Town-Crier Newspaper October 25, 2013

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SCOUTS ACCEPT A POPCORN CHALLENGE SEE STORY, PAGE 3

RPB PONDERS TRI-COUNTY C-51 PROJECT SEE STORY, PAGE 7

THE

TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

Your Community Newspaper

INSIDE Army Engineer: Public Safety Is Top Priority In Water Regulation

Volume 34, Number 43 October 25 - October 31, 2013

SPOOKYVILLE IN YESTERYEAR VILLAGE

Lt. Col. Thomas Greco, a deputy district commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, discussed work on the Lake Okeechobee dike and operational decisions the corps makes at a meeting hosted by Palm Beach County Commissioner Jess Santamaria on Oct. 16. Page 3

Family Halloween Fun At Wellington Fall Fest

The Village of Wellington and the Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce hosted the Wellington Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 19 at Village Park. There was something for everyone in the family. Page 5

Green Market Opens In Royal Palm Beach

The Village of Royal Palm Beach held the grand opening of the new Royal Palm Beach Green Market & Bazaar on Sunday, Oct. 20 at Commons Park. The market features locally grown produce, baked goods, handcrafted items, jewelry, pet treats and more. The market will be held every Sunday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. through April 27. Page 10

OPINION After Steckler, We Need An Inspector General Equally As Tough

This week, Palm Beach County Inspector General Sheryl Steckler announced that she will vacate her position when her contract expires in June. Steckler has served since 2010. Since then, she has been railed at, berated and fought by county staff and a number of elected officials. With any future inspector general candidates likely facing the same uphill battle, it’s important that the Palm Beach County Commission on Ethics look for a candidate who is equally as tough, if not tougher. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 3 - 10 OPINION .................................4 CRIME NEWS ......................... 6 PEOPLE ............................... 11 SCHOOLS .....................12 - 13 COLUMNS .....................14, 21 NEWS BRIEFS..................... 15 BUSINESS .................... 22 - 23 SPORTS ........................ 27 - 29 CALENDAR .......................... 30 CLASSIFIEDS ................ 30 - 33 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

Spookyville in Yesteryear Village at the South Florida Fairgr ounds started Friday, Oct. 18. The event features old-fashioned Halloween candy given out at the historic buildings, rides and games, arts and crafts, pony rides, foods and costume contests. Spookyville continues Friday through Sunday, Oct. 25-27 and Thursday, Oct. 31.Shown here are Emerson Lacey, Madison Blomeke, Angelina DelRio, Isabella Talerico, Aubrey Fogel and Audrina Salguero in costume. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 10 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

County Commission OKs Sale Of Mecca Farms To SFWMD By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Commission approved the sale of the Mecca Farm property to the South Florida Water Management District on Tuesday, ending a decade of frustration that began when the county purchased the property for the Scripps Research Institute, only to be stuck with it when Scripps ended up building at a site in Jupiter after environmentalists objected to Mecca Farms. The county sold the nearly 2,000-acre former agricultural land to the SFWMD for $26 million. The county had invested more than $150 million into the land, including $60 million to buy the property. The SFWMD plans to build a water storage and treatment area there that will help restore flow to the Loxahatchee River. Several Acreage residents raised concerns about access to a county pump station within the property. Resident Patricia Curry said she supported the sale of the property to the SFWMD, but noted that

she has been ignored by SFWMD officials when she has asked them to accept excess water from the Indian Trail Improvement District. “I don’t know why the water management district is not considering it,” Curry said, pointing out that The Acreage has cleaner water than what the SFWMD receives from the L-8 Canal. Curry also was not happy with the future proposed alignment of Seminole Pratt Whitney Road to the Beeline Highway, which would run along the south and east sides of Mecca Farms, rather than straight north between the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area and Mecca. “You’re talking about a fourlane to six-lane road that is going to bring a lot of noise to that area, and it’s not appreciated,” she said. Curry added that several months ago, Palm Beach County Water Utilities Director Bevin Beaudet sent a letter to Indian Trail asking for a permit to connect its pump station driveway to Grapeview Blvd. in The Acreage because it stood to lose its access that cur-

