Shell We Bounce project backed by P&Z
A site plan for the expansion of the Shell We Bounce indoor recreation center was approved at the Sept. 17 Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.
The only change was to eliminate the three to five parking spaces that had been planned in the front setback of the property along Route 9 near Lewes, at the recommendation of Commissioner Scott Collins.
Shell We Bounce plans to build a freestanding 6,242-square-foot two-story mixed-use building with four residential units upstairs, and a 4,000-square-foot addition to the existing 24,000-square-foot building for more indoor recreation activities.
The addition would create three birthday rooms, doubling the number now available, owner Jim Derrick said recently. It may include augmented reality, using technology to create interactive experiences for customers, he said.
There are several options for the new building, primarily commercial and residential space, Derrick said.
Construction could take at least six months, he said.
Kevin Conlon came to the Cape Gazette with nearly 40 years of newspaper experience since graduating from St. Bonaventure University in New York with a bachelor's degree in mass communication. He reports on Sussex County government and other assignments as needed.
His career spans working as a reporter and editor at daily newspapers in upstate New York, including The Daily Gazette in Schenectady. He comes to the Cape Gazette from the Cortland Standard, where he was an editor for more than 25 years, and in recent years also contributed as a columnist and opinion page writer. He and his staff won regional and state writing awards.
Conlon was relocating to Lewes when he came across an advertisement for a reporter job at the Cape Gazette, and the decision to pursue it paid off. His new position gives him an opportunity to stay in a career that he loves, covering local news for an independently owned newspaper.
Conlon is the father of seven children and grandfather to two young boys. In his spare time, he trains for and competes in triathlons and other races. Now settling into the Cape Region, he is searching out hilly trails and roads with wide shoulders. He is a fan of St. Bonaventure sports, especially rugby and basketball, as well as following the Mets, Steelers and Celtics.
