Counterpoint committee targets beautification, recreation

By Bob Markey II

Nov. 16, 2001 - Counterpoint Estates residents are a third of the way through an $822,000 shopping spree. But instead of jewelry, electronics and other typical valuables, neighbors are mulling over swing sets, basketball courts, landscaping, fences and fishing docks.

In four meetings since the 16-member Counterpoint Committee was formed last summer, residents have decided to use an impact fee windfall to spruce up their 1,000-home subdivision. In addition to an elaborate entrance feature, the subdivision's six common areas will see major facelifts and new equipment, lakes and roadways will be improved and beautified.

Mayor David Lodwick said "$822,000 is going to make a lot of difference, do a lot of things, but it's not going to do everything."

The projects - some of which are already under way - will be funded by the Village of Royal Palm Beach through general funds, as well by an $822,000 fee paid by the developer of the Super Wal-Mart soon to be built at the entrance to the subdivision.

Village officials agreed to allow Counterpoint residents to choose uses for the impact fee in July, after many complained about a proposal to build a road connecting the southwest section of the development to Seminole Palms Park off State Road 80. The connection - at least one navigable by automobiles - has since been shelved. The impact fee was once targeted for a new eastern village park near the Wal-Mart site.

The committee, led by Richard Durr and vice chair Pearl Jilek, initially reviewed village plans such as the addition of playscape equipment, basketball and other courts and other amenities. Now it is prioritizing the amenities and deciding where they should be installed.

Chief among the group's concerns is the addition of active park facilities and an elaborate entrance feature at SR 7 and Belvedere Road.

Last month the group decided to remake the subdivision entrance with the look of a new development, such as the adjacent Belle Terre. Good timing resulted in cooperation by Lennar, which will reshape and add a fountain to a stagnant pond at the southwest corner, and create a berm. Lennar will also maintain a portion of the site.

The $90,000 project will also include regrading, landscaping with palms and other plants and irrigation.

"It's a savings of $40,000 to $45,000 of the Counterpoint dollars," said Mayor David Lodwick, who negotiated the deal at the residents' request. "It's going to be an attractive feature."

The site will be designed by late January, Lodwick said. "You will see the first part of the lake done by the first of March."

Last week, the committee set priorities on the improvement of two common areas. In the now barren Penzance Park, off Penzance Lane in the original section of the development, an Americans with Disabilities Act-approved swing set and tot lot will be added, along with safety fencing near a lake, fishing dock, bench, picnic table, trash cans and shade trees. Lighting might be added later.

A proposed basketball court will be built adjacent to the village fire station near SR 7.

One project already under at village expense is the Grandview Way linear park, in the rear of the subdivision. The land, once choked with Australian pines and other exotics, was cleared and will be landscaped into a four-block passive park with a walkway and landscape feature at the end of every perpendicular street.

The committee chose to spend some of its money to add an oleander hedge along the south bank of the canal in the park, irrigation, wiring for lights to be considered later, a $10,000 fitness trail, trash cans and trees on the south and north sides of Grandview Way. The existing walkway on the north side will be resurfaced at village expense.

Still to be planned are improvements to Counterpoint's largest park, at the corner of Belvedere and Grandview. Tentatively set is new playground equipment, fencing, a fishing dock, gazebo, benches, stump removal and many decorative additions along the large lake south of Belvedere. The work will correspond with a previously planned $700,000 road and landscaping project along Belvedere, which will include drainage, re-paving, curbs and a roundabout at the corner of Belvedere and Grandview.

Also to be decided by the committee, which meets next at 7 p.m. Nov. 28, are additions to Rhythm Circle, Pippin Park, Moonlight Way and Homeplace Park in the rear of the subdivision.

Assistant Village Manager JoAnn Rowe and engineering assistant Odaly Victorio are researching the costs and designs of the projects as the committee chooses them.

"This process will go into 2002," said Durr. "The only cost that we know of now is the entrance."

Lodwick said he was happy to see more than two dozen Counterpoint residents at many of the meetings - many with specific concerns and ideas to improve the 20-plus-year-old development that wasn't build under village zoning.

"The biggest thing that can happen to Counterpoint is to get a sense of community going," Lodwick said.

RPB boy critical after Aero Club Drive crash

Dec. 1, 2001 - A Martial arts competitor with his sights on the Olympics remains paralyzed in critical condition at a Delray Beach hospital, eight days after high-speed car cash on Wellington's Aero Club Drive.

David Reyes II, 18, of 109 Cypress Lane, Royal Palm Beach, suffered complications from his injuries on Tuesday. Only close relatives were allowed to visit him in the intensive care unit of Delray Community Medical Center, where numerous friends have gathered since the Thanksgiving day crash.

Hospital officials will not comment about Reyes' injuries, but his parents and friends said the former Royal Palm Beach High School student has suffered internal injuries and broke his neck broken in three places.

Allongo had picked up Reyes and Borjas at their Royal Palm Beach homes and was en route to the Allongo home at the west side of the Aero Club development to eat Thanksgiving dinner when the car crashed.

Reyes was in the rear seat of a 1995 Lexus SC300 driven by longtime friend and competitor Faustino Allongo, 16, around 4:23 p.m. Nov. 22. The sheriff's office reported the southbound car went out of control in the 1900 block of Aero Club Drive, near the spot three Wellington teen-agers were killed in a 1997 crash, and smashed into around three palm trees.

Investigator Scott Ratliff reported that Allongo was at fault because of his "high rate of speed" and failure to navigate a curve in the two-lane road. The Lexus spun counterclockwise, onto the east shoulder of the road and hit the tall trees with "tremendous impact," before coming to rest in a western direction on the shoulder, the deputy reported.