rently runs through Mecca Farms. “Our residents were opposed to it, and the Indian Trail board was opposed to it,” Curry said. “The reasoning for it, first, was that it was providing a direct connection for any future Seminole Pratt Whitney Road, and the second reason was that these are tanker trucks that are carrying hazardous materials going to that plant.” The current assumption is the trucks would go down Hall Blvd. from Northlake Blvd., where there have been several serious accidents. “If a tanker truck carrying chlorine is in an accident at that intersection, you’re talking about an evacuation,” Curry said. “It’s dangerous material.” She noted that the county is now claiming an easement right from 1982 to get the driveway approved. “My position is that easement was abandoned,” Curry said. “There was a bridge there and it was removed, and you should not be coming through our community.” County staff members said the See MECCA FARMS, page 16

Royal Palm Zoners Approve South University Courtyard By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission approved a site plan modification Monday for South University to convert the street running between its two buildings into a student courtyard. The university has two buildings located on a 10-acre campus at the northeast corner of Belvedere Road and State Road 7. Site Plan Coordinator Kevin Erwin said owner Corporate Center West wants to convert one of the driveways coming off Belvedere Road into a courtyard free of vehicle traffic for students going back and forth between the buildings. The courtyard will feature bricked paving, planters and benches, with directional sign changes for traffic as well as addi-

tional lighting on the buildings and clock tower. Additional signage will designate the university’s four colleges: Health Professions, Arts and Sciences, Nursing and Business. Erwin said the university will block off the area with decorative planters and install benches so students have a place to pause between classes. “They will have a protected area to do that free of traffic,” he said. Planner Donaldson Hearing, representing the applicant, said the facility has grown since it was established in 2008. He noted that three buildings have been approved for the site, and the third building is planned to be built next year. It will also be occupied by South University. Hearing said the plaza could be

easily converted back to a driveway if the uses for the property ever change. “The facility is very well landscaped, as you can see,” he said, showing pictures of the campus. “We’re certainly very proud of the project and would ask for your approval.” Commissioner Richard Becher said his only concern was using the planters to close off the area to traffic. Hearing said traffic will also have directional signs to eliminate possible confusion. “We’re also putting a contrasting brick paver within the plaza, so you can see where the vehicle turn movement would be,” Hearing said. “The pots are just an added benefit, more of a crash barrier than anything else. They are designed so that you can walk See RPB ZONING, page 3

Serving Palms West Since 1980

Show Promoters: Wellington Uniquely Qualified WEG Host By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Members of the Wellington Village Council met Monday with representatives from Equestrian Sport Productions to discuss hosting the 2018 World Equestrian Games. “This is one of those events that has a tremendous impact on the community,” CEO Mark Bellissimo said. “I think, in many ways, Wellington is uniquely qualified as a venue to do this.” Wellington has a second chance at hosting the prestigious event after dropping out of the running last year. At a meeting last month, council members said they wanted to discuss the issue with show promoters before deciding whether to support the application to host the games. Equestrian Sport Productions placed a bid last year to host the games but later withdrew it, citing a lack of support from council mem-

bers. However, no formal presentation had been made before the council. Though council members hoped to discuss the issue further at Tuesday’s meeting, discussion of the Equestrian Village site dominated discussion. Bellissimo noted that the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) contacted his organization about reapplying to play host in 2018. “They sent us a letter saying they wished us to reconsider,” he said. Bromont, Canada, a suburb of Montreal, was initially chosen to host the games, but the city was unable to earn the financial support required before a bid can be secured. On July 1, the FEI announced that it would reopen bidding. “We wanted to open a discussion with [the village] to see if there is an interest in pursuing a bid,” See WEG, page 16

SEM RIDGE ROYALS

Seminole Ridge High School held its homecoming week celebration culminating in the crowning of its king and queen at a football game Friday, Oct. 18. Shown here, T.J. Walker was named homecoming king, while Toni Tomlin was crowned homecoming queen. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 7 PHOTO BY GENE NARDI/TOWN-CRIER

