News Briefs 02/14/20

DelDOT schedules Bethany Beach project
Delaware Department of Transportation contractor A-Del Construction Co. will begin a water-quality improvement project to the Anchorage Canal drainage area in Bethany Beach, including intersection improvements to the Route 1/Pennsylvania Avenue/Westway Drive intersection. The work includes construction of a wet pond, a Route 1 northbound right-turn lane onto Pennsylvania Avenue, signal modifications, installation of four box culverts, a shared-use path and pedestrian improvements.

The project is scheduled to begin Monday, March 2, and be completed by mid-June.

Phase 1 work will be performed under a detour of the right-turn lane on Pennsylvania Avenue, which is anticipated to take place March 2 through Friday, April 17, pending weather. Motorists traveling from westbound Pennsylvania Avenue onto Route 1 northbound will be detoured to turn left onto Route 1 southbound, and then make a U-turn to go northbound. Phase 2 and Phase 3 will be performed using daytime shoulder and lane closures.

For additional information go to www.deldot.gov/Programs/tap/index.shtml or contact Michael Hahn at 302-760-2131.

Milton planners to meet Feb. 18
Milton Planning and Zoning Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 18, at Milton library to conduct a public hearing and possibly vote on an application for a special permitted use to allow Tidewater Utilities to build a new wastewater treatment plant on Sam Lucas Road. The five-acre parcel Tidewater is proposing to build the plant on is within the R-3 general multifamily residential use district.

The commission will hold a second public hearing on Phases 7, 8A and 8B of the Heritage Creek subdivision. These phases will be built on the northeastern side of Harbeson Road, south of the intersection of Harbeson Road and Shingle Point Road. Owner Fernmoor Homes has requested preliminary site-plan review and preliminary subdivision plat review for the three phases.

DSP will present year in review at Troop 7
Delaware State Police Troop 7 will host its annual meeting to provide the public with its 2019 year in review. The event is at 6 p.m., Monday, Feb. 17, in the new Troop 7 community room, 19444 Mulberry Knoll Road, Lewes. Police officers will provide the community with a better understanding of how Troop 7 functions and the duties and responsibilities troopers handle on a daily basis. Topics will include crime rates, vehicle crashes and investigative clearances in eastern Sussex County, and how enforcement plans have adjusted for 2020. The meeting is open to the public.

Henlopen Acres town hall closed Presidents’ Day
Henlopen Acres Town Hall, 104 Tidewaters, will be closed Monday, Feb. 17, in observance of Presidents’ Day. For more information, call 302-227-6411.

Rehoboth city hall closed Presidents’ Day
Rehoboth Beach City Hall, 229 Rehoboth Ave., will be closed Monday, Feb. 17, in observance of Presidents’ Day. There will be no residential trash pickup that day. Citywide trash pickup will be Tuesday, Feb 18. Go to www.cityofrehoboth.com for a trash collection calendar. For more information, contact the communications department at 302-227-6181 Ext. 522 or communications@cityofrehoboth.com.

DelDOT workshop on Lewes swing bridge set Feb. 20
The Delaware Department of Transportation will hold a workshop from 2:30 to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 20, at the Lewes Public Library to discuss removal of the railroad swing bridge over the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. The purpose of the workshop is to present details on the removal and solicit feedback from the public. 

Lewes council meetings now livestreamed 
Audio from Lewes Mayor and City Council meetings will now be livestreamed through the city’s website. Audio from the meetings will also be available for the public to listen to after the meetings on the website. City Manager Ann Marie Townshend said the only meetings that will be streamed in the near term are mayor and city council meetings. She said she would like to add the planning commission soon, but is still working out logistics.

To listen to council meetings, go to www.lewes.civicweb.net and select a mayor and city council meeting. A speaker icon will appear next to meetings that have audio. At the top of the agenda page, there is a tab for audio. For more information, call city hall at 302-645-7777.

Lewes approves tennis/pickleball court plans
Lewes Mayor and City Council voted unanimously Feb. 10 to approve plans for the rehabilitation of the basketball, tennis and pickleball courts at Canalfront Park. Despite a push from the pickleball community to have permanent courts, officials chose to move forward with the same layout where tennis and pickleball share the same courts. For more information, call city hall at 302-645-7777.

Owen files for Lewes BPW election
Lewes Board of Public Works Director A. Thomas Owen has submitted paperwork to seek re-election. BPW President Preston Lee’s seat is also up for election this year, but he has not yet submitted paperwork. Each seat has a three-year term. Anyone interested in running for the Lewes BPW must file a letter of intention to General Manager Darrin Gordon by 4:30 p.m., Thursday, April 2. The election will be Saturday, May 9. Voters may register until 4:30 p.m., Friday, April 24. For more information, call the BPW office at 302-645-6228.

Dewey marketing committee to meet Feb. 21
The Dewey Beach Marketing Committee will meet at 4 p.m., Friday, Feb. 21, at the Lifesaving Station, 1 Dagsworthy Ave. Members will discuss any changes to the town Facebook page and approve another member to post to the page. The agenda also calls for discussion on the Lifesaving Station stamp, and possible new marketing ideas.

Sussex council meeting on Feb. 18
Sussex County Council will meet at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 18, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown. Included on the agenda is a possible vote on two applications filed by Mary and Victor Rico for a conditional use for multifamily housing and rezoning from AR-1, agricultural-residential, to MR, medium-density residential, for a .927-acre parcel at 20797 Sunset Lane west of Love Creek bridge.

Also on the agenda is a possible vote on a conditional-use application filed by Mountaire Farms of Delaware to expand wastewater spray irrigation on 352 acres on both sides of Townsend Road and Mount Joy Road near Millsboro. See a complete agenda at sussexcountyde.gov. Meetings are broadcast live on the county website.

Eastern Sussex Dems to meet Feb. 17
Eastern Sussex Democrats will host a social hour and dinner meeting starting at 5 p.m., Monday, Feb. 17, at Atlantic Sands Hotel Ballroom, 1 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach. Dinner will begin at 6 p.m. with the meeting at 6:45.

All are welcome for a panel discussion moderated by Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long on Lessons Learned – Winning in Sussex County, with panelists Don Allan, Dave Baker, Jack Bucchioni, Brad Connor, Greg Fuller, Leslie Ledogar, and Paulette Rappa. Participants will discuss what their campaigns taught them about essential elements for a successful run for office in Sussex County. There will be an interactive Q&A with the guest speakers.   

The fee for dinner and meeting for members is $30; nonmembers pay $35. Register early at www.easternsussexdemocrats.com by Friday, Feb. 14. For more Information, contact Kathy Hughes at easternsussexdems@gmail.com.

Workshop set on Route 113/404 intersection
The Delaware Department of Transportation will seek public input on a proposed grade-separated intersection at Route 113 and Route 404 in Georgetown from 3 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19, at Delaware Technical Community College Owens Campus, Student Services Center, 21179 College Drive, Georgetown. In case of inclement weather, the workshop will be from 3 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the same location.

The proposed project was identified to address transportation needs in the Route 113 corridor improvement plan. Officials will present the design and provide an update on the construction schedule. Display plans will be provided for review and comments. Project team members will be on hand to answer questions.

Comments can be submitted at the workshop; emailed to dotpr@delaware.gov; or sent to DelDOT Community Relations, attn. Mark Whiteside, project manager, PO Box 778, Dover, DE 19903.

RD20 Democratic Committee to meet Feb. 20
The Representative District 20 Democratic Committee will meet Thursday, Feb. 20, at Fish On Restaurant, 17300 Village Main Blvd. in Lewes. The public event will begin at 5:30 p.m. for a social gathering with refreshments and dinner available for purchase. Wayne “Ozzie” Osborne, senior application support specialist for the Delaware Department of Elections, Sussex County Office, will offer a hands-on demonstration of how to use Delaware’s new electronic, touchscreen voting machines. At 6 p.m., Osborne will give a presentation on the new voting machines and updated voting process, followed by a question-and-answer session.

The RD20 committee’s monthly business meeting will begin at 7 p.m., and registered Democrats are welcome to attend. House Majority Leader Rep. Valerie Longhurst, D-Bear, will update the group on upcoming General Assembly bills including the Clean Water for Delaware Act.

RD20 is the local Democratic Party organization for residents in the Lewes, Milton, Belltown, Cool Spring, Jimtown, Pinetown and Harbeson areas of Sussex County. For more information, email rd20.deldems@gmail.com or go to www.RD20DelDems.com.