FILING FOR LOX ELECTION OPENS NOV. 3 SEE STORY, PAGE 3
ARMORY ART CLASSES IN WELLINGTON SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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INSIDE
Lox Council Extends Okee Moratorium, Rejects Draft Overlay
Volume 36, Number 41 October 23 - October 29, 2015
Serving Palms West Since 1980
WELLINGTON HORSE COUNTRY RACE
The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council sent a proposed overlay ordinance with land use amendments for the Okeechobee Blvd. corridor back to town staff Tuesday, saying that it did not accurately reflect what the council and residents want, including for the road to remain two lanes. Page 3
ITID Adds Additional Road Stabilization Methods To Its Policy
The Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors approved an amended roadway stabilization policy for local service roads last week that added two options to its current policy, which previously provided only for paving. Page 7
The 11th annual Wellington Horse Country 10 Miler, Sebastian’s 5K Run and Kids Fun Run took place Sunday, Oct. 18 starting at Tiger Shark Cove Park in Wellington. More than 500 runners took part in a scenic race through Wellington’s horse country to benefit the Kids Cancer Foundation of South Florida. Shown here are Carlos Gracida, Nic Roldan, Taylor Hughes, Darren Marotta and Brandon Phillips after the race. SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 22 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
Decision On RPB Gas Station Project Postponed To Oct. 29
‘A Taste of Italy’ Fundraiser In RPB
Your Bosom Buddies II, a local breast cancer support group, hosted its “A Taste of Italy” fundraiser on Saturday, Oct. 17 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. The event supported Your Bosom Buddies II and Think Pink Kids. Page 13
Sheriff’s Foundation Hosts Golf Tournament
The fourth annual Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Foundation Golf Classic took place Monday, Oct. 12 at the Wanderers Club in Wellington. The event was held to benefit the foundation’s scholarship program. Page 21
OPINION
SR 7 Funding An Important Victory
A year after a devastating delay pushed back the funding for the long-planned State Road 7 connection to Northlake Blvd., there is light at the end of the tunnel. Last week, the Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization approved a fiveyear work program that includes moving $50 million for the proposed extension up to 2017. This is great news for the western communities — and anyone else who cares about a working transportation network. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 15 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 16 SCHOOLS.............................. 17 COLUMNS.......................18, 27 BUSINESS..................... 28 - 29 SPORTS......................... 33 - 35 CALENDAR............................ 36 CLASSIFIEDS.................37 - 40 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
By Paul L. Gaba Town-Crier Staff Report Approval of a new gas station at the northwest corner of Southern and Royal Palm Beach boulevards was postponed two weeks after a Thursday, Oct. 15 meeting featured a contentious debate and allegations that the Royal Palm Beach Village Council was violating state law. The meeting was slated to include a public hearing to consider approving construction of a RaceTrac gas station on two currently unused, adjacent plots of land. However, a presentation by planner Brian Terry of the Wantman Group was interrupted numerous times by members of the public, who offered jeers and catcalls during both his pitch and during attempts to discuss the measure by council members. Adding fuel to the gas station debate was a claim by attorney David Markarian —representing nearly 200 residents opposed to the gas station — that because people attending couldn’t fit into the Village Meeting Hall building to witness the discussion, the board could be in violation of the state’s “Government-in-the-Sunshine” law. After Markarian raised his Sun-
shine Law concerns, the council took a brief recess to meet with Village Attorney Keith Davis, who advised them that because of the number of people involved who might not be able to actively participate due to the size of the venue, it would be in the village’s best interest to move the meeting to a larger facility. Council members agreed and postponed the public hearing to Thursday, Oct. 29 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center, which can house a much larger audience. The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. “This is our job, to hear people, and I don’t think that will happen tonight,” Vice Mayor Richard Valuntas said. “It’s obviously important enough to have its own meeting date.” Councilman Fred Pinto agreed. “Our policy is, when this council is aware it will have a significant number of residents [in attendance], to schedule a special meeting,” he said. “I suggest we do that here. We need enough time to adequately review testimony and information.” That information includes a six-page letter presented to the board by Markarian at the start of the meeting, laying out objections
that residents have regarding the project. Several council members said that they would not be able to properly weigh the details presented, since they had not been offered the opportunity to analyze what was written in advance. “I was just brought the letter by your attorney, and I need to read it and identify it,” Councilman David Swift told the audience. “I can’t tell if he has a case tonight while listening to your concerns at the same time.” Councilman Jeff Hmara wanted to make sure that proper procedure is followed. “The basis for this decision needs to be… evidence and facts,” he said. “We need to take it seriously, as if it was a court — we have very strict rules to follow. And if there is any other information out there that should be considered evidence, we need it in advance to review.” At the Oct. 29 special meeting, council members will need to weigh the merits of new construction in a commercially zoned area against residents’ opposition based on traffic concerns, property value concerns and how having a gas station at that location will represent the village Markarian’s letter spelled out See GAS STATION, page 21
MPO Approves 2017 Funding For State Road 7 Extension
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report In a 15-3 decision last week, the Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization approved the Florida Department of Transportation’s new five-year work program, which included moving $50 million for the State Road 7 extension from 2019 up to 2017. Originally approved for 2016, the FDOT moved the financing to 2020 last year in anticipation of a lawsuit from the City of West Palm Beach. West Palm Beach, which has long opposed the extension of SR 7 to Northlake Blvd., had a cadre of lawyers and city officials, led by Mayor Jeri Muoio, at the Oct. 15 meeting. The discussion lasted about two hours, while those for
