News Briefs
Sussex board tables Home of the Brave vote
For the second time, the Sussex County Board of Adjustment has tabled a request from the Home of the Brave Foundation to open a homeless women veterans’ facility near Milford. At its March 18 meeting, board member Norman Rickard said he needed more time to read documentation presented during the March 4 public hearing. The special-use application will be placed on the board’s Monday, April 1 agenda.
It’s been a longtime goal of the Home of the Brave Foundation to expand and offer a home for homeless women veterans. The foundation has operated a similar facility for men for the past 20 years.
Executive Director Linda Boone said the proposed women’s home would offer beds for six women and their children with around-the-clock supervision. Boone said on any given night, there are 25 homeless women veterans in the area. She stressed the home would not be a shelter, but a transitional home for longer-term stays.
The type of transitional housing proposed by the Home of the Brave Foundation is not permitted without a variance in AR-1 zoning. The home is located along Griffith Lake Drive near Abbott’s Mill, outside Milford.
Proponents say the services are desperately needed, and the home would fit in with the neighborhood. Opponents said they support the concept, but the home conflicts with the single- family home setting of their neighborhood.
Seminar to address dealing with autism
In a collaboration among Autism Delaware, the Sussex Consortium and Sussex County Parent Advisory Committee, a half-day seminar will be presented at the CHEER Community Center in Georgetown to explain how to understand and communicate with people who have autism.
Free to the public, the seminar will also cover the communication tools used by first responders during interactions with autistic people and those who have other communication disorders. Autism and Other Communicative Disorders in Urgent Care Settings takes place from 9 a.m. to noon, Wednesday, April 17. All participants will receive certificates of attendance.
Register by Monday, March 25, by calling the Autism Delaware Milton office at 302-644-3410 or send an email of interest to dafne.carnright@delautism.org.
Autism Delaware’s programs and services are supported by state contracts and generous donations from individuals and corporations across Delaware. Fundraising events like the Walk for Autism help provide the income needed to make critical programs a reality. For more information on how to help, visit autismdelaware.org.
Rehoboth approves 2013-14 budget
The Rehoboth Beach commissioners unanimously approved the city’s $15.9 million 2013-14 budget.
The budget contains no new rate increases and contains a $1.2 million capital improvement program.
The budget includes funding for two new full-time police officers, positions the city did not previously fill due to the slow economy. The city also increased its workers’ compensation budget by 25 percent after there were six major claims in the 2012-13 budget year.
Among the capital improvement expenses, the city budgeted $146,000 for a new trash truck, $9,600 for a new change machine at the Bandstand and $100,000 for design work on a proposed upgrade to City Hall.
To view the city budget, visit www.cityofrehoboth.com.
Dewey council looks to ban beach smoking
Dewey Beach is considering a ban on smoking on the beach. Mayor Diane Hanson announced a possible ordinance to prohibit smoking on the beach in all but a few designated areas at a March 9 town council meeting. Hanson said neighboring towns, including Rehoboth Beach, are considering a ban, and a number of property owners have requested a ban. Hanson said she would find ordinances from other towns that prohibit smoking and give them to Dewey attorney Fred Townsend to craft legislation to discuss at the Saturday, April 6 meeting.
Dewey considers $20 dog license hike
Dewey Beach Town Council is discussing an increase in dog license fees from $15 to $35 for the life of the dog. Town Manager Marc Appelbaum proposed an ordinance that also included an eight-day license for $10. Under the proposed ordinance, dogs must be under the command of the owner, Appelbaum said. Commissioner Joy Howell said she would also like to make enforcement of mandatory dog licenses easier.
Appelbaum said he would refine the ordinance and present it to council at its next monthly meeting.
Lewes library sets future plan presentation dates
Lewes Public Library has scheduled a series of presentations to inform the public about plans to build a new library.
The presentation, Lewes Public Library: Supporting our Community Today and in the Future, provides information about the library’s history, and its growth and uses today, and peers ahead to examine what it should offer in decades to come.
Patrons are asked not to think about the library they grew up with, but to think about a library using conventional books and computer technology, and as a place with spaces to learn, teach, socialize and interact with a global community.
Presentations will be at the Lewes Public Library, 111 Adams Ave., in the second-floor meeting room. Times and dates are:
• 7 to 8 p.m., Wednesday, April 10
• 9 to 10 a.m., Wednesday, April 17
• 9 to 10 a.m., Saturday, April 20
• 5 to 6 p.m., Tuesday, April 23 For more information about library planning, go to www. leweslibrary.org.