Town-Crier Newspaper October 20, 2023

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HURRICANE DEBRIS SITE IN LOX GROVES SIGN UP FOR WELLINGTON 5K, 10-MILER SEE STORY, PAGE 3 SEE STORY, PAGE 21 THE

TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE Volume 44, Number 21 October 20 - November 2, 2023

Your Community Newspaper

INSIDE

ITID Stands By GL Homes; PBC To Decide Land Swap On Oct. 24

Serving Palms West Since 1980

YOUNG AT HEART CLUB LUNCHEON

Billed with all the urgency of an “emergency special meeting,” the Tuesday, Oct. 10 session of the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors moved at the slow, insistent pace of rising canal water and dealt with much of the same. ITID Vice President Betty Argue pressed for the session to decide whether to send to the Palm Beach County Commission a letter of support or non-support for the GL Homes’ rights swap plan that is scheduled for a final vote Oct. 24. Page 3

The Royal Palm Beach Young at Heart Club gathered for a luncheon Friday, Oct. 6 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. Music was provided by singer Iris Revson, a former Shangri-la member. Revson is shown above entertaining the crowd. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 16 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Hi-Tech Plumbing & Air Takes To The Streets To Fight Breast Cancer

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and Hi-Tech Plumbing & Air held “Beep to Fight Breast Cancer” on Monday, Oct. 16 at three locations across Palm Beach County, including the corner of Forest Hill Blvd. and State Road 7 in Wellington. In recognition of their female owner, Jathy Garcia, who is a 10-year breast cancer survivor, the Hi-Tech team wore pink shirts and held signs to raise money for the cause. They will be donating $10 to breast cancer awareness programs for every person who beeped when passing by. Page 5

Palm Beach Central Remains Undefeated On The Gridiron

As the fall football regular season draws to a close, it’s becoming abundantly clear which teams will or will not be playing in the postseason. One team that will definitely be a playoff participant this year will be the Broncos from Palm Beach Central High School. After seven games, the Broncos (7-0) remain undefeated and are the only undefeated high school football team in Palm Beach County. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 SPORTS......................... 21 - 23 PEOPLE..........................24 - 25 SCHOOLS.............................. 26 BUSINESS............................. 27 COLUMNS............................. 28 CLASSIFIEDS................ 29 - 30 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

Wellington Council Hearings On Controversial Proposals Delayed Until November

By Charles Elmore Town-Crier Staff Report What one Wellington official called maybe the most important vote in the history of the village came with one more last-minute wrinkle earlier this month. On short notice that irked some residents, the Wellington Village Council on Tuesday, Oct. 10 postponed consideration of a blockbuster development plan in horse country until mid-November at the request of a team working with equestrian businessman Mark Bellissimo. The development group, Wellington Lifestyle Partners, said that it has reduced its requests for nearly 450 residential units to just over 200 as part of a bigger-picture plan to double the size of the showgrounds and build a commercial “main street.” Suspense hangs heavy over whether a required four out of five

council members will agree to remove 96 acres from Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Area to make it all happen. Such delays in considering evolving plans from developers are not uncommon, council members said, though the timing in this case did not please some residents who said they re-arranged their schedules to be there. “There was somebody in the crowd I heard say something to the effect of ‘Why? Why are you doing this?’” Councilman Michael Drahos said. “From my point of view, this is one of the most important votes, if not the most important vote in the history of Wellington.” With the stakes viewed as so high, officials said they did not want to rush the issue, even as they acknowledged frustration from people who said they did not learn of the postponement until about an hour before the meeting.

The latest plan is for the council to take up the matter Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m. in the first of as many as three meetings on successive days, if needed. As various people tried to get attention to speak at the Oct. 10 meeting, Mayor Anne Gerwig banged her gavel and threatened to clear the chambers. “I understand that everyone is frustrated,” Gerwig said. “We are not going to have disorder in here.” One person asked if residents would be allowed to vote on the development plan if it is approved by the council. No such referendum on a land-use decision is allowed under state law, though under village rules, removing land from the Equestrian Preserve Area does require a council supermajority, Village Attorney Laurie Cohen said. “I’ve never seen a process so See DELAY, page 4

Residents, Racers Speak Up At Town Hall Meeting Ahead Of GL Homes Vote

By Louis Hillary Park Town-Crier Staff Report It was all about noise — making it, dampening it and avoiding it — at the Monday, Oct. 16 town hall meeting conducted by Palm Beach County Commissioner Sara Baxter at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. Some 275 members of the public attended the session held to provide information and rally support for the proposed ATV park in The Acreage and a racetrack complex off State Road 80/Southern Blvd. at 20-Mile Bend. Baxter said the locations make the “most logical sense” and that she does not believe the facilities would “hinder anyone’s lifestyle.” The plan is part of a larger rights swap proposal involving 4,872 acres owned by GL Homes northwest of The Acreage and 682 acres of the Hyder West property, also owned by GL, along State Road 7 west of Delray Beach and Boca Raton. The swap would cut construction on GL’s Indian Trails Grove land by about one-third and avoid as many as 16,000 trips per day on area roads, said GL Homes Vice President Alan Fant, who was on hand to share a slide presentation. “If the swap goes through, it gives us the best opportunity for this [racetrack at 20-Mile Bend] to happen,” Baxter said. The crucial Palm Beach County Commission vote is scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 24, and those for and against the swap, the ATV park and raceway were urged to come out and make some orderly noise of their own. Madelyn Marconi, who was ac-

tive in the failed effort to save the Palm Beach International Raceway, told the numerous racing enthusiasts present that Tuesday’s vote is “very important” in terms of freeing up the 120-acre parcel for a new racetrack complex, and urged those who can to attend the county commission meeting. Cody Savage, southeast division director of the National Hot Rod Association, read a prepared statement in support of the racetrack plan. The biggest concern expressed by some two-dozen people coming to the microphones during public comment was the noise they fear will be generated near the Santa Rosa Groves neighborhood in the Indian Trail Improvement District and the Arden community near the proposed raceway. “Nowhere in the U.S. is an ATV park located within a mile of residential land,” said William Derks, a Santa Rosa Groves resident, who called the proposed 200-acre park next to his neighborhood “a cruel imposition.” Derks’ wife, Young, said the park would “crush our small community.” Rob Watson said while he is an ATV owner, he moved to Santa Rosa Groves three years ago for peace and quiet. “I don’t want it in my backyard,” he said. Several Arden residents said they already can hear gunshots from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Training Center firing range next to the site of the proposed racetrack some two miles away. “A dragster is like a jet engine going off,” said one Arden See TOWN HALL, page 4

ROYAL PALM BEACH’S ROCK N FALL FESTIVAL

Filing Deadlines For Municipal Elections Are Coming Up Soon

By Joshua Manning Town-Crier Staff Report There are elections scheduled this March in four local municipalities, and the deadlines to file for council seats are coming up soon. All county municipalities were asked by the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Office to move their local elections to Tuesday, March 19, 2024, to be held concurrently with Florida’s Presidential Preference Primary. Furthermore, due to the requirements of state law, municipalities must report candidate lists to the Supervisor of Elections Office before the end of November. Municipal elections are sched-

uled this cycle in the Village of Wellington, the Village of Royal Palm Beach, the Town of Loxahatchee Groves and the City of Westlake. While Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee Groves have seats up for election every year, Wellington and Westlake only hold elections every other year. WELLINGTON Three members of the Wellington Village Council are not seeking re-election to their current seats due to term limits. Each of the available seats has generated several potential candidates. The candidate qualifying period for Wellington’s March 19 election begins at noon on Tuesday, Nov.

7 and ends at noon on Tuesday, Nov. 21. As of now, nine candidates have filed paperwork to run for one of the three seats. Filing the initial paperwork does not guarantee a candidate will complete the rest of the requirements to qualify for the ballot. Seat 1 is being vacated by Councilman Michael Drahos. As of this week, two candidates have filed initial paperwork to run for Seat 1: Bob Margolis and John “Jay” Carl Webber. Seat 4 is being vacated by Vice Mayor Michael Napoleone. As of this week, four candidates have filed initial paperwork to run for See ELECTIONS, page 4

The Village of Royal Palm Beach held its annual Rock N Fall Festival on Friday, Oct 6 and Saturday, Oct. 7 at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park. The event included an array of musicians on stage, along with fun fall-themed events, such as carnival games and rides, a corn maze, pumpkin carving and costume contests. Shown above is Monica Kelemen with Benjamin. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 18 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

RPB Bids Farewell To Longtime Parks & Rec Director Lou Recchio

Mayor Fred Pinto, Parks & Recreation Director Lou Recchio and Village Manager Ray Liggins.

PHOTO COURTESY THE VILLAGE OF ROYAL PALM BEACH

By Callie Sharkey Town-Crier Staff Report A fixture in the Village of Royal Palm Beach for 30 years, Royal Palm Beach Parks & Recreation Director Lou Recchio will retire this month, leaving behind a parks and recreation system considered by many to be the crown jewel of the community. And just about every park and program run by the village has been created, expanded or improved during Recchio’s tenure. Recchio’s association with the village started years before he was first hired in October 1993. In 1986, he helped start a nonprofit association that ran the first youth baseball program in Royal Palm Beach, quickly followed by youth

softball and youth soccer leagues. From 1988 to 1993, Recchio worked as assistant recreation director for Wellington’s Acme Improvement District before a job opened up in his home community of Royal Palm Beach. By 1995, Recchio had been promoted to director of the Parks & Recreation Department, which at the time was going through a growth spurt as Royal Palm Beach transitioned from a sleepy retirement community to a village teeming with young families. Ever since, he has held the reins through changes and challenges with a grateful, down-to-earth attitude. A party to honor Recchio and celebrate his retirement was held Friday, Oct. 13. The village will

bid farewell to this visionary icon on Wednesday, Oct. 25, which will be Recchio’s last day on the job. Recchio has spent 40 years as a Royal Palm Beach resident and knows that the community will always be his home. His family, from children to greatgrandchildren, are all local. That local connection is part of why he dedicated so much time and energy to helping the village develop into a place anyone would want to live. “Royal Palm Beach still has that hometown feeling. To have the mayor stop in your office and talk is not unusual,” he said, adding that council members dropping by did not always mean problems. “It has been really good. The supSee RECCHIO, page 7


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