ROYAL PALM ALBERTSONS STORE TO CLOSE SEE STORY, PAGE 4
POLO, EQUESTRIAN SEASON IN HIGH GEAR SEE STORIES, PAGE 9
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
Volume 31, Number 4 January 22 - January 28, 2010
First Retail Gas Station Now Open In The Acreage
INSIDE Ernie Zimmerman Joins Race For Wellington Village Council Seat
Former village employee Ernie Zimmerman announced this week that he would run for the Wellington Village Council Seat 2 currently held by term-limited Lizbeth Benacquisto. Page 3
ACS Hosts Players Club Kickoff For Wellington Relay For Life In May
The American Cancer Society’s Wellington Relay for Life held a Hawaiian-theme kickoff party Tuesday, Jan. 19 on the patio of the Players Club restaurant. Participants signed up their teams, learned about the May 22 event and even participated in some fun and games. Page 5
Author Details His ‘Escape From Dubai’ At Chamber Lunch
As the guest speaker at the Wellington Chamber of Commerce luncheon Wednesday, Jan. 13 at the Binks Forest Country Club, Herve Jaubert recalled living under the threat of jail and torture while in Dubai. Page 7
An Array Of Fun At The 2010 South Florida Fair Now Through Jan. 31
The 2010 South Florida Fair kicked off its 17-day run last weekend, featuring the usual assortment of rides, games, livestock, entertainment and lots more. Page 15
Opinion The Cornerstone Of Our Democracy Is Contested Elections
Residents of Wellington, Royal Palm Beach and Loxahatchee Groves looking to toss their hats in the political arena will have their chance this week as qualifying for the March 9 municipal elections begins. A contested election makes for a healthy democracy, and it's important that voters have choices when they enter the voting booth. Page 4 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................. 2 - 15 OPINION ................................ 4 CRIME NEWS ........................ 6 SCHOOLS ..................... 16 - 17 PEOPLE ........................ 18 - 19 COLUMNS .................... 27 - 28 DINING ......................... 30 - 34 BUSINESS ................... 35 - 39 SPORTS ....................... 41 - 45 CALENDAR ................... 46 - 48 CLASSIFIEDS ............... 49 - 55 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
Serving Palms West Since 1980
New Playground Takes Shape — Barbara and Del Williamson with Wellington Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto and her son Austin on the horse statue in the center of Scott’s Place. PHOTOS BY LAUREN MIRO/TOWN-CRIER
Community Comes Together To Help Build ‘Scott’s Place’ By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Hundreds of residents from Wellington and beyond gathered on Saturday, Jan. 16 and Sunday, Jan. 17 to help build Scott’s Place, a handicap-accessible boundless playground in the heart of Wellington. Wellington residents Barbara and Del Williamson donated $250,000 to build the playground in memory of their son Scott, who suffered from cerebral palsy and died at the age of six. The park will have wheelchair access and equipment that allows children of all abilities to play together. “They wanted to make sure that children who are handicapped can play along with able-bodied children, and everyone can share a big adventure together,” said Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto, a major supporter of the effort. Residents responded overwhelmingly to the idea.
a well-water issue,” Erickson said. Part of the safe design of the station is because the tank system is fully consolidated, with the pumps directly over the tanks without the need for any piping from tanks to dispensers, according to Publix representatives. The tanks have state-of-the-art double walls that are monitored so that an alarm goes off if fuel escapes from the interior wall. Erickson’s only criticism was the traffic pattern, with a one-way exit only at the nearest entrance from Orange Blvd. on the west side of the gas station area. “Everybody is human,” he said, referring to a natural urge for a driver in need of gas to turn into the station against the instructed traffic direction. “You have to learn how to get around and drive around the parking because it’s a little confusing with the one-way stuff, but everybody figures it out eventually.” ITID President Michelle DaSee GAS STATION, page 22
New Wireless System Links Up Wellington Workers On The Go
Volunteers help move the bases of the playground into position. “The village had to turn people away,” Del Williamson said. “They only needed 200 people but got over 500 volunteers calling and offering to help.”
Benacquisto said the effort allowed the community to show its true nature. “This says so much about WellSee PLAYGROUND, page 7
Groves Town Council Supports RPB On Roebuck’s Extension By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council supported a resolution Tuesday favoring the extension of Roebuck Road into the western communities. The unanimous vote came after a presentation by Royal Palm Beach Village Engineer Ray Liggins to officials in neighboring Loxahatchee Groves. Liggins explained that Roebuck Road, which would connect Jog Road to the State Road 7 extension, is critical because east-west travel is limited and will get worse as the western communities expand. “We’ve known this for a very long time,” Liggins said, noting that Northlake and Okeechobee boulevards are the only east-west roads serving a densely populated seven-mile stretch. “Every
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Pix, the long-planned Publixowned gas station, opened Jan. 8 in the Acreage Shopping Center, bringing what many say has been a sorely needed service to the area. “It was a pleasure to drive a mile and a half from my house and get gas that was competitively priced,” Indian Trail Improvement District Supervisor Mike Erickson told the Town-Crier on Wednesday. “It seems to be busy, so I expect there was quite a bit of pentup demand from the community.” The station — the first retail gas outlet in The Acreage — met stiff opposition initially because Acreage residents rely on well water and a fuel spill or leakage could create problems. However, the gas station was designed with a number of safeguards to prevent such leaks. “Based on all the design criteria they used, I think they have probably one of the safest gas stations in the State of Florida from
study done in the last 20 years shows a deficiency in that eastwest capacity.” He said the only mitigating factor is that the western communities are not fully developed yet. “That’s good for us today, but not good for the future,” Liggins said. One of the big complaints has been commuter time, Liggins said, adding that it will get worse as the 30,000 acres of undeveloped land and thousands of acres more of underdeveloped land come online. “You have acknowledged in your comp plan that even at one unit per five acres, you still recognize that there are many acres of undeveloped land that people have the right to develop under the rules and regulations of the State of Florida,” Liggins said. “One of the largest complaints in surveys of people out here is increased
commute times in the workforce. That’s where Roebuck Road is a solution.” Palm Beach County has included Roebuck Road in its thoroughfare road plan. The county funded it originally for 2011 and postponed it to 2014 because of permitting delays from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and objections to the construction by the City of West Palm Beach, which raised environmental questions. Liggins said West Palm Beach remains adamantly opposed to the road, although it signed an interlocal agreement to build the road in the 1990s. “Their attorneys objected to everything they could possibly object to on the roadway,” he said. The objections center on alleged environmental concerns that the road runs alongside the West See ROEBUCK, page 20
By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Wellington has implemented a wireless communication system, powered by routers on light poles throughout the village, to help communicate with employees and control utilities. It is a system the village hopes will save over $100,000 a year. “We have a very limited capacity Wi-Fi system,” Village Manager Paul Schofield told the TownCrier Wednesday. “Our employees who are out in the field can
access the village’s internal computer system from their cars or trucks.” The wireless access is part of a larger project that was approved by the Wellington Village Council in October 2008 that included changing water meters and updating lift stations within the village. The overall project initially cost the village $4.5 million, but it already has seen a $2.5 million return, Chief Information Officer Tom Amburgey said, adding that See WIRELESS, page 22
PLAYING FOR DR. KING
The Caribbean-Americans for Community Involvement (CAFCI) and the Village of Royal Palm Beach presented their eighth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. celebration Monday, Jan. 18 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. Shown above, local pianist Copeland Davis performs during the ceremony. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 2 PHOTO BY CAROL PORTER/TOWN-CRIER
Cell Tower Disguised As A Cross Rises Over Acreage Church By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Horizon Baptist Church is nearing completion of its building at Orange Blvd. near 130th Avenue North in The Acreage, and while few dispute the church, some are debating the esthetics of a 100foot cross that conceals a cellular communications tower. The church received a construction permit in June 2008 and a groundbreaking ceremony was held in July 2008. It received approval in May 2009 to build a 100foot stealth cell tower in conjunction with T-Mobile/Glotel Inc. on its 2.75-acre site. The Indian Trail Improvement District is not in charge of zoning issues in The Acreage — that responsibility falls to Palm Beach County — but ITID President Michelle Damone said she objects to the size of the cross-shaped tower. “I was actually extremely excited for that church on 130th and Orange,” Damone said. “It’s a
beautiful building with a beautiful wraparound porch, and it has a 100-foot cross that is an eyesore,” Damone said. “I hope God forgives me, because I don’t mean that in a Christian way, but it’s not consistent with the size of the church or property.” Damone said no other churches in the area have crosses that large unless they are simply expressions of faith. “This is not meant to express religion,” Damone said. “It’s a cell phone tower, and I can’t believe that tower was approved and was accepted through the site plan and zoning process.” Acreage community activist Cathy Probst also feels that the cross is too large. “My husband and I drove by and thought, ‘oh wow,’” she recalled. “We were surprised because it definitely captures your eye. There’s no way it can’t.” Probst said the cross is disproportionate to the area, to the size See CROSS, page 20
Workers construct the cell tower cross Tuesday at Horizon Baptist Church in The Acreage. PHOTO BY RON BUKLEY/TOWN-CRIER