The Village of Royal Palm Beach is pressing Palm Beach County to keep the extension of Roebuck Road from Jog Road to State Road 7 a priority in the county’s five-year road program.
Anticipating a Palm Beach County Commission discussion of the proposal next week, Mayor David Lodwick, Village Manager David Farber and Village Engineer Ray Liggins met with County Engineer George Webb two weeks ago to go over the plan and express their desire that the Roebuck Road extension get top priority.
Roebuck Road, north of and parallel to Okeechobee Blvd., has been a part of county road expansion plans for years as a necessary reliever for congested Okeechobee Blvd., but the plan to extend the road to the western communities is facing many obstacles.
Lodwick told his fellow council members at their Oct. 4 meeting that extending Roebuck Road would provide more benefits than the widening of Okeechobee Blvd. from six to eight lanes west of Florida’s Turnpike.
“We all agreed when we met,
By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
Wellington is looking to use its plentiful horse manure to generate electricity and revenue.
On Tuesday, the Wellington Village Council gave the go-ahead to begin negotiations with a company that has proposed construction of a manure-fueled generator facility near the village’s wastewater treatment plant.
The manure generated by the thousands of horses in the village has long been a headache for village officials. The waste has been identified as a source of the phosphorus that enters the village’s surface water, which eventually ends up in the Everglades and has helped upset the delicate balance of the wetland.
The passage of the Everglades Forever Act to restore the ecosystem required Wellington to drastically reduce the amount of phosphorus it discharges into the Everglades, and the village has managed to do so by chan-
which would have the bigger impact — Roebuck Road or the widening of Okeechobee Blvd., which we know is going to happen,” he said. “The answer is, Roebuck Road would have a bigger impact.”
The extension of Roebuck Road was identified by county staff in 2001 as a necessary reliever for traffic on Okeechobee Blvd. The extension has faced opposition from the City of West Palm Beach, which has refused to yield the necessary rights of way because of the extension’s proximity to the city’s water catchment area, as well as environmentalists and residents of the nearby Riverwalk, Andros Isles and Baywinds developments.
This Tuesday the county commission is scheduled to review an annual update of the county’s five-year road plan, including funding allocations for the projects in the plan.
Lodwick said the county has considered cutting the funding for the planning stage of the Roebuck extension, but he said he expects the commissioners will keep the funding in place and approve the start of the planning phase of the project.
The extension was envisioned to connect to the extended State
See ROEBUCK, page 7A
neling water through filtration marshes and imposing restrictions on manure handling and disposal.
But the problem of finding a use or destination for the estimated millions of pounds of manure generated annually remains, prompting the village to request proposals for innovative disposal solutions last year.
Of the seven proposals the village received, staff found the most merit in the one submitted by Wellington Energy LLC, whose main partner is prominent local veterinarian Scott Swerdlin. Wellington Energy proposes carting the manure to a special-purpose incinerator in the village, where steam generated by the heat would power a turbine generator to produce 24 megawatts of electricity daily, to be sold to Florida Power & Light.
Environmental Engineering Director Gary Clough said much of the details of costs and benefits to the various parties, including the village and the manure haulers, remains to be
worked out pending negotiations. “There is land acquisition and capital costs and daily maintenance,” Clough said. “Potentially the haulers would pay to come to the facility and pay for a portion of the capital costs and land costs.”
Councilman Dr. Carmine Priore noted that the State Legislature and Gov. Charlie Crist had recently approved grant incentives for alternative energy proposals and asked if the manure plan might qualify.
“They have referred to solar and wind generation as alternates,” he said. “Does this type of plant fall under that? If so, we should be looking into that as a possibility.”
Clough said that on first impression he didn’t think the plant would be eligible, but Wellington Energy partner Michael Virr of the engineering firm Spinheat, which would design and supply the power plant, said that prospect could be explored further once the negotiation process is approved.
“It’s an alternate form of gen-
eration,” Virr said. “We’ve not yet applied for grants or explored this particular plan. It has not become a reality yet until you vote for it, but it could be explored. I do have a grant from the Department of Energy for the design of the plant that I could apply for.”
Vice Mayor Bob Margolis asked if the proposal could fit in a residential area, and Clough and Village Manager Charlie Lynn said that was unlikely, as the project would likely end up in an area zoned for industrial or governmental facilities.
Mayor Tom Wenham asked if a suitable site had been identified, and Clough said that would be a policy decision, but the applicant is leaning toward a site near the village’s wastewater treatment plant.
Priore said the proposal is a welcome development. “In the 1990s, we looked into alternative methods of composting,” he said. “This is an obvious issue that exists here. The disposal of manure is becoming a problem. Adjoining communities
have voiced displeasure not only that we dispose of, but how we dispose of it. It would be a winwin situation to do this.”
Wellington resident Julio Galvez suggested the village pursue the revenue-generating potential of the proposal.
“The program should function as an enterprise fund,” he said. “Franchise fees could cover all anticipated village costs. I suggest you try to obtain revenue from this. They are making money. They can make money by taking care of the waste. Maybe we can make money out of the electrical. That’s about $4.2 million a year of the sale of electricity.”
Palm Beach County resident Rick Roth asked the council to postpone their decision for 30 days, as he wanted to put together an alternative proposal. He warned that drawbacks to the Wellington Energy proposal included the location on village land and its potential as a liability for village taxpayers.
“You will create more energy
posse.com. Pictured here, Jeannie Philbin is dressed as a butterfly princess aboard Cowboy. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 27A
PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Council OKs Lacrosse Spring Fling, But Cost Concerns Remain
By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
The Wellington Village Council gave approval Tuesday for the return of the annual Spring Fling lacrosse training event, but only after a debate on the merits of hosting it.
The village has hosted the annual get-together of women’s collegiate and prep lacrosse teams, who converge for about a month in March to play and practice, since 2003.
In past years several council members have questioned the wisdom of submitting village sports fields to the wear and tear of Spring Fling, but supporters of the event have prevailed by touting the economic benefits of the meet and the advantages it offers to local prep teams such as two-time state champion Wellington High School.
According to the Palm Beach County Sports Commission, Spring Fling generates $2 million to the local economy and 3,000 room nights by attracting more than 100 women’s la-
crosse teams. Still, organizer GKD must have sensed Wellington’s mixed feelings about the event, as it requested use of three village fields for only one week of the four-week event, March 16 through 21 for a total of 204 use hours, in exchange for a $10,000 fee to the village.
Vice Mayor Bob Margolis said he was not against the event, but questioned the offer of charging non-profit fees to GKD, a for-profit enterprise.
“We have separate fees for profits and not-for-profits,” Margolis said. “The fee being imposed is not-for-profit in the amount of $10,000. This is a for-profit organization. In a year when we have some very difficult decisions regarding a shortfall, it is very difficult for me to agree to this. It is my understanding that this is their largest event. They do bring tournaments to Palm Beach County. I would like them to pay their fair share like we ask everyone else for. I won’t approve it otherwise.”
Councilwoman Lizbeth Ben-
acquisto concurred with Margolis’s concerns, but didn’t want to shut the door on something that would benefit the community. The lacrosse event draws visitors who patronize the community’s restaurants and businesses, she said.
“We have all seen these tournaments and the amount of people attending,” Benacquisto said. “It does benefit the community. It’s a balance you strive to achieve. I don’t see an issue with it.”
Councilwoman Laurie Cohen asked what the for-profit fee would be, and Community Services Director Paul Schofield said it would be about $21,000. Cohen also asked if there was grant money available to the village for hosting the tournament.
Palm Beach County Sports Commission Operations Director Graham Morris said the village could apply for grants to help defray its costs. Schofield, however, noted that since the village is not the event sponsor, it was not likely that it could get grant money. At most, Morris
said, the applicant makes between $20,000 to $25,000 after all is said and done, and also noted that GKD gives a lot back to the community, supporting local high school teams participating in the event.
“He also did write a separate check for the lacrosse boosters for $3,000,” Morris said. “This is separate from concessions. I do believe he works hard to include the local community and the lacrosse folks.”
Councilman Dr. Carmine Priore said he too enjoyed having the event in the community, but was concerned about sending mixed messages to residents about the village supporting an out-of-town event in times of budget cuts.
“We are undergoing an issue before us concerning passports and what we are charging residents and nonresidents, and the impacts of nonresidents using the fields, and for-profit organizations,” Priore said. “We are providing mixed messages. We are not asking organizers that come from outside to pay their
fair share. I would like to see the sports commission make up for some of the differences that they charge. They have already indicated that they provide funding. I would like to ask them for it.”
Cohen said the point was that the event draws outsiders and their dollars to the community.
“I want to reiterate, it does bring people here,” Cohen said. “It’s an economic benefit. You all make good points between profits and non-profits. Maybe we need to revisit the policy. I think we should apply for a grant through the sports commission if it’s available. We should take advantage of it. I do not want us to turn it away.”
Benacquisto made a motion to approve GKD’s request, which was seconded by Cohen. Cohen asked that staff work with the Palm Beach County Sports Commission for any additional available funding. Mayor Tom Wenham said he could not support the motion as is, and See FLING, page 9A
Environmental Activist Urges People To Get Involved, Stay Involved
By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
County Commissioner Jess Santamaria’s public forum at the original Wellington Mall on Wednesday followed an environmental theme.
JoAnne Davis of 1,000 Friends of Florida focused her presentation on her organization’s battle against the county’s plans to place the Scripps re-
search facility at Mecca Farms. She told the audience, which included a contingent of visiting Palm Beach Gardens High School students, that the county had overreached in trying to place the facility in a rural area with no existing infrastructure or services.
“It was one house per ten acres,” she said. “They went through a whole exercise to change it and just load it up for
development. There were a series of laws that were broken. They stepped outside of the Urban Services Area. It was about the county breaking the law.”
Davis urged the young people in the room to get involved and ask questions about the government process. Her group won its battle, she said, by filing lawsuits after letters had no effect.
“They were stopped by lawsuits, some filed by 1,000 Friends, and others who got involved,” Davis said. “All of those who fought this fight are folks like you and me, so your government leaders know that you are on the ball and are watching. We took them to court, and we won. I think the dust is finally settling, and we are getting back to business.”
Davis also encouraged the stu-
dents to visit local natural areas, which belong to the public. “It’s yours,” she said. “It’s all of yours. Take your folks, and your parents, and your friends. It’s up to us to love it, protect it and save it. Don’t let the developers pull the wool over your eyes by trying to take them away.”
Richard Walesky, director of Environmental Resources ManSee JESS, page 46A
Our Opinion
The Democratic Primary Tiff: Don’t Punish Florida’s Voters
When the Democratic National Committee first threatened to bar Florida from next summer’s national convention because of the State Legislature’s plan to hold Florida’s presidential primary on Jan. 29 — a week earlier than national party rules allow — the Florida Democratic Party was right to cry foul. After all, it was not the state party’s decision; it was the decision of the Republican-controlled state capital. Nevertheless, it’s about time someone tries to undo the stranglehold a few small states have on the presidential process. Party rules require approval for states to hold a primary or caucus before Feb. 5. Approved states include perennial party favorites Iowa and New Hampshire, as well as Nevada and South Carolina, which were added to the mix just this year. Combined, the four states have fewer electoral votes than Florida.
Unfortunately, the stalemate between the DNC and the FDP only escalated, most recently with Sen. Bill Nelson and Congressman Alcee Hastings filing suit against the DNC. Aside from this being incredibly bad PR for the national party, the biggest problem with all this saber rattling is that, well, it’s likely all for nothing. Despite DNC Chair Howard Dean’s threats to strip Florida of its 210 delegates, that decision won’t be his to make, at least according to the party’s most senior elected official. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, speaking to reporters this week about the issue, pointed out that the decision to seat delegates traditionally belongs to the presidential nominee. Once the party picks its nominee, it is unlikely that person will want the image of Florida delegates locked outside the convention hall. You can bet all will be forgiven as the party comes together in the spirit of “unity.”
RPB Correct To Keep Education Advisory Board
The Royal Palm Beach Village Council debated and determined that it would retain its Education Advisory Board during the 2007 organization meeting. A wise decision, as education is the basis of good government. Those who govern are
The most salient of the DNC’s mandates, of course, is the prohibition against candidates campaigning in Florida before the Jan. 29 vote. But candidates will do so at their own peril. Without actively running campaigns in the state, the status quo would rule. Without any physical presence in the state, the only way candidates will be able to reach voters is through the national media, which can only benefit frontrunner Hillary Clinton. Clinton is already far ahead in the statewide polls. So if the other candidates want to ignore Florida, it will be at their own peril.
It’s time for the national party to back off and let states control the process or get behind a real reform effort that leads to one national primary or a rotating series of regional primaries, ending the control two small states have held for two generations.
Much less controversial is the Royal Palm Beach Village Council’s decision to hold its election the same day as the primaries — a move that will save the village more than $12,000. Four of the five council seats are up for election; three are held by incumbents and one is currently vacant. Because of the change to an earlier election date, the period to qualify has been moved up as well. Prospective candidates have from Oct. 26 to Nov. 9 to qualify. To do so, visit the office of the Village Clerk, 1050 Royal Palm Beach Blvd.
In a democracy, contested elections are always better than coronations. Now is the perfect time to get involved. Don’t wait until the beginning of year like in previous years. It will be too late.
Letters To The Editor
in the position of being able to teach the process of government through clear discussion and explanation of how and why certain actions are made as they progress through the business of running a village, state or nation.
A good Education Advisory Board can stimulate knowledge of government by providing activities to include cit-
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izens in learning the process of sustaining good neighborhoods. This board can evaluate current challenges within the community and facilitate change through citizens taking educated action in participatory resolution.
Learning does not end with youth; as life is a process, so too is education — one that is continuous and most effective when the learning correlates to need. What better educational environment than the living, active community? Royal Palm Beach needs to put a real commitment to community education — not just another board that meets occasionally and demonstrates no real outcomes.
I did attend the HOA workshop!
The budget workshops were very lightly attended and the one that I participated in had less than a dozen residents. There were more village staff members than residents.
We presented various costsaving items, and they were quickly written down without further discussion. It was quite evident that the moderator did not want to discuss them.
The moderator was very interested in getting us to discuss sources of incomes and quickly led the conversation to the so-called recreation “passport.”
nation should be documented somewhere, of why this apparent conflict with Florida statute is lacking in the 438-page council package!
2. Approval of contract to Terra Renewal Services for sludge hauling services; and approval of “... all renewals without the necessity of further Council action...”
BARRY S. MANNING Publisher JOSHUA I. MANNING Executive Editor RON BUKLEY Managing Editor
The potential scope of this board to make a contribution to improving the lives of citizens in an array of community solutions is great indeed. Each decision by the council determines the integrity of the community.
I hope that we can look forward to a strong RPB Education Advisory Board under the facilitation of the council.
JASON BUDJINSKI Community Editor MARK LIOI News Editor
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CONTRIBUTORS/ Don Brown • Jules Rabin • Deborah Welky • Ernie Zimmerman
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Martha Webster
Royal Palm Beach
Editor’s note: Ms. Webster was an unsuccessful candidate for the Royal Palm Beach Village Council in 2006.
A Solution To Wellington’s Horse Manure Problem
Editor’s note: The following letter is addressed to the Wellington Village Council. A copy was sent to the Town-Crier for publication.
Dear Council Members:
In the spirit of cooperating with our dilemma of reducing expenses and increasing income to alleviate state-mandated tax cuts, I went this past Tuesday to the council meeting with some ideas. First, I was not allowed to speak and express my concern prior to your approval of two budget items. Later, when allowed to speak, I was reprimanded and accused of not attending the recently held budget workshops.
Nevertheless, I was assured that all our inputs would be covered in the final report. But I have yet to see the promised final report of the workshop results.
Two of the items that I brought up Tuesday had to do with contract competition. I would like to point out that competition is not always the best solution but, FL Statute Title XIX, Chapter 287 states: “The Legislature recognizes that fair and open competition is a basic tenet of public procurement; that such competition reduces the appearance and opportunity for favoritism and inspires public confidence that contracts are awarded equitably and economically; and that documentation of the acts taken and effective monitoring mechanisms are important means of curbing any improprieties and establishing public confidence in the process by which commodities and contractual services are procured.... Unless otherwise authorized by law, all contracts for the purchase of commodities or contractual services in excess of the threshold amount provided in s. 287.017 for CATEGORY TWO [$25,000] shall be awarded by competitive sealed bidding.”
1. Approval of the third addendum since 2004 for consulting services to solid waste management services was awarded without competition. Maybe this is the correct decision in this case, but an expla-
I would like to point out that as stated in your 438-page package, “the Selection Committee convened on Sept. 6, 2007 and requested that [the] Purchasing Department contact the sole bidder to discuss the possibility of reducing the bid submittal pricing...” and that, “Purchasing was unable to negotiate a reduction in the bid pricing.” Terra has been under contract with the village for the last nine years and this contract will extend the contract for another six years, again without competition. Why award a noncompetitive contract for six years? Why not for one year, and then try to compete it in the future?
The last item that I was allowed to discuss was the authorization of negotiations with Wellington Energy LLC for operation of a horse manure management program and construction of a disposal facility.
Most people look at a pile of manure and see a pile of manure. If we were smart we would look at that same pile and see energy. Horse manure power is so viable that it should be very high on the village’s list of priorities.
As a matter of fact, the United States Department of Agriculture has awarded various entities including Green Valley Dairy in Krakow, Wisconsin over $179,000 in grants for this kind of project. Ask yourself this question. What if there was one solution to the following problems?
• Increased energy costs
• Greenhouse gases emissions
• Financial shortfalls for our village
• Contamination to surface
See LETTERS, page 5A
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Municipalities Want To Have Their Cake... And Eat It Too
A mind is a terrible thing to waste “too much.” (I’ll get back to that phrase later.) So when I saw the news reports about Lake Worth canceling their Veterans Day parade last month while Wellington and Royal Palm Beach would be parading as usual, I started thinking about other differences in our communities.
What makes them unique? Lake Worth, for example, has an electrical utility that doesn’t work and no one outside city hall understands why officials are wasting all that taxpayer money.
West Palm Beach has a water utility that doesn’t work, and residents outside city hall don’t understand why their city can’t operate a water plant.
Everything works in Royal Palm Beach, but that’s because of a technicality: RPB officials, perhaps learning from eBay, sold off just about everything so if something doesn’t work, they can blame it on someone else. Nothing much works in our far western communities of Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay, but no one seems to care much.
Curiously, just about everything seems
to work in Wellington but still no one seems to care too much — until there is a glitch, in which case private citizens start filling out their own emergency declaration forms. But if Wellington lacks serious problems like broken electric plants or water works, it has achieved acclaim for making huge problems out of minor inconveniences.
Take veterans, for example. Lake Worth hates them but Wellington loves them, but not too much, judging from the postage-stamp size of its veterans’ park. Wellington also loves its water — possibly because residents haven’t had to boil their own. When hurricanes hit us, the biggest water concern is getting it to the horses in the Equestrian Preserve. Memo to myself: suggest to Wellington Village Manager Charlie Lynn that he begin discussions to purchase WPB’s water utility before the county does.
Wellington also loves its horses, but not too much when civil war breaks out in the equestrian community. Residents don’t like to choose between the horses. They are all part of our big Wellington
Our Veterans Need Help Now
family. Can’t we all just get along? Village residents also seem to like public displays of big breasts such as our famous mermaid, but not too much. There was no public display of mourning when she disappeared.
Wellington also loves its recreation programs, but not too much, especially when asked to pay for them. That’s why they are reaching out to neighbors to purchase passports to use village recreation programs for a premium price, of course. You might say Wellington loves outside recreation participants, but not too much.
Wellington also loves voters going to the polls on Election Day, but not too much. While other communities were changing their elections to correspond to the new Jan. 29 presidential primary date, the village elected to keep its early March date. You see, Wellington loves elections, but they don’t want so many people to show up at the polls that they become too chaotic and hard to predict.
Wellington also loves its taxes, but not too much. Residents want a lot of superior services while keeping taxes below
By Don Brown
the boiling point that is established after every election and defined by whoever unseats an incumbent. That tax rate figure is not very scientific and changes from time to time, but we all know it when we see it. Not too much.
Wellington also loves its senior citizens, but not too much. We love them a lot when they have deep pockets. But the village doesn’t want any of those unsightly senior citizen communities like they have in Royal Palm Beach. Bring us your elderly, but bring them with healthy bank accounts so that they, too, may enjoy the Wellington lifestyle. We all love our communities, but it seems not too much.
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Footloose and...
By Jules W. Rabin
I bet you, like me, love all of the sanctimonious, hypercritical hyperbole flowing from the White House and Congress about our heroic troops and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan. So how come, if they love our heroes so much, the Army’s plan for creating special “warrior transition units” to provide far more personalized care for the troops and vets is unable to deliver services to almost half of those eligible?
Sure it is easy for public figures to say, “I love our troops,” but how come promised repairs to military hospitals and veterans’ facilities are footdraggingly slow? And how come it takes up to four separate hearings and almost six months for the average veteran’s claims for disability benefits to be decided?
Currently, we’re told, there is a monumental backlog of hundreds of thou-
Letters
continued from page 4A and ground water supplies from manure
• Smell from manure
Well, there is a solution that is right before our noses. The village is working with Wellington Energy LLC to partially address it. This approach could serve as a significant source of income (in the millions of dollars) to the village from the sale of electricity alone, but the request that the council approved was that “the program should function as an enterprise fund/
sands of cases waiting to be processed. This despite a dozen or more congressional, executive branch agencies and “blue ribbon” groups all conducting investigations?