Allongo, of 15760 Weatherly Road, Wellington, suffered minor injuries and was treated and released from Palms West Hospital. His front seat passenger, David Borjas, 17, of 3559 Sandpiper Ave., Royal Palm Beach, was listed in serious condition with a serious facial laceration and other injuries at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, before being discharged.

Allongo and Borjas were wearing seat belts, but Reyes was not restrained. As a result, his body flew into the center of the car, where it was pinned onto a collapsed floorboard, Ratliff said.

Ratliff said the neither weather nor road conditions played a role in the crash.

"It's an isolated incident," he said. "It appears to be speed related."

He said the slowly curving radius of Aero Club Drive approaching the crash site - more than 2,100 feet - would technically require a speed of 160 mph to cause a vehicle to lose control.

"It's such a large, gradual curve in that area," Ratliff said. "There had to be some contributing factor, driver error."

The teens, friends for around 8 years, are competitors and students at Xtreme Tae Kwon Do, a Martial Arts school inside Ultima Gym in the Wellington Country Plaza.

Reyes started practicing the art of self-defense at age 8, and has excelled in major competitions. He became a home-school student to concentrate more on his sport, for which he had hoped to win a place on the U.S. Air Force tae kwon do team, his mother, Maria Reyes said. Through the USAF, he had hoped to win a place on the U.S. Olympic team, his mother said.

Borjas was in school at Royal Palm Beach High this week wearing a neck brace and bandages.

Friends said Allongo and Borjas have been at Delray Medical Center Tuesday to support their friend and his family. David underwent emergency surgery Friday to stop internal bleeding, and on Friday underwent neck surgery, which showed three broken vertebra, friends said.

Maria Reyes said David has no feeling below his neck. But she and her husband remain hopeful he can regain movement after damaged bones placing pressure on his spinal chord are repairs. His spinal cord is intact, she said.

Ratliff said he hopes to complete his initial crash investigation this week, but the severity of charges against Allongo depend on the health of Reyes.

"We want to give them (family) a little time to deal with it emotionally," he said. "It is a traumatic ordeal."

"Our concern is first for David Reyes," Ratliff said. "There will be charges coming in the case."

"If he continues to improve, we're looking at a traffic infraction. If he was to die of his injuries, it could possibly lead … to the realm of being criminal - vehicular homicide."

Allongo has no prior criminal or traffic citation record, Ratliff said. "He just turned 16 in February."

Seven-member board is chief among Acreage residents' demands

By Bob Markey II

Nov. 18, 2001 - The people of The Acreage and its government are at odds over the proposed make-up of future Indian Trail Improvement Districts boards.

At a town meeting last Thursday, residents voted 37-6 in favor of retaining the ITID's seven-member Board of Supervisors. The current board favors a five-member panel.

The ITID has asked legislators to approve a change in its powers, which in part would change voting for supervisors from acreage-based to per-person. Board members would have to live in the districts they represent but be elected by all ITID residents for four-year terms. Terms would increase terms from three to four years, and elections would move from October to November.

The changes - if approved by the Palm Beach County Legislative Delegation later this month, and eventually the Legislature and governor - would not go into effect until next year.

The board make-up has drawn the most debate.

Residents who came to a Western Pines Middle School meeting called by state Rep. Hank Harper said a larger board would give them more of a say in government and minimize control of issues such as incorporation and planning by developers and the rich.

Chris Karch, who is among the board minority favoring a larger make-up, said this will be the first year Acreage residents will be represented by seven members. The last large landowner-controlled seat will next be elected by residents, as called for in 1990 legislation.

"It's ironic to me that the first time you're gonna get seven members, there is some kind of a movement to switch it back to five," Karch said.

Karch said developers will "fund" candidates to win political favors and control decisions with the support of three officials. "That's a scary thought to me."

He said that with five members, residents in the rural Acreage "run the risk of losing some of your representation to the urbanized areas."

Board members - all of whom were present - defended their decision, saying five-member boards are the standard in Palm Beach County, that larger boards create bureaucratic "chaos," and that state law requires five-member boards.

Too much ITID infrastructure has been added to effectively support seven elected officials, said former board president Charles Walsey.

"Our staff is overworked trying to provide all this information that everybody needs," he said.

Five-member board elections cost less, he added. "We are not in a society to suppress anybody."

An attorney and lobbyist hired by the ITID to promote the bill, said state law specifically mentions five elected members. He warned that even if the Legislature passed the bill with seven members, Gov. Jeb Bush could veto all the reforms, as he did last year, if he "determined the language of the change is unlawful."

Karch said the law is not clear and might calls for boards of three to be expanded to five.

ITID Administrator John Bonde said no one knows how to properly interpret the statute.

"Reduce the size of the board," resident Steve Decker said. "Five members, better control. What city in this county has seven board members?"

County Commissioner Tony Masilotti said the most important part of the bill eliminates acreage voting, a process dating to years when most of the community was owned by non-residents. Wellington moved from acreage voting prior to its incorporation.

"Eliminate proxies and eliminate the opportunity for large landowners to control your destiny," Masilotti told residents.

Votes in favor of per-person voting, and for supervisors to live in the districts they represent passed with votes of more than 3 to 1.

Loxahatchee leaders warm to equestrians' road material

By Bob Markey II

Dec. 1, 2001 - Upset about anti-equestrian comments by Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District supervisors, horse owners came out with a "lynching" on their mind Monday to demand more equine-friendly roads.

The equestrians brought boxes of crushed limestone they claim will result in smaller roadbed rocks and a better surface for riders as well as motorists. Supervisors, who previously claimed they could find no finer a rock that would hold up to heavy vehicle traffic and weather, said they would consider using the material.

"We have a solution that will work," Victor Connor, president of the Palm Beach County Horse Industry Council, said of the material, mined and crushed in a quarry near the Broward-Palm Beach County line. "It works for roads, it works for cars, it does hold up and it doe not become slippery."

In December 2000, the district began resurfacing 32 miles of non-district-owned but publicly used dirt roads with a crushed limestone mix. The district has improved more than one third of the roads, using about half of the $200,000 in gas tax funds allocated by Commissioner Tony Masilotti.

The roads in the poorest condition - especially those who cannot accommodate school buses, fire trucks and delivery vehicles - are given top priority, said district administrator Clete Saunier. While many of the affected residents have applauded the effort, riders said large rocks mixed into the limestone damage their horses hooves and automobile tires.

Dan Coffman, government affairs representative for the HIC, said the new material was suggested by equestrian and road builder Craig Ellmore of Hardrives. The Village of Wellington used 5,500 tons of the rock last year, at a cost of about $3.85 per ton - close to the cost of rock current purchased from Palm Beach Aggregates for Groves roads, he said.

Although it is not state approved, the material is filtered so no rock is larger than 2 ½ inches, Coffman said. Currently-used material can officially contain rocks as large as 3 ½ inches, Saunier said, but rocks as large a 6 inches have been found on the roads.

Thirty members of the HIC sifted through the material and recommended it, Coffman said. "It is probably the best bargain for the money."

Maybe not, according to Saunier, who said the cost of trucking the material from the county line could be prohibitive. The district now pays $2.05 per ton just to haul it from Palm Beach Aggregates near 20-Mile Bend, he said.

Supervisors said they would believe the material's viability when they see it.

"This board has spent a lot of money testing the products we have now," Supervisor Robert Snowball said. "Is the equestrian community willing to spend the money to fund the test strip?"

The 20-plus horsemen on hand grumbled, then board chairman David DeMarois suggested the county would fund the test.

Supervisor Ron Jarriel called for a "long" test strip. "I'd like the equestrian people to pick the road and we'll find out how good it is," he said.

Jan Underwood, who led the equestrian road protest, immediately suggested the use of 6th Court North, which had been a popular equestrian road until the size of the rocks made rides hard on horses' hooves.

"I hope it works for a road," Jarriel said. "It would be great. It looks pretty good."

The equestrians, who came ready for a fight, also reminded the board they chose to live in Loxahatchee because it was a rural, horse-friendly environment. They demanded a bridle trail through the community and horse trails be installed in Loxahatchee Groves Park.

"The horse community is like America - laid back. But when you rile us, we're gonna be there," said Peggy Kovacs. She and others suggested the district and county use canal maintenance easements as horse trails, admitting the idea was previously opposed by some landowners.

Supervisor David Browning said he would like to see the roads safer for horses, but the district's priority must be for motorists, who have sued because of poor driving conditions. Also, the district cannot create the trails because it has state authority only to improve roads and canals.

"I would like to see a network of horse trails out here, but it's gonna have to be established by the county," Browning said.

Masilotti said last month the park - which is being expanded with another ball field and new restroom and other facilities - cannot support horse trails. Supervisors and the public disagreed.

"There's no reason why we cannot have nice horse trails in that park," Jarriel said. "I don't know why we have the worst looking park in the county, but we do. It looks like a jungle and it's unsafe for kids to go in there."

Coffman warned the board the HIC will "fight for the horse industry to be able to use what they have until something better is available."

A month after supervisors criticized equestrians and told them they had no business riding on district roads, Coffman thanked HIC members for holding their tempers.

"A lot of people showed up … with lynching on their mind," Coffman said.

"We're traded barbs back and forth and hopefully we will be able to find a solution," DeMarois said.

In other business, the board approved a life and disability insurance and sick leave policy and approved a $4,000 budget adjustment to fund it.

The policy offers payments to employees who suffer non-job-related injuries, illnesses or death. The idea took root after an employee was recently forced to leave the district because of a terminal illness.

Reno defends raids, considers  Florida
gubernatorial bid

By Bob Markey II

JUPITER - Former Attorney General Janet Reno said Friday she hasn't decided whether to run for governor, but that didn't stop her from sounding like a candidate as she defended her controversial performance in the Clinton administration.

In particular, she stood by her decisions to raid the Branch Davidian complex near Waco, Texas, and the Miami foster home of Elian Gonzalez.

In choosing a governor, Reno suggested voters ask themselves, "Who has the most experience making the hard decisions in the executive branch?"

Speaking to more than 100 newspaper publishers and editors at the Jupiter Beach Resort, Reno, a Democrat, said her approval of the raid by U.S. agents on the Texas compound of the religious cult in 1993 was necessary, even though the loss of 80 lives in the resulting fire was a tragedy.

"Four agents were killed, 16 wounded," Reno said. "You could not walk away from it" or stand by indefinitely as Davidian leader David Koresh kept his followers holed up on the property.

"David Koresh would have created his own Armageddon," she said. "We went ahead in the best way I saw possible."

The April 2000 order to send FBI agents storming into the home of Elian's relatives was necessary to return the 6-year-old to Cuba and the man "who contributed to the upbringing of his child," Reno said.

"Elian... is a very special little boy," she said. "This little boy belongs with his daddy."

She said she would do it "again and again and again."

Reno urged the journalists to support additional funding for early childhood development programs, juvenile courts and long-term systems of counseling for children in trouble.

"Instead of waiting for a child of 15 to be in a detention facility, let's make the investment up front," she said.

Reno called special drug courts -- which she helped to institute as Dade County state attorney in the 1980s -- one of her "great experiences," and urged their continued expansion. She said her Miami efforts to win child support for single mothers is probably still her most notable work.

Reno also said local, state and federal officials must work together to obtain the latest technology in fighting cyber-crime. Because the Internet has made it possible for someone in Russia to electronically steal money in Florida, governments and private industry must cooperate worldwide, she said.

And with 400,000 to 500,000 prisoners scheduled for release each year for the next four to five years, she said, communities must invest in new job and training programs.

"Crime is down eight years in a row, to a 30-year low," Reno said, "but we cannot become complacent."

Reno, who has lived in Miami since her eight-year job as attorney general ended with the Clinton presidency, said she appreciates city life and its amenities, but will always hold a deep appreciation for nature -- bred into her as a child.

She recalled a youthful motorboat trip through the Everglades and the St. Lucie Canal with her mother and her sister -- environmentalist and former Martin County Commissioner Maggy Hurchalla -- as one of her fondest memories.

One sunrise on the St. Lucie was "the most beautiful natural thing I think I have ever seen," she said.

Even today, Reno said, she returns in spirit, if not in person, to the Treasure Coast when she needs to get away from the pressures of national politics and crime.

"When things seem to be getting a little bit tight, I'll pick up the phone and call up to Stuart and holler at my sister, and pretty soon we get it all back into perspective," she said.

If Reno runs against Gov. Jeb Bush, she could face a growing list of other Democratic hopefuls, including Tampa attorney Bill McBride, U.S. Rep. Jim Davis of Tampa, Broward County Sheriff Ken Jenne and former U.S. Rep. Pete Peterson, who will resign next month as U.S. ambassador to Vietnam.

State Sen. Daryl Jones of Miami this week became the first Democratic candidate to announce he will run for governor. State House Minority Leader Lois Frankel of West Palm Beach said she plans to announce her candidacy.

"No I have not made up my mind yet," Reno told the annual convention of the Florida Society of Newspaper Editors and the Florida Press Association. But she said she will quickly consider the option and announce her decision soon.

If she runs and is elected, Reno said, the people of Florida will have proved they "want somebody who will call it like I see it."

Published June 23 in The Jupiter Courier and Stuart/Port St. Lucie News.

WHS graduates start
theatre company

NEW YORK, N.Y.  (June 2001) - Wellington High School Class of 1994 graduates Paul Paglia (University of the Arts, Philadelphia) and David L. Williams (Cornell University) co-founders of ZABAWA, will present their third production at The Chelsea Playhouse, 124 West 22nd Street (between 6th & 7th Avenues) in  Manhattan.

ZABAWA Theatre Company will debut Tina Howe’s comedy, Museum, directed by Paglia, at 8 p.m. June 12-28. Admission is $15.

Set in a gallery on the last day of an exhibition, Museum is a witty and wicked send-up of the contemporary art world. Howe creates an all to recognizable parade of characters, each drawn to the show for their own reasons. College students, photographers, French tourists, art enthusiasts, fashion plates, even the museum security guards – nothing and nobody is sacred in this sharp and sophisticated satire.

Eighteen (18) actors take on 40 roles and the production features original artworks by local artists Michael A. Rippens and Laura Smith.

This is the first directing venture by Paglia, who performed the lead role as an acting student in Philadelphia. Joe Vena is co-founder of the company.

Museum, presented in repertory with David L. Williams' Ampersand, completes Zabawa’s 2000-2001 season, an exciting follow-up to their acclaimed winter productions of Jean-Claude van Itallie’s Interview, directed by Paglia, and Love’s Fire.

Friends are encouraged to contact The Chelsea Playhouse at 212-460-1867 for ticket information or reservations.

Teens offered hands-on
driver training at fairgrounds

The New Driver Car Control Clinic will be held at South Florida Fairgrounds in West Palm Beach on Saturday, June 23, Sunday, July 22 and Sunday, Aug. 12.

This one-day, hands-on, in-car clinic for teens and their parents teaches accident avoidance techniques and defensive driving skills.

"This is the missing link in driver education," said David Thompson, clinic founder. "It goes beyond the basics, involves the parents and concentrates on training teen drivers what to expect and how to respond when their car enters the 'emergency zone.' "

Using their own cars, students perform a series of exercises to learn to steer away from obstacles while braking heavily and suddenly. Exercises are performed both on dry and wet pavement.

Each clinic costs $120 per parent/student team and includes a 45-minute video and 56-page workbook to guide parents in fulfilling their Florida state-mandated 50 hours in the car with new drivers.

Clinics begin at 8:30 a.m. and conclude at 2:30 p.m. Advance reservations are required.

Call 800-862-3277 for information and reservations.

BellSouth voice steps down

Bob Markey II

WEST PALM BEACH (June 7, 2001) - Sid Poe, the face and voice of BellSouth on the Treasure Coast and Palms West Communities for the past 16 years, is stepping down.

The communications giant's regulatory and external affairs manager, Poe will serve his last day July 2 and then pursue other career opportunities.

During his 30-year career with BellSouth, Poe has also worked as a network services administrator, internal auditor, employee relations supervisor and labor relations manager.

He marveled Tuesday at the changes in telecommunications during his tenure - from mechanical systems to computer-programmed switching offices, high-speed Internet access and the proliferation of wireless phone technology.

"When I started driving a company vehicle, I had a tone pager. It would only beep to tell you to call the office," he said. "Now I find myself thinking about how fast those years have gone by."

Since he became a regional manager in 1985, Poe has dealt with state and local governments on telecommunications policy and legislation. But he is best known as the company's spokesman - explaining issues ranging from phone service interruptions to the installation of Internet connections in St. Lucie County schools.

Poe was at the forefront of the area code change from 407 to 561 in 1996, and in 1998 announced the opening of a national directory assistance center in Fort Pierce.

In 1998, he took over a similar role for northwest and central Palm Beach County.

A University of Central Florida graduate and Air Force veteran, Poe is appreciated by local emergency management officials for his efforts in the coordination of communications efforts before and during hurricanes, nuclear and other emergencies.

"Sid was always available and right there for any types of emergencies," said Don Daniels, St. Lucie County's emergency management coordinator. "He was willing to help plan ahead of time and help motivate people to get ready."

Keith Holman, Martin County's Emergency Management Department director, said he has fond memories of Poe from the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

"I ran into him in, of all places, Florida City," Holman said. "I mean, the place looks like a bomb fell on it. People were waiting for water, and there's Sid and another guy going almost door to door handing out phone books - with good cause, because there's a wealth of information in it for people looking for contractors, etc.

"It came in very handy."

A West Palm Beach resident, Poe is on the board of directors of the Palm Beach County Workforce Development Board and United Way of Palm Beach County, as well as the Jupiter-Tequesta and Palms West chambers of commerce.

"We are going to miss Sid's insight and experience," said Joe Lacher, BellSouth's Florida president. "All of us consider Sid a good friend and wish him well in his future endeavors."

Poe said he is considering several opportunities in the Palm Beaches and Treasure Coast, but has no immediate plans.

"I have had a very productive set of years with BellSouth and Southern Bell," Poe said. "I have enjoyed carrying on the role immensely. But this is a time in my life to close that chapter and move on to other challenges and opportunities."

Originally published in the Fort Pierce/Port St. Lucie Tribune and Stuart/Port St. Lucie News.

Judo students attend
Olympic training camp 

Colorado Springs, Colo. (June 11, 2001) - West Palm Beach Judo Academy students Alia Carmichael, Angelle Davila, Peter Rodriguez, Aaron Silverman, Melanie A. Vega-Borja and Diana Puentes (Budokan Judo Club) attended USA Judo's Junior Elite Training Camp at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

The objective of this camp is to select and train a U.S. Junior World team to represent the country in the 2002 Junior World Judo Championships to be held on Sept. 12-15 2002, on Cheju Island, Korea.

The judokas returned on June 11, 2001 to Colorado Springs . Despite the rigorous workouts, they returned with the perspective of what it takes to be a champion. These youngsters were under the directions of distinguished judokas like 2000 World Champion 66 KG Jimmy Pedro, Leo White 17 times World Military Games and U.S. National Champion, and Jun Kun

Carmichael is sophomore at Wellington Community High School, Angelle Davila is an eighth-grader at Wellington Landings Middle School, Peter Rodriguez is an eighth-grader at Crestwood Middle School in Royal Palm Beach, Aaron J. Silverman is a eighth-grader at Hidden Oaks Middle School in Palm City, Melanie A. Vega-Borja and Diana Puentes are freshman at Wellington High School.

Judo is a martial art derived from several Ju Jutsu Styles. Judo was introduced as an Olympic Sport in 1964.

Florida is a hotbed for Olympic Judo team members in recent years placing four team members in 1996 and three in 2000. These Judokas have their sites on the 2004 Olympics in Greece with the Junior World Championships being part of the Judo team qualification system.

The objective in judo is to score a full point (Ippon) There are three ways to score a full point, ideally you should throw your opponent on their back with force, control and speed; second, pin your opponent to the mat for 25 seconds; and third, by submission with either a choke or an arm bar.

Partial scores (Koka, Yuko and Wazari) are assessed by a referee and two judges in a four-minute match for women, a five-minute match for men. Matches that go scoreless are decided by the referee and two judges. Penalties are assessed for non-combativity or other illegal actions.

In tournament, the goal is to defeat your opponent with the maximum efficiency with minimum effort with out having to expend too much effort on each opponent.

Jimmycamp - 2000 World Judo Champion 66 KG Jimmy Pedro (Danvers, Mass.) demonstrates Tao Otoshi (L-R) Palm Beach County athletes observing Alia Carmichael, Melanie Vega-Borja, # 9 Aaron J. Silverman, #12 Angelle Davila

From L to R #1 Standing Angelle Davila, # 3 Standing Aaron J.. Silverman, #4 Standing Melanie Vega-Borja, #10 (sitting) Alia Carmichael, #27 Standing Pedro Rodriguez, #28 Standing Diana Puentes

Fastpitch girls runner-up
in Pembroke Shootout

The Wellington Wild 12 "A" girls fastpitch softball team took the runner up spot in the Pembroke Pines One Day Shootout on Sunday, April 29.

Manager David Conklin said the girls "had an awesome series," coming into the championship game with a 4-o record for the day.

Sarah Crum led the team in batting with a home run, and three doubles for the day. Cathy Lazarus pitched four consecutive games and also had a triple. Sarah Siegfried hit two doubles.

Heather Daglian and Amber Martyn played "great defense" with a double play for each of them, the coach said. "The team as a whole played outstanding defense and hit the ball well."

Wild Winners - (L-R sitting) Christie George, Caitlin Conklin, Lizzy Dillon, and Samantha Gutierrez; (standing middle) Sarah Siegfried, Amber Martyn, Heather Daglian, Melissa Conners, Chessie Boggess, Cathy Lazarus, Christine Sprenger, Sarah Crum; (standing rear) Coach Tami Boggess, Coach Don Martyn, Coach Tom Lazarus, and Manager David Conklin.

Majorettes invited to
Nationals in Texas

June 2001 - The Wellington High School Band's Majorette Squad, coached by Adrienne Brady, has qualified for the U.S. Twirling Association National Championship, to be held in Fort Worth, Texas, on July 14.

The WHS squad achieved this qualification by winning the U.S.T.A. State Large Team and Small  Team Championships on May 19. Along with this honor, the WHS majorettes won the Twirling Unlimited State and regional championships on April 22, and the National Baton Twirling Association State Championship on April 29.

The group also earned Superior ratings at the Florida Bandmasters Association District and State Solo/Ensemble Festivals in February and April.

Mighty Wolverine Sound
wins accolades in N.Y.

May 2001 - Fifty-four members of the Wellington High School Mighty Wolverine Sound band competed in the Heritage Music Festival in New York City, April 26-29. The students entered in the categories of concert band, jazz band and auxiliary.

The Wellington Band members earned first place and the Gold Award in the Concert Band category. The Concert Band also earned the Adjudicator's Award for the top score in the competition, and the Best Instrumental Group award.

The Jazz Band and the Auxiliary earned the Silver Award in their categories.

In final evaluations, the WHS Band Program won the Outstanding Instrumental Program award, given to the highest scoring group that enters two or more bands. The Wellington Band also earned the Sweepstakes Trophy, given to the highest scoring band program that enters three or more instrumental groups.

The Wellington bands were in competition with other groups from throughout the United States and Canada.

For more information about the Wellington High School Band program, please visit its Web site at www.whsband.com.

Wellington Musicians
earn district honors

May 10, 2001 - Several members of the Wellington High School Band program earned honors at the district and state level this spring.

On April 6 and 7, nine members of the band performed with the 2001 Palm Beach County All-District Honors Bands. The students were selected through audition on April 3.

Students selected from the Wellington band were Noah Brown, Allison Culbert, Paul Culbert, Jim Devane, Kyle Ferris, Kyle Rowan, Amanda Savage, Jesse Stolow, and Adam Tingen. The bands performed in a concert on April 7 at Dreyfoos School of the Arts.

On April 10, 51 members of the Wellington Bands participated in the State Solo and Ensemble Festival in Port Orange. The students were judged by collegiate and professional adjudicators.

Winners include Noah Brown, Paul Culbert, Nathanael Herrera, Katherine Keller, Alyssa Mulhern, Geoff Stirling, and Erika Tacy, who earned a Superior in solo performance.

The school's Majorette Ensemble, Brass Quintet, and Percussion Sextet also earned Superior ratings in ensemble performance.

WHS concert band
earns Superior rating

Student conductor Paul Culbert conducts the Wellington High School Wind Ensemble. PHOTOS BY Lourdes Ferris

March 16, 2001 -- Members of the Wellington High School Band department recently performed in the District 14 Florida Bandmasters Association Concert Band Festival at Suncoast High School, Feb. - March 3. The top two concert bands from the school entered this annual evaluation event, which featured bands from every middle and high school in Palm Beach County.

The Wind Ensemble, Wellington High's most advanced concert band, earned all Superior ratings in both the concert and sight-reading portions of the festival -- the highest ratings possible. This is the 4th consecutive year that the Wind Ensemble has achieved this rating.

The Symphonic Band earned straight Excellent ratings in stage performance, and earned a Superior rating in sight reading.

The Symphonic Band performs at FBA Festival at Suncoast High School.

Both of these ensembles, along with the school's Concert Band, will be featured in the annual Spring Concert at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 17, in the Royal Palm Beach High Auditorium.

View and listen to the bands in action at the FBA festival by visiting the band's Web site: www.whsband.com

X-treme Demo Team
Performs At VOW Celebration 

By Patricia Bachi
PBachi@aol.com

March 16, 2001 --  The X-treme Tae Kwon Do Demonstration Team performed Saturday at the Village of Wellington’s Fifth Anniversary Celebration.

The demonstration was held at the Rotary Club carnival site at the Wellington Community Center on Forest Hill Blvd.

Demo Team members Collin Bachi, Dustin Finn, Rebecca Grumet, Eric Melamed, Christina Morgan, Nicole Palma, Jose Rojas, Maria Rojas, Kenneth Roy, Andrea Simeone, Amanda Stratemeyer and Sara Stratemeyer participated in the event.

The demonstration included traditional forms display, self-defense skills, tile and board breaking. Master Warren Caullett performed various breaking techniques including a two-finger, multiple board break and a power break of 8 inches of concrete tile. Caullett illustrated how each breaking technique can be used in self-defense situations.

The X-treme Demonstration Team represents X-treme Tae Kwon Do at various community events throughout Palm Beach County. Demo Team members perform under the direction of X-treme TKD Director and Master Instructor James Caullett, Master Instructor Warren Caullett and Instructor Greg Schlaff.

See XtremeTaeKwonDo.com.

Polo Season's off to hot start
Highlights of the Jan. 27 game between Goshen (white) and Lechuza. Goshen beat Lechuza, 12- 10 at Palm Beach Polo.

Mizner mansion nears end of long, controversial journey

By Bob Markey II

The first and largest section of Florida's final Addison Mizner-designed home reached shore about 75 yards from its eventual home on Seaspray Lane about 1:45 a.m., as about 100 people watched in awe.

Aboard a barge carrying the 400-ton section was Gary Ross, one of three partners who rescued the mansion from destruction in Manalapan, then spent a year trying to relocate it in Sewall's Point.

"I just kind of snuck my way onto the boat (at the Port of Palm Beach) and rode it here," said Ross as he hugged his partners, brothers Jim and Ranney Moran, and before kneeling to pray.

"It was just amazing to look out of the living room . . . I prayed to God it would all work out and it did," he said, thanks to the first calm seas in weeks.

Late Thursday, crews from Modern Movers and Youngblood Building Movers were crafting a sand and wood bridge to the bow of the barge. The temporary construction was to allow the 60-foot-wide section to be pulled onto steel plates atop the sand, eventually across South Ocean Boulevard and onto 61 concrete pylons on the $6.5 million, 1.5-acre site.

"We hope to take the house off the barge and at least get it on the beach," said consultant Jim Harvey. Because the work ran hours behind schedule - after a week of weather-related waiting - the Town of Palm Beach and state Department of Environmental Protection officials were asked to bend their rules, Harvey said.

For example, Palm Beach does not allow any construction work after 5 p.m. and on weekends. Plans also call for the two smaller sections to be brought on shore separately, but were changed Thursday to float them from Fort Pierce next week.

"The hardest job is done," Harvey said. "We didn't destroy anything getting it here."

On shore among the throng of media and the curious, Lauren Ross was ecstatic. The 14-year-old got her real estate investor father involved in the $10 million-plus project after falling in love with the house during a friend's 1999 birthday party.

