DONATED IPADS HELP WHS STUDENTS SEE STORY, PAGE 3
ITID CALLS SPECIAL MEETING ON ROADS SEE STORY, PAGE 7
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
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Lox Groves Officials Attempting To Address Major Road Problems
Volume 39, Number 5 February 2 - February 8, 2018
Serving Palms West Since 1980
ANNUAL ART FEST ON THE GREEN
The Town of Loxahatchee Groves has announced a new road-grading policy that will include grading three times a month for all 16.4 miles of roads recently inherited from the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District. Page 3
Provident Jewelry Holds Grand Opening At New Wellington Store
Provident Jewelry held a grand opening celebration at its new Wellington store on Thursday, Jan. 25. Guests joined Provident team members at the new location to tour the new building and its outdoor patio while enjoying a variety of arts and entertainment. The new store is located in Wellington’s Town Square plaza. Page 7
Vinceremos Hosts Buck-Off Tournament
The Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center held the second of three buck-off competitions Thursday, Jan. 25 at the White Horse Tavern. The series will culminate Friday, Feb. 2 at the International Polo Club Palm Beach at the 31st annual Vinceremos Dinner & Benefit Auction. The final qualifying rounds of teams were selected for the gala: Dutta Corp, Ziggy’s Crew, Junior Crew and the Fire Breathing Ducks. Page 21
OPINION Focus On Heart-Healthy Living During February, American Heart Month
Odds are, you know someone affected by heart disease and stroke, because approximately 2,200 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day. That’s an average of one death every 40 seconds. However, detection and prevention of heart disease and stroke save and prolong lives, which is the point of February being “American Heart Month.” Even modest changes can dramatically improve your heart health. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS................................. 3 - 8 OPINION.................................. 4 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 6 PEOPLE................................. 13 SCHOOLS.......................14 - 15 COLUMNS............................. 16 BUSINESS......................26 - 27 SPORTS..........................29 - 31 CALENDAR............................ 32 CLASSIFIEDS................ 33 - 36 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The Wellington Art Society held its 12th annual Art Fest on the Green on Saturday, Jan. 26 and Sunday, Jan. 27 at the Wellington Amphitheater. Dozens of artists showcased their work for all to see at the juried art show. The Wellington Art Society awarded participating artists for the work they displayed. Shown above is best of show winner Tim Gaydos with Leslie Pfeiffer and Toni Willey of the Wellington Art Society. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY JACK LOWENSTEIN/TOWN-CRIER
COP Program In Wellington Seeks Additional Volunteers
By Betsy LaBelle Town-Crier Staff Report At Wellington’s Public Safety Committee meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 24, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Deputy Scott Poritz gave a presentation on the PBSO’s Citizen Observer Patrol (COP) Program. The presentation included the history of the program and how someone can become a COP volunteer in Wellington, along with the certifications potential volunteers must take to become involved. The meeting also included a
number of representatives from Neighborhood Watch programs in Wellington. Poritz’s goal was to put the word out that the PBSO needs more COP volunteers. He went over key points on what COP volunteers do, particularly when it comes to the Wellington area. Nine COP members from Unit 1 attended the meeting in support of the program, as Poritz explained the responsibilities of the volunteers and how they contribute to the community. “What they do is truly a great benefit to the citizens of Welling-
at the cost of $65 per person and include Segway training. Located off Flying Cow Road in Wellington’s western reaches, the 365-acre environmental preserve is the site of the tour and offers paved paths that twist and turn through different landscapes. A vast number of rare birds forage in marshes and lakes that spread across the broad expanse of the preserve. Wooden boardwalks allow viewers to hover over the top of the water to glimpse up close the striking colors of the distinct
(L-R) Sarah Frank, Glen Goodman, tour guide Andrew Beller, Haley Goodman and Merrill Frank.
PHOTO BY BETSY LABELLE/TOWN-CRIER
By Jack Lowenstein Town-Crier Staff Report As the Village of Royal Palm Beach continues to consider traffic-calming measures in neighborhoods that qualify, results of a recent poll were released last week determining that Sparrow Drive residents’ support did not meet the necessary threshold. In May 2016, the Royal Palm Beach Village Council directed staff to design a traffic-calming policy to respond to residents’ concerns about speeding on neighborhood roadways. An engineering study is conducted to see whether a requested roadway fits the policy requirement. Residents must then vote via mail-in ballot with 50 percent plus one in favor for traffic calming to be implemented on a neighborhood roadway. The portion of Sparrow Drive between Royal Palm Beach Blvd. and Crestwood Blvd. failed to achieve the 50 percent plus one vote needed in results released on Friday, Jan. 26. “Essentially, the
findings were that it was eligible for traffic calming in accordance with the village policy,” Village Engineer Chris Marsh said. “At that point, we took all the parcels that were immediately adjacent to Sparrow Drive from Royal Palm Beach Blvd. to Crestwood Blvd., and we sent out ballots to them.” Sparrow Drive is the second roadway to have gone through the full step-by-step process for the policy. Once the road was considered for traffic calming, a special meeting was conducted. “At the special meeting, the consultant was there, Village Manager Ray Liggins and myself were there,” Marsh said. “[Councilman] Jeff Hmara was in attendance, and there were two other residents who came to the meeting.” Marsh said the two residents were encouraged to take the initiative to have their neighbors participate in the resident voting process whether they were for or against it. “Their goal, leaving the meetSee SPARROW, page 4
EQUESTRIANS VISIT BOYS & GIRLS CLUB
ton,” Poritz said. “They are all volunteers and give a great service to the community.” Honoring their years of dedication and service to the community, Poritz saluted the nine COP volunteers in attendance. “You are looking at royalty here,” he said. “Some units thrive and some units fold. This unit, Unit 1, has been going 25 years strong. I cannot say enough good things about the individual people I have met through the years, their backgrounds and what they are able to bring. It truly makes my job enjoyable being See COP PROGRAM, page 19
Fun Segway Tour Shows Off Majestic Wellington Preserve
By Betsy LaBelle Town-Crier Staff Report Residents can take in breathtaking scenery while gliding along miles of paths and learning about different species at Wellington’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Habitat through Green Motion Segway Tours. Wellington resident Andrew Beller shares his passion about the environment while pointing out wonders within the community during these reservation-only tours. Tours are two hours in length
Sparrow Misses Vote Threshold For Traffic Calming
wildlife, including rare and endangered birds as well as grasses, fish and snails native to the Everglades. The tour includes an earpiece to listen in on what you encounter, and it allows one to see unique wildlife for the first time and to learn whether it’s native to the Everglades or an invasive species. A must for fun family things to do in Wellington, the Segway Tour includes no more than six riders per tour. And the tour is truly enlightening. “My passion is the Everglades and saving the Everglades,” Beller said. “We live in an amazing area where there is an extraordinary habitat in our back yards. Here at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Everglades Habitat, one can see wildlife, gators and birds. It’s great to be able to come out and enjoy the nature. It’s literally the best place on the earth.” Beller’s tours include plenty of information about the unique Everglades environment. “The reason why I do the Everglades Segway tours is to teach the younger generation about how the Everglades affect the whole planSee TOUR, page 4
Show jumper Heather Caristo-Williams joined polo players Nic Roldan, Brandon Phillips and Soy Martin Pepa to tour the Neil S. Hirsch Family Boys & Girls Club in Wellington on Monday, Jan. 29. The athletes stopped by to provide pizza and enjoy a fun afternoon with the club kids. Shown above are Pepa, Caristo-Williams, Roldan and Phillips with club kids Imani Strachan and Jasmine Chapdelaine. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 19 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Westlake’s Comp Plan Proposal Concerns Local, Regional Officials
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Local officials, as well as the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council and Palm Beach County leaders, are not happy with a proposed comprehensive plan submitted by Minto’s Westlake development. Experts say the comp plan could allow as many as 46,000 homes and as much as 11 million square feet of non-residential uses in the 4,000-acre newly incorporated municipality. Currently, the approved Westlake plan calls for 4,500 homes, which has already caused discomfort among leaders in the western communities.
The fledgling municipal government submitted its comp plan to the Treasure Coast Regional Planning Council on Jan. 19. It received negative comments from staff and was rejected by the board unanimously. “The non-residential numbers were very clear for the board to review,” Palm Beach County Principal Planner Bryan Davis told the Town-Crier on Tuesday, explaining that the developer had come up with the 11 million square feet based on the average county need per capita. “The county has its own issues with the numbers. They came up with that number. My understanding was that the See WESTLAKE, page 4
Great Charity Challenge Brings Community Together
By Betsy LaBelle Town-Crier Staff Report The ninth annual Great Charity Challenge, presented by Fidelity Investments, will be held Saturday, Feb. 3 starting at 6 p.m. at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center as part of the Saturday Night Lights series at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Organizers expect the Great Charity Challenge to be the community event of the year and invite all residents to participate. “It’s a night where everyone’s a star,” Executive Director Anne Caroline Valtin said. “Come meet the volunteers, board members and executive directors from local charities. You will meet outstanding individuals who are very passionate about making a difference
and making people’s lives better in Palm Beach County.” The event is free for general admission with free parking available at the Equestrian Village site at 13500 South Shore Blvd. with shuttle service to the main showgrounds. “Join us for an amazing atmosphere with amazing individuals,” Valtin said. “There are individuals from all walks of life who come together for this one night. You just feel so empowered by the people.” The huge community celebration centers around a show jumping competition where teams of costumed riders take to the course to win money for their designated charities. To date, the Great Charity Challenge has distributed in excess of
$10 million to more than 200 Palm Beach County charities — and after this weekend, an additional $1.5 million will be added to the total. The winning team will take $150,000 with the dozens of participating charities each receiving a portion of the money. Included during the event are family-friendly activities, such as a petting zoo, Wellington school art activities, many on-site dining options and a beautiful carousel to ride and enjoy. The event was founded in 2010 by Mark and Katherine Bellissimo of Wellington Equestrian Partners and their daughter Paige. Valtin noted that everyone involved in the event is proud of the work done by the Great Charity Challenge See GCC, page 19
Mark, Katherine and Paige Bellissimo with Anne Caroline Valtin at last year’s Great Charity Challenge.
PHOTO BY JULIE UNGER/TOWN-CRIER