Let’s face it, the basic veterans’ benefits system has not been updated since 1945. It surely is time for a change. And high on the priority list should be the devastating brain damage problems caused by roadside bombs. Also at the top should be the posttraumatic stress syndrome cases already handicapping 45,000 veterans. While they’re at it, the White House and Congress should push through a worthwhile, immediate increase in benefits for our veterans. In complete candor, the war-related mental and physical disabilities will stay with many vets all of their lives. It sure seems like our duty to help support their needs after all they have sacrificed for us.
franchise with fees to cover all anticipated village costs. However, there may be cost to the village possibly including donation of land...”
It was requested and discussed at the meeting that given the length of time (over one year) that this procurement has taken that there are now other competitors to Wellington Energy LLC, including a local company that is already pursuing a similar project in our area. The request from the local farmer to delay negotiations for 30 days so that he could present his proposal was rejected by the council. The council and
Should Florida Be Penalized For Changing Its Primary Election Date?
A. Yes. State parties shouldn’t break the rules of the national parties.
B. Yes, but the rules should change before the next election.
C. No. Two non-representative states have too much influence in the process.
D. No, and all primary dates should be pushed back a month or two.
Previous Question: How Should Palm Beach County Commission Members Be Elected? A. They should remain partisan and be divided by district: 30 percent; B. They should remain partisan but change to countywide election: 12 percent; C. They should become nonpartisan but remain divided by district: 18 percent; D. They should be nonpartisan and change to countywide election: 40 percent. Cast your vote by visiting www.goTownCrier.com and scrolling down to the poll question at the bottom left of the web page. It’s as easy as that!
staff also admitted that even though this was an electrical generation venture, they had not consulted with an electrical engineer on the proposal content and that they had failed to look into possible federal and state grants for such a venture.
Why is the council now rushing into a 20-year contract without fully addressing such important issues on such an important source of revenue for our community?
I ask the council to reconsider its decision to negotiate and award the 20-year contract to Wellington Energy LLC. Re-
open the competition; appoint a special panel including an electrical engineer to work with staff in evaluating all options; pursue federal and state grants; and insist on a positive cash income not just as was approved: “with fees to cover all anticipated village costs.”
In the past, I have made various presentations on possible cost savings to village operations. The council has chosen to ignore all of them, not even answering the ones where I was promised a response.
Julio Galvez Wellington
Homeless Man Arrested For Attempted Burglary In Wellington
By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report
OCT. 8 — A deputy from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office substation in Wellington chased down and arrested a homeless man for attempted burglary at a house on Cranberry Court Monday morning. According to a PBSO report, witnesses, including an off-duty Riviera Beach Police officer, spotted 24-year-old Dustin Hiser hiding in the bushes and scouting out unlocked houses
CRIME NEWS CRIME NEWS
at approximately 9:40 a.m. Hiser’s bike was found in the bushes next to a house on Cranberry Court. According to the report, the deputy confronted Hiser after he approached a house with an open garage. Hiser then fled on foot and was apprehended by the deputy. He was charged with attempted burglary and transported to the Palm Beach County Jail.
Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach County is asking for the public’s help in finding these wanted fugitives:
• Lowos Lopez is a white male, 5’4” tall and weighing 165 lbs. with black hair and brown eyes. His date of birth is 12/02/79. Lopez is wanted for failure to appear in court on the charges of forgery and uttering a forgery. His occupation is unknown. His last known address was Marcia Place in West Palm Beach. Lopez is wanted as of 10/04/07.
• Johnny Woods, a.k.a. Tavares Gaines, Theodore Gaines, Michael Neely, Wesley Woods, Elroy Woods or Alfonso Rogers, is a black male, 6’1” tall and weighing 200 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes. His date of birth is 10/06/78. He has tattoos on his back, chest and both arms, and scars on his left arm and elbow. Woods is wanted for driving while license revoked — habitual offender. His occupation is shipping. His last known address was White Pine Drive in Wellington. Woods is wanted as of 10/11/07.
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.
OCT. 1 — A deputy from the PBSO substation in Royal Palm Beach responded to the PetSmart store on Southern Blvd. last Monday in reference to a grand theft. According to a PBSO report, the deputy made contact with a store security officer at approximately 4 p.m. The store officer reported that 19-year-old Nicole Wilson of Loxahatchee had been discovered stealing cash from a register. The officer told the deputy that over a five-day period in September, Wilson was short in her drawer
by the amounts of $201, $50, $141.78, $37.58 and $143.95, according to the report. The guard also told the deputy that Wilson admitted stealing a total of $574.31 by placing the large bills next to the register and pocketing them at a later time. The deputy later met with Wilson, who confessed to the thefts. Wilson was arrested for grand theft and transported to the county jail.
OCT. 2 — A PBSO deputy from the Royal Palm Beach substation arrested a Lake Worth man on multiple charges last Tuesday. According to a PBSO report, while on routine patrol in the area of Belvedere Road and State Road 7 at approximately 10:45 p.m. the deputy observed a Ford Crown Victoria with dark tinted windows driven by 22-year-old Jonathan Velez. The vehicle pulled into the parking lot of the Wal-Mart Supercenter on Belvedere Road. A records check indicated the tag on the vehicle was registered to
a Chevy station wagon, according to the report. Velez told the deputy he did not have a valid driver’s license and did not have the car’s registration. He said the car had been purchased by Sergio Ascencio, who was a passenger at the time. Ascencio told the deputy the tag on the car belonged to his mother’s vehicle, according to the report. Velez was arrested for driving with a suspended license and with no registration. A subsequent search of Velez turned up a marijuana cigarette for which Velez was charged with possession of marijuana under 20 grams. Velez was transported to the county jail, and the car was impounded.
OCT. 4 — A Lake Worth woman was arrested last Thursday on a charge of retail theft from the Macy’s department store at the Mall at Wellington Green. According to a PBSO report, at approximately 6:15 p.m., 21-year-old Carolina
PBSO Seeks The Identity Of Pedestrian Killed In Collision
OCT. 4 — An unidentified Hispanic male was killed following a traffic collision in Royal Palm Beach last Thursday. According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office report, the man was on the 12900 block of Okeechobee Blvd. walking northbound across the street at approximately 9:09 p.m. when he moved into the path of PBSO Deputy Ramesh Nandlal, who was traveling eastbound in a
marked unit. Upon impact, the pedestrian was thrown over the vehicle’s shoulder, struck the pavement and came to rest on the south shoulder of the roadway, according to the report. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Anyone with information regarding the identity of the pedestrian is encouraged to call Investigator Troy Snelgrove at (561) 688-3725.
Johnny Woods
Lowos Lopez
Council Grants Littlewood Farm Long-Awaited Land-Use Change
By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
The Wellington Village Council approved a land-use change Tuesday for the future home of horse show producer Littlewood Farm, with the security of a ten-year covenant restricting recreational activities on the site to horse shows only.
The 60-acre parcel, extending from the northeast corner of the intersection of 50th Street South and Ousley Farms Road in southern Wellington, was previously designated “Residential A” on the village’s future landuse map. The change designates 48 acres of the site as Commercial Recreation, to allow construction of a commercial equestrian facility with show rings, stables, paddocks and a seasonal office/restaurant complex. The remaining 10 acres will be designated “Residential B” for construction of two homes, ostensibly for occupation by the Burton family, which owns Littlewood.
Among the various conditions in the restrictive covenant, intended to protect surrounding residential areas, is permission for a maximum of 60 recreational vehicles to be parked on the site for a six-month maximum.
During public comment, Wellington Equestrian Committee Member Victoria McCullough said the request that reached the council had undergone substantial changes from the version reviewed by her committee in 2005.
“We have support for Mr. Burton and his center,” she said. “It would be much more helpful for us if you use us as your equestrian advisory board. You are not allowing us to vote on it, and it’s in front of you. In 2005 it had many changes, and it has had many changes [over the past] 24 hours.”
Wellington resident Sherri Carfi said she lives near the site and a new location for the horse show would make life miserable for her and other residents.
Roebuck Faces WPB Opposition
continued from page 1A Road 7, another project that faced fierce opposition.
“This was sort of on the back burner for us until the Acreage Reliever Road began moving forward,” Lodwick told the Town-Crier Thursday. “Now that it’s moving forward and should be done in about a year, it’s time to start the planning phase for Roebuck Road.”
Lodwick said he wants to make sure the funding already allocated for the planning of the Roebuck extension stays put.
“We want to make sure the current level of funding stays in place and is not moved off of Roebuck Road and that we begin meaningful dialogue about how to get this plan to move forward,” he said.
At last week’s council meeting, Lodwick noted that the guarantee of a Roebuck Road extension was a component of the village’s settlement agreement with the county to place a Constrained Roadway at Lower Levels of Service (CRALLS) designation on Okeechobee
“Given the original land plan, and given what has changed with the recreational vehicles, this whole horse show is totally intolerable,” Carfi said. “Our second-floor bedroom will face the property. We can hear the loudspeakers all day long at the current location. I can only imagine what it will be like 80 feet from our bedroom.”
Littlewood attorney Alan Ciklin said the RV usage arranged for the site would be set aside only for participating equestrians and is a regular feature of most horse show operations. When his client undergoes site plan review, he noted, they would address impacts on neighbors, and would likely incorporate buffering, screening and landscaping in the plan to counteract noise.
Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto questioned why Littlewood would need the acreage, considering recent announcements that the producer’s partnership with developer Mark Bellissimo would allow it to operate on his property.
“The answer is we are hoping that the show may expand to this property,” Ciklin replied.
“This is what Wellington is all about. If so, they want the additional 49 acres to accommodate those shows. This is for horse shows. This is not just for the accessory uses.”
Councilwoman Laurie Cohen asked Community Services Director Paul Schofield whether the Burtons would have to return to the council if they want to use the land for any use other than an equestrian arena.
Schofield said they would. “I believe that the applicant is getting what they want, and we have the controls we need,” he said.
Cohen made a motion to approve the ordinance, which was seconded by Vice Mayor Bob Margolis. It passed unanimously.
In other business, the council approved a resolution allowing the Isla Verde mixed-use
Blvd. “It’s required to be a road, so this isn’t a speculative thing,” Lodwick said. “And in addition, when West Palm Beach permitted and approved all the housing developments along Okeechobee Blvd., it was part of the settlement agreement as to why they agreed to build those. There should be no debate that construction of this is going to happen. The question is, how do we get to it?”
Lodwick noted that environmental concerns could make the three-mile extension an expensive proposition, because the housing developed as a result of the agreement to extend the road
Blotter
continued from page 6A Quintaro attempted to steal a bottle of perfume. Quintaro was transported to the county jail.
OCT. 8 — A traffic stop on South Shore Blvd. in Wellington Monday led to the arrest of a West Palm Beach man on a charge of narcotics possession. According to a PBSO report, a deputy from the PBSO substation in Wellington stopped 28year-old Daniel Price at approx-
development planned for the east side of State Road 7 to delay the residential portion of the development.
The 54-acre property was annexed into the village in 2004 and the original master plan and rezoning were approved by the council in June 2006, allowing for the construction of 210,000 square feet of retail/commercial space, 245 townhouse units, a three-acre preserve area and a ten-acre open area.
The development order amendment revises the project’s conditions of approval to designate the 19-acre residential portion at the rear of the property as “Phase 2” of development, as well as changes to delivery and loading areas.
Councilman Dr. Carmine Priore and Margolis said they were concerned about the future of the residential phase. Priore said he wanted to know if the applicant could come back and request another use on that portion of the site.
“Do we have any provisions in this resolution that would allow the petitioner to come back and modify the housing portion to eliminate or substitute additional industrial or business?” he asked.
Planning & Zoning Director David Flinchum said any further changes would have to come back to council for approval.
Margolis asked if the applicant could postpone construction of the homes indefinitely. “I am concerned about the residential portion,” he said. “This might be an open-ended amendment. They will say this year is not a good year to build, and next year is not a good year to build either. I have some concerns with that.”
Flinchum said there is a “use it or lose it” provision that gives the applicant a three-year timeframe to build the homes.
Benacquisto made a motion to approve the resolution, which was seconded by Priore. It passed unanimously.
‘It’s required to be a road, so this isn’t a speculative thing... There should be no debate, construction of this is going to happen.’
— RPB Mayor David Lodwick
also pushed the route of the extension closer to the water catchment area. “Nobody is sure how the road needs to be built,” he said. “It could be a 30- or 35-million-dollar road.”
imately 5:55 p.m. for traveling 65 mph in a 45-mph zone. Upon contact with Price, the deputy discovered he had a suspended driver’s license. A search of the vehicle uncovered the Schedule II narcotic Percocet hidden in a cigarette box. Price told the deputy he did not have a prescription for the narcotics and that a friend gave him two pills, according to the report. Price was transported to the county jail, and his vehicle was confiscated.
Labor Law Seminar On Oct. 15
The Palms West Chamber of Commerce will offer a labor law seminar on Monday, Oct. 15 at 10 a.m. at the Wellington Community Center (12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). The 90-minute workshop will be led by Christine Hanley, Esq. The educational program is intended for CEOs, COOs, CFOs, human resource professionals and small business owners. The workshop zeroes in on current employment law and trends.
Hanley is president of her law firm, which limits its practice to employment law and litigation on behalf of employers. Because all attendees will be pre-qualified, pre-paid advance reservations will be required. Admission is $25 for members and $40 for non-members. RSVP by calling (561) 790-6200.
Acoustic Musicians Showcase
The Village of Royal Palm Beach will host its Acoustic Musicians Showcase on Saturday, Oct. 13 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center (151 Civic Center Way). The showcase will start at 7 p.m. and feature members of the RPB Acoustic Musicians Guild. Admission is $7 per person. Coffee and cookies will be served. For info., call Steve Petrone at (561) 790-5149.
Wellington Seniors Club
Hee-Haw Hoe-Down Oct. 19
The Wellington Seniors Club will host its Hee-Haw Hoe-Down on Friday, Oct. 19 at the Wellington Community Center (12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). The event will begin at 6 p.m. The emcee for the evening will be Burt Summers, Rhapsody will provide the music and Park Avenue BBQ will provide dinner. Admission costs $15 for members and $25 for non-members. For more information or to RSVP, call Joan Kahler at (561) 798-9052 or Dot Emig at (561) 790-0880.
White Elephant Sale At St. Rita
The St. Rita Council of Catholic Women will hold a White Elephant Sale under the pavilion in the St. Rita Parish parking lot on Saturday, Oct 27. Participants may rent a parking space for $20. Bring your own table. The CCW will operate a snack bar. Participants need not be parishioners. For more information, or to sign up, see Caroline under the pavilion after mass or call (561) 798-2853.
Christine Hanley
Wellington Residents Academy Program
The Village of Wellington is gearing up for another session of its highly successful Wellington Residents Academy.
The Residents Academy is a five-week “who we are” and “what we do” course on the village by department and function. This will be the fourth Residents Academy presented by the village, and village staff is confident that it will continue to be an enormously successful program. In past sessions, almost 30 Wellington residents participated and commended the program and village staff on their presentations and the information provided.
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.).
The session will conclude with a graduation ceremony at the Wellingon Village Council meeting on Jan. 8, 2008. There is no cost for the program. But it is a five-week commitment and the village would like to have those attending participate in the entire program.
All applications must be submitted by Nov. 1. Participants will be chosen on a first-come, first-served basis. You must be over 18 and a Wellington resident to participate. To receive an application, call Kathy Tatgenhorst at (561) 791-4097.
Ribbon Cutting Set For Wellington Pump Station
The Village of Wellington recently announced the official ribbon cutting for Pump Station 7, a major part of the Basin B Improvement Project, and the only remaining phase is the construction of Section 24.
The ribbon cutting will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. at the corner of Southern Blvd. and Flying Cow
Road. Village Manager Charlie Lynn and the Wellington Village Council will be in attendance, along with South Florida Water Management District personnel.
This project ensures proper water flow to allow the redirection of Basin B stormwater from the C-51 Canal to STA 1-E for proper cleansing prior to discharge into the Everglades. The village has been working very closely with its partner the South Florida Management District on the completion of the entire Basin B Project.
Short Play Festival At Studio Theatre Nov.
2-10
The Studio Theatre of Wellington will present its Second Annual Festival of Short Plays starting Friday, Nov. 2. The festival features a staged reading of nine ten-minute plays submitted by local playwrights. Show times are 8 p.m. on Nov. 2, 3, 9 and 10. Admission costs $10. Proceeds will benefit the Studio Theatre of Wellington Operating Fund. The theater is located at 11320 Fortune Circle. For more information, call (561) 2044100.
Wellington Fall Festival A Haunting Good Time
The Village of Wellington Fall Festival celebration will take place Saturday, Oct. 27 from 5 to 10 p.m. at the Village Park Gymnasium (11700 Pierson Road.).
The fun and howling begins at 5 p.m. with the Old Gym Haunted Hallways (with a hauntingly happy hour until 6 p.m. for children ages eight and under). You’ll scream through 3,000 square feet and 15 minutes of twisting and frightful hallways.
The evening continues with a parade of costumes. Costumes will be judged on originality, personality and best lookalike character. Participants will meet in
the front lobby of the gym no later than 15 minutes prior to parade times (only one entry per participant). Parade times are as follows: 5:30 p.m. (ages two and under), 6:30 p.m. (ages three to five), 7:30 p.m. (ages six to nine), 8:30 p.m. (ages 10 to 13), 9 p.m. (ages 14 to 17) and 9:30 p.m. (ages 18 and up). Festivities will continue throughout the evening with the Amazing Mr. A’s Freaky Magic Show, face painting and airbrush tattoos, door-to-door trick or treat, hayrides, inflatable rides and fun foods.
All activities require the purchase of coupon tickets (prices vary per activity) or the purchase of an all-access bracelet for $15 (a $30 value). Traditional fun foods are also available for purchase requiring separately purchased tickets.
The Village of Wellington is currently accepting volunteer applications for those who want to frighten event-goers in the best haunted evening this side of the western communities. Volunteer service hours will be awarded. The Village of Wellington still has sponsorship opportunities available. For more information, call (561) 791-4005.
Spookyville Comes To Yesteryear Village
Spookyville is the newest family attraction at historic Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgrounds. It’s Halloween presented the safe and old-fashioned way, with costumes and candy, tricks and treats.
Spookyville will take place over three separate and unique days: Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 27 and 28 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and early Halloween on Wednesday, Oct. 31 from 4 to 7 p.m. Candy treats, as well as costume and pumpkincarving contests will be offered on Halloween night. A Halloween costume parade along with children’s games and
activities will be available all three days. Whether it’s a milk-bottle throw, mummy wrap and tombstone rubbing or hay field, pie-eating contests and pony rides, Spookyville is the family haunt you don’t want to miss.
Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgrounds is located on Southern Blvd. one mile west of Florida’s Turnpike. Admission is $5 per person. Children ages two and under are admitted free. Parking is free. For more information, visit www.southfloridafair.com or call (561) 793-0333.
CERT Fundraiser Nov. 3
The Loxahatchee Groves CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) will hold a fundraiser on Saturday, Nov. 3 from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Folsom Farms Nursery on Folsom Road, south of Okeechobee Blvd. The event will feature a community rummage sale. Anyone with items to donate to the sale is encouraged to call Darlene Crawford at (561) 793-3768 or e-mail darlenearnp @bellsouth.net before Nov. 2.
Acreage Rotary Club Installs New Members
The Acreage/Loxahatchee Rotary Club installed three new members at their weekly meeting Tuesday at Sneaky Pete’s restaurant. The three new members are Brian Morgan, Tom Cerreras and Emery “Bud” Holvay. The club also held the drawing for the Dictionary Project Raffle, and Holvay had the winning ticket. He received a $100 gift card to Bass Pro Shop. The money raised will help the Acreage/Loxahatchee Rotary Club purchase 700 student dictionaries that will be given to all the third-graders in area elementary schools. For more about the club, call Richard Helton at (561) 792-5379.
Send 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.
Wellington PZA Board Approves Village’s First Zoning Map
By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
Wellington’s first zoning map was presented to the village’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board on Thursday, Oct. 4.
A zoning map had not been considered necessary for Wellington until recently because the village was largely agricultural/residential (A/R) in its southern end and divided into a handful of large planned unit developments (PUDs) in its northern half, Community Development Director Marty Hodgkins explained. That has changed due to recent annexations.
The zoning map would take the place of the land use map that had been adopted as a part of the comprehensive plan when the Village of Wellington initially incorporated, Hodgkins said. Since that original adoption, the village also had undergone several annexations and rezoning of various properties within the village, including the South Florida Water Management District’s large stormwater filtration wetlands to the west.
Annexations and associated rezonings have made the actual zoning designations assigned to properties somewhat more complex, Hodgkins said. The draft official zoning map is consistent with the land use categories assigned by the Future Land Use Map, including any amendments approved by the Wellington Village Council, he said. It illustrates the location of all standard zoning districts including the names and boundaries of all planned developments, overlay zoning districts such as the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District and other important village features.
The new zoning map does not affect the status of any development orders approved by the village or the county prior to or after incorporation. It does not change any zoning and protects the ex-
isting status quo for property in the village, Hodgkins stressed.
“The current zoning map for the village is the land use map that was adopted as a part of the comprehensive plan. That generally worked well, but it doesn’t have the boundaries that we have now,” he said. “This would also recognize the large-scale planned developments that do exist in the village. Where we have established references to a zoning map within the code, we will delete the references to a land use map.”
Village Attorney Jeff Kurtz said the ordinance under discussion has two functions, to combine the language for the zoning text amendment and adopt the zoning map. “This would recognize all approved development orders as they exist,” Hodgkins said. “This is taking the future land-use map so it becomes your zoning map. It is more reflective of the actual zoning of the property. We are one of the few places I know where we don’t have both a zoning map and a land use map.”
PZA Board Chairman Alan Johnson asked if the zoning map were adopted, would the village have two separate maps, a zoning map and a land use map? Hodgkins said both maps would still be used, but the map before them that evening would become the official map for the Village of Wellington.
Johnson wondered if someone were to ask for land use changes or zoning changes, or both, would there be any changes to those processes with the adoption of that map? Hodgkins said that the map would just be updated.
“All we have to do is what we do on a staff basis,” Hodgkins said. “The zoning resolution refers to the changes. We would go back and make the changes as they occur to keep the map updated.”
PZA Board Member Craig Bachove made a motion to approve the ordinance
for the zoning map, which was seconded by PZA Board Member Morley Alperstein. It passed unanimously. The council is scheduled to consider the item at its meetings on Oct. 23 and Nov. 13.
In other business, as part of a workshop item, Hodgkins asked for board consideration for language within the planned development districts and the use regulation schedules.
Staff set up a large map so the board could clearly see the designations and decide what language should apply where. Any proposed changes either recommended by staff, the board or both, would be incorporated into the development districts, which were a part of the land use development regulations, Hodgkins said.
The legend for the planned use development district regulation schedule includes designations such as Planned Unit Development, Medical Commercial Development, Mixed Use Planned Development, Multiple Use Planned Development and Planned Industrial Park District. Under the Planned Unit Development District were subcategories of Commercial Recreation, Open Space and Recreation, Civic Public, and Commercial. Under the Medical Commercial Planned Development is the subcategory of Medical Center. Under the Mixed
Fling Event Gets OK
continued from page 3A made a motion to amend it to a figure of $17,500.
“I think it’s time for what we have gone through with the budget that we set ourselves as much revenue as we can,” Wenham said. “I agree the fields are not being used. But it’s time to pony up and get us the revenue we should have.”
Use Planned Development are the subcategories of Neighborhood Commercial, Office Commercial and Community Commercial. Under the Multiple Use Planned Development are the subcategories of Mixed Use, Neighborhood Commercial, Office Commercial, Community Commercial, Commercial Recreation and Industrial. Under the Planned Industrial Park District Designation are the subcategories of Industrial Light, Commercial and Industrial General.
The board focused discussion on a table near the back of the document, which listed the multiple designations and uses within the land development regulations. Board Member Morley Alperstein asked about the equestrian designations. With very few exceptions, Hodgkins said, the equestrian uses are not listed within the PUDs, and the major exception is the Country Place PUD. Equestrian uses, he said, are mostly targeted for the Equestrian Overlay Zoning District (EOZD).
“It’s very clear that the equestrian district takes precedence over anything except conflicting land use provisions,” Hodgkins said. “The way the equestrian district language is written is that a conflict might be allowed within a PUD versus what is allowed within the EOZD. But the EOZD would prevail.”
Benacquisto and Cohen said they did not want to risk losing the event, saying it costs the village nothing, while benefiting local businesses. “I don’t want the original item to be at risk,” Benacquisto said. “They may not accept that. I don’t want us to lose the event because of that. It’s not the right way to do it.”
The amendment to the motion failed 4-1 with only Wenham in support. The main motion passed 4-1 with Margolis opposed.
Defining ‘Rural’ Not An Easy Task For Groves Town Council
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report
How to define rural was an elusive topic at a Loxahatchee Groves Town Council workshop Tuesday. Council members went so far as to agree that being rural is an important concept for a town that incorporated under the banner “Rural Town.”
“As we become more comfortable with the process, we will refine our vision of what ‘rural’ is,” Councilman Dennis Lipp said.
The council discussed several other definitions that pertain to rural concepts as they considered revisions to the county’s code of ordinances and uniform land development code (ULDC) to tailor the documents to the town’s needs.
One item of discussion was the Right to Farm Act and how it applies to the town.
Attorney Jacob Horowitz, standing in for Interim Town Attorney David Tolces, said the act protects any agricultural activity that has been underway for more than a year, which probably includes activities such as bird breeding.
Resident Howard Voren, owner and operator of Voren Aviaries, has drawn some noise complaints from neighbors and was present at the meeting.
Councilman Dr. Bill Louda said he sent a letter to Tolces asking if aviaries are a permitted use, and Horowitz said there is nothing in the county code that specifically prohibits bird
breeding, but added, “the county code is merely a jumping-off point.”
Council members agreed that with a growing number of residents in the town, practices that generate a lot of noise and/or odors must be looked at carefully.
Mayor Dave Browning recalled a resident who crossbred wolves with German shepherds, which unfortunately produced pups that retained the wolf’s howl. “When they went off, nobody slept,” Browning said. “I don’t think there’s protection for a [broken-down] bus sitting in a lot, but a guy raising llamas should be able to retain that right.”
“We can interpret the codes the way we want,” Town Clerk Matt Lippman said. “But we have to stand up and make some hard decisions.”
Horowitz said a person who has been engaging in an operation for a year and a day is protected but a person who wants to start might not be.
The county’s ULDC states that property owners and residents of agricultural districts may be subjected to inconvenience or discomfort arising from generally accepted agricultural management practices such as noise, odors, dust, machinery, manure disposal and application of fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides. Neighbors in these areas may be barred from obtaining a legal judgment against such nuisances, the code states.
Louda asked Voren whether
his aviary is receiving an agricultural exemption, and Voren said it is.
Councilman Dave Autrey said the county code’s agricultural district language contains some inconsistencies in terms of perimeter fencing and setbacks, but Horowitz said there is nothing preventing the council from establishing its own setback standards.
But Autrey said if a setback were required for bird breeding, the same setback should be established for everything. “We can’t be species-specific,” he said.
Council members discussed whether double fencing would be required if they established setback rules, but Horowitz urged them not to get to hung up on specifics. “The town has the option of establishing its own parameters,” he said.
Autrey asked about establishing a setback of 25 feet, but Louda pointed out that the Town of Davie established a setback of 70 feet for aviaries.
Lippman said an increased setback becomes an issue if the agricultural owner is prevented from farming a certain percentage of the property. The issue is exacerbated by the smaller five-acre lot sizes in Loxahatchee Groves, he said.
Louda asked, half in jest, if a bird breeder could use the setback to grow birdseed.
Voren said the problem with large setbacks is that most farms covered 20 or 40 acres when the codes were written. “When you have five acres, a
50-foot setback is 40 percent of the land,” he said.
Browning said farmers use all the land they can. “I grew up on a farm, and the land was valuable,” he said. “You farmed right up to the fence row.”
But Lippman noted that the town includes properties that are purely residential. “You have people here now who are just residential,” he said. “We have to find a balance that will make everyone happy.”
Voren said he felt there should be no setback limit for grazing livestock, but Horowitz said that a setback is generally qualified as a silent space.
“Generally in a setback, one cannot grow vegetables,” he said.
“That sounds kind of silly,” Louda responded.
Lippman recommended that the town manager and a council member set up a meeting with county officials to identify some of the issues being discussed, including the next item on the agenda, distinguishing bona fide agricultural activities.
Browning said a differentiation would protect the hobby farmer.
Lippman said that while the town considers some areas agricultural, the county does not see it that way. “As a town, we are under different rules,” he said.
“Does this mean we are moving away from county codes?” Autrey asked.
“No, we have our own code enforcement,” Lippman replied. “If we’re taking that responsi-
bility, they’re more apt to follow.”
The council then discussed establishing building height restrictions. The county allows bona fide agricultural uses farming structures up to 100 feet.
“I think 100 feet is ridiculous,” Louda said. He suggested an inventory of structures in the town that exceed 35 feet.
Council members mentioned a few grain silos not far from the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District office where they were meeting, and the fire tower, which is about 100 feet.
Vice Mayor Marge Herzog said a resident had commented to her that height restrictions would make it easier for the town to restrict cell phone transmission towers.
Louda said he knew of at least two or three homes higher than 35 feet, but Browning urged to leave the code the way it is for now to allow for discussion at a public workshop.
Council members then agonized over how to distinguish one man’s trash from another’s treasure.
“If a vehicle is being overgrown, that is a violation,” Lipp said. “If you have a 1914 Hupmobile, that’s different. I’m concerned about accumulation of trash.”
Council members also discussed prohibiting the burial of animals weighing more than 150 pounds as well as burying or sinking vehicles into ponds.
Browning said he knew of one five-acre lot containing more
See RURAL, page 46A
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SFWMD Official: Florida’s Drought Cycle Likely To Persist
By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
A top South Florida Water Management District official fielded questions about the ongoing drought at the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Board of Supervisors meeting Monday.
The SFWMD’s Palm Beach County Services Center Director Fred Rapach first offered the board a presentation on the challenges of drought management that had been prepared for a recent water summit in Orlando, describing the uncertainty that clouds drought situations.
“You don’t know it’s coming,” Rapach said. “You don’t know when it’s going to be over. You can’t make it rain. Impacts go on and on and on. Options are limited. Every decision is subject to Monday morning quarterbacking. A lot of people wish we could make it rain. If we could make it rain in the right spot at the right time, our lives would be easier.”
Rapach said the current drought is comparable to the drought years of 2001 and 2005, from which Lake Okeechobee rebounded. This year the lake has recovered from its record low level of 8.82 feet to about 10 feet in recent weeks, but that is still well below the normal seasonal depth of 14 or 15 feet. He said one of the SFWMD’s top priorities is the protection of coastal well fields and public water supplies, especially against the intrusion of sea water.
“We do not want to have salt-
water intrusion,” Rapach said. “The sea might migrate and contaminate the well fields. Once they are contaminated, it will take decades for them to recover.”
Rapach said local governments have done their part by enforcing the SFWMD’s water restrictions and implementing penalties for noncompliance. He said $350,000 in fines was collected from a total of 1,300 in violations, and golf courses were not spared tighter restrictions this year.
“In the 2001 drought, we kind of told them you can water the back nine and the front nine,” Rapach said. “During this drought, we told them you have X amount of water. You manage the water on your own. You do whatever you can to manage this kind of water. They were very efficient. They did what they could to conserve water. They did everything we asked them. We asked them to report weekly. If they didn’t turn in the amounts, or we found they were in violation, they got fined. We stayed on top of the golf courses.”
After the presentation, Supervisor John Ryan asked Rapach who gets priority access to the north-south flow of water when several regions are experiencing drought.
“Who makes the choice between the rural area north of the lake and the coastal well fields of Palm Beach County?” Ryan asked. “Who keeps the water north of the lake that falls into the Kissimmee Basin from flowing into Lake Okeechobee?”
Rapach said each area has its own regulation schedule and system, but if northward areas are below recommended levels, no water could flow south. “That system has to actually fill up,” he said. “The lakes in the north have a certain schedule. It has to reach a certain level.”
Ryan said Florida needs to share the adversity in a drought situation, and one side should not be bearing the brunt of the problem. He also said friends who fish or vacation on the lake said they have seen locks south of the lake discharging water.
Rapach said the SFWMD is doing whatever it can in the face of a crisis. He also said he was surprised to hear about the discharges and said he would look into it. There is a 25 to 50 percent chance the drought situation for the lake will worsen, he said. “We are trying to do whatever we can to capture the water and hold the water,” Rapach said. “That’s the game plan. As far as the locks south of the lake, I’m surprised that we are operating those locks and discharging the water unless it’s for irrigation purposes. That is the game plan we are working on. We are doing whatever we can for any opportunity to capture and store water.”
Ryan also said the SFWMD Governing Board had decided not to allow backpumping of possibly brackish and murky water from agricultural areas back into the lake. Ryan asked if the cleaning functions of stormwater treatment areas would not clean the nutrients in the water.
Rapach said STAs function very well in cleaning up water, but cannot be overloaded with nutrient-laden water. He said the SFWMD is also looking into the possibility of water storage areas beyond the lake.
“There are areas in the agricultural area where we could store water,” Rapach said. “We’re looking at that opportunity. There are some lands there that could be used to store water. We are trying to do whatever we can to operate the system smarter so we can capture water now and operate as best as we can.”
LGWCD Supervisor Ron Jarriel asked about the Floridan Aquifer as a viable water source. Rapach said people should take care in using the
deep aquifer. “Right now, you can go to the aquifer and it’s still a water source,” he said. “We’re encouraging it. But what if everyone did that? We are still not certain what the impacts would be.”
Supervisor Ryan mentioned desalinization of seawater, and noted that although Tampa Bay had investigated the option, it did not work out. Desalinization costs a lot of money and uses a lot of energy, he said, and its environmental impacts are considerable, but the City of Fort Lauderdale is still considering it. Given the disaster scenarios, he said, it is an option that should be considered.
During public comments, former supervisor and current
See WATER, page 46A
Fred Rapach of the South Florida Water Management District
Fixing Acreage Roads: Piecemeal Projects Or Comprehensive Plan?
By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report
The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors wrestled Wednesday night with the issue of whether to focus primarily on long-term planning of their road system or to stick to the day-to-day road patching and regrading that claims much of the district’s time and money.
District Engineer Jay Foy said the district has many more residents now than it did years ago, and the wear and tear on all roads is going up. He predicted that unless taxes are increased, the amount of service would decrease. As a result, Foy said, the district has to plan road maintenance better to avoid facing high maintenance costs to keep them in good repair.
Foy has recently surveyed the district’s roads and found wildly varying levels of quality. “Some of the roads are excellent,” he said, “as good as anything done by the county on major roads. But some of the roads are very poor. We have some dirt roads where tires just sink through the surface. Unfortunately, in the past the district has put down paving over dirt roads that were in really poor condition, and those roads will be deteriorating more rapidly than others.”
ITID Vice President Mike Erickson said only about 200 of the quarter-mile dead-end roads in the district are in good shape. “We need to do 1,600 retrofits, and at the rate we’re doing them, it will take 46 years to complete them all,” he said. “At the same time, the average length of service of a road paved with millings is ten years. We’re on a treadmill, and we have to plan ways to improve service.”
Supervisor Sandra Love Semande suggested the district stop doing piecemeal work and start long-term planning. However, ITID President Michelle Damone noted that many people with serious, real complaints about their roads are waiting for retrofits.
Semande asked whether the district should continue to do
constant regular repairs or to plan ahead for a comprehensive system. “We need to put a plan together,” she said. “We need to plan a network that will direct traffic to particular roads so that we can pave those.”
Supervisor Carol Jacobs suggested the district stick to patching for a year while it plans. “A lot of people like dirt roads, including me,” she said. “I want a dirt road. We need a master plan, and that takes time.”
Erickson proposed creation of a “long-term, full-picture plan” that would be effective and useful. “We need to spend time creating a plan and evaluate the cost of money, the possible advantages of an R-3 bond issue, and get more public input,” he said. “Do the people want to pave their dirt roads? Or do they want to keep the quarter-mile roads dirt and improve the rest of the network?”
ITID Operations & Maintenance Director Terry Narrow said that in the early 1990s the district sometimes just used a grader to flatten roads and cut swales, and called the work a retrofit. Foy noted that retrofits have greatly improved under Narrow’s management during the past three years.
ITID Attorney Charles Schoech noted that many planned developments have better roads than ITID, but that residents in them are assessed as much as $300 a month for building and maintenance.
Semande said the district should purchase a geographic information system computer program to store information.
“With a GIS program,” she said, “we would be able to know which of our upgrades are real and which are not good at all. It is a filing cabinet for everything done inside the district. When we have it, we’ll know what has been done everywhere.”
Erickson noted the district had allocated money in the 2007 budget for a GIS system but that nothing had been done because supervisors were still working on hiring a new administrator, who in turn would hire
a new district planner.
Foy told the supervisors that the long-term cost of roads is quite similar whether rock, millings or pavement is used.
“When we look at a period of 35 years, the cost of having to eventually fully repave a road makes the cost about the same as doing a road more cheaply and paying for constant repairs,” he said. “But we have to decide whether we want a quick fix, a fix that looks at the next ten years, or one that looks to the next 35 years.”
The consensus of the board was that the district should fix the most serious immediate problems and focus on achieving basic goals for roads and pathways. Sidewalks near schools will be completed as soon as possible, and the most serious problems in the road system will be repaired while the board focuses on a long-term program. More funding will be aimed at improving the traffic network, which will result in fewer retrofits in the coming year.
The supervisors also discussed ways of dealing with proposed road connections with projects like a large-scale GL Homes development proposed to the west of the district. Schoech told the supervisors the best way to ensure the district is reimbursed for the impact of added traffic would be to ask the Palm Beach County Commission to make it a condition for approval of development plans.
Erickson supported the idea. “We need to start early on this,” he said. “If we wait until the homes are built, it will be far harder to be paid.”
In other business, the board agreed to interview four selected candidates for the district administrator post on Wednesday, Oct. 24 beginning at 8 a.m. The four candidates are: current Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Administrator Clete Saunier, former ITID supervisor Bill Gotthelf, safety consultant T. Michael Self and former North Bay Village manager James Vardalis. The public is welcome.
Forest Hill Medical Center Now Offering Urgent Care Services
By Carol Porter Town-Crier Staff Report
Forest Hill Medical Center in Greenacres wants to be known as the place with that little extra touch when it comes to giving back to the community, and is expanding its hours and services to include urgent care.
Former New Jersey resident Dr. Steve Janjic bought the center, which has been serving patients at the same location for more than 20 years, three months ago. Janjic said he is planning to make the center’s wide range of services more affordable, and the addition of urgent care will allow patients to avoid long waiting hours in hospital emergency rooms.
“We do X-rays,” Janjic said. “We have an in-house lab as well. It’s just much faster than going to the ER. You could spend six hours in the ER. You could be in and out here. Depending on the severity of your problem, you could be in and out of here in 35 to 45 minutes.”
The center’s Dr. Navid Sayed said patients from the local community feel more comfortable coming to Forest Hill than a hospital. The clinic treats everyone from toddlers to senior citizens, and handles problems as minor as a common cold to some lacerations and broken bones, and the addition of urgent care will offer even more to the community, he said.
“We have opened our doors to everyone,” Sayed said. “Changing the facility from a primary-care and family practice to include urgent care means offering more services under one roof. The idea is we would bring family care and urgent care together under one roof. We want to cater to the community. We want to make sure the community gets its healthcare. That’s our whole idea of being a part of the community. The idea is to get you in and out of here quickly, but to still get quality care and continuity of care.”
In the event of an emergency
such as a heart attack, Janjic said, the center will stabilize the patient and send the patient to the closest hospital better equipped to handle such problems. “We have a relationship with the local emergency rooms that we triage them over if need be,” Janjic said. “If someone is having a heart attack, they would go to the ER. If they cut themselves and need a few stitches, they come here. We’ve had it happen a few times. We stabilize the patient, and then we call 911 and have them sent to the emergency room.”
Besides expanding its array of services, Sayed said the clinic will be extending its hours from six to seven days a week, and its closing times from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., by keeping a physician, an assistant and a receptionist on staff in the evenings.
“The whole idea is to be open seven days a week and 365 days a year,” Janjic said. “The local community really needs a place that is open consistently that can handle urgent care and also family medicine.”
Sayed said the transition to longer hours will be gradual.
“We are slowly phasing it in,” he said. “We will be going to a seven-day-a-week schedule. It will be a 12-hour day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.”
Besides expanding its services, Sayed and Janjic said they would like to expand the clinic’s locations as well, to Palm Beach Gardens and Hollywood. Janjic also said the clinic would like to offer its own healthcare plan, similar to what some medical facilities already do.
“We’re starting our own community healthcare plan,” Janjic said. “They can pay a monthly fee for the services we have. They get the care they deserve. They don’t get drowned in all the costs. We are getting ready to launch that very soon.”
Forest Hill Medical Center is located at 6635 Forest Hill Blvd. in Greenacres and is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday. For more information call (561) 969-3808.
Study Links Headaches To Depression
A recent survey conducted by the National Headache Foundation (NHF) found that 90 percent of headache sufferers also suffer from symptoms of depression.
Respondents noted that the most common symptoms included energy loss (67 percent), difficulty sleeping or oversleeping (66 percent), difficulty thinking or concentrating (60 percent), sad mood (56 percent) and loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed (56 percent).
Additional highlights of the online survey include:
• 85 percent of respondents felt they would be happier if they weren’t suffering from headaches
• 67 percent of respondents reported they felt more depressed when they were suffering from a headache
• 47 percent of respondents
reported they first suffered from headache before suffering from depression
“The correlation between people with depression and people with migraine has been considerably studied and documented,” NHF Executive Director Suzanne Simons said. “Migraine has been linked with an increased risk for the first onset of major depression, and major depression has been associated with an increased risk for the development of migraine. Furthermore, the World Health Organization reported in 2004 that depression is three times more common in people with migraine or severe headaches than in healthy individuals.”
Nearly 30 million Americans suffer from migraine, which is most commonly experienced between the ages of 15 and 55.
Seventy to eighty percent of sufferers have a family history
of migraine. Less than half of all migraine sufferers have received a diagnosis of migraine from their healthcare provider. Migraine is often misdiagnosed as sinus or tension-type headache.
The National Headache Foundation, founded in 1970, is a non-profit organization which exists to enhance the healthcare of headache sufferers. It is a source of help to sufferers’ families, physicians who treat headache sufferers, allied healthcare professionals and to the public. The NHF accomplishes its mission by providing educational and informational resources, supporting headache research and advocating for the understanding of headache as a legitimate neurobiological disease.
For more information on headache causes and treatments, visit www.headaches.org or call (888) NHF-5552.
Community Clinic — Dr. Steve Janjic and the staff at Forest Hill Medical Center join the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches at a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Parents Find Experience, Caring At South Florida Pediatric Partners
By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report
South Florida Pediatric Partners occupies a large, colorful space in a building next to Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee Groves. Children scurry around in well-lit waiting rooms as the friendly staff chats with parents.
“We have two waiting rooms here,” Dr. Ana M. Nápoles-Ruiz said. “One is for sick children and one is for those who are well. We want to make certain that our healthy children stay that way. It is the kind of care I would want for my own two children.”
A large part of the practice’s work is with healthy children.
“With newborns, there are always checkups,” Nápoles-Ruiz said. “We have to regularly check their growth, look for any problems before they become serious, and give all the necessary vaccinations. We handle all the typical problems of well children as they grow up, and, of course, we also handle any illnesses.”
Nápoles-Ruiz was one of the first pediatricians practicing in the western communities. “I finished my training in 1986 and began practicing here right afterward,” she said. “I run into my patients all the time. Now, some of my patients have their own children and I treat them. That’s what I find really rewarding.”
Nápoles-Ruiz, the lead physician in the practice, was born in Cuba and came to the United
States when she was 13. “My family has lived in Palm Beach County since we came to the country,” she said. “We lived in Belle Glade in 1970 and 1971, and then moved to West Palm Beach. My parents live in the same house I grew up in.”
Nápoles-Ruiz attended Palm Beach Junior College and the University of Miami for her undergraduate training, and then went to the Dominican Republic for medical school. She did her medical residency training at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
“I always wanted to be a pediatrician,” Nápoles-Ruiz said.
“I had asthma and allergies as a little girl and spent a lot of time at the doctor. I decided back then that I wanted to help other little children. And I worked hard so I can do it.”
She shares her practice with fellow pediatrician Dr. Jason Feather and both are very busy most days. “There are a lot of children being born out here,” she said.
Nápoles-Ruiz said the practice is built primarily on referrals. “I get a lot of referrals from obstetricians out here,” she said. “They have gotten to know me over the years. And I work closely with Palms West Hospital. I served on their board of trustees from 1995 though 1999. They often recommend me to women who have just given birth.”
The practice is open every weekday. “I give a hundred percent of myself to my patients,
and that makes the work here so worthwhile,” Nápoles-Ruiz said. “Everyone in the office reflects the family atmosphere. The staff knows all the children and is on a first-name basis with their mothers. We all suffer when a child is sick, and we share a sense of victory when that child recovers.”
South Florida Pediatric Partners accepts most types of medical insurance, although Nápoles-Ruiz noted that some of the plans do not cover patients
18 and older if they go to a pediatrician. “That is a sore point with us,” she said. “Some of the patients have been coming here all their lives and don’t want to change. They are comfortable with us.”
Nápoles-Ruiz lives in the Olympia community with her husband and two children.
“Living and working out here in the western communities is wonderful,” she said. “The people here are so wonderful, and I get a thrill so of-
ten when I go around to stores and restaurants and run into my patients, many of them now grown.”
South Florida Pediatric Partners is located at 12957 Palms West Drive, Building 9, Suite 202 in Loxahatchee Groves and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The staff speaks both English and Spanish.
For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call (561) 795-5979.
Pediatric Caregiver — Dr. Ana Nápoles-Ruiz (center) with new mother Adriana Martinez and her baby Mia Rubio.
PHOTO BY LEONARD WECHSLER/TOWN-CRIER
HCD Honors Klein, Martinez For Opposing Hospital Funding Cuts
The Health Care District of Palm Beach County recently honored U.S. Congressman Ron Klein (D-District 22) and U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) for their opposition to proposed rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that threaten to cut $5 billion in Medicaid funding to public and safety net hospitals, and an additional $1.8 billion in funding to teaching hospitals, including hospitals in Palm Beach County. Klein and Martinez were instrumental in securing a one-year moratorium on those rules.
Senator Martinez and Congressman Klein were honored with the “Safety Net Award for Congressional Leadership” at a Capitol Hill luncheon that was sponsored by the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH) Sept. 19. The Health Care District of Palm Beach County joined nearly 100 public hospitals and health systems from across the country to meet with mem-
bers of Congress in Washington, D.C. as part of an annual event to generate support for public hospitals. The Health Care District funds and oversees Palm Beach County’s trauma system and operates Glades General Hospital.
“We are grateful to Congressman Klein and Senator Martinez for their leadership and their commitment to quality healthcare for the people of Palm Beach County,” Health Care District Commissioner Randee Schatz said. “By challenging these cuts, they have ensured local communities such as ours can continue to have access to lifesaving trauma care and other important hospital services.”
Both Klein and Martinez represent areas of Palm Beach County and Broward County where the public safety net is a critical part of the healthcare delivery system. Klein and Martinez were recognized for their leadership to temporarily block implementation of the Medicaid rules until May 2008.
Palms West Hospital Marks Prostate Cancer Awareness Month With Doctor’s Talk
In observance of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Palms West Hospital hosted complementary community prostate cancer screenings on Sept. 26, as well as a “lunch and learn” lecture by urologist Dr. Diego Rubinowicz titled “Prostate Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment.” Both the screenings and the lecture were well attended. Community residents especially liked the lecture, saying it was much more informative then anything they had heard previously on prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin form of cancer affecting American men, striking one in six. Even with these numbers, many men are still hesitant to get the recommended screenings, which are key to early detection, greater treatment options and better outcomes.
Caucasian men over 50 and AfricanAmerican men over 40 should get tested for prostate cancer at least once a year, according to the American Cancer Society. Men with a family history of the disease should talk with their physicians about beginning screenings sooner. Screening for the disease is simple. The physician will perform two tests: a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test and a digital rectal exam (DRE). PSA is a protein produced and released by the prostate in small amounts into the bloodstream. When the prostate experiences a problem such as cancer, more PSA is released than normal. During the PSA blood test, blood is drawn from the arm to check for PSA levels — those greater than 2.5ng/mL warrant further tests. During a DRE, the physician manually
Prostate Cancer Talk — Dr. Diego Rubinowicz talks to attendees about prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment.
examines the prostate for any abnormalities in size, shape or texture.
In addition to regular screenings, men should see their physician if they experience any of the following symptoms: painful or burning urination, a constant need to urinate especially at night, difficulty having an erection or painful ejaculation, or blood in semen or urine.
For more information, visit Dr. Rubinowicz’s web site at www. rubinowiczmd.com.
(Above left) Sen. Mel Martinez with Health Care District Board Member Randee Schatz. (Above right) Schatz and Health Care District CEO Dwight Chenette award a plaque to Congressman Ron Klein (center).
PBSO HOSTS ANNUAL ‘BATTLE OF THE BADGES’ GOLF TOURNEY
The third Annual AMF Battle of the Badges Golf Tournament took place Oct. 8 at the Trump International Golf Club to benefit the Palm Beach County Police Athletic League. Some of the money raised goes to fund wrestling and boxing held at the Royal Palm Beach High School gymnasium. The event raises $40,000 to $60,000, according to event organizer Scott Scrivner. The day included 18 holes of golf, lunch and supper, raffles and goody bags. Silent and live auctions included signed sports memorabilia, jewelry, trips and golf foursomes. PAL is a youth crime prevention program that relies on educational, athletic and recreational activities to cement bonds and create trust between police officers and youths age eight to 18.
PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Caddy Jason White, PBSO Col. Michael Gauger, PBSO Capt. Jeff Lindskoog, PBSO Lt. Bruce Hannan and District 2 Palm Beach County Commissioner Jeff Koons.
Former Buffalo Bills player Cornelius Bennett, Andy Castle and John Coolicin with Cigna Healthcare and former Miami Dolphin Keith Byars.
Former Miami Dolphin Keith Byars tees off as Andy Castle and John Coolicin of Cigna look on.
PBSO Lt. Bruce Hannan, Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, Col. Michael Gauger, Capt. Jeff Lindskoog and PAL Director Scott Scrivner.
Zeke Chapman, Brian Gilbertson, caddy Varik Harris, Randy Reynolds (all of Sprint Nextel) and Rick Henery of the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
Paul and Alicia Foster of sponsor Riverside Bank.
AMF Office Manager Michelle Bonney, PAL President Charles Dan Belcher and volunteer Teresa Scrivner.
Sheriff Ric Bradshaw gives Michelle Bonney of AMF Lanes an appreciation gift.
Granddog Crockett Is An Affable And Intelligent Houseguest
Mark and I are babysitting the granddog for a month while my daughter and her newly minted hubby explore Australia and New Zealand. As dogs go, Crockett is easy to care for. He gets walked once in the morning and once at night (which is more than we do for ourselves), eats a little bit of organic dog food in the evenings, sips his water carefully and doesn’t beg for anything we’re eating. Yet he is an opportunist.
If the door opens, he’s there — gazing longing into the sunlight, silently hoping against hope that our plans to leave the house include him.
If we’re out of the extra-special dog food sold only at the Whole Foods organic market, he’s OK with our leftover roast beef — very OK.
If we’re in the car and don’t have a dog dish handy for his water, he’ll drink out of a cup, mashing his face way down
into the bottom to get every last drop — especially if that drop contains Pepsi residue.
And, while he doesn’t beg, he’s right there — under the dinner table — in case anything is accidentally dropped within a 50-foot radius.
Last time we had him, my daughter was on business in Turkey and Crockett was here for six months. I had never had a dog before and Mark was missing his, so we spoiled Crockett rotten. I never thought of opening the door without taking him outside. We fed him whatever we were eating and, on TV night, tossed popcorn into the air for him to catch. He was younger then, so there was a pool of water around his dish, but we didn’t mind — we were younger, too. What’s a little mop-up between friends? By the time Jen got home, Crockett had gained 20 pounds, he
whined at the door, slobbered on our laps during dinner and almost purposefully kicked his water dish over to watch us mop it up. She had to completely re-train him.
This time we’re being strict — only a dozen treats and one pointless car ride each day. Crockett seems to have taken these drastic changes in stride, still meeting us at the door and allowing us to pet him.
I must admit, Before Crockett (B.C.), I rankled when anyone started in on how their dog was the smartest dog in the world. Now I know it to be true — one’s own dog is always the smartest dog in the world. Crockett, for instance, knows which side of the post to walk around to avoid leash entanglement. I’ve never once had to unwind him! I mean, he’s smarter than a fifth grader! If Jen ever calls home from Down
Under, I know it will be to speak to Crockett, not us. And I’ll hand him the phone, which he will refuse to hold, and encourage him to say something, which he will refuse to do. Then I will explain his puzzled expression to Jenny and she will laugh delightedly because she knows “how he is” and maybe, just maybe, she’ll take a minute to tell me how things are going with her.
But I’m not holding my breath. We dog-sitters know our place.
I’m Ready For The Downloadable Entertainment Revolution
I am now examining the first signs that my music collection is outdated. Well, not the first in that both my daughters have said that my taste ends when the Beatles did. But there was an item on the news that Blaupunkt, one of the really high-end makers of high-quality music players, is putting out a new one that has no slot for CDs.
About two months ago, I finally was able to get a CD that replaced the last of my “I can’t get rid of this one” vinyl records. The record player got tucked into the garage, and I was suddenly modern. Everything was in at least a sort of digital (some of the records were never remastered to improve the sound, so the switch to CDs is only for convenience) and I imagined I was now part of our modern age.
Now the age of the CD is beginning to end. Walk into a large music store these
days (and has anyone noticed how many of them have disappeared recently? We used to have so many of them, sometimes two or three per mall), and now if they exist, they’re featuring DVDs.
Read up on all that is new and you will soon discover that the download is the current and probably future trend. Of course, the CDs will hang around longer than the cassettes or the eight-track simply because a lot of older folks are not computer literate. I am certain, however, that someone will find a way to teach us how to do downloads without computers. Starbucks now has a service that allows instant downloads when people are there through the Apple iPhone.
That is a revolution. We will no longer buy records or CDs. We are buying the songs. There is nothing physical involved any more. The music exists on our devices. No need for CDs, for the little
boxes they come in, for the fancy designs on the covers. Just the song.
The revolution may, unlike a lot of innovations, actually serve us. We can generally buy a song for a dollar. Since we have been paying more than that per song on a CD, we come out ahead financially. But since many of the songs on the average CD are not all that good, we can really do a lot better. I took a look at a lot of my CDs and discovered that there were seldom more than three or four songs I really liked and, in a few cases, even less than that on a given disk.
I can download one song, the one song I like, and ignore all the rest. That is impressive. It cost me over $100 when I bought my first group of CDs, and I probably only liked a couple of dozen songs on them well enough to be willing to pay for them, but they were part of the package. If I switch over to an iPod,
On My Mind...
By Leonard Wechsler
I would actually save money. This will have a huge impact on society. At one point, everyone listened to a handful of radio stations and had a group experience. As a kid, I was listening to Cousin Brucie playing rock and roll at the same time other kids around the country were doing the same thing. Now, each of us will control the music being heard. We will lose that group feeling as we move into a world of personal gratifica-
See WECHSLER, page 46A
Sponsors Sought For Wellington Antique Show & Heritage Festival
portion of parking fees being donated to the group.
Excitement is building for the inaugural Wellington Antique Show & Heritage Festival. This brand new event will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, March 8 and 9, 2008 just west of the Mall at Wellington Green on the site reserved for the Cultural Trust of the Palm Beaches, the event’s partner. Dealers and sponsors are coming on board from throughout the state.
“We’re pleased to be able to present this first-time event together with the Cultural Trust,” said festival organizer Deborah Welky of Welky Publications & Promotions. “The trust has the vision and is quickly garnering the support needed to create its upscale regional arts campus in Wellington. The Wellington Antique Show & Heritage Festival is expected to attract approximately 25,000 visitors to the very place where the campus will be located. We’re happy to be a part of the ‘buzz.’”
“The Boys & Girls Club is an organization that inspires and enables all young people, especially those from disadvantaged circumstances, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens,” Welky said. “The Wellington branch provides a safe place for children to learn and grow with life-enhancing programs and gives them hope and opportunity for their future.”
Want to be a part of it all? Welky reminds potential sponsors that early participation ensures maximum exposure.
“The Wellington Antique Show & Heritage Festival is being held during the height of the winter equestrian season,” she said. “Through print, radio, TV and web site publicity, the two-day event offers a tremendous opportunity for our sponsors to gain months of national exposure at reasonable rates.”
The event will include the Boys & Girls Club of Wellington as its designated charity, with a
For dealer information, or to receive a sponsorship packet, call Welky at (561) 795-5916.
Parssi Exhibit To Benefit Hospice
An exhibit of artwork by visual artist Jeannette Pomeroy Parssi is scheduled to run Thursday, Nov. 8 through Tuesday, Nov. 13 at the Hospice Resale Shop located at 13873 Wellington Trace in Wellington. Exhibit hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The artist has agreed to donate 50 percent of the proceeds from all sales to Hospice of Palm Beach County.
“My grandmother spent the final days of her life in hospice care,” said Parssi, “and our entire family was grateful that we had that option.”
Judith Dieker, who manages the resale shop and is a neighbor of Parssi, has known her for some time. Dieker said she and her colleagues are looking forward to the exhibit and appreciate the gesture. “Jeannette’s talent is matched only by her generosity,” Dieker said.
This is not the first time Parssi has lent her talents to a non-profit organization. She has volun-
teered for and donated artwork to the American Lung Association of Florida, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, the Marshall Foundation and ArtStart, a non-profit she founded in 2004. Parssi’s work can be found in more than 35 private collections in the United States, Austria and Switzerland. To view her paintings, drawings and photographs, visit www.jpparssi. com.
Dressage Rider John Winnett Dies
John Winnett, a longtime equestrian and former member of the United States Olympic equestrian dressage team, passed away on Oct. 5 in Wellington after a brief illness. He was 79.
Born in Los Angeles in 1928, Winnett spent much of his youth in Europe, where he began his equestrian education. In 1945, he was the Junior National Champion of France in show jumping. He studied dressage in the 1960s and 1970s with Fritz Steken, Dr. Reiner Klimke and Herbert Rehbein. Winnett retired from his job as a stockbroker in 1970 to devote himself to riding and training dressage horses full time. He represented the United States in many international competitions from 1945 until 1990 when he retired from competition. During that time, he captained the U.S. equestrian dressage team at the Olympic Games in 1972 and 1980, and was reserve rider in 1976. Win-
nett and his wife Roanne Denny settled in Wellington in 1996, where they taught students and trained horses in grand prix.
Winnett was a staunch classical horseman, following the methods of French riding master François de la Guérinière. He authored the book Dressage as Art in Competition, first published by J.A. Allen in 1993. Lyons Press released a second edition in 2002. In his later years, Winnett warned against the allure of ribbons and awards at the expense of good training, and advocated the establishment of a national training center for the benefit of riders and horses and as the way to gain success in international competition. In addition to his wife, Winnett is survived by his daughter Sarah Winnett, son John Winnett III and half-sister Irene Barralet. A memorial service will take place at Blue Marlin Farms, 11739 Acme Road in Wellington on Sunday, Oct. 14 at 1 p.m.
Jeannette Pomeroy Parssi
MOUNTED POSSE HOLDS HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST/SHOW
The Palm Beach County Mounted Posse held a Halloween-themed barrel race Oct. 6 at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center. A costume contest featured riders and horses alike dressed as everyone from Pocahontas to the Headless Horseman. For more information about the mounted posse, visit www.pbcposse.com.
Sarah Rao, 4, jumps in a bounce house donated by A Jump for Jay Party Rentals.
Rebecca Overbey and her horse Rosie O’Brian dressed up as hula girls.
Amber Hall and Shiloh the carousel horse won first place in the costume contest.
Kathryn Philbin dressed as Pocahontas aboard Charlie.
“Prisoner” Mudpie and “officer” Morgan Klosterman were fourth-place winners in the costume contest.
Shannon Ferguson rounds the first barrel during the competition that took place after costume contest.
Filly Coulter as a princess with Peppermint, a “ballerina.”
Seminole Ridge, Royal Palm Beach Defeated On The Road
By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report
Royal Palm Beach High School got away with a few mistakes in a victory over West Boca on Sept. 27, but the Wildcats weren’t as fortunate Oct. 4 at Palm Beach Gardens. The Gators got a 57-yard punt return from James Jones and used a defensive holding call late in the fourth quarter to defeat the Wildcats 17-13.
“We played hard the whole game and never gave up, but we have to do more things correctly to win games like that,” Royal Palm Beach coach Eric Patterson said.
Count special-teams play among them. For the second consecutive week, the Wildcats (3-2) gave up a touchdown on special teams. RPBHS allowed a kickoff return in its victory over West Boca.
“You can’t do that against a team as good as Gardens,” Patterson said. “We work 30 of 45 minutes every day on special teams. The kids are paying attention, but they’re just not executing — not staying in the lanes and staying with their responsibilities.”
Palm Beach Gardens (2-3) got its other touchdown on a 67yard run from Josh Sheppard in the third quarter.
Wildcats quarterback Marvin Payne continued his seasonlong air assault. Payne completed 14 of 27 passes for 180 yards. Payne, who scored one rushing touchdown against Gardens, has thrown for 694 yards and five touchdowns this season.
Royal Palm Beach hosted Boynton Beach on Thursday night, but results were not available at presstime. The Wildcats have one more road game — at Lake Worth on Oct. 11 — before finishing the regular season
FOOTBALL FOOTBALL
with three consecutive home games.
“Overall I think we’re getting better each week,” Patterson said, before alluding to last year’s 9-2 season. “Last year we plateaued a little early. And this year the competition is a lot tougher. But I think it will pay off for us in the long run.”
Seminole Ridge coach Matt Dickmann is looking at the longterm, too, particularly after his Hawks lost their third-consecutive game on Oct. 5, a 24-10 loss to Jupiter. The Warriors (32) completed two first-half rushing touchdowns from sophomore running back Willie Scott Jr. and never looked back.
Hawks quarterback Josh Jackson, who threw into a strong wind most of the game, completed five of 12 passes for 62 yards, but also threw four interceptions. Seminole Ridge (2-3) scored on Michael Fioramonti’s one-yard run and a 25yard field goal by J.J. Falk.
“We missed on a lot of tackles on defense,” Dickmann said. “It wasn’t a typical game for us. The offensive line played well; we just didn’t have the ball very much. We got down 14-0 and had to play catch-up the rest of the game.”
Seminole Ridge, which fell to 0-2 in District 7-6A, hosts Suncoast Friday night. The Hawks finish the season with three district games in four weeks — all on the road — beginning Oct. 19 against Palm Beach Central.
“I told the seniors that the playoffs are going to be tough [to reach] because we’re 0-2 in the district,” Dickmann said. “So they should try to finish by having a winning season. You never know. You could play spoiler, or if people knock each oth-
er off, you could have a chance.”
It won’t be easy, though. “We finish playing four 6A schools in a row — Palm Beach Central, Vero Beach, Palm Beach Gardens and Park Vista,” Dickmann said. “But they’re upbeat. They want to get better.”
Also on Oct. 5, Wellington High School lost its sixth consecutive game — 27-6 to Lake Worth. Senior quarterback Chad Endres scored the only touchdown for the Wolverines (0-6), who host Palm Beach Gardens on Friday.
Palm Beach Central High School plays at John I. Leonard on Friday. The Broncos (1-4) were defeated 35-6 by Park Vista on Oct. 5 for their fourth consecutive loss. The Cobras (5-0) held PBCHS to minus-five yards rushing on 19 attempts. Broncos running back David Ahola, who rushed for 230 yards the previous week against Lake Worth, gained only 14 yards on 12 carries against Park Vista. The team’s only touchdown came on Zedrick Joseph’s 76-yard kickoff return in the first quarter.
SRHS junior Tommy Rodriguez tries to tackle a Jupiter ball carrier.
Seminole Ridge senior running back Curtis Griswold holds onto the ball as he is brought down.
SRHS senior Allen Lopez leaps safely over a Jupiter defender.
This run by Kyle Irish helped put the Hawks in field goal range.
Hawks quarterback Josh Jackson looks to pass.
Hawk William Jones is tackled after taking the handoff from quarterback Josh Jackson duriing the game against Jupiter.
Binks Forest Gives Golfers A Sneak Peek At Renovated Course
By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report GOLF
In the 1980s TV show The A-Team , George Peppard’s character would chomp down on a cigar, smile and say, “I love it when a plan comes together.”
Jordan Paul, sans cigar, sat at a table inside the clubhouse of the Binks Forest Golf Club last Friday and had a similar smile.
“The plan,” Paul said, “is coming together.”
A few dozen lucky golfers have already seen the initial results of that plan as Paul’s Aquila Property Company, which acquired Binks Forest last May, has quietly let them get an early look at the course’s back nine holes that will open Oct. 22.
“We couldn’t be happier with the way the course has grown in,” said Paul, Aquila’s CEO. “We don’t want to over-play it because it’s not quite ready yet, but our superintendent Tim Haines has done an incredible job of managing the drought and managing the water restrictions.”
It has helped, too, that heavy summer rains finally arrived about a month ago, which sped along the process to the point where Binks Forest, for the first time in five years, can be called a golf course. Aquila and KemperSports, the management company that oversees course operations, are planning a small ceremony to kick off (or tee off) Binks’ opening at 7:30 a.m. on Oct. 22.
A larger grand opening is scheduled for Nov. 17 when the full 18 holes will open for play. The first official event at the new Binks Forest Golf Club will be that day when the course hosts a charity tournament for the Boys & Girls Club of Wellington.
“We’ve had a lot of golfers come out over the past couple of weeks — guys who can really play the game,” Paul said. “They’ve been impressed with the way the course lays out, the way the greens are rolling and the way the fairways are rolling.”
That’s music to Paul’s ears and a comfort to his heart, meaning that what some critics said couldn’t be done — rebuild Binks Forest as a highend daily fee golf course –— is on the verge of being accomplished.
“It’s really coming together,” Paul said. “But it’s only one part. Sure, it’s an important part, but we’ve got to get members and we’ve got to get people playing here. And we’ve got to get to the clubhouse going.”
The entire clubhouse is currently being renovated and isn’t expected to be complete for another year. Until then, a temporary “19th hole” will operate inside part of the clubhouse with the pro shop across the patio.
Paul looked out the clubhouse’s picture window and nodded toward the 18th green.
“None of this works unless the community supports it,” he said. “A lot of people have told us they wanted to see a nicelooking, green golf course. We’ve given them that. Now they need to come out and support it.”
Paul said approximately 40 people have already signed up to become members of Binks Forest.
“That’s pretty good,” Paul said. “The target is somewhere around 150, so we’re almost a third of the way there and we’re not even open. Hopefully when people get out here and play on a regular basis, the memberships will continue.”
For membership info., call (561) 714-5048 or visit www. binksforestgc.com.
Wheeler Stewart greets Cub Scouts from Pack 125, Den 4 in Wellington.
PHOTOS BY
Binks Forest head golf pro Wheeler Stewart assists Cub Scout Brandon Gerardi with his putting stroke.
Wellington Runners Club Holds Ten-Mile Race Through Village
Sunday, Oct. 7 saw 325 runners toeing the line at Tiger Shark Cove Park for the third annual Horse Country Ten-Miler. The Wellington Runners’ Club and the Village of Wellington hosted. Mayor Tom Wenham started the race at 7 a.m. at Tiger Shark Cove Park. The race followed Greenbriar Blvd. through the Aero Club and Palm Beach Point and looped back to the park. Four hydration stations were manned by Boy Scouts from Troop 125 and the Wellington High School cross-country team.
Mitch Guirard, 21, crossed the finish line at at 56:15 to rein in the 2007 overall title and set a new course record. Janine Peart’s women’s course record remained intact, set last year at 1:05:44. This year’s woman’s overall winner was Eileen Tureen, 37, in 1:09:27, followed by Wellington High School cross-country girls
coach Kara Weber-Fleming in second place with 1:13:08. In the Masters groups (for runners 40 and over), Troy Jacob of Wellington took first place in 1:05:52; for the women, Amy Triggs checked in with a time of 1:14:22.
Wellington Runners Club members were at the race in force competing and volunteering. The members running were Natasha Singh, Lori D’Aversa, Laura Kelly, Loree Reilly, Cathy Bonadio, Sara Medrano, Tim McDuffee, Bruce Hallman, Sharon Johnson, Peter Wiesner, Elena Gamez, Michael Meadows, Chris Medvetz, Carol Sheets, Ann Jacob, Troy Jacob, John Matire, John Moran, Paula Heron, Dennis Thompson, George and Jana Newman, Wayne Boynton, Steve and Margaret Brannock, Hilda Porro and Al Sarnodsky.
After the race, the participants and
their families were treated to a breakfast buffet of fruit and water provided by Publix, bagels and coffee provided by Panera Bread and music provided by the Wellington Runners Club. Run & Roll and Outback Steakhouse provided raffle awards. Goody bags contained treats from the Vitamin Shop. Runners were also treated to massages courtesy of
Boys & Girls Club Tees Off For 26th Year
The 26th Annual Wellington Boys & Girls Club Golf Classic, presented by Builtx Land Development Inc., is set for Saturday, Nov. 17 at the Binks Forest Golf Club.
The event is the longest-running golf tournament for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County. Proceeds will go directly to help provide programming for more than 750 children served at the Boys & Girls Club of Wellington located on South Shore Blvd.
Also celebrating 26 years are returning tournament co-chairs Ed Portman and Dennis Witkowski, who have been organizing the event since its inception. Portman, Witkowski, J.R. Reid and Gary Thomas invite golfers to join them at 7 a.m. for registration, breakfast and a putting contest, and an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.
Immediately following the tournament will be an awards ceremony, silent auction and buffet luncheon. Entry fees are $150 per golfer until Nov. 1, when it increases to $175. Sponsorship opportunities for the golf classic are still available.
The event chairs have partnered with KemperSports and the partners and staff of the Binks Forest Golf Club, who have restored the Gene Bates course to its original condition, Portman said. “We are excited to be an integral part of Binks For-
Kaiser College and Palm Beach Family Chiropractic, and Fit Studios introduced runners to Pilates. Riverside Bank, Mathews Consulting, Dr. Richard Kaplan, Hedricks Construction, Fit Studios, Anchor Title Company and Ultima Fitness all provided cash donations toward the race’s benefactor, the Acts of Kindness for Kids Charity.
est’s grand opening weekend,” he said.
The Boys & Girls Club of Wellington is a safe, supervised facility for area children ages six to 18. Plans are currently underway for a new 21,000-square-foot, state-of-the art facility to replace the existing building. For more information on the tournament, call Sara Mariani at (561) 683-3287.
Wellington Fitness Run Will Benefit Hospice
The Wellington Community Fitness Run & Walk will take place Saturday, Nov. 3 beginning at Wellington Plaza and running along 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 for adults age 18 and up is $25 prior to Nov. 3 and $30 on race day. For runners under 18, the cost is $20 prior to Nov. 3 and $25 on race day. Register in advance at www.hpbc.com.
About 800 runners and walkers are expected to participate in the Community Fitness Run & Walk. Competitors can take part individually or as part of a team in the 5k run or non-competitive walk. Entry fee includes an event T-shirt, post race refreshments, prizes and live entertainment.
The event will benefit Hospice of Palm Beach County. For more info., call Lauryn Barry at (561) 227-5157.
Wellington Runners Club members include Troy and Ann Jacob, Tim McDuffee, John Jorgensen, Elaina Gamez, John Matire, Peter Weisner, Sara Medreno, Paula Herron and Heather Caristo.
Fox Reality Channel To Air Locally Filmed Equestrian Show
The Fox Reality Channel will premiere The Search for America’s Next Equestrian Star: Dressage on Friday, Oct. 19 at 9 a.m. Filmed in Wellington, the fiveepisode series will air on consecutive Fridays through Nov. 16.
Six-time Olympian Robert Dover developed and produced the show with Brave St. Productions. Following a nationwide search that produced hundreds of audition tapes, six contestants were selected as finalists to compete. During filming,
contestants were put through a series of challenges and competitions based not only on dressage performance, but actual experience in teaching and client relations. The grand prize winner gains the opportunity to become Robert’s second assistant, as well as his trainee for Olympic competition. Additional prizes include an RV/trailer provided by Broward RV and tack from County Saddlery. “Search exceeded my wildest expectations,” Dover said. “Not only did the competition work
as we’d envisioned, we witnessed six people who grew as both equestrians and individuals. This comes across clearly in the shows. I want to publicly acknowledge the incredible talent of our six contestants. I’m privileged to have experienced their participation in this series.”
Special credit is due Karin Offield of Offield Farms for the major sponsorship role she played in this production.
“The thrill of experiencing Robert’s idea moved to a television series is exceeded only by
Mitey-Mites Bring Their Record To 6-0
The undefeated season for the Royal Palm Beach Wildcats Pop Warner Mitey-Mites (seven to nine years old, 45-90 lbs.) continued at the Palm Beach Lakes High School Stadium Saturday, Oct. 6. It started with an onside kick recovery by Michael Shakes. Then the Wildcats moved down the field with runs by Sean Houck and David Rodberg to set up a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Will McCullough to tight end Spencer Longley.
On the defensive side, Logan Wakefield had an interception, McCollough had two fumble recoveries and Harley Coffman had a nice pass defense. Back on offense, running back Dalton Trimble had a break-out game with three touchdowns on just eight carries, totaling 138 yards. This was all made possible with some devastating blocks by Rodberg and Sean Houck. The offensive line also played a
Undefeated — Running back Dalton Trimble on one of his three touchdown runs in last Saturday’s game.
big part with great play by Longley, Drew Matias, Noah Walker, Kaden Knott, Wakefield, Damon Schmidt, Austin Brown and Shakes. Tight end Michael Shakes made a nice catch for 20 yards. Solid effort was made by Matt Smith, Daniel Joyner,
Kobe Rodriguez, Ryder Roscigno, Ricky Durr, CJ Sothen, Evan Garcia and Brandon Cordero.
The Wildcats play at 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 13 at Royal Palm Beach High School against the Palm Beach Gardens Gators.
the news that Fox Reality Channel is going to air the show,” said Offield, the show’s executive producer.
The six lucky finalists in the competition are: Jamil Kassum, 16 of Scottsdale, Ariz.; Rebecca Vick, 25 of North Carolina; Brendan Curtis, 20 of Maryland; Philesha Chandler, 24 from Wichita, Kan.; Lindy Bowerbank, 18 from Thousand Oaks, Calif.; and Jessica “JJ” Tate, 27 of Texas.
The Search for America’s Next Equestrian Star: Dressage is a
mix of a proven successful formula reflecting reality, competition and entertainment. In this case, viewers are invited to “visually eavesdrop” on competition in dressage performance, but also the art of instruction of other equestrians. In addition to Offield Farms, other primary sponsors of the show are: County Saddlery, Grand Prix Feed & Supplies, RV Sales of Broward, the Palm Beach Equine Hospital, Van Dell Jewelry, dressagedaily.com and the Village of Wellington.
WCFL Cheerleaders Perform For Panthers
The WCFL Cheerleading Program received a special invitation from the Florida Panthers to perform as an opening act for the season-opening game against the New Jersey Devils.
Not only did each cheer squad work their “cheer magic” sideline at all of the WCFL divisional games, but they each had a special performance at halftime for those games.
During game time, the following squads recognized their special cheerleaders of the week: Ultimate Cheer SquadMolly Hennessey and Kiersten Plouffe; Varsity Cheer SquadGabrielle Jolicoeur, Priscilla Szollosy and Victoria Pastorius.
Meanwhile, the Junior Varsity and the High School Prep Cheer Squads joined forces and cheered together on Saturday, Oct. 6. Together they
put on a very special halftime performance and displayed all of their WCFL spirit during the game.
Junior Varsity Cheer Squad members at the game were: Sara Basore, Anna Marie Brown, Paige Bylow, Celeste Dale, Victoria Dias, Daisy Gomez, Jada Johnson, Mia Kaisen, Gabriele Macedonio, Stefanie Macednio, Logan Mainiero, Courtney Martin, Briana Molina, Samantha Parkes, Latiara Peete, Brianna Pickhardt, Alexandra Roginski, Calli Seberg, Kayleigh Thomson, Victoria Tooch, Jy’meria Wells and Tatianna Wright. Members of the High School Prep Cheer Squad in attendance included: Alexis Anderson, Leah Beyer, Guiliana Brunelas, Sydney Hetzel, Zoe Kaisen, Brittany Saunders and Nicki Spears.
ACREAGE CHURCH HOSTS ‘BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS’ SERVICE
The Church @ the Grove conducted two Blessing of the Animals outdoor services on Saturday, Oct. 6. The Blessing of the Animals is held annually in recognition of the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi. St. Francis was known for his love of birds, animals and the environment. After prayers for all animals worldwide, pets were individually blessed by Pastor Rev. Holly Ostlund. “Pets give so much to us,” Ostlund said. “Having them blessed is a lovely way to acknowledge their importance in our lives.” Church @ the Grove is located at 15730 88th Place North. For more info., call (561) 333-2020.
Beverly and John Ralle with Riley, a miniature poodle, and Bounty, an Arabian/quarter horse.
Patricia Campana and Mary Perez with pups Baby, Chino, Gizmo, Jazper, Jake and Dakota.
Dee Patterson with Zak.
Pastor Ostlund blesses Riley, a miniature poodle.
Saturday, Oct. 13
• The American German Club of the Palm Beaches (5111 Lantana Road, Lake Worth) will host its annual Oktoberfest through Oct. 21. Call (561) 279-1380 for more info.
• Fright Nights at the South Florida Fairgrounds will continue through Wednesday, Oct. 31 starting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings, concluding on Halloween night. Tickets cost $10 general admission in advance ($15 at the gate) and $20 for unlimited access ($25 at the gate). For more info., call (561) 793-0333 or visit www.southfloridafair. com.
• The inaugural Richard S. McFarland Memorial Golf Tournament will take place Saturday, Oct. 13 on the Haig Course at PGA National Golf Course in Palm Beach Gardens. Proceeds will benefit the Dreyfoos School of the Arts Communication Arts Department. Registration will begin at 7:30 a.m. with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. An awards banquet will follow the tournament. Registration fees are $150 for individuals or $500 for a foursome. Tickets for the awards banquet only are $50. For more info., call (561) 622-3630 or email debimcfarland@aol.com.
• The American Cancer Society will present the fundraising walk Making Strides Against Breast Cancer on Saturday, Oct. 13 at CityPlace in West Palm Beach. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. and the 5K walk begins at 9 a.m. For more info., visit www.cancer. org/stridesonline or call CityPlace at (561) 3660013.
• The Teachers Guild of Palm Beach County will hold its eighth annual conference on Saturday, Oct. 13 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Palm Beach Central High School. For more info., call Tracy Rudnick of the Education Foundation at (561) 434-8428.
• The Loxahatchee Chapter of the Florida Trail Association will conduct trail maintenance and a survey on part of the Ocean to Lake Hiking Trail on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 8:30 a.m. Call Paul at (561) 963-9906 for more information.
• The Palm Beach Pro-Am Figure and Fitness Championship will take place Saturday, Oct. 13 at the Harriet Himmel Theatre in CityPlace. The event begins at 9:30 a.m. with pre-judging and finals at 6:30 p.m. For ticket info., call (561) 582-4111 or visit www. palmbeachpro-am.com.
• The Cuillo Centre for the Performing Arts (201 Clematis Street, West Palm Beach) will present Music and the Art of Life on Saturday, Oct. 13 in the lobby and main stage. Proceeds will benefit artist Gipsy Alcala. The evening will include a fine art exhibit from 6 to 8 p.m. featuring Alcala’s work, followed by a concert on the main stage with John Carey and his blues band. Tickets are $20. For more info., call (561) 835-9226 or visit www.cuillocentre.com.
• The Caribbean-Americans for Community Involvement (CAFCI) will hold its Annual Friendship Ball on Saturday, Oct. 13 from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts, 701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach. Donations for this fundraising event are $85 per person. The evening
will feature music by the Sweet Justice Band and DJ entertainment. For tickets, call Alvin Nembhard at (561) 333-8891, Millie Hampton at (561) 7901751 or Lawrence Logan at (561) 791-0162.
• The Royal Palm Beach Acoustic Musicians Guild will hold an Acoustic Musicians Showcase on Saturday, Oct. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center (151 Civic Way). Admission is $7. Coffee and cookies will be served. For more info., call (561) 7905149.
Sunday, Oct. 14
• The Mounts Botanical Garden and the Junior League of the Palm Beaches will present the 11th Annual Fall Family Festival on Sunday, Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the garden (559 N. Military Trail, West Palm Beach). The festival will offer a pumpkin-painting booth, bounce house and more. There is a $3 entrance donation; members and children under age 10 are admitted free. For more info., call (561) 2331757 or visit www.mounts.org.
Monday, Oct. 15
• The Palms West Chamber of Commerce will hold a special luncheon and seminar on Monday, Oct. 15 at Wellington Community Center (12165 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). Learn secrets to world-class customer service from John DiJulius. Lunch begins at 11:45 a.m., followed by the seminar from 1 to 5 p.m. The fee is $50 for members or $75 for non-members and must be pre-paid to hold a reservation. Call (561) 790-6200 to RSVP.
• The deadline for submissions to the first-ever Palm Beach PopStar has been extended until Monday, Oct. 15 at 5 p.m. Singers ages 18 and up are invited to compete, with the winner appearing live with the Palm Beach Pops and winning a cash prize of $500. For more info., visit www.palmbeach pops.org or call (561) 832-7677.
Tuesday, Oct. 16
• The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council will hold its regular meeting Tuesday, Oct. 16 from 7 to 10:30 p.m. at the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District office. For more info., call (561) 7932418.
• 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 on Tuesday, Oct. 16 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.
Wednesday, Oct. 17
• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 Civic Center Way) will present Life Safety Solutions on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. hosted by Dave Magruder. To pre-register, call (561) 790-6030.
• Seminole Ridge High School (4601 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road) will present Business Partners in Action on Wednesday, Oct. 17 in the auditorium from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. with an optional school tour. Events will include presenta-
tions by Principal Dr. Lynne McGee and Academies Director John Walker, as well as entertainment by students. RSVP by calling Walker at (561) 4222600 or e-mail walkerjo @palmbeachk12.fl.us.
• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) will present Clint Black with special guest Laura Bryna in Dreyfoos Hall on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. For more info., call (561) 832-7469 or visit www.kravis.org.
• Epiphany Lutheran Church (4660 Lyons Road in Lake Worth) will hold a Pumpkin Patch Fundraiser from Oct. 17 to 30 from noon to 8 p.m. Pumpkins will be for sale the entire time and there will be face painting, hayrides and games on weekends. For more info., call Teri Bernhardt at (561) 968-3627.
Thursday, Oct. 18
• The Rooney’s Golf Foundation will host its sixth annual golf tournament at Haig Course at PGA National on Thursday, Oct. 18. The tournament will benefit the Autism Project, the Children’s Place at Home Safe, Elite Greyhound Adoptions, Harriet L. Wilkes Honors College, Florida Atlantic University and the Children’s Golf Foundation. People interested in participating and business owners willing to raffle an item or a service should e-mail appbc damone@aol.com or call Michelle Damone at (561) 3152973.
• Easter Seals of Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie counties will launch its professional development series on Thursday, Oct. 18 at 11:30 a.m. with a luncheon at the Kravis Center’s Cohen Pavilion (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach). The featured speaker is Stephen M.R. Covey who will lecture on “The Speed of Trust.” The cost is $75 per person. For more info., call Easter Seals at (561) 640-9521.
• The Palms West Chamber of Commerce will hold a Business After Hours Mixer on Thursday, Oct. 18 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Print-it Plus (11420 Okeechobee Blvd., Royal Palm Beach). Admission is $10 for members and $20 for non-members. For more info., call (561) 790-6200.
• The Kravis Center for the Performing Arts (701 Okeechobee Blvd., West Palm Beach) will present Evita in Dreyfoos Hall on Thursday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. One of the most popular collaborations between Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, this legendary musical features the memorable song “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.” For more info., call (561) 832-7469 or visit www.kravis.org.
Friday, Oct. 19
• The West Palm Beach Home & Garden Show will be held Oct. 19-21 at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center. Ticket prices are $9 for adults, $4.50 for children 6-12, and free for ages five and younger. On Friday only, seniors 65 and older get a special discounted rate of $7. Parking is free. For info., visit www. floridahomeshows.com or call (888) 254-0882.
Send calendar items to: TownCrier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. FAX: (561) 793-6090. E-mail: news@gotowncrier. com.
CRESTWOOD BOOK FAIR
Crestwood Middle School hosted its Literacy Night & Book Fair on Oct. 10 at the Barnes & Noble bookstore in Wellington. The fundraising event featured student groups showcasing their talents, including the band, chorus and handbell groups. Teachers greeted parents and made book recommendations while students browsed the store’s bookshelves. (Left) Author Gerald Sharpe meets with a student. (Below) The Crestwood jazz band performs.
Frontier Students Holding Cell Phone Drive
Ms. Jennifer Eddy’s fourth grade class at Frontier Elementary School in Loxahatchee is holding a cell phone fundraiser and needs the community’s support. To participate, drop off any unwanted phones in the collection box located in the front office between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Proceeds from the fundraiser will be used to purchase classroom sets of books for intermediate grade levels. For more info., call Ms. Eddy at (561) 784-4100, ext. 75710.
Seminole Ridge Project Graduation Task Force To Meet Oct. 16
The Seminole Ridge High School 2008 Project Graduation Task Force will hold its first meeting Tuesday, Oct. 16 at 6 p.m. in the media center. Junior and senior parents, as well as community members, are welcome to attend. Project Graduation, an annual all-night event following high school commencement ceremonies, is a way not only to recognize graduates’ achievements but to insure them an alcohol- and drug-free environment in which to celebrate.
The parent organizers ask for help and support in providing donations and sponsorships so that every graduate attending the event is properly honored. Project Graduation has begun several fundraising activities, two of which deserve special mention:
• Hawk students can see their teachers in another light when the Hawk staff challenges the Harlem Wizards in an exhibition basketball game Sunday, Oct. 21 from 3 to 5 p.m. Admission is $10; tickets will be sold on campus at all lunches.
• Flocking! There’s been a flock of flamingos spotted in the community… and you may be the next one flocked! Project Graduation is placing the flock in Acreage and Loxahatchee yards…but how to make the flock fly? Simple! A small donation to Project Grad allows you to migrate the flock to a friend, and a little more dropped into the project’s kitty will not only migrate the flock, but flock-proof you against its return, sending the flamingos strutting back to whoever tried to give them to you! Flocking? Flamingos flying? Fantastic! For more information, call Jean Lauer at (561) 644-9096 — and let the flocking begin!
Seminole Ridge Chorus to Perform at Carnegie Hall — The SRHS choral department is scheduled to perform in the 2008 Manhattan Concert Productions Octavo Series, held June 13-17 at New
York City’s Carnegie Hall. The series promotes artistic standards for choral literature and offers deserving choirs, bands and orchestras from around the country the opportunity to demonstrate their talents in renowned venues throughout the U.S. and abroad. At the cost of $1,400 per student, the Carnegie Hall trip is a major undertaking for the choral program. The singers hope to cover the majority of that cost through fundraisers. In addition to their sale of spirit items — Hawk necklaces, anklets, luggage tags, umbrellas and stadium blankets — the choral program has recently completed a successful “Encore Broadway Café Cheesecake” campaign and will start sales of “boo-grams” and Honeybaked Ham gift certificates Monday, Oct. 15. This will be a trip to remember. Choral Director Mr. Wes Rainer looks forward to several parents joining him and the students on the outing.
Singers Earn ACDA Honors — Congratulations go out to the choral students who auditioned and made the Florida American Choral Directors’ Association (ACDA) honor choirs. Only the best choral students in the state audition for ACDA choirs, and for the past two years Seminole Ridge has had six students accepted. The Male Honor Choir members are Selth Bethea, Justin Bishop and Joseph Feliciano; the Mixed Honor Choir members are Sarah Mathews, Andrew McKenzie and Alexi West. These choirs will perform at the Florida American Choral Directors’ Association Conference in Lake Mary Nov. 1-3.
TV Production Wins at FSPA —
Seminole Ridge’s TV production students have again won honors, attending the Florida Scholastic Press Association’s (FSPA) district convention, competing in four events and placing in two.
Hawk students Andrew Suarez and Samantha Toussel won second place in
the “On-the-Spot Photojournalism” competition. The event required Suarez and Toussel to creatively shoot video for a specific topic during a two-hour period at the convention and then have their unedited footage judged.
Eric Bobinchuck and Esteban Turizo won third place in the “Every Student Has a Story” feature news package competition. The event was judged by awardwinning photojournalist Les Rose of CBS News, who produced the original “Everybody Has a Story” segment featured on CBS network news for nearly a decade. Bobinchuck and Turizo’s story focuses on Hawk student Zach Alexander and his guitar-playing skills.
Debaters Place at FSU Tourney — The Hawk debate team had a great weekend at Florida State University’s inaugural Greg Phifer Invitational Tournament. Competition was tough, with schools coming from Florida, Georgia and as far away as Louisiana. All the students did well, but special congratulations are in order for:
• Devon Arnold and Eddie O’Hara, who advanced to the semifinal round in public forum debate;
• Stephanie MacInnes and Ashley Richie, who advanced to the quarter-final round in public forum; and
• Brianna Lozito, who advanced to semifinals in Lincoln-Douglas debate.
Swimmers Overpower Palm Beach Central — The boys and girls swim teams were victorious over Palm Beach Central in their Oct. 2 meet, with scores of 10478 and 109-77 respectively. Individual first-place finishes went to the following students:
• Patrick Costan in both the 100 butterfly and 500-yard freestyle;
• Tommy Counihan in the 100 breaststroke;
• Jaymie Davis in the 100 backstroke;
• Nicole Infinger in the 100 butterfly;
• Rory Padgett in the 100 backstroke;
• Natalia Pieschacon in both the 200 individual medley and the 500-yard freestyle;
• Stephanie Rodgerson in the 200 freestyle;
• Patrick Soucy in the 200-yard freestyle;
• Michael Tigeleiro in both the 50and 100-yard freestyles.
The Hawks also took first-place finishes in all but one of the team relays:
• Girls 200 medley relay: Jaymie Davis, April Goodman, Nicole Infinger and Natalia Pieschacon;
• Girls 200 free relay: Davis, Jennifer Elliott, Goodman and Stephanie Rodgerson;
• Boys 200 medley relay and 400 free relay: Patrick Costan, Tommy Counihan, Rory Padgett and Ptah Quammie.
Hawks Rein in Broncos — The freshmen football team ran their record to a perfect 5-0 on Oct. 3 at Palm Beach Central. The Hawks roped and branded the Broncos in a 27-6 victory.
The offensive attack was led by wingback Jarryd Klaffka, who scored two touchdowns and a two-point conversion. Quarterback Ryan Bialczak had his hand in two scores. He rolled out on a pass play, but tucked the ball and ran for a 65-yard touchdown. Later in the game Bialczak hooked up with Ricky Brown for a 45-yard touchdown bomb. Maxx Nielsen kicked an extra point.
The outstanding freshman defense gave up only their second score this season. Alex Nusser picked off a Bronco pass, and down linemen Domenic Servidio and Fred Grunwald snuffed Palm Beach Central’s running game. Linebackers Tyler Butler, Steve McPherson and Eric Strickland were outstanding.
PBC Bronco Band Earns Honors At Marching Competition
The Palm Beach Central High School Bronco Band was named Best Overall Band at the Port St. Lucie Marching Band Competition on Saturday, Oct. 6. They were also named Best Overall Marching, Best Overall General Effect, Best Overall Color Guard and won first place in Class AA.
The band’s overall score was five points better than the second-place band, which qualified the Broncos for the state semifinals in Tampa next month. Their show can be seen at all the football games or at their next competition at John I. Leonard High School on Oct. 20 at 6 p.m. This is the first time in school history the band has placed first in its class, let alone at a competition against bigger bands. The band has now qualified for state competition two years in a row.
Bronco Chorus — Palm Beach Cen-
tral chorus students participated in the first round of auditions for All-State chorus. Seniors Kaylene Dahl and Blair Erich, and junior Sara Sohn all qualified for the next round of auditions for AllState chorus later this month.
Tutoring Available for Bronco Athletes — The new athletic tutoring program is officially underway. Mrs. CodyShannahan is working to target the lowest performing student-athletes. Tutoring is being offered every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3 to 4 p.m. in Room 7-205. Any athlete who has a D or an F should report to tutoring. If an athlete needs extra help in a particular class, NHS and SNHS tutors will be available to assist them. This program is also available for athletes who need a quiet place to study before practice or on a game night.
H.L. Johnson Elementary Rewards Good Character
H.L. Johnson Elementary School in Royal Palm Beach is encouraging its students to learn good behavior as well as excellence in academics.
At H.L. Johnson, character ranks on the same high plateau as achievement in academic studies. Each month of the school year, students concentrate on a “Character Counts” topic.
Students are selected by their homeroom teachers as outstanding examples of these specific character traits. Then each Thursday the young H.L. Johnson Jaguar honorees are visited by Principal Sharon Hench, Assistant Principal Donna Eldredge or Guidance Counselor Lu Ralya and recognized before their classmates as Noble Jaguars of the Week.
By year’s end, every child at H.L. Johnson will have been observed and recognized as shining beacons of good character, indeed, Noble Jaguars.
H.L. Johnson Elementary School’s his-
tory of outstanding academic success proves that good character and academic excellence go hand in hand, and the western communities can look forward to good news from these future citizens in the years to come.
FAU Internet High School Math Competition
Florida Atlantic University and the Department of Mathematical Sciences of the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science recently announced its 12th Annual Internet Mathematics Competition for academic year 2007-08. All high school students in Florida are eligible to participate in the competition.
The purpose of this competition is to encourage students’ interest in solving mathematical problems of varying difficulty, to challenge their mathematics skills and ingenuity, and to prepare them for the more formal competitions which will be conducted in Spring 2008 by the Mathematical Association of America.
The competition consists of six challenging problems, which can be viewed at www.math.fau.edu/mathematics competition. Interested students also may request a paper copy of the competition by sending in their mailing address. Neatly written entries to the problems should be sent by mail to: Dr. XiaoDong Zhang, Department of Mathematical Sciences, Florida Atlantic University, 777 Glades Road, Boca Raton, FL 33431-0991.
Solutions will not be accepted by email. Submissions must be postmarked on or before Monday, Nov. 12. Cash prizes and certificates are tentatively set to be awarded Saturday, March 1, 2008.
The winners from last year’s competition were Shelly Jin of Lake Worth, first place; Siraj Iqbal of Miami, second place; and Jonathan Farina of Royal Palm Beach, third place.
For more information, contact Dr. Paul Yiu or Dr. Xiao-Dong Zhang at fausty@ math.fau.edu.
The Palm Beach Central High School Bronco Marching Band.
H. L. Johnson Principal Sharon Hench presents the Noble Jaguar award to Gabriella Foursa.
GIRL SCOUTS JOIN CLEANUP EFFORT
Girl Scout troops 150 of Wellington and 553 of Loxahatchee participated in the 14th Annual National Public Lands Day Sept. 29 at Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. Public Lands Day is the nation’s largest hands-on volunteer effort to improve and enhance lands that Americans enjoy.
Monique Costner At Leadership Forum
Monique Costner, a student at Western Pines Middle School, was accepted into the People to People World Leadership Forum. Costner joined a select group of students in Washington, D.C., Oct. 8-14 to earn high school credits while studying leadership and exploring some of the United States’ most prominent monuments and institutions.
From Capitol Hill to the Smithsonian Institution and from Colonial Williamsburg to the National Museum of American History, Costner examined the characteristics of American leadership during times of na-
tional challenge and prosperity. Forum delegates also participated in small-group discussions and exercises to experience firsthand how successful leaders develop strategies, make decisions, build consensus and foster change.
Costner was nominated for the forum by educators while attending Pierce Hammock Elementary School based on outstanding scholastic merit, civic involvement and leadership potential. For additional information about the People to People World Leadership Forum, visit www.w1fleaders.org.
FRENZ, ROSS WED
Lynn Frenz and Cliff Ian Ross were married April 21 at Breakers West. The bride is the daughter of Sally and Jerry Frenz of Wellington and a 1996 graduate of Wellington High School. The groom is the son of Helen Ross of Delray Beach. Jamie recently completed her doctoral degree from the Department of Chemistry at Florida Atlantic University. Cliff completed his post-doctorate at the Smithsonian Marine Station in Fort Pierce and is now an assistant professor in the Biology Department at the University of North Florida. The couple resides in Jacksonville.
Jamie
Dana and Jamie Chase discover a rhinoceros beetle.
Summer Marchsteiner hauls a tray of sand pines for planting.
Jamie Chase and Carolina Silva use grippers to clean up trash in the natural area east of SR A1A.
Members of troops 150 and 553 gather for a group shot during National Public Lands Day at Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse Park.
CUB SCOUT EXPRESS
Cub Scout Pack 120 from Royal Palm Beach started down a new track for the school year as they welcomed new and returning Scouts aboard the Cub Scout Express Sept. 17 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. Scouts took a journey through Cub Scouting as they rode the rails to adventure. Each den set up a display area for all Scouts to participate in a train-related activity. The special highlight of the evening was when Karl Mohr was awarded his Religious Emblem of Faith. Karl is the first Scout in the pack’s history to earn this prestigious award. For more info., call Steve Whalen at (561) 3511258. Shown above, the Scouts make candy trains.
Ellen Shapiro Earns CCFA Award
The Florida Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation (CCFA) recently honored Ellen Shapiro with the 2007 Lifetime Friend of CCFA Award.
A Wellington resident, Shapiro has served on the Executive Committee of the Florida Chapter for the past several years. She has been involved with the CCFA for more than 17 years and is recognized in the Florida chapter for her work on its annual golf tournament, Book of Hope luncheon, Re-
search Alliance and Bloomingdale’s shopping event.
“We are very pleased to have Ellen as a board member and friend of the foundation,” Florida Chapter Executive Director Amy Gray said. “Ellen’s hard work and dedication has made a difference, furthering our mission to find a cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.”
For more information on the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America, visit www.ccfa.org.
Absolute Dance Partners With CompCare
The children, parents and staff of Absolute Dance of Wellington recently announced an initiative to support the Children’s Comprehensive Care Center (CompCare), a medical facility in Pompano Beach that cares for some of the most medically fragile children in the nation.
The new charitable partnership will see the dance school raise funds for CompCare as well as expose the infants, children and young adults the facility serves to the art of dance through performances and collaborations.
The new partnership is the brainchild of Absolute Dance owners Cheryl Alker and JJ Butler, who wanted to support local children in need and were quickly joined by their students and families when they learned more about the center.
“We see children every day at our dance studio who love to dance, and most importantly are able to dance, however, a visit one day to Broward Children’s Center made me realize that there are so many children who are not quite so fortunate,” Alker said.
As a result of that visit, the studio, which has had a presence in the community for more than 25 years, decided to hold its first dance-athon in November to raise money for the charity.
The Children’s Comprehensive Care Center is the only freestanding pediatric skilled nursing facility for children who require sophisticated medical treatment in the Southeast United States. It is designed to
provide a child and familyfriendly environment that meets the medical, educational, social and recreational needs of individuals from birth to age 21.
Butler said arrangements will be made for many of the dancers to dance at the center.
“Many have expressed an interest in helping on a regular basis,” Butler said. “We shall also be inviting the children and staff to our company show at Royal Palm Beach High School on Dec. 16, as well as inviting them to our annual recital ‘The Music of the Knight,’ a compilation of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s most famous musicals: Cats, Phantom of the Opera, Starlight Express and Joseph on June 7 and 8.”
The dance-athon will be open to every child in the community from three years old to 18 years — whether they dance with Absolute Dance, another local studio or have never danced be-
fore, everyone will be welcome. Classes will range from Princess Pre-K to modern, jazz and hiphop.
“To contribute further to the success of the day, we are offering a percentage of the registration fee of any child who registers for our Princess PreK program,” Alker said. “This is a new class we are offering for three to five years old and includes 20 minutes ballet, 20 minutes tap and 20 minutes tumbling. The first class of every month will be dedicated to the Disney Princesses; each child may dress up in their favorite princess costume with the whole theme of the class dedicated to a particular princess. All children who register for this class will be given a free tiara.” For more information about the upcoming Absolute Danceathon, call (561) 798-1388 or visit www.absolutedanceof wellington.com.
Dancers from Absolute Dance in Wellington.
FUN FOR ALL AT ST. PETER’S CHURCH HARVEST FEST FUNDRAISER
St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Wellington held its Second Annual Community Harvest Fest fundraiser Saturday, Oct. 6. The all-day event included a huge rummage sale, BBQ dinner, bake sale, blessing of the bikes, a country-western band, line dancing, pumpkin patch, entertainment, craft booths, children’s games, bounce house, 30-foot slide for children and more. St. Peter’s is located at 12200 W. Forest Hill Blvd. For more info., call the church office at (561) 793-5712.
Morgan Wummer takes a ride.
Vanessa Essery and her daughter Eve.
The Giacoma family checks out the rummage sale.
Emily Moreland picks out some goodies.
Joy Johnson takes part in the puppet show.Pastor Rainer Richter with Wellington Mayor Tom Wenham.
Leah Thomas inside the fire-rescue truck.
Miriam Holt gets ready for the bungee jump.
Kids watch the puppet show put on by the members of the church’s puppet ministry.
GROUP PROTESTS ‘SCHIP’ VETO
On Thursday, Oct. 4, MoveOn.org and the Palm Beach County Peace & Justice Coalition staged a demonstration at the corner of Forest Hill Blvd. and State Road 7 in Wellington to protest President George W. Bush’s veto of the expanded State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) bill. The SCHIP program provides healthcare for kids who don’t qualify for Medicare but whose parents aren’t able to afford health insurance. About six million kids are covered now but the need is far greater than that number, protest organizers said. The vetoed SCHIP bill would have covered another four million children. Demonstrations were organized across the nation to rally support for the expanded SCHIP bill. (Above) Registered Nurse Gabriel Hunicut, MoveOn.org’s Susan Mosely and event organizer Aran Schefrin of Palm Beach Peace & Justice Coalition. (Right) Frank and Harlene Shrek.
Home & Garden Show Returns To Fairgrounds Oct. 19-21
Nineteen companies from Wellington, Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee will be among the more than 500 exhibitors participating in the largest home and garden show in the Palm Beaches and the Treasure Coast. The West Palm Beach Home & Garden Show will be held Oct. 19-21 at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center. The show is expected to attract more than 30,000 guests, who can spend up to three days gathering a multitude of tips and ideas on how to improve their homes and gardens.
The participating Wellington companies are: Forever Green, Ideal Roofing Systems, Kramer Services, Brandon Home Furniture, Grout Plus and Wellington Royal Marble and Granite. From Royal Palm Beach are: Sure Step Services, Aqua Soft Water Systems, CLA Landscape Lighting, Symons Family Chiropractic, Seal Appeal and South Florida Family Chiropractic. Companies from Loxahatchee are: Drapes & Blinds by Tessie, Enviroseal, Sanctuary Gardens/ GreenGrass Landscape, Wellington Golf Carts, Innovative Contracting Services, Everglades Farm Equipment, It’s All Good Media and Complete Control.
HGTV’s 24-Hour Design host Angelo Surmelis — a selfproclaimed design geek — will be among the show’s highlights. Surmelis has designed more rooms for television than any other designer. He has established himself as one of the top designers in the motion picture
and television industry with lavish events and television/film projects along with a diverse clientele, including celebrities and entertainment executives. He will speak multiple times over the three-day weekend.
Mad Dog and Merrill, a comedic grilling duo known for blending satire and wit with creative cooking ideas and mouthwatering recipes, will conduct cooking demonstrations throughout the weekend. Mad Dog and Merrill keep audiences laughing while educating them on how to create cooking magic on the barbecue grill. From breakfast fajitas to grilled ice cream, these grilling gurus will prove their motto that “if you can cook it, you can grill it!”
During their demonstrations on the Outdoor Grilling Stage, the duo will prepare some of their favorite tailgating recipes
and audiences will have the chance to sample their tasty fare.
A new feature for 2007, the Garden Stage & Pavilion will partner local landscapers with the Palm Beach County Master Gardeners of West Palm Beach. They will run an outdoor stage and provide a schedule of seminars, talks and discussion to educate, inform and entertain show visitors. The Master Gardeners’ mission is to provide information on “Florida Friendly Landscaping.” Topics include how to grow the best vegetables and tropical fruits in this area, how to build a tranquil butterfly garden, how to enrich soil through composting and how composting can reduce yard waste. The University of Florida Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences and Palm Beach County sponsor the Flor-
ida Master Gardener Volunteer Program.
Another new feature for 2007 is the Florida Public Utilities’ Energy for Life Pavilion. Show visitors will learn how to unearth the secrets of green living and help them discover how to make their home a more energy-efficient environment. Featured products include the latest in Energy Star machines, a desiccant dehumidifier, a tankless water heating system, photovoltaic panels, solar lighting products and solar hot water products. Speakers will educate audiences on how these products can save them money and help the environment.
The HomeGoods Room Sets will feature six rooms decorated by media personalities and reporters. Prior to the show, they will shop at five South Florida HomeGoods stores for furniture and unique accessories to create their dream room, reflective of their personal taste, which will be on display at the show. The contents of each room will be given away to six lucky winners. HomeGoods provides a wide selection of high-quality, unique home fashions, including brand and designer name merchandise at prices that are 20 percent to 60 percent less than finer catalog, specialty and department store prices.
Other show features include the New “Green” Product Showcase, where some of the newest and most innovative environmental products in the market will be introduced. Fea-
tured items include an electrically powered speedboat by Learjet, an electrically powered Porsche, a solar array, a solar hot water heating system, a volcano heat recovery system and a natural gas vehicle filling station. The Real Estate Resource Center returns this year to help answer real estate questions during this confusing buyer’s market. The center will focus on how to buy foreclosure property, how to get financing, tips for selling one’s home and how to navigate through the rental market. Professionals in the areas of real estate, lending, title insurance and foreclosure will present seminars.
The show will partner with its charity, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, to promote October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Visitors are encouraged to bring Yoplait yogurt lids to the show. The chapter receives 10 cents per lid to support the cause. The charity will also display a Tribute Wall for attendees to personalize with their own thoughts, and a Warrior Wall that features photos of breast cancer survivors.
Ticket prices to the show are $9 for adults, $4.50 for children six to 12 and free for ages five and under. On Friday only, seniors 65 and older pay a special discounted rate of $6. Buy discount tickets online and save $3 off the price of one regular adult admission. Parking is free. For updated information, visit www.floridahomeshows.com or call (888) 254-0882.
Comedic Cooking — Mad Dog and Merrill will conduct cooking demonstrations throughout the weekend.
Wellington Cameraman Ludovico Branches Out
Wellington resident Tony Ludovico of Underwater Videography Services (TLUV) and TLUV IMAGES, supplier of unique underwater videography and video services, announced he will now be adding above-water photography and videography to the already established underwater division.
In the upcoming months, Ludovico said he will unveil a stock photography library to include fine art pieces and giclees, which will be available for publication and print. All photography will be done by Ludovico. TLUV Images has plans to open a fine art gallery in Florida, Ludovico said, slated to open in 2009.
“I have had such great response from the work I have done working for previous companies that I decided it was time to go out and do this under my own
name,” said Ludovico, who recently parted ways with Open Water Images to go out on his own.
In order to keep up with the demands of the media industry, Ludovico said he will continue to push the envelope and open the company up to new endeavors. “I will continue to shoot underwater and above-water photography. The only difference is that I am now working for my own company,” Ludovico said.
The new library and web site will be up and running by the end of the year, he added. Shot requests and commissions are accepted and are being scheduled at this time.
For more information, contact Lisa Pellegrino at (561) 723-0616 or visit www.tonyludovico.us.
Tony Ludovico has added above-water photography and videography to his already established underwater division.
Jess Public Forum
continued from page 3A agement for Palm Beach County, spoke about his agency’s mission to preserve and protect the county’s natural areas and publicly owned preserves.
Walesky explained how a voter-approved 1991 bond referendum allowed Palm Beach County to buy environmentally sensitive land and stockpile it for future generations. The result was an outlay of $150 million for more than 30,000 acres divided among 35 sites, 13 of which have public-use facilities.
“How is the land used? In some sites we have equestrian trails and other types of uses,” Walesky said. “All of these sites are designed for passive recreation. You can use it without loving it to death.”
A Wellington resident, Walesky said Palm Beach County’s environmentally sensitive and public lands would not vanish in the face of development. “We will not be like Broward County,” he said. “We will have plenty of open space for our children and grandchildren.”
South Florida Water Management District Chief Engineer Calvin Niedrauer discussed his district’s role in water conservation, Everglades restoration and coping with the current drought.
Niedrauer said he wanted to dispel the notion that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the SFWMD had caused the
Water
Drought Concerns
continued from page 11A Okeechobee resident Bryant Culpepper said he had seen water being discharged south from the locks on the Kissimmee River. He also showed photographs of some wide open locks he took in the last two months, and some photographs taken of the Kissimmee River so high he had to build a second boat ramp to get to his boat.
“Those gates have never been closed at any time,” Culpepper said. “I threw a twig down there to watch the flow, and it flows toward the coast down the St. Lucie Canal. What I question is, why are these gates open? I hear it’s raining around the lake. I have seen thunderstorms where a tremendous amount of water is going into the lake. It’s being siphoned out down the St. Lucie Canal. There are flow gauges that show what is flowing through the locks just east of the turnpike and into the St. Lucie River. It would be easy to check them. The pictures speak for themselves. I took two different sets at two different times. It is not my intention to embarrass you.”
Loxahatchee Groves Councilman Dr. Bill Louda said the desalinization option should definitely be investigated. He noted that Tampa Bay’s problems were mostly due to the fact that the water there is very shallow, the worst place in the world to have a desalinization plant. Louda also asked Rapach how the SFWMD is dealing with future growth in terms of supplying South Florida with water.
“We’re making some advances,” Rapach said. “At one time, the local governments were controlling land use. In their comprehensive plans, they had water and land use elements, and they would just build more capacity. The legislature
current record-breaking drought by releasing water from Lake Okeechobee.
“That’s not true,” he said. “The Army Corps made extra releases out of the lake to prepare for an above-normal hurricane forecast in 2004, and it worked great. We got Frances and Jeanne. In 2005, they did a similar action, and they brought it down another half a foot. In 2006, it worked, but we didn’t get any rainfall. In July, the lake was 8.8 feet above sea level. As of today, it’s an inch above 10 feet. All the projections are showing about a 90 percent chance that we will start 2008 at a lower level than 2007. That doesn’t spell good news. Some of the projections show as low as seven feet in 2008.”
As hurricanes are a natural part of the Florida environment, Patricia Commander, regional director of the My Safe Florida Home program, led a presentation on the benefits of the Florida Department of Financial Services grant program, and how it can save homeowners money on windstorm insurance.
“It doesn’t cost you anything,” Commander said. “We all know how insurance keeps going up and up. You see these insurance companies putting in for rate increases. The most important thing is to call us up and put in for a My Safe Florida home inspection. You will get the home inspection report. It will tell you what to do to improve your home.”
The program provides matching grants
passed a requirement that before any additional growth occurs, they have to address where they would get the sources of water. We are also directing them to look at alternative water sources and not look at the regional system. It’s a little step. It’s a good first step.”
Rapach also said the SFWMD is offering municipalities the option of funding 40 percent of some of their waterrelated improvements. Municipalities like Delray Beach and Boynton Beach are expanding their water reuse programs so they would no longer discharge treated wastewater into the ocean, he said, although that’s a still long way away from drinking treated wastewater.
“That quality water could be used to recharge the system,” Rapach said. “It helps replenish it, and it completes the cycle and closes the loop. But I don’t think everyone is ready to drink it yet.”
to homeowners for windstorm-related improvements. Commander also noted that over 12,000 people had applied for the grant program, but one sixth of them from Palm Beach County.
“Call us up and get your home inspected,” she said. “We will send a home inspector to your home. Make sure you are home. They will walk around the house. They will tell you if you need to put shutters on, or if you have a hurricane-rated garage door. If you are low income, you can get it for free. You do not have to have a matching grant.”
For more information, call (866) 5136734 or visit www.mysafeflorida home.com.
Manure Power Generation
continued from page 1A if you do a dual-purpose facility,” Roth said. “I am suggesting that you do that to produce ethanol. The problem with electricity is FPL won’t pay you full price. If you put a second facility there that would produce ethanol, you could increase the revenues.”
Equestrian Carol Coleman said further exploration would be wise. “I agree with the gentleman who spoke that there could be other things out there we haven’t reviewed,” she said. “I think it’s a great idea. We also need to have it discussed by people who are equestrians and by people you delegate this business to.”
Equestrian Committee Member Victoria McCullough said that while the original proposal had merit, Roth’s suggestion should be examined as well.
“Ethanol would be a strong participant in our new energy sources,” McCullough said. “I know you have to sit there with a community that is producing all of the material. We need to look at that too. These fees from the haulers might be increasing. It just might be something that might be heavily imposed on us. I think I can offer a small bit of advice. Talk to everyone and look at everything that there is. We have the possibility to do something great with the amount of material we have here.”
Council members asked what would happen if more proposals were invited.
Rural Town Workshop
continued from page 10A than 20 vehicles, as well as one with five semis and another with manure piled on it.
Lipp mentioned another lot with two large trucks near the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District office that had once been heavily used by vagrants.
“This is something we really need to clean up,” he said.
“Those are already violations of code. All we have to do is file a complaint,” Browning said.
Lipp said residents should be allowed to engage in activities as long as they don’t create eyesores. For example, he cited one resident who built a helicopter in his barn and another who builds racecars in an enclosed structure.
Lipp said residents should be allowed to keep trucks in structures where oil and gas leaks are on concrete and can be cleaned up and won’t soak into the ground and contaminate the water table.
“I agree with eyesores, but I don’t want to define eyesores,” Louda said.
Wechsler
Digital Revolution
continued from page 22A tion. On television, there are hundreds of channels now. We will have an infinite number of different song choices at any given time in our new musical world (please note, my pedantic friends, that I am using infinite not in its mathematical sense because there are only six billion people on earth, which means we probably will not have more than six billion songs going at once) and lose any sense of community.
This will also change the music in-
Clough said the entire process would likely take over a year to re-evaluate.
“To open it back up, we would have to reject all of them,” Clough said. “We would have to do it from the beginning. You did direct us to look at a mechanism without costing the village money. One of the reasons this company was selected was the other ones had small chances of generating revenue. They were going to compost but we had no way to get rid of it.”
Councilwoman Laurie Cohen suggested Roth talk with Swerdlin about his proposal, and made a motion to approve opening negotiations with Wellington Energy. It was seconded by Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto and passed unanimously.
“Let the people decide,” Lipp said. Browning said he knew of a person who had a lot of vehicles on his property who drew a complaint from a neighbor who was trying to sell her house.
“The complaint was they were visible,” Browning said. The man was able to rearrange the vehicles so they were not visible from the neighbor’s lot, and the problem was solved, he said.
“This is your time to set language,” Lippman said. “It will upset some but make most people happy.”
After the meeting, Browning told the Town-Crier the word rural sums up the qualities Loxahatchee Groves has always possessed, but is proving difficult to define precisely.
“I think ‘rural’ is historically what we have been,” he said “Dirt, quiet, space, palms, a simpler way; it’s hard to put a definition on it.”
Browning said the definition of rural will be a topic for a visioning meeting for residents.
“I feel that what they want is what we’ve had in the past,” he said. “I think that’s why they elected us. That was the platform we ran on.”
dustry. A popular artist selling a million CDs now makes over a million dollars as a percentage of probably $10 million in revenue. The pot will be far smaller when only a single song is downloaded. The record publishers will focus more on publicity so that everyone knows about a new song that comes out. I would also guess that more performers will be out performing live now. A hundred years ago, they made their money from that. We are again going back to the future. More live music, and that can be nice as well. Of course, we might wind up downloading the concerts.
Manure Guys — Dr. Scott Swerdlin and Mike Virr at Tuesday’s Wellington Village Council meeting.
Bryant Culpepper
Calvin Niedrauer
Richard Walesky
Patricia Commander
PALMS WEST
A TOWN-CRIER Publication Business,
Area Resident Launches His Own AreaResidentLaunchesHisOwn Air-Conditioning Business Air-ConditioningBusiness
By Steve Pike Town-Crier Staff Report
It pays to have a Plan B. Just ask Randy Poulette. The Royal Palm Beach resident and owner of Poulette Air Conditioning graduated from an Orlando technical college with plans to become an audio engineer. But this area isn’t known for its music industry, so Poulette, who grew up in Wellington, went to Plan B.
“I ended up moving back down here after I got married,” Poulette said. “Jobs down here for someone with my degree are hard to come by. I could have gone down to Miami or elsewhere, but I didn’t want to. My dad knew the owner of an air conditioning company, and he hooked me up with a job.”
While Poulette was able to put his audio skills to work on the sound system at Wellington Presbyterian Church, where he attends, he also studied up on this new line of work.
“I still run the sound system at the church, but that’s about it,” Poulette said. “Once you get a feel for the work you’re doing and find out how much money you’re making for somebody else, you realize, ‘I can do this myself and not be the guy in the middle.’”
Poulette studied hard, passed all the tests and about ten weeks ago received his state certification as an air conditioning contractor. Not long after that Poulette hung out his shingle — make that painted his van — and started mak-
ing the rounds in the air-conditioning repair business.
But it’s not quite that easy. To get state certification as an air conditioning contractor requires an applicant to pass a very difficult exam. An air conditioning service contractor must knows the ins and outs of such things as refrigerants, evaporating and condensing units, defrost systems, compressors, filter dryers and flow controls.
“There are many people who take the test a few times,” said Poulette, who passed on his first attempt. “It’s a tough test, but I studied up for it. The business and finance section is two parts. There are a lot of accounting questions. Then there is the trade knowledge test. That was a much harder section.”
Being the new kid on the air conditioning block, Poulette is taking things slow for starters. Most of his business so far, he said, comes from word of mouth and from acquaintances he’s made through the years.
“I get a lot of people from the church,” Poulette said. “And I’ve gotten some calls from people who have seen my van or have looked me up. But I’d say 80 percent of the people who call are people I already know.”
It also helps that just about every one of those people are Floridians who own an air conditioning system that needs to be serviced all year round.
“You always should maintain your AC unit, even when you’re not using it much in the winter,” Poulette said. “That way
you won’t have any surprises in the summer.”
While this time of the year tends to be slower, Poulette expects business to pick up as spring approaches. “Probably next February or March I’ll start advertising a little more and try to develop a steady
stream of customers and line up some decent-sized jobs,” he said. “One of the things in my favor is that I’m a one-man company. When somebody calls, they know they’re going to get me.”
For more information, or to schedule a repair, call Poulette at (561) 790-3275.
PHOTO BY STEVE
State Certified — Randy Poulette is a one-man AC repair operation.
Holly And Jeff Levine: Local Realtors Who Know The Area
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report
A widescreen television in a prominent location at the Illustrated Properties office in the Mall at Wellington Green brings home the real estate company’s theme. “It’s a great selling tool,” said longtime Wellington Realtor Holly Levine, who works with her husband Jeff.
As the company’s name suggests, Illustrated Properties can give potential buyers or renters virtual tours of the homes, condos or apartments it has to offer. The marketing tools complement the Illustrated Properties location, which is on the second level of the mall, right at the top of the escalator, between TooJays and Macy’s.
The office’s wide-open entrance invites strollers to browse. Prime properties are listed on an easel outside the office and an abundance of flyers are posted at the entranceway.
“The easel draws in a lot of people,” Holly said. “If someone looks at a flyer, we have visual tours. We log on to the computer, and it’s as if we’ve taken them to the house.”
The virtual tour is especially useful if the property is far away. The Realtor can give the potential buyer a good look before trekking to see the actual property, Holly explained.
The Levines deal in property all over Palm Beach County, with clients of diverse ages and incomes, and from near and far away. They feel equally comfortable making arrangements for renters, sellers or buyers.
They can help first-time buyers or couples whose children have grown and are ready to downsize. They can help residents who are moving out of town or out of state by selling their home here and finding a reputable agent in the area where they are moving.
Holly and Jeff recalled sitting in TooJays about five years ago when they saw the space available and had the idea to locate a realty office there. They were able to persuade Illustrated Properties to open the office, which houses 15 agents.
“It’s a better location than we’d envisioned,” Jeff said.
As a team, Holly ministers to the new customers and does initial research, while Jeff handles the closing details. “It works well because people can reach us almost 24 hours a day by phone or Internet,”
Holly said.
To begin, they are fastidious about getting good photographs to post on the Internet and for their in-house presentation. The photography is important because the Levines will show a good number of listings virtually in order to get down to a short list of properties to actually take the customer on a tour.
As 12-year residents of Wellington, the Levines are involved in the community, having brought up three children through the local school system. “We’ve tried to be active in the community,” Holly said.
As they sit in the office, they wave to friends and acquaintances walking by. “When we come to work, it’s fun,” she said.
Holly said many of their customers begin as casual mall browsers. “We don’t sit here very much,” she said. “Buyers in the mall are different. They have a short attention span and sometimes they don’t realize they are looking.”
They ask potential buyers to spend five to 10 minutes at the computer with them to get a general idea what they are looking for.
“We start with a picture of the front of the house while they’re sitting there, and if that doesn’t interest them, we move on. If the front is interesting, we get pictures of the inside. We get a short list of the layout they want and whether
they prefer tile or carpet.”
As they talk, a man from South America and his five-year-old come in looking for an apartment. The Levines are immediately able to show him several apartments on the wide screen in the price range he desires. They exchange information and make arrangements to go see an apartment the next day.
“You can see, it’s effective,” Holly said. Although the concept of taking home shoppers on a virtual tour is not new, Illustrated Properties has taken it to a new level, Jeff explained.
Jeff added that the market is picking up from its slump, and now is a good time for buyers to find a great deal. “I have a good sense of the market, and it recently seems to have started moving again,” he said.
The Levines moved to Wellington from Connecticut when Jeff took a position in the banking industry. He later became interested in the real estate market and got his license. Holly started helping out and eventually got a license herself.
“It’s nice being self-employed as independent agents,” Jeff said. “Illustrated Properties gives us all the tools we need, and we work hard to satisfy our customers.”
The Illustrated Properties office at the Mall at Wellington Green is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays. For more information, call Holly Levine at (561) 719-2369 or Jeff Levine at (561) 7192367, or visit them on the web at http:// jefflevine.realtor.com.
Realtors At The Mall — Jeff and Holly Levine with customer Tawaunzalyn Mason (center) at the Illustrated Properties office in the Mall at Wellington Green.
PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Commerce Park: More Than Just Industrial Space
By Leonard Wechsler Town-Crier Staff Report
Wellington Commerce Park on Pierson Road is the “hidden jewel” of commerce in the western communities, according to Leasing Director Geri DeSena.
“We have space for all types and sizes of business,” she said. “We have over 200 clients in spaces ranging from 200 to 8,000 square feet. We are a home for your business.”
PS Business Parks, which now owns and operates the facility, is a large publicly owned company that specializes in commerce and industrial parks.
South Florida Divisional Vice President Viola Sanchez defined the business simply. “We’re very low key,” she said. “We own properties, but we provide excellent service to our clients.”
Sanchez said one of the strengths of her company is that it takes a local approach in each of its regional divisions. “Each division is its own business unit, which means that decisions are made quickly and locally,” she said. “Geri can speak to someone about coming in here, agree on everything, and just has to check with me.”
DeSena said the company requires all spaces to be in “ready to move in” condition at all times, and clients are able to move in the same day a lease is signed. “We know how critical time can be for small businesses, so our spaces are always market-ready,” she said.
Among the oldest industrial
properties in the western communities, Wellington Commerce Park was originally built in 1986 and has many loyal tenants.
“We have people who have been here since the park opened,” DeSena said. “This is a perfect location. We specialize in regional businesses, ones that do most of their work out here in the western communities. The customer base is close by, and most of the people who work here also have a short ride to and from work.”
The 262,546-square-foot facility has amenities not normally available in an industrial park, DeSena said. “We call it a ‘commerce park’ because it is so well-maintained that there is no trouble bringing people in to talk business,” she said. “We have a small lake here with picnic tables. We’re right next to a ball field. And even more important, we take care of the place.”
Many different types of businesses are located there.
“We have a plumber, an electrician, a cabinet maker, a dance studio,” DeSena said, “as well as a gym, a music teacher, an acting school, a personal fitness center, an auto detailer, an auto restorer, a hurricane shutter business, a granite fabricator and a landscaping company, among many others. We have a famous dress designer here, a well-known pottery firm, a caterer and a company that makes bats for minor league baseball teams. Of course, during the horse and polo seasons, we are even busier because we have several businesses that work
directly with the equestrian community.”
Since PS Business Parks took over operation of the Wellington Commerce Park last year, the company has worked to upgrade the facility. “Every building has been repainted,” DeSena said. “We’ve upgraded the air conditioning where necessary and made sure that all our mechanicals are in good shape. We put in new emergency lighting, and we upgraded our landscaping.”
One major difference between parks run by PS Business Parks
and other those of other companies, Sanchez said, is that her firm provides small spaces for the businesses that need them. “We have what we call ‘incubator spaces’ for really new companies,” she said. “They can be as small as 200 square feet. A lot of them grow and gradually move up to 400, then 600 or 800 square feet.”
Sanchez and DeSena noted that it is far more difficult to provide service for many small companies than a handful of large ones. “But we make sure that we have personnel on site
to make sure that our clients are well served,” Sanchez said.
“That is a major reason we have very little turnover. We have a great environment here in Wellington. We’re easily accessible, and we provide great service.”
The PS Business Parks office at Wellington Commerce Park is located at 3111 Fortune Way, Suite B-12 in Wellington, and is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call (561) 793-0546 for more information, or visit the company’s web site at www.ps businessparks.com.
PHOTO
A Center Of Commerce — PS Business Parks Divisional Vice President Viola Sanchez, Wellington Commerce Park Assistant Leasing Director Rae Sallop and Wellington Commerce Park Leasing Director Geri DeSena.
HUNDREDS JOIN MAKING STRIDES WALK AT WELLINGTON GREEN
On Sunday, Oct. 7, the American Cancer Society hosted the Western Communities Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk inside the Mall at Wellington Green. More than 600 people participated in the walk, which started at 8:30 a.m. The money raised through the walk will enable the American Cancer Society to fund breast cancer research, provide up-to-date prevention and early detection information, help ensure that all women have access to mammograms and follow-up care, and provide free services that improve the quality of life for breast cancer patients and their families. For more info., visit www.cancer.org/ stridesonline.
PHOTOS BY DENISE
Basket-winners Maya Svaighert, Sandra Garcia, and Nicholas and Tina Bunchuk with Tensy Caine.
Members of the local breast cancer support group Your Bosom Buddies II at a survivor breakfast before the walk.
Event organizers Linda Ramsey, Maggie Zeller, Kate Alvarado, Elizabeth Bornia, Maureen Gross, Julie Tannehill, Shari Zipp, Lorna Johnson and Allison Samiljan.
Cancer survivor Shari Zipp tells her story to the walkers.
Wellington Mayor Tom Wenham (left) leads the Village of Wellington’s team of walkers.
Colonial Bank Names Haines Branch Sales Manager In Royal Palm Beach
to: The Town-Crier 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31 Wellington, FL 33414. Fax: (561) 793-6090. E-mail: news@goTownCrier.com.
Colonial Bank recently named Michelle Haines vice president and branch sales manager of the Royal Palm Beach Office, located at 11317 Okeechobee Blvd. In this role, Haines is responsible for managing commercial and consumer relationships, as well as focusing on their deposit and lending needs.
Haines has more than 10 years of experience in financial services. She previously served as branch sales manager for the Abacoa office. Haines has also worked as a financial planner.
Haines received a bachelor’s degree in business management from the University of South Florida in Tampa. She is active
in the community and serves as assistant director of Business Network International and is a member of the Palms West Chamber of Commerce, the North Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce and the Young Professionals organization. Colonial Bank is a division of the Montgomery, Alabamabased Colonial BancGroup, a $23 billion bank holding company with more than 320 offices in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Nevada and Texas. The Colonial BancGroup is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol CNB and is located online at www.colonial bank.com.
Leadership Palm Beach County Begins Yearlong 2008 Program
Leadership Palm Beach County launched its 24th year of leadership learning Aug.17-18 with the opening retreat for its Class of 2008. Forty-five local leaders started on a journey to increase their understanding of countywide issues and improve their ability to lead effectively during a weekend of team-building and leadership-development exercises. The class completed its first session day — focusing on Palm Beach County civics, government and history — on Sept. 12.
Led by 2008 co-chairs Brian Edwards, Nellie King and Jack Lansing, Leadership Palm Beach County’s adult program is an interactive community leadership development program designed to provide participants with a foundation for lifelong commitment to effective community leadership. Delivered over a ten-month period, the thought-provoking curriculum provides leadership capacitybuilding skills framed around countywide issues. Graduates can join the alumni association in order to continue their lifelong commitment to the program while staying connected and encouraging colleagues to take part in this unique educational experience.
Each year, a select group of people residing or working in Palm Beach County is exposed to the social, economic and political issues facing the county
through participation in the Leadership Palm Beach County program. Experiential knowledge is provided via lectures, site visits, discussions, simulations and other activities.
Discussions with key community leaders uncover the factors affecting critical decision-making and the future of the county. Each class day is coordinated by a different group of alumni volunteers, allowing for enhanced networking opportunities with presenters and community experts as
well as graduates of the program.
FOCUS, Leadership Palm Beach County’s three-day condensed version of the year-long program, will take place Jan. 17, 24 and 25. Applications for FOCUS will be available late October 2007.
To receive an application or more information about Leadership Palm Beach County, call the Leadership Palm Beach County offices at (561) 7905722 or visit www.leadership pbc.org.
Michelle Haines
Community Leaders — The Leadership Palm Beach County Board of Governors for 2007-08.
RPB Chiropractor Pitches In For Troops Through Operation DVD
A Royal Palm Beach-based chiropractor is reaching out to soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan by giving them something to watch. Dr. Scott Snyder has been collecting DVDs and sending them to troops in the war zone.
Snyder said he found out about it through a program called Operation DVD at www.operationdvd.net.
“There is a huge demand for movies among the soldiers, marines, sailors and airmen,” Snyder said. “We have already shipped hundreds of movies and are gathering more all the time. There is a lot of downtime there. Despite the fact it’s a war environment, when you get away from the conflict you need time to regroup and time to relax, and from what Operation DVD has told me, there is a never ending need. They are always getting more names of people looking for movies than they can possibly fill.”
Snyder said the thank-you letters from the soldiers show they’re grateful for anything that connects them with people back home. He said he is hoping that other groups and people will start to gather DVDs too. Soldiers like to watch just about everything, Snyder said, and the movies can be either brand-new or used but in good condition.
As a special incentive for those wanting to support the troops, during the month of September Snyder offered a complimentary first visit as a thank-you for the donation of two
DVDs to anyone looking into chiropractic and how it might help them.
“This way they can make an informed decision about their healthcare and at the same time help this worthy cause,” Snyder said.
Dr. Snyder’s office is located at 11328 Okeechobee Blvd. in Royal Plaza North. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call (561) 798-8899.
PBC Tax Collector Institutes A New Customer Service System
Palm Beach County Tax Collector
Anne Gannon has introduced a new customer queuing system designed to reduce wait time for services. The West Palm Beach branch is the first branch to implement the new system.
Clients register with a receptionist and are given a ticket based on the service they are seeking. Clients are then directed to a seated waiting area and are called upon based on their ticket number.
“This new system makes a visit to our office fast, efficient and comfortable for our clients,” Gannon said.
“The new system is mutually beneficial for the clients and the Tax Collec-
tor’s Office,” downtown West Palm Beach Branch Manager James McConnell said. “Clients are seated in a comfortable atmosphere and directed to the appropriate employee for expedient service. The Tax Collector’s Office is able to collect performance data, such as transaction time and real-time service demand, to set companywide service standards.”
Plans are underway for the construction of a play area to accommodate parents conducting business with their children present. For more information about the Palm Beach County Tax Collector’s office, visit www.taxcollectorpbc.com.
Business Bash At Seminole Ridge
Seminole Ridge High School’s Business Partners in Action will host a business bash on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at 5:30 p.m. in the school auditorium. Events will include presentations by Principal Dr. Lynne McGee and Academies Director John Walker, as well as entertainment by students. Business Partners in Action invites business people to bring along a business associates interested in partnering with the high school through speaking to students, internships, job shadowing, job opportunities, field trip opportunities, adopting clubs, classes or sports. For more information, or to RSVP, e-mail walkerjo@palmbeachk12.fl.us or wprobst605@bellsouth.net, or call (561) 422-2600.
Dr. Scott Snyder
Moving Company
Celebrates Anniversary
Two Men and a Truck, a home and business moving company, is proud to announce the second anniversary of its West Palm Beach-area franchise.
Joel and Janelle Dowley opened the franchise, which serves all of Palm Beach County, in 2005, completing their first move in July of that year. In 2006, the franchise completed hundreds of home and business moves.
Originally from suburban Lansing, Michigan, the corporate headquarters of Two Men and a Truck, the Dowleys first used Two Men and a Truck, for their personal moving needs in 1986. Pleased with the service they received, Two Men and a Truck stuck in their minds for years.
Joel Dowley was an attorney in Lansing until 1983, when he left his practice to join his family’s manufacturing business. The family sold that business in 2002, and the Dowleys decided to start their own Two Men and a Truck franchise, considering locations across the United States before choosing Palm Beach County. “We were impressed with the quality and character of the organization and its strong commitment to outstanding customer service,” Joel said.
During the past two years, the Dowleys, who live in West Palm Beach, demonstrated their commitment to their new community by offering Two Men and a Truck moving services free of charge to various local non-profit organizations including Families First, the Loggerhead Marinelife Center, Forgotten Soldiers, CROS and the Palms West Chamber of Commerce Annual Holiday Parade and Food Drive benefiting Palm Beach Harvest.
Two Men and a Truck is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of the Palm Beaches, the Palms West Chamber of Commerce, the Jupiter-Tequesta-Juno
Beach Chamber of Commerce and the Executive Club of West Palm Beach.
“Our desire to serve the local community goes well beyond providing outstanding and reliable moving services and supplies,” Janelle said. “We truly care about giving back and feel fortunate to be in a position to do so.”
Two Men and a Truck started in the early 1980s as a way for two brothers to make extra money while they were in high school. Now, more than 20 years later, the company has grown to more than 200 locations worldwide.
Brothers Brig and Jon Sorber started moving people in the Lansing, Michigan area using an old pickup truck. They had their mother, Mary Ellen Sheets, develop a logo to put in a community newspaper. That stick-men logo still rests on every truck, sign and advertisement.
After the brothers left for college, Sheets continued to field calls for moving services while she also worked at a full-time data-processing job with the State of Michigan. In 1985, she decided to make things official by purchasing a 14-foot truck for $350 and hiring a pair of movers. In 1989, Sheets awarded the first location outside Michigan to her daughter, Melanie Bergeron in Atlanta, Ga. When the company reached 39 franchises, Sheets asked Bergeron to assume the role of company president.
Two Men and a Truck’s long track record of aggressive growth continues under Bergeron’s leadership. Her accomplishments have been showcased on the cover of Franchising World magazine and in numerous other publications.
Two Men and a Truck is the nation’s first and largest local moving franchise. Known as the “movers who care,” the company is committed to exceeding customer expectations. All franchises offer a full range of home and business moving services as well as boxes and packing supplies. For more information, visit www.twomen.com.
Magazine Publisher Launches ‘EZ Tour’
According to the National Association of Realtors, 88 percent of all Internet home buyers rate photos and virtual tours as very important in their search. Recognizing the need for agents to better attract buyers in current market conditions, Homes & Land magazine recently announced the launch of its EZ Tour, which offers key product differences and agent benefits.
The Homes & Land EZ Tour automatically converts a listing with six or more photos into a 30- to 60-second online tour and requires no further production.
Additionally, unlike many online visual tour products available, the Homes & Land EZ Tour does not require agents to have or purchase any special cameras, equipment or software. It will be available to agents who advertise their listings through any of the company’s nationwide network of franchisees.
The tour’s effect is similar to the one used by filmmaker Ken Burns in his popular documentary on the Civil War. The automatic application seamlessly produces zoom-in/out and panning applications that put the listing in motion. Realtors can easily add more information or change music options if they desire. While this photo/video effect has been utilized in the real estate industry, Homes & Land EZ Tour offers it productionfree and simplified for agents.
Realtors benefit further since the company allows their Homes & Land EZ Tour to be posted to personal web sites and to other popular real estate web sites. This strategic approach ensures that the listing is accessible and seen through a comprehensive and effective array of print and online mediums.
“Photos and virtual tours are necessary for creating impact and this is especially important in today’s buyer’s
market,” Homes & Land Affiliates CEO Pat Nadler said. “However, we know that agents shouldn’t have to be experts or spend a lot of money on technology when working with a comprehensive marketing company.”
The company’s exclusive production system enables agents’ magazine ads to automatically populate its web site. In turn, www.homesandland.com shares its listing content with 26 other major web sites creating added value for advertisers.
In addition to its magazines and online marketing programs, the company’s marketing mix offers agent relocation, client contact and direct mail programs, as well as a variety of ancillary tools, such as AdEssential, a free, customizable personal web site for Realtors.
Homes & Land believes that their online products are necessary in today’s consumer-driven market and are also in line with the company’s focus on attracting the upscale market. “Higher-end buyers expect robust web content and online tours are just one way we meet our objective of attracting this consumer to our brand,” Homes & Land Affiliates Chief Marketing Officer Rob Wicker said.
The company’s median listing price is $472,000, well above the national median. According to Hitwise, 50 percent of consumers who visit www.homes andland.com have household incomes in excess of $100,000.
Headquartered in Tallahassee, Homes & Land prints and distributes more than 67 million magazines annually under the banner of its 343 affiliated magazines reaching over 30,000 communities throughout the United States and Canada.
Send news items to: The Town-Crier, 12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414. Fax: (561) 7936090. E-mail: news@goTownCrier.com.
SRHS DISABLED STUDENTS LEARN A FEW TRADES AT HOME DEPOT
In honor of Disability Mentoring and Employment Awareness Month, the Home Depot on State Road 7 hosted mentally disabled students from Seminole Ridge High School on Oct. 3. Archer Disability Foundation president and founder Rose Lee Archer joined Home Depot employees to give students a first-hand account of what it takes to work in the store’s various departments. Everyone got a free lunch and a goody bag, and was taught how to apply for a job. For more information about the Archer Disability Foundation, call (561) 241-7987 or e-mail roseleea@aol.com.
PHOTOS
Doug Duggan, assistant manager Glenda Ortiz and store manager Jim Delaney with goody bags for the kids.
Construction Department head Al Stevens demonstrates the importance of wearing goggles while cutting wood.
Lunch was donated by Smokey Bones in Wellington. Charlie Martinez shows students the paint mixing machine.
Human Resource Manager Nicole St. Pierre-Evers and Rose Lee Archer.
Students visit the garden department and learn how to pot plumosa plants.
I Took A Wide Detour To India To Solve A Case Of Robbery
A couple of weeks ago I told you about my motherin-law’s illness. Because of this situation, I got a new job. I am now her bookkeeper. I pay all her bills and try to balance her checkbook, even though no one else has tried that in the last four years. Believe me, the checkbook is a horror story all its own.
I also sort through her mail, throw away the junk mail and take a close look at the important mail. My mother-in-law gets more junk mail than anyone I know. You name the charity, she gets mail from them. Looking at her checkbook, I found the reason. I think she has given money to every charity in the country. If she lives to be 200 years old, she’ll never use all the free return address labels that have been sent her way. My mother-in-law has been a very religious person all the time I’ve known her. A few weeks ago when I asked her about all the donations she has made through the years, she told me scripture says you should only spend enough money on yourself for basic housing and food. Extra money should be given to people who need to be cared for. I am still looking for that verse. Anyway, I also noticed my mother-in-law pays a lot of her bills electronically. I thought this was a good
Wondering And Wandering
With Ernie Zimmerman
thing for her until I noticed her credit card bill and compared it to her checking statement. The credit card company took $52 out of my mother-in-law’s checking account. The problem I have is the fact that she didn’t owe them any money. She had a zero balance. I consider it a robbery. They stole her money.
I called the credit card company, and of course I got hooked up with some dude in India. Even though he spoke English, it was very hard for me to understand him. He didn’t have a problem that the company took the money. When he finally realized I wasn’t on the account, he wanted to hang up on me. I asked for his supervisor at least ten times before he put me through
to one. I think he put me through only because he overheard my wife calling the police to report a theft. Lucky for me, the supervisor was located in Utah. He told me what needed to be done to get the $52 back. Could he just deposit the money back into the checking account they took it out of? Of course that couldn’t be done. It would’ve been too “EZ.”
The next day we reported the incident to the bank. They were much more helpful than the charge card company. At least the bank was in my neighborhood and everyone there spoke English that I could understand. Lucky for us my wife is joint holder of this account, so the bank has been very “EZ” to work with.
The bottom line is we still haven’t gotten the money back, but I do see some light at the end of the tunnel.
On the other hand, the home healthcare insurance my mother-in-law has been paying $5,000 a year for is a story just waiting to be told. It really is a shame how some folks in our country make a living by ripping off the greatest generation this country ever saw. I guess some folks just don’t care how they make a living. I wonder if they can look themselves in the mirror at the end of their workday. Shame on them.
October Is The Month To Prepare Your Landscape For Winter
There are many things you need to do in the fall to insure your landscape goes into the winter in good condition. Plants going into winter unhealthy or in a weakened condition are much more susceptible to cold weather and take longer to grow back the following spring.
One of the most important is to do your fall fertilizing this month. Every single plant in the landscape and turfgrass areas should receive a good feeding during the month of October, or no later than the first week in November.
Many fertilizers are made for particular groups of plants such as palms, fruit trees and acid-loving plants. By using the right fertilizer you will probably get better results than by just using a general fertilizer, but even general fertilizers will give good results if applied regularly. Too many people, unfortunately, do not fertilize either often enough or as gener-
ously as the plant actually requires. Plants that are constantly under-fertilized will eventually slow down their growth and flower and fruit production, and will also be in a more weakened condition.
Tests have shown the best way to apply dry fertilizer is to spread it evenly over the surface of the soil around the plants, or better yet with a spreader over the entire landscape. With larger trees, the fertilizer should be applied out as far as the branches extend and even slightly farther, since the roots often can go beyond the diameter of the tree canopy. Shrubs and hedges should also have the fertilizers applied out as far as the branches extend for best results.
In heavily mulched areas, simply apply fertilizers over the top of the mulch and rainfall or irrigation will wash it through. Some people water mulched areas after fertilizing to help the fertilizer
get through more quickly.
Container plants can be fertilized either by adding a soluble or liquid fertilizer to the water, or using a slow-release or time-release dry fertilizer that will feed for several months and can be applied only once or twice a year.
Plants that are not being fertilized right or often enough will let you know over time. They will start to develop pale, yellowed leaves and slow down their flowering and fruit production. Any time you can see green veins in a leaf which normally should be an even shade of green, that’s a sign of trouble and means that you’re not fertilizing enough with the types of fertilizers the plant needs.
Make sure your fertilizers also have micro-nutrients, which although needed in small quantities are very essential for proper plant growth. In our area, iron, manganese and magnesium are often ei-
ther absent from fertilizers or present in insufficient amounts. Sometimes you have to add supplements of these micro-nutrients to your regular fertilizing practices to insure that plants get the amounts they need.
If you’re not sure what types of fertilizers specific plants need, you can get some helpful advice from the Palm Beach County Extension Service’s Horticultural Hotline during normal business hours 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
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CLEANERS RESIDENTIAL FT — Car required, Pd. Training. North and West Palm Beach Cty. Up to $10/hr Start. 561-756-2282
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ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT TO DE-
VELOPMENT DIRECTOR — For small local children’s hands on Charitable Organization, 20 hours a week. Work from home- must be proficient in Microsoft Excel. Attend fundraising events, meet with healthcare professionals, telephone and mail correspondence. Please fax resume 561-383-7207 or e-mail michela@littlesmiles.org for immediate consideration.
TUTORING CLUB — is expanding needs P.T. upper level Mathematics instructor. Please call 561-784-4434
INSURANCE CSR — needed for Wellington office. 440 Lic. or experience preferred. Fax resume with qualifications to 561-214-6165
PEST CONTROL TECH NEEDED — salary plus commission, paid holidays/ benefits/FT. Experience preferred/will train 561-791-0263 or apply in person at 11360 Fortune Circle. E-13, Wellington WANTED – F/T BABYSITTER — in my Wellington home for 2 and 3 year old. References / background check. Call (954) 734-0670 after 6:00 P.M.
$10/Hr PART TIME INSURANCE ASSISTANT — In Wellington Office. 15-20 hrs/week in AM. Office experience preferred but will train. Good computer skills a must. Fax resume to 561-790-0566.
MANAGEMENT LEVEL PERSON — for Dental Practice with customer service experience. Good Salary. Fax resume to 561-969-1668
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CHRYSLER SEABRING CONVERTIBLE — 2004 white with black top and charcoal interior.42,000 accident free miles, garage kept, auto, air, am/fm/cd/tape. Asking $13,995/obo call 309-4406
MERCEDES BENZ 560SL 1987 CLASSIC SPORTS CAR — with only 114,000 miles is in showroom condition white with navy top and interior and has a white hard top and stand. Asking $13,995/obo call 309-4406
ABUSED DOG — Desperately seeking safe, loving, forever home. “Bella” young female pointer mix. Sweet disposition socializes well with other pets. Please open your home and heart. Fully vetted. Inquiries 561-632-6144
SHIH TZU PUPPY’S
NEED HELP CLEANING? — We clean your house, your office, etc. Call us for reliable, responsible and immediate service. Eddie. 876-2120
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
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. 561-7135276 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
THE HANDYMAN CAN! — Craftsman with years of experience. Repairs, water damage, painting, wall/ceiling, texturing, moldings, flooring, organizers, plumbing, tile. Remodeling bath/kitchens. Big Savings on outdoor kitchen & bar using your grill or just hang a fan. Make your repair HONEY DO LIST. I show up & want your return business. References. Hourly/job. Call Greg 561531-3141 ANMAR CO. –James’ All Around
have me back! Lic. Ins. Certified
dential Contractor CRC 1327426 561248-8528 *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
LITL AUDIO/VIDEO SERVICE — specializing in Home Theatre Installation
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
BOB NICHOLS PAINTING — Serving the Palm Beaches for 19 years. Quality interior & exterior finishes. 561-248-6070.
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
WYRE ELECTRIC — For all your electrical needs. Panel upgrades, installations, repairs, lightening protection, troubleshooting. Licensed, Insured, Free Estimates. 561-313-0134
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
ellite Services and communications. “I will Beat Retailer’s cost & Installation fees”! Call George for immediate service at 954-263-4189 561-784-4858 Office. Res./Comm. Lic. & Ins.
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.
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
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.
HOMESCHOOLING? - Include music education! Piano lessons give your child the basics of music and a sense of accomplishment. Call Miss Sharon 7902906.