"It's so beautiful. The interior, the intricacies of everything. . . . It was made with such detail and precision," she said.

The Morans and Ross paid $3.2 million for the building to Richard DeVos, founder of Amway and owner of the Orlando Magic basketball team, in late 1999. They almost immediately were fined $86,000 after repeated efforts to remove sections of the home from its Manalapan property destroyed Lake Worth Lagoon sea grass.

Then the trio were unable to jump through enough political and environmental hoops to place L'Encantada on a lot in Sewall's Point. In April, they donated $50,000 to Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and were allowed to keep the sections there until a large number of Palm Beach variances could be won.

Ross, who had been bitter about the Martin County failure, was elated with the beaching, pointing to the moon shining in the deep blue eastern sky. He and the Morans named their partnership Fly Me to the Moon.

After the other rwo sections are floated from harbor branch next week, "Our plan is to put it back together and landmark it so there never will be a threat of destruction again," Ross said.

Originally published in The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News.

Mother nature holds up historic ocean mansion move

By Bob Markey II

PALM BEACH (Jan. 30, 2001) - Tugboats and other specialized craft, a team of house movers and consultants, a throng of media and curious onlookers were ready Monday, but Mother Nature threw yet another kink in the works - keeping the first section of the Addison Mizner mansion L'Encantada moored at the Port of Palm Beach.

Owner Jim Moran and project manager Gary Ross hoped to place the 60-foot-wide first section of the 1928 mansion on a prime piece of real estate at the ocean in this island town, but the waves were too high. High winds are expected to keep the building in port until next week.

"We tried," said John Karambelas, a spokesman for the project. "But there were 6-foot rollers out the (Palm Beach) inlet . . . and it was a safety thing.

"Because the height of the waves make the back of the barge (dip) . . . the home could roll by itself," Karambelas said. "If the angle gets too great, we could have a runaway house."

When the two-story section is finally seaborne - the first ocean move of a house any of the consultants can remember - it will be towed by two tugs. A specialized boat that can anchor itself into the sea floor on stilts will come along in case of problems.

After the approximately eight-mile, two-hour ride, the 400-ton section will be winched across flat steel panels atop fresh piles of sand, across the narrow beach, and onto South Ocean Boulevard. There, a truck will tow it about 100 feet onto a prepared lot at the east end of Seaspray Lane and set it atop 61 concrete pilings buried 30 feet deep.

On hand to record the process is a documentary crew hired by Ross. As workers spread gravel on part of the lot Monday afternoon, consultants and photographers waited as the breakers crashed almost onto the dunes.

"The film crew is here strictly to protect me from the DEP," Ross said, expressing bitterness toward the Department of Environmental Protection that fined the owners for environmental damage in the Intracoastal Waterway last year when the mansion was dragged from its former home.

As he looked over the path that should bring Mizner's final Florida project to its final resting place, Ross expressed similar disdain for the town of Sewall's Point. Strict zoning regulations and questions about the home's authenticity caused Ross to reconsider a first plan to rebuild it on a site there.

"The town of Sewall's Point lost the best thing they could have ever had," Ross said. "They didn't show Addison Mizner the respect he deserved."

The first and largest of the three sections has been moored at the port, costing the owners $1,000 a day, said Jim Harvey, whose firm, Florida Government Relations, is the lead consultant. The piece was floated from St. Lucie County on Jan. 24.

"We're at the whim of the Coast Guard," Harvey said, explaining that conditions calls for the agency to approve of sea conditions.

Harvey estimated Monday that the project - including the move from Manalapan to a temporary home at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution near Fort Pierce in April, and then back to Palm Beach County and onto the 1.5-acre lot - will cost "a couple of million" dollars.

He said the 8,000-square-foot, mortar-built home has fared extremely well, despite being chopped up and moved twice.

"I'd consider it in outstanding shape, considering the long and arduous journey it's been through," he said.

He plans to have the additional two pieces shipped from St. Lucie County during the next two weeks, pending weather conditions.

The move has been unsuccessful at almost every turn since the company, Fly Me To The Moon LLC, led by Moran and Ross bought the home for $3.2 million in December 1999. Ross later sold his share.

In April 2000, the barge carrying the first section of the building became stuck on a sandbar in the Intracoastal Waterway near Manalapan. The state DEP fined the owners $86,000 for damaging 1.47 acres of sea grass.

The owners then battled with Sewall's Point officials for permission to place the home on an Intracoastal site, at one point having to defend the home's authenticity. Then the DEP refused to allow a barge to approach land near the site because it could damage sea grass and mangroves.

"This is one of the finest examples in existence of Mizner architecture," Ross said. In Sewall's Point, "They're just not sophisticated enough up there. They had a diamond in their hands."

The owners were then able to convince Harbor Branch officials to house the sections there for 90 days. In exchange, the owners donated $50,000 to the organization. Local and state red tape delayed the project until last week.

On Monday, the well-publicized move drew many curious residents and visitors to the site, just south of The Breakers hotel.

"I've seen a three-story brick home in Bethlehem, Pa., moved," said Helen Washileski, who winters in Lake Worth. "Nothing was broken. It was quite amazing.

"But this is quite an unusual move," she said, adding she was "disappointed" plans were postponed.

Officials said weather forecasts call for brisk winds and high waves until the end of the week. The town of Palm Beach will not allow work on weekends, so the team might have to wait until Monday to beach the home.

Ross - whose 14-year-old daughter, Lauren, got him involved in the process when she learned in school about the planned demise of the home - said he is hoping for some good luck and a change in the weather.

"Everybody's been telling me they thought I had better connections," Ross said. "I said, 'I've asked God for too many favors, already.'"

Originally published in The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News.