Felicia Matula Plans Second Mayoral Bid By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The 2014 election cycle is off to an early start in Royal Palm Beach, as Felicia Matula has declared her candidacy to run for mayor in the March election. Matula will once again challenge two-term incumbent Mayor Matty Mattioli, who has served as an elected official in Royal Palm Beach for nearly two decades. Matula challenged Mattioli in 2012, taking 40 percent of the vote. Also up for election next year are Seat 1, currently held by Vice Mayor Jeff Hmara, and Seat 3, currently held by Councilman Richard Valuntas. Neither have drawn challengers as of yet. The formal qualifying period for the March 11 election opens in late January. Matula has served on the village’s Parks & Recreation Advisory Board, which she chaired, before being appointed recently as an alternate to the Planning & Zoning Commission. She has also participated in the annual Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the American Cancer

Society’s Relay for Life, where this year she will be team captain for Royal Palm Beach. “This is great because the money we raise in Royal Palm Beach stays in Royal Palm Beach,” she said. Matula said that she is running for office to continue her pattern of community involvement. “In the past couple of years, I think I’ve grown personally and professionally, and in the community,” she said. “I’ve put my best foot forward and tried to be involved in all the aspects, from my children and school, to their sports and the community.” Matula earned a master’s degree in accounting in 2008. Since 2003, she has been director of finance for Pinnacle Hotel Management, which earns $100 million a year in revenue. “I lead the accounting team,” she explained. She believes that experience would serve her well as mayor. “I’ve been in the accounting role for quite a while in my career,” Matula said. “I started in operations and customer service, and then morphed into the accountSee MATULA, page 16

Traffic The Main Focus Of Equestrian Village Hearing By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report A decision on the long-awaited fate of the Equestrian Village property was pushed to Thursday evening after discussion of the issue stretched late into the night at Tuesday’s meeting of the Wellington Village Council. As the Town-Crier went to press, council members reconvened to decide whether to approve a master plan and compatibility determination on the controversial site. After hearing presentations from Wellington staff, the applicant and representatives from the Jacobs family, who oppose portions of the plan, as well as from

members of the public, council members decided to continue the meeting Thursday evening. “The applications have been well-thought-out and heavily reworked,” said Dan Rosenbaum, attorney for applicant Wellington Equestrian Partners, during his presentation. “The solutions to the technical problems have really been good solutions, ones that will allow Wellington and its neighbors and the applicants all to get along quite well and prosper together.” Before the council was a master plan amendment to allow access to the site from Pierson Road and construct an eastbound left-turn lane. A compatibility determination

would also designate the site as a commercial equestrian arena, which would allow it to operate year-round as a show facility. Wellington staff recommended approval of the applications with a number of conditions. Among them, property owners must make improvements to the canal easement along the property, provide a horse crossing at the access point on Pierson Road and follow Wellington’s manure management standards. Equestrian Village owners also would have to provide deputies from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office to direct traffic after large events, coordinate event times with the Winter Equestrian

Festival to minimize traffic, and limit the hours of operation to between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m., except for one night a week, on Friday, Saturday or Sunday, when the hours of operation would be extended to 11 p.m. “We’re trying to make Wellington better and Palm Beach County better, and bring more economic viability to the area,” Rosenbaum said. An approval could halt several lawsuits filed against the village after the council revoked previous approvals on the site. But denial of the applications could reopen expensive litigation that already has tied the village up in court for two years.

Discussion Tuesday focused largely on traffic issues. Michael Sexton, engineer for the applicant, noted that the plans included moving an entrance to the property off Pierson Road and building a leftturn lane to allow vehicles coming from the east to access the property. “By adding an access point to the master plan, it has some flexibility to move to the proper position,” he said, noting that its location could be set in stone in the site plan. But representatives of the Jacobs family, which has long opposed the project, requested that Wellington make South Shore See HEARING, page 4


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