EARLY VOTING GETS UNDERWAY IN PBC SEE STORY, PAGE 3
FRANKEL FACING TWO CHALLENGERS SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE Wellington Village Council Honors Top Cop And Top Firefighter
Volume 41, Number 25 October 23 - November 5, 2020
Serving Palms West Since 1980
CREEPY CRAWL IN WELLINGTON
The Wellington Village Council met Tuesday, Oct. 13 to present its Top Cop award to Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Scott Poritz and its Top Firefighter award to Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Capt. Craig Dube. Page 3
Acreage Resident Launches Company Mass Producing Masks
Acreage resident Mike Erickson, a former Indian Trail Improvement District supervisor and owner of the Riviera Beachbased Canvas Designers, has branched into the personal protective equipment (PPE) industry with the manufacture of consumer and medical-grade masks. Page 4
With A New Format, Flavors 2020 Was A Smashing Success
It was a fun time on Thursday, Oct. 8 for all those who participated in Flavors 2020, the annual showcase of restaurants in Wellington. As in past years, this special event was organized by the Wellington Chamber of Commerce. Page 8
New Season For RPB Green Market & Bazaar
The Royal Palm Beach Green Market & Bazaar opened for the season on Saturday, Oct. 10 held lakeside at Village Hall at the corner of Okeechobee and Royal Palm Beach Boulevards. The market runs Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Page 13
The Village of Wellington offered a free Fall “Creepy Crawl” Drive-Thru Experience at Village Park on Saturday, Oct. 17. Staff and volunteers dressed in scary costumes to entertain visitors young and old. Candy and goodies were given out to 1,500 kids. The event proved so popular that it reached its capacity earlier than expected and some attendees had to be turned away. Shown above Wellington staff members donned scary costumes for the event. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 18 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Zoners Support 64-Acre Lotis Multi-Use Project Despite Protests
By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board supported zoning and land use changes for the 64.02-acre Lotis Wellington Green project on Wednesday, Oct. 14 despite several protests lodged by neighbors of the new mixed-use development planned for the west side of State Road 7. The Lotis plan takes in four parcels, including some 54 acres used until recently as a mining operation. Long-range plans for that land have been sitting around for decades approved for a 100,000-square-foot medical complex. The proposal would also amend the village’s future land use map from Palm Beach County’s low residential to Wellington’s mixed used on an additional 10.36 acres. That land is also proposed to be rezoned from Palm Beach
County’s public ownership to Wellington’s multiple use planned development. The property is located on the west side of SR 7, approximately one-half mile north of Forest Hill Blvd. Several of the parcels were annexed by Wellington in 2004, with the rest annexed in 2016. The entire project needs a master plan approval to allow a mixed-use project consisting of some 49,000 square feet of restaurant and retail, 2,500 square feet of a financial institution with a drive-thru, 40,000 square feet of medical offices, 16,700 square feet of professional/general office, a congregate living facility, an independent living facility, 191 multi-family rental units, a daycare facility for children, and a 28-acre open space including a lake, dog park and greenway. Village staff determined that the
applicant’s request to amend the land-use and zoning designation meets the criteria of Wellington’s comprehensive plan and the land development regulations. The project was deemed to be compatible with the surrounding area. Senior Planner Damian Newell explained that the congregate living facility is a type three with 150 independent living units and 110 assisted living beds, and the daycare facility is for up to 210 children. The greenway system would be open to the public and would include a multi-use pathway, shade trees, benches, an exercise course and shade structures around the lake. The project will be built in three phases and includes 25 guest parking spaces for users of the greenway park, scheduled for See LOTIS, page 4
RPB Council OKs Cameras, Paving At Commons Park Wolverine Football Squad Gets Ready To Hit The Gridiron
Focused, driven and determined. That’s the best way to summarize the mindset of Wellington High School head football coach Tom Abel as he and his 10 assistant coaches prepare for the start of the delayed 2020 high school football season. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 PEOPLE..........................24 - 25 BUSINESS............................. 27 COLUMNS............................. 28 CLASSIFIEDS................ 29 - 30 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Village Council approved security cameras, parking lot paving and pathway expansions at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park on Thursday, Oct. 15. Village Manager Ray Liggins said the security cameras will be scattered throughout the park, especially in the parking lots, the commons area and the driving range. The cost is not to exceed $150,000. Paving, at a total cost of about $1.3 million, will come primarily from two different funds in the village budget. “One is our recreation fund that is a charge to developers,” Liggins said. “In lieu of dedicating land, they can pay a fee, and we can use that for park improvements.”
That amount would be $300,000. Another source, about $700,000, will be from the sales surtax fund collected from the county. “There are three separate projects at Commons Park,” Liggins said. “Two of them are parking lots, and the third is the widening of the pathway around the south side of the park.” He explained that the existing 12-foot path splits into two 6-foot paths in certain areas. “Those two 6-foot paths really didn’t work well for our 5K,” he said. “We do have a certified 5K route out there. It requires everybody to narrow down from the 12-foot-wide pathway to a 6-footwide pathway, so we’re taking those areas where it narrows down to 6 feet and making it 12 feet all the way around the 5K path.” The other two areas are grass
parking lots that are not holding up well from the traffic. “Our most popular parking lot is the first one you come to right before the sporting center,” Liggins said. “It holds about 20 to 25 cars. The grass lot next to it is one of the next most popular areas to park.” He explained that the village’s grass parking lot ordinance requires that grass parking be infrequent enough that the grass is allowed to grow back. “Clearly, that’s not the case there, so we are paving that parking lot and making it an area for people going to the dog park,” Liggins said. The other area is on the other side of the sporting center in the overflow parking east of the driving range. “If you remember in the budget, See PARK, page 14
Wellington Plans To Codify Rules For Golf Cart Usage
By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report Golf cart usage on Wellington streets and paths has been a perennial discussion, and village officials are studying the issue once again now that the village is in the process of paving a number of new pathways. With a path along Aero Club Drive nearing completion and one along Big Blue Trace set to get underway, village officials are exploring the idea of making the use of such vehicles on village streets and pathways legal and will seek input from the relevant village committees. State law makes it legal to use golf carts on local streets that have a posted speed limit of less than 25 mph. If golf carts are street legal, which is a very different vehicle, it can be on any roadway with a posted speed limit of 35 mph or less, must be driven by a licensed driver, have a license plate on the
golf cart and must meet other motor vehicle requirements. At a recent Wellington Village Council workshop, Village Manager Paul Schofield said that there are two sets of criteria that come into play. The state statute governs having them on public streets, and the village would have to be compliant with that statute, which does not require registration and allows the golf cart driver to be as young as 14 years old. Schofield said that the village can create its own regulations for use on village pathways. This requires an engineering study, which the village has already done. Staff recommended that the maximum speed on pathways not exceed 15 mph, drivers must be licensed, be at least 16 years old and have a Wellington registration sticker. The council gave permission for village staff to present the matter to committees that have a vested See GOLF CARTS, page 14
PAPICHULO NOW OPEN
PapiChulo Tacos, serving Mexican-style street food, celebrated its grand opening on Tuesday, Oct. 13. Located on State Road 7, just south of Okeechobee Blvd. in the Regal Cinemas shopping center, the space pulses happily with a laid-back beach bar vibe. Owners Angelo Abbenante, Scott Frielich and Cleve Mash were on hand to greet guests. Shown above are Samantha Cocchiola and Ashlee Dahringer. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Groves Council Gives Initial OK To New RV Ordinance By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council approved the preliminary reading of an ordinance on Tuesday, Oct. 20 that would regulate recreational vehicles on private property. Although the wording of the ordinance raised some discussion, council members felt that the ordinance was worth approving with further tweaking before the final reading. Councilwoman Phillis Maniglia pointed out that there is no provision for RVs for people who are in the process of developing their property but allows RVs on property with a minimal agricultural structure.
“The reason the RV ordinance is here is mainly because it was being abused by some, and then the equestrians needed it for their industry,” Maniglia said, explaining that some people who have applied for a site plan to build a structure would have no recourse to have an RV while construction is underway. Under the new ordinance, RVs would be allowed on a temporary basis in agricultural districts not to exceed 180 days, and a permit would be required for each vehicle site. No recreational vehicle would be allowed on parcels less than one acre. Two RVs would be allowed on parcels between one and See LOX RVS, page 14
Rebuilt Wellington CVS Building Nears Completion
By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report More than a year after a construction error shut down work on a new CVS Pharmacy building in central Wellington, a completely rebuilt store is nearing completion. Work began on the project in 2018. The problem-plagued project was halted abruptly in May 2019 when an incorrect concrete roof pour developed a cracking issue and the roof fell in, quite literally. While the engineer and contractor working on the building suggested ways to fix the error, the Village of Wellington was concerned that the half-built building would remain structurally unsound.
In the end, numerous deficiencies and the failure of the builder to adhere to the approved plans during the construction process made the building beyond correcting, and the first building had to be torn down completely and the debris removed. Then work began on the building for a second time. Wellington Building Official Jacek Tomasik told the TownCrier at the time that Wellington had worked to get a permanent fix for the dangerous eyesore. The contractor was replaced, and the project began anew. “The work has gone very smoothly with the new contractor,” Tomasik told the Town-Crier last week. “They have followed the approved plans and obtained
all the inspections. There have been no issues, and there should be no problems getting the final approval.” The CVS chain dates back to 1963. Employing more than 200,000 personnel at nearly 10,000 locations, the new Wellington freestanding store replaces a nearby inline location in the same center, Wellington Town Square. The project provided new retail space as part of a phased renovation to the Town Square shopping center. The years-long project provided for the addition of the Provident Jewelry store, Publix was renovated and the Star Liquors store along Forest Hill Blvd. was demolished to allow CVS to reSee PHARMACY, page 14
Lettering has gone up at the main entrance to the new CVS Pharmacy in Wellington.