SCHOFIELD SIGNS A SIX-YEAR CONTRACT SEE STORY, PAGE 3
ABRUZZO TOUTS HORSE PROTECTION BILL SEE STORY, PAGE 4
THE
TOWN-CRIER WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGE
Your Community Newspaper
INSIDE RPB Meeting With Parents Will Wait For New RPBHS Principal
Volume 31, Number 20 May 14 - May 20, 2010
ROTARIANS CELEBRATE WITH LUAU
The Royal Palm Beach Village Council voted last week to indefinitely postpone a meeting to discuss curriculum changes at Royal Palm Beach High School until a new principal is appointed. Page 3
Health Fair At Ultima Fitness/Xtreme Tae Kwon Do In Wellington
Ultima Fitness/Xtreme Tae Kwon Do in Wellington held a health fair on Saturday, May 8. The event featured many fun and informative activities, including a fitness walk, panel discussions, health assessments and more. Page 5
May 18 FDOT Meeting Will Discuss The Future Of Western S.R. 80
The Florida Department of Transportation is planning a kickoff meeting Tuesday, May 18 for the possible widening of State Road 80 (Southern Blvd.) between Forest Hill Blvd. and County Road 880 near 20-Mile Bend. It will be held at Binks Forest Golf Club in Wellington. Page 7
‘Blessing Of The Hands Ceremony’ At WRMC
In honor of Florence Nightingale’s birthday and coinciding with National Nurses Week and Hospital Week, Wellington Regional Medical Center hosted a “Blessing of the Hands” ceremony on May 11. Page 9
Opinion Advice For The New High School Graduates
By the end of next week, the four high schools in the western communities will have graduated their 2010 senior classes. The new graduates will need all the help they can get, which is why the Town-Crier offers advice for those who plan to further their education. Page 4
DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS ............................... 2 - 9 OPINION ................................ 4 CRIME NEWS ........................ 6 SCHOOLS ..................... 10 - 11 PEOPLE ........................ 14 - 15 COLUMNS .................... 21 - 22 DINING ......................... 24 - 26 BUSINESS ................... 29 - 31 SPORTS ....................... 33 - 36 CALENDAR ................... 39 - 40 CLASSIFIEDS ............... 42 - 47 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
The Rotary Club of Wellington held a Hawaiian luau at the Loxahatchee home of Joanna and Ben Boynton on Saturday, May 8. The event celebrated the 30th anniversary of Wellington Rotary and benefited the club’s family of charities. The festive event was held poolside and guests were greeted with leis. Shown above are Bland and Erika Eng with Kirk and Dr. Veronica Pedro Alexander. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 2 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Wellington Pushing Forward With Tennis Center Changes By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report Wellington will seek proposals for the programming and maintenance of the Wellington Tennis Center after the Wellington Village Council voted Tuesday, May 11 to direct staff to find proposals that would cut village expenses. The facility is operated by tennis professional Tommy Cheatham and his company, Cheatham Inc., which has been under contract since the opening of the 16court facility in 1999. Cheatham provides management, lessons, programs and tournaments, earning nothing directly from the village but profiting from daily fees, membership fees, league fees, lessons and the pro shop. Wellington spends about $120,000 a year on maintenance and electricity at the tennis center. The council agreed last Novem-
ber to renew a modified version of Cheatham’s contract through Sept. 30, but it encouraged staff to seek new tennis proposals and evaluate them in time for the new budget year. Director of Operations Jim Barnes said the village would advertise a request for proposals for programming, maintenance or both. Barnes said his staff compared Wellington’s cost for its tennis program with other sports programs the village provides and found that it fell somewhere in the middle. However, Vice Mayor Matt Willhite was concerned that residents are paying multiple costs to use the facility even though it is publicly owned. Residents with memberships to the facility also must pay a fee for each use of the court. “It appears to me that, to some extent, there’s a double taxation to a resident who wants to utilize
a publicly owned facility in the village,” he said. “And even if you’re a resident and a member, there’s the potential that there won’t even be availability for you. If I play baseball, I can go practice on the weekends and utilize the fields or an area in our park and not be charged for it.” Village Manager Paul Schofield noted that residents aren’t required to have a membership to use one of the two tennis courts available for nonmember open play, but are charged a court cost and are not guaranteed a spot. Councilman Howard Coates was concerned whether the tennis facility and Cheatham Inc. is audited yearly and whether its profits are a matter of public record. Assistant Village Manager Francine Ramaglia said the village is still in the process of its audit on the tennis facility. “One thing that concerns me is See TENNIS, page 4
Graduation Season Underway For High Schools’ Class Of 2010 By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Palm Beach County Convention Center once again will be busy with commencement ceremonies for local high schools in the coming week. Seminole Ridge High School kicks off the graduation season at 8 a.m. on Friday, May 14. The Royal Palm Beach High School graduation ceremony will follow at 8 a.m. on Monday, May 17. Wellington High School graduation is set for 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 18, and Palm Beach Central High School’s graduation will be held Wednesday, May 19 at 8 a.m. The valedictorian for Royal Palm Beach High School is Zelisha Siclait, who has ranked first in her class every year since she was a freshman. She has maintained a 3.95 grade-point average
and a 4.83 honors-point average. She is vice president of the National Honor Society and has been vice president and president of the French Honor Society. Siclait also is vice president of the school’s art club. She earned an Advanced Placement Scholar and Honors Award given by the College Board based on her Advanced Placement performance throughout her high school career. She also received the Yale Book Award presented by the Yale Club of the Palm Beaches. “Zelisha is a very well-rounded student inside and outside of school,” Assistant Principal Melissa Patterson said. “She has been very active in Relay for Life for the past three years, the March of Dimes, United Way and Toys for Tots.” Siclait plans to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville.
The RPBHS salutatorian is Kevin Huynh. He is one of seven children and the first to graduate from high school and attend college, Patterson said. He will attend UF and plans to major in chemistry and diagnostic radiology. He is a Bright Futures academic scholar and a member of the National Honor Society. “He has also been a very active participant in the National Honor Society blood drive,” Patterson noted. Seminole Ridge High School Valedictorian Shannon Patelsky is a Pathfinder nominee, a member of the National Honor Society, Hispanic Honor Society, Interact Club and Future Business Leaders of America. SRHS Salutatorian Andres “Andy” Bernardo is also a Pathfinder nominee, a member of the National Honor Society, a memSee GRADUATIONS, page 16
Serving Palms West Since 1980
Codes, Visibility Top Complaints From Business Owners By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report Looser code enforcement, better access and more visibility were among pleas of business leaders at a joint workshop with the Royal Palm Beach Village Council and the Palms West Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Task Force on Tuesday, May 11. Speakers at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center said they also need quicker approvals for special events and that more shoppers need to patronize local businesses as opposed to national chains. More than a dozen of almost 100 business people at the meeting raised their hands when asked whether they have visibility issues. Robert Harvey, manager of Suggs Lawn Equipment off Southern Blvd., said he has been at his location for 14 months and regularly gets calls from customers saying they can’t find the store. “We put banners out, and Royal Palm Beach said we had to take them down,” Harvey said. Craig Corbell, owner of Little Caesars Pizza on Okeechobee Blvd., said temporary signs might help. “People have to come to us because we don’t deliver,” Corbell said, adding that one customer punched the pizza shop address into his GPS and still could not find the store until he saw one of the shop attendants waving at him. “Something has to change. We all
are having the same problem. Something has to be modified.” John Suggs, owner of Suggs Lawn Equipment, said it seems that village code enforcement is trying to work against business people. “We pay your salaries,” Suggs said. For example, Suggs said during a customer appreciation event, he had two more vendors than anticipated, so he asked a neighboring business owner not open at the time if he could use his parking spaces, and he agreed. “Code enforcement shows up and writes me a fine because we took up two more parking spaces,” Suggs said. “All we’re trying to do is bring in more business. They make no suggestions how to do it. They just give you a fine.” Don Armsey, owner of the Palms West Industrial Park behind Al Packer Ford West, said that code enforcement is too strident but was grateful that council members had agreed to the meeting. “I give Royal Palm Beach credit; at least you’re listening tonight,” he said. “At least you’re here, not out playing golf. I think the whole general population feels oppressed, too many codes, too many police. My choice isn’t to move, but soon the bank will be taking it over and you’ll have another vacant building.” Armsey said he appreciates the village’s intent to have a beautiful community, but it has lost sight of See BUSINESS, page 16
Saunier: LGWCD Budget Will Not Balance Without Assessment Hike By Ron Bukley Town-Crier Staff Report The Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District Board of Supervisors delayed a decision Monday on whether or not to announce a possible 2.5-percent assessment increase. District Administrator Clete Saunier presented the proposed budget for fiscal year 2010-11, noting that assessments have not increased for the past four years. “We cannot continue another year,” said Saunier, who detailed his difficulties in producing a balanced budget for the upcoming year. “This would not have happened if we had increased the budget incrementally over the past four years.” Saunier said the general fund will not balance next year without a significant assessment increase. The district also will need continued assistance from the Town of Loxahatchee Groves through gas tax revenue. The town funded $240,000 in 2009-10 road projects. The total deficit will amount to an increase of $13.98 per acre, which could be mitigated with additional help from the town, Saunier noted. Saunier recommended that the supervisors approve an incremental increase of 2.5 percent annually for the next five years to catch up to and hold against inflation.
He said such a plan will guard against any unanticipated, significant increases in expenses — such as the changes to the Florida retirement system passed by the state legislature this year requiring an increase in employer contributions. Saunier said the difficult economy has also caused unexpected expenses. For example, the pump repair company that the district has dealt with for more than 10 years recently went out of business. “We cannot find another deal as good as them,” he said. The district’s aquatic vegetation company has charged the same rate the past 12 years, and if the district loses that company, the next highest bidder could charge twice as much, Saunier said. Furthermore, several district vehicles have well in excess of 100,000 miles and may require major repairs or replacement soon. Saunier recommended striving for a continued funding relationship with the town for next year to cover a shortfall of $100,000 that would remain after a 2.5-percent assessment increase. Supervisor Robert Snowball made a motion to send out a notice of a possible assessment increase. Supervisor John Ryan seconded the motion, but added that he did not agree with approving five years of increases. “One year See LGWCD, page 16
Maria Bishop Named Principal At RPB’s Cypress Trails By Lauren Miró Town-Crier Staff Report When Cypress Trails Elementary School Principal Gale Fulford retires at the end of June, she will be replaced by Maria Bishop, current principal at North Palm Beach Elementary School. “I think she’s a perfect match for our school,” Fulford told the Town-Crier on Monday. “She has very similar fashions in how she runs a school.” Bishop has been principal at North Palm Beach for three years. The school maintained an “A” grade all three years. Bishop noted that Cypress Trails, which dropped to a “B” grade last year, had done well and could receive an “A” this year.
“If they aren’t, I’ll work hard with staff to change it,” she said. “And if they are, I’ll make sure we work hard to maintain it. It isn’t easy to maintain an ‘A’ school, but I’m prepared to work.” The change will allow Bishop to work closer to her home in the western communities, cutting her commute to 15 minutes, she said. “It’s a really great opportunity for me,” she said. “It’s a perfect fit for me because it’s what I’m accustomed to.” Bishop, 42, has worked in the Palm Beach County School District for more than 20 years. She graduated from John I. Leonard High School and, at age 21, took a teaching job at J.C. Mitchell Elementary School in Boca Raton.
After a maternity leave to raise her children, she returned to teach math resource, dual language and ESOL classes. After five years at J.C. Mitchell, she accepted a job as assistant principal at North Grade Elementary School in Lake Worth, where she worked for 10 years before taking the job at North Palm Beach. Carmen Campbell, former chair of the Royal Palm Beach Education Advisory Board, said Bishop would be a good successor to Fulford. “North Palm Beach Elementary has the same demographics as Cypress Trails, so we feel she will be a good fit,” Campbell said. Bishop said there will be some
differences, noting that North Palm Beach is a Title I school and that Cypress Trails has a more diverse enrollment. “Cypress Trails has a nice mix of students,” she said. “Thirtythree percent are bilingual, so I’m looking forward to being able to use my bilingual skills.” Bishop comes to Cypress Trails at a time of change. She expects to lose 200 students and 13 teachers to the new Everglades Elementary School opening in August on Marginal Road east of Royal Palm Beach. This year, the school board approved boundary changes that would send students from Cypress Trails, Equestrian Trails, Royal See BISHOP, page 16
Maria Bishop