READ FOR THE RECORD SET FOR OCT. 27 MEET YOUNG GOLFING STAR OZZY NOVAK SEE STORY, PAGE 3 SEE STORY, PAGE 14 THE
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Fall Is In The Air, And It’s Time To Celebrate The Spooky Season
Volume 43, Number 20 October 7 - October 20, 2022
Serving Palms West Since 1980
RPB BENEFIT FOR FARMWORKERS
Trick, or treat? Face paint, pumpkins and hayrides, or music and mayhem? It’s that time again, when spooky season descends upon us, and the villages of Wellington and Royal Palm Beach hold their special events welcoming the fall season. Page 3
RPB Recreation Board Receives Updates On Upcoming Projects
Royal Palm Beach Parks & Recreation Director Lou Recchio gave members of the village’s Recreation Advisory Board an update on upcoming programs and projects planned for the new fiscal year at the board’s meeting on Monday, Sept. 26. Recchio began with an update on food-related topics in village parks, starting with the end of the food distribution program through partner Feeding South Florida. Page 4
The Farmworker Coordinating Council of Palm Beach County held its 2022 Fall Fest fundraiser on Friday, Sept. 23 at CJR Fine Arts & Frame in Royal Palm Beach. Tickets included wine and hors d’oeuvres, as well as the opportunity to win a piece of art. Also, a percentage of all art sales and custom framing benefited programs of the Farmworker Coordinating Council, which helps local farmworkers access needed social services. Shown above are Chris Harrison, Dalia Paratore, Denise Negron and Maria Brown. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 18 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Baxter And McGovern Vie For District 6 Seat On The Palm Beach County Commission
Pink Party At The Mall Marks Breast Cancer Awareness Month
The Mall at Wellington Green held its annual Pink Party on Saturday, Oct. 1, marking the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. The event began with students Emma Nevico and Madison Anderer singing on stage. Then, Lindsay Bennett from the American Cancer Society let attendees know about her organization and called breast cancer survivors on stage to be honored. The afternoon ended with 14 instructors leading 106 people in a fun Zumba class. Page 16
Scott Parks Looks Back On 16 Years As SRHS Athletic Director
For the first time in 16 years, there’s a “new sheriff” overseeing athletic programs at Seminole Ridge High School. Since 2006, Scott Parks has been a fixture as the school’s athletic director, but he gave up the position at the end of the last school year. Page 21 DEPARTMENT INDEX NEWS...............................3 - 18 NEWS BRIEFS......................... 7 SPORTS......................... 21 - 23 PEOPLE................................. 24 SCHOOLS.............................. 25 BUSINESS............................. 27 COLUMNS............................. 28 CLASSIFIEDS................ 29 - 30 Visit Us On The Web At WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM
By Joshua Manning Town-Crier Staff Report In the race to replace term-limited County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay, two candidates are seeking to represent the western communities on the Palm Beach County Commission in District 6 — Realtor and small business owner Sara Baxter, the Republican nominee, and Michelle Oyola McGovern, former state director for U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, the Democratic nominee. District 6 includes all of the western communities, along with the Glades area. While the election will be held Tuesday, Nov. 8, mailin voting is already underway, and early voting begins Monday, Oct. 24. Sara Baxter — Baxter is a second-generation Floridian. An Acreage resident, she graduated from Palm Beach State College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. Together with her husband, Baxter owns an automobile repair shop called Foreign Auto Specialists on Belvedere Road. In real estate, she works with Continental Properties. “I’m a wife and mother of three
Sara Baxter boys and a small business owner,” Baxter said. “The story of my life is being able to overcome challenges and to work with the resources available to me and make them the most effective.” Baxter said she decided to run after facing what she feels were unnecessary challenges while opening and operating her small business. “I have come across many challenges from trying to find a space to open our small business, all the
Michelle Oyola McGovern way through the zoning and planning processes,” she explained. “I wanted to get into this race to help our economy improve, and that starts with the growth and development of new small businesses and making the process simplified.” Baxter said she wants to use her experience as a small business owner to help better manage the county budget. “People are struggling. They are having trouble affording their gas, See DISTRICT 6, page 7
Royal Palm Zoners Support Change For Sign At RPBHS
By Callie Sharkey Town-Crier Staff Report Royal Palm Beach’s Planning & Zoning Commission met Tuesday, Sept. 27 and voted in favor of a text amendment to the village code that will allow Royal Palm Beach High School to finally begin the process of getting a new permanent sign. The commissioners heard the request meeting as the Local Planning Agency. The School District of Palm Beach County applied for the text amendment, adding the term “School Board Informational Sign.” This would allow for RPBHS to install a permanent digital sign. Senior Planner Michael Owens
was present on behalf of the school district. The sign would be used to provide school-related information only, with no commercial messaging permitted. Commission Chair David Leland and Commissioner Philip Marquis questioned why there was still a temporary, canvas sign in place at the main entrance to the campus. “The original sign was in a state of disrepair. Until we could get the money together, we put up a canvas sign. It has been up there several years,” Owens explained. “As we go through the county, we try to update to digital signs. We wanted to ensure the village that we will work within the param-
eters. If this goes through, we can work toward getting a budget for the sign, which will be upward of $55 to $60 thousand. Then we can place it, and there won’t be any code enforcement violations.” It was also made clear the revision would not give permission for private schools to install similar signs. The motion passed unanimously. In other business: • Meeting as the Planning & Zoning Commission, the board reviewed several sign applications and business approvals. They unanimously approved the request for updated signage at 1402 Royal Palm Beach Blvd. for See RPB ZONERS, page 14
Lox Groves Council Finalizes Contract With New Manager
By Joshua Manning Town-Crier Staff Report After several months of negotiations, the Loxahatchee Groves Town Council approved a threeyear contract with new Town Manager Francine Ramaglia on Tuesday, Oct. 4. Ramaglia served as the assistant town manager for several years and was the unanimous choice of the council to replace former Town Manager Jaime Titcomb, who left earlier this year. The contract was presented by human resources attorney Lara Donlon. “Since you selected Ms. Ramaglia at the June 21 meeting, we have worked with each of you, as well as Ms. Ramaglia, to bring forward a proposed agreement that will address her employment as town manager,” Donlon said. The contract is effective from Oct. 5, 2022, through Sept.
30, 2025, with a base salary of $133,500. The council could approve an increase specifically to the manager’s salary at any time. However, if a cost-of-living increase is granted to all town employees by the council, the manager would be included in that. While the base salary is a lot for the Town of Loxahatchee Groves, Councilwoman Phillis Maniglia reminded the council that it is on the low end of municipal managers in general. “I think Francine is being very kind to Loxahatchee Groves,” she said. Councilwoman Marianne Miles noted that the original base salary on job listing was $90,000 to $125,000, and that is not inclusive of benefits. “All the benefits included is not what is being proposed by the contract, it is much more,” said Miles, See LOX COUNCIL, page 4
ROTARY’S WELLINGTON FAMILY AUTOFEST
The Wellington Rotary held its first Wellington Family AutoFest of the season on Sunday, Oct. 2 at Wellington’s Village Park. The car show included many extra activities for families and also served as a fundraiser for the veterans’ nonprofit Unified Dream. Special guest Vanilla Ice surprised attendees and posed for photos with his classic car. Shown above is Vanilla Ice with members of the Wellington High School Interact Club. MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5 PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER
Truckers Carry Load Of Concerns To The ITID Board Meeting By Louis Hillary Park Town-Crier Staff Report There’s more than one truckload of resentment and frustration being hauled through The Acreage these days by big-rig drivers feeling that they are being unfairly targeted by Palm Beach County Code Enforcement for parking their tractor-trailers at residential properties. Several drivers and family members took their concerns to the Indian Trail Improvement District Board of Supervisors on Wednesday, Sept. 21, sharing them during the public comments portion of the meeting. “We moved here because of the space,” said trucker Kemar Henry of 31st Road North. “It’s why we’re here.” Truckers face up to a $1,000-aday fine for parking their rigs at
their residence. “We don’t want to have to leave,” said Henry, adding that he and his family might have to do so within 90 days. While a number of truckers bought in The Acreage, which is in unincorporated Palm Beach County, believing that they would be allowed to park their rigs on their large residential properties, that apparently never was a part of any official zoning code, ITID Executive Director Burgess Hanson explained. While ITID can advocate on behalf of the community when dealing with Palm Beach County, it does not have any control over zoning and code enforcement, since ITID only has local authority for the purposes of roads, drainage and parks. “Many people are used to parkSee TRUCKS, page 4
Cooler Weather Brings The Return Of Green Markets
By Julie Unger Town-Crier Staff Report As the weather cools slightly, and the sun sets earlier, it’s time to welcome back the local weekly green markets in Wellington and Royal Palm Beach. Both markets are family-friendly, offer free parking and admission, and a great variety of vendors. Conveniently taking place on different days, the markets are easy to get to and offer a refreshing outdoor experience. The Lakeside Market at Wellington Town Center is holding its opening day on Friday, Oct. 7, from 5 to 9 p.m. along the lakeside promenade. It will continue Friday evenings through the spring.
Heather Navarro, program coordinator for Wellington, is excited to share that the vendor list has been extended, which will include booths all along the promenade. “We are going to have more than 45 vendors,” she said. Many vendors from last year are returning, and there are additional vendors adding to the mix. There will be food, artisans, crafters and everything in between for residents to explore. Having the market at night, Navarro said, allows for great sunset views. Pontoon parking is back, she said, which was a big hit last year. The market is rain or shine, pet friendly (with the request that you
pick up after your pet), and there are kid-friendly vendors, along with the nearby Scott’s Place Playground. Throughout the season, there will be special events and activities at the market. On Oct. 7, 14, 21 and 28, as well as Nov. 4 and 11, there will be a drop-off bin for Wellington’s Hometown Holiday Food Drive. A Pop-Up Biergarten event begins Oct. 21. Updates about the market can be found at www.wellingtonlakesidemarket.com and www.facebook. com/wellingtonlakesidemarket. Royal Palm Beach’s Green Market and Bazaar, held lakeside near Village Hall, returns on Saturday, Oct. 15, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
The Royal Palm Beach event is organized by Kathy Gilbert, market manager and owner of POTTC Events. The market will take place on Saturdays from Oct. 15 through April 29, with the exception of Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s weekends. The market takes place on the southeast corner of Okeechobee and Royal Palm Beach boulevards. It will be held rain or shine, and leashed pets are allowed. Many of the same favorite vendors, Gilbert said, will be returning, as well as some new ones. Fresh produce, fish, teas, honey, baked goods, beef jerky, cheeses, fresh guacamole and salsa, clothing, jewelry, artwork, pet treats, art
& crafts, plant vendors and more are going to be at the market. And there’s more room for any interested vendors. “We do accept vendors throughout the season,” Gilbert said. “We’re always happy to talk with any vendor who would like to come out.” The market, she said, is seasonal because of the weather, and she’s looking forward to seeing familiar faces as they come out to support the vendors. “We’re getting ready for the season opening,” she said. Updates on the market can be found at www.rpbgreenmarket. com and www.facebook.com/ rpbgreenmarket.