SFWMD BUDGET FUNDS MECCA PROJECT SEE STORY, PAGE 7
MISS BEAUTIFUL PAGEANT IN RPB SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 13
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE
County Wants State Regs For Transportation Network Companies
Volume 36, Number 37 September 25 - October 1, 2015
Serving Palms West Since 1980
CAFCI FRIENDSHIP BALL AT BINKS
The Palm Beach County Commission heard a presentation on county priorities for the upcoming state legislative session on Tuesday, and commissioners said they would like more emphasis on vehicles-for-hire legislation. The commissioners had spent more than an hour in an earlier discussion about a proposed vehicles-for-hire ordinance before postponing action to wait and see what the state legislature does. Page 3
Wellington Rotary Club Hosts Peace Ceremony
The Wellington Rotary Club held an observance in honor of the United Nations International Day of Peace on Sept. 20 at the Wellington Rotary Peace Park. Those who work toward peace in the community and students who won peace-themed contests were honored. Page 5
Sandy Axelrod Hosts Book Launch Party
Longtime resident Sandy Axelrod held a book launch party at her Wellington home on Friday, Sept. 18. Affairs to Remember is filled with delicious recipes for every occasion. Axelrod prepared 11 recipes from her book, which proved to be a hit with partygoers. Page 19
OPINION
We Need Real Debates, Not Media Circus Shows
Two presidential “debates” down, and many more to go before we get to the end of the 2016 presidential election process. Break out the popcorn, because what’s being called “debates” is far more like a show, and bears very little resemblance to the cogent policy discussions and rhetorical arguments necessary to qualify as a true “debate.” Instead, it’s all about the applause line and the sound bite. Though we’ve only seen the Republicans go at it up to this point, not to worry, when the Democrats take the stage in Las Vegas on Oct. 13, it will be the same. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 13 OPINION.................................. 4 CRIME NEWS.......................... 6 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 8 PEOPLE................................. 14 SCHOOLS.............................. 16 COLUMNS...................... 16, 23 BUSINESS......................24 - 25 SPORTS..........................29 - 31 CALENDAR............................ 32 CLASSIFIEDS................ 33 - 36 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Caribbean-Americans for Community Involvement (CAFCI) held its 26th annual Friendship Ball on Saturday, Sept. 19 at the Binks Forest Golf Club. There was a silent auction, a buffet dinner and dancing. Royal Palm Beach Mayor Matty Mattioli and Wellington Mayor Bob Margolis were on hand to present proclamations, and Nadine White Boyd was honored as CAFCI Citizen of the Year. Shown here at the ball are Percival Wood, Marcia Plinton-Waiselewski and Winston Davis. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 9 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Teachers At Lox Groves School Go Online Seeking Donations By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report Teachers at Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School are bringing their creativity to the digital realm, using the web site Donors Choose to help supplement special projects for their classrooms. The result? Students are having a great time learning to use their new recorders, garden, interactive notebooks and more — all through the generous support of friends, family and even strangers as far away as California. Donors Choose is not a typical donation-based web site. It often has specials where organizations, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, will match donations. When donations are made within a specified time period, they’re doubled, which has twice the impact on the classrooms and the many students that benefit. While many students who attend Loxahatchee Groves Elementary School can provide their own school supplies, this is not the case
for all. For students on the free or reduced lunch program, family priorities are not on having the best and latest school supplies. Teachers themselves and local donor drives have been making up the difference for years. However, Donors Choose has supplemented those efforts. So far, teachers Robin Griffin, Martha Katz, Stephen Princiotta, Laurie Brisson and Alexandra Cooper have been rewarded for their online outreach efforts. Katz, a pre-K teacher, gave it a chance. “It was really nice. It’s nice when other people recognize that what you do is important and want to help,” she said. “It always feels good when people do things that show my kids count.” Katz teaches visually impaired students, many of whom have cortical vision impairment. Many disabilities that originate from the brain, such as cerebral palsy, often include cortical vision impairment as well.
It is something difficult to address, Katz said, so she asked for help in obtaining a light box for her students to help them learn. “It’s another tool in the toolbox,” she said. Griffin teaches third-grade math and science and is a STEM coach and technology ambassador. Each year, she creates a project in which students produce an interactive notebook. The students can pull out pictures, diagrams, windows and more. They’re essentially interactive games within the notebook. The projects use liquid glue, colored pencils and colored copy paper. “Copy paper is huge. Last year we ran out and we weren’t able to finish our notebooks,” she said. Griffin separated her Donors Choose campaign into three separate projects, since the supplies alone cost almost $1,000. She noticed that smaller campaigns are more likely to be funded, and by See DONATIONS, page 18
Palm Beach County To Forbid The Curbside Sale Of Vehicles
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Commission gave preliminary approval Tuesday to an ordinance that would prohibit the sale of vehicles on public rights of way. Code Enforcement Director Ramsay Bulkeley said the ordinance complies with a state statute that prevents individuals from selling vehicles illegally on public right of ways and intersections, often called “curbstoning.” PBSO Sgt. Matthew Castelli said curbstoning deals with the practice of buying or selling vehicles without a license. “These vehicles are typically parked in high-traffic locations such as utility easements and vacant lots, which border our roadways, gas stations, convenience stores and supermarket public parking lots,” Castelli said.
Former Gov. Charlie Crist signed a bill to address the issue, which allows any law enforcement or code enforcement official to immediately tow violators and assess a fine of $500 for each vehicle. “The owner must show ownership, pay the fine to obtain a release form to be presented to the towing company, and pay the tow company storage fees before they can have their vehicle back,” Castelli said. The statute allows local governments to adopt a local ordinance to allow the towing of vehicles parked in violation of the statute. “We would appreciate your help by approving this ordinance to effectively deal with this growing problem,” he said. Commissioner Priscilla Taylor asked how the ordinance works. “I’m assuming this is just for
county areas, or is it for the entire county?” Taylor questioned. Bulkeley said the ordinance applies to all public rights of way, but some municipalities have enacted their own ordinances. “The City of Boynton Beach has one in place, and the League of Cities supports this, and it looks as if they are headed in that direction as well,” he said. Assistant County Attorney Shannon Fox said the ordinance will apply in unincorporated Palm Beach County, and municipalities can opt in if they choose to. Commissioner Melissa McKinlay asked whether there were plans to notify owners before actually enforcing the ordinance. “Are we doing any sort of warning, placing an information notice on their car first and then coming back a few days later, just to give See CURBSIDE, page 4
Royal Palm Beach Gets Permanent Seat On The MPO By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Royal Palm Beach now has a permanent representative on the Palm Beach Metropolitan Planning Organization’s board of directors effective at its next meeting on Oct. 15. Royal Palm Beach previously shared a seat, alternating years with the City of Greenacres. Councilman Jeff Hmara, the village’s alternate on the MPO, made the announcement at the Royal Palm Beach Village Council meeting on Thursday, Sept. 17, adding that the MPO is expected to review the Florida Department of Transportation’s work plan for next year at its October meeting. Hmara expects better news for a key Royal Palm Beach priority than came out of last year’s FDOT work plan review, when they learned that funding for construction of the State Road 7 extension to Northlake Blvd. had been postponed to 2020 due to anticipation of litigation from the City of West Palm Beach, which has opposed the project.
“While we haven’t seen the plan, we have been told informally that we will be pleased with the funding profile this year,” Hmara said. “I wouldn’t try to take that to the bank yet, but it’s a pretty good indication that we may see the money, and it looks much earlier, maybe as early as 2017. Of course, West Palm Beach is indicating they’re going to fight it every step of the way. There are at least a couple of permits that have to be obtained, and on each and every one of them, the indication is that West Palm Beach will continue to oppose the project.” Hmara said that the MPO is also preparing a strategic plan. “It will be interesting to see what that will look like and what its purpose is,” Hmara said. “Clearly, it is for a long-range plan and somewhat of a direction that the MPO should be undertaking.” Vice Mayor David Swift asked Hmara whether he had met recently with County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay regarding developers’ plans in the area and traffic issues, and Hmara said that See RPB COUNCIL, page 4
DONATION FOR GRANDMA’S PLACE
The children at Grandma’s Place in Royal Palm Beach had a special treat Monday, Sept. 21. Armed with jokes, stickers and laughter, Ronald McDonald came to hand-deliver a $25,000 Ronald McDonald House Charities check to the nonprofit emergency shelter. Shown here is Ronald McDonald with Grandma’s Place Executive Director Roxanne Jacobs and Chief Operating Officer Jackie Alvarez. SEE STORY, PAGE 3 PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER
Funding Capital Projects Still Divides Wellington Council By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Wellington Village Council continued to agonize over budget policy at its agenda review meeting Monday, discussing whether capital projects should be partially or fully funded, and whether the village should reduce its reserve fund from 31 percent as it stands now to 29 percent. Reducing the reserve to 29 percent would free up about $750,000 to add to the village’s capital projects fund, which had an additional $3.2 million freed
up from a reduction of millage rate stabilization funds in the general reserve created several years ago and deemed no longer necessary due to an improved economy. Four council members had returned a spreadsheet, prepared by Vice Mayor John Greene, with their priorities for financing projects that had been recommended by village staff members. Projects include intersection and drainage improvements, a school crossing, paving of 120th Avenue See PROJECTS, page 18
King’s Academy Breaks Ground On Theater Building
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report The King’s Academy broke ground on its long-awaited Center for Performing Arts during a ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 22. The $9.5 million project will add an 11,000-square-foot, stateof-the-art building with an 833seat theater. It is expected to open in the fall of 2016. “Today, we break ground on an auditorium, a stage, a concert hall, a theater, that will rival any school fine-arts theater in Florida,” TKA Board Chair Clyde Meckstroth said. TKA’s choirs, bands, musicals and other stage programs have had national recognition for decades, he noted, adding that the dance program is now among the
same ranks. “Now we are building a home for them, befitting the excellence of the programs,” Meckstroth said. Headmaster Douglas Raines was pleased with how the TKA community has supported this latest project. “I was very proud of all the folks who came out, who have supported us in the past,” Raines said. “I think the program was able to demonstrate just how excited the entire student body is for what we’re doing… The groundbreaking ceremony went without a hitch. It was a very exciting experience for the entire King’s Academy community.” The program was designed to showcase the fine arts program at TKA. The King’s Kids sang
God Bless America, the Marching Lions performed the Star Spangled Banner, Gregorio Umana sang You Raise Me Up, Noelle Leinwol sang Forever, and the King’s Academy Vocal Arts and Advanced Dance group performed You’ll Never Walk Alone/Climb Every Mountain. A video compilation of previous shows was shown, as well as a video describing what the building will look like. “Until today, it has been a vision and a hope,” Meckstroth said. “Teachers and students who have heard so much about the project are excited that we’re starting. Coaches and directors wish we would hurry up and get finished.” Many of the donors who made See TKA, page 18
TKA students join Director David Snyder for one of several groundbreaking ceremonies.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER