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Oil industry technology said to clean phosphorus runoff

By Bob Markey II

Nov. 1, 2002 - A coalition of companies known for their work in removing oil from water has unveiled a clay-based filtration system that it claims will remove all phosphorus from Wellington's Everglades runoff.

Officials of Aqua Technologies Inc., which produces the special clay called ET-1 Activated, and major partners PSI Engineering, Consulting and Testing and Project Integration, Inc., on Wednesday released lab tests from a two-week pilot water treatment project showing that levels of phosphorus were undetectable.

"We didn't know the results were going to be this good," said ATI marketing vice president Anthony Brown II, standing beside a flatbed trailer-mounted water treatment system next to Wellington Pump Station 2, a stone's throw from the Loxahatchee Wildlife Refuge.

The South Florida Water Management District has given the Village of Wellington and other designated "polluters" of the Everglades a mandate to limit to 10 parts per billion the phosphorus content of all drainage water by 2006. Phosphorus - sent into surface water primarily through equine waste and fertilizer - is blamed for causing toxic algae blooms and causing the growth of plants that damages the ecosystem.

ATI's system operates much like those of competing companies and municipalities. Water is pumped through a series of vats, in which chemicals are injected that cause phosphates to separate and coagulate. The water and resulting suspended solids called "flocculation" solids are then passed through the special clay, which causes the material to "adsorb" (or stick to its edges). Finally, the mostly phosphorus-less water is then filtered through special sand.

"We've added this (clay) filter on the back side to ensure the contaminants are removed consistently and economically," Brown said. "We can make it (water) very close to potable."

The companies spend $50,000 to conduct the pilot project at the southwest Wellington pump station. In the most recent test, on Oct. 16, water with 80 parts per billion of phosphorus was removed form a holding pond. After the first phase of the treatment, when an aluminum salt and other chemicals were was added causing the phosphates to separate from the water, the phosphorus content dropped to 36 ppb. After the clay and sand treatment, no phosphorus could be detected in the water, according to independent testing lab USBiosystems.

In initial laboratory tests, water measuring 810 ppb of phosphorus was cleaned to undetectable phosphorus levels, according to lab reports.

The South Florida Water Management District has also been approved to conduct a test of phosphorus filtering. SFWMD and Department of Environmental Protection officials on hand for the announcement Wednesday did not know the results of that test.

Stephen Cooper, senior geologist with PSI, said other similar tests, which did not use ATI's exclusive clay, were unable to cut phosphorus levels to approved levels because they relied too heavily on using aluminum to separate the phosphorus. In addition, those tests resulted in a great amount of solid waste material that could be expensive to dispose of, he said.

Officials said the clay can handle 100 times more contaminants than traditional filtering material, and the used clay can then be re-used in oil and gas operations, or disposed of without adverse environmental impacts, in landfills.

The clay-based system, in addition to Wellington's current Best Management Practices (BMPs) regulations and water pumping controls, could bring the village under the mandate as a reasonable cost, Brown said. He would not estimate the costs of building plants capable of cleaning much of Wellington's Basin B runoff, but said it would be less expensive than the $25 million to $30 million mentioned by various experts.

"We can accomplish the task," said Brown, promising to present the firms' findings to the Village Council, SFWMD, DEP and other agencies as soon as possible. "If we sit down together, we can make a common solution."

The Casper, Wy.-based ATI manufactures the clay primarily for use by the oil and gas industry to remove petroleum from water. Brown said it has varied uses, including as a cleanser of birds and other animals whose coats are fouled by oil spills.

ATI became involved in Florida ecology last year when one of its sales representatives asked company officials if the clay could be used in filtering phosphorus.

In addition to removing phosphorus, company officials said their system could be used to clean water - back-pumped from the Glades or elsewhere - for use by Wellingtonians. The systems could be made portable for use after a hurricane or disaster that might overwhelm traditional water treatment facilities, they said.

SFWMD and DEP officials who toured the pilot system Wednesday were intrigued by the process and results. None would comment on their opinions of its use or results, but said they would study the companies' method and data.

"We're willing to look at this and other technologies," said Melissa Meeker, director of the DEP's southeast district.

Just one high-ranking village official was on hand Wednesday. Wellington Public Works Director, who oversaw the process for the village, said he would schedule a presentation for the Village Council and staff.

Company officials - admittedly not used to dealing with slow-moving government entities - indicated time is of the essence if the village is to meet three-year mandate.

"This might be the answer to a lot of questions," Cooper said.

Wellington tries to patch black eye from manure dumping

By Bob Markey II

Oct. 2, 2002 - Months before the annual influx of 4,000 horses to Wellington, Vice Mayor Linda Bolton fears the fallout - literally - of manure on neighboring communities.

She wants the village to go a step further in its Best Management Practices (BMPs), requiring that livestock waste does not wind up once again piled 45-feet high on lots in Loxahatchee Groves and elsewhere.

Because Wellington is one of a small number of governments regulating manure, its problem has been literally hauled in trucks to neighboring communities, she said, giving Wellington a serious public relations problem and communities such as Loxahatchee cause to worry about their water quality.

"These are our neighbors. I don't think we are being good neighbors in letting this happen," Bolton said. "We're going to have to deal with it. Politically it looks terrible. They are calling it 'Wellington's manure.' "

Village Manager Charles Lynn and village council members repeated their 2001 argument: Wellington can only determine who hauls the manure and the manner in which it is stored while in Wellington.

"We don't legislate where they (haulers) go. We don't get involved in that," Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto said.

Loxahatchee feels the effects

Dr. Bill Louda, president of the Loxahatchee Groves Landowners Association, said increased nutrients leeching from piles of stored manure into canals increase algae blooms, exotic and detrimental vegetation growth and results in the use of more pesticides.

Last year, Louda led a group of residents protesting the storage of waste from Wellington's Winter Equestrian Festival - which brings to 6,000 Wellington's equine population - on privately-owned Groves property. The phosphorus that polluted water in southern Wellington and the adjacent Everglades - causing the South Florida Water Management District to crack down on the quality of water Wellington discharges - is now flowing into Loxahatchee waterways and soon, the Glades, Louda said.

Because the state and environmental agencies consider manure to be agricultural in nature, it is not regulated on a large scale. Last year, 11 landowners in and near Loxahatchee profited by accepting the waste from Wellington-approved haulers.

"Landowners make money by allowing the dumping on their property," Wellington Public Works Director Ken Roundtree said. "It's a short-term money venture with no respect given to the environment at all."

"The new season is about to begin and it will be bigger than ever. Not only are the polo and show jumping venues growing but now Wellington is to host the National Horse Show," Louda wrote in a letter to the media and local governments last week. "This is going to inundate Loxahatchee Groves with urine-soaked, manure-impregnated bedding."

Problem could be larger this year

Bolton and Louda agree that a solution could come in the form of new statewide manure regulations, similar to the way trash is handled. Bolton said officials from Palm Beach and other counties should charge stable owners a separate solid waste fee and designate a site for manure collection and transformation into fertilizer. Farm land in Martin County was suggested for such a facility last year, until opposition in Stuart derailed the plan.

The village is in contact with state and local officials seeking to implement such a plan, said Village Manager Charles Lynn. He would not divulge details, but emphasized Martin County is not the designated site.

"Wellington has absolutely no intentions of dumping horse manure in Martin County," said Lynn, who sent village representatives to Stuart to apologize for the idea.

Louda praised Wellington for its BMPs program - which, for example, calls for the storage of manure in concrete-bottom receptacles to limit the leeching of phosphorus-laden water. But the Florida Atlantic University professor and environmental scientist said the phosphorus is simply being spread elsewhere.

As the C-51 (Palm Beach) canal flow is re-plumbed westward, Louda said, drainage from Loxahatchee canals will eventually send the phosphorus into the Glades.

And Wellington's BMP still has some flaws, he added.

"There still remains many open manure collection sites in Wellington, such as the ones along South Shore Blvd. in Southfields," Louda said. "I took pictures of these and use them in my graduate environmental chemistry class as examples of what not to do."

Wellington: Follow our lead

Lynn took exception to Louda's letter.

"We are doing a lot," Lynn said. "We passed our Best Management Practices at great pain, at great cost. They need to address those issues in their jurisdictions."

Village Councilman Dr. Carmine Priore, referring to Loxahatchee's general disdain for governmental control, added: "The same people who do the complaining are very, very objectionable of any governmental entity to tell them what to do."

"Implementing these kinds of ordinances could spare other communities, including Loxahatchee, future problems," said Roundtree. "If the governing Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District would like to copy our BMPs, or use them as a leaping-off point for creation of their own guidelines, we are certainly there to assist."

The LGWCD cannot stop the dumping because it has limited drainage and road improvement powers, said district administrator Clete Saunier.

"We really have no authority to go in and tell anyone what they can or cannot do in regard to [manure dumping]" he said.

Nevertheless, said Roundtree, "We are certainly here to offer whatever assistance we can in helping them design a workable system."

If a solution is not found quickly, Bolton said, manure-related articles such as those on the front pages of recent local newspapers will spread to other media, giving Wellington a black eye for the second consecutive year.

"We may have to look at such a program sooner than later because this issue is not going away," she said. "We have to put it on our radar screen."

Wellington plans TV channel improvements, expansion

By Bob Markey II

Oct. 2, 2002 - The Village of Wellington is about to start taking seriously the television business.

This fiscal year, with a budget of more than $125,000, Wellington plans to buy high-tech telecasting equipment, lighting, a computer system automating it text-based announcement system and a TV channel director.

"We're not going to be competing with Channel 5, Channel 12 or Channel 29," said Denise Jakows, a former WPTV reporter and anchor who presented her Channel 19 overview to the Village Council last week.

