COVID-19 CASES CONTINUE TO DECLINE SEE STORY, PAGE 3
WELLINGTON CARES ANNUAL LUNCHEON SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 8
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Wellington Seeks Ways To Partner With Palm Beach State College
Volume 42, Number 23 October 22 - November 4, 2021
Serving Palms West Since 1980
WELLINGTON ROTARY PEACE AWARD
The Wellington Village Council heard a presentation from Palm Beach State College President Ava Parker on Tuesday, Oct. 12. Parker, a resident of Wellington with children attending local schools, discussed ways that the college and the village can partner on programs. Page 3
Wellington Council Cuts Phase-In For New Fence, Hedge Rules
The Wellington Village Council gave initial approval Tuesday, Oct. 12 to a new set of rules governing the appearance of fences, walls and hedges in the community. However, while approving the zoning text amendment, the council decided that the proposed seven-year phase-in schedule was too long, cutting it back to five years. Page 4
Rather than holding its traditional ceremony commemorating the International Day of Peace last month, the Wellington Rotary Club held a dinner at the Wanderers Club on Thursday, Oct. 7 to celebrate its peace initiative. At the meeting, the 2021 Wellington Rotary Peace Award was presented to Anne Caroline Valtin, executive director of the Great Charity Challenge. Shown above, Valtin receives the award from Randy Pfeiffer and Tom Carreras. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 18 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Halloween Fun At Wellington’s Annual Fall Festival At Village Park
After a year off due to the pandemic, the Village of Wellington held its Halloween-themed Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 16 at Village Park on Pierson Road. Kids enjoyed bounce houses, a petting zoo and laser tag. Costume contests were held for various age groups throughout the day. Page 13
Kicker Hayden Gray Helps Hawks Defeat Sebastian River
The emphasis on special teams was never more apparent than late in the fourth quarter on Friday, Oct. 15 when Seminole Ridge High School played Sebastian River High School at Callery-Judge Stadium. With 1:06 left in the fourth quarter, with the ball sitting on Sebastian River’s 20-yard line, the game’s final outcome rested on the shoulders and right leg of Seminole Ridge senior placekicker Hayden Gray. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 SPORTS......................... 21 - 23 PEOPLE..........................24 - 25 SCHOOLS.............................. 26 BUSINESS............................. 29 COLUMNS............................. 30 CLASSIFIEDS.................31 - 32 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Westlake Will Oppose Acreage Incorporation At Delegation Meeting
By Louis Hillary Park Town-Crier Staff Report A delegation from the City of Westlake will be on hand to oppose Acreage incorporation efforts by some Indian Trail Improvement District residents when they meet with the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation on Thursday, Oct. 28. “I believe the [ITID group] has done a number of things outside their authorization,” said Westlake City Manager Kenneth Cassel regarding 2021’s Florida House Bill 1185, which allowed ITID to conduct a feasibility study on incorporation. “They’ve changed. Their going down another direction within the statues... They’ve moved things around, and I have concerns over the whole process.” The issue came up at the Monday, Oct. 11 meeting of the Westlake City Council.
Rather than taking the idea of incorporation to the ITID voters before going to the legislature, as he believes was authorized, Cassel said that the ITID group is going to the legislature and then bringing it back to the voters. “They want to [change the rules] to get them where they want to go,” he said. ITID President Betty Argue disagreed with Cassel’s interpretation of the legislation. “The citizens have the right to move forward,” she told the Town-Crier, noting, however, that she is speaking only as an interested citizen and not as ITID president, since the ITID board is no longer officially involved with incorporation efforts. Via consensus, the Westlake council agreed that Cassel and Mayor Roger Manning, and perhaps other council members, should attend the session at the Clayton E. Hutcheson Building
at 559 N. Military Trail in West Palm Beach. State Rep. Rick Roth (R-District 85) plans to introduce an incorporation legislation to the county delegation during the meeting. “We’re going to monitor the process,” Cassel said, “[and] we’re going to speak our piece.” Manning said that he has concerns with the incorporation effort. “This is not a position we would normally want to be in,” he said, “but this could affect the city in a way that would be detrimental... We have to do what we have to do.” Traffic is the major rub between Westlake and its nearly concurrent Seminole Improvement District, and Indian Trail, particularly Westlake’s desire to connect to 140th Avenue North. There already is ongoing litigation between the See WESTLAKE, page 14
Wellington Zoners Discuss Limited Use Of Artificial Turf
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report On Wednesday, Oct. 13, Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board discussed the use of artificial turf in place of grass in commercial and residential areas where grass does not seem to grow well. Senior Planner Damian Newell said that artificial turf is being requested more frequently in the village and provided information on the pros and cons of its use. Current regulations limit the installation of artificial turf to governmental use, Newell said, but the village has seen an increase in the use of artificial turf on residential lots and within commercial centers. On Sept. 28, the Wellington Village Council approved a zoning-in-progress moratorium
on processing applications for the installation of artificial turf for 180 days to allow time for research and to draft code enforcement regulations. Newell said that the newer artificial turf is less abrasive and less toxic than previous versions and looks more like natural grass. The newer turf is also more durable, especially in areas where natural grass tends to wear down. The disadvantages are that the artificial turf does increase the temperature in the area that it is used. “Compared to natural grass, it’s shown to be 40 degrees Fahrenheit higher,” Newell said. Artificial turf also leads to an increase in stormwater runoff, increasing the potential of flooding. “Much of it has to do with how it’s installed,” Newell said. “It also
has some water quality concerns. It is made of synthetic material and that does give off some toxic elements, especially when it’s in the sun.” He said there are no ecosystem benefits and there is a loss of water retention, water recharge capability, oxygen generation and wildlife benefit. “It doesn’t benefit them in any way,” Newell said, adding that a potential user should look to the latest generations of artificial turf, which generate fewer toxins. There is a potential for odor buildup, especially for residences with animals, necessitating regular maintenance. Because it is considered a hard surface, there is a potential for additional noise in the space, he See TURF, page 14
ITID Board Has Concerns With Plan For Charter School
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors did not react well Wednesday, Oct. 20 to a presentation on a proposed charter school between Northlake and Hamlin boulevards near 140th Avenue North. Land planner Josh Nichols, representing the planned Avocado/ Northlake public charter school to be located on the western 16-acre portion of the total 34-acre site, said the school will be for grades six through 12. “This follows the same process with Palm Beach County, so we’re going through a site plan approval process,” Nichols said. “It’s an administrative process with them. We are probably about three to four months in. This follows everything that a Palm Beach County school would go through in terms of the entrance standards, which are the school-required standards at the state level.” He said the state standards include the parking ratio and the buffers, or the lack thereof, although he said the plan includes a 15-foot buffer on Hamlin, separating it from a residential area. “The county has an interlocal agreement with the school board, so as long as you have a charter with the school board, you are treated as though you are a public school,” Nichols said, explaining that he and his associates were at the meeting to present the school from a traffic, utility and drainage standpoint. He said the school would accommodate 1,500 students and access would be from Hamlin Blvd. “We’re not permitted to have our access from Northlake,” Nichols said. Brian Kelley, a traffic engineer with Simmons & White Engineering, said the plan is trying to mitigate the traffic impact to ensure that it does not cause additional issues for residents in The Acreage. “We’re proposing an eastbound left turn lane and a westbound right turn lane into our site to help get vehicles off of Hamlin Blvd.,” he said. In addition, there is a proposed large four-lane stacking area with-
in the school property to keep vehicles from stacking on Hamlin Blvd. “We can accommodate a lot of vehicles on site,” he said. “It’s about 160 vehicles we can accommodate in the school queue line.” He anticipates the county will require an additional westbound turn lane at Hamlin and another at a proposed access on 140th Avenue North, adding that school attendance times will be staggered to reduce the traffic impact. Supervisor Keith Jordano said he was not happy with the proximity of the school site to homes on the south side of Hamlin Blvd. “I do not like the idea that they will wake up in the morning and see buses and all of these cars in front if their house,” Jordano said. “I think you need to put a buffer and distance off Hamlin.” Nichols said they go by the state requirements for educational facilities. “They don’t require any buffers at all for schools,” he said. “What we have provided along Hamlin, because we knew that would be of concern, is a 15-foot landscape buffer along the entire south boundary… We are providing that buffer where there is not one required.” Supervisor Joni Martin said she would like to get more information about the buffer and the school itself. Nichols said that right now, the school will be a public charter school, looking to open in the summer of 2023. ITID President Betty Argue asked who is requiring that access be on Hamlin Blvd., and Nichols said that is part of Palm Beach County’s land development code. “For most projects, you are required to access the minor or lesser of the roadways,” he said. “In this particular circumstance, Hamlin Blvd. versus Northlake Blvd.” Argue said that the county’s code does not apply to Hamlin Blvd., which is a district roadway. “Hamlin Blvd. is not a county road, so I’d like to state that for the record,” she said. “We have a problem throughout the district with all of the schools and the backup of traffic on the roadways, See SCHOOL, page 4
Armas Leaving RPBHS To Lead John I. Leonard
By Joshua Manning Town-Crier Staff Report The School District of Palm Beach County announced Wednesday, Oct. 20 that Dr. Jesús Armas, principal at Royal Palm Beach High School since 2010, would be transferred to John I. Leonard High School to serve as the new principal at the Greenacres school. At 11 years, Armas is the longest-serving RPBHS principal by far. Due to his successes at the school, Armas was named the 2020 Principal of the Year for the School District of Palm Beach County. At John I. Leonard, Armas replaces Melissa Patterson, who was recently named the district’s
director of multicultural education and migrant education programs. Armas lives in Loxahatchee with his wife Teresa and their son Daniel, a 2021 Royal Palm Beach High School graduate. The son of Cuban political refugees and a native of Belle Glade, Armas graduated in 1986 from the University of Miami. He earned a bachelor’s degree with a major in chemistry and a minor in biology. In the early part of his career, he taught science classes while also coaching basketball. In 1999, Armas headed to Jupiter High School, where he became the school’s athletic director. During this time, he also attended See ARMAS, page 4
Wellington Awards $400,000 In Grants To Schools
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council awarded a total of $399,993 in Keely Spinelli grants of $36,363 each to Wellington’s 11 public schools on Tuesday, Oct. 12. “This is the eighth year with our Keely Spinelli grant presentation,” Wellington Community Services Director Paulette Edwards said. “The Wellington Education Committee came to the council in June 2013 and looked at the need for partnering with our schools, and they requested that the council develop a grant program, and the council funded this Keely Spinelli grant. It is to support the needs of our students who perform in the lowest 25th percentile in reading and math.”
The council named the grant program after the late Keely Spinelli, a beloved educator who served as principal at Binks Forest Elementary School. She died at age 46 in 2008 after a long battle with cancer. “In 2014, it was funded at $275,000,” Edwards said. “This year, fiscal year 2021-22, the council has approved $400,000. Each school is eligible for $36,363.” Vice Mayor John McGovern said the grants are about synergy in the community. “Synergy is an interaction or cooperation that gives rise to a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts,” McGovern said. “When we talk about giving $400,000 of hard-earned taxpayer dollars from our residents to our schools,
The Wellington Village Council presents its annual Keely Spinelli grants to the principals of local public schools. PHOTO COURTESY THE VILLAGE OF WELLINGTON we get true synergy of what the the test scores of the lowest- enable the village to have A-rated Wellington community is about.” performing students and puts in schools. He explained that the program creative programs to raise that “What 11 A-rated schools give enables the village to improve performance, which has helped See GRANTS, page 14