News Briefs 02/08/19
Dewey commissioners meeting Feb. 9
Dewey Beach commissioners will hold a public hearing and monthly meeting at 9 a.m., Saturday, Feb. 9 at the Lifesaving Station, 1 Dagsworthy Ave. A public hearing will be held on an ordinance to approve an amendment allowing an outside service area at Mama Maria’s. Commissioners will also possibly vote to approve preliminary site plans for Ivy on the Bay, for beach volleyball training, and for a new copy fee schedule. Commissioners will review and discuss the quarterly military surplus program inventory report, and discuss the process to sell equipment by April 11. Commissioners may vote to video and/or audio record all town meetings and to submit a proposed charter amendment bill authorizing a lodging tax.
Dewey budget and town council workshop Feb. 8
Dewey Beach budget and finance committee and town council will hold a workshop at 3:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 8 at the Lifesaving Station, 1 Dagsworthy Ave. Members will review and discuss revenue category projection methods for the 2020 fiscal year budget, review set aside accounts and discuss potential changes to set-aside formulas and directions of funds. The agenda also calls for discussions on 2020 budget expense category issues, and possible new revenue streams and cost savings to fund sustainability projects.
Dewey audit committee meeting Feb. 9
Dewey Beach audit committee will meet at 2 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 9 to discuss and possible vote on a timetable for the 2019 fiscal year audit and the feasibility of preparing an RFP for potential audit companies.
Rehoboth tree meeting cancelled
A Rehoboth Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Trees meeting scheduled for 10 a.m., Friday, Feb. 8, in the commissioners room of city hall, 229 Rehoboth Ave., has been cancelled. For more information call 302-227-6181.
Sussex council not meeting Feb. 12
Sussex County Council will not meet Tuesday, Feb. 12. The next regularly scheduled meeting is at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 19, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown.
Lewes council meeting set Feb. 11
Lewes Mayor and City Council will meet at 7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 11, at city hall. The group will discuss street improvements, including the Beach 1 parking lot, to be included in the fiscal year 2020 budget. Officials will also discuss layout, design and budget for a playground in George H.P. Smith Park, a policy to address commercial concessionaires on city land, and amendments to city code related to feral cats. To view the full agenda, go to www.ci.lewes.de.us.
14th RD Democratic Committee to meet Feb. 13
The 14th RD Democratic Party Committee will hold its monthly meeting Wednesday, Feb. 13, at the Forgotten Mile Ale House on Route 1 just south of Rehoboth Beach. The dutch treat dinner starts at 5:30 p.m., and the meeting itself runs from 6:30 to 8 p.m. This month, committee members and friends will discuss the upcoming continuation of the State Democratic Party Convention. Also on the agenda is the committee’s upcoming Turning Sussex Hearts Blue fundraiser, to be held Sunday, Feb. 24 (email Marsha at marshad@yahoo.comfor information about the fundraiser). All registered Democrats who live in the areas of Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach and Lewes are invited to attend.
Beebe building demolishing to begin
Beebe Healthcare is set to begin the next phase of its expansion project at the Margaret H. Rollins Lewes Campus. To make room, the office building at the corner of Savannah Road and Fourth Street will be demolished. The physician practices formerly housed in that building have been relocated. Interior demolition began Feb. 4 and is expected to last about a week. Then beginning Monday, Feb. 11, crews will begin to tear down the building. Work will occur from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Neighbors should expect to hear the sound of heavy machinery and general construction noise throughout the day. There will be no traffic impact other than increased truck traffic. If weather is dry and windy, there will also be a hose spraying water on the building to control dust. Work should be complete by Monday, Feb. 18.
Lewes drawbridge work set for Feb. 12
The Lewes drawbridge over the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal between Gills Neck Road and Anglers Road will be closed 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 12, for a routine inspection by a Delaware Department of Transportation crew. The bridge will be closed for 20-minute time periods during the day. The raindate is the same time on Wednesday, Feb. 13. Motorists and pedestrians can expect delays due to the opening and closing of the drawbridge.
Delaware joins coalition suing EPA
In an announcement Jan. 31, Attorney General Kathy Jennings said she has joined a multistate coalition in filing a lawsuit aimed at forcing the Environmental Protection Agency to comply with federal law requiring further controls on smog pollution blowing into neighboring states.
According to a press release, the coalition is challenging the Trump EPA’s 2018 Cross-State Air Pollution Rule “Close-Out” for failing to require any further control of smog pollution in northeastern states, despite smog’s serious, ongoing health threat in Delaware, which is largely due to the interstate transport of smog pollution.
“The EPA isn’t doing its job, and Delaware is paying the price,” said Jennings in a prepared statement. “Our families and children routinely breathe polluted air that blows in from other states, but the EPA refuses to uphold federal law by requiring reductions in upwind smog. Their failure to carry out their most basic mission jeopardizes our health and environment, and sends a clear signal about whose side the Trump administration is on. If the President won’t hold himself accountable to the law, we’ll do it for him.”
36th District Democrats to meet Feb. 18
Registered Democrats living in the 36th Representative District are encouraged to attend the February meeting of the RD to be held at Arena’s Restaurant in Milford Monday, Feb. 18, at 6:30 p.m. The guest speaker will be Sussex County Chairperson Jane Hovington. All registered Democrats in the Sussex County 36th RD are encouraged to attend and current members are encouraged to bring friends. They encourage participants to partake of the optional Dutch treat dinner and to support Arena’s, who provides the meeting space.
41st District Republican Club to meet Feb. 18
The next monthly meeting of the 41st District Republican Club & PAC will be held Monday, Feb. 18, starting at 6:30 p.m., at the Plantation Lakes Community Center in Millsboro (29787 Plantation Lakes Boulevard). The meetings are fun and informative as they hear from state and county legislators and exciting keynote speakers. For details go to www.41stdrcp.com/?reqp=1&reqr, email Contact41stdeclub@gmail.com, or call Bob Latshaw, club president, at 215-767-3006.
