At halftime during the football game between Wellington High School and Royal Palm Beach High School on Friday, Oct. 30, leaders from the Village of Wellington and the Palm Beach County School District gathered to officially open the newly revamped and resurfaced football field at Wellington High School.
The new artificial turf-like field at Wolverine Stadium is part of a large-scale investment in upgrading the athletic facilities on the campus. The project is jointly supported by the Village of Wellington and the Palm Beach County School District.
The football stadium represented completion of the first phase, and in less than a year, the WHS campus will also feature four new artificial turf-like multi-purpose fields, eight tennis courts, three basketball courts, and batting cages for baseball and softball. There will also be a concession stand and bathroom facilities.
To make this happen, the school district provided the land for the recreational upgrades, and the Village of Wellington agreed to pay the construction costs. When school is in session, students at WHS will use the facilities for athletic teams and during physical education classes. Outside of school, at night, on weekends and during school breaks, Wellington recreation programs and the general public will get access to the facilities.
Dignitaries on hand for the grand opening included Palm Beach County School Superintendent Dr. Donald Fennoy, Palm Beach County School Board Member Marcia Andrews, Wellington Mayor Anne Gerwig, Vice Mayor Tanya Siskind, Councilman John McGovern, Councilman Michael Drahos and Councilman Michael Napoleone. Each agreed that this partnership is a win-win for all parties concerned.
Fennoy, himself a Wellington resident, was delighted to see the return of high school football and that games are now being played at first-class facilities such as Wolverine Stadium. Fennoy further emphasized the importance of athletic competition in a student’s life, as it’s an important part of any student’s education.
Andrews had similar words of praise for this infrastructure investment. “This is a beautiful partnership between the Palm Beach County School Board and the Village of Wellington,” she said.
Gerwig was also delighted to see life beginning to return to a sense of normal in Wellington. “It’s great to see Friday Night Lights football being played again here in Wellington,” she said.
McGovern pointed out that the new recreational footprint is a rather significant addition to Wellington’s already impressive array of recreational amenities.
“When it’s completed, this will be the largest, outdoor, multi-use, contiguous recreational facility in the State of Florida,” he said.
I wonder how many High Schools in the Palm Beach School District have “… first-class facilities…” to play their football games? Or “… the largest, outdoor, multi-use, contiguous recreational facility in the State of Florida.” How many schools have “…four new artificial turf-like multi-purpose fields, eight tennis courts, three basketball courts, and batting cages for baseball and softball.” Is it fair for some to have it all and others not? Discrimination comes in many forms.
“This is a beautiful partnership between the Palm Beach County School Board and the Village of Wellington,” of course it is. Why would our School Board turn down FREE money? But, who is paying to improve School Board’s property?
When Palm Beach voted to add a penny sales surtax to help fund the County, School Board, and our municipalities, we were told of a specific distribution of the funds, 50% School Board, 30% County, and 20% between the municipalities. Our Village Council decided to use this surtax to improve the School Board’s property, not Village properties as they stated during the election.
Does the Village need more ball fields? Our Village Park is located less than 2 miles away from the High School and has the following; Gymnasiums, 4 Multi-Purpose Classrooms, Game Room with outside features including 2 Lighted Hockey Rinks, 2.5 Mile Lighted Asphalt Trail with Exercise Stations, 3 Lighted Adult Softball Fields, 3 Lighted Multi-Purpose Fields, 4 Lighted Football Fields, 9 Lighted Soccer Fields, 2 Batting Cages, Lighted Baseball Field, Peaceful Waters Sanctuary, Playground, Practice Field and a Skate Park. Olympia Park, another 2 miles away has 7 Lighted Youth Baseball Fields, Basketball Courts, Lighted Batting Cages, and a Track. Why did our Council spend our share of the penny tax surtax on improving School Board’s property? Isn’t 50% enough School Board?
What could our Council do with $10’s millions of our taxes? What about maintaining/improving Village parks? What about roads used by the public that are not owned by anyone? What about ADA compliant boat docks at our new $2.4+M lake promenade? Renewing the policy of stocking Lake Wellington with largemouth bass, or even better, give it back to the taxpayers, “We the People”.
Bruce Tumin