ZONERS OK MORE RENTALS NEAR MALL SEE STORY, PAGE 3
GROVES TO TARGET ABANDONED HOMES SEE STORY, PAGE 7
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TOWN - CR IER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE Jesus Armas: STEM Academy Caps A Year Of Changes At RPBHS
Volume 32, Number 23 June 10 - June 16, 2011
14TH ANNUAL TASTE OF THE WEST
Royal P alm Beach High School Principal Jesus Armas met with members of the Royal Palm Beach Village Council last week, updating them on the school’s new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Academy launching next school year. Page 3
Leftover Impact Fees Give Wellington Ability To Continue Projects
While most municipalities are scaling back or altogether cutting large-scale improvements, Wellington has used impact fees to make some major changes. Using those impact fees, largely collected during the “boom years” when Wellington was under heavy development, the village has been able to invest in the community. Page 4
The Palms West Chamber of Commerce presented its 14th annual Taste of the West & Chocolate Lo vers Festival on Thursday, June 2 at the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center. The well-attended food and business expo featured area restaurants and caterers offering tasty food and chocolate dessert samples. People voted for Best Chocolate Dessert, and the winner was Johnson’s Custom Cakes & More. Pictured above are owner Jennifer Johnson, chef Liz Hall, Kyle Pickford, Maria Firma and Valerie Ramirez. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 14 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/T OWN-CRIER
Mall Kicks Off Summer With A ‘Beach Party’
The Mall at Wellington Green celebrated summer with a beach party f or its MallStars Kids Club members and friends on Saturday, June 4. Children enjoyed an int eractive show with Nemo the clown fish, as well as games, snacks and an appearance by MallStars Kids Club mascot Tanner Totes. Page 15
Senior Travel Ideas On Display In Wellington
Wellington seniors had the opportunity to learn about great travel destinations, options and trips at Wellingt on’s Senior Travel Expo presented by AAA Travel on Tuesday, June 7 at the Wellington Community Center. Page 20
OPINION Cautious Optimism At RPBHS Improvements
We have been impressed by the groundwork Principal Jesus Armas has done over the past year at Royal Palm Beach High School. It may be too early to start celebrating, but cautious optimism is definitely warranted. The school has come a long way since receiving a D grade two years ago. Let’s hope that this time next year, Armas has even more good news to report. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 3 - 15 OPINION ................................ 4 CRIME NEWS ........................ 6 NEWS BRIEFS ....................... 8 SCHOOLS ..................... 16 - 17 PEOPLE........................ 18 - 19 COLUMNS .................... 27 - 28 DINING OUT .........................29 ENTERTAINMENT ................33 BUSINESS ................... 35 - 37 SPORTS ....................... 41 - 44 CALENDAR...................46 - 47 CLASSIFIEDS ...............48 - 53 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Wellington’s First Landlord Workshop Set For June 14 By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington landlords and property managers looking to learn more about finding the right tenants are invited to a free workshop Tuesday, June 14 at the Wellington Community Center. The Tenant Screening and Lease Workshop, starting at 6:30 p.m., is offered by the new Wellington Landlord Association to provide information about how to screen tenants at a low cost, the importance of these screenings, how to read screening results, and why and how you should create a standardized lease agreement. The Wellington Landlord Association was formed in April as a way for landlords in the village to share information and best practices in an effort to stop resident
turnover and raise home values in transitional neighborhoods. By pooling information together, Wellington hopes landlords can avoid tenants who are more likely to cause problems in the neighborhood, something that the training will help with. “We’re trying to get our landlords to screen tenants,” Neighborhood Services Advocate Meridith Tuckwood said. “And then we want them to know how to read the screenings, because it doesn’t do them any good if they do a tenant screening and then they don’t know what it means.” And landlords will have the opportunity to join the Wellington Landlord Association and the Florida Landlord Network at no cost. Doing so will allow landlords to take advantage of a discounted
screening for tenants at $28 each. “All of our Wellington landlords are getting membership for free,” Tuckwood said. “All they are paying for is the screening, which they can write off on their application fee.” The association also hopes to discuss standardizing the lease agreement and prequalification used throughout Wellington in order to attract quality tenants and unify the landlord community. “By standardizing the lease and the prequalification, all landlords will have the same standards,” Tuckwood said. “We’re trying to get a standard across the board so that we can attract quality residents.” Tuckwood noted that landlords do have to follow fair housing See LANDLORDS, page 22
RPB Council Limits Manager’s Contract To A Year, Cuts Salary By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Citing hard economic times, the Royal Palm Beach Village Council reduced Village Manager Ray Liggins’ salary from $176,619 to $165,000 in a 3-2 decision Thursday, June 2. Liggins, previously the assistant village manager and village engineer, was appointed acting village manager when former Village Manager David Farber fell ill in early 2010. Liggins was given a one-year contract for the job when Farber died last spring. That oneyear contract was up for review and renewal last week. Vice Mayor Richard Valuntas and Councilman Fred Pinto dissented in the decision, favoring a proposed contract that included a 3 percent cost-of-living increase. “I can’t believe it has been a
year already, and I’ve appreciated that a lot has happened in a year,” Valuntas said. “I personally think Ray has done an excellent job, and we have some very big issues coming up.” Valuntas specifically cited Liggins’ work with the defunct wastewater treatment plant property. “There were extreme difficulties with that,” he said, favoring a new four-year contract with Liggins. However, Councilman David Swift had a different view. He noted that sharp cuts are needed to balance this year’s budget, and that the Florida Retirement System is requiring that all employees contribute 3 percent of their salaries. “They’re taking a 3 percent hit this year, and we’re trying to soften that blow by possibly going into our reserves,” Swift said.
While he is all for being generous to employees, Swift said the council cannot ignore that the fiscal outlook is bad. “We do not know when a turn is going to come. We’ve got to get a lot more serious about salaries that we offer our employees. I think that Ray has done a good job, but he’s not David Farber,” Swift said. “It’s kind of like he’s a manager in training, and I’m having a really hard time with the salary that we’re talking about of $176,619. Honestly, I look at the job paying $150,000 to 160,000.” Swift said he could go as high as $165,000 for Liggins, and added that during the budget process, he would favor looking at other village employees’ salaries, which he called “inflated.” Swift pointed out that Liggins’ See LIGGINS, page 4
Serving Palms West Since 1980
Indian Trail Chats With B&G Club About Community Center By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Will the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Palm Beach County end up in charge of the community center planned at the expanded Acreage Community Park? That was the option presented Wednesday to the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors by Boys & Girls Clubs CEO Mary O’Connor. O’Connor gave a presentation about her organization and how it could be a possible service provider for ITID’s planned community center. The presentation was at the request of Supervisor Carlos Enriquez, who said he is familiar with the program. O’Connor said sitting in the audience that evening made her think of Wellington when its government was the Acme Improvement District and the Wellington Boys & Girls Club was first suggested. “We have 13 clubhouses in Palm Beach County,” O’Connor
said. “Our clubs are open when kids need a place to go. We are open every day after school. We open at 2 in the afternoon and stay open until 8 in the evening.” They are also open any time schools are not in session, such as teachers’ workdays and throughout the spring, summer and winter breaks. The hours are designed to fit around the times that kids need a place to go so they are not left home alone and at risk, she said. “I don’t care what community you are in, if your kids are home alone, they are afraid, and so kids need to be in a supervised situation, and they need caring role models,” O’Connor said. “They need to be given the skills to become productive and responsible adults.” Part of being a responsible adult is graduating from high school, and O’Connor pointed out that 98.5 percent of children who stay with the Boys & Girls Clubs graduate high school. All the clubs See B&G CLUB, page 22
GROUNDBREAKING AT ST. MICHAEL
A moment nearly three decades in the making, St. Michael Evangelical Lutheran Church broke ground on its new facility Sunday, June 5. Af ter y ears of saving and planning, St. Michael will construct a new 250-seat sanctuar y on an empty stretch of land just south of the existing building at the corner of Bir kdale Drive and F orest Hill Blvd. Shown abo ve, Don Bembenek takes the ceremonial first shovel. STORY & MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY LAUREN MIRÓ/T OWN-CRIER
Callery-Judge, Lox Groves Talks Break Down; Court Looms By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report After more than 18 months of wrangling over Callery-Judge Grove’s challenge to its proposed comprehensive plan, the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council decided Monday to go to court to resolve the dispute. Town and Callery-Judge representatives had met in several closed-door workshops last year to reach a settlement agreement that the council ultimately rejected after residents disagreed with opening several connections to the town’s borders and widening Okeechobee Blvd. The meeting Monday was the third that was open to the public and included the entire council,
which culminated in CalleryJudge Grove General Manager Nat Roberts leaving after asking the council to send him a copy of their final proposal after council members once again began rehashing the wording of the document. After Roberts left, the council decided to take the issue to a Florida Department of Community Affairs administrative hearing. “I think there are some issues we have not even touched on,” Mayor Dave Browning said. “We’re trying to work this out so it doesn’t go to court, but you know what? I’m tired. From the input I’m getting from the community, I’m ready to entertain a See CALLERY, page 22
Republic Services Partners With PBSO To Protect RPB
Village Manager Ra y Liggins explains the new program while PBSO Capt. Paul Miles and Mayor Matty Mattioli look on.
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach’s trash collectors are being trained to serve as a second set of ears and eyes for the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. Republic Services of Palm Beach, the village’s garbage collection firm, has begun a new partnership with the PBSO aimed at making the community safer. Republic’s “We’re Looking Out For You” program is a crime prevention and safety enforcement initiative that enlists the participation of the company’s drivers. Village Manager Ray Liggins helped initiate the program after he learned about a Central Flori-
da community using a similar program. “I called Republic and asked if they have a program, and they said they did,” Liggins said. Republic jumped right on it and got with representatives of the PBSO. The village’s Code Enforcement Division precipitated the idea of civilian employees serving as extra eyes, ears — and noses — for law enforcement after the PBSO busted a marijuana grow house recently, Liggins said. RPB Community Development Director Rob Hill came to see the house and noted the characteristic odor of the plants. He had his code inspectors come out to familiarize themselves with the odor so
they could recognize it during their rounds in the village. “Code Enforcement is out on the street all the time,” Liggins said. “It presented an opportunity for them to smell something from the street.” PBSO Captain Paul Miles said the odor of marijuana can be overlooked by someone not familiar with it. He was quite happy to work with the village to get code enforcers familiar with the smell. “It spring-boarded off that, and we’re doing the same thing with this program,” Miles said. Liggins said there are more than a hundred village employees on the street, with even more contract employees. “We’ve got to go back See REPUBLIC, page 7