Town-Crier Newspaper September 10, 2021

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COUNTY HOSPITALS ARE OVER CAPACITY NEW OPHTHALMOLOGIST AT FLORIDA EYE SEE STORY, PAGE 3 SEE STORY, PAGE 7 THE

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

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Wellington Equestrian Committee Back After Summer Hiatus

Volume 42, Number 20 September 10 - September 23, 2021

Serving Palms West Since 1980

BARKY PINES SUMMER 5K IN RPB

Wellington’s Equestrian Preserve Committee met Wednesday, Sept. 1 with an agenda to hear a proposal changing the configuration of stabling in the Winding Trails neighborhood, a comparison of the local equestrian venues with the HITS facility in Ocala and an update on the issues surrounding horse manure. Page 4

Chariots Of Love Gives Wheelchairs To Local Children

Local nonprofit organization Chariots of Love presented two wheelchairs to local youngsters on Saturday, Sept. 4 at a ceremony held on the Wellington Promenade behind the Wellington Community Center. It was the nonprofit’s 162nd and 163rd “gift of mobility.” The wheelchairs went to 13-yearold Aiden, who has Friedreich’s ataxia, and 10-year-old Anthony, who has Dravet syndrome. Both need wheelchairs for their mobility issues. Page 8

Barky Pines Animal Rescue & Sanctuary held its Dog Days of Summer 5K on Saturday, Aug. 28 at Royal Palm Beach Commons Park. Many people brought their dogs, and some even took part in the 5K. There were also vendors, raffles and music. Barky Pines is a nonprofit animal rescue located in Loxahatchee. Shown above, some participants ran or walked with their dogs. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

All Eyes On Tallahassee As ITID Incorporation Bill Heads To The Legislature

Ultracon Brings Toy Collectors & Comics Fans To The Fairgrounds

Toy collectors and comics fans came together in the name of fun, family and toy collecting as Ultracon returned to the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center on Saturday, Aug. 28 and Sunday, Aug. 29. The event included well-known voice actors offers photos and autographs, plenty of costumed characters, along with a wide array of merchandise available. Page 13

Sem Ridge, RPBHS Volleyball Squads Focus On Fundamentals

The girls volleyball season is underway, and the teams at Seminole Ridge and Royal Palm Beach high schools have high hopes for a season full of victories. The main objective for the Seminole Ridge High School girls varsity volleyball team is to compete for the district title, according to head coach Scott O’Hara. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 SPORTS......................... 21 - 23 SCHOOLS.............................. 24 PEOPLE..........................24 - 25 BUSINESS............................. 27 COLUMNS............................. 28 CLASSIFIEDS................ 29 - 30 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

By Ron Bukley study,” said Bob Morgan, presiTown-Crier Staff Report dent of the Acreage Landowners’ Now that the Indian Trail Im- Association and a member of the provement District’s feasibility three-person committee along with study and proposed charter are Louis Colantuoni Jr. and Elizabeth complete, the short-lived Feasibil- Accomando. ity and Charter Review CommitIf the bill is approved by the tee has turned them local delegation, it SEE RELATED would go to the full over to a three-person committee of local STORY, PAGE 4 legislature for apresidents to carry a proval in March 2022. bill through the legislative process. Should it pass both houses of the That will begin with a review Florida Legislative and be signed and potential approval by the by Gov. Ron DeSantis next year, Palm Beach County Legislative it would go to a voter referendum Delegation at a meeting set for during the general election on Nov. Thursday, Oct. 28 at the Clayton E. 8, 2022. Hutcheson Agricultural Services A delay at any point in the proCenter in West Palm Beach. cess could change the timeline. “Basically, State Rep. Rick Roth “First we have to get it past (R-District 85) will take it to the the delegation,” Morgan said. legislative delegation for them to “They’re going to review it and review the charter and feasibility make sure the numbers are right.”

One issue that has been raised on social media is that council members’ salaries would be exorbitant, but Morgan said that is untrue. “I just figured it out today,” he said. “I was actually figuring out what their salaries are going to be. For the mayor, it’s going to be $10.42 an hour… and the commissioners earn less than that. It’s just above minimum wage, and… their annual raises are capped at 1 percent.” Morgan said his committee has begun an education campaign on issues of incorporation prior to a referendum, including the pros and cons, such as what the municipality could or could not do with codes. “We’re going to start educating See COMMITTEE, page 4

Wellington Zoners Narrowly Support New Assisted Living Facility

By M. Dennis Taylor Town Crier Staff Report Wellington’s Planning, Zoning & Adjustment Board approved a permit for a new Type 2A Congregate Living Facility for senior citizens on Wednesday, Sept. 8 after a two-hour discussion. Facing opposition from neighbors, the board was divided on the proposal, which passed 4-3. Also on the agenda, the board approved a stables modification for the Winding Trails neighborhood, an updated zoning map, and a new ordinance on hedges, walls and fences. The conditional use permit was for Valerie’s Place, a Type 2A CLF in a modified structure that is both sides of a duplex located at 12450 Guilford Way that will turn the garages into bedrooms. With the three existing bedrooms in each duplex, this will create an eight-bedroom facility of private and semi-private rooms to house up to 11 residents over 65 years of age. The facility needed conditional use approval for one less drop off/ loading zone space and a reduction in the required 500 feet to the nearest single-family residence to 280 feet, including other duplexes, a roadway and a canal. Village staff said that the applicant meets all other requirements and found the proposal to be consistent with Wellington regulations, with the exception of the two issues brought forth. The applicant submitted a parking demand study, which indicated that the proposed parking would be adequate. Staff reported that it has received no parking-related complaints from similar facilities that received approval for a reduction in required parking spaces. The residents are not permitted to have

cars, and the visiting hours are held by appointment. Land planner Jon Schmidt, the agent for the applicant, said there is a high demand for aging in place within the Wellington community, particularly living situations with a home feel, separate from an institutionalized facility. His staff reported that rates range from some $2,500 per month to more than $4,000 per month for the private rooms with private baths. While staff assured board members that the facility was compatible with the village’s comprehensive plan, Board Member Salvatore Van Casteren did not like the idea. “I have a concern about this operation,” he said. “I have a concern about this business being in a residential neighborhood.” Vice Chair Jeffrey Robbert was concerned about parking in a residential area, as the home would now have eight spaces in a row, which doesn’t look very residential, whereas the surrounding duplexes have garages with driveways of two spaces per side. There are 12 entrances for a total of 24 spaces on the street across from the facility. Board Member John Bowers was also concerned about changing the parking construct for the entire neighborhood by having eight spots in a row. However, staff verified that an individual property owner could have a driveway the same size without any additional approval. Several nearby residents attended the meeting to speak against the proposal. “The house that you’re proposing to make into a facility is exactly two houses down and across the street from my home, a piece of property I bought 37 years ago,” See PZA BOARD, page 14

NEW 7-ELEVEN STORE OPENS IN WESTLAKE

Parts Of ITID’s Temple Park Closing Soon For Renovations

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report A number of improvements are scheduled for Temple Park in The Acreage, an Indian Trail Improvement District facility located at 17180 Temple Blvd. The playground and volleyball courts will close Monday, Sept. 13 for improvements, including a new, larger playground. ITID Parks & Recreation Director Elizabeth Ricci told the TownCrier that the work was approved by the ITID Board of Supervisors several months ago to be done during the current budget year. “Unfortunately, with COVID-19, there has been a delay in equipment arriving and for the project to actually start,” she said. “We finally got the green light, and we’ll begin the removal of the old playground, and we’re

also going to relocate it because the new one is much larger than the current one.” Ricci said they will move the old volleyball courts to the other side of the park so they can put the new playground where the old volleyball courts are. Most of the renovations will be done in-house by ITID staff. “We’re purchasing the equipment, and we’re going to be doing a lot of the work as far as prepping the site, removing the old playground equipment and moving the volleyball courts,” she said, adding that the new pirate-themed playground equipment and installation cost about $83,000. “It’s going to be like a pirate ship.” ITID was awarded a Florida Recreational Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) grant of $60,000 toward the structure. She

explained that the grant was just approved recently. “It didn’t get approved until after the playground was already approved. What we’re going to be doing is putting up a shade canopy with the grant funding, over the playground structure once it’s completed,” Ricci said. “We’re excited about that.” She anticipates that the park will re-open completely at the end of November or the first week of December. Other facilities at the park will remain open. “We’re going to be doing it in different phases for different periods of time,” Ricci said. “Right now, as of Monday, the basketball and tennis courts will remain open, but we are also planning on doing some resurfacing on the courts, so at some point during the project, See TEMPLE PARK, page 4

A ribbon cutting was held on Friday, Sept. 3 to commemorate the grand opening of a new 7-Eleven store, gas station and Fusion Fresh restaurant 4670 Seminole Pratt Whitney Road in Westlake. Developed and operated by the Chaudhary Petroleum Group, it is the first new retail establishment to open since Westlake incorporated in 2016. Shown above, Sinthia Khaleda, Westlake Vice Mayor JeanPaul O’Connor and owner Dilara Chaudhary talk about the Fusion Fresh concept. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 18 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

Effort Underway To Save And Preserve The Palm Beach International Raceway

By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Fans of the Palm Beach International Raceway have started petitions to save the iconic facility located along the Beeline Highway west of Jupiter and north of The Acreage. So far, they have collected more than 16,000 signatures. The raceway recently came up for sale, creating concern from motorsports enthusiasts that they will lose their only local racing venue. Supporters of the raceway have started a web site found at www. savepalmbeachraceway.com and a petition at www.change.org/p/ save-palm-beach-raceway. Al Guibord owns a racing com-

pany, Formula Race Promotions, that is bidding to buy the property. Other bidders are also looking at the property, including several who have indicated that they want to convert it to industrial space. “I think we’re the only bidder that wants to keep it a track,” Guibord said. “All the other bidders were looking to turn it into industrial warehouse space.” He explained that Formula Race Promotions owns several race car series that travel around the country. “We’ve rented Palm Beach International before, and I’ve personally raced there since the early 1990s, so I’m very, very familiar

with the facility,” Guibord said. “Our plan is to keep it operational as a racetrack but enhance it tremendously, including a major facilities reinvestment that would include bringing water and sewer to the site and constructing a firstclass clubhouse that would be able to house a museum, banquets and function hall capabilities, a restaurant and more.” His firm also wants to put up a “garage condominium” to store cars. “It’s a formula that has been successful in other parts of the country,” Guibord said. “We would look to turn it into an iconic destination for the county.” He said his company would

bring a seasoned staff that is specifically focused on auto sports. “This is a passion for us, and we have a group of senior management that has done this before and have a clear vision of what that facility could be,” Guibord said. He added that between two petitions that are being circulated, more than 16,000 people have signed so far, including high-level supporters, such as Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner. “I think the biggest problem was that a lot of people didn’t even realize the track was for sale,” Guibord said. “Now that they’re realizing that it’s for sale and could be transformed into a

warehouse and distribution center, our point is we’re not against a warehouse and distribution center. It’s fantastic that the area is growing, and they need those kinds of projects. Our point is there’s plenty of other alternative sites that you can do that in. Once you get rid of the racetrack, you’re never going to get another one permitted and approved in the area.” The 200-acre Palm Beach International Raceway dates back to 1965 with a rich history. Guibord said there is a tremendous amount of unused space at the site to make it a true events center. “Some of the stuff that we’re See RACEWAY, page 7


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