Town-Crier Newspaper February 10,2012

Your Community Newspaper Serving Palms West Since 1980Volume 33, Number 6February 10 - February 16, 2012

WELLINGTON • ROYAL PALM BEACH • LOXAHATCHEE • THE ACREAGETOW N - C R I E RTH

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INSIDE

DEPARTMENT INDEXNEWS ............................. 3 - 11OPINION .................................4CRIME NEWS .........................6NEWS BRIEFS........................ 8POLO/EQUESTRIAN ............ 15SCHOOLS ..................... 16 - 17PEOPLE ........................ 18 - 19COLUMNS .................... 27 - 29BUSINESS .................... 31 - 33ENTERTAINMENT ................ 34SPORTS ........................ 39 - 41CALENDAR ...................42 - 43CLASSIFIEDS ................ 44 - 48

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MARCH 21 HEARING ON STATE ROAD 7SEE STORY, PAGE 3

Equestrian Village Project Heads For State Review

Unexpected CostsCould Delay ITID’sCommunity Center

OPINIONIn February We MarkAmerican Heart MonthThough Valentine’s Day is theheart-themed holiday for whichFebruary is most known, it isalso American Heart Month.Unlike many diseases, thoseaffecting the heart are largelypreventable. Amid the boxes ofchocolates and sweet candies,be sure to check up on yourheart health this month.

Page 4

By Lauren MiróTown-Crier Staff Report

Plans for the controversialEquestrian Village project at thecorner of South Shore Blvd. andPierson Road took several stepsforward last week after the Well-ington Village Council cappedthree days of discussion with threevotes for approval.

The council granted approvalWednesday, Feb. 1 to a master planfor the 96-acre site, followedThursday morning by approval fordesignating the site as home to acommercial equestrian arena. Bothchanges were granted 4-1 withVice Mayor Matt Willhite dissent-ing.

Taken together, the first twoapprovals grant property ownerWellington Equestrian Partners theability to use the site of the oldPalm Beach Polo stadium as a high-level dressage show grounds.

However, the most controver-sial portion of the project —plans for a hotel and shoppingon the site — will require statereview, further approvals and arezoning.

Thursday evening, the councilvoted 3-2 to transmit a comprehen-sive plan amendment that wouldallow a 58-foot hotel on the site.Willhite and Councilman HowardCoates were in opposition.

During the discussion over the

equestrian arena designation,Wellington Planning & ZoningManager David Flinchum toldcouncil members that the changeis in line with the surrounding area.

“This corner has changed dra-matically over the years,” he said.“It’s no longer rural. This cornerchanged to more commercial typeactivity. It has been used for com-mercial recreation the last 30 yearsand even before that.”

Attorney John Shubin, repre-senting the Jacobs family, a vocalopponent of the project, said thatthe designation would cause con-gestion in the area.

Alan Tinter, a traffic engineerwith IBI Group, added that a traf- See EQUESTRIAN, page 20

DADS & DAUGHTERS

Wellington held its annual Father Daughter Dance on Satur-day, Feb. 4 in the Village Park gymnasium. Fathers broughttheir daughters for an evening of dinner, games, pictures, danc-ing and gifts. Shown above are Scott and Cameron Sherry.

MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 5PHOTO BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER

By Ron BukleyTown-Crier Staff Report

The Indian Trail ImprovementDistrict Board of Supervisors de-cided Wednesday to postponehiring an architect and land plan-ner to work on the proposed com-munity center envisioned as partof the expansion of Acreage Com-munity Park.

Supervisors were concernedthat cost overruns might stopthem from completing the project.

ITID President Michelle Da-mone said she had grown con-cerned about the cost of the build-ing, since estimates have come intoo close to the district’s availablefinancing.

“We went through the procure-ment exercise and would utilize amajority of the funds without acushion, and I’m not comfort-able,” Damone said, recommend-ing that the board consider otheroptions, such as a “design-build”plan where the building would beconstructed within the financingthe district has available and thebuilder takes the responsibility forcost overruns.

Also, Damone noted that sherecently visited a facility in PalmSprings made of metal that hasspace and all the necessary amen-ities, but was built for much lessthan a traditional cement-and-

block building. “It is our responsi-bility to be innovative and put ourheads together and be creative tobuild our community center underbudget, and one we can be com-fortable with,” Damone said.

She said the metal building inPalm Springs was built for about$300,000 as opposed to more than$3 million estimated for ITID’splanned building.

“I’m not opposed to a metalbuilding,” Damone said. “We canput some landscaping in front ofit.”

Further, Damone said she wouldlike to pursue a design-build op-tion. “We can state what our bud-get is and what we are looking for,”she said. “We need to defer theitems on this agenda tonight. I’mpersonally not comfortable mov-ing forward. I don’t believe it isfiscally responsible.”

Supervisor Carlos Enriquez saidhe had an interesting conversa-tion with an architect who ex-plained the design-build process.

Supervisor Ralph Bair said hedid not object to the delay, butwanted to hear what the architectsattending the meeting had to say.“I was for a metal building a longway back, but I still want to hearfrom the architects,” he said.

Supervisor Carol Jacobs said

School’s Traffic FlowWorries RPB Zoners

See ITID, page 20

Attorney Byrnes GuillaumeSeeking Groves Council Seat


Concerned about traffic prob-lems, the Royal Palm Beach Plan-ning & Zoning Commission post-poned approval Tuesday of a siteplan application for a charterschool set to take over the vacantAlbertsons building on SouthernBlvd.

The new Renaissance CharterSchool at Palms West is slated toopen next school year on the 9.9-acre site near the intersection ofSouthern and Crestwood boule-vards.

The request was for a site planmodification and special exceptionuse approval that would allow fora “public and private academic in-stitution” on the site.

The school will offer classesfrom kindergarten through eighthgrade and is open to any studentin Palm Beach County. There is notuition to attend, but studentsmust be selected, often by lotteryprocess, Charter Schools USASenior Manager of DevelopmentSandy Castro told commissioners.

The school will have approxi-mately 1,145 students with about60 staff members. There would beno bus system, meaning parentswould have to drop off their stu-dents and pick them up.

Commissioners supported theschool but worried that the pro-posed traffic pattern could causeaccidents.

Development Review Coordina-


Get ready to cheer on your fa-vorite charities next week as theyvie for their share of more than $1million during the 2012 FTI GreatCharity Challenge, presented byFidelity Investments, on Friday,Feb. 17 at the Palm Beach Interna-tional Equestrian Center.

The biggest single charity eventof the year, the Great Charity Chal-lenge is pairing 32 Palm BeachCounty charities with a team ofworld-class and amateur riderswho will compete for a slice of theprize.

“We’re excited about passingthe million-dollar mark again thisyear,” Equestrian Sport Produc-tions CEO Mark Bellissimo told theTown-Crier. “It’s going to be a funevent and an important fundraiserfor these charities.”

The Great Charity Challengebegan two years ago as a way for

the equestrian community to giveback to Palm Beach County, whichmany top riders call home for morethan half the year.

In its two years, the event hasgiven away more than $1.5 million,and it has a goal of giving awayanother $1.5 million this year alone.

More than 160 charities appliedto take part, and 29 have since beendrawn, giving them a place in thecompetition.

The charities chosen thus farinclude: the American HumaneAssociation, the American RedCross, Be A Star Foundation, BigBrothers Big Sisters of Palm Beachand Martin Counties, Big DogRanch Rescue, the Caridad Cen-ter, the Center for Family Services,Child and Family Connections,the Children’s Home Society ofFlorida, Greyhound Pets ofAmerica, the Gulfstream GoodwillTransition to Life Academy, theHanley Center Foundation, Hos-

pice of Palm Beach County, Jew-ish Adoption and Foster Care Op-tions (JAFCO), Junior Achieve-ment of the Palm Beaches & Trea-sure Coast, the Legal Aid Societyof Palm Beach County, the Leuke-mia & Lymphoma Society, the Lit-eracy Coalition of Palm BeachCounty, Loggerhead MarinelifeCenter, the Lupus Foundation ofAmerica-Southeast Florida Chap-ter, the Palm Healthcare Founda-tion, Place of Hope, the SouthFlorida Science Museum, SusanG. Komen for the Cure SouthFlorida, the Unicorn Children’sFoundation, the VinceremosTherapeutic Riding Center, theWellington Community Founda-tion, the Wellington PTA/PTOGroup and Wheels for Kids.

The charities are paired with ateam of world-class and amateurriders who compete over a courseof fences in a relay race. The fast-

The Great Charity ChallengeReturns To PBIEC On Feb. 17

See CHARTER, page 4See LOX ELECTION, page 20

ROYAL PALM’S KIDS GARAGE SALE

Royal Palm Beach presented its fif th annual Kids Garage Sale on Saturday, Feb. 4 at VeteransPark. Items for sale ranged from clothes and toys to baby furniture, bikes and more. Shownabove, Jordan and Tanner Naszkiewicz look over hair bows at the Awesome Bows by Vicki booth.

MORE PHOTOS, PAGE 22PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

See CHARITY, page 20

FOREVER YOUNG LIFESTYLE MAGAZINEINSIDE THIS WEEK’S ISSUE

fic study should have been doneat the Palm Beach InternationalEquestrian Center.

“The property owner has a sim-ilar facility where it would havebeen possible to look at an actualequestrian event,” Tinter said. “Itwas the perfect opportunity todetermine trip generation, and itwasn’t taken advantage of.”

Residents were divided on theissue. Many supported the plan,but worried about the effects ofthe facility on nearby residences.

Kimberly Jacobs, who lives inthe adjacent Polo Island commu-nity, said her home would have adirect view of the proposed barns.“When I bought my house I did

not [expect] to look over a parkinglot of 600-some cars or manurebins,” she said.

Lin Howard Andrews said shemoved from her condo in Polo Is-land because of the project. “Theuse is too dense,” she said. “Idon’t think we need a 600-carpaved parking lot. If it weren’t forthe hotel, they would have plentyof land.”

One of the concerns was thefour barns, two of which are cur-rently under construction, that areset on the easternmost portion ofthe 59-acre non-arena portion ofthe property.

Council members asked if they


Attorney Byrnes Guillaume hasfiled to run for Seat 3 on the Loxa-hatchee Groves Town Council. Hewill face incumbent Ryan Liang inthe March 13 election.

Seat 1 incumbent Ron Jarriel wasunchallenged as the filing dead-line closed Tuesday. He was au-tomatically deemed re-elected, ac-cording to the town clerk’s office.

Guillaume, 37, bought a home inLoxahatchee Groves in March2006. He lives in town with his wifeand child. A former prosecutor inBroward County, he now owns hisown law firm.

“I believe I can make a differ-ence,” he said. “All my life I havemade a difference. I was a prose-cutor at the State Attorney’s Of-fice in Broward County, and thatwas my first exposure as a civilservant. In that capacity, I helpedvictims of crime get justice.”

Guillaume said he is runningbecause he would like to bring to-

gether the diverse factions in thetown.

“I see some of the divisions wehave,” he said. “We have peoplewho want developers to come in,and we have people who don’twant development.”

Guillaume said he is a problem-solver. “I am a solo practitioner,”he said. “That’s what I do. I try tosolve people’s problems. I want tohelp. I think Loxahatchee is greatthe way it is, but I also understandthat you can’t stop change, so I’mhere to bridge the gap, have a con-sensus as to what our town willbe, and get everybody together.”

Guillaume said he has attendedsome council meetings, which hefound frustrating.

“Frankly, I would go in there,and it was just a lot of people notreally listening to one other,” hesaid. “We have really great peo-ple here; it’s a great town. I movedhere because I think LoxahatcheeGroves is a treasure. People tendto be really good people, and we

just need to be able to have some-one come in and help each groupsolve problems. That’s what I wasable to do as a prosecutor and whatI’ve done as a solo practitioner andas a business person.”

In addition to a law degree fromWestern New England CollegeSchool of Law, Guillaume holds anMBA from Howard University.Before he was a prosecutor, he wasa financial analyst for United Tech-nology Corp.

Raised in Miami, he spent sev-en years in Connecticut and livedin Washington, D.C., when he at-tended Howard University.

“We have some difficultchoices to make,” he said. “If I’melected, I would be the person tohave both sides come togetherand understand that each sidehas to give and take and comeup with an answer that will fitboth sides.”

Though he didn’t participate init, Guillaume said he is familiar with

Lox Council AgreesTo Begin Work OnOkee Traffic LightThe Loxahatchee Groves TownCouncil agreed Tuesday to pro-ceed with plans to put in a traf-fic light at Okeechobee Blvd.and D Road. The goal is to allowgaps in traffic so drivers canenter Okeechobee with a high-er degree of safety. Page 3

‘Wild Things’ Art ShowBenefits FoundationThe Rare Species ConservatoryFoundation’s sixth annual wild-life art show “Wild Things!” tookplace Feb. 5-7 at PferdekamperStudio in Loxahatchee Groves.An opening reception was heldSunday, Feb. 5. 1

Graffito South OpensNear Wellington’sHorse Show GroundsGraffito South Scratch ItalianCooking in Wellington held apreview night event Wednesday,Feb. 1. Guests were given anopportunity to view the new res-taurant, located adjacent to thePalm Beach International Eques-trian Center. Page 5

County Agrees To FundOIG’s Budget ShortfallThe Palm Beach County Com-mission agreed Tuesday to pro-vide $400,000 to the Office ofthe Inspector General to covera budget shortfall as a result of15 municipalities refusing topay their share of the office’sexpenses. Page 7

February 10 - February 16, 2012 WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM The Town-Crier

The Town-Crier WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM February 10 - February 16, 2012

NEWS


The Loxahatchee Groves TownCouncil agreed Tuesday to pro-ceed with plans to put in a trafficlight at Okeechobee Blvd. and DRoad. The goal is to allow gaps intraffic so drivers can enter Okee-chobee with a higher degree ofsafety.

The council also approved$131,000 to pave segments ofNorth Road that were not includ-ed in the Loxahatchee GrovesWater Control District’s pavingproject currently underway.

Regarding the traffic light,Councilman Ron Jarriel said he hadreceived letters from Palm BeachCounty Engineer George Webbindicating that the light is warrant-ed and could be piggybacked offthe county’s standing contract,but the town would be responsi-ble for design, construction andinspections.

“Once it is done, the county willtake over maintenance,” Jarrielsaid. “If it blows down, the coun-ty will replace it. Maintenancealone year after year is very cost-ly.”

Jarriel asked that the council dowhatever it takes to move forward.“Even if the town has to pay, wecan ask the county to refund us,”he said.

Councilman Tom Goltzené con-gratulated Jarriel on the progresshe had made, but objected to thetown paying for the light, even ifthere was the possibility of beingrefunded.

“It’s absurd that we should tryto do this when we pay for it,”Goltzené said, adding that he wasconcerned that property ownersat the intersection would see it asan opportunity for commercial de-velopment.

Jarriel pointed out that unlikeOkeechobee’s intersection withFolsom Road, where commercialdevelopment is planned, D Roadis not considered a collecting road.

“We need some type of breakon Okeechobee so people can geton the road without being killed,”he said, asking that the council atleast pursue hiring a consultingengineer to get the permitting pro-cess started.

Councilman Jim Rockett said hefavored the project. “I don’t want

to hold up what we’re doing,” hesaid. “I’m going to move forward,and if we have to appropriate mon-ey to do it, I will… We agreed be-fore that a traffic light on Okee-chobee was a top priority.”

Councilman Ryan Liang alsofavored moving forward. “It is im-portant enough for the town thatwe should move forward,” he said.“The county knows it will have toput one in eventually.”

While Mayor Dave Browningsaid that a traffic light would even-tually be necessary, he did notbelieve there was an immediateneed.

“It will be important in the fu-ture to get the light to trip the traf-fic,” Browning said, adding thathe was surprised that county en-gineers approved the light. “For along time, the county said it wasnot warranted.”

Rockett made a motion to moveahead with planning and design,which was seconded by Liang.Goltzené asked that they limitspending, and Rockett proposedauthorizing up to $100,000.

Town Attorney Michael Cirullosaid the overall cost would proba-

bly be about $300,000, but the de-sign would only be about $30,000.

The motion carried 3-2, withGoltzené and Browning opposed.

In other business, council mem-bers reviewed a draft ordinance tocontrol dumping of used animalbedding in town.

Town Manager Mark Kutneysaid several changes had beenmade to the existing ordinance,including changing the annualpermit fee from $500 to $1,000 forthe hauler. If they have been citedfor illegal dumping, the fee wouldbe $2,000.

Council members also dis-cussed whether requiring a 100-foot setback for dumping loadsmight be too onerous, as well aswhether to require that dumpingbe allowed only on property thatis designated as bona fide agricul-tural.

Goltzené asked that a sectionrequiring that a property ownerdemonstrate that he has bona fideagricultural use be changed to usethe county’s description of agri-cultural land. “Rather than set anew standard, I would prefer touse that standard,” he said.

Rockett asked whether a resi-dent who did not have a bona fideagricultural designation for hisproperty would be in violation ifhe wanted to have a truckload ofmanure dumped on his propertyfor landscaping or cultivation.

Rockett also asked about a re-quirement that manure be dumped100 feet away from the propertyline. “That does not addresswhere it will be put after it isdumped,” he said.

Browning said the goal is to re-strict the dumping, not the spread-ing. He suggested that the dump-ing setback be changed from 100feet to 50 feet.

Goltzené said the 100-foot set-back was also an issue for him,adding that he was concernedabout over-regulating. He sug-gested an agricultural exemptionfor one or two truckloads for prop-erty owners who want it for land-scaping or cover.

During public comment, resi-dent Virginia Standish compliment-ed the town and the Palm BeachCounty Sheriff’s Office for whatthey had done to resolve the ex-cessive dumping and stockpilingof used horse bedding, but shepointed out that the onus now isprimarily on the hauler. Standishexpressed concern that some prop-

erty owners would still use theirproperty as a collection or com-posting site for bedding.

Resident Nina Corning said herconcern was not so much aboutrestricting agricultural use as over-ly restricting property owners with10 or 20 acres with no agriculturalexemption who need the beddingfor gardening and cover.

Loxahatchee Groves Water Con-trol District Supervisor John Ryansaid he thought haulers shouldhave permits from both Welling-ton and Loxahatchee Groves inorder to dump. He said he felt thatthe town manager should be em-powered to determine whether aproperty owner is using the bed-ding for legitimate purposes.

Council members also dis-cussed whether a $1,000 permit feewas excessive, and CouncilmanRon Jarriel said he felt that $1,000was not a great amount for a haul-er who stood to profit from haul-ing the bedding.

“It doesn’t take that manyloads to make $1,000 haulingmanure here instead of the com-posting center at 20-Mile Bend,”he said.

Cirullo said he would make thechanges discussed and bring arevised ordinance back to the nextmeeting.

Lox Council Agrees To Begin Work On Traffic Light At Okee & D


As the races for three seats onthe Wellington Village Councilheat up, members of the public willhave the opportunity to learn moreabout the candidates and theirviews during two debates nextweek.

On Wednesday, Feb. 15, theWellington Seniors Club will hosta candidates forum beginning atnoon at the Wellington Communi-ty Center (12150 W. Forest HillBlvd.).

Then, on Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7p.m., the candidates will answerquestions as part of a forum host-ed by the Wellington Chamber ofCommerce at Wellington’s munic-ipal complex (12300 W. Forest HillBlvd.).

Two council seats and the may-or’s seat are up for grabs in theMarch 13 election. Candidateshave until Tuesday, Feb. 14 at noonto make the ballot.

Seat 1, currently held by term-limited Mayor Pro Tem Dr. CarminePriore, has drawn two candidates,John Greene and Shauna Hostetler.Meanwhile, Vice Mayor Matt Will-hite is seeking re-election to Seat4. He has been challenged byformer Councilman Al Paglia. May-or Darell Bowen faces a challengefrom former Councilman Bob Mar-golis.

WPTV NewsChannel 5’s JimSackett will ask questions of thecandidates on Wednesday from abatch of questions submitted byWellington Seniors Club members.

Then, on Thursday, candidateswill share their views in an interac-tive question-and-answer format.

Another chance to meet the can-didates will be during the Wednes-day, Feb. 22 Wellington Chamberluncheon, starting at 11:30 a.m. atthe Wanderers Club (1900 AeroClub Drive). The event costs $20for members and $30 for non-mem-bers. To RSVP, call (561) 792-6525.

Wellington Election ForumsLet Voters Meet Candidates


The Florida Department ofTransportation has set a publichearing on the proposed extensionof State Road 7 to Northlake Blvd.for Wednesday, March 21 at theSouth Florida Fairgrounds ExpoCenter (9067 Southern Blvd.).

The public hearing will begin asan open house at 5:30 p.m., with aformal presentation at 6:30 p.m.,followed by a public comment pe-riod, according to FDOT officials.

The project, estimated to cost$80 million, will widen SR 7 fromtwo to four lanes from Okeecho-bee Blvd. to 60th Street North andbuild a new four-lane divided high-way from 60th Street to NorthlakeBlvd. The proposed improve-ments include bicycle and pedes-trian features, as well as intersec-tion upgrades.

The hearing will give people anopportunity to express their viewsconcerning the location and de-sign, as well as social, economicand environmental effects of theproject.

Indian Trail Improvement Dis-trict President Michelle Damone

said it is important for residents ofthe western communities to makea strong showing at the hearing.

“I’ve already reached out to[Royal Palm Beach] Councilwom-an Martha Webster, our WesternCommunities Council and the In-dian Trail Improvement District,”Damone said. “We’re all going toget organized. We have a hugetask of making sure that our resi-dents are represented at the meet-ing.”

Damone said she is well awarethat many residents of The Acre-age work extended hours withoutthe leisure time that many oppo-nents to the project have.

“Sometimes they work two jobs,and I need to make sure that theresidents have ample time toschedule employment so that they

can attend this meeting,” she said.Damone added that she was

humbled by the number of surveyresponses the district received.Last month, ITID officials deliv-ered 2,466 postcards to Tallahas-see to present to Gov. Rick Scottasking for the completion of theroad. Shortly afterward, the projectcleared a major hurdle when theFederal Highway Administrationsigned the environmental assess-ment to complete the connectionof the road from 60th Street toNorthlake Blvd.

“Obviously, the surveys playedvery well with the governor’s of-fice, so I want the residents to un-derstand how important it is to at-tend this final hearing,” Damonesaid.

The project has been opposedby some residents of the Ibis com-munity, including West PalmBeach Mayor Jeri Muoio, whoraised environmental objectionson grounds that it runs alongsidethe West Palm Beach Water Catch-ment Area, although the route,which is east of Ibis, is part of theoriginal SR 7 right-of-way. Part ofthe extension already exists.

Opponents allege that the routewould threaten wildlife and posecontamination risks for the watercatchment area.

Draft project documents will beavailable for public review fromFeb. 29 to April 2 on the projectweb site, www.sr7extension.com,and at several locations includingthe Palm Beach County LibrarySystem’s Royal Palm Beachbranch at 500 Civic Center Wayand the Florida Department ofTransportation’s Palm Beach Op-erations Center at 7900 Forest HillBlvd.

Draft documents will also be ondisplay at the public hearing.Those wishing to submit state-ments or other exhibits, in place ofor in addition to oral statements,may do so at the hearing or sendthem to Project Manager BeatrizCaicedo-Maddison at 3400 W.Commercial Blvd., Fort Lauderdale,FL 33309, or by telephone at (954)777-4336 or toll free at (866) 336-8435, ext. 4336.

All exhibits or statements post-marked on or before April 2 willbecome part of the public hearingrecord.

FDOT Schedules March 21 Hearing On SR 7


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BARRY S. MANNINGPublisher

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OUR OPINIONMark American Heart Month By Taking Better Care Of Your Heart

LETTERS TO THE EDITORWillhite

SupportsInspectorGeneral

I have been watching the de-bate over the funding of PalmBeach County’s new Office of theInspector General and wonderingwhat the people outside of SouthFlorida must think of us.

After earning the nickname“Corruption County,” 72 percentof the voters in Palm BeachCounty voted to make sure weput in place the safeguards todiscourage and prosecute the“bad actors” from abusing thepublic trust.

While I understand local gov-ernments have finite dollars andelected officials must face toughbudget cutting decisions, this isone area that should not be openfor discussion.

Forbes magazine recently an-swered my question as to whateveryone thinks of us. Theyranked West Palm Beach as thecountry’s fourth most miserableplace to live and cited BoyntonBeach’s corruption scandal as oneof their contributing factors. Mi-ami was ranked number one, alsobased in large part on its corrup-tion scandals.

It’s hard to believe that we’vebeen fighting over who will pay;it’s even harder to believe wehaven’t stopped fighting yet. It isencouraging to see that the mu-nicipalities recently had a meetingand agree that the inspector gen-eral should be funded through theone quarter percent on contracts,additionally; the county will startthis practice on Oct. 1. Of courseyou remember this, because it wasthe original intent of the vote bythe people.

We need the inspector general,

and we need to fund the Office ofthe Inspector General.

Matt WillhiteVice Mayor, Wellington

Many Thanks ToDr. Ira GrossmanWe lost the fight for my little male

chin today. We just wanted tothank Dr. Ira Grossman of PalmsWest Veterinary Hospital for all hisloving care and compassionshown for our little guy.

Although it hurts so much tolose little Meeko, I know that Dr.Grossman and all his wonderfulstaff did everything possible tosave our little guy. We cannot sayenough about Dr. Grossman andhis staff. They all showed compas-sion and sorrow for our loss. Dr.Grossman is open seven days aweek, and we were able to visitMeeko whenever we wanted to.Although we know little Meeko isin a better place, he will always bein our hearts.

Joan and Augie LieberThe Acreage

‘Civility’ InLoxahatchee

Groves?It was a joke to hear Council-

man Jim Rockett ask for civility at[this week’s] Loxahatchee GrovesTown Council meeting.

Councilman Rockett, who wasnotorious for publicly going bal-listic on [former Town Manager]Frank Spence more than once, wasasking for civility?! He had justfinished strongly expressing hisopinion about me being out of or-der for asking the new town man-ager to post the audios for the lastthree months of meetings.

Posting audios to the town website is part of the manager’s agreed-

upon contract, and all other townmanagers have done so in the past.I recommended consulting withthe previous town staff or the Lox-ahatchee Groves Water ControlDistrict for clarification on post-ing audios, as it appears new townstaff has not mastered the com-puter audio program. Posting meet-ing audios would show the resi-dents that there is governmenttransparency.

It was good to see that MayorDave Browning can see what isgoing on and made a commentabout how he allows residents flex-ibility during public comments. Healso reminded everyone about thefrequent open public attacksagainst past town staff members.Residents better have a thick skinif they plan on standing up andspeaking their opinions in thistown.

Marge HerzogLoxahatchee Groves

Reader Calls OutRep. Allen West

Dear Congressman Allen West:You’ve finally shown your true

self with your recent tirade: “Thisis a battlefield that we must standupon and we need to let PresidentObama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosiand my dear friend, the chairmanof the Democrat National Commit-tee, we need to let them know thatFlorida ain’t on the table. Takeyour message of equality ofachievement, take your messageof economic dependency, and takeyour message of enslaving theentrepreneurial will and spirit of theAmerican people somewhere else.You can take it to Europe, you cantake it to the bottom of the sea,you can take it to the North Pole,but get the hell out of the UnitedStates of America. Yeah, I saidhell.”

I’m glad that you have put yourreal thoughts and feelings onrecord for all of the nation to seeand hear. You have exercised yourright to free speech. Now all Amer-ica can see you for what you trulyare.

Your version of America wouldnot allow free speech to others;those who would disagree, youbelieve, should be banished. Your“my way or the highway” is total-ly un-American. It is you and peo-ple with your way of thinking thatis so destructive to our country.

Patricia AbbottRoyal Palm Beach

A Funding PlanFor The OIG

I do not believe the Office of theInspector General can possibly befunded by the one quarter of 1percent of building permits.

The OIG used 69 percent, whichamounted to $1,272,558 (roughly$1.3 million). The county commis-sion allocated $1,844,662 (rough-ly $1.8 million) to the OIG. Accord-ing to the OIG, to continue func-tioning, it will need $3,299,643(roughly $3.3 million). This repre-sents a 260 percent increased bur-den on taxpayers in one year.

If the OIG is to be funded byone quarter of 1 percent of all gov-ernment contracts, this means inorder to fund the OIG, the govern-ment would have to spend$1,319,857,200 [roughly $1.3 bil-lion] in government contracts.

The total county budget for alldepartments for one year is$3,925,196,649 [roughly $3.9 bil-lion]. This would mean that fund-ing the OIG would consume aboutone-third of the entire county bud-get. The fact is that there will notbe enough government contractsto fund the OIG and taxpayers willbe funding the OIG.

OPINION

Footlooseand...By JulesW. Rabin

Trying To Understand Bill Parcells’ Pro Football Hall Of Fame SnubYes, it is crying over spilled milk

at this point, but the irrational snubby the selection committee of thePro Football Hall of Fame of BillParcells recently was a big, fat mis-take. Obviously, many of the 44voting “experts” took Parcells’sometime habit of brash behaviorto the media as more important

than his wholly impressive coach-ing record.

Laid out simply, “Tuna” rackedup two Super Bowl victories, threeNational Football League confer-ence championships and guidedfour different franchises to theplayoffs. And, Parcells’ coachingacumen has also produced eight

head-coaching Super Bowl ringsfor his formerly chosen coachingassistants. They include TomCoughlin of the Giants and BillBelichick of New England.

Will Parcells eventually make itinto football’s Hall of Fame?Chances are, especially with thenationwide backlash over the re-

cent vote, that Tuna will get elect-ed in a future year. The 2012 classof electees included Jack Butler,Dermonti Dawson, Chris Dole-man, Cortez Kennedy, Will Roafand Curtis Martin. That overall listof worthies will blow no one’smind. Parcells instead of (pick one)would have given far greater legit-

imacy to the vote.One final argument for Parcells:

Hall of Fame coaching selectionsfrom the yeoman years of the Tunainclude Joe Gibbs, Bill Walsh andMarv Levy. Parcells’ record againstthe trio in playoff games was fourwins and a single loss. Does thatkind of tell a story?

CharterTraffic

Concernscontinued from page 1

tor Kevin Erwin told commission-ers that there are several entranc-es and exits to the property, whichthe school would share with sev-eral other businesses, such as aWalgreens pharmacy and aWendy’s restaurant.

“They will be opening a cross-access to the west with the PalmsWest [Hospital] property,” Erwinsaid. “There are several points ofaccess to the property.”

Erwin said that there would be amodified traffic pattern during thedrop-off and pick-up hours of theschool.

The proposed traffic plan wouldhave cars entering off Southernand traveling up to the school,with a bypass lane for those who

are not entering the school. A sec-ond option would be for parentsto enter in the middle entrance offCrestwood, but would require traf-fic direction.

“There would have to be a traf-fic control person there,” Erwinsaid.

But Commissioner GenevieveLambiase said she was concernedabout present traffic problemscaused by drivers trying to turnleft out of the plaza to head north-bound on Crestwood.

“I’m concerned that there’s go-ing to be an accident,” she said.“There are bushes and things therethat already make it a blind spot.But with the amount of students,that could be a problem. I think itwill be confusing, and especiallywhere Wendy’s and Walgreensare.”

Dan Taylor, an attorney repre-senting the school, said his clientshave worked closely with village

staff on the traffic patterns. “That’svery important to us,” he said.“We’re invested in the safety ofthe children and the parents.We’ve worked very closely withstaff.”

Arturo Perez, the traffic engineerfor the project, told commission-ers that compared with traffic whenAlbertsons was there, trafficwould be elevated in the morningbut slower in the afternoon.

“Everyone will be in the schoolbefore 8 a.m.,” he said, noting thatpick-up and drop-off times couldbe staggered to ease traffic.

Planning & Zoning Administra-tor Bradford O’Brien said RPBstaff had discussed having lawenforcement there in the morningto direct traffic.

But Dan Shalloway, represent-ing Charter Schools USA, saidthat if constant police presence isdeemed necessary, the schoolwould put in a traffic light on Crest-

wood Blvd. “If we need a police-man there all the time, we’ll just gowith a traffic light,” he said. “Itwould make more sense to put alight there.”

O’Brien said that the light wouldhelp those turning north on Crest-wood. But Perez said the lightwould be placed only if the coun-ty agreed it was warranted.

Lambiase said it would be war-ranted. “I can tell you right now,”she said, “with the amount of traf-fic you’re talking about, you’regoing to need a light or someoneto direct traffic.”

Commissioner Darrell Langesaid he was worried about the in-ternal traffic pattern and felt itshould be a loop.

“You would need to paint arrowson the ground for anyone not go-ing to the school to know wherethey are going,” he said. “Thisdoesn’t make sense to me. Givingpeople so many options of where

they may or may not go, and cre-ating three major intersections,there’s no way I would vote forthis traffic plan. You cannot havethis many choices.”

Lange was also concerned thatparents would be driving throughthe Wendy’s and Walgreens park-ing lots. “You’re dictating to whereyou’re affecting other business-es,” he said.

Lange pointed to H.L. JohnsonElementary School, which uses aloop drop-off system to keep par-ents off the major roads. “Youcould loop them one way and bein and out,” he said. “The onlyreason schools like H.L. Johnsonwork… is because you don’t give[parents] three options to get inand out of a site.”

Lambiase made a motion to passthe site plan modification as pre-sented, but it failed unanimously.

Lange said he would want tosee the traffic pattern come be-

fore them with modifications.“I think we’d be doing a disser-

vice as a commission not to,” hesaid. “We’re going to have real-life situations. We have too manysituations where it’s unfair for youas an engineer to guess what’s inthe mind of the people visiting thesite. We want the school there. Isthere a way to exclude the trafficand have them address the issuesand bring it back?”

O’Brien said the commissioncould re-evaluate the traffic pat-terns at its Tuesday, Feb. 28 meet-ing. “That would enable the appli-cants to go before the [Royal PalmBeach Village Council] on March1,” he said.

The commissioners unanimous-ly voted to postpone the issue untilthen.

“It’s not that we don’t supportthe project,” Lange said. “But [myexperience] is telling me this won’twork. I think it’s solvable.”

I submit that the OIG should befunded to the extent that the reve-nue from the one quarter of 1 per-cent is adequate and that no newburdens are imposed on taxpay-ers.

The authority of the OIG to re-visit contracts should be prospec-tive and not retroactive for 10years. The cost to administer theseretroactive audits is expensive andthe financial rewards are not likelyto be worth the effort. The statuteof limitations on many of thecrimes that might be discovered isfour years. Going beyond the stat-ute of limitations is for strictly fi-nancial gain, and even then theentities that contracted with thegovernment may no longer be inexistence or solvent, especially inthis economic environment.

The OIG should not be permit-ted to attend negotiations by mu-nicipal officials. I believe this isasking for a legal challenge thatcan be avoided by simply requir-ing the contracts be audited by theOIG. The inspector general will of-fer guidance and suggestions,and will prevent waste before thefunds are committed to the project.If the IG discovers fraud, the mat-ter would be referred to the appro-priate law enforcement agency.The end result is the same, but byremoving the IG from the delibera-

tion process, I believe a claim thatthe county has violated the homerule provisions of Florida lawwould be avoided.

The funding mechanism couldbe amended by agreement with allthe municipalities and the countyso that they participate in deter-mining the amount of funding tobe allocated by the county andmunicipalities to support the OIG.

The OIG should disclose exact-ly how much money has been re-covered and deposited in the coun-ty treasury due to the efforts ofthe OIG in uncovering fraud,waste, mismanagement etc. Thosefunds should be returned to thegovernmental entity that paid outthe funds.

Frank MorelliWellington

Matt’s CampaignI see by your good paper that

Wellington Vice Mayor Matt Will-hite opened his campaign at thePlayers Club. He has good taste.We now have an expensive mon-ument that Matt played a big partin promoting, and when Mattmeets Mitt, we will all watch withinterest the liberal-conservativefall contest.

Stan PetersonWellington

NEWS

The Town-Crier welcomes letters to the editor. Pleasekeep letters brief (300 words). Submit letters, withcontact name, address, and telephone number (anony-mous letters will not be published), to The Town-Crier,12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL33414; fax them to (561) 793-6090; or you can e-mail [email protected].

SEND IN YOUR LETTERS

Though Valentine’s Day is the heart-themed holiday for which February is most known, it isalso American Heart Month. Amid the boxes of chocolates and candies, Americans are en-couraged to check up on their heart health and consider just how much their diets may behaving a negative impact.

Beyond the common desire to be thin and in shape, there’s a very serious health issue that isa matter of life or death for many people. According to the Centers for Disease Control &Prevention, cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with onein every three deaths caused by heart disease or stroke. This equals 2,200 deaths per day. Atthe national level, there are several campaigns aimed at reversing this unfortunate trend.

The CDC and other federal government agencies have launched an initiative called MillionHearts with the purpose of preventing heart-related deaths and empowering people to makeheart-healthy choices. The goal is to prevent one million heart attacks and strokes over fiveyears. According to its web site, http://millionhearts.hhs.gov, Million Hearts “brings togethercommunities, health systems, nonprofit organizations, federal agencies and private-sector part-ners from across the country to fight heart disease and stroke.” It encourages individuals tounderstand the risks; exercise for 30 minutes most days of the week; follow a diet high in fruitsand vegetables and low in sodium, saturated and trans fats, and cholesterol; and listen to yourdoctor.

Whereas the Million Hearts initiative might be more appropriate for adults, First Lady Michelle

Obama’s Let’s Move program was developed to “solve the epidemic of childhood obesitywithin a generation.” According to the official Let’s Move web site (www.letsmove.gov),childhood obesity rates in America have tripled over the past three decades, and now nearlyone in three children in the U.S. are overweight or obese. Left unchecked, this will lead to anincrease in diabetes, with one third of all children born in 2000 or later suffering from diabetesat some point in their lives. Other obesity-related health problems include heart disease, highblood pressure, cancer and asthma.

You don’t need to belong to a gym to get sufficient cardiovascular exercise. Fortunately,South Florida is conducive to year-round outdoor activity, and our area has several heart trailsfor people looking for a good cardio workout. Still, regular exercise can only do so much tomake up for a poor diet. As Americans continue to explore alternatives to a diet high in redmeat and fried foods, more options become available. If you have never shopped at WholeFoods Market, give it a try. Not only is there a wide variety of healthful foods, but the storeoffers educational literature and regularly hosts cooking events and nutrition lectures.

Unlike diseases that are hereditary or autoimmune in nature, those affecting the heart arelargely preventable. If you plan on sharing your heart this Valentine’s Day, take some time tothink about the thing you’re sharing. Your loved ones will want you around for many moreValentine’s Day celebrations, so do what is necessary to keep your ticker ticking for years tocome.


NEWSWELLINGTON HOSTS ANNUAL FATHER DAUGHTER DANCE AT VILLAGE PARK GYM

Lonnie and Katie Brevik withJose and Arianna Sanchez.

GRAFFITO SOUTH RESTAURANT OPENS NEAR SHOW GROUNDS IN WELLINGTONGraffito South Scratch Italian Cooking in Wellington held a preview night event Wednesday, Feb. 1. Guests were given an opportunity toview the new restaurant, located adjacent to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, and enjoy complimentary food anddrinks. For more info., visit Graffito’s web site at www.graffitosouthflorida.com or call (561) 333-1150.

Philip Bramble dances with his daughters Victoria and Julianna. Jim and Devyn Barnes with Bruce and Isabella Wagner.

Graffito co-owners Omar Shaikh and MikePolaski with General Manager John Kalnai.

Bobbe Blacher and Carol Molack areserved complimentary food by Risa McBriar.

Ric Bachour, Grace Bechalany, CelineBachour, and Emilia and Dan Bechalany.

Wellington held its annual Father Daughter Dance on Saturday, Feb. 4 in the Village Park gymnasium. Fathers brought their daughtersfor an evening of dinner, games, pictures, dancing and gifts. SEE VIDEO FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM

PHOTOS BY JESSICA GREGOIRE/TOWN-CRIER


Evan and Leah Silverman. Jaden and Bernie Bartick.

Caitlyn and Mark Klimek. Isabela and George Monteiro.

Cameron and WellingtonCouncilman Howard Coates.

Ellen Sanita and Faye Ford.Mike Polaski with Palms WestChamber CEO Jaene Miranda.


CRIME NEWS

THE INFORMATION FOR THIS BOX IS PROVIDED BYCRIME STOPPERS OF PALM BEACH COUNTY. CRIMESTOPPERSIS WHOLLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONTENT SHOWN HERE.

Crime Stoppers of Palm Beach Countyis asking for the public’s help in findingthese wanted fugitives:

• Jan Michalek is a white male, 5’9”tall and weighing 180 lbs., with brownhair and blue eyes. His date of birth is03/30/74. Michalek is wanted for viola-tion of probation on a charge of grandtheft. His occupation is unknown. Hislast known addresses were Sparrow Drivein Royal Palm Beach and Yarmouth Courtin Wellington. Michalek is wanted as of02/09/12.

• Antonio Vega is a white male, 5’8”tall and weighing 200 lbs., with gray hairand brown eyes. His date of birth is 06/13/31. Vega is wanted for failure to ap-pear on a charge of trafficking in mari-juana. His occupation is unknown. Hislast known address was 76th Road Northin The Acreage. Vega is wanted as of 02/09/12.

Remain anonymous and you may beeligible for up to a $1,000 reward. CallCrime Stoppers at (800) 458-TIPS(8477) or visit www.crimestopperspbc.com. Antonio Vega


FEB. 4 — A Royal Palm Beachman was arrested last Saturdaymorning on charges of drivingunder the influence following acrash in La Mancha. According toa Palm Beach County Sheriff’sOffice report, a deputy from theRoyal Palm Beach substation wascalled to the scene of a crash onGranada Street. The deputy madecontact with the driver, 22-year-oldMichael Morenzi. After a series ofroadside tasks, the deputy deter-mined Morenzi was impaired onprescription drugs. During inves-tigations, the deputy discoveredthat Morenzi had stolen the carfrom a neighbor. He was arrestedand taken to the Palm BeachCounty Jail, where he was chargedwith driving under the influenceand driving with a suspended li-cense.

• • •FEB. 1 — A deputy from the

PBSO substation in Royal PalmBeach was dispatched to a homein Madison Green last Wednes-day afternoon regarding a resi-dential burglary. According to aPBSO report, sometime between6:45 a.m. and 4 p.m., someone en-tered the victim’s home and ran-sacked it, taking several items, in-cluding a Dell laptop computer, ablack Metro PCS cell phone andan Xbox game console. The vic-tim said the perpetrator(s) had alsoremoved a bank card that had beenused at a Burger King the sameday. The stolen items were valuedat approximately $1,700, but therewere no suspects or witnesses atthe time of the report.

FEB. 2 — A resident of the Wil-lows II neighborhood called thePBSO substation in Royal PalmBeach last Thursday morning toreport a stolen vehicle. Accordingto a PBSO report, sometime be-tween 10 p.m. last Wednesday and9:50 a.m. the following morning,someone stole the complainant’sson’s white 1996 Honda Civic fromoutside his home, where it wasparked overnight. According to thereport, the victim said he did notloan the car to anyone or owe anymoney, and he still has the keys tothe car. There were no suspects orwitnesses at the time of the report.

FEB. 2 — A deputy from thePBSO substation in Wellingtonresponded to a home on Stone-gate Drive last Thursday afternoonregarding a residential burglary.According to a PBSO report,sometime between 9:10 a.m. andnoon, someone pried open the rearpatio glass sliding doors and en-tered the home. The perpetrator(s)stole several rings, watches andnecklaces, as well as a digital cam-era. DNA evidence was taken atthe scene, but there were no sus-pects at the time of the report.

FEB. 2 — A resident of Madi-son Green contacted the PBSOsubstation in Royal Palm Beach lastThursday afternoon to report acase of fraud. According to a PBSOreport, sometime between Jan. 1and last Wednesday, someonefraudulently used her Social Se-curity number. The victim said shebecame aware of this after she re-ceived a call that her tax return hadbeen denied because someone hadalready filed a return using her So-cial Security number. According tothe report, the victim had not beenable to contact the IRS yet butwanted to file a police report.There were no suspects at the timeof the report.

FEB. 3 — A deputy from the

PBSO substation in Royal PalmBeach was dispatched to a homein Nautica Lakes last Friday in re-sponse to a residential burglary.According to a PBSO report,sometime between 7:30 a.m. and 4p.m. last Thursday, someone stolethe victim’s iPad and television.There were no known witnessesor suspects at the time of the re-port, and the case is inactive pend-ing further investigative leads.

FEB. 3 — A resident of Fox Trailcalled the PBSO’s Acreage/Loxa-hatchee substation last Fridayevening to report a theft. Accord-ing to the report, the victim no-ticed two 10-foot metal gates miss-ing from her property. The victimsaid she last saw them on Friday,Jan. 27, but has no idea who mighthave taken them. The stolen gateswere valued at approximately $240.There were no suspects at the timeof the report.

FEB. 4 — A deputy from thePBSO’s Acreage/Loxahatcheesubstation was dispatched to avacant home on 73rd Court Northlast Saturday regarding a theft. Ac-cording to a PBSO report, the com-plainant noticed the home wasmissing its air-conditioning unitlast Saturday morning. The victimsaid that all the wires were cut andthe pieces removed from the prop-erty. However, the shell that cov-ers the unit was left behind. Thestolen unit was valued at approxi-mately $2,000. There were no sus-pects or witnesses at the time ofthe report.

FEB. 4 — A deputy from thePBSO’s Acreage/Loxahatcheesubstation was dispatched to ahome on 62nd Road North lastSaturday afternoon regarding twostolen vehicles. According to aPBSO report, sometime between 9a.m. last Monday and 1:15 p.m. lastSaturday, someone entered thevictim’s gated property and re-moved two vehicles. The first wasa black 1998 Cadillac DeVille andthe second a green 1993 PlymouthLaser. According to the report, thevictim said the vehicles belongedto her deceased father and that shebelieved they were removed by atow truck because there were tiremarks that appeared to be dragged.There were no suspects or wit-nesses at the time of the report.

FEB. 5 — A resident of 123rdTrail North called the PBSO’s Acre-age/Loxahatchee substation lastSunday to report an act of vandal-ism. According to a PBSO report,sometime between 9 p.m. last Sat-urday and noon last Sunday,someone used an unknown ob-ject to push the lock out of thedoor handle of his Ford F-150, dam-aging the keyless entry pad. Thevictim said the perpetrator(s) didnot gain entry to the vehicle butcaused $800 in damage to the ve-hicle. DNA evidence was taken atthe scene, but there were no sus-pects at the time of the report.

FEB. 6 — A deputy from thePBSO substation in Royal PalmBeach was dispatched to a homein the Willows on Monday regard-ing a residential burglary. Accord-ing to a PBSO report, sometime be-tween 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., some-one attempted to pry open thegarage door and then used a ce-ment brick to break the door jam.Once inside, the perpetrator(s)stole two portable Honda genera-tors. The stolen items were valuedat approximately $3,666, and thecost of damage was estimated atapproximately $2,000. There wereno suspects or witnesses at thetime of the report.

Man Arrested ForDUI After Stealing

Neighbor’s Car

Jan Michalek


NEWS


Before a meeting room full ofresidents, the Palm Beach CountyCommission agreed Tuesday toprovide $400,000 to the Office ofthe Inspector General to cover abudget shortfall as a result of 15municipalities refusing to pay theirshare of the office’s expenses.

The municipalities have filed alawsuit protesting the mandate topay for part of the funding aftervoters approved a charter amend-ment that extended the inspectorgeneral’s jurisdiction to municipal-ities.

Payments from municipalities —both those involved and those notinvolved in the lawsuit — are be-ing withheld by the office of Clerk& Comptroller Sharon Bock, pend-ing the outcome of the suit.

Assistant County Administra-tor Brad Merriman said the officefaces a potential budget deficit asa result of the lawsuit.

Inspector General Sheryl Steck-ler agreed. “I’m asking you to pro-vide the funding for us to do ourjob, and also the job that the countyand the people of this county ex-

pect us to do, and provide us theresources that we have alreadybeen approved to do, but we can-not spend,” she said.

Steckler noted that for its first15 months of operation, the Officeof the Inspector General was allo-cated $1.8 million and spent $1.3million, coming in $500,000 underbudget. From what was spent onthe first 15 months, the office hasa return on the investment of $2.3million.

Steckler explained that the cur-rent financing for the office isbased on a percentage of vendors’contracts with government enti-ties subject to its jurisdiction. Thatbase is set at 0.25 percent of thecontracts’ sum, which would havegenerated $4.2 million, but Steck-ler requested only 0.18 percent,which equaled $3 million.

“Due to the lawsuit, we havebeen reduced 21 percent,” shesaid, explaining that with that re-duction, she could not continuehiring additional staff to take onthe increasing responsibilities ofher office.

The office currently has 15 staffmembers, while 32 were planned

for the current workload.Between July 1 and Dec. 31,

2011, Steckler’s office received 185written complaints and 964 tele-phone calls. She pointed out thatthe previous year, there were morecomplaints related to the county,but that has changed. “The mu-nicipalities are now the majority ofthe complaints coming in,” shesaid.

Steckler said the workload forher office has grown enormously.“We are bursting at the seams,”she said. “I can no longer just stayquiet and live without, because wecannot continue to keep up theworkload.”

David Baker, representing thePalm Beach County Ethics Initia-tive, asked commissioners to sup-port financing for the Office of theInspector General.

“I’m here to ask you to ade-quately fund the office, which iscurrently inadequately funded,and restore its stability,” he said.“It is currently unstable becauseof the job it has to do, and the fundsit has to do that job.”

Baker pointed out that the fund-ing mandate comes from the coun-

ty’s charter and the ordinance thatthe commission adopted. “Thesuit filed by some of the cities hasimpacted the inspector general’sability to do her charter-mandatedjob to audit, investigate and as-sist the county and all municipali-ties,” he said. “We’re asking youto restore that stability.”

Royal Palm Beach resident JeffHmara, an RPB council candidate,said opposition to an effectiveOffice of the Inspector General hastaken many forms.

“It’s difficult to know exactlywhat the motives of the individu-als who are creating these barriersare, but it is likely that some aremotivated by discomfort with vig-orous oversight,” he said.

Hmara said he spoke from theperspective of a person who wassubject to the scrutiny of manyinspectors general in his experi-ence as a government official in arange of positions over a 41-yearcareer — 26 years with the U.S.Army and 15 years as a civilianwith the Federal Aviation Admin-istration.

“During the majority of my ca-reer, I was responsible for award-

ing contracts and monitoring theexecution of major national-levelprograms,” he said. “In the acqui-sition field, it is not unusual to ex-perience oversight of an agencyinspector general. This firsthandexperience was not something thatI eagerly sought, but something Icame to value.”

Hmara said he came to believethat the oversight was importantin many ways, including as a de-terrent and as a tool to improveefficiency and effectiveness. Headded that although the countyhas implemented the recommen-dations of the grand jury report tocreate an office based on the Mi-ami-Dade model, it still has notimplemented adequate financingof the operation.

“If we do not fully fund the of-fice, we will slide backward andlose this rare opportunity for pos-itive change in the way our localgovernments operate,” he said.

Wellington resident MorleyAlperstein was very critical of hishome community’s participation inthe lawsuit against the Office ofthe Inspector General.

“Wellington has had dramatic

growth in the last 10 years,” hesaid. “It recently made major im-provements, a new city hall, anamphitheater, a playground forhandicapped kids, a new swim-ming pool, a 9/11 memorial, majorimprovements for roads and land-scaping, plans for a new seniorcenter and a Boys & Girls Club,”Alperstein said. “Wellingtonseems to have money for every-thing, except not one dollar to fightcorruption.”

Tony Fransetta, president of theFlorida Alliance for Retired Amer-icans, said he supports the office.

“We need the inspector gener-al, and I ask each and every one ofyou: If you’re going to fulfill yourcivic responsibility, you will voteto give that money to have a con-fidence level by the people,” hesaid.

Commissioner Burt Aaronsonmade a motion to allocate $400,000for the Office of the Inspector Gen-eral. The motion carried 6-1, withCommissioner Karen Marcus ob-jecting. She said the county lacksthe funding and that she wouldprefer to wait until March to see ifthe lawsuit could be resolved.

County Agrees To Fund Shortfall In Inspector General’s Budget

Arenus representative Stacey Small with Mary Ann Simonds.

Arenus representatives Stephanie Morris,Dr. Jay Altman, Brady Karren and Stacey Small.


Amber Warren of JustWorld International receives organiccarrots from Lauren Belinsky of Whole Foods Market.

By Jessica GregoireTown-Crier Staff Report

Members of the equestrian com-munity have decided to bring en-vironmental awareness to thisyear’s Winter Equestrian Festivalin Wellington.

Last week, from Feb. 1-5, was“Green Week” at the Palm BeachInternational Equestrian Center.Various events and activities wereconducted to raise awarenessabout how the horse industry canbe green friendly.

Eco-activist and equestrian in-dustry consultant Mary Ann Si-monds spearheads the Ride for aGreen World campaign, which is aseries of initiatives created to getthe equestrian community follow-ing eco-friendly standards.

Simonds brought together eco-conscious companies and organi-zations Arenus, JustWorld Inter-national and Whole Foods Mar-ket to take part in the initiative lo-cally.

Simonds formed these partner-ships as a means to create a moresustainable environment throughsimple but life-changing steps.Creating a more sustainable envi-ronment in the equestrian commu-nity has been her mission for years.

“I’ve been working for a num-ber of years in Wellington tryingto give eco-friendly barn tips, fromtips on alternatives to chemicalfertilizer to how to compost yourmanure,” she explained.

Simonds has worked with otherequestrian communities all overthe country to provide best prac-tices for sustainability. She is slow-ly beginning to work with Well-ington to try to create sustainablemeasures within the equestriancommunity, from recycling to barnsolar panels.

Right now Simonds is workingwith Clark County, Wash., toadopt sustainable practices in its

equestrian community.“I have been going back and

forth from Clark County to Well-ington, saying, ‘Well, look whatWellington is doing and look whatClark County is doing, and itworks,’” she said. “I try to look forgood examples and share them.”

Trying to get people to startthinking about how the thingsthey are doing with their horse areinterconnected with the environ-ment is long overdue, Simondssaid. “Putting those together andhaving a healthy environment forhorses and a healthy environmentfor people is a whole systems ap-proach that has to be done,” shesaid. “People need to know thatwhatever their horse eats must befree from chemicals, because whenit comes out, the manure can beharmful, not only to the horse, butto humans.”

Simonds has been building col-laborations among organizationsand businesses to attract otherpublic, private and governmentalentities to join in the eco-friendlyefforts.

“They are looking at best man-agement practices,” she said.“Their big concern is to let peopleknow that what goes into yourhorse comes out, and where doesit go? They don’t want it to con-taminate the waters.”

Simonds has built support andpartnerships with businesses andorganizations, which coincidewith the mission of eco-sustain-ability. “It’s a collaborative effort,and we can’t do this alone,” shesaid. “We want people and busi-nesses who want to help create ahealthier, more environmentallysustainable community.”

Arenus, an animal health andnutritional products company,joined the Ride for a Green Worldcampaign because it aligns withits mission, said Business Man-

ager Dr. Jay Altman. “Our parentcompany, Novus International,has had a mission to feed theworld for the last 20 years, andsustainability has been a part ofthat mission,” he said. “Creating agreen world is part of what we doas a company, so being a part ofthis was a very natural fit.”

Arenus has been leading theway in sustainability in the Stateof Missouri.

“We are one of four platinumLEED-certified buildings, and wehave the largest solar panel in thestate,” Arenus representativeStephanie Morris said.

Altman believes that creatingawareness for eco-friendly stan-dards is especially important in theequestrian community. “I don’tthink we have even touched thesurface in the area of manure re-moval and disposal,” he said.“There are some new technologiesout there that we should be usingthat could really help us and theenvironment.”

Simonds is hoping that not onlycommunities get involved in envi-ronmentally sustainable stan-

dards, but large companies andsmall business as well. By havingcompanies adopt eco-friendlypractices as Arenus did, it will aidin creation of a sustainable com-munity, she said.

Whole Foods Market hasjoined the initiative because someof its core values, community sup-port and the environment, are dem-onstrated in the initiative.

Whole Foods Market Commu-nity Relations Specialist LaurenBelinsky has been passing outorganic carrots for feeding hors-es, as part of the campaign. “Thisis a perfect connection, where weare supporting our local equestri-an community and at the sametime working with them to make itas green as possible,” Belinskysaid.

Through the Ride for a GreenWorld campaign, Simonds andpartners have been putting up fli-ers with eco-friendly barn tips, giv-ing people literature and inform-ing them about its web site, www.arenus.com/communities/rideforagreenworld.

“It’s all about education more


The Royal Palm Beach VillageCouncil gave final approval lastweek to change the speed limit onOkeechobee Blvd. from 50 mph to45 from Wildcat Way east and from35 mph to 40 west of Wildcat Way.

New signs should be put upsometime over the next couple ofweeks, according to AssistantCounty Engineer Tanya McCon-nell.

At a meeting Thursday, Feb. 2,RPB Senior Planner BradfordO’Brien said that constructionalong Okeechobee Blvd. haschanged its character and devel-opment patterns, which led staffto consider the speed limit chang-es. After consultation with coun-ty staff, they came to believe thatthe speed limit changes are appro-priate.

O’Brien pointed out that al-though that portion of Okeecho-

bee Blvd. is a state road, the vil-lage is empowered to set speed lim-its within its boundaries after aninvestigation determines that thechanges are reasonable.

“We have done that, and staffis recommending these speed lim-it changes,” O’Brien said.

The council gave preliminaryapproval Jan. 19.

Mayor Matty Mattioli said hehad received several favorablecomments about the change,

which would remove the abruptspeed limit reduction westboundat Wildcat Way from 50 mph to 35,which Mattioli said had drawnmany accusations from motoriststhat it was a speed trap.

Councilman Fred Pinto said hehad also received positive feed-back about the speed limit modifi-cations. “It seems like the logicalthing to do,” Pinto said. “It makessense.”

Councilwoman Martha Webster

made a motion to approve the or-dinance, which carried 4-0.

In other business, the councilpostponed the final plat approvalof the Enclave, a planned multi-family residential development on29.9 acres located on the west sideof State Road 7 near the VictoriaGrove community.

The postponement until thenext meeting was in order for Well-ington to sign off on water andsewer service that it will provide

to the area. “They promised usthey would have it by Feb. 14,which is two days before our nextmeeting,” Village Manager RayLiggins said.

The council also postponed fi-nal approval for the sale of village-owned property on the north sideof Okeechobee Blvd. behind theFirst Baptist Church of Royal PalmBeach. Details are still beingworked out for the church to pur-chase the property.

Royal Palm Beach Finalizes Speed Limit Changes On Okeechobee

Activists, Businesses Offer Tips To Help Horse Industry Go Green

than anything, and that’s why weare here doing this,” she said.

Simonds wants to begin chang-ing things on a micro level, withthe placement of recycle bins atthe Palm Beach InternationalEquestrian Center.

“We are at the front end withour own little recycle bin, so that

at least here, people are seeing it’sobvious to recycle,” she said. “Wewant there to be more of a pres-ence here at the show groundswith recycle bins. We don’t havecontrol of that, but they are awareof what we are doing, so they mightbe coming up with another sys-tem.”


NEWS BRIEFSL.W. Street

Painting FestivalFeb. 25-26

More than 600 artists will usethe asphalt as their canvas totransform the streets of downtownLake Worth into a temporary out-door museum Saturday and Sun-day, Feb. 25 and 26 during the 18thannual Street Painting Festival.

The paintings — made of chalk— range in style from Renaissanceclassicism to cubism and pop art,and include both original artworkand masterpiece reproductions.These pieces of art remain onlyuntil the next rain washes themaway.

The Lake Worth Street PaintingFestival claims bragging rights asthe world’s largest, covering morearea than any other festival of itskind.

This “outdoor gallery” will belocated on Lake and Lucerne ave-nues, spanning between Dixie andFederal highways. It all starts at10 a.m. and admission is free. Park-ing is available throughout thedowntown area, and valet servicewill also be available. Free festivaltransportation will make timelyloops from the Lake Worth Tri-Rail

station to City Hall during festivalhours.

The event is produced by StreetPainting Festival Inc., a nonprofitorganization, and the Greater LakeWorth Chamber of Commerce, incooperation with the City of LakeWorth. Proceeds benefit the StreetPainting Festival scholarships of-fered to graduating Palm BeachCounty high school students, aswell as other community projectsassociated with the arts.

Traced back to 16th-century It-aly when itinerant artists woulduse their chalks to transform pave-ment into a makeshift canvas,street painting has retained its ap-peal through the centuries. As inages past, crowds still gather towatch as fine works of art emerge.The “paintings” last only until thenext rain, but the lively spirit andaccessibility of the exhibition cap-tivates new audiences each yearand inspires lasting memories.

The public is invited to join inthe fun downtown on Friday, Feb.24 for a pre-festival taste of LakeWorth as the merchants and res-taurants kick off the weekend fes-tivities all day and into the nightwith activities, music, food anddrink, including a “Taste of LakeWorth” block party at 6 p.m. En-

joy downtown and many of theLake Worth restaurants, shopsand galleries.

For more information, contactNadine Burns of the Greater LakeWorth Chamber of Commerce at(561) 582-4401 or [email protected], or visit www.streetpaintingfestivalinc.org.

All-Breed DogShows ReturnMarch 10-11

Champions and puppies alikewill return to the South FloridaFairgrounds on Saturday andSunday, March 10-11 for a specialkind of dog show weekend to ben-efit local animal-rescue organiza-tions.

Hosted by the Palm BeachCounty Dog Fanciers Association,the events will include two AKC-sanctioned dog shows; multiplespecialty breed shows; meet thebreeds booths; agility and cartingdemonstrations; obedience, rallyand carting trials; and a variety offamily-friendly events.

The 82nd and 83rd annual clubshows will be held at the SouthFlorida Fairgrounds on Saturdayand Sunday, March 10 and 11 from

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Specialevents include the following:

• Meet the breeds booths willhighlight the top dog breeds, al-lowing interested spectators theopportunity to see the breeds andtalk to their owners

• Guide dog demonstrationsSaturday and Sunday

• Agility demonstrations Satur-day and Sunday

• Canine good citizen tests onSaturday and Sunday, open to alldogs in the community whetherpurebred or not

• Junior showmanship on Sat-urday and Sunday

• Dog show tours on Saturdayand Sunday, morning and after-noon

More than 1,000 dogs will beattending, and there will be plentyof vendors of pet products.

A portion of the proceeds willbenefit canine-related charities.The South Florida Fairgrounds isat 9067 Southern Blvd. The exhib-itor halls are air conditioned andoccupy 84,000 square feet. Formore information, visit www.southfloridafair.com.

For additional informationabout the Palm Beach County DogFancier’s Association, visit www.pbcdfa.org.

Women’sChamber GiraffeAwards March 28

The Women’s Chamber of Com-merce of Palm Beach County willhost its 17th annual Giraffe Awardson Wednesday, March 28 at theKravis Center’s Cohen Pavilion inWest Palm Beach. There will be anauction and expo from 5:30 to 7p.m., with a dinner and ceremonyto begin at 7 p.m.

The Women’s Chamber select-ed the giraffe over 16 years ago asa symbol of accomplishment forwomen who have “stuck theirnecks out” in business and in thecommunity. Moreover, like a gi-raffe, the honorees stand tall intheir community, have a naturalbeauty that radiates and a uniquepattern that sets them apart fromthe pack.

Giraffe Award honorees serve asrole models for other women, men-tor women, and promote profes-sional development for women inthe workplace and the communi-ty.

The Women’s Chamber has an-nounced that the keynote speak-er will be Dominique McClain Bar-teet, founder and CEO of Onesole.

Barteet is a pharmacist who in-vented Onesole, “the original in-terchangeable shoe,” with no busi-ness or design experience. She hassold more than one million pairs,and Onesole is now available inmore than 80 countries. Barteetrecently was the season finale win-ner on ABC’s Shark Tank, andOnesole was chosen as Best Prod-uct Made in America on WorldNews with Diane Sawyer. Barteethas declined the offer made to heron Shark Tank and has decidedto keep Onesole made in the USA.In addition to Onesole, Barteet isa motivational speaker and men-tor to other entrepreneurs. One-sole supports many philanthropiccauses. A television reality showis currently being filmed on thephenomenon of her success andchallenges along the way.

The public is invited to nomi-nate deserving women for the pres-tigious Giraffe Award. Nominationforms are available online at www.womenschamber.biz, or by callingthe chamber office at (561) 684-4523. All nominations must besubmitted no later than Feb. 15.

The sponsorship package andexhibitor registration forms can befound at www.womenschamber.biz.


NEWS

Virginia Mossberg, Dina Baker andMissy McArdle enjoy the reception.

Boosterthon Fun Run Feb. 16 At Binks Forest Elementary SchoolTwelve-year-old Binks Forest

Elementary School is in need of atechnology upgrade, and that isexactly how the school plans tospend the money they raise byhosting the Boosterthon Fun Runon Thursday, Feb. 16.

The nine-day fitness, leadershipand character program is designedto help schools raise money whileinspiring students to live charac-ter-filled lives.

All the hard work during thosenine days leads up to the Boost-erthon Fun Run, in which studentsrun laps outside on the field whilelistening to upbeat music, interact-ing with energetic Boosterthonteam members and raising moneyfor their school.

Binks Forest Principal MichellaLevy began her time as the

school’s principal in August andrealized the need for a dedicatedeffort to increase and update thetechnology in the school.

The school’s goal is to raise$40,000 to purchase iPads forclassrooms. As an incentive for thestudents, the administration hasmade a promise: If the schoolreaches its $40,000 goal, Levy andher assistant principal will wearVelcro suits and attach themselvesto a Velcro wall as a reward. Thestudents who run the most laps atthe Boosterthon Fun Run also willget to participate in the Velcro fun.

Boosterthon is not a typicalproduct-based fundraiser in whichstudents sell cookie dough orwrapping paper door-to-door. Theprogram engages the entire admin-istration, teachers, students and

the community by inspiring goodcharacter, leadership traits and theimportance of fitness, all while rais-ing 75 percent more than traditionalfundraisers.

Boosterthon’s new charactertheme, EPIC Adventure, will show430,000 students this school yearhow to work together in teamsthrough the adventure actions.EPIC stands for Encourage, Play,Invite and Celebrate.

“Every day, our team memberssee students across the countryget excited about character andleadership,” said Chris Carneal,Boosterthon founder and presi-dent. “Schools exceed their finan-cial goals, and we challenge stu-dents to live out the daily charac-ter action in school and at home.”

Boosterthon has a proven track

record of helping schools boostfunding by more than 75 percentover other traditional methods andexecutes all aspects of the pro-gram from start to finish, taking theworkload off parent organizations.

Founded in 2001 at a time whenthe fundraising landscape reliedprimarily on product and catalogsales, Boosterthon set out to com-pletely redefine the industry. To-day, students benefit from a fun,interactive program that impactsschools and develops leaders.

Boosterthon Fun Run serveshundreds of elementary schoolsaround the U.S. each year throughthe promotion of fitness, leader-ship and character.

For more information, visit theBoosterthon Fun Run web site atwww.boosterthon.com.

(Left) Joyce Lichter and her 100-year-old mother Anna Cohenwith Seder plates.

Volunteers Needed For MorseLife’s Homebound Mitzvah ProgramFor 14 years, volunteers of all

ages and from all walks of life havemade a difference to homeboundJewish seniors in the communityover the High Holidays and Pass-over.

The Homebound Mitzvah Pro-gram of MorseLife, as the programis called, will bring volunteers andJewish seniors together again forPassover this April.

MorseLife’s Homebound Mitz-vah Program is seeking caringvolunteers — individuals, fami-lies and groups — to deliver

Passover packages on Wednes-day, April 4 to Jewish seniorsthroughout Palm Beach Countyand the vicinity.

The packages include tradition-al kosher meals for the Seder, aswell as matzoh, wine, a large printHaggadah and a DVD of a Sederconducted by Rabbi Alan Sher-man, director of chaplain servicesat MorseLife. The holiday of Pass-over officially begins the eveningof April 6 and runs through April14.

Just as important, volunteers areasked to provide some “qualitytime” to Homebound Mitzvah Pro-gram recipients — sitting and talk-ing with them for a while to bring

some additional warmth to the de-livery.

Pickup locations for volunteersare the MorseLife campus on 4847Fred Gladstone Drive (off Haver-hill Road) in West Palm Beach, oron the Jewish Community Centercampus in Boynton Beach at 8500Jog Road.

Since 1997, the HomeboundMitzvah Program has been reach-ing out to the area’s homeboundelders in hopes of diminishing theloneliness and isolation frequent-ly felt over Jewish holidays. It wasfounded by Marilyn and StanleyM. Katz, who had nurtured a sim-ilar program called Dorot in NewYork to help isolated seniors, and

is made possible through the gen-erosity of community philanthro-pists and through a grant from theJewish Federation of Palm BeachCounty.

To volunteer for the Home-bound Mitzvah Program and bringjoy and traditions to seniors inPalm Beach County, or to orderPassover packages for yourself ora loved one, call (561) 282-5388.The cutoff date for orders is March22.

Founded in 1983, MorseLife hasbuilt a reputation and tradition ofcaring for seniors with excellence,dignity and compassion. For moreinformation, visit www.morselife.org.

Students at the Boosterthon Fun Run event enjoy music,dancing and fun while raising money for their school.

PBC Cultural Council Celebrates New Home In Montgomery BuildingRena Blades, CEO of the Palm

Beach County Cultural Council,joined with Chairman Michael J.Bracci to welcome more than 130key supporters, donors and localofficials to a special preview re-ception at the council’s new homein downtown Lake Worth. The re-ception was held the evening be-fore the pristine facility’s officialgrand opening and ribbon cuttingon Jan. 19.

The cultural council’s new homeis the historic Robert M. Mont-gomery Jr. Building, located at 601Lake Ave. It first opened in 1940as the Lake Worth Theater and lat-er housed three different art mu-seums, but has been closed to thepublic since 2005. When the

Montgomery family donated theclassic building to the culturalcouncil in January 2010, it was thelargest single donation in the coun-cil’s 33-year history.

Named after the late Robert M.Montgomery Jr., a prominent at-torney and philanthropist, thebuilding was renovated with as-sistance from the Lake Worth Com-munity Redevelopment Agency(CRA), which committed $700,000for the project.

The CRA’s grant is part of itslarger Cultural Renaissance Pro-gram that focuses on redevelop-ment through the establishment ofartists, cultural centers and insti-tutes within Lake Worth, expand-ing the economic base and im-

proving the investment image ofthe area.

The VIP guests toured thebuilding’s 12,500 square feet ofgalleries for community exhibi-tions, the Artist Resource Center,tourism services, education andtraining facilities, and meetingspace. They also viewed the coun-cil’s opening exhibition, “Founda-tions.”

“Foundations is a fitting title forour first exhibit as it places empha-sis on the council’s relocation to apermanent facility, the laying ofgroundwork for future planning,projects and goals, as well as es-tablishing a tradition of servingartists in the community,” Bladessaid. “With a variety of media rep-

resented, the breadth and talentof the artists of this region is ex-traordinary. From the surreal to theliteral, the aesthetic to the sublime,painters, photographers, sculptorsand even animators demonstratetheir resolve to create, inspire anddream.”

The new home of the PalmBeach County Cultural Council isopen to the public Tuesdaysthrough Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5p.m.

The Palm Beach County Cultur-al Council is the county’s officialarts agency and serves nonprofitcultural organizations and profes-sional artists throughout the coun-ty. For more info., visit www.palmbeachculture.com. PHOTO BY CORBY KAYE’S STUDIO PALM BEACH


NEWS‘WILD THINGS’ ART SHOW IN LOX GROVES BENEFITS RARE SPECIES FOUNDATION

Anthony Burks with his mixed-media artwork Tiger.

Maria Hayden sells her raku ceramics.

UF EXTENSION DIRECTOR SPEAKS TO WELLINGTON GARDEN CLUB MEMBERSThe Wellington Garden Club held its monthly meeting Monday, Feb. 6 at the Wellington Community Center. Members participated in abusiness meeting and lunch followed by a presentation by Dr. Joe Schaefer, district extension director of the University of Florida/FASFlorida Extension Services. For more info., visit www.wellingtongardenclub.org.

Randy Pfeiffer, Gisela Pferdekamper and Leslie Pfeiffer.Rare Species Conservatory Foundation Curator Karen

McGovern, President Dr. Paul Reillo and author Tami Hoag.Willie, a skunk, is held by Busch

Wildlife Sanctuary educator Cheryl Wise.

Garden Club members Roxanne Henry and Barbara Hadsellwith President Susan Hillson and guest speaker Dr. Joe Schaefer.

Jenny Dixon, Kathy Spain and DeniseFriedlander with fresh flowers and plants.

Patricia Powers with mini oils on canvas created for this show.

The Rare Species Conservatory Foundation’s sixth annual wildlife art show “Wild Things!” took place Feb. 5-7 at Pferdekamper Studioin Loxahatchee Groves. An opening reception was held Sunday, Feb. 5. The event supported the foundation by donating 25 percent ofsales of oil paintings, jewelry, ceramics, photography, sculpture and more. In addition to the art, animals from the Busch WildlifeSanctuary were brought in to interact with guests. Visit www.rarespecies.org for more info. PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER


Uma Bhatti receives cabbagefrom Kay Brown, which Brown

grew in her garden.

Wellington Garden Clubmembers Paulette Weiss

and Beverley Ginn.

February 10 - February 16, 2012 WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM The Town-Crier The Town-Crier WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM February 10 - February 16, 2012 Page 13

February 10 - February 16, 2012 WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM The Town-Crier The Town-Crier WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM February 10 - February 16, 2012


Many public hospitality pavilions, the Gallery (a south beach themed pavilion),

the Tiki Hut (polynesian beach bar), Tito's Taco's (Mexican food/margaritas).

Free General Admission. Parking $20 per carload.For reserved or premiere seating, fine dining options, or group sales (10-500 people),

call or text Annette Goyette at 561.779.1660 or email [email protected]

WWW.EQUESTRIANSPORT.COM 561.793.5867Palm Beach International Equestrian Center • Wellington, Florida

©AnneGittin

s

©Sportfot

Don’t miss the$125,000 FEI World CupTM

Grand Prix presented bySpy Coast Farm

Saturday, February 11th.


POLO & EQUESTRIAN

MetalTek’s Will Johnston takes the ball across the field.

MetalTek Outscores Pony Express 16-8 In Ylvisaker Cup ActionThe Super Bowl wasn’t the only sports

event that had people talking this pastSunday, as MetalTek celebrated a 16-8 winover Pony Express in an Ylvisaker Cuppolo match.

The action was fierce on Piaget Field atthe International Polo Club Palm Beach asMetalTek and Pony Express went head to

head. Famed local artist Sean Rush offici-ated the coin toss, along with 15-year-oldWellington-based recording artistMeghan Rittmiller, who helped kick off thefestivities by singing the national anthem.

MetalTek and Pony Express batted itout during the 3 p.m. Ylvisaker Cup match.Both teams were tied after the first chuk-ker, but Pony Express fell behind in thethird chukker as MetalTek took the leadby scoring four goals, taking them ahead9-5. Juan Garcia Grossi led the Pony Ex-press offense with three goals, but it wasMetalTek’s Carlucho Arellano’s eightgoals that led his team to a 16-8 victory.

This marked the second week of playfor the 2012 Ylvisaker Cup, and the Inter-national Polo Club is gearing up for Well-ington Day this Sunday. ERG and Audiwill face off at noon, while Equuleus andPiaget will be the 3 p.m. featured match.

With the stunning new pavilion, sevenstate-of-the-art polo fields and a varietyof entertainment, IPC is the place to seeand be seen every Sunday. Guests canenjoy champagne brunch and watch thematch field-side, or partake in reservedlawn seating, Wellington Kids Zone orgeneral admission seating. Various ticket

Skelton Reigns Supreme In $80,000 Adequan CSI 2* Grand PrixGreat Britain’s Nick Skelton and

Big Star triumphed Saturday, Feb.4 at the $80,000 Adequan CSI 2*Grand Prix during the fourth weekof competition at the 2012 FTIConsulting Winter Equestrian Fes-tival.

Nineteen countries were repre-sented in the world-class eventwith a record 81 starters, the larg-est recorded weekend Grand Prixfield. Riders from Canada, Vene-zuela, Great Britain, the UnitedStates, Ireland, Germany and Swe-den made it to the jump-off, withSkelton leading the way.

This year’s Olympic Gamescourse designer, Bob Ellis of GreatBritain, set the track for last Satur-day’s 81 entries, and skillfully nar-rowed the field down to ten for thejump-off. Skelton and Big Star,owned by Beverley Widdowson,were the clear winners with theirfaultless round over the shortcourse in 45.93 seconds. CharlieJayne and Alex Jayne’s Urbanuswere the only other pair to clearthe jump-off course without fault,stopping the clock in 51.70 sec-onds for the second-place prize.

Class winner Big Star is a 9-year-old KWPN stallion. Skeltonpraised Bob Ellis on his course forthe evening. “I’ll be a bit biasedreally because he’s from my coun-

try, but Bob’s a great course build-er,” he said. “With 81 starters andhe got 10 clear rounds, I think thatwas an amazing job. Fair play tohim; he did a very good job. Ithought there would have been 20.It was a good course.”

Venezuela’s Andres Rodriguezand Caballito, owned by Arao En-terprises LLC, finished with onerail in 46.06 seconds to place thirdbehind the two double clears.

Rodriguez detailed his jump-offround, explaining, “I knew I need-ed to take a chance. With the rid-ers I had behind, I needed to risk alittle bit. I was a little bit too tightfor the double and I had the backrail. Otherwise I would have goneclear. I’m happy I took the chanceand ended up third than not tak-ing a chance.”

Rodriguez is still getting toknow his mount Caballito, but waspleased with the horse’s effortslast Saturday. Rodriguez had thefastest of several four-fault roundsin the top 10. Finishing close be-hind, Daniel Zetterman put Swe-den in the top of the class ridingGlory Days, owned by SpringfieldJumpers, to four faults in 46.22seconds to earn the fourth-placeprize. Beezie Madden and AbigailWexner’s Cortes ‘C’ also earnedfour faults and finished fifth with

their time of 46.34 seconds. Irelandtook sixth and seventh place withCian O’Connor and Blue Loyd 12,owned by O’Connor and AshkirkLtd., and Richie Moloney and hisown and Equinimity LLC’s AhornVan De Zuuthoeve each incurringfour faults.

As the sponsor of the class, Ad-equan’s Allyn Mann was thrilledwith the result. “It was exciting tolearn that this was the largestGrand Prix ever on a weekend. Forit to be Adequan’s week and tohost something like this was very

exciting,” Mann said. “Just to seethe level of competition was great.As far as being a sponsor at theWinter Equestrian Festival, it’s agreat venue.”

Katherine Johnson of Holliston,Mass., surpassed a field of 27 com-petitors to claim victory in thisweek’s Taylor Harris InsuranceServices Children’s Medal 14 &Under atop her mount MillthymeLambrini. Johnson reserved thelead spot after testing against thetop four riders and finishing witha score of 86. Competition in the

Katherine Johnson and Millthyme Lambrini.PHOTOS BY SPORTFOT

Nick Skelton and Big Star.

equitation ring was fierce with aspread of just half a point betweenthe first-place and third-place win-ners. Hannah Pattin and her mountAgostino were just shy of the winwith a second-place score of 85.75,while Maria Moore and Kashmirfinished third with an 85.5.

The Winter Equestrian Festivalconcluded its fourth week of com-petition with the $25,000 Suncast1.50m Championship Jumper Clas-sic in the International Arena. Thehunters wrapped up their compe-tition for the weekend with the pre-

sentation of championship honorsin the Voltaire Design Adult Ama-teur 18-35 division.

The Winter Equestrian Festivalfeatures 12 weeks of competitionthat conclude on April 1. Morethan $6 million in prize money willbe awarded through the circuit. Forfull results, visit www.showgroundslive.com. The Palm BeachInternational Equestrian Center islocated at 14440 Pierson Road,Wellington. For more information,visit www.equestriansport.com orcall (561) 793-5867.

IMAGES COURTESY LILA PHOTO

levels range from cocktails and horsd’oeuvres to a spectacular Veuve Clicquotbrunch.

For season information and tickets, visitwww.internationalpoloclub.com. Find IPCon Facebook at facebook.com/ipcpb andvisit the new www.ipcscoreboard.com forup-to-date scores, schedules, rosters andall other polo info.

Sean Rush, Matthew Tarantinoand Christopher Horn.

Sarah Scheffer enjoys Sunday polo.


SCHOOL NEWS

WHS Dancers Heading To State CompetitionThe Wellington High School

Lady Wolverines dance team willcompete at the Florida Dance TeamDirectors Association (FDTDA)2012 Florida State Dance Compe-tition to be held Feb. 18-19 in Stu-art.

In its 11th year, the mission ofthe FDTDA has been to achievethe highest standards of perfor-mance from dance teams by pro-moting cultural, intellectual, ma-terial, social and sportsmanlike

interests of the dance profes-sion.

The Wolverine dancers wouldlike to thank their sponsors for theirgenerosity, which helped to makethis possible: A&G Management,A Dancer’s Closet, A.L. SapphireGroup, pediatrician Dr. Amy Aqua,Buyowner.com, Centanni ItalianRestaurant, Charley’s Grilled Subs,the Cremers family, CybermaxComputer Services, Dance Unlim-ited, Dermatology Center of the

Palm Beaches, First United Bank,Florida Eye Microsurgical Insti-tute, Ann Glassberg, GumucioDental, Renee Hasak WestwindRealty, Michael Horwitz (RealtyElite), J-Cole Construction Compa-ny, Kids Cuts on Wheels, MedEx-press, MotorCity Carwash, ReneeNovack, OrangeTheory Fitness inRoyal Palm Beach, Paris Nails &Spa, Royal Palm Auto Spa, HowardB. Schullman, Shults Orthodon-tics, the Small family, the Smith

family, Mark and Judy Smith,Source One Distributors, Strath-more Bagels, the Thomas family,Tijuana Flats, Vista Title Insurance& Guaranty, Wellington Auto Col-lision and Wheels of Wellington.

The Lady Wolverines danceteam is under the direction of coachBrenda Lavorano. The team pro-motes school spirit, participates incommunity events and attendsregional, state and national com-petitions.

WHOLE FOODS HOSTSFUNDRAISER FOR WHSPROJECT GRADUATION

Whole Foods Market hosted a pre-game block party fundraiserTuesday, Jan. 31 for Wellington High School’s Project Graduation.With the help of the WHS Project Graduation Volunteer Commit-tee and the various food stations at Whole Foods Market, morethan $2,000 was raised. All donations from the event will go to-ward an all-night graduation party for this year’s WHS seniors. Shownabove are Volunteer Committee members Susanne Bennett, MissyCheatham, Donna Baxter, Cindy Lutz, Milagros Rivera and PattiThomas.

Western Pines Middle SchoolPrincipal Robert Hatcher has an-nounced the students of themonth for January.

These students were selectedby their science teachers asmodels of character and scholas-tic excellence at the middleschool.

Sixth-grader Alexa Koenig isconsidered an exceptional stu-dent who works hard and earnsexcellent grades. School is veryimportant to her, and she arrivesdaily to see her friends, teachersand to learn something new.Koenig’s teachers noted that shedoesn’t mind homework thatmuch. While out of school,Koenig enjoys hanging out withher friends, playing video gamesand playing sports. She alsoloves traveling with her family.

Seventh-grader Taylor Allen isalso a hardworking student

WPMS Honors Its Students Of The Monthwhose teachers believe alwaysgoes above and beyond in ev-erything she does. Her greatwork ethic was demonstratedwhen she won first place in theschoolwide science fair. Allen isan active member of the MedicalAcademy at Western Pines andis well liked by her teachers andpeers.

Finally, eighth-grader HannahPersson is another excellent stu-dent who balances her schooland social life. She has a willing-ness to assist others, includingher teachers, while at the sametime keeping up with her ownduties. Persson is never afraid toask for help or clarification on as-signments, which her teachersfeel shows the depth of her per-sistence and her drive for excel-lence. Persson’s patience anddetermination, even with difficulttasks, is admirable.

Students Of The Month — Alexa Koenig, Taylor Allen and HannahPersson with Principal Robert Hatcher.

Send school news items to: The Town-Crier,12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31,

Wellington, FL 33414. Fax: (561) 793-6090.E-mail: [email protected].


SCHOOL NEWSPanther Run Honors Science Fair Winners

PBCHS Jazz EnsembleEarns Superior Rating

Band Director James Yaques with his concert jazz ensembleafter receiving Superior ratings form the panel of judges.

The Palm Beach Central HighSchool concert jazz ensemble per-formed Thursday, Feb. 2 at theDistrict Jazz Music PerformanceAssessment held at WellingtonHigh School.

The PBCHS band received aSuperior rating from the panel ofjudges. It has now qualified tomove on to the State Assessmentlater this spring.

This performance also qualifiedthe band for the second round ofthe Swing & Jazz Preservation

Society Battle of the Jazz Bands.The band performed a variety

of jazz music. Included in their setwere the tunes “Sweet GeorgiaBrown,” “I Remember Clifford”and the Latin number “LagrimasNegras.”

The Palm Beach Central concertjazz ensemble will perform Satur-day, Feb. 11 at the InternationalPolo Club Palm Beach during Sad-dle Up for Jazzfest and again inMay as part of the annual jazz con-cert held at PBCHS.

Panther Run Elementary Schoolheld its annual science fair Thurs-day, Jan. 26. Ribbons were award-ed for first place, second place,third place and honorable mention.

Grades three through five sub-mitted individual projects. Gradesone and two did science fairprojects as a class and presentedthem as a group. For second-grade

NEW HORIZONS TEACHESRESPECTFUL LEARNING

New Horizons Elementary School stresses that students be “saferespectful learners.” Each day students are encouraged throughvideo clips from “Bud the Dog” to be “buddies not bullies.” Stu-dents enjoyed a visit with Bud and his trainer Keith Courtney. Buddemonstrated through dog tricks how to stay “bully free” by show-ing five character traits: integrity, respect, caring, responsibility andsuccess. Pictured here are Bud and Courtney with Johnetta Scottand her third-grade class.

course registration sheets by thedates listed below, when theymeet individually with their guid-ance counselors: 11th-grade reg-istration dates are Monday andTuesday, Feb. 13 and 14; 10th-grade registration dates are Wed-nesday and Thursday, Feb. 15and 16; and ninth-grade registra-tion dates are Friday, Feb. 17 andTuesday, Feb. 21.

Parents with questions aboutthe course selection process maycontact the guidance office at(561) 422-2610.

• Hawk Battalion EarnsThree Firsts — The SeminoleRidge JROTC cadets competedin a countywide drill meet recent-ly at Jupiter High School, goinghead-to-head against four areaschools and one from Vidalia, Ga.Out of the six events the Hawks

Sem Ridge Course Registration For 2012-13competed in, they placed in four.

In Armed Drill Squad, the ca-dets took first, led by Cadet Sec-ond Lt. John Christian, with teammembers James Aspenwall,James Bukowski, Geoffrey Chris-tian, Nathan Core, HunterGrabbe, Michael Meyer and Vin-cent Luciano Sileo. The ColorGuard placed first place, led byCadet Capt. Timothy Ruback,with team members Ryan Hernan-dez, Jonathan Pacheco andJoshua Pacheco. In the KnockOut Competition, Cadet Sgt.First Class Geoffrey Christiantook first place. Cadet Sgt. Ma-jor Gary Poe placed second inIndividual Armed Exhibition.

• New Members for Art Soci-ety — The SRHS National ArtHonor Society inducted its newmembers in an evening ceremo-

ny and reception Jan. 31. Induct-ed were Nori Benjamin, PageBurow, Alison Cambra, JessieChristian, Connor Davis, Breth-any Excellent, Maria Garcia,Laura Louberti, Cydney Rallo,Ismerai Ramirez, Avita Ramla-khan, Annesa Ramlakhan, Han-nah Silas and Domenica Skoski-neau.

“As part of their induction intothe National Art Honor Society,these students were not allowedto speak from first bell to last theday before,” sponsor and teach-er Gwenn Seuling said. “Instead,they had ‘silent sketchbooks’with them to draw their respons-es to questions or to have con-versations. At our reception wedisplayed their notebooks, try-ing to guess what they were‘talking’ about during the day.”

From Feb. 13-21 the SeminoleRidge High School guidance de-partment will complete studentcourse registrations for the up-coming school year.

To prepare for the process,students viewed a registrationvideo during their first periodclasses on Feb. 3, received a col-lege and career planner newspa-per, and have been given theircredit summary reports from theschool district, indicating notonly course completion but alsoany unfulfilled state graduationrequirements. In addition, a 2012-13 curriculum guide is accessi-ble on our Edline web site in theguidance department section.

Freshmen, sophomores andjuniors must choose their next-year courses and obtain teacherand parent signatures for their

Cree Indian students fromSaskatchewan, Canada, recentlypaid a visit to the Ideal School’sfifth-grade class.

While teaching her studentsabout the American Revolution,colonists and Native American,Ideal fifth-grade teacher MichelleHogan came up with the idea ofgiving students the opportunityto hear about Indian life first hand.

Via Skype, Cree students sharedstories of their culture, answeredquestions and even performed atraditional tribal dance for Hogan’s

Ideal Students Talk With Students In Canadaclass. The Ideal students hadmany questions, asking how coldit was in Canada, how long theirschool day was, and what it waslike to live on a reservation. SarahThompson, a representative of theCree tribe in Saskatchewan, washappy to give them all the answersand explain what daily life is like.

“The students were surprisedto discover how similar their homeand school lives are to the stu-dents up north,” Hogan said. “Itwas quite an eye-opening experi-ence for them to see that although

there were cultural differences, inmany ways their day-to-day ac-tivities are really the same.”

Hogan has used Skype beforeto reach out to authors, technolo-gy experts and others where shesees a chance to enhance class-room lessons. “The students areable to relate even more to con-cepts and stories when they’reable to put a face with the lessonat hand,” she said. “They love find-ing out more about why an authorwrote a particular story or how anarchitect comes up with ideas for

designing a building. It really getsthem thinking even more deeply,which leads to great questions forthe guest we’re Skyping.”

The Ideal School and DreamMiddle School are pioneers in theuse of multiple intelligence theoryin the classroom. Their expertisein innovative education drawsstudents from preschool througheighth grade throughout PalmBeach County.

To find out more about theschool, visit www.dreamideal.comor call (561) 791-2881.

projects, only first place goes tothe school district. Third- throughfifth-grade students do their ownindividual projects; only first- andsecond-place winners go to theschool district.

In the fifth grade, Catie DeCos-mo placed first for “Sunburn,” AlecPeluso placed second for “I’mStuck On You,” Carson Boothneyplaced third for “Plop, Plop, Fizz,Fizz: The Effect of Temperature onReaction Time,” and Katie Schrankearned honorable mention for“Whorls, Loops and Arches.”

In the fourth grade, StephenPasseggiata placed first with “Bat-tle of the Bats,” Jake Levy placedsecond with “Rainbow GrowPlants,” Domenica Hall placedthird with “The Effect of Activityon Respiratory Rate,” and Mat-thew Sachrank earned honorable

mention for “Burn the Board.”In the third grade, Cassidy

Strubbe won first place for “GetYour Heart Pumping,” Braden Ro-mano placed second with “Ice IceBaby,” Shannon Cooney placedthird with “Crayon Melting Ma-nia,” and Nolan Anschuetz earnedhonorable mention with “That’sHow We Roll.”

Karen Rodriguez’s second-grade class won first place forthe class project “How Do SoilsDiffer?”

There is no state competitionat the elementary school level.The Palm Beach School DistrictScience Fair competition will takeplace May 7-10 at the South Flor-ida Fairgrounds.

The Panther Run Science Fairwas coordinated by science finearts teacher Jodi Thomas.

Fifth-graders Katie Schrank, Carson Boothney,Alec Peluso and Catie DeCosmo with their projects.


PALMS WEST PEOPLE

Huertas To Run Ultra-Marathon In Louisianato her training for the ultra mara-thon. Although she will be walk-ing her legs of the race, for Huer-tas this is an amazing accomplish-ment.

“I want to inspire others to getoff their couches and take bettercare of themselves,” Huertas ex-plained.

According to Nicholas, of LakeWorth, “It was Patrice being will-ing to do this race that put us overthe top to commit to such an event.This race is really about our familycoming together to help everyoneremove the threat of serious illness

... better heart health and a worldwithout cancer.”

Nicholas continues to fight forher continued good health, formore research, and to make moretreatments available through Dr.Czerniecki’s Pennies in Action or-ganization. Nicholas, along withfive other family members, has nowcommitted to run an Ultra Mara-thon for 126.2 miles from BatonRouge to New Orleans called Rou-geOrleans Running Round theClock to raise more money for PIAresearch and medical trails.

Nicholas and her family are re-

Chris Hanley Takes Medical Relief Trip To Haiti

Chris Hanley listens to the lungs of achild during his medical relief trip to Haiti.

Royal Palm Beach resident ChrisHanley, a pre-med student at theUniversity of Central Florida, re-cently returned from a medical re-lief trip to Haiti. Hanley went with11 other students from UCF’s chap-ter of International Medical Out-reach (IMO) in addition to anoth-er student of Engineers WithoutBorders.

The group’s primary focus wasto obtain further research in themedical needs of a village, MareBrignol (population 13,000), locat-ed on the south side of the island.IMO has established a permanentproject and biannual trips to buildon previous long-term efforts inareas such as health education,self-sustainability, and the provid-ing of basic medical care under thedirection of several local physi-cians.

While meeting with the village’s

community leaders, Hanley andhis group learned of a significantnumber of fatalities due to lack ofemergency medical education andprompt care. Hanley, also a li-censed emergency medical tech-nician, will be heading and orga-nizing a workshop to be present-ed to the community on IMO’strips later this year. The goal ofthis effort is to teach the commu-nity basic first aid and how to sta-bilize injured Haitians until theycan be transported the half-daymountainous hike to receive fur-ther medical care.

Hanley will be applying to med-ical school in the near future andhopes to pursue a career in emer-gency medicine in addition toopening a nonprofit organizationthat will provide free medical careto local and international under-served areas.

Patrice Huertas of The Acreageis turning 40 and decided to sup-port her sister-in-law MelissaNicholas, a breast cancer survivor,by participating in the family’steam adventure to run a 126.3-mileultra marathon Feb. 11-12 in Loui-siana.

Huertas has never competed inany race, much less an ultra mara-thon. And at the start of her train-ing, Huertas weighed over 240pounds. Huertas is a wife, shehome schools her four children(ages 13, 7, 5 and 3) and for thelast 40 days has been dedicated

Shaun Reed Grafton of Loxa-hatchee passed away Monday,Jan. 30. He was 17 years old.

Grafton attended the OxbridgeAcademy of the Palm Beaches andexcelled in his favorite class,speech and debate. He will forev-er be remembered for his uniquestyle and self-assurance.

Always with a ready smile foreveryone, he was quick to offerhelp to his family, classmates andtotal strangers. Grafton was a sin-cere listener and exhibited compas-sion and kindness. It is impossi-ble to put into words the positive,far-reaching impact his young lifehad on all those with whom hecame into contact.

Grafton is survived by his lov-ing family: parents Rusty and Su-san Grafton; brothers Curtis, Samand Roy Grafton; sisters Susan-na, America and Karina Grafton;grandparents Roy and Harriett

Leddy; seven aunts and uncles,nine cousins and a large extendedfamily.

A service was held Saturday,Feb. 4 at St. Mary the Virgin Angli-can Church in Delray Beach.

Shaun Grafton Dies At 17OBITUARY

Blackford GraduatesBasic Air Force TrainingAir Force Airman 1st Class Paul

J. Blackford has graduated frombasic military training at LacklandAir Force Base in San Antonio,Texas.

Blackford completed an inten-sive, eight-week program that in-cluded training in military disci-pline and studies, Air Force corevalues, physical fitness, and ba-sic warfare principles and skills.

Airmen who complete basictraining earn four credits towardan associate’s degree in appliedscience through the CommunityCollege of the Air Force.

Blackford is the son of LynnSemprun of Royal Palm Beach. Heis a 2005 graduate of Royal PalmHigh School and earned a bache-lor’s degree in 2009 from the Uni-versity of Central Florida.

questing donations by visiting thePIA web site at www.penniesinaction.org. Team Cajuns in Actionasks that when making a donationto sponsor their run to put “CIAfor PIA” on your check or in the“My Gift is in Memory/Honor of”drop-down menu on the donationconfirmation page when donatingonline.

All donations will be credited inthe sponsorship total for CIA’sefforts to raise money for Czerne-icki’s breast cancer vaccine re-search recently featured on theCBS National News.

Shaun Grafton


PALMS WEST PEOPLEKattel Foundation Hosts Run For Education At Okeeheelee Park

The Abi Kattel Memorial Foun-dation, a Wellington-based chari-table foundation, held its annual5K “Run/Walk for Education” onSaturday, Jan. 14. Held at Okee-heelee Park, the run helps raisemoney to both further education-al pursuits and for scholarships.

The foundation provides ascholarship to a college studentfor tuition, as well as providingmoney for children to attend asummer camp through the foun-dation’s partnership with theYMCA. Bijaya and Archana Kat-tel, the parents of the late Abi Kat-tel, believe that education is theone thing that is constant, andmoney should not be a hurdle thatmakes education inaccessible.

“We know that every little bithelps, and there should be no rea-

son that a child or young adultcannot pursue his or her educa-tion if they really want to,” Bijayasaid.

He and Archana were joined byother members of the foundation,as well as eager volunteers fromthe YMCA, in welcoming the run-ners on the morning of the race.

The runners and the walkersalike braved an uncharacteristical-ly chilly morning, with many wear-ing jackets and sweatpants untiljust before the race. However, oncethe race started, everyone wassmiling and enjoying the cool air.Runners came from both far andnear to run, as runners from NewYork, Virginia, Baton Rouge, At-lanta and Seattle joining thosemore local in supporting the foun-dation’s efforts — and getting in a

good bit of exercise.This was the fourth year the

foundation has held the run, andit doesn’t plan on ending soon.“When you see the smiles on thefaces of those both running andwalking the course, and the par-ents who are able to walk thecourse with their children, or cheerfrom the side, or even try and racetheir kids to the finish line, yousee that it’s just as much a familyevent as it is a race,” Archana saidof the race’s impact. “We are partof the community here, so we en-joy and appreciate the communi-ty’s support.”

After the run, awards werehanded out to the runners whoplaced first, second or third as awhole race and in their respectiveage groups. Everyone seemed in

good spirits after fighting off thecool wind and finishing. Resultshave been posted to www.mcmtiming.com and the foundation’sweb site.

Later, the foundation also heldits annual blood drive in partner-ship with Florida Blood Centers,with 10 people donating.

In the afternoon, the Kattel fam-ily also organized an Abi Kattelmemorial picnic at the same park.More than 130 community mem-bers enjoyed the afternoon withdelicious good, by playing volley-ball, children playing in the play-ground, or simply socializing andcatching up with each other.

To see the results of the 5K run,or for more on the Abi Kattel Me-morial Foundation, visit www.abikattelfoundation.org.

Participants and volunteers gather for the Abi KattelMemorial Foundation’s 5K run/walk at Okeeheelee Park.

Perez Wins LionsClub Poster Contest

William Perez with art teacher Jerianne Johnston.

Each year, Lions Clubs aroundthe world sponsor the Lions In-ternational Peace Poster Contestin local schools and youth groups.

This art contest for kids en-courages young people world-wide to express their visions ofpeace. For 25 years, more thanfour million children from nearly

100 countries have participatedin the contest.

William Perez, a CrestwoodMiddle School sixth-grader, wonfirst place at the school level, andhis poster was sent to the Inter-national Lions Chapter. Perezwon second place in the districtand a $500 savings bond.

Boy Scout Troop 122 from Lox-ahatchee recently presented acheck for $175.69 to ForgottenSoldiers Outreach community re-lations representative John Old-ham.

A previous visit to ForgottenSoldiers Outreach so inspiredtroop members that a yard sale washeld in December to raise fundsfor the organization. Troop repre-sentatives were excited to learnthat their good deed was twofold.In addition to supporting Forgot-

Eagle Scout William Shock, FSO’s John Oldham, First ClassScout Allen Leonard and Scoutmaster Tim Leonard.

Boy Scout Troop122 Benefits FSO

ten Soldiers Outreach, their dona-tion will be used to assist CubScout Pack 243 in participating ina packing event in February.

FSO prepared and ships carepackages to military personnel sta-tioned overseas. These care pack-ages are funded through dona-tions like those given by Troop122. For more information, visitwww.forgottensoldiers.org.

For information on Boy ScoutTroop 122, contact Tim Leonardat (561) 248-1479.

Pharmacist SpeaksTo RPB Rotary Club

RPB Rotary Vice President Selena Smith and Larry DeYoung.

Walgreens Pharmacy Manag-er Larry DeYoung addressed theRoyal Palm Beach Rotary Clubduring a meeting last month.

DeYoung is a graduate of theState University of New York atBuffalo. He partnered in an inde-pendent pharmacy in Buffalo,and managed pharmacies for anumber of major companies.DeYoung was the regional super-visor of Ray’s Drugs in Syra-cuse, N.Y., and the district man-ager of Pharmor.

Currently, DeYoung is thepharmacy manager for Wal-greens in Royal Palm Beach,where he and his family havebeen residents for 18 years.

DeYoung spoke to the clubabout the pharmacy industryand answered questions aboutchanges within the industry andwith insurance carriers.

For more information aboutthe Royal Palm Beach RotaryClub, visit the club’s web site atwww.rpbrotary.org.

Send Palms West People items to: The Town-Crier Newspaper,12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Wellington, FL 33414.

Fax: (561) 793-6090. E-mail: [email protected].


NEWS

EquestrianMore

ApprovalsNeeded

continued from page 1could be moved farther fromhomes.

Mark Bellissimo, managing part-ner of Wellington Equestrian Part-ners, said that the barns were de-signed strategically to mitigateodor and traffic.

“We learned from our experi-ence with [PBIEC],” he said. “Thebiggest complaint is the backupalarm when trucks come in to takethe manure. Here we have the ma-nure bins located strategically be-tween the two barns. It acts as asound buffer and all traffic be-comes localized.”

Bellissimo said he worked close-ly with three of the four homeown-ers closest to the barns to providelandscape buffers. “The way it’splanned,” he said, “they won’teven be able to see the barns.”

But council members asked iffour barns were even necessary.Bellissimo said it would help tobring people to Wellington year-round rather than seasonally.

Mayor Pro Tem Dr. Carmine Pri-ore suggested building threebarns and then returning for re-view before the council would ap-

prove the fourth. He motioned toapprove the measure with thatcondition.

Coates agreed. “I would want aminimum of a year’s experience ofthe site operating as a commercialarena,” he said.

Coates said he was in favor ofthe measure to keep high-levelequestrian competition in Welling-ton.

“If we don’t continue to evolvewith the changing times, we willlose [the equestrian industry],” hesaid. “We almost lost polo. We didlose dressage. When I went towatch dressage at Jim Brandon[the county’s equestrian center atOkeeheelee Park], my first thoughtwas, ‘How did we let this slipaway?’”

But Willhite said he was con-cerned with traffic.

“Of course we have to worryabout equestrians,” he said. “Butwe also have to worry about the50,000 other residents in the vil-lage. I’m not saying I’m againstgrowth or development; we al-ways have to look to the future.But we have to maintain a balance,and that balance is making surewe protect what we have as wellas be open to what comes in thefuture.”

The council voted 4-1 to ap-prove the measure with Willhiteopposed.

Discussion on the third item —

a comprehensive plan change thatwould allow a five-story, 66-foothotel on the property — followed,drawing more concern from thecouncil and the community.

As originally proposed, the ho-tel would be a maximum of 66 feet;however, current rules do not al-low a building that tall.

The tallest building now allowedin the Wellington Equestrian Pre-serve is 35 feet, Flinchum said. Bycomparison, the Hampton Inn onForest Hill Blvd. is 57 feet, whilethe new Wellington High Schoolauditorium is 58 feet.

Willhite asked Flinchum for hisprofessional opinion about theheight, and Flinchum said that hehad concerns.

“The scale and the height havealways been an issue for me,” hesaid.

Flinchum wasn’t the only onewith concerns. In a staff report,Director of Growth ManagementBob Basehart said he was alsoconcerned about the project’s pro-posed height and intensity.

“Staff supports the idea of ahotel (or condo units) on the site,”Basehart wrote, “but does not be-lieve the height or intensity pro-posed is acceptable in the eques-trian preserve area.”

Councilwoman Anne Gerwigsuggested restricting the height to58 feet to match the high schoolauditorium.

“I would support this project ata 58-foot height limit,” she said. “Ido consider this project to be animportant equestrian use.”

Another concern for councilmembers was whether the hotelwould change the nature of theequestrian preserve.

Coates said that it could openup the preserve for more develop-ment.

“If you look at the map,” he said,“the argument can be made thatmost of the land remaining for de-velopment in Wellington is in the[Equestrian Overlay Zoning Dis-trict]. As a council, we could makethe decision down the road if wewant to develop the southern endcommercially. You’re opening thedoor for that.”

But Flinchum noted that thelanguage in the amendment wouldallow for development only onthat site.

“We have given you languageto make sure that this intensity isvery focused,” he said. “If it doesoccur, this is the best place for it.”

Coates said it is a careful bal-ancing act between protecting thepreserve and growing the indus-try, noting that one was dependenton the other.

“The [preserve] is somethingaround which we’ve been ableto build a very vibrant equestri-an industry, as well as maintainsignificant home values in that

area,” he said. “If we destroy thenature and quality of life withinthe [preserve], we really do riskjeopardizing the industry thateveryone wants to preserve andprotect.”

But Flinchum pointed out thatthe way to balance was to put themajor equestrian venues on theoutskirts of the preserve. Hepointed to the International PoloClub Palm Beach.

“It’s right on the perimeter, andthat’s where it should be,” he said.“All the traffic coming from LakeWorth Road stops at 120th [Ave-nue South] because of IPC. Youdo want to have these sort of rec-reational venues on the outskirts.You wouldn’t want them internal-ly.”

Village Attorney Jeff Kurtzpointed out that the nature of thepreserve has changed from whatit was originally set up to be.

“Originally, it was supposed tobe people like you and I on a cou-ple of acres,” he said, “and wemight have a horse for the kids. Itchanged because of an unexpect-ed event, and now the horseshows and polo have become alarge part of it.”

Coates said he could see how ahotel would meet the needs of theequestrian community but felt it istoo intense as proposed.

“I’m not so hung up on the factthat a hotel would be on that site,”

Coates explained. “My concernhas always been the breadth andscope of the project. I have a prob-lem with the height and sheer mag-nitude.”

He asked Bellissimo to consid-er scaling down the project.

Bellissimo said he’d like to seethe project go before the state forits input, and that he would comeback before the council with plansfor the layout of the hotel and com-mercial space before final approv-al.

“Will we take it down to 58 feet?Absolutely,” he said. “If chang-ing it from 66 to 58 feet gets us theopportunity to create jobs for thiscommunity and return this site towhat it was when it was a polo sta-dium, we’ll do it.”

Priore made a motion to approvetransmittal of the item with thecondition that the hotel be limitedto 58 feet. The motion passed 3-2,with Willhite and Coates dissent-ing.

Village Manager Paul Schofieldsaid that the amendments will besent to the state’s land planningagency for review and will returnto the council for public hearingsand adoption later this spring,along with the necessary zoningchanges.

“It will be reviewed for compat-ibility with our comprehensiveplan,” he said. “Then upon review,you can choose to adopt it.”

Lox ElectionChallengingRyan Liang

continued from page 1the incorporation effort that led tothe town’s creation in 2006.

“My understanding was thatresidents wanted to be able tohave control over their town, andI think it’s a good thing,” he said.

Regarding Palm Beach StateCollege’s decision to locate its fifthcampus in Loxahatchee Groves,Guillaume said he wants to get in-put from residents.

“At this point, it appears thatthere is support, but my campaignis to make sure that the residentshave a say-so as to what’s goingon in their community,” he said.“It seems that it is a positive thing,and if the residents are supportiveof that, I’ll definitely be in supportof it. Again, it’s all about makingsure their voices are heard.”

Guillaume hesitated to state hispersonal feelings on local issues,saying they’re not as important asgetting resident input. “I’m more

about consensus-building andproblem-solving,” he said.

Guillaume said he did not enterthe race to scrutinize the perfor-mance of his opponent.

“My campaign is not about be-ing critical of the next guy,” he said.“If he wishes to be critical of mehe can. My campaign is aboutproblem solving and being posi-tive.”

Byrnes Guillaume

ITIDMoney ForPark Plans

continued from page 1that if she had the option of doingthe building or the fields first, shewould prefer the fields. “We havea [county] library that will open ina few months,” she said. “I’m nota big fan of steel buildings, al-though you can make it look like itis not a steel building.”

Supervisor Jennifer Hager pre-ferred to go through with their orig-inal plan, pointing out that thecommunity center is a vision of theboard. “If we’re going to go back-ward, then everybody has to gobackward,” Hager said. “I don’twant my name on a steel building.”

Hager said if they cannot afforda cement building, they shouldwait until they can.

ITID Attorney Frank Palin saida design-build option would re-

quire more research. “Up to thispoint, we have advertised for adifferent approach,” Palin said,explaining that they would haveto have design criteria, then sendout a proposal.

Damone asked whether designcriteria could be done in a work-shop, and Palin said he believed itcould, but reiterated that the ar-chitects there that evening to makepresentations were not solicitedon that basis.

Applicant René Tercilla of Ter-cilla Courtemanche Architectssaid that working under a design-build method could result in abuilding that is falling apart after10 years. He pointed out that thereare different grades of materialsthat can be used, and that design-build could result in lower quality.As an example, he said there areseven different levels of gym floor-ing available, each of which has acertain life expectancy.

Applicant Mike Guinaugh of

Mike Guinaugh Engineering saidutilizing the design-build optiontypically comes when there is lim-ited building time. He said there isno doubt in his mind that he couldmeet the budget, but added thatthe community center and the out-door fields cannot be built realisti-cally for the money allocated.

“I live here; I believe it’s need-ed,” Guinaugh said. “Do you wantthe building or the fields? Youcan’t have both.”

Jacobs said that from her expe-rience in the construction indus-try, she accepted both the archi-tects’ comments. “They’re tellingyou the truth,” she said. “Whenthere is not oversight, they will cutcorners.”

Damone said she felt that theycould build onto the park gradual-ly when more money becomesavailable, but did not want to windup with an unfinished communitycenter. “I’m looking for people tobe visionaries and tell us what we

can do, not what we can’t do,” shesaid. “What has been presentedto us we cannot do.”

Enriquez asked how close theyare to a workable plan, and ITIDAdministrator Tanya Quickel saidan architect would have to tellthem.

Tercilla said he would be able totell them within weeks of being onboard. “At any point you can justsay, ‘We’re not going to do this,’”he said. “At this point you haven’treally taken on any responsibilityor any debt. You can pull theplug.”

Tercilla offered to do the initialcost estimating for free in order togive the board a good view ofwhat they were in for.

Bair made a motion to defer se-lection of the architect, which car-ried 4-1 with Hager opposed.

Bair also made a motion to holda workshop Wednesday, Feb. 22to discuss the issue further. Thatmotion carried unanimously.

a wild-card team,” he said. “It willbe done in a random drawing andgive them a chance to win.”

Even though the main eventis set for Friday, charities are al-ready battling for prize moneyonline.

This year, fans can compete fortheir favorite charity by voting forthem online in the $50,000 FTIChallenge. The top three fan fa-vorite charities will win a portionof $50,000.

“It’s a chance for people’s topthree favorite charities to get a$50,000 bonus the night of theevent,” Bellissimo explained.“You go online and vote for yourfavorite, and the top three win-ners will take home $25,000,$15,000 or $10,000 for getting thetop votes.”

You can cast a vote for your fa-vorite charity once a day by visit-ing www.ftigreatcharitychallenge.com.

In addition to the competition,

there will be plenty of family-funactivities. “There will be live en-tertainment with a carnival andactivities for children and families,”Bellissimo said.

He encouraged everyone tocome out, cheer on their favoritecharity and support charities inPalm Beach County.

“It’s all about the spirit of giv-ing,” Bellissimo said. “It’s notabout one particular charity orcause; instead, it’s a celebrationof all the great heroes in our com-munity. It’s a chance to celebratethem and help them to continue tohelp those who need it most.”

The event is open to the publicand is sure to be a night of fun,excitement and great competition.Gates open at 6 p.m. with the firsthorse on course at 7 p.m.

General admission tickets cost$20, and all proceeds will be divid-ed among the charities. Ticketscan be purchased by calling AnneGoyette at (561) 793-5867.

CharityVote NowFor YourFavoritecontinued from page 1

est time determines the winner.“It’s a family-oriented equestri-an relay race led by Olympic-cal-iber athletes,” Bellissimo ex-plained.

Each charity was randomly as-signed a sponsor — a generousfamily or individual who donatedmoney to make the event a reality.The sponsors have the chance toselect the amateur riders who willcompete for their charity, while theprofessional riders are selected atrandom.

Even if a charity wasn’t drawn,there’s another chance to make itin. Two more charities will be se-lected over the next week, with thefinal charity selected the night ofthe event in a wild-card draw, Bel-lissimo explained.

“We’re going to pick one of thecharities that attends but wasn’tdrawn, and they will be assigned

Wheels for Kids took the $150,000 top prize at last year’s Great Charity Challenge.TOWN-CRIER FILE PHOTOS BY LAUREN MIRÓ

Royal Palm Beach resident Attis Solomon was awarded two first-place and two third-place ribbons forher crocheted items at the 2012 South Florida Fair. The two purses were made from plastic grocerybags. The hats were crocheted. Solomon, 89, loves to sew and has done such crafts since age 16.She is a member of the Royal Palm Beach seniors activities group at the Royal Palm Beach CulturalCenter. Shown above is Solomon with her winning items. PHOTO BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

SOLOMON HONORED FOR CROCHET

Joey’s OutbackAdventures

Grand OpeningA 14,000-square-foot facility

has come to life for the educationand entertainment of children inPalm Beach County. Joey’s Out-back Adventures, located at 10670W. Forest Hill Blvd. in Wellington,opened its doors on Feb. 3 and isholding a grand opening party onSaturday, Feb. 11. The party andopen house, hosted by SouthFlorida Parenting magazine, be-gins at 10 a.m.

There is free admission for allfrom 10 a.m. to noon, and the par-ty features live animal shows, agame wheel and prizes, hair art andtemporary tattoos, kids craft ac-tivities, entertainment, refresh-ments and more.

Activities and entertainment rununtil noon, but parents and kidsare welcome to come all day to playuntil 7:30 p.m. Joey’s OutbackAdventures includes bouncehouses, educational toys, party

and activity rooms. The facility isavailable for any special event orcelebration and offers affordableparty packages with every aspectof the party being handled for you.

“We will be having specialevents, fundraisers, classes andactivities of all kinds — alwaysdesigned not only for fun and en-tertainment, but to learn and en-hance knowledge as well,” saidFrancesca Friedman, who ownsand operates Joey’s Outback withher husband Michael Friedman.

The public is invited to visit Jo-ey’s Outback and view the manyofferings for the education andrecreation of children ages 2-12,as well as the “Parents Lounge”with free Wi-Fi and a café.

For more information, visit www.joeysoutback.com or call (561) 204-4554.

Groves GardenClub To Meet

The Loxahatchee Groves Gar-den Club will meet Saturday, Feb.18 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Palms West

Presbyterian Church (13689 Okee-chobee Blvd., LoxahatcheeGroves).

The speaker will be master gar-dener Bill Skinner, who has beenasked to explain what is involvedwith training to become a mastergardener, as well as the jobs andduties once a person has beentrained. He will discuss the trendtoward native plants and plantsthat need low water to help reducethe demands on the water supply,and will answer questions aboutgardening. Skinner will also offerinformation about how to contactthe Florida extension program toseek out answers for gardeningquestions.

For more information about themeeting or the club, call MargeHerzog at (561) 791-9875.

Acreage ParkJam Feb. 18

The Acreage Landowners’ As-sociation and the Indian Trail Im-provement District will host theirmonthly Acreage Community Park

Jam on Saturday, Feb. 18 from 5 to10 p.m. at Acreage Community Park(6701 140th Avenue North).

The Acreage Community ParkJam is a free monthly event featur-ing musicians, comedians and anyother artists of all ages, styles andskill levels. For classic car lovers,there will be a Classic Cruisers CarShow. You are welcome to bringand display your classic vehicleor motorcycle. For those of youfeeling lucky, there will be a 50/50raffle.

This event is fun for all ages.Acreage Community Park also hasa playground and skateboard parkadjacent to the jam area. Join yourfriends and neighbors while en-joying an evening of diverse en-tertainment. Bring your beverage

and picnic items of choice as wellas chairs or something to sit on.

For more information, click onthe Acreage Community Park Jamlink at www.acreagelandowners.org under “Events.” Adult super-vision is required for playgrounduse. A skate park consent waiveris required for minors wishing touse the park and available by vis-iting the “Parks” section on www.indiantrail.com.

To sign up as entertainment ormake any general inquiries, con-tact Bob Renna at (561) 602-0676or [email protected]. Youcan also sign up to perform on theday of the jam.

The stage has a sound systemand karaoke equipment for all touse. As always, volunteers to set

up and break down are needed andvery much appreciated.

Tea Party MeetsFeb. 13 At BinksA Tea Party meeting will be held

Monday, Feb. 13 at the Binks For-est Golf Club in Wellington.

Palm Beach County Clerk &Comptroller Sharon Bock will bethe guest speaker. She will discusshow she serves her constituentsas a constitutional officer.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m., fol-lowed by a buffet dinner from 6 to7 p.m. and the meeting from 7 to8:30 p.m. The cost is $15 all inclu-sive. For more information, con-tact Gina Rascati at (561) 921-5298or [email protected].


Corporate Events | Holiday Parties | WeddingsBar & Bat Mitzvahs | Anniversaries | Birthdays

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In the celebrated tradition of The Breakers Palm Beach, Breakers West seamlessly blends sophistication with a sense of ease, award-winning

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Contact Donna Szczepanski, Director of Catering, at 561-282-3292.

Breathtaking events are par for the course.

1550 Flagler Parkway, West Palm Beach, FL 33411breakerswestclub.com


NEWSPLENTY OF GREAT FINDS AT ANNUAL KIDS GARAGE SALE IN ROYAL PALM BEACH

Michelle Norris finds a few bargains for Kaden. Mia Chang finds unicorn friends.

DANCING & DINING AT ROYAL PALM BEACH YOUNG AT HEART CLUB LUNCHEONA Young at Heart Club luncheon was held Friday, Feb. 3 at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Center. Lunch was catered by Tuxedo GourmetCatering, and the Fabulons performed oldies music for listening and dancing.

Christa Hyslope, Lorena and Alexandria Machado,Ricky Gacel and Leaann McGuire look over kids clothes. Laura Cooper picks out clothes for baby Alexia. Bill Jackowski feeds Billy III while mom shops.

(Seated) Fran and Bob Davidson; (standing) DavidFantegrossi, Jan Rive and Al Magersuppe. Margarita Gutierrez, Gagy Toro, Nicky Tassone and Peggy Rogers. Iris Levin, Gloria Ferrara and Margie Bonner.

Liam Dunaway tries out a bed.

The Village of Royal Palm Beach presented its fifth annual Kids Garage Sale on Saturday, Feb. 4 at Veterans Park. Items for sale rangedfrom clothes and toys to baby furniture, bikes and more. PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER

PHOTOS BY DENISE FLEISCHMAN/TOWN-CRIER


For more information or to apply for membership, please call 561-282-9447.

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561.245.4550 561.422.3700OTHER LOCATIONS:Atlantis - 5053 South Congress Ave., Ste 202Delray Beach - 4675 Linton Blvd., Ste 203Boynton Beach - 10301 Hagen Ranch Rd., Ste B 550


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INSIDE

THIS WEEK’S INDEXCOLUMNS & FEATURES ........................ 27-29BUSINESS NEWS.................................. 31-33DINING & ENTERTAINMENT ...................... 34SPORTS & RECREATION........................ 39-41COMMUNITY CALENDAR ......................42-43CLASSIFIEDS ........................................44-48

BusinessTroy Mediterranean Cuisine ServesUp Tastes Of The Middle East & MoreCombining all the best foods the Mediterranean hasto of fer, Troy Mediterranean Cuisine is an internation-al restaurant of fering fresh and tasty food. Troyopened last November inside the Mall at WellingtonGreen. The menu items are a mix of all Mediterra-nean favorites, from Turkish to Greek dishes. Every-thing is freshly made, using traditional family recipes.Some of Troy’s most popular dishes are kebabs, lamband gyros. Page 31

SportsWHS Boys BasketballTeam Defeats CardinalNewman High 56-30The Wellington High Schoolboys varsity basketball teamhosted its final regular-seasongame Thursday, Feb. 2 againstCardinal Newman, besting theCrusaders 56-30. After initiallytrailing, the Wolverines beganto mount an assault, going intohalf time with a 27-8 advantage.

Page 39

British Hay Company A New Option For Area HorsesThe British Hay Company in Loxahatchee Groves is the brainchildof Tim Hart-Woods. Not only is the hay good in quality and afford-able, but much of it is also organic, which is a unique selling point.The firm offers a variety of hay in different-sized bales.

Ellen Rosenberg’s Column, Page 27

Wildcat Boys Basketball Tops Sem Ridge 57-29The Royal Palm Beach High School boys varsity basketball teamdefeated host Seminole Ridge High School 57-29 on Friday, Feb.3. Though the Hawks fought to cut into the Wildcats’ lead, RoyalPalm Beach commanded the court, nearly doubling the numberof points of their opponents. Page 39


A TOWN-CRIER PUBLICATION

ShoppingSpreeShoppingSpree


Many public hospitality pavilions, the Gallery (a south beach themed spectator pavilion),

the Tiki Hut (polynesian beach bar), Tito'sTaco's (Mexican food/margaritas),

Free General Admission. Parking $20 per carload.For reserved or premiere seating, fine dining options, or group sales (10-500 people),

call or text Annette Goyette at 561.779.1660 or email [email protected]

©Sportfot

©Mancin

iPhotos

©RandiMuster

©Mancin

iPhotos

©Sportfot

WWW.EQUESTRIANSPORT.COM 561.793.5867Palm Beach International Equestrian Center • Wellington, Florida

Don’t miss the$125,000 FEI World CupTM

Grand Prix presented bySpy Coast Farm

Saturday, February 11th.


FEATURESBritish Hay Company Is A New Option For Your Horses

Tales FromThe Trails

By EllenRosenberg

So I was driving along Okeechobee Blvd.in Loxahatchee Groves one day, and couldn’thelp but notice the signs placed out betweenA and B Roads: The British Hay Companyhad hay for sale at reasonable prices. Natural-ly, I had to stop in.

The business is the brainchild of Tim Hart-Woods, who has lived in South Florida fortwo years. Originally from Yorkshire, he previ-ously lived in Costa Rica for a year, and Spainfor eight. His background is in sales and mar-keting, and he only became involved withhorses and began riding five years ago whenhe met his wife, Loring, who owns horses andruns a barn.

“This whole thing got started when I metKent Brown, who used to sell hay off the backof his truck,” Tim explained. “Loring boughtfrom him, and we got to talking. He brings thehay down from New York. We liked his hay. Itwas good, cheap and organic, and that’s aunique selling point, organic.”

Tim checked out other feed stores in thearea, and there was very little information avail-able about organic hay.

“To be certified organic, one needs a Na-tional Organic Program Certification certifi-cate, and Kent had that,” he said. “I toldKent I’d buy all his hay, and we went intobusiness. He supplies the product, and I

Get updates all week long... follow EllenRosenberg on Twitter at twitter.com/HorseTalkFL or stop by the Tales from theTrails page on Facebook and click “like.”

have the magic, unlocking-door accent.”Such was the start of a business.“Loring was thrilled. She uses 70 bales a

month, and now we had an endless supply ofhay,” Tim said. “So Kent came back with aload of hay two weeks later, and parked it onD Road. He told me he’d been talking to some-one. I wondered who else was involved, butthen he told me he’d been talking to God.Kent’s very religious. Kent said God gave hima good feeling about the whole venture, thatwe should set up a company and open a haystore.”

Of course, Tim wasn’t sure exactly how farhe wanted this venture to go.

“I was retired. I wasn’t sure I wanted to gothere. I wondered, do I have one last adven-ture in me? I’d have the overhead of an actualpremises, and I’d have to be there at all hours,”he said. “Did I really want to do this? Obvi-ously, I did, for now we have the British HayCompany.”

Kent’s job is to locate and buy good-qual-ity hay and ensure a steady supply. Tim doesthe marketing and deals with the customers.

They opened Nov. 1, renting the property.Business has been brisk from the start — 2,100cars drive past their location each day, manyof them people who own horses. The signs

were eye-catching. Their first month was sur-prisingly successful.

“Our first month, we doubled what Kent

Tim Hart-Woods of the British Hay Company with bales of hay.

See ROSENBERG, page 29


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FEATURESThe Town-Crier WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM February 10 - February 16, 2012

The economy is picking up, and here’s howI know — Mark and I took a trip to Key Westlast weekend. Of course, it helped that weavoided in-season hotel rates by staying withhis son, Brad, whom Mark wanted to see “inaction” at his job.

For most of us, parents who come to watchus “in action” at our jobs see us sorting mailor typing a letter or maybe driving some spe-cialized machinery. The big excitement comeswhen we take them to the cafeteria for lunch.

But Brad has the awesome job of flying F-5fighter jets around at breakneck speeds as hetrains our country’s military pilots in the vari-ous air tactics used by our adversaries. It’slike a game of dodgeball, except the ball is a lotmore expensive and you could easily get killed

Trip To Key West Revives Mark’s Dream Of A Boating Life!DeborahWelky is

The SonicBOOMER

if you forgot to dodge. Not your average “spe-cialized machinery.”

We watched Brad take off (earplugs re-quired, no photography allowed), and he im-mediately and loudly disappeared into space.Lunch was out because, when he landed twohours later, he had to debrief the pilots and tellthem how they could improve. Frankly, I washappy to get the call, happy to hear that thisparticular “adversary” had effectively outwit-ted the United States yet another day. Whew!

So we took his wife to lunch at one of KeyWest’s 10 million sea shacks, a shack from

which pleasant smells had been emanating allmorning long. Then the kids came home fromschool and crawled all over us until bedtime.Mark was one happy grandpa.

I loved it, too, but this meant my entire planhad backfired. I was trying to get this ocean-island-adventure thing out of his system.

Let me explain: All I’ve heard since I marriedMark is how he plans to retire onto a live-aboard boat and cruise the coastline and theCaribbean. This is every man’s dream. Ofcourse, these men expect their women to gowith them, whether the women get seasick ornot.

I don’t get seasick, but I do know how I liveday-to-day. On Monday, I type and putteraround the house, and by Tuesday, I need toget into my car and drive for miles because Iam bored out of my skull. On Wednesday, Itype. On Thursday, I drive. Etcetera, etcetera.

Ironically, Mark thinks that this lifestyle isperfectly suited for a boat.

“You could type and then we’d stop at ev-

ery tempting little town along the coast!” heenthuses.

“But they’re all the same!” I whine. “Sea-shells and T-shirts and catchy phrases paint-ed onto planks of wood. The food is fish —which we’ll probably be sick of, the drinks areexpensive and my hair will be all messed updue to being on a boat!”

“I’ll take you inland to buy a comb!”“We won’t be able to get that far because,

at best, we’re on scooters!”“You love scooters! You had a scooter when

I met you!”“Exactly. So I know how difficult it is to

carry things on a scooter. What if I want tobuy something bigger than a breadbox?”

“There’s no room for that on the boat.”“You see?! You’re taking everything I con-

sider normal and turning it upside down.”Mark: “That’s precisely right. You know

what they call that?”Me (petulantly): “What?”“Retirement.”

We have just finished one of the great shar-ing episodes of this great democracy. The pri-maries? No. The Super Bowl, of course. Morepeople watch the “big game” than vote foreither party’s candidate in the big Novemberelection. And compared to the primaries? Well,you know that answer, too. Of course, theresults of this one are very satisfying to anold New Yorker.

The Super Bowl tradition has become in-grained by now. I am old enough to rememberit before it was even called that. It was theAFL-NFL World Championship Game beforeJoe Namath of the New York Jets beat theBaltimore Colts in the third one. Now, it is aday where everything else comes to rest whilea huge portion of the male population (and agrowing part of the female) stops everythingand pigs out during games.

“Pigs out” is a good phrase. I heard reportsthat about 1.2 billion chicken wings were con-sumed during the game, as well as millions ofpizzas. The fancy candy companies may livefor Valentine’s Day, but all the junk food com-panies, rib and wing places, and pizza deliv-ery places focus on Super Bowl Sunday. Onthe other hand, the restaurant we ate in short-

ly before the game to celebrate a family birth-day was essentially cleared out as we left at 6p.m. to make it home in time for the game.

Everything comes to a stop that day. Cov-erage began at noon, with nonstop examina-tions of every possible twist and turn beforethe 6:30 game. What’s going on with TomBrady and Giselle? Has Victor Cruz eversprained anything when he does his celebra-tion salsas? Should players be boastful andpredict victory even though every sportscast-er in America has done so and a large portionof us join in pools guessing the final score ofthe game?

Super Bowl day has become such an in-grained institution that it even inspired con-troversy years ago at the height of the femi-

nist movement. The leadership all claimed thatSuper Bowl Sunday was the day when morewomen suffered domestic violence than onany other day. It did take a couple of years todo the research, and it was discovered thatthe opposite was true. There was actually lessdomestic violence that day.

Any ardent fan could have told them that.Most American men are too busy watchingthe screen, scarfing down enough cholester-ol to kill off the blue whale population, drink-ing beer and heading for the bathroom, allwhile talking to their buddies, to even noticethat women are around.

A few years later, some stores began to haveSuper Bowl sales with late hours, figuringwomen could slip out and buy what they likedwithout their men even noticing it. That dis-appeared as more women are now watchingthe game as well.

It is a time to come together. Expensive ad-vertisements are concocted for the top-sell-ing products in the country to be shown dur-ing the game — ads that are often so goodthey are actually shown off in advance. Thereason for the great commercials is that thegame is perhaps the only time during the year

See, Americans Can Come Together... For The Super Bowl‘I’ On

CULTUREBy LeonardWechsler

that advertisers can reach really large num-bers of the public. But they pay handsomelyfor that: Even very short ads can run millions.

Now that we have so many channels andnon-television sources of entertainment, thetop-rated shows are generally thrilled to havea rating of 20 (whatever that actually means,since the rating system is deliberately com-plex). The last episode of M*A*S*H 30 yearsago had one of over 60. The Super Bowl is sobig that the regular channels just put on re-peats. Why bother wasting something origi-nal?

So we all gathered around our sets, largerthan the ones of past years (and let us notethat the weeks just before the Super Bowl arealso among the best for sales of very large-screen TVs) and shared an experience. Forsome, it’s a time of celebration, for others atime to mourn. There will be more mournerssince those who lost bets, which include thosewho tried to guess the exact scores, will bedown some cash.

So, happy about the ending or not, we cancelebrate our coming together, even if it actu-ally is for at least some of us the second mostimportant public event of the year.

Get your Sonic Boomer humor every day!Follow Deborah Welky on Twitter attwitter.com/TheSonicBoomer. On Facebook,stop by “The Sonic Boomer” page and clickthe “Like” button.

RosenbergBritish Hay

continued from page 27used to make selling off the back ofhis truck. The second month wentthermonuclear,” Tim said. “I toldKent that at our current rate of sale,we’ll sell all the hay by the end ofJanuary. We needed more suppliers.I asked him to find additional grow-ers, even if it’s not organic, as longas it’s high quality.”

The British Hay Company offersa variety of hay in different-sizedbales. The orchard grass/timothy mixgoes $11 for a 45-pound bale and$12 for a 50-pound bale. Straight or-chard grass is $13 for a 50-poundbale, and timothy and alfalfa 60-

pound wire bales are $14. Largerbales go for more: 65-pound balesof orchard grass/timothy/alfalfa are$15, and 50-pound bales of straightorchard grass/alfalfa are $16. Not allthe hay is organic.

“We have hay scales right here,and anyone’s welcome to weighany bales,” Tim said. “We also have40-pound orchard grass/timothybales for $10. This stuff comes inand goes right out. It helps horseowners who are scraping by, hav-ing a tough time finding the fundsto feed their horses.”

Tim offers free delivery within 10miles of the store, or if you buy inbulk and live farther away. They’reopen 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Mon-day through Saturday, and 10:30

a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday. They ac-cept all major credit cards and havea “no quibble” guarantee: You canbring back 80 percent of any baleyou don’t like and get a new one, noargument.

“We try to make it easy for peo-ple,” Tim said. “It’s all about service.If you look after your clients, thebusiness will come.”

Nicole Neil of Loxahatchee is aregular customer. She owns twoThoroughbreds.

“I’ve gotten hay from them mul-tiple times,” Nicole said. “The hayis good quality, the horses love it,and I like the customer service. Wesaw the sign a couple of monthsago and stopped in. Now, we nev-er go anywhere else. People

should definitely stop by andcheck it out.”

For more information, call the Brit-

ish Hay Company at (561) 633-6003or visit www.thebritishhaycompany.com.

Tim Hart-Woods invites you to stop by the new store.


BUSINESS NEWSTroy Mediterranean

Cuisine Serves Up TastesOf The Middle East & More

Troy’s popular chicken gyro with a side of Greek salad.

By Jessica GregoireTown-Crier Staff Report

Combining all the best foods the Mediter-ranean has to offer, Troy Mediterranean Cui-sine is an international restaurant offering freshand tasty food.

“We take the best items from Greece, Tur-key, Egypt and Israel, and we put it togetherto make one unique menu,” owner Deniz Suuc-tugu said.

Troy opened last November inside the Mallat Wellington Green. Suuctugu is an experi-enced restaurateur and has been in the busi-ness for 13 years. “I grew up in the restaurantbusiness, and my whole family has had res-taurants,” he said. “My mom and dad had arestaurant, and so did my grandparents. I wentto college for hospitality management, andthen I went to culinary school, so I know thisbusiness so well.”

A native of Istanbul, Turkey, Suuctuguopened his first restaurant in 1999. He lateroperated a restaurant for several years in Na-ples, Fla. He closed that business recently tofocus here in the Palm Beaches.

“I’m now working on opening another lo-cation in Palm Beach County,” Suuctugu said.“Since this is a family business, it was gettingharder having two locations so far from eachother.”

The menu items at Troy are a mix of all Med-iterranean favorites, from Turkish to Greek dish-es. Everything is freshly made, using tradi-tional family recipes.

“We try to stick with the traditional foods,but we customize it a little for Americans,”Suuctugu said. “In Turkey, everything we eatis spicy, but here we have to make it less spicybecause Americans don’t like everything tobe spicy.”

Suuctugu emphasizes the importance ofhealthful eating by having menu items andcooking with ingredients that are good foryou. “Most restaurants cook in corn oil, buthere at Troy, we use extra virgin olive oil in ourcooking, which is better for people,” he said.

Some of Troy’s most popular dishes are

kebabs, lamb and gyros. Troy sells an esti-mated 1,000 gyros a week. “These are not yourtypical gyros,” Suuctugu said.

A Troy gyro consists of a pita filled withvarious sauces and slow-cooked meat. Cus-tomers have a choice of chicken, beef or lamb,and the meat is slowly turned as it cooks, inorder to create a tender fall-off-the-bone con-sistency. “When people order it, we shavethe meat off the cone, and then we grill it onelast time to give it a fiery grilled taste,” Suuc-tugu said. “We get rid of all the extra oil, andit’s very low calorie, less fattening, healthier,and it tastes good.”

Troy can accommodate up to 78 people andwill soon be adding more booths to accom-modate 100. “We will be getting a big familytable,” Suuctugu said. “We will also be up-grading the menu to include more items.”

Troy has begun serving Sunday brunch atwhich customers can get an American- andMediterranean-infused breakfast from 11 a.m.to 3 p.m. “We will soon be starting a buffet onweekends, where kids can eat free if they comewith their parents,” Suuctugu added.

Troy is located in the Mall at WellingtonGreen, on the upper level next to TooJay’sand near Macy’s. For more information, visitwww.troymci.com or call (561) 798-2521.

Owner Deniz Suuctugu

SEE VIDEO FROM TROY AT WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM


BUSINESS NEWSTalina Bidwell Named A RisingStar By ‘Florida Super Lawyers’The statewide law firm Broad and

Cassel has announced that TalinaBidwell, senior counsel, business lit-igation, was named as a “RisingStar” by Florida Super Lawyersmagazine. Bidwell is a Wellingtonresident.

West Palm Beach Managing Part-ner Patricia Lebow was namedamong the elite listing of 2011 “Top100 Florida Super Lawyers” by Flor-ida Super Lawyers. She was alsonamed among the “Top 50 WomenFlorida Super Lawyers.”

In total, 28 of the firm’s attorneyshave been named as 2011 “FloridaSuper Lawyers” and 14 have beennamed as a “Rising Star” by Flori-da Super Lawyers magazine. ThreeBroad and Cassel attorneys havebeen named among the elite listingof “Top 100 Florida Super Lawyers,”including Lebow, Orlando PartnerRobert Alfert Jr. and Orlando Part-ner Michael K. Wilson. Fort Lauder-dale Partner Lester Perling wasnamed among the “Top 100 MiamiFlorida Super Lawyers.”

Super Lawyers selects attor-neys using a rigorous, multiphaserating process. Peer nominationsand evaluations are combined with

third party research. Each candi-date is evaluated on 12 indicatorsof peer recognition and profes-sional achievement. Selections aremade on an annual, state-by-statebasis.

Super Lawyers is a rating serviceof outstanding lawyers from morethan 70 practice areas who have at-tained a high-degree of peer recog-nition and professional achieve-ment. The selection process is multi-phased and includes independentresearch, peer nominations and peerevaluations. Super Lawyers maga-zine is published in all 50 states andreaches more than 13 million read-ers.

The Broad and Cassel West PalmBeach office was founded in 1983by Lebow. The office’s 20 attorneysfocus their practices primarily in thefollowing areas of law: commerciallitigation, real estate, land use, envi-ronmental, estate planning andtrusts, trademark and patent, bank-ing and institutional lending, bank-ruptcy, special assets, personal in-jury, construction law and litigation,labor and employment, appellate,business, corporate and securitiestransactions.

Broad and Cassel is a full-servicelaw firm founded in 1946. It has morethan 170 attorneys in eight officesacross Florida.

For more information, visit thefirm’s web site at www.broadandcassel.com.

Talina Bidwell

Troy Cheatham of Wellington re-cently became one of the first phy-sician assistants in the U.S. to earna new specialty credential from theNational Commission on Certifica-tion of Physician Assistants(NCCPA). Cheatham received a cer-tificate of added qualifications(CAQ) in orthopedic surgery. He iscurrently employed at the Center forBone and Joint Surgery inWellington.

The CAQ is a distinction earnedby meeting licensure, education andexperience requirements, and thenpassing an exam in the specialty.Only 234 certified PAs earned a CAQin the program’s first year. CAQswere offered to certified PAs in car-diovascular and thoracic surgery,orthopedic surgery, emergency med-icine, nephrology and psychiatry.

“We are pleased to recognize thisinaugural group of CAQ recipients,”NCCPA President and CEO JanetLathrop said. “With the shortage ofphysicians growing each day in theU.S., it is promising to see certifiedPAs step up and voluntarily submitthemselves to new standards for thebenefit of the patients they serveeach and every day.”

Certified PAs are licensed andcertified healthcare professionalswho practice medicine with physi-cian supervision and bring a breadthof knowledge and skills to patientcare. Though their role in any par-ticular workplace is determined inconsultation with the supervisingphysician, certified PAs can take his-tories, conduct physical exams, di-agnose and treat illnesses, order andinterpret tests, counsel on preven-tative healthcare, assist in surgery,perform a variety of procedures andwrite prescriptions.

For more information about certi-fied PAs or the CAQ program, visitwww.nccpa.net.

The National Commission on Cer-tification of Physician Assistants isthe certifying organization for phy-sician assistants in the United States.Since its inception as a not-for-profitorganization in 1975, more than97,000 physician assistants havebeen certified by NCCPA, and ap-proximately 85,000 are certified to-day. In addition to its CAQ program,NCCPA also administers initial andrecertifying exams, and has an es-tablished program for certificationmaintenance.

Troy Cheatham EarnsSpecialty Credential


BUSINESS NEWSLeadership Palm Beach County

2012 Excellence Awards April 19RIBBON CUTTING FORTCBY IN WELLINGTON

Honorary co-chairs DariBowman and Bill Bone.

Continuing a tradition that hasrecognized the contributions of es-teemed community leaders, Leader-ship Palm Beach County (LPBC) isplanning its eighth annual Leader-ship Excellence Award event forThursday, April 19 at the MarriottWest Palm Beach.

“We are proud to have so manydistinguished Leadership PalmBeach County alumni,” said LPBCPresident Tom Jensen of ARCADIS.“The Leadership Excellence Awardhelps us to highlight the positiveimpact they have on our communi-ty every day.”

Bill Bone and Dari Bowman areserving as honorary co-chairs for theevent. Bone is a native of PalmBeach County. He is a graduate andtrustee of the University of FloridaCollege of Law and founding part-ner of the law firm of Larmoyeux &Bone PL. A recipient of numerouslegal honors and awards, Bone isactive in many civic, cultural andcharitable organizations, and servedas chair or president for several, in-cluding the Palm Beach CentennialCommission, the Forum Club of thePalm Beaches, the Rotary Club andHealthy Mothers/Healthy Babies.

He is a member of LPBC’s Class of1995.

Bowman is a council member andpast chair of the Children’s ServicesCouncil of Palm Beach County. Along-time community volunteer andadvocate for children, Bowman co-founded the Law Enforcement As-sistance Foundation in 1987 to as-sist families of law enforcement of-ficers seriously injured in the line ofduty. She has earned several awardsand has served as chair for severalnonprofit organizations, includingthe ARC, the South Florida ScienceMuseum, the Palm Beach Marine In-stitute and Win for the Kids. Bow-man is a graduate of LPBC’s Classof 1988.

Past award recipients are DonChester, Gale Howden, David Bak-er, Sharon Bock, Wendy SartoryLink, Rev. Pam Cahoon and DavidGoodlett.

Planning Committee chairs areGregory Demetriades and KenyettaHaywood. Committee members in-clude Sarah Alsofrom, Regina Be-doya, Bob Bertisch, Bob Bytnar,Sandra Chamblee, Don Chester, Sal-ly Chester, Dione Christy, Linda Cul-bertson, Silvia Garcia, Terry Gearing,

Cheryl Godbout, Mary RoseO’Connell and Gayle Pallesen.

For sponsorship packages or toregister, visit www.leadershippbc.org. Sponsorship information is alsoavailable by calling the LPBC officeat (561) 833-4321.

The Wellington Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cuttingfor the TCBY location in the Courtyard Shops. TCBY offers 14 coreflavors of frozen yogurt, which can be mixed into a swirl, adding anadditional seven more flavors. TCBY also offers an assortment ofpies and cakes to take home. The shop is open to parties, groups ormeetings. For more info., visit www.facebook.com/TCBYWellingtonor call (561) 366-7725. Shown above are TCBY co-owners Marni andGreg Altfest with Wellington Chamber ambassadors.


DINING & ENTERTAINMENTThree Exhibitions Open Feb. 16 At Lighthouse ArtCenter

The Phantom Recommends American Fine Wine Competition

Art lovers will be delighted to dis-cover the variety of exhibitions —from paintings to underwater pho-tography to sculptural ceramics —opening at the Lighthouse ArtCenterMuseum on Feb. 16. The openingnight reception will take place from5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and feature “Real-ism: A Stringing Together of Ab-stractions,” “Sea Creatures Aboveand Below” and “It’s All in the De-tails.”

Immense hyper-realistic paintings

of sunsets and florals by J.B. Berkoware paired with colorfield abstractpaintings by Rita Shapiro, while inanother gallery, wildlife and under-water photographer Ruth Petzoldfeatures photographs taken aroundthe globe from pole to pole. Nation-ally renowned ceramic artist andsculptor Nick Ramey’s work will beon display, and the artist also willpresent a workshop on Feb. 24 and25.

People who are familiar with

Berkow’s work are struck by her stun-ning hyper-realism. In fact, her workappears so real that art critics havedubbed it “art you can live in.” Odd-ly enough, Berkow does not con-sider herself a realist painter. In-stead, she thinks of herself as “anartist stringing together abstrac-tions.”

Aware that people were not see-ing her work the way she did, shedecided to produce a 20-minute doc-umentary on the topic titled Real-ism: A Stringing Together of Ab-stractions. To emphasize the pointsraised in the documentary, she wenta step further by orchestrating a se-ries of collaborative paintings thatshe created with her friend and well-established color-field artist, Sha-piro.

“Sea Creatures, Above and Be-low” features photographs (some aslarge as 5 feet wide) from Petzold’sexplorations that include polar bears,rare leafy sea dragons, whales, aswell as a pygmy seahorse the size ofone’s pinky fingernail. AlthoughPetzold suffered a leg amputationyears ago, it has not stopped herindomitable spirit from continuingto do underwater photography andtravel the world in search of greatphotographs. As a wildlife conser-vationist, she is a member of the Ex-plorers Club.

Educational components to theexhibition include wall panels withdescriptions of the sea creatures,characteristics and geography, andon Thursday, March 15 from 5:30 to7:30 p.m., Petzold will be in the mu-seum to address questions and will

A ceramic piece by Nick Ramey.

Honoring America’s wine-makingprowess, the American Fine WineCompetition, presented by PatriotNational Insurance Group, is one ofthe nation’s most prominent andprestigious wine events. Celebrat-ing its fifth anniversary, the 2012American Fine Wine Competitionwill take place Thursday, April 19 andfeature a star-studded gala dinnerwith acclaimed chef Emeril Lagasseand announcer Alan Kalter (of TheLate Show With David Letterman)live, onstage.

The AFWC is more than one bignight with big, bold wines. It con-sists of several events, including aVIP kickoff reception, the actualwine competition, a VIP party andan open-to-the-public consumerchallenge and fundraiser. Proceedsfrom the events will benefit the Dia-betes Research Institute, the Gold-en Bell Education Foundation andthe Youth Automotive TrainingCenter.

Kicking off this unique array ofevents was the invitation-only VIPreception held Thursday, Jan. 12 at

the Boca Raton Resort & Club andhosted by JM Lexus for corporatesponsors and VIPs, participatingcharities, wine competition judgesand invited media only. The winecompetition took place Jan. 15-16 atthe Boca Country Club, where 24wine experts and industry moguls,hand-picked by the AFWC, tastedmore than 600 wines invited into thecompetition and awarded presti-gious medals.

After the competition, the AFWCwill host an open-to-the-public kick-off Thursday, March 8. The eventwill take place at Allied Kitchen &Bath’s beautiful showroom, the per-fect destination to mix and minglewith fellow wine enthusiasts. Guestswill have the opportunity to tastesome of the wines from last year’scompetition, meet this year’s judg-es, enjoy a beautifully catered mealand visit the AFWC’s sponsorbooths. The party will be held inAllied Kitchen & Bath’s showroom(616 W. Oakland Park Blvd., FortLauderdale).

One month prior to the gala din-

ner, the American Fine Wine Com-petition will host a consumer chal-lenge and fundraiser on Thursday,March 22 from 7 to 9 p.m. Takingplace at Bogart’s restaurant, ownedand operated by well-known restau-rateur, Burt Rapoport and emceedby Jeff “Defo” Deforrest, the con-sumer challenge takes an excitingtwist on the everyday wine tastingevent. Guests will enjoy nine sta-tions of specially chosen wines, anarray of delicious dishes, preparedby the Bogart’s culinary team, as wellas play games and win prizes atAFWC Sponsors’ booths. At theevent, which is open to the public,12 attendees will have the opportu-nity to participate in a blind tastingchallenge of 10 American wines. Thetaster who properly identifies themost wines correctly will be award-ed two complimentary tickets to thegala dinner. Tickets for this eventcost $35 per person and a percent-age will benefit the Youth Automo-tive Training Center. Bogart’s is lo-cated inside the Cinemark Palace 20(3200 Airport Road, Boca Raton).

The highly anticipated gala din-ner will take place Thursday, April19 starting at 6 p.m. The eveningbegins with the sparkling reception,featuring a vast selection of finesparkling and white wines alongwith delicious hors d’oeuvres andexciting entertainment. A silent auc-tion will feature 150 wine baskets,with each bottle personally signedby the winemaker. With a guest listof 550 attendees, the gala dinner willfeature all the wines entered into thecompetition poured by your person-al “wine angel,” served along with afour-course dinner, prepared by theculinary team at Boca Raton Resort& Club.

Lagasse will prepare the evening’smain course onstage during his livedemonstration. Prior to dinner, a lot-tery will be held in which eight luckyguests will be selected to sit on stageat “Emeril’s Table” to enjoy the dem-onstration close-up. Attendees willalso have the opportunity to partic-ipate in a live auction, presided overby Kalter in which 100 percent ofthe proceeds benefit the Diabetes

Research Institute and the GoldenBell Education Foundation. Ticketsfor the gala dinner cost $300 per per-son. The gala dinner will be held atthe Boca Raton Resort & Club atMizner Center (501 E. Camino Real).

For ticket information, call (561)504-VINE (8463) or visit www.americanfinewinecompetition.com.

Emeril LagassePHOTO BY STEVEN FREEMAN

Linear Seduction by J.B. Berkow and Rita Shapiro.

deliver a lecture on her photogra-phy and experiences beginning at6:15 p.m.

Among other accomplishments inthe ceramics field, Ramey has justbeen awarded a five-year residencyat Baltimore Clayworks and was partof the study abroad program in Chi-na. Ramey has a bachelor’s degreefrom Indiana University and a mas-ter’s degree from Southern IllinoisUniversity Edwardsville. Duringgraduate school, he developed aninterest in using representational im-agery that eventually led to a switchin focus from functional pottery tofigurative sculpture.

In his two-day workshop on Feb.24 and 25, he will demonstrate wheel-thrown and figurative sculpture pro-cesses, covering a variety of tech-

niques, including altered forms, slip-cast assemblage, underglaze/glazeand decal application. Presenta-tions feature non-traditional build-ing and application techniques toinvoke a spark of nostalgia, as wellas influences from abroad. To regis-ter for the workshop and artists par-ty, call the Lighthouse ArtCenterSchool of Art at (561) 748-8737.

The Lighthouse ArtCenter is lo-cated in Gallery Square North (373Tequesta Drive, Tequesta). Hoursare 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondaythrough Friday, with free admissionfor members, and $5 for nonmem-bers age 12 and up. Saturday hoursare 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with free admis-sion. For more information, call (561)746-3101 or visit www.lighthousearts.org.


SPORTS & RECREATIONWHS Basketball Boys Defeat Cardinal Newman 56-30

By Gene NardiTown-Crier Staff Report

The Wellington High Schoolboys varsity basketball team host-ed its final regular-season gameThursday, Feb. 2 against CardinalNewman, besting the Crusaders 56-30.

The Crusaders jumped out at thestart of the contest with a short lead,but Wellington found their rhythmand soon after began to mount theirassault, going into halftime with aconvincing 27-8 advantage.

Aggressive play by the Wolver-ines in the first half certainly helpedthem in the second half, as the Cru-saders made every effort to mount acomeback, scoring 22 points, butwere unable to close the gap. TheWolverine offense managed theirlead in the second half by scoring29.

The difference in the game wasmade by Wellington seniorStephane Beneche and juniorMichael Morosco, combining for17 rebounds. Although the secondhalf appeared much closer, Well-ington held on for the 56-30 victo-ry.

Top performers for Wellingtonwere Dondre Duffus, with 14 pointsand five assists; Mike Margiotta,with 8 points and two 3-pointgoals; Morosco, with nine re-bounds; and Beneche, with eightrebounds.

Wellington hosted Palm BeachCentral on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.in the district playoffs, but the scorewas unavailable at press time.

Wildcat Boys Basketball Squad Tops Seminole Ridge 57-29By Lauren Miró

Town-Crier Staff Report

The Royal Palm Beach HighSchool boys varsity basketball teamdefeated host Seminole Ridge HighSchool 57-29 on Friday, Feb. 3.

Though the Hawks fought to cutinto the Wildcats’ lead, Royal PalmBeach commanded the court, near-ly doubling the number of points oftheir opponents.

Royal Palm Beach got control ofthe game early on in the first quarter

and never looked back. Baskets byIvenor Rosier and C.J. Hammond putthem in the lead early on.

Meanwhile, baskets by theHawks’ Myers McCray and OmarPierre-Louis added to the score,making it 14-3 going into the sec-ond quarter.

But Royal Palm Beach dominatedthe first half, scoring several morebaskets early in the second quarter.With 4:30 left in the half, the Hawkswere down 26-6 when Eli Turene put

in a 3-point basket. But Royal PalmBeach responded with a basket andtwo foul shots to extend their lead.

Pierre-Louis went to the foul linefor the Hawks next and sank one,but Hammond put in another bas-ket just before halftime, making thescore 29-10 going into the secondhalf.

The Hawks came into the secondhalf with more determination butwere unable to hold back the Wild-cats, who put the most points of thegame on the board in the third quar-ter. Though Seminole Ridge was ableto put in 9 points, it was no matchfor the Wildcats’ 18 points.

Baskets by Pierre-Louis and LukeMiller added to the Hawks’ score,while Christian Cromartie and JoeJoe Williams scored for the Wild-cats. The score was 47-19 at the endof the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, the Hawkscame back to cut into Royal PalmBeach’s lead and managed to holdthem to only 10 points. But it wasn’tenough to stop the Wildcats, whofinished the game 57-29.

The Hawks took on Park Vista inthe first round of the district tourna-ment on Tuesday, Feb. 7, losing bya score of 61-46. Meanwhile, RoyalPalm Beach defeated SantalucesHigh School 64-37.

PHOTOS BY GENE NARDI/TOWN-CRIER

Wellington’s Mike Margiottatakes a shot from the outside.

Wellington’s CourtneyBigby aims for the basket.

Wellington’s Stephane Benechegoes against Andrew Owers.

Wolverine Kemar Downerjumps up for a 2-pointer.

Wellington’s Michael Morosco earns one of his ninerebounds against Cardinal Newman’s Matthew Burke.

Hawk Myers McCray looks to pass while C.J. Hammond guards him.

Hawk Omar Pierre-Louis races toward the basket.

P.J. Moreland guards Omar Pierre-Louis as he heads for the basket.PHOTOS BY LAUREN MIRÓ/TOWN-CRIER


SPORTS & RECREATIONWILDCAT CHRIS BARR

SIGNS TO PLAY BASEBALLFOR PALM BEACH STATE

WHS Wrestlers Compete In Jupiter

Royal Palm Beach High School senior Christopher Barr recently signeda letter of intent to play baseball for Palm Beach State College. Thefour-year varsity player started on the varsity team as a sophomoreand rotated between three positions: pitcher, outfield and f irst base.Barr ended the year as lead-off hitter. Because of his speed, he wasused more in the outfield when not pitching. Barr plans on majoring inbusiness. Shown above is Barr with PBSC baseball coach Kyle Forbes.

The Wellington High Schoolwrestling team competed at the JohnRaich Memorial Tournament overthe Jan. 28-29 weekend at JupiterHigh School.

In a field of 32 teams, the Wolver-ines placed three different wrestlersin the top six of their weight classes.Senior Collin Bachi finished in fifthplace at 152 pounds and improvedhis team leading record to 40-8. Jun-ior Austin Schnaderbeck (145pounds) earned a sixth-place medalafter defeating the Palm Beach Coun-ty champion at his weight class be-fore having to injury default his lasttwo matches.

Sophomore Nik Bonadies had asimilar route to his sixth-placemedal after defeating a wrestlerwho placed third in the Class 1Astate tournament last year; he alsohad to injury default his way tosixth place.

“This was a great performance forour guys this late in the season rightbefore our district tournament,”

Austin Schnaderbeck, Collin Bachi and Nik Bonadies.

coach Travis Gray said. “All threeof these wrestlers have shown thatthey are ready for the post season.Collin Bachi has placed at everytournament so far this season, and

Austin and Nik are working backfrom injuries just in time for the dis-trict tournament. We are really look-ing forward to see how their hardwork will pay off this post-season.”

The Seminole Ridge High Schoolwrestling team had it a little roughJan. 28, taking the third-place bronzein the Gold Division of the Iron Co-bra Dual Meet Wrestling Tourna-

Seminole Ridge Wrestlers Capture The Bronzement at Park Vista High School.

The Ridge defeated Fort PierceCentral (31-29), Fort Pierce West-wood (72-6) and John I. Leonard (66-12) but lost to Coral Springs (56-22)

and Park Vista (51-24). Hawks NickKeller, Trace Thome and Scott Wat-son went 5-0 in their matches, withThome named the tournament’s out-standing wrestler.

SPORTS & RECREATIONThe Town-Crier WWW.GOTOWNCRIER.COM February 10 - February 16, 2012

TKA Athletes Sign Letters OfIntent To Play College Sports

WRHA Hockey StickExchange March 3

Robert Kukleski, Aubree Murphy and Karen Murphy.

The King’s Academy has an-nounced the signing of three of itsstudent athletes to play sports atthe collegiate level. Feb. 1 markedthe first day of 2012 that high schoolathletes are able to sign a bindingletter of intent to attend a college oruniversity.

Danielle Hurme, a TKA girls soc-cer player, signed a national letterof intent to play at Stetson Uni-versity in Deland, Fla. Hurmehelped lead the girls soccer teamto its sixth straight district title andto the regional finals in the 2011-12 season. She follows in the foot-steps of many other TKA girlssoccer players who have playedat Stetson.

TKA football player Brian Grovesigned a national letter of intent toplay at Dartmouth College, a mem-ber of the prestigious Ivy League,in Hanover, N.H. Grove finished the2011 football season as the thirdleading rusher in Palm Beach Coun-ty.

TKA softball player Aubree Mur-phy signed a national letter of in-tent to attend Daytona State Uni-versity in Daytona Beach. Murphyhas been one of the top pitchers in

Palm Beach County for three yearsrunning, garnering numerousawards and all-area nominations.Murphy will attempt to lead TKA’sgirls softball team to a district titlethis year as they begin their seasonthis month.

The coaches, who spoke about

each student, were in agreement thatHurme, Grove and Murphy all ex-emplify what it means to be a TKAstudent athlete because they are notonly exceptional athletes, but alsodriven students, strong citizens,faithful Christians, and wonderfulrole models.

The Wellington Roller HockeyAssociation (WRHA) is exchang-ing its hockey sticks for golf clubson Saturday, March 3 at the BinksForest Golf Club.

The four-player per team scram-ble-format golf tournament will be-gin at 12:30 p.m. and conclude withan awards dinner. A raffle and silentauction of sports memorabilia willalso add to this inaugural event.

The tournament is open to anygolfer who would like to support theprogram. A portion of the entry feeis tax deductible. For those whodon’t golf but are interested in sup-porting the WHRA, a limited num-

ber of tickets are available for theawards dinner and auction.

“The WRHA provides boys andgirls in the community a chance toparticipate in a competitive environ-ment on roller skates as opposed toice skates,” WHRA CommissionerGari Sanfilippo said. “More than 100kids now play in the program thathad but four teams a couple of yearsago.”

Player entry forms can be ob-tained at the Binks Forest Golf Clubgolf shop or by calling Sanfilippo at(561) 603-1513. He can also answerquestions for companies interestedin sponsoring a golf hole or more.

Smith Wins Golf TourTourney At Binks ForestBrandon Smith of West Palm

Beach won his second straightGolfslinger.com Tour event, and 11thoverall, with a three under par 69 onMonday, Jan. 30 at the Binks ForestGolf Club in Wellington.

Smith made six birdies and threebogeys, beating 43 starters and earn-ing $1,000 from the $5,463 purse. He

received $2,000 for winning a 36-holetournament the previous week at theChampions Club in Stuart. He is thefirst double winner in the Golfsling-er’s nine events this month.

Formerly the Fuzion MinorLeague Golf Tour, more informationon the Golfslinger.com Tour is avail-able at www.minorleaguegolf.com.


COMMUNITY CALENDAR

See CALENDAR, page 43

Saturday, Feb. 11• Saddle Up for Jazzfest Wellington will

continue Saturday, Feb. 11 at the Interna-tional Polo Club Palm Beach (3667 120 Ave.South, Wellington). For more info., visitwww.wellingtonjazzfest.com.

• The Acreage Arsenal U-10 boys soccerteam will host a Yard Sale on Saturday, Feb.11 from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 14239 OrangeBlvd. in The Acreage. The sale will featurehousehold items, clothes, toys and sportsequipment, and will help raise money for theteam. For more info., call Kelli Shipe at (561)670-9976.

• Wellington will host a Green Market andSongwriters’ Showcase on Saturday, Feb.11 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the WellingtonAmphitheater (12100 W. Forest Hill Blvd.).Call (561) 753-2484 for more info.

• The Jim Sackett Invitational CelebritySoftball Tournament will take place Satur-day, Feb. 11 at 8 a.m. at Wellington VillagePark. All proceeds will benefit Friends ofAbused Children Inc. Admission costs $5 foradults and is free for children under 3. Formore info., call (561) 659-5005 or (561)632-1170, or visit www.friendspbc.org.

• The Boynton Beach Woman’s Club(1010 S. Federal Highway, Boynton Beach)will host a “Retro Indie Market” on Satur-day, Feb. 11 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. withmore than 70 vendors specializing in vin-tage items. Admission is $5 for adults, freefor children 12 and under with an adult. Formore info., call Amanda Linton at (561) 635-8086 or visit www.sugarcircus.com orwww.familyvintage.com.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal FernDrive) will host “Celebrate Black HistoryMonth: Book Discussion Series” for adultsSaturday, Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. Librarian RonaldGlass will lead a discussion of Disintegra-tion: The Splintering of Black America by Eu-gene Robinson. Sign up and check out thebook. Call (561) 790-6070 to pre-register.

• Whole Foods Market (2635 State Road7, Wellington) will host a “Valentine’s LoveBites” cooking class Saturday, Feb. 11 at 2p.m. Call (561) 904-4000 to pre-register.

• St. Rita Catholic Church (13645 Pad-dock Drive) will host a Bunko Party on Satur-day, Feb. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Parish Center.Tickets cost $10 per person. Call Caroline at(561) 798-2853 for more info.

• The Wellington Idol finals will be heldSaturday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m. at the Well-ington Amphitheater (12100 W. Forest HillBlvd.). Visit www.wellingtonfl.gov for info.

• On Saturday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m., theCystic Fibrosis Foundation will celebratesome of Wellington’s finest citizens at “ABreath of Fresh Air Affair” at the Internation-al Polo Club Palm Beach. For more info., call(561) 683-9965.

• Little Smiles will present “Stars Ball2012: A Night at the Oscars” on Saturday,Feb. 11 at the Harriet Himmel Theater inCityPlace in West Palm Beach. Contact Ash-ley at [email protected] for more info.

Sunday, Feb. 12• The International Polo Club Palm Beach

(3667 120th Avenue South, Wellington) willfeature the Ylvisaker Cup Tournament onSunday, Feb. 12. Visit www.internationalpoloclub.com for more info.

• Whole Foods Market (2635 State Road7, Wellington) will host the cookie-decorat-ing competition “All Things Sweet” on Sun-day, Feb. 12 at 1 p.m. Six customers willcompete. Sign up at the customer servicedesk or call (561) 904-4000 for info.

• Whole Foods Market (2635 State Road7, Wellington) will feature “Wine Your Valen-tine” on Sunday, Feb. 12 from 2 to 4 p.m.The wine tasting will help you choose thebest wine for your Valentine. Call (561) 904-4000 for more info.

Monday, Feb. 13• Royal Palm Beach HealthSource Chiro-

practic and Progressive Rehab (125 S. StateRoad 7, Suite 103) will host a South FloridaBlood Bank Drive on Monday, Feb. 13.HealthSource doctors will offer free commu-nity service health screenings for new pa-tients and free 15-minute massages for ex-isting patients in exchange for a $10 dona-tion to the American Red Cross. For moreinfo., visit www.healthsourcechiro.com.

• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 CivicCenter Way) will feature “Animal Origami”for ages 6 to 9 on Monday, Feb. 13 at 3:30p.m. Call (561) 790-6030 to pre-register.

• The Panther Ridge Conservation Center(14755 Palm Beach Point Blvd., Wellington)will host “A Walk On the Wild Side” Monday,Feb. 13 from 4 to 7 p.m. featuring cocktails,light fare and auctions. The cost is $50 perperson. For more info., call (561) 795-8914or visit www.pantherridgecc.org.

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal FernDrive) will host “Valentine Roses” for ages 9to 14 on Monday, Feb. 13 at 4:15 p.m. Cre-ate roses with colored duct tape. Call (561)790-6070 to pre-register.

• The Western Communities Football


COMMUNITY CALENDARCALENDAR, continued from page 42League will hold its annual election Mon-day, Feb. 13 at 6:30 p.m. at Wellington Vil-lage Park gym (11700 Pierson Road). Activemembers are invited to attend. For moreinfo., contact Tracey Seberg at [email protected] or (561) 753-2877.

• The Loxahatchee Groves Water Con-trol District Board of Supervisors will meetMonday, Feb. 13 at 7:30 p.m. at the districtoffice (101 West D Road). Call (561) 793-0884 for more info.0

Tuesday, Feb. 14• Na’amat USA, Sharon Chapter, Royal

Palm Beach, will present a Valentine’s Daymurder mystery Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 11:30a.m. at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Cen-ter (151 Civic Center Way). For more info.,call Cecile Millman at (561) 795-5811.

• The Wellington Village Council will meetTuesday, Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. at the municipalcomplex (12300 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). Call(561) 791-4000 or visit www.wellingtonfl.gov for more info.

• The Royal Palm Beach Community Bandwill begin its free 2012 series with a “Sweet-heart Concert” on Tuesday, Feb. 14 at 7p.m. at the Royal Palm Beach Cultural Cen-ter. For more info., call (561) 790-5149.

Wednesday, Feb. 15• The Wellington library (1951 Royal Fern

Drive) will host Novel Destinations: Book Dis-cussion Series for adults Wednesday, Feb.15 at 6:30 p.m. Sara Harris will lead a dis-cussion of Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman. Call(561) 790-6070 for more info.

• Shulamit Hadassah will host “Paint YourOwn Pottery” on Wednesday, Feb. 15 at 7p.m. at Picasso’s Paint Your Own Pottery(6169 Jog Road, Lake Worth). Prices rangefrom $6 to $50. RSVP to Sandi at [email protected] or call (561) 791-8505.

• The Sons of Italy will meet Wednesday,Feb. 15 at 7 p.m. at the Royal Palm BeachCivic Center (151 Civic Center Way, RoyalPalm Beach). The guest speaker will beWayne Picone, who will speak on differentscams aimed at seniors. The public is invit-ed. RSVP to Pat DeVivo at (561) 249-1298.

Thursday, Feb. 16• Sunsport Gardens (14125 North Road,

Loxahatchee Groves) will host its Mid-Win-ter Naturist Festival Feb. 16-21. For moreinfo., call (561) 793-0423 or visit www.sunsportgardens.com.

• The Royal Palm Beach library (500 CivicCenter Way) will host “Credit & Debt Man-agement” for adults Thursday, Feb. 16 at 2

p.m. with Maisie Ross of the Palm BeachCounty Extension Service. Call (561) 790-6030 to pre-register.

• The Palms West Chamber of Commercewill host a mixer Thursday, Feb. 16 from 5:30to 7:30 p.m. at the Palm Beach Internation-al Equestrian Center. RSVP to (561) 790-6200 or e-mail [email protected].

• The Wellington library (1951 Royal FernDrive) will feature Jaclyn Dolamore, authorof Magic Under Glass, for ages 12 to 17 onThursday, Feb. 16 at 6:30 p.m. Call (561)790-6070 to pre-register.

• The Royal Palm Beach Village Councilwill meet Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. at vil-lage hall (1050 Royal Palm Beach Blvd.) Call(561) 790-5100 for more info.

• Women of all ages are invited to join thenext Ladies’ Life Design event “Desserts &Hearts’ Delights,” to be held by New Har-vest Baptist Church of Loxahatchee on Thurs-day, Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. Savor decadent des-serts as you craft creative cards. The dona-tion is $5 per person. Call Stephanie at (561)337-0227 for more info.

• The Wellington Chamber of Commercewill host a Candidates Forum on Thursday,Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in the municipal complex(12300 W. Forest Hill Blvd.). Call (561) 792-6525 for more info.

• American Legion Chris Reyka Memori-al Post 390 will meet Thursday, Feb. 16 at 7p.m. at Palm Beach Fire-Rescue Station 30(9610 Stribling Way, Wellington). For moreinfo., e-mail [email protected] or call (561) 301-2961.

Friday, Feb. 17• The 2012 FTI Great Charity Challenge

will take place Friday, Feb. 17 at the PalmBeach International Equestrian Center,awarding $1.5 million to 32 local charities.Gates open at 6 p.m. with the first horse oncourse at 7 p.m. For more info., visitwww.ftigreatcharitychallenge.com.

• The Wellington Amphitheater (12100 W.Forest Hill Blvd.) will show The Big Year at itsFree Movie Night on Friday, Feb. 17 at 7:30p.m. Bring your own seating. Call (561) 753-2484 for more info.

• Whole Foods Market (2635 State Road7, Wellington) will host “Mom’s Morning Es-cape & Goddard School Arts & Crafts Cor-ner” on Friday, Feb. 17 from 9 to 11 a.m.Call (561) 904-4000 for more info.

Send calendar items to: The Town-Crier,12794 W. Forest Hill Blvd., Suite 31, Well-ington, FL 33414. FAX: (561) 793-6090. E-mail: [email protected].


HUNTINGTON LEARNING CEN-TER — in Wellington needs EXAMPREP COORDINATOR BachelorsDegree- Demonstrate Solid Perfor-mance on SAT and ACT (either ver-bal or math sections) Available towork evenings and Saturdays. Alsoneeded: EXAM PREP TUTORS NowHiring SAT/ACT Preparation Tutors.Must have a 4 year degree prefer-ably in Mathmetics or English.Be available to tutor on Saturdays.Please e-mail your resume [email protected] NEEDED —14 years and over for community ser-vice. Have fun with animals & kids792-2666

CLASSIFIEDS 561-793-7606DRIVERS! DRIVERS! DRIVERS!Drivers wanted for Wellington Cab.Retirees welcome. Cleaning DrivingRecord. Call 561-333-0181

ENTRY LEVEL RECEPTIONIST —Computer literate. Heavy phones &filing. Fax resume 561-333-2680WINDOW INSTALLERS WANTEDSubcontractors only. Top Pay. NoBrokers. Call Matt 561-714-8490PIZZANO’S PIZZA — Looking formature person for delivery. Pleaseapply in person. Must own vehicleand have auto insurance. 561-790-2345 Apply at: 601 Royal PalmBeach, FL 33411

NAIL TECHS — Experienced clientswaiting - full-time & part-time. Applyat Permanent Elegance7070 Semi-nole Pratt,Loxahatchee 561-790-5777

HOUSE FOR SALE — 3 bedroom/2 bath home, 10.5 plus acres, alsoapproved to be sub-divided into 4parcels. Horse Lover ’s Dream.Wellington Little Ranches. 12033Acme Road Just Reduced Pleasecall Julie Poof, 561-222-0601or rent$3500/monthly

STOP SMOKING HYPNOSISSherri Austin, Certified Hypnotist

561-247-1116HypnosisWithSherrie.com

WE BUY YOUR OLD & BROKENGOLD — diamond, & silver jew-elry, coins, silverware, flat-ware,etc. Wellington Green Mall. CRJewelers (outside Aeropost ale)561-753-1313

IMMEDIATE OPENING — BusyWellington CPA office. Need Full-Time Administrative Assistant. LightBookkeeping experience required.Quickbooks experience helpful.Fax Resume & Salary Require-ments to 561-790-6830

RENTAL TO SHARE — Travelingadult male willing to share 2/2 apt.5 minutes to horse and pologrounds. Washer/Dryer and Ameni-ties included $1,200 mo. Non-smoker please. 808-489-3989

ROOM FOR RENT ACREAGE —$500 per month. Private Room &Bath in 3 bedroom Home. Kitchen& Laundry facilities. 2 acre yard.561-352-1213

CLASSIFIEDS 561-793-7606

WELLINGTON’S EDGE

HUGE COMMUNITY

GARAGE SALE

Saturday, February 11th

8 a.m. - Noon

10851 W. Forest HIll Blvd.

Across from Buca di Beppo

Something for Everyone!

OPEN HOUSE SUNDAY, FEBRU-ARY 12TH, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. —Original Price $1,494,000. Just re-duced to $599,000. 3/2 Home. 10.5plus acres also approved to be sub-divided into 4 p arcels. HorseLover’s Dream. 12033 Acme Road,Wellington, Little Ranches

WELLINGTON ESTATE SALE -FEBRUARY 11 7:00 a.m. - Noonat 13286 Moonstone Terrace. Sell-ing house furniture, bookshelves,quilting, & knitting supplies, sewingfabrics, massage table & body pil-low, books, cd’ s & other misc.household goods.

EMPLOYMENT WANTED — Semiretired accountant/bookkeper seek-ing part-time (2 to 3 days per week)Experienced in Quickboook, Proand more. 561-429-8970

JOHN C. HUNTON AIR CONDI-TIONING & REFRIGERATION,INC.—Service & new installationFPL independent participating con-tractor. Lic. CAC 057272 Ins. "Weare proud supporters of the Semi-nole Ridge Hawks" 561-798-3225.Family Owned & Operated since1996. Credit Cards Accepted

I AM A PROFESSIONAL CNA —FL License w/ ‘level 2’ security; hos-p i tal & private experience.Wellington Resident 561-531-4179

CALL THE TOWN-CRIER

CLASSIFIEDS TODAY AT

561-793-7606

MOBILE-TEC ON-SITE COM-PUTER SERVICE — The computerexperts that come to you! Hardware/Software setup, support & trouble-shooting www.mobiletec.ne t.561-248-2611

D.J. COMPUTER — Home & office,Spyware removal, websites, net-works, repairs, upgrades, virus re-moval, tutoring. Call Jeff 561-333-1923 Cell 561-252-1186 Lic’d Well.& Palm Beach. We accept majorcredit cards.

DRIVEWAYS — Free estimates.A & M ASPHALT SEAL COATINGcommercial and residential. Patch-ing potholes, striping, repair exist-ing asphalt & save money all workguaranteed. Lic.& Ins. 100045062561-667-7716


THE MASTER HANDYMAN — AllTypes of Home Repairs & Improve-ments. No job too big or small doneright the first time every time 40 yrsof satisfied customers. See me onAngies List. Tom (561) 801-2010or (954) 444-3178 Serving PalmBeach and Broward Counties.BILLY’S HOME REPAIRS INC.REMODEL & REPAIRS — InteriorTrim, crown molding, rottenwood re-pair, door inst allation, minord r y w a l l , k i t c h e n s / c a b i n e t s /countertops, wood flooring. Bondedand Insured U#19699. Call 791-9900 or 628-9215

ANMAR CO.—James’ All AroundHandyman Service. Excellentcraftman Old time values. Onceyou’ve had me! You’ll have me back!Lic. Ins. Certified Residential Con-tractor CRC 1327426 561-248-8528

HOME INSPECTIONS — Wind-storm Mitigation Inspections, MoldInspections, Air Quality Testing.State of Florida Lic. & Ins. #HI2147US Building Inspectors 561-784-8811

HOUSECLEANING — 20 yrs ex-perience. Excellent local refer-ences. Shopping available. 561-572-1782

HURRICANE SHUTTERS P&MCONTRACTORS — ACCORDIONSHUTTERS Gutters, screen enclo-sures, siding, soffit s, aluminumroofs, Serving the Western Com-munities. Since 1985. U-17189561-791-9777

BOB CAVANAGH ALLSTATEINSURANCE — Auto •Home

• Life• Renters •Motorcycle •R V• Golfcart • Boat Serving the

Western Communities for 24 years Call for a quote

798-3056, or visit our website.www.allstateagencies.com/

rCavanagh

TNT LAWN CARE — Hedges &yard clean-up, Quality & Depend-able Service. 561-644-8683

MOLD & MILDEW INSPECTIONSAir Quality Testing, leak detection.US building inspectors, mentionthis ad for discount. 561-784-8811.State of Fl. Lic. & Ins. #MRSA1796

RJA PAINTING & DECORATING,INC. — Interior Exterior, Faux Fin-ish, Residential,Commercial.Lic.#U17536 Rocky Armento, Jr. 561-793-5455 561-662-7102

J&B PRESSURE CLEANING &PAINTING, INC. — Established1984. All types of pressure clean-ing, roofs, houses, driveways, pa-tios etc. Commercial & Residential.Interior & Exterior painting. Certifiedpressure cleaning & painting con-tractor. Lic. #U21552 Call Butch309-6975 or visit our website atwww.jbpressurecleaningandpainting.com

JOHN PERGOLIZZI PAINTINGINC. — Interior/Exterior - Repaintspecialist, pressure cleaning, pop-corn ceiling, drywall repair & roofpainting. Family owned/owner op-erator. Free Est. 798-4964 Lic.#U18473

COLORS BY CORO, INC. — Int./Ext. residential painting, over 20 yrsexp. Small Jobs welcome. Free est.Ins. 561-383-8666. Owner/Oper-ated. Lic.# U20627 Ins. WellingtonResident

CLASSIFIEDS 561-793-7606

\

JEREMY JAMES PLUMBING — Li-censed plumber, legitimate esti-mate. Water heaters, new construc-tion. CFC1426242. Bonded Insured.CFC1426242. 561-601-6458

J&B PRESSURE CLEANING &PAINTING, INC. — Established1984. All types of pressure clean-ing, roofs, houses, driveways, pa-tios etc. Commercial & Residential.Interior & Exterior paint ing.Certified pressure cleaning & paint-ing contractor. Lic. #U21552 CallButch at 309-6975 or visit us atwww.jbpressurecleaningandpainting.com

MINOR ROOF REPAIRS DONHARTMANN ROOFING — Roofpainting, Carpentry. Lic. #U13677967-5580

ROBERT G. HARTMANN ROOF-ING — Specializing in repairs. Freeestimates, Bonded,insured. Lic.#CCC 058317 Ph: 561-790-0763.ROOFING REPAIRS REROOFINGALL TYPES — Pinewood Con-struction, Inc. Honest and reliable.Serving Palm Beach County forover 20 years. Call Mike 561-309-0134 Lic. Ins. Bonded. CGC-023773 RC-0067207

CALL THE TOWN-CRIERCLASSIFIEDS TODAY AT

561-793-7606

ROBERT CHERRY ROOFING INCReroofing - Repair - Waterproofing561-791-2612 or 954-741-4580State Lic.& Ins. #CCC-1326048JOHN C. BEALE BUILDING &ROOFING — Additions, remodel-ing, roof repairs & replacements,screened porches. Licensed & In-sured. Call for Free Estimates. 561-798-6448 ccc1326383 ccc1250306

SECURITY — American owned lo-cal security company in business 30plus years. Protection by officersdrug tested. 40 hour course. Li-censed & Insured. 561-848-2600

JOHN’S SCREEN REPAIR SER-VICE — Pool & patio rescreening.Stay tight,wrinkle-free,guaranteed!CRC1329708 call us 798-3132.www.poolscreenrepair.com

ACCORDION SHUTTERS — Gut-ters, screen enclosures, siding, sof-fits, aluminum roofs, Serving theWestern Communities. Since 1985.U-17189 561-791-9777

AQUATIC SPRINKLER, LLC —Complete repair of all types of sys-tems. Owner Operated. Michael561-964-6004Lic.#U17871 Bonded& Ins. Serving the Western Com-munities Since 1990

SPECIALIZING IN BATHROOMREMODELING — Free estimatesserving South Florida since 1980.Quality you expect, service you de-serve. Lic. bonded & Ins. U21006561-662-9258

PAPERHANGING BY DEBI —Professional Installation,Removal.Repair of Paper. Neat, Clean & Re-liable. Quality work with a woman'stouch. 30 years experience. No Jobtoo big or too small. Lic. & Ins. Ref-erences available. 561-795-5263

PLACE YOUR PROFESSIONAL

SERVICES AD HERE!CALL THE TOWN-

CRIER CLASSIFIEDSTODAY AT

561-793-7606


F O U R A R T S . F O R E V E R Y O N E .

2 Fou r A r t s P l a z a • Pa lm Beach , F L 33480 • ( 56 1 ) 6 55 -7227 • www.fourarts .org

ThisWeek atThe Four ArtsOn Display Through Sunday, April 15

Recapturing the RealWest:The Collections ofWilliam I. Koch$5 • (561) 655-7226On Display All Season

Florida’sWetlands • No charge • (561) 655-2776Ongoing Mondays,Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 a.m.

Campus on the Lake Class:Yogalates with Rassika Sabine Bourgi$15 per session • (561) 805-8562Sunday, February 12 at 3 p.m.

Concert: Keyboard Conversations® with Jeffrey Siegel •The RomanticMusic of Franz Liszt: From Heart to Art • $15 • (561) 655-7226Monday, February 13 at 10:30 a.m. (Preschool); 2:30 p.m. (Family)

StoryTime:Valentine’s Day • No charge • (561) 655-2776Wednesday, February 15 at 10 a.m.

Workshop: Don’tWorry, Be Happy – But How?! with Dr. Sharyn Sepinwall$85; lunch and materials included • Reservations required • (561) 805-8562Wednesday, February 15 at 2:30 p.m.

Workshop: Dance the Flamenco with FlamencoVivo Carlota Santana$25 • Reservations required • (561) 805-8562Wednesday, February 15 at 8 p.m.

Concert: FlamencoVivo Carlota Santana • $40/$45 • (561) 655-7226

Thursday, February 16 and 17 at 10 a.m.

Workshop:Art of the Orchid ATwo-DayWatercolorWorkshop withElizabeth Horowitz • $120 • Reservations required • (561) 805-8562

Thursday, February 16 at 10:30 a.m. (Preschool); 2:30 p.m. (Family)

StoryTime: Mardi Gras • No Charge • (561) 655-2776

Thursday, February 16 at 2:30 p.m.

Lecture:The Golden Age of Venice withTheodore K. RabbPart of the Splendors of Italy series • $20 • (561) 805-8562

Friday, February 17 at 2:30, 5:15 and 8 p.m.

Film:The Concert • Rated PG-13 • $5 • (561) 655-7226

Saturday, February 18 at 10:30 a.m.

Workshop: Living with Flowers with John Klingel AAF,AIFD, PFCIRomantic Bouquets • $60 • Reservations required • (561) 805-8562

Saturday, February 18 at 11 a.m.

Lecture:A Morning Muse withTwo American Poets: JimTilley and EmmaTrellesModerated by Francisco AragónNo charge • Reservations required • (561) 805-8562

Sunday, February 19 at 3 p.m.

Concert: Fauré Piano Quartett • $15 • (561) 655-7226

Town-Crier Newspaper February 10,2012

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Transcript of Town-Crier Newspaper February 10,2012