Jakows, who lives in Wellington, was paid $5,000 to assess the village's TV operation, evaluate its equipment and make recommendations on enhancements, improvements and upgrades.

The council applauded her ideas, which would brighten and improve the quality and quantity of meetings and special programs the village telecasts.

Within a year, said Jakows, the village will purchase and install special TV-quality lights in the Community Center's council chamber. Of the current fixtures, none show broadcast quality true white light, she said. Broadcast-quality florescence lights will be added.

"It's shocking how dark it is," she said of the twice-monthly meeting telecasts.

The audio system is also in store for improvements to make the sound "a little less noisy," said Jakows. The walls and high ceiling of the former Wellington Club creates in effect an "echo chamber."

"We're going to try to change this big reverberation room to make it into a sound system more pleasing for broadcast," she said. "The audio system may need a lot of tweaking before I am happy with it."

The village will also replace an outdated character generator - the machine telecasting public text announcements on Channel 19 - with a computer-based system that would allow a wider variety of text to be flashed on village TV screens, as well as on the village's Web site: http://www.ci.wellington.fl.us.

New video cameras are also planned.

Through the use of a broadcast-quality video system, community events, specially produced shows and recordings of meetings could be telecast automatically - digitally and with little staff interaction, officials said.

Jakows said the City of West Palm Beach made a similar initial upgrade for around $50,000. "That's what we would like to look at reproducing here."

The system would be networked, perhaps with fiber optic cable, from a centralized location. Eventually, at an additional cost, the village could simulcast Channel 19 on its Web site, so that residents without cable TV could view the video, meetings and other programming. Palm Beach County now simulcasts its Channel 20 from its Web site: www.pbcgov.com.

The village has begun advertising to hire a technical service coordinator to oversee the system's installation and integration, the channel's bulletin board and program scheduling. Village Manager Charles Lynn said the position would be filled at a cost of up to $75,000 with benefits.

Once the look and sound of the channel is pleasing, the village may want to rename Channel 19, and create a mission statement for the service, Jakows said. Officials are eying TV show ideas and seeking programming sponsors.

Already, Jakows' Hill Productions created two programs: Wellington - Our Government, Our People and a rebroadcast of the village's 9-1-1 Remembrance Event. The half-hour Government show - providing an "inside look" at the community - is telecast at 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m. daily.

The village paid Jakows an additional $2,500 to produce a video of the Remembrance Event, which included the reading of some 3,000 names of Sept. 11, 2001 terror fatalities in nearly seven hours. At presstime, village officials were unable to provide the cost of the Government show.

Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto said she welcomes the improvements. "We'll all look better on TV, for sure," she told fellow council members.

"Does this mean we all won't look like we need transfusions?" Councilwoman Linda Bolton asked. Bolton got the answer she sought.

Wellington tightens yard storage, streetside waste placement rules

By Bob Markey II

Oct. 2, 2002 - Wellingtonians who store household items in their yards - including old couches, lawn maintenance equipment, weight benches and the like - had better start checking fencing prices.

The Village Council, on Tuesday, is expected to change the zoning code to require that homeowners screen household items in any portion of a yard from the view of any passerby. Screening may be in the form of fencing or fencing and hedging.

The council will also officially change its mind and revert to a 24-hour rule for the streetside placement of vegetative waste. During the summer, the council diluted the rule to allow grass clippings and such to be placed as early as three days before collection.

The fencing issue arose because of complaints to the village code enforcement department about eyesores in White Pine Drive yards. Many of the multi-family buildings' yards adjoin Wellington Trace, where motorists could see everything from mops and buckets to grills, boats, dog kennels and weight benches.

"We had a lot of complaints on those issues," said code enforcement official Paulette Horn.

Current zoning language prohibits the storage of household items in front yards. The Planning, Zoning and Adjustment Board recently suggested the code be re-written to require screening of any household items in any yard adjacent to a street. But that would allow continued storage of items in side yards, many of which are visible to passersby, Horn said.

"People are entitled to put there what they like, but our concern should be that they are not visible to people who drive by," Councilman Dr. Carmine Priore said. "All we should require is some kind of screening."

Vice Mayor Linda Bolton called for the village to amend its codes to require a 5-foot chain link fence and 3-foot hedge on all major thoroughfares, including Wellington Trace. That would require a change to the major thoroughfares ordinance, which regulates appearance on 27 miles of village roads. Horn said she could return to the council in November with the new language.

"I don't want to see it … and because we have new residents and visitors coming into town, I want to put our best foot forward," Mayor Tom Wenham said.

Appearance board members convinced the council to reconsider the vegetation rule, saying residents are leaving bags of clippings, and even trash, for days in swales, and that enforcement of the rule is difficult.

"Vegetative waste sits on the street for a whole week," said code enforcement board member Gina Rascati. "There is no motivation for them to move it."

She and code board chairwoman Mandy Burkhardt called for the 24-hour placement rule to be replaced.

"People aren't going to maintain their property at a high level unless there is an ordinance forcing them to do so," Rascati said.

Instead of returning the appearance ordinance to committee with recommendations, the council voted 4-0 (Marks Miles absent) to approve the changes on Oct. 8.

"You either live and abide by the rules, or you get your act cleaned up. That's what has to happen here," Priore said.

Wellington budget grows by 8 percent to $63.4 million; taxes hiked slightly

By Bob Markey II

Sept. 25, 2002 - The average Wellingtonian might pay only a few dollars more in village taxes next year; however an increase in the community's taxable value has allowed officials to increase the village budget by 8 percent to $63.4 million.

The Village Council finalized its budget and tax rates Tuesday night, but not before agreeing to a last-minute change. At Councilwoman Linda Bolton's suggestion, the council voted 4-0 to spend up to $200,000 for an equestrian-theme traffic oval at the intersection of Lake Worth Road and 120th Avenue. The oval - similar to a traffic circle, containing a sign indicating the start of the equestrian preserve, statues of horses and lush landscaping - is planned to "calm" traffic entering Wellington on Lake Worth Road, officials said.

The council voted 4-0 (Mark Miles absent) to leave the millage rate at 2.5, meaning the owner of a home valued at $150,000 would pay $375 in ad valorem tax.

The council also unanimously approved an unchanged drainage (Acme Improvement District) assessment of $120 per unit (1.49 acres or less), and a $99 annual solid waste assessment, an increase of $2 per unit.

Together, the three assessments would cost a $150,000 homeowner $594 in 2002-2003. In additional, Wellington residents pay the county for fire-rescue, library and other services; as well as taxes to special districts such as the Children's Services and Health Care districts. Wellington's municipal assessments make up around 18 percent of residents' total property taxes.

The village mailed 17,000-plus tax notices and received around 15 calls for more information, Village Manager Charles Lynn said. Only one resident, longtime financial watchdog George Koloff, criticized the expenditures on Tuesday.

Koloff reminded officials that Wellington's claim of the lowest tax rate among major Palm Beach County cities is flawed because most other cities include police, fire-rescue and drainage fees in their ad valorem budgets. He criticized the budget increase, claiming Wellington will spend an additional $9 million in 2002-2003 - more than the cities of Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens and Royal Palm Beach.

"This major expansion of the budget is going to come home to roost, and I hope not too soon," Koloff said.

The budget contains $41 million in operating costs, including $27.6 million for general government, $9.8 million for utilities, $1.2 million in water management and $2.3 million for solid waste management. The capital improvements portion totals $22.5 million, including $9 million for general government, $4.8 million for water management, and $8.7 million for utilities.

The 2.5 millage rate represents a 12.08 percent increase over the rollback rate (rate which would bring the same amount of taxes as the previous year).

The budget includes capital projects such as the $5.5 million acquisition of a State Road 7 park site; $3 million for a gymnasium in a Minto property park; $1 million for additional park land; $766,000 for additional police patrols at the Mall at Wellington Green; $527,000 for code enforcement; $447,000 for road resurfacing; $427,000 for equestrian trail improvements; $399,000 for grass mowing; $392,000 for mosquito control; $294,000 for aquatic weed control; and $100,000 for equipment and programming of village cable channel 19.

Major changes to the budget approved Tuesday include:

The one-year acceleration of a baseball/softball complex off State Road 7 in the Minto development at a cost of $2 million; a two-year postponement of the enclosure of roller hockey rink No. 2 at Village Park (from 2003 to 2005); the addition of $40,000 for architectural costs for an elementary school set for the Minto property; the additional of $70,000 for four multi-use bus shelters; a $170,000 increase in debt payments; an increase of $75,000 to accelerate by one year the development of the dog park at Greenbriar Boulevard and Aero Club Drive; a savings of $64,000 due to a new employee retirement program; and the addition of $100,000 for a pilot reading challenge grant program at four village elementary schools.

The budget provides for about 27 percent in reserve funds, finance director Francine Ramaglia said.

Traffic circle: Now or in five years?

Most controversial on Tuesday was Bolton's call for the acceleration of a planned traffic circle where Lake Worth Road narrows from four to two lanes at 120th Avenue.

The council voted 4-0 to tentatively approve a proposal by Grandprix Farms at Equestrian Club Estates to design and engineer the circle, which would provide an official entrance to the equestrian area. The upscale development will have 148 units on 150 acres. An estimated 15 homes and stables are already completed there and officials said their required signage would fit well within the circle.

The circle was redesigned to be an oval to ensure flow of traffic east and west, according to the developer, but some council members were skeptical. Because vehicles would have to merge from four to two lanes in or just after the intersection, rush hour traffic could be slowed, Councilman Dr. Carmine Priore said. He also worried that traffic would be slowed hampered leaving and entering 120th Avenue, which leads to Village Park on Pierson Road.

"Lake Worth Road has become an integral artery. We can't do anything that will totally stop traffic going east-west," he said.

Bolton said she presented the idea because the village had planned a traffic circle for 2007, and the developer would now pay for some of the costs, including a sign designating the equestrian preserve and engineering.

The developer also agreed to provide the property needed for the oval on the northwest corner of the intersection.

Priore and Mayor Tom Wenham criticized the plan's perceived costs, including that of maintenance, horse statues, a fountain, paver bricks, crossing paths for horses and lush landscaping.

"My initial reaction is we can't do this for $200,000," Priore said.

Priore also cautioned that approval of the oval could cause other village groups to ask their pet projects to be moved ahead in the capital improvements plan.

If the project was funded by a loan, the village would spend $20,000 annually in debt service alone, Ramaglia said.

Councilwoman Lizbeth Benacquisto said the project would promote "community identity" and similar plans should be created at all entrances to the village, including on Forest Hill Boulevard:

But, she cautioned, the sign should include a welcome to Wellington. "We don't want to send the false impression this is an advertising for a housing development," Benacquisto said.

In the end, the council agreed to consider the project after staff provides a detailed costs study, identifying its technical and aesthetic improvements. Bolton said equestrians have agreed to raise funds for the more elaborate decorative features.

Terrorists said to have plotted in Royal Palm Beach plaza

By Bob Markey II

Sept. 17, 2002 - It remains uncertain whether six Middle Eastern men plotted a terrorist act in Royal Palm Beach, but the FBI has evidence that the group's two large pickup trucks were in the village on Monday.

Video of the trucks - a purple Ford F-150 and green GMC with crew cab - was made Monday morning in the Royal Plaza, at State Road 80 and Royal Palm Beach Boulevard, said Tree's Wings co-owner Mike Beemiller, whose security cameras recorded the images.

Police were alerted to the alleged plot when a village man who police have refused to identify reported overhearing the men planning an explosion and referring to "Fort Lauderdale Airport."

The witness said the incident occurred around 10 a.m. Monday. He was in the parking lot and overheard the men speaking in Arabic, which he considered odd, police Lt. John Hill said.

"He heard bits and pieces of the conversation about blowing things up," Hill said.

FBI spokesman Mike Fabregas said news of the alleged meeting has been spread nationwide. He asked the public to be on the lookout for two pickup trucks in which the alleged plotters drove south.

The witness described the men as of Middle Eastern origin, ages 30-35, clean-shaven with short hair and of average height and weight.

The tailgates of both late model trucks were down and the beds were covered, the witness reported. He said he saw the men "transferring black bags from one vehicle to another."

Three men in the crew cab wore gray shirts and gray pants. The driver of the Ford was wearing black short-sleeve shirt, red tie and black pants.

After the witness drove to the police department on Okeechobee Boulevard, police issued a bulletin on the incident and notified the FBI. Lantana and Boynton Beach police officers saw trucks matching the descriptions, but lost them in traffic.

Agents from the Miami field office interviewed the middle-aged man, as well as business workers and shoppers in the quiet plaza on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Beemiller said FBI agents interviewed his staff and co-owner Andy Maynard on Monday and again Tuesday. In the process, they discovered that two of the restaurant's security cameras face east toward the plaza's main lot where the bags were allegedly exchanged. Agents confiscated a couple of tapes, then returned Tuesday for a total of 30.

"They took every one. We keep one for every day of the month," Beemiller said.

Maynard said the agents watched some of the black and white video in the restaurant.

"They looked at the tape for awhile, then something seemed to peak their interest," Beemiller said. "They did spot the trucks but they didn't get the license numbers."

Investigators asked questions of employees throughout the center, including at The Observer, and several restaurants. Beemiller said neither he, nor any of his employees noticed the men or the trucks.

"It's Florida and a lot of weird things happen here," he said. "You never know what to think. But, of course, you fear for you own safety to some point."

The men were also seen near the 7-Eleven store facing Royal Palm Beach Boulevard and Lake Challenger.

Plaza owner Jess Santamaria was not available for comment Wednesday night.

Meanwhile, the FBI reportedly interviewed the witness for seven hours over two days, determining his report was "credible."

Fabregas said investigators are concentrating on finding the trucks in South Florida, but have reported the incident to authorities nationwide.

Broward County public safety agencies reported nothing linked to terrorism early this week. The Fort Lauderdale area has three significant airports - the county-owned Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International and North Perry, as well as city-owned Fort Lauderdale Executive.

Richmond easily wins fifth School Board term

By Bob Markey II

Sept. 11, 2002 - "Oh wow!" Sandra Richmond said late Tuesday night as the first District 6 School Board election results - showing her with 69 percent of the vote - flashed on her TV screen. "That's pretty good."

Although she couldn't hold such a high majority through the night and into Wednesday, when the final results were released, the Fox Trail educator easily won a fifth term as schools representative of the Palms West Communities.

Garnering almost 60 percent (17,011 votes), Richmond, 52, defeated two political newcomers to win the seat without a runoff: Wellington attorney and Education Committee Chairman Mike Whitaker, with 26 percent (7,544 votes); and former Observer editor and longtime schools volunteer Georgia Jacoviello, with 14 percent (3,920 votes).

Richmond, who campaigned on a platform of making changes only where they are necessary and decreasing class sizes, said she expected to get the 50 percent plus one needed to win the seat without a runoff.

"We did exit polls and I got about 31 votes out of 35," she said. "I was hoping."

Richmond credited the public and the many county political and business entities for their support of her "focus on the kids" platform.

Whitaker, a father of two who has led the effort to fairly draw boundaries for Wellington's second high school, promised to bring a more businesslike attitude to the school board. He criticized school district officials for passing concurrency, then intentionally altering boundaries to overcrowd Wellington High School.

Jacoviello, 50, is a mother of two whom for 10 years has written about and participated in school issues ranging from PTAs to Project Graduation. She supported the rehiring of teacher aides in elementary school classes.

Both challengers called for "fresh" ideas and a change in representation.

"It's about change as we need change and doing the best things for our kids," said Richmond, a 27-year Palm Beach Community College professor and mother of two. "I'm proud of my consistency. I'm a constant fighter for making sure we continue to improve our schools."

Whitaker said late Tuesday that after talking with voters, he was hopeful that he could win or force a runoff against the entrenched incumbent. "I got a good feeling from the RPB and Wellington precincts," he said. Whitaker was not available after the final results were posted Wednesday afternoon. Richmond said she would continue to work to make the school district more fiscally responsible, while lowering class sizes and paying higher teacher salaries. She remains an active supporter of the county Education Commission, a committee of business people which oversees school needs and make recommendations to the School Board on education issues.

She considers the passage of concurrency - which requires that schools be funded and built before development can crowd existing schools - one of her greatest achievements.

Richmond said she was "very, very humbly awed" by the vote and the job.

"It's an awesome, sometimes overwhelming responsibility," she said. "I'm not saying I'm great, but I love to be working for the kids. It's like a mission for me - a great opportunity to serve our public, serve our community and serve our kids.

"If people are saying thanks by voting for me, I say. 'You're welcome and I'll try to do the best I can.'"

In other school board races:

Incumbent William G. ''Bill'' Graham garnered 45 percent (10,781 votes) and was forced into a runoff with Ed Garcia, who got 40 percent (9,728). Ava Lynn Rhodes was third with 15 percent (3,622).

District 1 - Monroe Benaim of Tequesta got 43 percent (10,913 votes), but will face a runoff challenge from second place finisher Michael O'Rourke of Jupiter, who got 29 percent (7,180), just edging Scott Porter of Palm Beach Gardens with 27 percent (7,000).

District 2 - Paulette Burdick won another term with 58 percent (11,660 votes). Erik Leavell was second with 22 percent (4,509) and Jonathan Pearce in third with 20 percent (3,939).

District 4 - Incumbent Tom Lynch of Delray Beach defeated Deb Bennett of Delray Beach by a 56 percent (14,135 votes) to 44 percent (11,132) margin.

District 5 - In the extreme south county, top vote getter Mark Hansen (28 percent, 5,415 votes) will run off against Kevin Rader (27 percent, 5,263). In third was Roberta Meyerson (23 percent, 4,381), followed by Sheldon Klasfeld with 11 percent (2,187), and David Florance, 11 percent (2,139).

Wellington councilman: Cities must share cost of truancy intervention program

By Bob Markey II

Aug. 23, 2002 - Only 17 percent of children and teen-agers picked up by law officers on truancy charges live in Wellington, yet the village alone supplies the Sheriff's Office with its west-central Truancy Intervention Prevention (TIPS) center.

"It doesn't seem fair," Village Councilman Mark Miles said last week, calling for a sharing of costs for the center by the county and neighboring cities such as Royal Palm Beach and Greenacres.

Sheriff's Office truancy officials, however, said Wellington requested the center and gets its money's worth. Around 30 percent of the children and teens picked up for truancy are found in village, where they could otherwise be up to no good.

The center operates from an approximately 600-square-foot office adjacent to the Wellington Sheriff's Office substation in the rear of the Wellington Mall. The village, which paid to renovate and furnish the center in 1998, pays the mall owner around $600 a month to keep it open.

Deputies and police officers from the county, state and municipalities west of Jog Road bring children younger than 16 who are found out of school to the local TIP center, said Selena Baker, who keeps records at the Wellington site. There they are held until their parents or a trusted family friend can pick them up.

TIP workers keep statistics on truants, report their "skipping" to respective schools and keep in contact with parents to determine the factors causing the problem.

Wellington and West Palm Beach hosted the two busiest TIPS centers, according to records from the past school year, holding 542 and 574 children, respectively. Other centers are in Belle Glade, Palm Beach Gardens and Delray Beach.

Baker said 158 of the 542 children held last year were found in Wellington, but only 90 of them lived in the village. An additional 337 children were found in unincorporated areas. Royal Palm Beach police nabbed 134 truants and 71 children were taken off Greenacres streets.

Of those same 542 students, 137 lived in West Palm Beach or its ZIP code; 106 in Royal Palm Beach; 81 in Loxahatchee and The Acreage; 59 in Lake Worth or its ZIP code; 43 in Greenacres; nine in Palm Springs; four in both Jupiter and Belle Glade; two in Riviera Beach; three in Lantana; and one in Palm Beach Gardens.

"Greenacres, Royal Palm Beach - all these other towns don't have a TIPS facility. They are brought here," Miles told fellow council members last week. "We have got to figure out a way to get a cost share from these communities, because it is not fair to the taxpayers of Wellington."

There's not much of a cost to share, said Baker. "The Sheriff's Office is paying for everything" including salaries, benefits and more, except for the lease, she said. And this year, a $4,000 grant from the State Attorney's Office is paying for office and other supplies.

Regardless of the cost, sheriff's Lt. Lou Sessa said Wellington should appreciate the service for the security it provides.

"We get kids from the Acreage, Loxahatchee and Royal Palm Beach that are cutting school in Wellington," he said. "When kids are cutting school, they have a tendency to get into activities that are not legal."

What would happen without TIPS? All one has to do is look at daytime burglary statistics in the 1997, year before the program was begun, said Sessa. Wellington burglaries decreased more than 20 percent after the round-ups began.

"As soon as we started this program, the daytime crime rate dropped significantly," said Deputy Rick Jackson. "It's definitely a worthwhile program."

If a neighboring city agreed to pay its share of the TIPS rent, officials might insist that the center be in their jurisdiction, Sessa said. The Wellington units might then have to bring truants to, for example, Greenacres, using valuable time and resources and leaving the village without routine patrols.

Councilwoman Linda Bolton defended TIPS last week, saying she believed all of the students are picked up in the village.

"We are still benefiting by not having thee youngsters on the streets doing whatever they might," Bolton said.

Palms West voters gives thumbs-up to touch-screen voting

By Bob Markey II

July 18, 2002 - Palm Beach County's new $14.4 million touch-screen voting system is a hit with the hundreds of Palms West residents who participated in Saturday's mock election.

"It's great," said Robert Heller, 70, of suburban Lake Worth, after voting at Prezzo restaurant in the Mall at Wellington Green. "I don't see that there is any excuse for error."

Countywide, almost 4,000 people voted at 21 locations - most in malls or Publix supermarkets - for issues ranging from favorite president to greatest American athlete and most patriotic song. Locally, people of all age groups came to the mall, Courtyard Shops and Crestwood Square Publix stores to check out the computerized machines, but the middle-aged and elderly were most prevalent. None said they had trouble navigating the Web browser-like screens or casting their votes.

"It's a lot more visual," said Dave Viola, 32, of Loxahatchee, after using the system for the first time. "I like it."

In the March municipal election - in which losing candidate Al Paglia complained that he lost by four votes because up to 78 voters' choices were not counted - Leon Davidow struggled.

Davidow, 77, said he tried to push the circle near his ballot choice several times, but the machine would not register the vote. Finally, he sought help from an elections office volunteer and the vote was cast.

"What I found is you had to touch it on the right spot, or the vote wouldn't register," he said.

But Davidow reported no such problem on Saturday, his second try at touch-screen voting.

Since March, the Supervisor of Elections Theresa LePore had the software changed to move the circle corresponding to each candidate or issue closer to its name. Voters never had to specifically touch the circle - only the rectangle boxing in the name - and elections officials assumed many voters pushed the screen outside the rectangle because the circles were near the outer edges.

"She fixed the problem, said elections specialist Linda Johnson at Prezzo. Johnson said she was pleased with the turnout, estimated at more than 100, and said no one struggled with the process.

Judy Creswick, the county's absentee ballot coordinator, agreed - in between assisting voters in the Royal Palm Beach Publix.

"They (shoppers) are very interested in coming in and voting," she said. Eighty-eight people had voted on the store's two machines by 12:30 p.m.

But the event wasn't all-positive. A vote-tallying computer at the new Supervisor of Elections Office was unable to read one of the 61 data cartridges that captured the votes. Officials said a replacement cartridge was inserted into the machine, and it downloaded the votes without further trouble.

The major software design change made since the March elections, and appreciated by the voters, was an automatic review screen near the end of the process. Items for which voters did not makes choices were colored in red. Other items showed the candidates or issues chosen. Voters could then press an arrow to return to the missed (or intentionally ignored) ballot item before pushing a "button" finalizing the process.

Previously the review page was an option - one that most voters did not use, or notice.

Also, voters appreciated the fact that the circles next to each candidate's name would disappear once the vote was cast - replaced by one green check mark next to the chosen name. If the voter then chose another candidate, the check mark would move next to the new choice.

"If you make a mistake, you can go back and change it," said Nanette Montague, 45, who lives east of Royal Palm Beach. "This is really easy."

Her young son, who also got to vote, agreed. Children and teens of the Internet age didn't understand what all the fuss was about.

Of 3,810 voters, 230, or 6.27 percent, said they were not registered.

Elections volunteer Johanna Jovelle of Wellington said that despite the technology, voters must pay attention and carefully read the instructions. Many voters did not read the line atop one ballot "page," which instructed them to make two choices.

"We are trying hard to make it easy for everybody," Jovelle said. "But you have to read."

She instructed voters to make their choices, using the printed ballots mailed to registered voters and published in newspapers. Voters may bring completed ballots into the polls and transfer their votes, she said.

"Then all the mistakes are eliminated," she said.

Visitors to the Palms West stores suggested changing the software to alert voters when they made one of two or more possible choices. Currently, the review page shows only the question in red.

"Unfortunately, it can't be changed before the fall election," Creswick said, because the state would not complete its review in time.

Despite the minor glitch, no one suggested anything that would foil the proper accounting of an election.

"If there are any problems" in November, Viola said, "it will be voter error."

Boys & Girls Club might host alternative education program for at-risk teens

By Bob Markey II

July 18, 2002 - At-risk teenage students might get a new school-time home in the fall - the Wellington Boys & Girls Club.

If problems with the South Shore Boulevard facility's deed restrictions can be solved, the club will lease a portion of the facility to Excel Alternatives, a not-for-profit agency contracted by the school district to provide at-risk high school students an alternative education.

Excel would transport up to 40 children daily from Wellington-Royal Palm Beach area schools to the club during school hours, said Boys & Girls Club spokeswoman Mary O'Connor. The at-risk students would not be at the 3,500-square-foot facility when it hosted after-school programs for its members.

But first the club, village and county must get around two deed restrictions on the property which call only for recreational activities. Last week, the Village Council agreed to send a letter to the Board of County Commissioners asking that the restrictions be lifted.

Before unanimously approving the letter, the council questioned the Boys & Girls Club's appropriateness for classes. O'Connor said the club's four classrooms and support facilities could handle the daytime use. Excel would provide four teachers and an administrator, village officials said.

O'Connor said the lease would be good for both parties because it would maximize the 15-year-old club's usefulness at times when it is not fully operational.

She said Excel "matches up" well with the club, which offers programs including character and leadership and education and career development, health and life skills, the arts, and sports and recreation activities for children 6 to 18.

In other business July 9, the Village Council:

- Unanimously approved an agreement to manage the on-site utility system for Lion County Safari.

Village utilities personnel will visit the wild animal theme park and campground for one hour a day, six days a week for one year beginning Aug. 1 - overseeing the wastewater collections, treatment and disposal facilities.

The village will be paid $1,250 per month, including a 25 percent surcharge for non-village services. The fee covers the costs of labor and benefits, Harvey said.

Wellington will keep treatment records, provide checks to all wastewater pumping systems on the site, conduct periodic inspections (but not maintain the facilities), provide monthly compliance sampling for wastewater quality analysis (sampling by a third party, funded by Lion Country), coordinate sludge hauling (paid for by the owner), and notify the owner of any needed improvements and maintenance, rules and regulations.

Council members said they hoped such agreements would allow the utilities department to earn a profit for the village.

- Agreed, at Councilwoman Linda Bolton's suggestion, to monitor the bankruptcy and operational status of Adelphia Cable - the village's major cable television supplier.

Bolton said she was told Adelphia plans to raise its rates by 17 percent. She asked village officials to question the move, she said, might violate Adelphia's municipal contract.

Village attorney Christine Tatum said she plans to attend a seminar for city officials concerned about Adelphia's longevity and report to the council. The company's bankruptcy could have serious implications on its contract, ownership of the cable lines and equipment, and services.

- Unanimously agreed to change the village's compressive land use plan to allow buildings as high as 35 feet within a mile of State Road 7 between Forest Hill Boulevard and State Road 80. The height limit hike would be allowed for colleges, governmental centers, hospitals and medical centers, hotels and motels, research parks and light industrial uses.

The ordinance removes height limits from the difficult-to-alter compressive plan and adds them to the unified land development code.

In around two months, after review by the state Department of Community Affairs, the plan will return to the council for final approval, Tatum said.

- Voted 4-0 to approve the final plat of the Isles of Wellington development - around 41 acres west of State Road 7 and south of 120th Avenue. The subdivision will be built to a maximum of two units per acre.

Crestwood homeowners promise Loxahatchee Groves a costly land battle

By Bob Markey II

July 11, 2002 - The owners of 25 Crestwood development lots are promising the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District a fight over a few feet of disputed property separating the communities.

After negotiations failed to reach a settlement last month, the district on July 2 filed lawsuits against 25 lot owners. The district sought a court order declaring up to 3 ½ feet of land in the homeowners' backyards the property of the district.

LGWCD officials said they need the land to