EXPANSION OK FOR RPB MCDONALD’S SEE STORY, PAGE 3
WELLINGTON CARES HOSTS LUNCHEON SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
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Wellington Council Approves Four Charter Amendments For Ballot
Volume 36, Number 42 October 30 - November 5, 2015
Serving Palms West Since 1980
HONOR FLIGHT VETS RETURN HOME
The Wellington Village Council on Tuesday approved the preliminary reading of four proposed charter amendments to go for a public referendum in March. The first amendment, regarding the filling of council vacancies, passed 3-2 after a long discussion centering on whether Councilwoman Anne Gerwig was going to run for mayor. Page 3
Children Enjoy Costume Ball At Wellington Green
The Mall at Wellington Green held its spooktacular Heroes Costume Ball on Saturday, Oct. 24 with a magic show, coloring, pretzels, Halloween-themed activities and more, including a special photo and a goodie bag to take home. Families are invited to participate in a mallwide trick-or-treat event Saturday, Oct. 31 at 4 p.m. Page 5
‘Spooktacular Rocktoberfest’ At Acreage Park
The Acreage Landowners’ Association hosted its Spooktacular Rocktoberfest event at Acreage Community Park on Saturday, Oct. 24 with live music, a car show, food trucks, Halloween fun and more. Page 17
OPINION
Paul Ryan’s Trick-OrTreat Bag Might Not Be Filled With Candy
Just in time for Halloween, Congressman Paul Ryan has been awarded what might be the craziest trick-or-treat in political history. Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican who would have been vice president in a Mitt Romney administration, has secured himself the top job in the U.S. Congress — Speaker of the House. Yet there remains numerous ghosts in the machine and plenty of scary options for him. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 9 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 25 BUSINESS......................26 - 27 SPORTS..........................31 - 33 CALENDAR............................ 34 CLASSIFIEDS................ 35 - 38 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Southeast Florida Honor Flight took 80 veterans on a tour of Washington, D.C., on Saturday, Oct. 24. They were welcomed home by family and friends at Palm Beach International Airport. Veterans visited Arlington National Cemetery, the Iwo Jima Memorial, the World War II Memorial and the Korean War Veterans Memorial, among other sites. Shown here, American Legion Chris Reyka Memorial Post 390 Commander Al Ziker greets returning veteran James O’Brien and his son, James O’Brien Jr. SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 20 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
RPB Zoners OK Planned Hotel On Southern Near Fairgrounds
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval Tuesday of a special exception for Ascension Inc. to build a 60-room Sunshine Inn hotel on a 2.43-acre parcel at the northeast corner of Southern Blvd. and Sunshine Road at the eastern boundary of the village on Southern Blvd. Site Plan Coordinator Kevin Erwin said that the parcel is located in the general commercial zoning district, conforms to the village’s design standards and meets the parking requirements for a hotel. The site provides landscaping generally consistent with the village code, with the exception of a landscape waiver request to allow royal palms to count on a one-to-one ratio for the required shade trees. The land received preliminary plat approval in 2014. The applicant is proposing construction of a two-story building with access off Southern Blvd. and Sunshine Road. Village staff recommended
site plan and architectural approval of the application. Damian Brink with Schmidt & Associates, representing Ascension Inc., said that the proposed hotel is appropriate for the property, located between Florida’s Turnpike and State Road 7 and near the South Florida Fairgrounds. The building itself is more than 130 feet away from Southern Blvd., and a water retention area to the rear will act as a buffer to the industrial area to the north. Brink also pointed out that the design has more than 50 percent pervious area, where village code only requires 25 percent in an industrial area. “I think the architecture provides an esthetic upgrade to the area along Southern Blvd.,” Brink said, pointing out that the tan-andwhite color scheme accented with stone is very neutral. “I think it will be an excellent addition to the village.” He added that with recommendations by village staff, they created a courtyard opening to the rear.
Commissioner Richard Becher said he thought the design was good and the location was appropriate. “I think you hit the nail on the head with issues regarding the fairgrounds,” Becher said. “I think it will be a great asset to the village. I can’t think of anything wrong with it.” Commissioner Michael Axelberd agreed. “I think you did a great job,” he said. Commissioner Felicia Matula asked how many other properties the applicant owns, and Brink said locally they own a 20-room hotel on the north side of Southern Blvd. near Haverhill Road. Matula said that with one hotel in the village, she did not know if there was a need for another one. “This is an unbranded hotel, so you don’t have the pipeline of the Marriott behind you, the Hilton behind you, to rely on,” she said, suggesting that the property would mostly attract “transient guests.” Matula pointed out that one of the criteria of the commission was See RPB ZONERS, page 19
Western Business Alliance Celebrates Major Milestone
Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Just a year ago, Oct. 16, 2014, to be precise, the Western Business Alliance — a fledgling business networking group — held its first social event, with more than 120 area business members in attendance. The membership started small and steadily grew throughout the year. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the Western Business Alliance held its year-in-review luncheon at the Mayacoo Lakes Country Club featuring guest speaker and new member Tim “The Byrdman” Byrd. “Over the past year, the alliance has accomplished many of the goals originally set by the board,” Byrd said. “We held monthly so-
cials, quarterly speed networking events and business power luncheons, as well as members-only events like Family Fun Day at Lion Country Safari. These events have fostered dozens of relationships and collaborations between members.” The Western Business Alliance puts its focus on small businesses as it works to strengthen and support members. “We will continue to offer networking and marketing strategies that have been a favorite with our members, increasing our emphasis on small business operations, local business startups and geographical business trends,” Byrd said. Byrd asked if the room was filled with those involved with
small businesses, which was met with enthusiastic applause. “Small business is the engine of America,” he said. “It has been and always will be.” For many years, Byrd was on the radio, and came to speak to the crowd about how they could use the media to promote and grow their businesses. “There are all kinds of media,” he said, including terrestrial radio, Internet radio, newspapers, magazines, television, broadcast Internet, social media and more. For more than 11 years, Byrd worked in New York City prior to moving to Florida, where he has seen media change, evolve and grow. “The one thing that I would tell See TWBA, page 19
Wellington Council Wary Of Buying Binks Golf Course
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Supplied with additional appraisals from staff, the Wellington Village Council was not ready Tuesday to decide on whether to purchase the Binks Forest Golf Club and how to accomplish a possible purchase. The council reviewed the appraisals and considered its options, which included suggestions of public/private partnerships and a general agreement that it was not urgent for the village to step in immediately. The owners of the Binks Forest course offered it to the village for sale before turning to private investors. Director of Operations Jim Barnes said that the village had received two appraisals on the property in addition to the owners’ appraisal by Callaway & Price of $3.6 million. The village’s appraisals came in
at $2.7 million by S.F. Holden Inc. and $3.55 million by Anderson & Carr. A $3 million purchase price has been discussed, but several council members feel that is too high. Wellington’s staff evaluation was based on operating the property as a public golf course, although alternative uses were discussed, such as making the property a passive park. Councilman Matt Willhite asked what came with a potential acquisition, and Barnes said that in addition to the approximately 200-acre course, there is the clubhouse and its auxiliary buildings, and a swimming pool with its equipment. However, a detailed inventory has not been done by staff, although the appraisals had included details of the inventory and condition. Public comment was roughly divided between people in favor See BINKS, page 19
WHS TRUNK OR TREAT
Wellington’s Community Services Department and Wellington High School’s DECA Club held a Trunk or Treat event Saturday, Oct. 24 at the high school. Children of all ages enjoyed decorated vehicles, a costume contest, a bounce house and trickor-treating in a safe environment. Shown here are Gabriella Nasto, Sydney Cohen and Sierra Vitale. SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Chamber Luncheon Features PBC State Attorney
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Palm Beach County State Attorney Dave Aronberg spoke about cases he’s currently involved with, including the recent Corey Jones shooting, at the Wellington Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday at the Wanderers Club. Aronberg asked to talk early at the meeting in order to make a 1 p.m. rally on the Jones case. He led off his talk with a trivia contest. “What is the most common crime in Palm Beach County?” he asked. Someone guessed speeding. “Speeding is not a crime, it’s an infraction,” he said. “We only deal with cases involving jail time.” While the audience pondered answers, Aronberg explained that his office reviews 126,000 cases each year.
“We have 120 prosecutors reviewing 126,000 cases each year. We have 220 professional staff, and we have 100 volunteers in offices throughout the county. The main office is at the downtown court office, shared with the public defender’s office,” Aronberg said. “There are 20 state attorneys throughout the state. Each one of us is independent, meaning that the governor is not our boss. The attorney general is not our boss. One of the most beautiful things about this job is that we are independent, and the only boss we have is you, the people of Palm Beach County.” He explained that his district, the 15th Judicial Circuit, only covers Palm Beach County, while other state attorney offices cover more than one county. “When it comes to the number of crimes in Palm Beach County, See ARONBERG, page 4
Bittersweet Time As A Pastor Gets Ready To Retire
Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Rev. Marjorie Weiss, pastor at St. Michael Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wellington, will be retiring in November after 35 years in the ministry. “Saying goodbye this time is different, because when I’ve left parishes in the past, it has been to go on to another parish. Now, I’m ending full-time ministry,” Weiss said. “It’s kind of a walk through my life, preparing for this change.” Packing up her papers, giving her books and resources to others, and clearing out her office is taking her on a new path along her journey. Being able to be “a normal person” is something that Weiss is looking forward to.
“When someone is a pastor, there is something called the ‘fishbowl syndrome.’ People observe my life and make comments on me, my husband, my children, my language, the jokes I tell, etc.,” she explained. “I’m constantly being watched, observed and often judged. Sometimes the judgment is quite harsh. I look forward to blending in and being a normal person.” Women have been ordained since 1970 in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA). “I was ordained in 1980,” Weiss said. “There were about 200 women ordained, total, around the country, when I got ordained. It was very new.” When Weiss began thinking about becoming a pastor, she had
never seen a woman pastor before. “I was in college when I began to think about that. My home pastor suggested it to me,” she said. “I thought it was an odd idea, but it kind of planted the seed.” Combined with her interest in theology, it seemed that the seminary was something to try. “I remember when women were first being ordained, when I was a teenager first sitting in a Sunday school class with adults and teens,” Weiss recalled. For early women in the seminary, there were many obstacles to overcome. As a teenager, during that Sunday school class, a man said that he would not be able to have a female pastor because if she was pregnant, he would think See WEISS, page 4
Rev. Marjorie Weiss will soon retire as pastor at St. Michael Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wellington.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER