News Briefs 11/19/21

Belhaven going before Rehoboth BoA

The Rehoboth Beach Board of Adjustment will meet virtually at 2:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 22.  There is one item on the agenda – a variance request by the developers of the proposed Belhaven Hotel at 2 Rehoboth Ave. Attorney Hal Dukes, on behalf of property owner John Papajohn, has asked for the project to have a floor-to-area ratio of 3, which is 50 percent more than city code allows. People wishing to speak must preregister by emailing City Secretary Ann Womack, awomack@cityofrehoboth.com, at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. A full agenda and meeting materials are accessible at cityofrehoboth.civicweb.net. For more information, call 302-227-6181.

Rehoboth city hall closed Nov. 25-26

In observance of Thanksgiving, Rehoboth Beach City Hall, 229 Rehoboth Ave., will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 25 and 26. There will be no residential trash pickup Nov. 25. Regular trash pickup will resume city-wide Friday, Nov. 26. For more information, contact the communications department at 302-227-6181, Ext. 522 or communications@cityofrehoboth.com.

Henlopen Acres town hall closed Nov. 25-26

In observance of Thanksgiving, Henlopen Acres Town Hall, 104 Tidewaters, will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 25 and 26. For more information, call 302-227-6411 or email townhall@henlopenacres.com.

Lewes code of conduct meeting set

The Lewes Ad Hoc Committee for the Review of the Code of Conduct will meet at 9 a.m., Friday, Nov. 19, at city hall and via Zoom. The group will discuss possible amendments to the city’s code of conduct. A link to the meeting can be found on the agenda at lewes.civicweb.net. 

Sussex disabled vets will get tax break

At its Nov. 16 meeting, Sussex County Council unanimously approved an ordinance to provide relief from property taxes for veterans in the county who are 100 percent disabled. The action follows the recent state law that exempts those veterans from school district taxes starting in 2022. Included requirements state that veterans must have lived in the county for three years and own their home. County Finance Director Gina Jennings said there are 516 totally disabled veterans in the county, with about 75 percent owning their homes. Disabled veterans have until April 30, 2022, to apply for the exemption. For more information, go to sussexcountyde.gov/news/sussex-county-property-taxes-due-sept-30-10.

Manufactured Home Owners Association to meet Nov. 22

Delaware Manufactured Home Owners Association will hold a general membership meeting at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 22, at Angola Beach & Estates Clubhouse, 22971 Suburban Blvd., Lewes. The nonprofit entity represents the interests of approximately 50,000 homeowners living in manufactured housing on leased land all over Delaware. To learn more, go to dmhoa.org or call 302-945-2122.

Sussex council not meeting Nov. 23

Sussex County Council will not meet Tuesday, Nov. 23, and government offices will be closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 25 and 26. The next council meeting is scheduled for 10 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 30, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown.

Sussex council awards youth grants

Sussex County Council awarded the following youth grants during its Nov. 9 meeting: $1,500 to Coastal Concerts, based in Lewes, for music scholarships; $750 to Urban Youth Golf Association for its First Tee School Program; and $1,000 to Sussex Technical High School to provide a bus for 21 allied health fields students and five chaperones to the Philadelphia airport for an overseas trip to England and Scotland to study the history of medicine in the English-speaking world.

Lewes to bid signage program

Lewes is requesting bids for the fabrication of first phase of new signage for the core downtown district, including signs for vehicular traffic and pedestrians, and directional signage for parking lots. Developed by consultant Merje Design, the first phase is estimated to cost the city about $100,000. 

DART adds six more electric buses

The Delaware Transit Corporation plans to purchase six more electric buses thanks to a $3.5 million grant from the Federal Transportation Authority. The new buses will increase the DART First State fleet to 26 electric buses, which is about 10 percent of the total fleet. The agency has now received more than $9.1 million in grants to purchase buses. The first FTA grant of $2 million was for the purchase of six electric buses currently operating in and around Dover. The second grant of $1 million was to purchase of an additional 10 electric buses operating in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach. DTC received a third grant of $2.6 million for four electric buses to supplement the beach resort season in late summer of 2021. Electric buses last longer, are cleaner, easier to maintain, produce zero emissions and offer the same capacity for riders compared to their diesel relatives.