I’ve lived in Loxahatchee Groves since 1989 and am still waiting for safe equestrian trails.
These are the things the boards feel are more important than safe trails: allowing golf carts, ATVs and swamp buggies on our roads; putting a traffic light at D Road and Okeechobee Blvd. This was in the county master plan but not pushed forward until a Loxahatchee Groves board member and family now own land on both sides of Okeechobee Blvd. at D Road. This land will surely increase in value after residents spend $250,000 to put the light up. It seems the Loxahatchee Groves Water Control District is buying expensive equipment without putting bids out.
The LGWCD is used to residents not coming to their meetings. The three board members who showed up seemed annoyed when the equestrian community also showed up at the Sept. 11 meeting. We were reminded by Mr. [Frank] Schiola (LGWCD board member) that he made special concessions for the equine community to discuss trails in the past, and no one showed up, therefore, it was our fault there are no trails. They were all patting themselves on the back for showing up and made no mention of the residents who took their time to be there, or the fact it was 9/11.
These are just a few things I am aware of. Loxahatchee Groves is a small township, realizing we are still in the infant stage and need to decide what county rules we will keep and which need change to benefit all residents. This is the problem: certain people are taking advantage to change the rules to benefit a few.
Did you know that according to Mr. [Tom] Goltzené (Loxahatchee Groves councilman) if your neighbor is a farm for one year or more, they can line your fence with buildings for the feeding and sheltering of any animal, no setbacks. Now when did they do that?
I am begging Loxahatchee Groves residents to go to the meetings. We need to make our government smaller and get rid of the one-vote-per-acre election procedure for the LGWCD. We also need people who will sit in on these committees who don’t have their own personal agendas, who will think and act for the good of all residents.
If you are a new resident, please join our Loxahatchee Groves Landowners’ Association. Marge Herzog keeps us, the residents, up to date with town and district business, and you can get updates on future meetings and goings on in our community.
British Feed has given us a place to come together on Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. for local discussions regarding the equestrian community.
Please be reminded these trails are for everyone, there will be walking trails also. Being a disabled person, I’m hoping Vinceremos will join us in making these trails accessible to all.
The nurserymen and landscapers have run this town, and the crazy thing is “our town looks like crap.” One would think that a town with so many landscaping and nursery people on our boards through the years, the place would look nice.
As Mr. [John] Ryan (LGWCD board member) put it to me before the meeting 9/11, he doesn’t go that way. I guess if he doesn’t see it, it doesn’t affect him, meaning the frontage at Southern at the Palms West Plaza. I showed him the article referring to Lt. [David] Combs enforcing the open-container law to clean up our streets and neighborhoods of trash and drunks. I thought most people see the plaza and post office and where our town office is, the face of Loxahatchee Groves, maybe I’m wrong.
I love my little town. I’m finding many residents are frustrated, as I am. Please join me to keep our town a rural and friendly community. Our property values are still tumbling downward with our current board members. The money is there for trails and improvements. Let’s get it done.
Thank you for you time reading my letter, I am not running for any position, just a resident tired of the GOBC (good old boys club).
Phyllis Maniglia
Loxahatchee Groves
