BOWEN ON ‘THE STATE OF WELLINGTON’ SEE STORY, PAGE 3
CAFCI HONORS LAWRENCE LOGAN SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE
Volume 32, Number 40 October 7 - October 13, 2011
HOWLIN’ HOEDOWN FUNDRAISER
Breast Cancer Group Hosts Fashion Show
Local breast cancer support group Your Bosom Buddies II hosted a brunch/fashion show Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Binks Forest Golf Club in honor of their survivors. All models were cancer survivors. Page 2
Early Primary Clears Way For March Municipal Vote
Florida’s decision last week to set its presidential primary on Tuesday, Jan. 31 might have torn the Republican primary calendar asunder, but for Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher, it was a blessing. The change allowed Bucher to give municipalities the all clear to hold March votes. Page 3 The Palms West Community Foundation presented its inaugural Howlin’ Hoedown on Saturday, Oct. 1 at the Breakers West Country Club to benefit the foundation and Big Dog Ranch Rescue. Shown here are Joanna and Ben Boynton with Pachito. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 12 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Final Phase Of Forest Hill Blvd. Work Underway In Wellington Rare Fruit Council President Susan Lerner On A Gardening Mission
Susan Lerner, newly elected president of the Palm Beach Chapter of the Rare Fruit Council, is a relative newcomer to the planting world. But walk into her garden, and you would think she is a seasoned pro. In the abundant garden at her home, Lerner has created a natural oasis with more than 40 varieties of plant species, flowers and trees. Page 7
PBSO Hosts National Night Out Against Crime
The National Night Out Against Crime was held Friday, Sept. 30 in the parking lot of the Super Target store in Royal Palm Beach. Page 13
OPINION Our Water Woes Need Less Talk, More Action
Another meeting, another decision not to decide on what to do about the county’s serious water woes. We don’t need any more new ideas or proposals; we have plenty. What we need is for the ideas that have been discussed to be put into place. What we will likely get, however, is another decade of inaction while our problems get worse year after year. Page 4
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Hundreds of trees and thousands of shrubs, plants and flowers will soon beautify Forest Hill Blvd. as Phase 2 of the road’s redevelopment gets underway. Phase 1 of the project, which began last year, included resurfacing the road, adding and repairing drainage, bringing the curb to the roadway and updating the look of the area. Phase 2 of the project includes a complete refurbishment of the road’s landscaping. Deputy Village Manager John Bonde said that the $5 million project was paid for with a federal transportation stimulus grant, which meant that Wellington had to adhere to Florida Department of Transportation regulations for the road, including landscape, which left it looking bare by local standards.
“When the money came down, it was an FDOT decision that all projects had to meet FDOT standards,” Bonde said, noting, however, that the Forest Hill plans did not meet Wellington’s standards, which include lush and beautiful landscaping. “We lobbied them to amend their standards,” Bonde said. “They said that their standards were in place and they wouldn’t change them, so we knew we weren’t going to win that battle.” Instead, Wellington officials decided to build the road to FDOT standards and, after inspection, return and add more landscaping. This was possible because FDOT only oversees the building of the road but doesn’t maintain it. “We decided we were going to build the roadway to meet their standards,” Bonde said. “We would accept the money graciously and thank them, and then once
the road moves over to Wellington, we made it clear that we would go in and refit the roadway to Wellington standards. That’s what we had to do to qualify for those funds.” This month, work began on the road to restore its lush greenery. The state of the road had been an issue of contention for residents and members of the Wellington Village Council, who were concerned that it looked barren. At a Sept. 26 council meeting, Councilman Howard Coates said he was glad to see the project coming to an end. “The issue with landscaping improvements is expected to be resolved very shortly,” he said then. “We’ve been waiting on this for many months.” Wellington is poised to install more than 300 trees, ranging from broadleaf trees such as the live oak See FOREST HILL, page 18
County Opts Not To Landscape Stretch Of Okeechobee Blvd. By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Though a few residents protested, county commissioners decided Tuesday not to finance $500,000 worth of median landscaping along Okeechobee Blvd. between Florida’s Turnpike and State Road 7.
Residents of Baywinds, Andros Isle and River Walk on the north side of Okeechobee Blvd. said they have been waiting years for landscaping along that strip since the county widened it to eight lanes, but it has been delayed. Ed Harvey of Baywinds, which is located on the section of road
DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 2 - 13 OPINION ................................ 4 CRIME NEWS ........................ 6 NEWS BRIEFS .......................8 SCHOOLS .....................14 - 15 PEOPLE........................ 16 - 17 COLUMNS .................... 23 - 25 BUSINESS ...................27 - 29 ENTERTAINMENT ................30 SPORTS .......................35 - 37 CALENDAR...................38 - 39 CLASSIFIEDS ...............40 - 44 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM The un-landscaped median in front of the Baywinds community.
in question, said he felt it was a shame that the gateway between the western communities and West Palm Beach should lack landscaping that other roads in the county have. “I have visited other sections of South Florida, and most of them are well-landscaped,” Harvey said. “Every day when I come to my community and come down Okeechobee, we make a left turn. I wait at the light and look at the median. My wife looks at me and says, ‘What are they doing about the landscaping here? This is just gosh-awful.’” Harvey said the grass that covers the median is now infested with weeds. As a member of the Baywinds homeowners’ association board, Harvey said he had been told at past meetings that the landscaping was in the works. “We had a meeting on Monday, and to my dismay learned that the See MEDIAN, page 18
Serving Palms West Since 1980
As Drought Looms, Water Storage Still Years From Reality By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report As South Florida heads into another dry season, the Palm Beach County Commission delayed a decision Tuesday on whether to join a multi-agency program designed to solve the region’s water supply woes. According to Palm Beach County Water Utilities Director Bevin Beaudet, only a tiny portion of the region’s potential water is used for agriculture and personal use. Of all the rainfall in Florida, 61 percent is lost to evaporation and 38 percent is lost to the ocean for lack of a place to store it, Beaudet explained. “What is the solution when you have so much water being lost?” Beaudet asked. “The solution is pretty simple: storage. If we could store this water that is lost to tide, put it in a reservoir, we could then draw from it during dry periods.” A method to store and distribute water has been bandied about for the past decade by agencies including Palm Beach County, the South Florida Water Management District, the Lake Worth Drainage District and Broward County. At the heart of the plan is building another reservoir similar to and probably alongside the existing L-8 reservoir located at Palm
Beach Aggregates west of Loxahatchee. The idea is known as the C-51 Plan, but getting the project off the ground has been slow, due to funding issues, problems getting all the parties to agree on a course of action and concerns regarding the ecological science behind the whole venture. County commissioners Tuesday stopped short of approving a “memorandum of understanding” to move the project forward, but directed staff to continue participating in meetings. The plan focuses on the Palm Beach Aggregates rock pits. “That area is significant because it is a unique geologic area,” Beaudet said. “There is about 60 feet of rock in this area, which is unusual in all of South Florida. You can put a very efficient reservoir in that area. The other thing about this project is that it happens to be located in an area that it is easy to move the water to wherever you need it.” Beaudet said the Lake Worth Drainage District is an important partner in the project because it has canals to move the stored water from the C-51 reservoir to numerous locations to recharge wellfields in Wellington and West Palm Beach, or south to Delray See WATER, page 7
RPBHS HOMECOMING
Royal Palm Beach High School held its homecoming activities Friday, Sept. 30. During a football game against Santaluces, Kenneth Rodriguez and Macie Ramirez were crowned homecoming king and queen. The Wildcats attended a homecoming dance the following evening. Pictured above are Ramirez and Rodriguez with Principal Jesus Armas. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 18 PHOTO BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER
Road Projects Top Town-District Agenda By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council made a list of goals Tuesday to discuss with the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District, making the coordination of road projects the top priority. The council also started a list of capital improvement priorities, deciding that a traffic light on Okeechobee Blvd. was most important. Mayor Dave Browning, a former LGWCD supervisor, said the two boards should discuss combining some responsibilities, including setting paving priorities. Councilman Tom Goltzené agreed that he was tired of distinguishing between district and town roads and would like to set
up a “one-stop shopping” approach to road maintenance. Goltzené stressed that he wanted to have a productive meeting, not a “gripe session.” “I’m looking for positive input,” he said. Councilman Ron Jarriel agreed that road issues should top the agenda, but felt that the Saturday, Nov. 5 date that had been discussed is too soon. “This needs to be one of the best workshops we’ve ever had,” he said. “We need to get organized and have input on how to do certain things.” Jarriel said he would prefer it to be after the December holidays, but not too close to the March election. Goltzené agreed, adding that the See GROVES, page 4
RPB Man Retires From Guard After Years Of Dual Service
Royal Palm Beach’s Jeffrey Garten in his PBSO uniform.
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Jeffrey Garten of Royal Palm Beach is a military man who until this past summer wore two hats. Garten, 51, retired July 31 as a lieutenant colonel with the Florida Army National Guard after 30 years and nine months as a Special Forces officer. He continues to serve as a sergeant with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, where he is a 19-year veteran, working with the Royal Palm Beach District 9 Road Patrol. At the PBSO, Garten is also an honor guard squad leader and a bike sergeant.
With the National Guard, Garten was a liaison officer, coordinating multinational Special Forces operations. “I spent most of my career, from a second lieutenant up, in special operations,” he said. As a second lieutenant, first lieutenant and captain, he spent time with an operational detachment A team, which is a 12-man Special Forces unit. “If you ever saw the movie The Green Beret with John Wayne, the A teams are the ones out there with the grunts doing the work,” Garten explained. He enlisted in 1980 in the West Virginia National Guard and
moved to Florida in 1985, transferring into the Florida National Guard. He was mobilized for Operation Enduring Freedom, which began in October 2001 in Afghanistan, and while he was there, his mission rolled into Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began in March 2003 with the invasion of Iraq. “We worked large-scale exercises in multiple countries, and we would act as liaison between the United States, the U.S. Army and foreign nations,” Garten said. “When I was overseas, I was a special operations officer basically with all the special operations
forces within the Central Command area, which in a nutshell is pretty much the entire Middle East.” Once promoted, Garten said he regretted somewhat that he no longer worked in the field. “Unfortunately, when you make rank, you trade in your rucksack for a briefcase and a laptop,” he said. “As a junior officer, I spent a lot of time in a Special Forces company. We did a lot of operations. I’ve been through Central and South America, Europe and Korea.” The training he received in the See GARTEN, page 18