval by the village manager. Page 4

agricultural status on the property. Currently, organic crops are being grown on the 67-acre site at the corner of State Road 7 and Stribling Way. The farming qualifies the property for an agricultural exemption, which it has received in the past. The taxes should have been about $22,000, which would have been paid for by the farmers leasing the property. Wellington staff has not been clear about who dropped the ball, but Cohen said she thought the mistake was caused both by Wellington staff and the Palm Beach See K-PARK, page 4

PBCHS HOMECOMING A dog wash, car wash and bake sale to benefit Big Dog Ranch Rescue and Shyanne Mutch was held Sunday, Oct. 6 in the parking lot of Hurricane Grill & Wings in Royal Palm Beach. Mutch is a BDRR volunteer who needs help with medical expenses. Shown here is Kimberlee and Shyanne Mutch with Kaleb. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Iron Lion Event Supports Kids Cancer Foundation

The Wellington Runners Club and Iron Lion Fitness Studio hosted a “Ryde-A-Thon” to support the Kids Cancer Foundation on Sunday Oct. 6. Participants were able to cycle as long as they wanted and were asked to make a minimum donation of $10 per ride. Page 9

Golf Classic Benefits Palms West Foundation The Royal Palm Auto Mall Golf Classic benefiting the Palms West Community Foundation was held Friday, Oct. 4 at the Wanderers Club in Wellington. Page 5

OPINION Wellington Education Grants Great Tribute To The Late Keely Spinelli

Many Wellington school children will get a leg up in reading and math thanks to a grant approved this week by the Wellington Village Council. The Keely Spinelli Education Grant celebrates the life and hard work of an educator near and dear to our community. Each school will receive up to $25,000 to help students struggling with reading and math, something Spinelli dedicated her life to. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 3 - 10 OPINION .................................4 CRIME NEWS .........................6 SCHOOLS .....................11 - 12 PEOPLE ............................... 13 COLUMNS .....................14, 21 NEWS BRIEFS..................... 15 BUSINESS .................... 22 - 23 SPORTS ........................ 27 - 29 CALENDAR .......................... 30 CLASSIFIEDS ................ 30 - 33 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

ITID Board Gives Jim Shallman Six-Month Tryout As Manager By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors voted last week to give Interim District Manager Jim Shallman a sixmonth probationary period in the post after deciding to scrap the selection process for a permanent manager it went through over the summer. At a special meeting Friday, Oct. 4, ITID Vice President Carol Jacobs said she was disappointed with the interview process, primarily because other candidates were allowed to sit in the audience during the interviews. “I understood that they were going to come in one at a time, and I basically felt that they told us what we wanted to hear,” she said. “I’m not saying that they weren’t qualified, but right now we have a lot going on in the outer areas of Indian Trail.” Jacobs said she has been impressed with Shallman’s performance since former District Administrator Tanya Quickel left in June. She also had praise for In-

terim Director of Operations and Maintenance Juan Massarda. “I have been very impressed with both Jim and Juan,” she said. Jacobs suggested keeping both for a six-month probationary period, allowing Shallman to hire the people needed to fill vacant office and finance staff positions. “Then, if we feel that Jim is not doing as good as we would like, we go out looking,” she said. Jacobs noted that Shallman is familiar with district operations because he has been there for five years. “We have a lot going on, and we need to focus,” she said. Jacobs added that Shallman is easy to talk to. “He’s got to deal with five personalities, and he seems like the kind of man who can do that,” she said. “And employees seem to like him, so I would like to leave it the way it is on a six-month probationary period.” Further, Jacobs said that she would like the manager, operations and maintenance director and parks and recreation director all to answer directly to the board.

Supervisor Michelle Damone was concerned about Shallman’s ability to return to his previous job as a finance department employee if the board were to decide that he was not performing satisfactorily as manager. “He’s been a loyal employee to the district,” Damone said. “I don’t necessarily agree that you should be district manager, Jim, but I feel that you should always be a part of Indian Trail. I would never want to see you leave.” ITID President Jennifer Hager said Shallman had willingly stepped up when he was asked to fill the position temporarily, and pointed out that she had not been satisfied with the list of manager candidates. “I would definitely like to see Jim stay, and the employees are working well with him,” Hager said. Resident Randy Guncheon agreed that Shallman was doing a good job and should be left in the position. He said the previous interviews and selection of managSee SHALLMAN, page 16

Wellington Council Wants Better Plan For Folkstone/Yarmouth By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report A road closure will not fix the problems in the Folkstone/ Yarmouth neighborhood, residents told members of the Wellington Village Council on Tuesday. Most of the problems, residents said, have come from transient residents in the multifamily portions of the neighborhood. Council members directed staff to meet with residents and work on a plan to combat the problems, which include neglected buildings, maintenance issues, street lighting, drug activity and unsupervised children. Though closing Folkstone Circle is not entirely off the table, council members felt the neighborhood needed a more comprehen-

sive plan to curb issues. “This doesn’t go far enough,” Councilman John Greene said of the road closure. “I want a comprehensive plan that says we’re going to take control, we’re going to work hard with code enforcement, hold people accountable and shut down these slumlords who are just letting anybody in.” Wellington staff originally proposed closing approximately 280 linear feet of Folkstone Circle between Yarmouth Court and Carlton Street in order to stop cutthrough traffic. The neighborhood is bordered by Greenview Shores Blvd. to the east and Greenbriar Blvd. to the south. By turning onto Carlton Street off Greenview Shores Blvd., residents can then take Folkstone Circle and exit on Greenbriar Blvd.

near New Horizons Elementary School. Planning & Development Services Director Tim Stillings told the council that some people use the route to avoid high-traffic intersections when dropping their children off at school. “The closure is part of an overall strategy that we are taking with each of the priority neighborhoods,” he said. “We’re trying to help every neighborhood be a great neighborhood.” Stillings noted that the neighborhood has benefited from the defensive measures program, as well as a neighborhood abatement program. An online survey launched several weeks ago asked whether residents favored closing the road See ROAD CLOSURE, page 16

Palm Beach Central High School held its homecoming week celebration, culminating in the crowning of its king and queen at a football game Friday, Oct. 4. Shown here, Steven Daley was crowned homecoming king, while Gabi Corsa was crowned homecoming queen. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 10 PHOTO BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER

Golf Carts On Lox Roads Wins First Council Approval By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report In a split decision Oct. 1, the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council approved the preliminary reading of an ordinance that would allow people with valid driver’s licenses or learner’s permits to operate golf carts on designated town roads. The ordinance will be back before the council for final approval Dec. 3. Under the ordinance, operation would be prohibited on Okeechobee and Southern boulevards and Folsom Road, which are not in the town’s jurisdiction. Also, Florida statutes require that signs be posted throughout the town providing that golf carts are permitted, with language informing the public of local rules that are not in the statutory guidelines for golf cart operation, Town Attorney Michael Cirullo said. Councilman Tom Goltzené said he was satisfied with the ordinance, except that he would like to add language that he wants golf cart operators to be allowed to cross Okeechobee Blvd. at designated crossings. Councilman Ryan Liang also favored the ordinance, noting that the privilege was restricted

to golf carts and not dune buggies or ATVs, as had been rumored. “I am pretty happy with this,” Liang said. Councilman Ron Jarriel, however, opposed the ordinance because of the potential danger and expense of putting up signs. Councilman Jim Rockett added that he thought the ordinance was trying to solve a problem the town does not have. “Leaving things as is would be my preferred approach,” Rockett said. “The ordinance, I think, is more of a nice gesture to a few people in town who would like to use their golf carts on our roads, but have we considered the vast majority of residents who use our roads for their cars, pickups and small trucks, and now have another hazard to contend with?” Rockett reminded council members that town roads are not required to be up to Florida Department of Transportation standards, which creates a higher safety risk. “Adding golf carts will not make our roads safer,” he said. “It won’t slow down traffic, but adding golf carts adds a new risk to driving in Loxahatchee Groves. We are not set up as a senior citizen or golf course development, with golf cart See GOLF CARTS, page 16

Two New Candidates Join County Commission Race By Ron Bukley Town Crier Staff Report Two more candidates are in, and one previously announced candidate is out, in the ever-shifting race to replace term-limited County Commissioner Jess Santamaria. Melissa McKinlay, who works in the Palm Beach County Legislative Affairs Department, will run in the Democratic primary, while Andrew Schaller, who ran unsuccessfully for the post in 2010, is running as a Republican. Meanwhile, former Royal Palm Beach Councilwoman Martha Webster, a Democrat, has withdrawn from the race and thrown her support behind former Well-

ington Mayor Kathy Foster. Both Foster and Royal Palm Beach Councilman Fred Pinto are also seeking the Democratic nomination. County Commission District 6, as currently drawn, trends Democratic. Santamaria comfortably won re-election in 2010, despite Republican gains elsewhere. McKinlay, 42, has worked since 2010 as a legislative delegation aide, providing administrative and legislative support to the director of legislative affairs and the executive director of the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation on behalf of the Palm Beach County Commission and the county’s 13-

member state delegation. She has never run for public office before. McKinlay told the Town-Crier that she has spent her adult life serving the community either in a professional position or as a volunteer with numerous civic organizations. “I just feel like the time is right to make a future impact on the community,” McKinlay said Tuesday. “The way the commission is seated right now, the one thing that is missing is the long perspective. We don’t have anyone on the commission who is a mother raising three kids currently in the public schools.” McKinlay, who has governmen-

tal experience at the local, state and federal levels, said she has a “big picture” view of government. “Right now I work at the local level, and I have a good working knowledge of how government has to work together, especially with some of the issues we face,” she said. “I think that that would be a huge benefit to the county.” She said the county’s most pressing issues are to continue growing jobs, especially for the western communities, maintaining a quality infrastructure, and helping the Glades in both those areas. McKinlay also listed maintaining safe neighborhoods as an im-

portant issue, as well as holding all county and municipal officials and employees to a high ethical standard by supporting the Office of the Inspector General. “I want to have a good reputation for Palm Beach County, and I think that the current commissioner has gone a long way in making sure that that happens,” McKinlay said. “I want to continue to move his efforts forward.” She also wants to provide opportunities for youth so they can stay out of trouble, become educated and find work in the community. “I think one of the struggles some families have is to find See DISTRICT 6, page 16


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