JACOBS CLAIMS SECOND ITID BOARD TERM SEE STORY, PAGE 3
AREA THESPIANS SHINE AT DELRAY SHOW SEE STORY, PAGE 9
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE Wellington Policy Change Protects Gays And Lesbians
Volume 31, Number 28 July 9 - July 15, 2010
A PATRIOTIC PARTY IN ROYAL PALM
The Village of Wellington amended its Equal Employment Opportunity policy last week to prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity among the village’s current and future employees. Page 3
Indian Trail, County Near Completion Of Park-Library Land Swap
An interlocal agreement that will lead to the expansion of Acreage Community Park and construction of a Palm Beach County branch library in The Acreage is on the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors’ July 14 agenda. Page 4 The Village of Royal Palm Beach presented its Star-Spangled Spectacular at Lakeside Challenger Park last Sunday. Shown here are Parks & Recreation Director Lou Recchio with Mike Mikolaichik, Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center Supervisor Carlos Morales, Eva Hernandez and Beverly Atkins. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 2 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Rain Can’t Dampen Wellington’s Fourth Of July Celebration
The Village of Wellington hosted its annual Fourth of July celebration last Sunday at Village Park on Pierson Road. Because of the rainy weather, the afternoon’s events were moved indoors. Activities included bingo, relay races, pie and watermelon eating contests, face painting, dancing and a fireworks display. Page 5
Lox Groves Extends Building Moratorium, But Grants Exceptions
The Loxahatchee Groves Town Council agreed Tuesday to extend its building moratorium to Jan. 1 with the understanding that certain projects in the approval process could proceed as long as they comply when the town’s comprehensive plan is finished. Page 7
Wellington Program Provides Cab Fare For Seniors In Need By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report The Village of Wellington is helping senior citizens get where they need to go with a new pilot program offering cab rides to those who no longer can or wish to drive. A total of 158 residents signed up for the program, which runs from July 1 through Aug. 15. Seniors who are at least 60 years old will receive six one-way taxi rides provided by Wellington Cab and Wellington Towncar at a cost of $2 per ride. The program is good for travel anywhere within Wellington’s boundaries, along State Road 7 from Southern Blvd. to Lake Worth Road, and to Palms West Hospital.
An alternative method of transportation was high among the priorities of the Senior Citizen Task Force, a Wellington-appointed temporary committee that held meetings in 2006 to reach out to the senior population and address issues it faced. The village also surveyed residents 55 years and older that year and found that transportation, affordable housing and a senior center were the top three priorities for those who responded. “They asked for an alternative method of transportation,” Strategic Planning & Economic Development Director Martin Hodgkins said. “Many of the seniors need a way to get around if they are not able to drive. If they have to get some sort of treatment
done where they can’t drive afterward, they need a way to get home.” Hodgkins said that although it took a while for the village to honor the seniors’ request, it was important to provide them with the care they need. “Wellington’s senior community has always been active,” he said. “There has been a lot of effort to make sure that they have a hometown that does try to support them and their needs.” Under the program, seniors get a voucher card that includes an account number. They share the number with Wellington Cab or Wellington Towncar when they call for a ride. Wellington allotted $10,000 for the project and picks See CAB FARE, page 4
20 YEARS OF FISHING ON THE FOURTH
Opinion
Neighbors To RPB: Drop Crestwood Redevelopment By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Saying they want no part of a commercial redevelopment plan for Royal Palm Beach’s old wastewater treatment plant, several dozen of about 100 residents attending a presentation by Village Manager Ray Liggins last week spoke against a proposal village officials have framed as a major economic development initiative. The July 1 meeting was called after the Royal Palm Beach Planning & Zoning Commission recommended denial of a proposed comprehensive land-use amendment June 22 at the urging of residents living near the site at the village’s northern edge. The land use change would shift the 159-acre site off Crestwood Blvd. from its current public use designation to mixed-use commercial. The land was cleared after RPB sold its utility department to the county several years ago. For the past year, village officials have eyed the site as a possible economic development zone to bring more non-retail jobs to the community. Liggins stressed that RPB officials have the best interest of the village and its residents in mind. “Some have said that this is not well thought out or not communicated to the residents well,” Liggins said. “I believe it is well thought out. I feel there is a need to give you the information before it gets to the council meeting on July 15. This meeting is my opportunity to give you the facts that you said you did not have at the planning meeting.” Research has shown that the site would support commercial use in the life sciences, medical and biotech industries, Liggins said. If the council votes to transmit the proposed amendment to the Florida Department of Community Affairs, it would go to Tallahassee for approval and then return later this year for additional village approvals. “We plan to ride on the coattails of the state’s $1.5 billion investment in the biotech industry,”
Liggins said. “Our market research professionals think there is a market here for that. The state has been successful in developing that industry.” Other industries that could fit on the property include alternative energy and healthcare services, he said. “Those are industries we have targeted with the land use that we selected for this particular piece of property,” Liggins said. Other alternatives include physics and aerospace, communications and entertainment, he said. The total floor space proposed would be about 700,000 square feet, including 300,000 square feet for project development, 60,000 square feet for general office to support that industry, 30,000 square feet of retail, 150,000 square feet for a college campus serving about 800 students, an assisted living facility and multifamily housing. Liggins noted that research has shown that many people in the village drive elsewhere to work and having such an employment hub would save residents commuting time and expense. The property is owned free and clear by the village, and its sale to a developer would create revenue to hold down taxes, he said. “To reach the market, you have to have it ‘shovel ready,’ which means having the land use and zoning in place,” Liggins said. While the land does not meet standards set by Palm Beach State College for its planned campus in the western communities, Liggins said other public and private universities have indicated there is a need for additional higher education in the area. Liggins added that the land in question is not virgin land — it was used as an active wastewater treatment plant, and would still be used as such if not for the utility sale. Other potential uses, such as residential, would not serve the community’s long-term interests and take up far more square footage. “This property has always been a for-profit property,” he said. “It See CRESTWOOD, page 16
RPB Training Center Nears Completion
It’s Time Wellington Takes Action On Senior Advisory Committee
Wellington is much overdue in its creation of a senior citizens advisory committee. Village officials past and present have been paying lip service to this idea for years, and although everyone agrees seniors need more say in village affairs, no one has taken action on the issue. Page 4
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The Royal Palm Bassmasters hosted the 20th Annual Red, White & Blue Fourth of July Fishing Tournament on Sunday, July 4 at Lakeside Challenger Park in Royal Palm Beach. Shown here are Adult/Child (Bass) winners Lori and Tyler Deal, Sean and Jesse Bailey and Chris and Spencer Perron. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 33 & 35 PHOTO BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER
By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The David B. Farber Training Center is only a few weeks from completion, Royal Palm Beach Village Manager Ray Liggins said this week. The 8,000-square-foot building behind the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office District 9 substation will double as an emergency operations center. The facility has a full workout room for PBSO, fire-rescue and general personnel in the village. A 48-seat classroom will serve as the central operations center, with an adjoining kitchen, laundry room, generator room and central computer processing room for the village, Liggins said. “This is where all the brains are going to be,” Liggins said as he
led a tour of the new building. “All of our computers will go in there, and the backup will go in Village Hall. This is a fully fire-protected room. It’s got its own AC system.” The training room is outfitted with weights, treadmills and dozens of other pieces of exercise equipment, most equipped with television and computer screens. “If we are not the most fit public employees, we will obviously not be taking advantage of this,” Liggins said. The restrooms will have controlled access to locker rooms for employees to store their gym clothes. The training center also will house the Police Athletic League boxing ring and equipment in a room roughly twice the size of the See BUILDING, page 16
Wellington Celebrates Grand Opening Of Amphitheater By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Although its big kickoff was scheduled for Saturday, July 3, an intimate crowd gathered Friday, July 2 at the new Wellington Amphitheater to enjoy acoustic music, refreshments, ribbon cuttings and speeches by Wellington officials as part of the amphitheater’s grand opening. “This facility has been a long time in coming, but you know it’s going to be a facility that serves us for many years to come,” Mayor Darell Bowen said. “This new amphitheater allows our Parks & Recreation Department to expand our programs.” The 3,200-square-foot amphitheater in front of the Wellington Community Center is a key piece of the new “Town Center.” It joins the newly renovated pool, the Wellington Community Center,
Scott’s Place playground and a new village hall under construction, which Bowen said would be finished this year. Bowen thanked the council, Palm Beach County, village staff, the builders and all parties involved for helping bring the amphitheater to Wellington. “We’ll be able to do many more things, things that we were limited in doing before,” he said. “It will afford us many opportunities that people in our community have longed for. It will be a venue that will be used not only by professional performers, but I envision it being used very heavily by our local schools and local community groups.” Councilman Howard Coates noted that the facility is a key part of efforts to bring the arts and cultural events to the western communities.
“This facility just didn’t happen by accident,” he said. “It started with someone’s dream to bring a facility for the performing arts to Wellington. For those who are familiar with those efforts… we know that it hasn’t been without some hurdles and bumps along the road. This facility is a testament of what can happen when you don’t lose sight of the vision you have for this community.” An $822,296 county grant paid for the amphitheater. The village accepted the money two years ago after the collapse of the Cultural Trust of the Palm Beaches. Originally, the Cultural Trust was to build an amphitheater on villageowned property near the Mall at Wellington Green. Bowen also thanked County Commissioner Jess Santamaria See AMPHITHEATER, page 7
Amphitheater Opening — Amanda Major, Lizzy the Clown (Veronica Morris), Milushka Vargas and Valerie Matlock at last Saturday’s celebration marking the grand opening of the Wellington Amphitheater. PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER