News Briefs
Community Action Agency sets dinner
On Thursday, Sept. 26, from 6 to 8 p.m., First State Community Action Agency will host a Community Dinner at its Georgetown facility on 308 N. Railroad Ave. (Bernice M. Edwards Community Training & Resource Center). The community is invited to enjoy a hearty, healthy meal prepared by Chef Gary Papp, the Essential Chef, as well as family nutrition information and budget- friendly grocery shopping tips. There is no cost to attend. Individuals may reserve their seat at the table by registering online at www.firststatecaa.org. For more information, contact MaryAnn Morris at 302-856-7761, Ext. 139.
Lewes Point Farm annexation panel meet
The City of Lewes’ Point Farm Annexation Committee will meet at 10 a.m., Friday, Sept. 20, in City Hall. The committee has been appointed and charged with determining whether annexation of the Point Farm subdivision parcel would be good for the city.
Point Farm is a proposed 69 single-family-home development that would be built on about 108 acres near the Canary Creek subdivision. Access to Point Farm would be via New Road and then turning onto what is known as the University of Delaware’s old Research Park Road.
Mayor Jim Ford appointed the city council members to serve, at mayor and council’s Sept. 9 meeting. Ford named City Councilman Ted Becker, committee chairman, and City Councilman Fred Beaufait, City Councilwoman Bonnie Osler and City Councilman Dennis Reardon as committee members.
Lewes BPW to consider water plant open house
Lewes Board of Public Works will meet at noon, Wednesday, Sept. 25, in City Hall. On the agenda is an open forum and general discussion on 2013-14 capital projects review, and an update of summer projects; general discussion on efforts and direction in meeting permit requirements for 2012-16 National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System nutrient offset permit requirements; and general discussion about completion of the water treatment plant, naming the new facility, and a proposed open house Saturday, Oct. 19. For a complete agenda visit City Hall, the Lewes Public Library, or go to www.ci.lewes.de.us.
Rehoboth board to hear Lake Avenue appeal
The Rehoboth Beach Board of Adjustment will hear an appeal of a building inspector’s decision for property at 49A Lake Ave. at the board’s 7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 23 meeting in the city commissioners’ room. Attorney John Paradee, on behalf of owner Frank Perna Jr., is appealing a building inspector’s decision to not issue a building permit for certain construction plans and to not issue a building license. In the alternative, Paradee is requesting a variance to allow a second dwelling unit at the property and to allow a business license for the unit. The property is located in a C-3 commercial zoning district.
The board will also hear an appeal of a building inspector’s decision that a new HVAC unit cannot replace the existing unit in the same location at 100 First St. In the alternative, owner William Alexander of Alexander Family Limited Partnership is requesting a variance to allow the replacement of an existing HVAC unit in the southeast sideyard setback.
Finally, the board will consider the date of its December meeting.
Rehoboth to host Sept. 28 shredding event
Rehoboth Beach and Delaware Solid Waste Authority will host an electronics recycling and paper shredding event from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 28, behind the Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Department, 219 Rehoboth Ave.
Electronic equipment such as old computers, printers, CD players, microwaves, telephones, televisions, video game consoles, fax machines, answering machines and VCRs will be recycled. Residents can bring two file boxes of papers for shredding, which can include financial and legal documents, receipts, and tax and medical records.
The event is limited to Delaware residents, no commercial businesses, and is held rain or shine. For more information, go to www.dswa.com or call 1-800-404-7080.
Milton budget vote set for Sept. 23
Milton Town Council will meet at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 23, at the Milton Public Library to discuss and possibly vote on the fiscal year 2014 budget. The new budget year begins Oct. 1.
Also on the agenda is a discussion about the town’s hiring process. Town Manager Win Abbott recently informed the town he would seek employment elsewhere when his contract ends Sept. 21. For more information, call town hall at 302-684-4110.
Milton BoA Sept. 24 meeting canceled
The Milton Board of Adjustment meeting slated for Tuesday, Sept. 24, is canceled due to a lack of agenda items. For more information, call town hall at 302-684-4110.
Rehoboth parks meeting cancelled
The Rehoboth Beach Parks and Shade Tree Commission has cancelled its Monday, Sept. 23 meeting due to a lack of agenda items.
The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 28.
Delaware Veterans Services wins award
The new Delaware Veterans Services Directory has won recognition from a national eGovernment research institute for its innovative approach to providing services to an important segment of Delaware’s population. The directory, which serves more than 79,000 Delaware veterans and their families, was named a winner of a 2013 Digital Government Achievement Award in the Government- to-Business category by the Center for Digital Government.
Accessible at www.delaware.gov/vsd, the VSD is a statewide online listing of public and private organizations offering services to Delaware veterans and their families. It brings together a community of partners in a single, online portal that features links to employment services, housing services, medical services, and education services, among others.
VSD users can search by geographic location and by types of services offered.
The directory also offers quick links to important state and federal veterans’ agencies. It provides an array of essential services for Delaware’s vast military community.
Capital Transportation Program hearings set for Sept. 25 in Sussex
Interested people are encouraged to participate in the development of the state’s sixyear Capital Transportation Program for fiscal years 2015-20 by attending public hearings to be held in September. The hearings are jointly sponsored by the Council on Transportation and the Delaware Department of Transportation.
The Sussex County DelDOT public hearing will be held from 4 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 25, at the DelDOT South District Administration Building, 23697 DuPont Blvd., Georgetown. Project information will be displayed, and there will be opportunities for discussion with DelDOT and county representatives. Anyone having special needs or requiring special aid is requested to contact DelDOT Office of Public Relations, Department of Transportation, P.O. Box 778, Dover, DE 19903, or call 1-800-652-5600.
Gun shop opponents present petitions
Opponents of a gun shop in West Rehoboth brought their pleas to Sussex County Council during the Sept. 10 meeting. The shop, open by appointment only, is scheduled to be open for business sometime this month, according to owner Richard Catts.
The building on Hebron Road is situated on commercially zoned land and also houses the family’s umbrella rental business.
Mable Granke of Rehoboth Beach presented council with petitions containing 209 signatures against the opening of the Delaware Firearms gun shop.
“Yes, the land is commercial, and yes, it’s a permitted use, but do you take into consideration the community?” Granke asked council members. “The community does not need a gun shop. It invites violence.”
“What do you want county council to do?” asked Councilman Vance Phillips, R-Laurel.
“You need to take a look at commercial zoning and the impact it represents to the surrounding community,” she answered. “This is a residential area; some logic and common sense needs to be applied. This is why the conditional-use process is necessary for the public good.”
“You can talk all you want, but you need to take action,” Phillips said. “I’m starting here today,” Granke said.
In previous interviews, Catts said he has not received any negative feedback. “We have tried so hard to bring this community back together,” said Eleanor Whaley, vice president of the West Rehoboth Community Land Trust. “We are trying to make this a better place.”
She talked about the son she lost in 2008 in West Rehoboth; he died after being attacked and beaten with the butt of a gun. “We don’t want this to happen to any other mother,” she said.
She said residents are concerned that the gun shop would become a target for thieves.
County attorney J. Everett Moore cut the discussion short, noting the matter was not an agenda item.
