News Briefs 9/20/22

Lewes BPW hydrant flow test Sept. 21

The Lewes Board of Public Works will conduct a hydrant flow test Wednesday, Sept. 21; customers may experience low water pressure or discolored water for the next 24 hours.

Officials suggest those with issues should run cold water for 10-15 minutes until clear water returns and avoid doing laundry during this time.

Questions about the hydrant flow test should be directed to the City of Lewes, 302-645-7777, while questions about water quality can go to the BPW, 302-645-6228.

Oyster House Village OKs amenities plan

At its Sept. 8 meeting, Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission approved a preliminary amenities plan for a new phase of Oyster House Village, which will include a 1,360-square-foot bocce court, a 1,245-square-foot pool with a pool deck and fencing, a retaining wall, and a 200-square-foot pool equipment and bath house along the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal off Oyster House Road near Rehoboth Beach. The amenities will be part of the existing 30-unit subdivision. The community also has a 20-slip marina on the canal.

Lewes planning group set to meet Sept. 21

The Lewes Planning Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 21 at the Rollins Center.

Members will resume talking about and possibly vote on Roosevelt Landing and the 2022 priority list.

The group will begin discussing an ordinance to amend articles and sections of Chapter 197 of the city code. They may make a recommendation to mayor and city council.

See the meeting agenda and link at lewes.civicweb.net.

Special Rehoboth meeting set Sept. 23

Rehoboth Beach commissioners have scheduled a special meeting for 9 a.m., Friday, Sept. 23. The agenda calls for a possible executive session to discuss the qualifications of individual candidates for Rehoboth Beach city manager.

The meeting will be conducted in the commissioners room of city hall, 229 Rehoboth Ave. A full agenda, meeting materials and a livestream are accessible at cityofrehoboth.civicweb.net. To comment, a person must attend in-person. For more information, contact the city at 302-227-6181 or information@cityofrehoboth.com.

Few parking changes in Rehoboth for 2023

The parking season in Rehoboth Beach ended Sept. 15. During a meeting Sept. 16, Rehoboth Beach commissioners all but finalized their parking plan for next year.

Except for some tweaks to 30-minute parking, the group decided to keep the rules the same for next year until a parking and traffic study is completed by a yet-to-be-hired consultant.

One parking-related item commissioners aren’t done discussing is related to local organizations asking for and receiving free parking vouchers for areas that are otherwise metered.

Rehoboth OKs license pact for 41 Olive Ave.

During a meeting Sept. 16, Rehoboth Beach commissioners approved a license agreement for the property at 41 Olive Ave. to use a 12-foot-deep, property-wide portion of the abutting Cranberry Park. The property is owned by New Castle Presbytery. The house on the property is built to the shared property line with the park, and the church has been paying $10 annually to use the small section of the park, for an unknown amount of time. The reason the issue was brought forward was because it was discovered the original agreement between the church and the city had been lost.

The church will continue to pay $10 a year.

Lewes Police Dept. honored by Lexipol

The Lewes Police Department was recently recognized by the Lexipol Connect program with the highest Gold Level status for consistently and effectively disseminating policies to officers, issuing timely policy updates as laws change and ensuring officers are trained. Lexipol is the nation’s leading content, policy and training platform for public safety agencies, and its program tracks the Lewes Police Department’s performance on five metrics proven to measure success in policy management.

Over the last year, LPD personnel responded to thousands of calls, dealing with criminal investigations and mental health crisis interventions, school security events and a variety of quality-of-life issues. To maintain a consistent and professional response, the department relies on comprehensive, up-to-date, best-practice policies.

“Policies that are among the best in our profession and training on them are crucial to our success. We are proud to be recognized at the highest level for the third straight year by Lexipol for continuing to be at the top of our game and providing professional and community-oriented public safety to those we serve,” said Lewes Police Chief Thomas Spell.

The Lewes Police Department’s excellence in policy and policy training enhances community safety by ensuring consistent, effective response based on national best practices.  For more information, go to lexipol.com.

Sept. 22 Sussex P&Z meeting canceled

The Sept. 22 Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission has been canceled due to the absence of two commissioners who have a number of applications on the agenda from their respective districts. The public hearings scheduled for that meeting will be re-advertised and placed on a future agenda. The next regularly scheduled planning & zoning commission meeting is at 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 13.

Sussex property taxes due Sept. 30

Sussex County reminds property owners that Friday, Sept. 30, is the state-mandated deadline to pay annual county property tax bills.

In August, the county’s Business Services office issued tax bills for the 2023 fiscal year, totaling an estimated $183.4 million in revenue. Bills can be viewed online at munis.sussexcountyde.gov/css/citizens/RealEstate.  Annual tax bills include county property taxes, and county sewer and water, tax ditch and street lighting fees, where applicable. Tax bills also include local school district taxes, which vary among the eight independent school districts.

Property owners without mortgage escrow accounts will receive mailed paper bills. Property owners not receiving a paper bill who have a current escrow account are encouraged to check with their lenders to verify payment status.

Sussex County accepts tax payments by cash, check, money order and debit or credit cards. Taxpayers have different options to make their payments: through their lender at sussexcountyde.gov, by mail, in person at county offices in Georgetown or by calling 1-866-791-9802 (have tax bill in hand when calling).

For information or general questions about tax bill payments, call 302-855-7871.

Candidates to address Eastern Sussex Dems

Delaware Democratic candidates running in the Tuesday, Nov. 8 election will attend the Eastern Sussex Democrats meeting at 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Lewes Public Library, 111 Adams Ave. The meeting will be preceded by a buffet dinner at 5:15; registration begins at 4:45.  Candidates will be on hand to speak with participants about their plans for the general election, answer voter questions, and discuss ways voters can help Democrats win in November.

Invited candidates are: House Representative District 14, Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf; Senate District 6 - Russ Huxtable; attorney general - Kathy Jennings; state treasurer - Colleen Davis; state auditor -  Lydia York; Representative District 20 - Stell Parker Selby; Representative District 4 - Keegan Worley; and Sussex County Council District 5 - Billy Edwards.

Cost for the buffet dinner with dessert and nonalcoholic beverage is $25. To register and pay, go to easternsussexdemocrats.com. For more information, email easternsussexdems@gmail.com.

Cape school board meets Sept. 22

The Cape Henlopen school board will hold its regular monthly meeting at 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 22, at Love Creek Elementary. Members will discuss several board policies, hear an update on the unit count and class size waiver, and take possible action on naming procedures for the new middle school.