By Bob Markey II

PALM BEACH (Feb. 16) - The two-hour trip from port to the island of Palm Beach was a bit choppier the second time around, but the outcome was just as smooth.

The last two pieces of L'Encantada, the county-hopping Addison Mizner-designed mansion, arrived several hundred feet from their sibling about 2:20 p.m. Thursday. Except for some repositioning of the barge carrying the 600-ton load, the trip went off without a hitch, said co-owner Gary Ross.

"Everyone was a little nervous," said Ross, who for the second time rode inside the house during the approximate eight-mile trip from the Port of Palm Beach to just south of The Breakers hotel. "The seas were a little choppy. I went inside and prayed. Every time I pray, it works out for me."

Ross, whose Palm Beach Consulting firm worked for 14 months to move the 1928 home from Manalapan to St. Lucie County and back to Palm Beach, and horse-breeding brothers Jim and Ranney Moran paid $3.2
million for the structure 1999.

After drawing environmental fines for destroying sea grass as the
mansion was loaded in three pieces on barges at its original site, the owners then ran into zoning resistance from officials in Sewall's Point, where Ross planned to restore it on a 3-acre lot.

The mansion spent much of 2000 at Harbor Branch Oceanographic
Institution near Fort Pierce before the owners paid $6.5 million for a
1.5-acre, oceanfront Palm Beach lot, and then invested six months in permitting and variance requests.

Then came the move of the 420-ton first piece - the first ocean move of a home in South Florida officials could recall. It went off almost perfectly Feb. 1, and that section now rests permanently on 61 concrete and
steel pylons.

Fourteen-year-old Lauren - who convinced her father to take on the project after learning during a birthday party in the 1928 home that it was to be demolished - grinned Thursday alongside her mother Donna as the final pieces of the puzzle came ashore.

"This is like the final chapter of an enchanting tale," she said.

The project - including $86,000 in fines, two moving jobs, architectural, engineering and other consultant fees - has been estimated to have cost $10 million. Add that to the cost of the home and lot, and the owners probably spent more money than they could hope to recoup in a sale.

"You could replicate the same thing for a lot less," said Palm Beacher Walter Veith, who was among about 100 people watching the spectacle Thursday. "But you've got to give them a lot of credit for respecting antiquity."

Natalie Thorpe, administrative assistant to the Maryland-based
Morans, said the project has always been about saving the grandeur, and final work, of Florida's most famous architect.

"I don't think it's the cost that's as important as preserving the
home," Thorpe said. The Morans "do this because they enjoy it and it's something for history."

Gary Ross said the work will continue today. Crews from Modern Movers will build a sand and steel bridge from the top of the dune line to the barge, and large trucks will pull the mansion pieces across the beach to the west side of South County Road and onto the home site.

The 20-room mansion will be restored without disturbing Mizner's designs, which include a ceiling mural and other frescoes, stone carvings and cypress doors, the owners said.

It might then be sold, but not before it receives landmark status, Ross said.

Originally published in The Stuart News/Port St. Lucie News.

Fourth Of July Celebrations
set in Wellington, Royal Palm

The Palms West Communities are billed as the places to be for family fun on the Fourth of July. Both Wellington and Royal Palm Beach are offering a wide variety of morning, afternoon and evening revelry for those of all ages.

The fun starts early with the 11th annual Red, White & Blue Fishing Tournament, and continues in the late afternoon alongside Lake Challenger on Royal Palm Beach Blvd. and at Village Park on Pierson Road.

Hundreds of children and adult anglers are expected to enter the free fishing tourney, to be based at Lakeside Challenger Park in Royal Palm Beach.

Children can register in five age categories: 6 and younger; 7-9; 10-12; 13-19; and adult/child (adults can only enter by fishing with a child). Anglers may enter in one of two fish categories: bass or other. Only freshwater fish may be entered - caught in any area waterway.

Anglers can register before the July 4 at the Wellington or Royal Palm Beach Parks and recreation departments, local bait and tackle shops, or the morning of the tournament from 6:30 to 9 a.m. at the Challenger Park Gazebo.

Trophies and prizes will be awarded to the top three anglers in each age group and fish category. Awards will be based on total weight of fish caught and weighed in.

The bass category weigh-in deadline is 11 a.m. at the gazebo weigh station. Only three bass per angler may be caught, and the bass must be alive and able to be released to be counted.

The "other" fish categories include catfish, gar, pan fish, etc. The weigh-in for "other" fish is set for noon.

Every child will be a winner in the tourney, said tourney founder and coordinator Tom Sawyer of Wellington, receiving a free package of Gambler plastic worms.

"The weigh-ins are always exciting to see what everybody caught," he said. "And even if you don’t catch a fish, there will be plenty of door prizes — with a $100 rod and reel combo as the grand prize."

Royal Palm Beach festivities include:

Golf tournament - starting at 8:30 a.m. with a shotgun start. The scramble tourney will be played at the Village County Club. Cost is $50 per person, including breakfast and a barbecue lunch.

11 a.m. - Royal Inn opens to the public for a party featuring the reggae group Obediah Colebrook from 1 to 6 p.m.

4-6 p.m. - Free open use of kayaks on the lake, followed at 7 p.m. by the Mayor’s Cup Kayak Race.

3-11 p.m. -  Elvis impersonator Lou Cook will entertain, followed by ’50s rock-'n'-roll group Johnny and the Heartbreaks at Lakeside Challenger Park's main pavilion. 

4-11 p.m. - Food and beverages will be sold along the lakefront. Children's crafts, games and other activities will be offered.

9 p.m. - Fireworks over Lake Challenger.

In Wellington:

9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 1:30 to 5:30 p.m. - Pool party at the Wellington Aquatics Center on Forest Hill Blvd. Cost is $2 per person, per session.

6 to 9:30 p.m. - Barbecue and live performance by The Fabulons.

8:45 p.m. - Fireworks.

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