and against traded points of view. Leaders from the western communities were successful in getting the start date moved back to 2017, but West Palm Beach officials said that they will continue to fight the extension, which they allege will endanger the city’s water supply. The long-planned extension runs between the Grassy Waters Preserve and the Ibis Golf & Country Club, which was annexed into West Palm Beach in 1989. The development is also where Muoio lives. The 4-mile extension is considered by leaders in the western communities — particularly Royal Palm Beach and The Acreage — to be essential not only as an evacuation route, but also to create a key
transportation link that has been missing for decades. The latest round of objections from West Palm Beach were based on a letter from the Environmental Protection Agency to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers raising objections to the project, but Indian Trail Improvement District Supervisor Michelle Damone, who is the point person on the SR 7 extension for the Western Communities Council, said that the letter is not a project killer. “They received a letter from the EPA just letting them know there was environmental impact,” Damone said. “They were using the MPO to try to garner some votes to convince us that this road shouldn’t be constructed and See SR 7, page 7
Meeting Will Focus On FPL Concerns In The Acreage
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report The Acreage Landowners’ Association will host a meeting regarding Florida Power & Light service in the Acreage/Loxahatchee area on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7 p.m. at the Hamlin House, located at 14893 89th Place North in The Acreage. All interested residents are invited to attend. Longtime resident Ken Bell has spearheaded the meeting because of his concern regarding electrical disruptions in the area. Since Bell and his family moved to their new home, they’ve experienced a number of issues with their power service. “We just don’t deserve this kind of poor service,” Bell said. “I got to the point where I said enough is enough.” Bell posted in the Acreage Speaks group on Facebook to express his grievances. When the response indicated that others are having similar issues, he found
out that the problems affect many residents in the area. “I decided to have this meeting, and a lot of people are in favor of it,” Bell said. “I have a feeling that we’re going to have a very good turnout.” FPL spokesman Bill Orlove confirmed to the Town-Crier that FPL representatives will be on hand at the meeting to hear residents’ concerns and address them where possible. “Staff from FPL will present what we see are the issues going on in Loxahatchee and how we’re going to be able to resolve them,” Orlove said. “We are aware of the issues that our customers have experienced, and we understand how important reliable power is to our customers. We apologize for any inconveniences that they may have seen over the past couple of months. We are executing a detailed plan to address the power delivery issues that we have seen See FPL, page 21
WELLINGTON FALL FEST
Wellington held its annual Halloween-themed Fall Fest on Saturday, Oct. 17 at Village Park on Pierson Road with trickor-treating, haunted hallways, face painting, bounce houses, a costume party and more. Children, and children at heart, enjoyed the fun evening out. Shown here are Philip Kade, Rosalind Chen and Daniel Kade. SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
Chamber’s Young Entrepreneurs Off To A Strong Start
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce CEO Mary Lou Bedford addressed the Royal Palm Beach Education Advisory Board on Monday regarding the chamber’s new Young Entrepreneurs Academy. The presentation was at the request of Councilman Jeff Hmara, who serves as liaison to the board and attended a recent educational forum on the topic sponsored by the chamber. “It showed a connection between the business community and education, and how vital both are to one another for a variety of reasons,” Hmara said. Bedford said that the Young Entrepreneurs Academy is an opportunity for education and commerce to come together. The program began in Roches-
ter, N.Y., and has spread to chambers of commerce throughout the nation. “It is designed for chambers of commerce to adopt, and it is an after-school program for students to be mentored by the business community, she said. “They literally become entrepreneurs over the course of the 10-month program.” The chamber’s first class started last week with an orientation session. “It’s every Wednesday night at Palm Beach Atlantic University’s Wellington campus,” Bedford said. “We’re excited to say that we have 24 students. That’s the most you can have in the class.” They had 34 applicants for the first class, she said, adding that 38 percent of the students accepted are from the Glades area. “The School District of Palm See CHAMBER, page 21
Wellington’s Neighborhood Watch Program Growing
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington residents and village officials took part in a joint neighborhood watch meeting Wednesday, Oct. 14 at Village Park on Pierson Road. At the meeting, attendees learned about ways to keep their neighborhoods safe. Dawn McCormick with Waste Management explained her company’s Waste Watch program. “It’s a national program, exclusive to Waste Management,” she said. “We have trained all of our drivers, including all of those who serve Wellington, to be an extra set of eyes and ears in your community. If you think about it, our waste drivers are up and down your street multiple times a week, collecting trash, collecting
recycling and collecting your bulk garbage. They drive those streets day in and day out all year round. Many of our drivers have been on the job 10, 12, 15 years.” The drivers, McCormick said, are aware of comings and goings within a community, and often who does and doesn’t belong in a neighborhood. In Waste Watch, employees are trained by local law enforcement to learn what is and isn’t normal for a neighborhood, and what to do if a problem arises. “When we rolled this out in Palm Beach County, we did this in concert with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, and they are completely on board with this program,” McCormick said. “Our drivers are trained to observe and
report suspicious activity and any emergency activity.” In Collier County, for example, a driver saw a toddler in the street alone early in the morning. The driver called 911, and it was discovered that the child’s father was at work and the mother was still sleeping. The toddler had wandered outside. “They were able to reunite that child safely with the mom, and there was no harm,” McCormick said. Recently, in Miami Beach, a driver smelled smoke in an industrial park early in the morning and called 911. It turns out that someone was sleeping in the back of a burning building. “The fire department said that if our driver had not noticed, had not See WATCH, page 7
PBSO deputies Daniel Delia and Scott Poritz.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER