Town-Crier Newspaper October 26, 2018

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ITID DISCUSSES PARK PROJECT DELAYS SEE STORY, PAGE 3

TOWN & COUNTRY CLEANERS NOW OPEN SEE STORY, PAGE 11

THE

TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE

Your Community Newspaper

INSIDE

Wellington Moving Forward With New Wash Area At Dog Park

Volume 39, Number 41 October 26 - November 1, 2018

Serving Palms West Since 1980

FALL FESTIVAL IN WELLINGTON

The Wellington Village Council met on Tuesday, Oct. 23, and among the items approved were improvements to the dog wash area at the Wellington Dog Park, located at Greenbriar Park. Page 3

Five Seeking Two Seats On Soil & Water Conservation Board

On Tuesday, Nov. 6, Palm Beach County voters will select two supervisors for a little-known public agency known as the Palm Beach Soil & Water Conservation District. While the five-member board does not have the authority to levy taxes or enforce laws, it does work with county residents and businesses on protecting natural resources, promoting best management practices and environmental conservation. Page 4

The Village of Wellington held its annual Fall Festival on Saturday, Oct. 20 at Village Park. There was a wide range of activities, including haunted hallways, face painting, a petting zoo, pony rides, a costume contest and a pie-eating contest. Shown above, Caleb Sumaway gets his face painted by Trinity Sanabria from Art Cellar. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 7 PHOTO BY CHRIS LEVY/TOWN-CRIER

Citrus Grove Trunk-Or-Treat Gets Help From ITID, PBSO

Wellington Cares Holds Annual Luncheon At The Wanderers Club

Wellington Cares hosted its fourth annual luncheon on Friday, Oct. 19 at the Wanderers Club. The event featured author and radio host Scott Greenberg as the keynote speaker. Wellington Cares is a local nonprofit designed to help seniors age in place. Page 5

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The annual Halloween trunk-ortreat event on Citrus Grove Blvd. in The Acreage has grown from a local street-side happening to a major event that attracts many families from surrounding areas. The growing size of the event — to be held this year on Wednesday, Oct. 31 from 6 to 10 p.m. — has drawn concern from the Indian Trail Improvement District and the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Although the event is not sponsored by ITID, growing interest from people outside the area for an event originally intended for local families has prompted the ITID Board of Supervisors and the PBSO to take action to ensure a safe evening. The agencies have agreed to

beef up patrols this year and set up portable restrooms for participants, who have been known to knock on doors of residents asking for use of their private facilities. Kids on bicycles, which presented a hazard to trunk-or-treaters and their guardians, will be prohibited from riding around during the hours of the event. The canal banks will also be patrolled to prevent bicyclists and ATV users from crossing over into the trunkor-treat area. ITID Manager Rob Robinson said plans include an increased police presence, mainly to control unauthorized vehicles during the event, which spans Citrus Grove Blvd. from Avocado Blvd. to 140th Avenue North. “The road closure is going to be from 6 to 10 p.m., local traffic only,” Robinson said. “That

means, if a resident comes in and needs to get into their driveway, they’re going to have to show ID. We’re shutting it down to everything but walking traffic. So, if you need to get in there, you need to get in there before 6 p.m.” He added that trunk-or-treat vehicles will be allowed to leave, but will not be able to get back in. Robinson added that speed trailers will be put up outside the area to help control traffic as drivers approach the event. PBSO volunteer units will also provide traffic control as far away as Grapeview Blvd. Barricades and portable restrooms will be set up, and three contract deputies will be on duty, Robinson said. “They’re going to be stationing a deputy by the canal crossings, so See CITRUS GROVE, page 4

Urban Forester To Help RPB Implement Landscape Rules

Sem Ridge Narrowly Upsets No. 4 Pahokee

The Seminole Ridge High School football team hosted rival Pahokee High School on Friday, Oct. 19 and added to the sweetness of homecoming night with a big victory, defeating the county’s fourth-ranked team 21-20. Page 23 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 20 LETTERS.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS...................7, 10 PEOPLE................................... 8 SCHOOLS................................ 9 COLUMNS............................. 18 CALENDAR............................ 20 BUSINESS............................. 21 SPORTS..........................23 - 24 CLASSIFIEDS................ 25 - 26 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

By Denis Eirikis Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Village Council spent almost two hours Thursday, Oct. 18 workshopping the first major overhaul of its landscaping ordinance since 2001. Council members reiterated their desire to remain designated as a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation, a designation Royal Palm Beach has held since 1990, and unanimously voted to proceed with the first reading of a new ordinance next month that will focus on tree preservation, along with a public education program that will employ the services of an urban forester. “The landscaping clause has not been updated since 2001,” Director of Planning & Zoning Bradford O’Brien said. “Since the village is almost built out, this new ordinance shifts focus from requirements for new building to preserving trees and the aesthetic value of property over time.” The new ordinance will apply to residential properties, shopping centers and other commercial

properties. “People have moved to the village because of our lush parks and outdoorsy feel,” O’Brien said as he explained that adoption of the new ordinance was important to keeping the Tree City USA designation. Much discussion took place on the value of trees to a community and the benefit of the “Urban Forest Concept,” which takes a holistic view of all the trees within a community. Some of the benefits of a healthy canopy of trees include: enhanced property values, tree shade lowering temperatures, the reduction of storm runoff and protection from high winds. “Just three strategically placed trees can decrease utility bills by 50 percent, and studies have found general increases of up to 37 percent in residential property values with the presence of healthy trees and vegetation on a property,” O’Brien said. Mayor Fred Pinto stressed that the goal is to work with the community to get compliance with any new regulations. “We really want to work with

residents, HOAs and property managers on this,” he said. “We have budgeted to hire an arborist or urban forester to create educational and outreach materials that we want to be clear and easy for everyone to understand.” The new arborist will start as a contract position, using a budget of $40,000 that the village has set aside. Council members favored proceeding with the first and second readings of the new ordinance, which could become effective as early as Dec. 6, followed by a sixmonth grace period during which time the village will conduct public education and outreach. The current tree ordinance mostly grandfathers-in properties that were developed before 2001. According to village staff, some of the problems with the existing ordinance is that it does not provide guidance on tree preservation techniques, it does not stop a property owner from removing healthy trees or prevent the clear-cutting of land. “The result of the existing See LANDSCAPING, page 20

Developer Eyes Residential Project At Village Golf Club

By Denis Eirikis Town-Crier Staff Report A month after proposing a similar golf course redevelopment in Wellington, developer 13th Floor Homes is pitching a partial redevelopment of the Village Golf Club in Royal Palm Beach. The Broward-based developer has informed nearby residents of its proposal to develop residential housing on part of the Village Golf Club, which is located east of Royal Palm Beach Blvd. and north of Okeechobee Blvd. 13th Floor Homes distributed fliers in the neighborhoods near the golf course and invited the community to discuss the proposal on Tuesday, Oct. 30 at the Village Golf Club clubhouse (122 Country Club Drive, Royal Palm Beach). The open house will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. 13th Floor Homes is a niche real estate development firm spe-

cializing in entry-level housing and repurposing underutilized golf courses. A recent proposal by the company to build homes on the defunct Palm Beach Polo & Country Club north course in Wellington was met with sharp opposition from area residents in that community. The company did not respond to requests for an interview. However, a web site has been set up giving information about the project at www.villagegreenfl.com. “Unlike other development companies, 13th Floor Homes wants to seek public input before purchasing the property to ensure that the vision plan aligns with community wants and needs,” according to a statement on the web site. The proposal would build villastyle homes and single-family homes on portions of the golf See RPB GOLF, page 20

HALLOWEEN PAWTY

Amber’s Animal Outreach held a “Halloween Pawty” on Sunday, Oct. 21 at All Paws Animal Clinic in Royal Palm Beach. The admission fee included a goodie bag, keepsake photo, music, costume contests and more. Shown above, Mark Pipkin with King and Andrea Pipkin with Diamond won the best trick contest by dancing together. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 17 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Rick Roth Faces A Challenge From Teacher Ellen Baker

By M. Dennis Taylor Town-Crier Staff Report Incumbent State Rep. Rick Roth (R-District 85) is facing Democrat Ellen Baker in the race for a state legislative seat that covers most of northern Palm Beach County, including much of The Acreage. Roth, head of Roth Farms located in the western part of the county, is wrapping up his first term in Tallahassee. He replaced former State Rep. Patrick Rooney Jr., also a Republican, after Rooney chose not to seek re-election. Baker, Roth’s current challenger, has been a special education teacher for 18 years. She has an uphill climb in unseating Roth in a district that trends Republican. The Town-Crier reached out to each candidate now that the general election is upon us, asking them to reflect and speak directly to their constituents about their stands on the issues, focusing on the message each candidate would like to send to the voters.

RICK ROTH Roth feels that his first term in the legislature has been a success. “I ran for office in 2016 to solve problems,” Roth said. “I take my job very seriously representing Palm Beach County residents. As your representative, I can file six bills per year. It is important to me that the bills I file are relevant to the issues in South Florida and will improve the lives of all Floridians.” Roth said his priorities, in order, are water, education, adoption, insurance and low taxes. “The problem is too much water at the wrong time. We must continue Everglades restoration and build more water storage around Lake Okeechobee,” he said. “We need stricter regulations and matching state dollars to control pollution at the source. Protecting our environment is critical to growing our tourism and fishing industries.” Roth said that Florida needs to See DISTRICT 85, page 20

PBSO: Social Media Offers Advantages And Pitfalls

By Chris Levy Town-Crier Staff Report Representatives from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office gave a presentation to Wellington’s neighborhood watch leaders and other community members on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at the Wellington Community Center. The focus of the presentation was on the PBSO’s social media presence and how to use social media safely. PBSO Capt. Rolando Silva opened the meeting by going over some recent crime statistics in Wellington. “It’s not no crime,” he said. “But it’s low crime.” Silva touched on the troubling trend of vehicular burglaries and auto thefts in Wellington, many of which occur because residents

leave their vehicles unlocked with objects of value in plain sight. In some instances, residents even leave their cars running with the keys in the ignition, allowing a crime of opportunity to occur. Silva went on to tout the new license plate readers that will soon be installed at most Wellington entrances. “They will alert us in real time when a vehicle of interest enters the village,” Silva said. “Wellington has spent a significant amount of money on technology, and it will yield fruit.” The bulk of the presentation was from PBSO Social Media Manager Anthony Rodriguez. “Five years ago, the PBSO started a social media task force

with the goal of transparency and providing open and honest, complete conversations,” Rodriguez said. The secondary goal Rodriguez touched on was how the PBSO uses social media to glean information out of the community. The PBSO Facebook page has more than 58,000 followers, which is among the largest law enforcement pages in Florida. “We use Facebook Live to broadcast events and sheriff’s press conferences with real words, unedited, uncut,” Rodriguez said. Rodriguez next touched on how dangerous Facebook can be if users have the wrong privacy settings. “If you’re going to use social

media, be aware of privacy settings,” Rodriguez said. “There’s really bad activity on Facebook Live. Hit one button, and you’re on the map. If you have it set to “public,” anyone can know that information.” Rodriguez also detailed a frightening scenario in which criminals can use social media to determine when people are on vacation and rob empty homes. “If you have it set to public, anyone can know that information,” Rodriguez said. “A bad guy knows you’re not going to be home. Post pictures when you come back — not when you’re on vacation.” Rodriguez also discussed the department’s use of direct messages through social media.

“Social media helped during Hurricane Irma with zone identifications for evacuations,” Rodriguez said. “We responded to hundreds of DMs.” Rodriguez added that positive DMs recognizing deputies count as letters of commendation and are placed in their files. The PBSO’s Twitter account has more than 83,000 followers, which is used for breaking news such as a potential criminal on the loose, a missing child or emergency alerts such as an active shooter. “Twitter is the best way to get breaking news from the PBSO,” Rodriguez said. Residents without Twitter can send a text to 40404 with the mesSee SOCIAL MEDIA, page 20


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