News Briefs 12/08/17

Rehoboth gets $1 million in disaster relief
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has reimbursed Rehoboth Beach for nearly $1 million in repairs to the beach and Boardwalk following a January 2016 nor'easter. City spokeswoman Krys Johnson said $924,000 in reimbursements were for Boardwalk and stormwater outfall repairs, including labor costs.

During the January 2016 storm, wave action damaged stormwater outfalls on Maryland Avenue and Grenoble Place, including support structures and the pipes themselves. In addition, the storm caused $256,000 in damage to the Boardwalk. City crews had to remove the decking to repair damaged substructure in front of the Henlopen Hotel.
The city also lost 740 cubic yards of sand and 600 feet of sand fencing. The city paid $21,000 for debris removal, equipment rental and employee overtime.

FEMA declared the storm a disaster for coastal towns along the Atlantic Ocean and reimubursed 75 percent of the city's costs.

Sussex council plans comprehensive plan workshop Dec. 13
Sussex County Council will have another in a series of workshops on the 2018 comprehensive plan from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 13, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown. Included on the agenda are discussions about the housing, utilities and intergovernmental coordination chapters of the plan. Public comment will be accepted from 10 to 10:30 a.m. Go to www.sussexplan.com for more information.

Special events hearing could be Jan. 16
Sussex County Council has added another meeting to its January 2018 schedule. A Nov. 28 power failure forced postponement of a public hearing on a proposed special-events ordinance. The earliest the hearing could be rescheduled is Tuesday, Jan. 16, said County Administrator Todd Lawson. He said it's anticipated the hearing would be scheduled at 10:30 a.m. during that meeting.

Rezoning hearings on Sussex council agenda
Sussex County Council will meet at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 12, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown. Included on the agenda are presentations to the state champion Delmar field hockey and football teams, and an update on the Heron Bay community memorandum of understanding. Public hearings – starting at 1:30 p.m. – include a rezoning application filed by Colonial East LP for a seven-acre parcel along Route 9 west of Lewes and a rezoning application filed by Two Farms Inc. for a three-acre parcel at the intersection of Route 9 and Gravel Hill Road. Both applicants are requesting a change from AR-1, agricultural-residential, to B-1 neighborhood business district. See a complete agenda at www.sussexcountyde.gov.

Lewes mayor, council to meet Dec. 11
Lewes Mayor and City Council will meet at 7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 11, at city hall.
The group will decided on a recommendation to the Department of Transportation regarding the future of the railroad tracks within the city. Council will also consider action on the proposed Lewes Transportation Improvement District and a design agreement with DelDOT regarding the Savannah Road Transportation Alternative Program project.

Council will set a public hearing for the Ocean Atlantic/Vantage Point rezoning request for a 16.5-acre parcel between Kings Highway and Savannah Road. Council will consider subdivision of the property into two parcels, then at a future meeting consider recommendations from the planning commission regarding requested zoning for each.

The commission recommended approval of community facilities/healthcare zoning for a parcel fronting Kings Highway, but recommended denial of a request to rezone the parcel along Savannah Road to limited commercial.

Also on the agenda is possible action on recommendations from the committee on committees regarding the future of several committees, including the commercial architectural review commission. To view the full agenda, go to www.ci.lewes.de.us.

Alliance to discuss Groome parcel Dec. 14
The Groome Church property on New Road will be the topic of discussion at the New Road Preservation Alliance public meeting set for 7 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 14, at the Lewes Public Library. The educational program will provide information about the sale of the 135-acre parcel. Expert speakers will be on hand to discuss open space preservation, history, archaeology and science to help the community better understand the potential effects of development on the parcel. For more information, go to www.preservelewes.com.

Alliance to present 'The Word' Dec. 12
The Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice will present "The Word: Poetry and Prose on Family, Faith and Freedom," at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 12, at Trinity Faith Christian Center, 15516 New Road, Lewes. All are welcome.
This free program celebrates the feast of African-American poetry and prose from the 18th century to the present, beginning with Phillis Wheatley and concluding with The Twin Poets and President Obama. It is a joint program of the SDARJ Education Committee and its Book Group.

"The beauty and the power of African-American poetry is so vast, it cannot be contained in our short program of a little more than an hour," said Dr. Aimee Wiest, adjunct professor of literature at Delaware State, and a member of the SDARJ Education Committee and moderator of its Book Group, which meets monthly to discuss literature ranging from Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" to Chris Lebron's "The Making of Black Lives Matter: A Brief History of an Idea."

Donors of clothing to benefit neighbors served by the Community Resource Center and The Way Home are welcome to drop off their donations at the poetry program. Further information about the Southern Delaware Alliance for Racial Justice is at www.sdarj.org.

Dewey town council meeting Dec. 9
Beginning with an hour-long executive session, there's a lot on the plate for the Dewey Beach Council meeting scheduled for 9 a.m., Saturday, Dec. 9, in the Dewey Beach Life Saving Station, 1 Dagsworthy Ave.
A public hearing on the 2017 comprehensive plan is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

Other meeting items include a possible vote to engage an auditing firm to perform a financial accounting for all town departments; a possible vote to approve a consultant to conduct a comprehensive policies and procedures review of the police, beach patrol, and code enforcement departments; and a review of the residential rental license application and safety certification affidavit, and rental license application.

A full copy of the agenda can be found on the town's website, www.townofdeweybeach.com, at town hall, 105 Rodney Ave., and on the life saving station message board.

DOE to review comment on transgender students
Department of Education Secretary Susan Bunting announced Dec. 5 that a development team would reconvene to review public comments on changes to an antidiscrimination regulation concerning transgender students. Her announcement came a day after public comment on the proposed regulation closed on Dec. 4.

The department received 11,000 comment which deserve careful review before a decision is made, said Alison May, spokeswoman for the Department of Education. All comments will be posted online for public review prior to the January Development Team meeting, May said. If the group makes changes, she said, the regulation will be published with another 30-day comment period before any decision on the final regulation is made.