HALLOWEEN FUN AT MANY AREA EVENTS SEE STORY, PAGE 3
COUNTY MAY CONSIDER SALES TAX HIKE SEE STORY, PAGE 4
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
Volume 36, Number 39 October 9 - October 15, 2015
Serving Palms West Since 1980
Wellington Still Gathering Info Needed For Binks Forest Decision
INSIDE
Wellington Council Frowns On Outside Help For Canal Study
The Wellington Village Council last month refused to pay $55,000 for an outside consultant to evaluate the clearing of canal easements and directed staff to do the evaluation itself. At the Sept. 24 council meeting, Vice Mayor John Greene asked that the item be pulled from the consent agenda. The item proposed hiring the engineering firm Mock Roos to do the evaluation. Page 3
Wellington Elementary School’s Cathy West, Dave Morrison, Pam Saieg and Principal Dr. Maria Vaughan are excited about the new fine arts academy.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Unveils Street Sign Honoring Pioneer Ken Adams
The Wellington Village Council hosted a street renaming ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 1 to honor Wellington pioneer and former Palm Beach County Commissioner Ken Adams. Country Club Drive, the road leading into the Lake Wellington Professional Centre, was renamed Ken Adams Way. Page 5
Blessing Of The Animals At Our Lady Queen Of The Apostles Church
Our Lady Queen of the Apostles Catholic Church in Royal Palm Beach held a Blessing of the Animals on Sunday, Oct. 4 in the parking lot by the statue of St. Francis of Assisi. The Feast Day of St. Francis, patron saint of animals, is observed on Oct. 4. Parishioners brought dogs, cats, bunnies and birds to receive a blessing. Page 11
OPINION
‘Cyber-Harassment’ Law Is Needed, But Might Be Too Broad
Last week, nearly 30 new state laws went into effect, including the outlawing of “sexual cyberharassment,” which is when someone posts an explicit image of another online without permission. Twenty-six states now have some form of law regarding so-called “revenge porn.” And while we applaud the crackdown on this particular heinous act, we are a bit concerned about how effective it will be, and whether it will hold up in the courts. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 13 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 14 SCHOOLS.............................. 15 COLUMNS...................... 16, 23 BUSINESS......................24 - 25 SPORTS..........................29 - 31 CALENDAR............................ 32 CLASSIFIEDS................ 33 - 36 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Fine Arts Academy Approved For Wellington Elementary
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Music, learning and laughter already fill the halls of Wellington Elementary School, and those sounds are set to get even stronger now that the school has been approved to host a fine arts academy. Principal Dr. Maria Vaughan believes that the fine arts academy will strongly enhance the school’s academic program. “We’ve seen that the arts have been a very productive way to tap into some of our students who don’t necessarily perform well in a traditional academic setting,” Vaughan said. Also, Vaughan hopes to attract back some of the students who have been lost after their parents opted to send them to charter schools and private schools. The idea builds on the successful fine arts curriculum already offered at Wellington Elementary. Dave Morrison, the school’s music teacher, puts together two performances each year, where the kids sing, act, dance and work together to put on the show. “They have become more and more popular every year,” Vaughan said. “They surpass what you’d see at a regular elementary school — they’re amazing.” The performances are standingroom-only, so this year the school
will host two performances to accommodate the demand. “That’s what planted the seed for this idea,” Vaughan said. “That program has bloomed and blossomed and become this huge thing at the school.” The chorus has more than 100 students, many of whom also take part in the plays. Vaughan and Morrison recalled touching moments after performances, when parents came up to them proclaiming that they didn’t realize their children could sing, act or dance like they did in the show. “That program has uncovered hidden talents in some of our students, and it has given them the opportunity to be successful,” Vaughan said. For Morrison, integrating music with the shows is essential. “Music activates parts of the brain that don’t otherwise get activated,” he said. “That is why they tend to perform better academically, they tend to perform better socially. I know that doing the performing groups here, it’s a big joy to see how the kids come together as a unit.” The program has helped students to feel successful, Vaughan said, hoping that the fine arts academy does the same. “We are hoping that with infusing the arts, we’re going to
see even greater gains with our students academically,” Vaughan said. For the kindergarten and firstgrade students, they will start by learning to play the violin. The school already has chorus and advanced chorus classes, and they will be adding guitar and ukulele programs, in addition to handbells and other instrument classes. Art teacher Pam Saieg uses visual arts to help students understand concepts and will be able to do more with the students. Saieg teaches students at a level that is more advanced than a typical elementary school art class curriculum and is excited for how the new fine arts academy will change the culture of the school. “We’re taking them down a pathway that they’re not being exposed to anywhere else,” Saieg said. For Vaughan, the changes that are available to the school once the program is installed will provide a better way to teach students effectively. “I really do believe that this is a way for us to tap into something different with our students,” she said. “We’re going to be able to see some gains in their achievement levels that are going to help them socially and emotionally. When we put this proposal together, we did See FINE ARTS, page 4
Latest FDOT Work Plan Puts State Road 7 Project In 2017
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Florida Department of Transportation conducted a public hearing and webinar on Tuesday, Oct. 6 to get input on its five-year work program, which includes a provision moving up funding for the State Road 7 extension from 60th Street North to Northlake Blvd. from 2020 to 2017. The hearing, held in Fort Lauderdale, was set up for remote access. People who were not able to attend can still provide comments through Oct. 16 by e-mailing gerry.oreilly@dot.state.fl.us or mailing written comments to Gerry O’Reilly, FDOT District 4, 3400 W. Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309. FDOT Public Information Director Barbara Kelleher said that
the SR 7 project was one that District 4 is taking input on for each of its five counties for fiscal years 2016 through 2021. “The State Road 7 extension up to Northlake Blvd. is the segment moved back in to fiscal year 2017,” Kelleher said. Royal Palm Beach Councilman Jeff Hmara, an alternate board member of the Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization, said he was glad that the money appears to have been moved back up after it had been pushed to 2020 last year in anticipation of litigation by the City of West Palm Beach, which has adamantly opposed the project. Hmara said that 2017 was the year that the money would be needed anyway, so earlier would not be particularly useful.
“That’s a really, really good thing,” Hmara told his fellow council members at their meeting Oct. 1. “West Palm is still there, West Palm is still determined, so it’s not done until it’s done, but it really looks good now. So, all the effort that everybody has been putting in, it looks like it worked in moving that project forward.” The Metropolitan Planning Organization has a meeting set for Thursday, Oct. 15 at 9 a.m., which has been moved from its usual location at the MPO office to the Vista Center Complex (2300 N. Jog Road, West Palm Beach) in anticipation of a large crowd. FDOT Director of Transportation Development Gerry O’Reilly will be at that meeting to talk about Palm Beach County projects, See SR 7, page 7
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington staff is waiting for its own independent appraisals of the Binks Forest Golf Course property in order to make a recommendation to the Wellington Village Council on whether the village should buy the course. The council asked tor appraisals in addition to the owners’ appraisal, which valued the property at about $3.6 million. The price being discussed by the council and staff is closer to $3 million, based on the condition of the course. “As soon as we have those appraisals, we’ll go back to the council with a recommendation,” Village Manager Paul Schofield told the Town-Crier on Tuesday. Schofield noted that the council needs to know a great deal of information before a decision can be made. “They wanted verification of
our estimated cost to do the restorations,” he said. “They also requested that we do some outreach to residents in the Binks communities and the associations themselves.” The council discussed funding for a possible golf course purchase during budget discussions, which included a preference for using a bond issue rather than buying the property with cash on hand. At a Sept. 24 council meeting, Director of Operations Jim Barnes said that he had talked to two appraisers about preparing estimates on the value of the course. Councilwoman Anne Gerwig asked about the estimated cost to bring the course up to proper standards, and Barnes said that the village’s estimate is higher than the owner’s. “I’m not necessarily prepared to go to the number that has been See GOLF COURSE, page 18
PUMPKIN DELIVERY
Community of Hope Church had a special delivery Saturday, Oct. 3. The pumpkins for its annual pumpkin patch arrived. The delivery included large pumpkins, small pumpkins, mini pumpkins and gourds. The pumpkin patch is open Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., from now until Oct. 31 at the church, located at 14055 Okeechobee Blvd. Shown here, Heath Wood and Luke Faino help unload pumpkins. SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
Lox Council OKs Date Change For Upcoming Election By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council approved a resolution Tuesday confirming a change in the filing periods and date for the upcoming council election from March 8 to March 15 to coincide with Florida’s presidential primary. Town Attorney Michael Cirullo explained that the resolution confirms an ordinance that the council approved at an earlier meeting in order for the town’s election to coincide with the schedule required by Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections Susan Bucher. The ordinance and resolution also change the filing period to open at noon on Tuesday, Nov.
3 and close at noon on Tuesday, Nov. 10. Up for election are Seat 2, held by Councilman Jim Rockett, and Seat 4, held by Mayor Dave Browning. “Your charter would normally have the election March 8, but because the primary is the next week, this allows you to move it by ordinance, and you also established the filing period in that same ordinance,” Cirullo said. Cirullo explained that the town had received directives from Bucher relating to scheduling the election and receiving the information to be placed on the ballot. Because of the requirements of the presidential primary, Bucher See LOX COUNCIL, page 18
RPBHS Students Turn Campus Blue To Fight Bullying
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Students at Royal Palm Beach High School wore blue Monday, Oct. 5, as they participated in Blue Shirt Day: The World Day of Bullying Prevention, created by Stomp Out Bullying, a national anti-bullying organization. The goal was to heighten awareness of bullying. During the school’s three lunch periods, students were led through various activities to raise awareness about bullying, Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) Advisor Maureen Witkowski explained. “Our school takes bullying very seriously, and we wanted to get
the students on board to realize that what they say, or post, can be very detrimental to others, and sometimes to themselves when applying for colleges and for a job position,” Witkowski said. Principal Jesus Armas was very supportive of the day’s lunchtime activity. “I think anytime you can bring awareness to an issue as important as bullying… that’s obviously important,” he said. “More than that, it needs to be grassroots. The students need to be the leaders on this. They’re the ones who need to take initiative.” SADD President Crichanni Watson, a senior at RPBHS, agreed, explaining that SADD is a student
group that utilizes peer-to-peer education. “It’s more understandable when your friend is telling you than an adult telling you,” Watson said. This year, SADD is focusing on its anti-bullying campaign and a mental health campaign, in addition to its focus on traffic safety, Witkowski said. Watson hopes that with the increased focus on anti-bullying, more people will understand the dangers. SADD, she explained, will be presenting more information throughout the month to teach students about the negative impacts of bullying. “Bullying is important because See BULLYING, page 18
SADD students and teachers gather in front of the blue wall.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER