HAWK FAMILY DAY BBQ SATURDAY AT SRHS UROLOGISTS DISCUSS ROBOTIC SURGERY SEE STORY, PAGE 3 SEE STORY, PAGE 7 THE
TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
Volume 32, Number 7 February 18 - February 24, 2011
Wellington Ponders Clinic To Care For Village Employees
INSIDE
County Demands FDOT Start Guardrail Work
The Palm Beach County Commission approved a resolution Tuesday to be sent to the Florida Department of Transportation demanding guar drails along State R oad 80 from 20Mile Bend to State Road 715, where there have been 1 5 deaths in recent years as a result of crashes. Page 3
Great Charity Challenge — FTI Consulting Chairman Dennis Shaughnessy and Equestrian Sport Productions CEO Mark Bellissimo in front of a big check showing how much money will be given away at this weekend’s special event at the Winter Equestrian Festival. PHO TO BY LAUREN MIRÓ/T OWN-CRIER
Wellington Jewish Center Celebrates Ten Years At Gala
The Wellington Jewish Center celebrated 10 years of growth Sunday, Feb. 13 with an anniversary dinner at the Wellington Community Cent er. The evening honored Ben and Debbie Pincus with the Outstanding Community Leadership Award, Amy Dow with the Pillar of Jewish Education Award and Livna Nativ with the Pillar of Chessed and Volunteering Award. Page 9
Over $1 Million For Charity On The Line At Special WEF Event
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report More than $1 million in prize money is on the line for 32 lucky charities as top world-class and amateur riders compete for their causes during the 2011 FTI Great Charity Challenge at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center on Saturday, Feb. 19. “This is going to be a wonderful event for the equestrian community to give back,” Equestrian Sport Productions CEO Mark Bellissimo said. “We want to see everyone out there cheering on their team.” In its inaugural year, the Great Charity Challenge awarded $560,000 in prize money to 24 charities, and this year promises to be bigger and better with more
charities, more money to be won, and more to do and see for families, equestrians and residents. And with $1,020,000 to give away, the event is the largest single class in U.S. show jumping history, Bellissimo said. Dennis Shaughnessy, chairman of the board of FTI Consulting, the horse show’s presenting sponsor, said that he was excited to be involved in such an event. “I think it’s a great opportunity to get the horse world engaged in helping the community,” he said. “They’re an amazing group of people who come from all over the world.” The Great Charity Challenge is organized in a relay format with teams of professional, amateur and junior riders riding for a ran-
domly selected charity. The charities were selected in a draw during the Holiday HorseFest at the Meyer Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach. Prize money is determined by the quickest time over a course of jumps, and each charity is guaranteed at least $10,000, with the winner to get about $150,000. Each charity was randomly assigned a sponsor — a generous family or individual who donated money to make the event a reality. The sponsors have the chance to select the amateur riders who will compete for their charity, while the professional riders are selected at random. The event’s presenting sponsor, Fidelity Charitable Services, manSee CHARITY, page 20
Lox Council Rejects Settlement Kelly Bensimon, Carson Kressley Visit Polo Club
Real Housewives of New York City’s Kelly Bensimon and stylist, designer and TV personality Carson Kressley stopped by for brunch at the International Polo Club Palm Beach last Sunday. Page 15
OPINION Dr. Johnson’s Swan Song
Dr. Ar t Johnson’s tenure as superint endent of the Palm Beach County School District has drawn to a close. Although we would have liked to see Johnson depart under better circumstances, the fact remains that he needs to leave — mostly because the side show that has dominated the past year has taken the focus of education in this county away from where it belongs... with the children. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 2 - 14 OPINION ................................ 4 CRIME NEWS ........................ 6 NEWS BRIEFS ....................... 8 POLO & EQUESTRIAN .........15 SCHOOLS ..................... 16 - 17 PEOPLE........................ 18 - 19 COLUMNS .................... 27 - 28 SUMMER CAMPS ........ 31 - 33 BUSINESS ................... 35 - 37 SPORTS ....................... 41 - 44 CALENDAR...................46 - 47 CLASSIFIEDS ...............48 - 53 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Serving Palms West Since 1980
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council scrapped a proposed settlement agreement with CalleryJudge Grove on Tuesday. The agreement, more than a year in the making, was aimed at settling Callery-Judge’s challenge to the town’s comprehensive plan. Instead, council members said they would go to court if CalleryJudge doesn’t offer a road connection plan more palatable to residents.
The citrus grower, which owns 4,000 acres just north of the town, has insisted that Loxahatchee Groves do nothing to impede the efficiency of traffic flow, which would decrease access to CalleryJudge when it develops its property. In the agreement, the town would have had to meet certain deadlines to make road improvements, including road openings to the north, east and west of the community, and improvements to Okeechobee Blvd.
More than an hour of discussion on the topic included comments from Indian Trail Improvement District President Michelle Damone, who said her constituents near a proposed connection to Sycamore Drive East would not agree to it. Damone did say, however, that ITID would consider a connection of E Road to 140th Avenue North by means of a roundabout or other traffic-calming device. Applicants seeking to make connections See SETTLEMENT, page 20
‘WELLINGTON’S FINEST’ SUPPORT CFF
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington employees and their families may soon be able to take advantage of the village’s healthier outlook on life. Village officials are seeking options to provide a wellness clinic at its new municipal complex to provide routine care to employees. “We’re putting together a request for proposals,” Director of Financial Management & Budget Mireya McIlveen told the TownCrier on Wednesday. “We are considering maybe a partnership with area hospitals and nearby clinics. We plan to accept proposals and look at different options and consider the different costs associated with each option.” The move is part of Wellington’s push toward healthier living. Currently, it provides a gym on premises to its employees. Providing a place where they could stop in for a checkup, renew prescriptions and get small, routine medical care would not only benefit employees, but also increase productivity, McIlveen said. “There are a lot of benefits to having something like that,” she said. “It can help to increase productivity. If your eyes are bothering you at work and you have a headache, or if you feel a cold coming on, you could go to the clinic site and get the care you need, then possibly go back to work. That way, employees don’t
have to take time off and spend two or three hours going to a doctor’s office.” The village is weighing the benefits of having a nurse practitioner on site to see a handful of patients each day, or perhaps something more comprehensive, McIlveen said. “As we get responses, we’ll look at the different options,” she said. “Something like a nurse practitioner would be low cost but may not be able to handle as many patients. It’s about finding the right balance for what we need.” And the move could benefit the village by lowering its health insurance premiums; however, that isn’t a guarantee. McIlveen noted that Wellington’s premiums are based on actual claims, and can rise or fall depending on that number each year. But village officials hope that by having permanent healthcare on site, employees and their dependents could remain healthier. “Ideally, we’d like someone to be able to see employees and their dependents — anyone covered under the health insurance,” McIlveen said. “It may be hard to find someone willing to come in to see only 200 employees… We will be waiting for those [requests for proposals] to come back and look at our options.” Employees may also have other health-related options to choose See CLINIC, page 4
WILD THINGS ART SHOW
The fifth annual “Wild Things Art Show” benefiting the Rare Species Conser vatory Foundation was held Saturday, Feb. 12 at Gisela Pferdekamper’s art studio in Loxahatchee Groves. Sho wn here are Pferdekamper with RSCF Direct or Dr. Paul Reillo and Curat or Karen McGovern. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 2 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Rec Ideas Lead Task Force Suggestions
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s inaugural “Wellington’s Finest Ball” was held Saturday, Feb. 12 at the new Grande Pavilion at the International Polo Club Palm Beach. Many local dignitaries were on hand for an evening that featured a sit-down dinner, silent and live auctions, live music, dancing and awards to honor Wellington community leaders. Shown above are honorees John and Toy Wash, Kelly Smallridge, Craig Stein, Event Chair Jeff Greer, Terri and Carmine Priore III, Mike Sexton, Susanne Bennett, Aaron Menitoff and Julie Larson. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Several members of Royal Palm Beach’s Wastewater Treatment Plant Task Force agreed Tuesday that they’d like to see the property put toward recreational use. The Royal Palm Beach Village Council formed the task force when residents and officials couldn’t agree on an acceptable land use for the 150-acre property located off Crestwood Blvd. Initially, the council wanted to rezone it to be an employment center, but nearby residents protested the move. The task force is set to discuss and recommend an acceptable
land use, which will be presented to the council in April. After visiting the site, some members felt it was large enough for multiple land uses, but most expressed the desire for a park or similar use. Senior Planner Bradford O’Brien reminded task force members that they would be recommending a land use category, not a specific land use. “I was quite taken aback by the size of the property,” Mike Axelberd said. “I had no idea it was so large. I feel it could be used not only as a mechanism to raise revenue but to attract young families and young people to the area.” Axelberd said he would like to See TASK FORCE, page 20
P.W. Hospital Kicks Off 25th Anniversary Celebration
Palms West Hospital CEO Bland Eng with f irst CEO Mike Pugh.
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Palms West Hospital kicked off its 25th anniversary celebration last Thursday, Feb. 10, with cake and cupcakes, memories and reunions. The hospital’s first CEO, Mike Pugh, along with current CEO Bland Eng, members of the staff and a few nurses who have been around since the very beginning delivered treats throughout the day. “I just can’t get over what a change it is and how nice it is,” Pugh said, “and how professional the people are and how friendly they are. That’s the biggest thing. This is not a cold hospital here. This is a friendly hospital.”
Pugh was named CEO in 1984, overseeing construction of the hospital, which opened in 1986. Once it opened, Pugh recalled how patients trickled in slowly. “We had no patients because we didn’t have but about four doctors,” he said. “As more doctors came, more patients came.” In the beginning, Palms West Hospital had only enough staff for one floor and has since expanded to use all three floors, with a fourth one soon to be added. Nurse Sally Jaworski, who began working at the hospital 25 years ago, has been able to watch the hospital grow and expand. “It used to be very small,” she said. “There was one pharmacist and a couple of people in the lab.
We had only four beds in the ER. It has grown so much in 25 years.” And it’s not only the building that has expanded. Today, the hospital houses more than 150 doctors and 800 employees, with 165 beds and the ability to see and treat more patients than ever. Eng credited Pugh for laying the roots that have helped make Palms West Hospital as successful as it is today. “I think that Mike laid a wonderful foundation, making sure that we have good-quality physicians and we give good patient care,” he said. “He worked hard to do that.” Pugh said he is thrilled to see the advancements the hospital has See ANNIVERSARY, page 7