News Briefs 03-17-17

Dewey planning commission to meet
The Dewey Beach Planning Commission has scheduled a public hearing for 10 a.m., Saturday, March 18, in the Dewey Beach Life Saving Station, 1 Dagsworthy Ave.

The public hearing is regarding a proposed ordinance that amends town code by permitting nonconforming structures to be elevated in a flood zone.
The full text of the draft ordinance is available online at www.townofdeweybeach.com.

Rehoboth Board of Adjustment meeting cancelled
The Rehoboth Beach Board of Adjustment has cancelled its Monday, March 27 meeting due to a lack of agenda items.
The board’s next scheduled meeting is Monday, April 24.

Rehoboth Parks and Shade Tree Commission committee meeting cancelled
The Rehoboth Beach Parks and Shade Tree Commission has cancelled its March 27 due to a lack of agenda items.
The commission’s next scheduled meeting is Monday, April 24.

Milton Council to meet March 20
Milton Town Council will meet at 6:30 p.m., Monday, March 20, at the Milton library to discuss M&T Bank financial investments. For more information or a full agenda, go to www.milton.delaware.gov or call 302-684-4110.

Milton to award citizen, volunteer of the year
Milton officials are accepting letters of recommendation for a 2017 Citizen of the Year and 2017 Lifetime Volunteer Award, two new awards in town.
Nominees must be Milton residents and demonstrate exceptional volunteer commitment. Nomination letters must include an explanation on how the nominee has displayed significant contributions to the Milton community during the past year or lifetime dedication.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, April 14. Letters can be mailed to 2017 Citizen of the Year or 2017 Lifetime Volunteer Award, Attn: Kristy Rogers, Town Manager, 115 Federal St., Milton, DE 19968, dropped off at Town Hall or emailed to krogers@ci.milton.de.us.

Sussex Republican Women to meet
The Sussex County Republican Women’s Club will hold its Wednesday, March 22 meeting at Kings Creek Country Club in Rehoboth Beach beginning at 11 a.m.  

The featured speaker will be Norman (Jay) Jones, former mayor of Ellendale, who will speak about his new role as Clerk of the Peace for Sussex County.  President Cathy Watts will update the attendees on the many programs that SCRWC supports. From leadership programs to scholarship endowments, to support of veterans and Republican candidates running for office, SCRWC continues to make a positive impact on the community. Final business of the day will be the drawing for a two-night stay at the acclaimed Trump International Hotel April 7-8, as spring makes its way to Washington, D.C.  

For required lunch reservations contact Linda Rehm: 302-430-0329 or jlrehm@aol.com. The cost is $25 for lunch. Additional information regarding the drawing can be found at www.scrwc.net.

No March 21 meeting for Sussex council
Sussex County Council will not meet Tuesday, March 21. The next regularly scheduled meeting is at 10 a.m., Tuesday, March 28, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown.

Wood recycler withdraws application
After a negative recommendation from Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission, Delaware Animal Products LLC has withdrawn its application to rezone a 13-acre parcel along Redden Road in Bridgeville from limited industrial district to light industrial district to operate a wood-recycling business.  The application was removed prior to a March 14 county council public hearing.

The commission recommended council reject the application based on testimony from residents that the noise from the chipper used in the operation was
disrupting the surrounding area, including T.S. Smith & Sons farm.

Sussex P&Z plans comp plan workshops
Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission has scheduled two comprehensive plan workshops. One will take place from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Wednesday, March 22. The other will start at 9 a.m., Wednesday, March 29, with no specific ending time. Both workshops will take place in the county administration building at 2 The Circle, Georgetown. Public comments will be accepted at both sessions. To see more about the plan, go to www.sussexplan.com.

Lewes council meets March 20
Lewes Mayor and City Council will meet at 7 p.m., Monday, March 20, at city hall. The 2016 Elaine Bisbee Award will be bestowed to a city employee who displays dedication, dependability, reliability and excellent work habits. Council will discuss a request from Friendship Baptist Church to rename West Fourth Street to Martin Luther King Jr. Street. Council will also consider a recommendation from the annexation regulation review committee regarding the waiving of property taxes on undeveloped, unimproved property being annexed into the city for a seven-year period as well as a recommendation from the property review implementation committee regarding the disposition of city-owned property. To view the full agenda, go to www.ci.lewes.de.us.

Lewes council budget vote March 20
Lewes Mayor and City Council will meet at 6:30 p.m., Monday, March 20, to discuss and vote on the 2017-18 budget. For more information, call city hall at 302-645-7777.

Planned senior village meeting set March 20
For senior citizens living in or considering a move to Sussex County, home may be more than just where the heart is: it soon could be where services and amenities are, right in the heart of their community. The Sussex County Advisory Committee on Aging & Adults with Physical Disabilities will host a presentation by CHEER Inc. about its proposed Life Care Village. A senior-centric planned community set in Georgetown, the village would include independent and assisted-living units built around a mini-downtown area featuring shops, medical services and other amenities aimed at catering to residents. Dr. Susan Levy, medical director for CHEER, will discuss the all-inclusive village, planned for 35 acres adjacent to the CHEER Community Center along Route 9 and Sand Hill Road, and how it would serve about 500 senior residents.

The meeting will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, March 20, at the Greenwood CHEER Center, 41 Schulze Road, Greenwood. The Sussex County Advisory Committee on Aging & Adults with Physical Disabilities is an 11-member panel established by the Sussex County Council to be an advocate for programs and policies that benefit older and disabled residents. The committee meets every other month, in January, March, May, July, September and November. All meetings are open to the public. The Advisory Committee’s mission is to increase dialogue, make recommendations to Sussex County Council, and to give support, assistance and advice on significant issues and programs that may affect the lives of the county’s aging and adults with physical disabilities populations. For more information, go to www.sussexcountyde.gov/boards-committees.

Ending Slavery Today topic March 22
Human trafficking is modern slavery. Delaware Statistics on Human Trafficking current as of Dec. 31, 2016: calls in Delaware: 221; cases: 51; moderate victims: 46; high victims: 106; total victims: 152. Traffickers use violence, threats, blackmail, false promises, deception, and debt bondage to trap vulnerable victims. Crimes occur, when a trafficker uses force or fraud to control another person, against his or her will, for labor or commercial sex acts. Epidemic drugs in every element of society are also hitting human trafficking victims. Often they have short lives of misery.

To identify Delaware’s human trafficking problems and present practical solutions, the executive director of Zoe Ministries Inc., Yolanda Schlabach, R.N., M.A. will speak in Lincoln at the Sussex County Emergency Medical Services Building Thursday, March 23, at 7 p.m., in a free, public meeting.

Caring community people are in positions to see and anonymously report trafficking, plus connect victims with life-saving resources.  Join the Greater Lincoln Civic Association’s public meeting for up-to-date answers. Lincoln’s Community Hall is in the EMS Building, 18883 Washington St. at the Second Street intersection - one block in front of the public school  – one block from the midtown traffic light on Johnson Road between Route 1 and Route 113.