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News Briefs

September 2, 2014
Tuesday, Sep. 02

Rehoboth in Bloom Committee meets

Rehoboth in Bloom, an ad hoc committee of the Rehoboth Beach Streets and Transportation Committee, will meet at 10 a.m., Friday, Sept. 5, in the city com­missioners’ room.

The committee will discuss current projects and continue discussion of efforts to improve the look of the State Road en­trance to the city. The committee will also discuss its future goals and coming up with a long-range master plan.

Finally, the committee will hold continued discussion on “Adopt” programs for Rehoboth, including short-term projects such as adopt a pot, bed or park and municipal plantings.

Rehoboth commissioners to meet

The Rehoboth Beach com­missioners will meet at 9 a.m., Monday, Sept. 8, in the city com­missioners’ room to discuss a proposal from EDiS Company to provide design development architecture, engineering and estimating services for the pro­posed City Hall complex.

The commissioners will discuss the processes and condi­tions for merging and unmerging lots, including a proposed ordi­nance clarifying when lots are merged.

In new business, the commis­sioners will discuss a request from Kitty Cole to enlarge a porch at the second level, ex­tend the roof over the porch and reconstruct an outside stairway and landing. The structure at 39 Olive Ave. encroaches on city land and is subject to a license agreement dated Oct. 21, 1981

The commissioners will dis­cuss two proposed ordinances: one would repeal the fire pre­vention section of the city code, the second would amend the flood damage reduction section to bring it into agreement with Federal Emergency Management Agency requirements.

Mayor Sam Cooper will lead discussion on plans to install wa­ter and wastewater mains at Lake Drive west of King Charles Av­enue and a resolution that would give guidance to the building and licensing department allowing replacement HVAC units to con­tinue an encroachment into side and rear yards.

Dewey marketing group meeting set Sept. 4

The Dewey Beach Marketing Committee will be meeting at 10 a.m., Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Dewey Beach Life Saving Station, 1 Dagsworthy Ave.

The committee will be dis­cussion business related to organizing and publicizing activi­ties for the spring and summer of 2015.

For the full agenda, go to www.townofdeweybeach.com.

Cape school board OKs preliminary budget

The Cape Henlopen school board approved the district’s preliminary budget for 2015 by a vote of four with one abstention.

The overall budget is $100.9 million, about 7 percent more than the 2014, said Oliver Gumbs, director of business operations for the district.

The biggest increase was $4 million for major capital im­provements – money for a new elementary school that voters approved in April. There is $1.3 million in state-funded person­nel costs and $1 million in debt service payments, Gumbs said.

Another $1.1 million is for one­time items that include:

• A new scoreboard for Leg­ends Stadium

• English Language Arts mate­rials for grades six to 12

• New sound systems for Bea­con and Mariner middle schools

• A modular classroom at H.O. Brittingham Elementary.

Voting in favor of the pre­liminary budget were board members Jen Burton, Spencer Brittingham, Alison Myers and Vice President Roni Posner. Board member Noble Prettyman abstained; Sandy Minard and Andy Lewis were absent.

Lewes marina committee meets

The Lewes Canalfront Park Marina Committee will meet at 1 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 4, at the Net House at Canalfront Park. The committee will review the 2014 rental season, including oc­cupancy, revenue, maintenance and safety issues.

Members will also discuss cur­rent rates for seasonal and transit slips, and possible changes for the 2015 season. They will also schedule the 2015 seasonal boat slip lottery.

A discussion will be held re­garding a possible roundtable discussion with other marina owners about dredging the canal and future dredging maintenance for individual marinas. For more information, call city hall at 302-645-7777.

Treasurer Flowers makes it official

Two weeks after announcing he was not seeking re-election, State Treasurer Chip Flowers made it official when he filed the necessary paperwork with the Delaware Department of Elec­tions Aug 28.

During an emotional press conference Aug. 15, Flowers said his political career was over, and that he knew if he were to run for re-election, lies would continue to follow him at every level.

“The decision was based on a need to put family ahead of constantly battling deceptions, falsehoods and lies by my op­ponents that not only threatened my family and livelihood, but have also prevented our state from moving forward,” said Flowers in a prepared statement.

Sean Barney, a former aide to Sen. Tom Carper and Gov. Jack Markell, is now the lone Demo­cratic candidate and will face the winner of the Sept. 9 Republican Primary in the Nov. 4 General Election. The Republican can­didates are Sher Valenzuela and Ken Simpler.

 


Friday, Aug. 29

Oceanside beach at the Point to reopen

With beachnesting bird season winding down and migratory shorebirds passing through, beachnesting bird monitors re­ported that six pairs of piping plovers fledged eight chicks this season, four on the Point and four at Gordons Pond at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes.

Two of this season’s nesting plovers might stand as evidence supporting long-held speculation among biologists that plovers that nest in Delaware will return to breed here again in the future. In the last few years, several banding studies conducted in Atlantic Coast states used col­ored plastic leg bands in unique combinations on the plovers that allow observers to identify individual birds without having to recapture them.

“This season we had two pip­ing plovers nesting in Delaware that had been banded in New Jer­sey, one in 2012 and one in 2013,” said wildlife biologist Matthew Bailey of the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife. “Next year, we’ll be watching to see if our two banded plovers return to Delaware to nest.”

Meanwhile, seabeach ama­ranth, a rare plant, is having a good season in the beach parks, with about 75 plants found be­tween Tower Road and Faithful Steward Crossing in Delaware Seashore State Park, and about 10 plants scattered throughout the Point and Gordons Pond at Cape Henlopen State Park. This species, like the piping plover, is listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Seabeach amaranth grows in the same kinds of habitat where piping plovers nest and usually begins sprouting in July in Dela­ware.

The dunes and interdunal areas at Gordons Pond and the Point remain closed to the public year-round to protect seabeach amaranth plants and numerous other rare species and plant com­munities that exist in these areas.

The oceanside beach at the Point will reopen by Labor Day weekend, while the bayside beach will remain closed until October. For more information about beachnesting birds or monitoring efforts, contact Bai­ley at 302-382-4151 or matthew.bailey@state.de.us.

Mulberry home back on HPC agenda Sept. 2

The Lewes Historic Preserva­tion Commission will meet at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 2, at city hall. Back on the commission’s agenda is the home at 302 Mul­berry St. Homeowner Ramin Mojdeh criticized the HPC at its August meeting for its long, grueling process. Renovations were approved with conditions in August, but Mojdeh and his wife are going back in front of HPC to discuss demolition of the existing dwelling based on the report of an independent engineer and the onsite inspec­tion of the city building official.

The home is considered a con­tributing structure in the historic district, meaning the building adds to the district’s sense of time, place and historic devel­opment. The HPC’s agenda has various other requests from his­toric district homeowners. To view the full agenda, go to www.ci.lewes.de.us.

 

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