News Briefs 7/16/21
Inspection set at canal bridge near Rehoboth July 20
The following lane closures will occur on Roosevelt Street and Route 1 northbound/southbound near Rehoboth Beach for inspection of the highway bridge over the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal.
Daytime lane closures will occur from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, July 20 and Wednesday, July 21, with alternating one-way traffic on Roosevelt Street between Jefferson Street and Lee Street (under Route 1) and on Oyster House Road (under Route 1). Flaggers will be on-site to direct motorists.
Nighttime lane closures will occur from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Tuesday, July 27 and Wednesday, July 28, with alternating single right-lane closures on Route 1 northbound and southbound between Bay Vista Road and Bay Road. Motorists should be aware that bridge personnel and equipment will be operating in close proximity to the travel lanes and slow down in work zones.
The rain date is Thursday, July 29.
Lewes Parks and Rec meets July 19
The Lewes Parks and Recreation Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m., Monday, July 19, in person at the Rollins Community Center and via Zoom. The group will receive a presentation from No Shoes Beach Bonfires, proposing to operate a business at Beach 1 and Beach 2. A link to the presentation is available under the agenda item at lewes.civicweb.net. Commissioners will also review a request to place mosaic pieces in the gardens at Canalfront Park and George H.P. Smith Park. For those who wish to attend virtually, a link to the meeting can be found at the bottom of the agenda at lewes.civicweb.net.
Eastern Sussex Democrats to meet
Eastern Sussex Democrats will meet at 6 p.m., Thursday, July 22, featuring Democratic National Committeewoman Kerri Evelyn Harris as speaker, and Delaware voters are invited. Harris’ topic will be “Resilience – There is No Giving Up.” There will be a social hour at 4:45 p.m. and buffet dinner at 5:15 p.m., supplied by Patti’s Catering, at the Lewes Public Library, 111 Adams Ave., Lewes. The meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Register by emailing Easternsussexdems@gmail.com.
Sussex council not meeting July 20
Sussex County Council will not meet Tuesday, July 20. The next regularly scheduled meeting is at 10 a.m., Tuesday, July 27, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown.
Cooperative plans Cedar Grove substation
Delaware Electric Cooperative’s plan to build a substation along Cedar Grove Road near Lewes was unanimously approved July 13 by Sussex County Council. DEC Vice President Mark Nielson said the substation is needed to serve existing load and future growth in the Plantation Road-Warrington Road-Route 24 area. He said the new Beebe Specialty Surgical Hospital along Warrington Road will be the cooperative’s largest customer, utilizing 4 megawatts of load.
The substation and stormwater management area will comprise about 3 acres of the 9-acre parcel.
Hopkins venue gets Sussex approval
At its July 13 meeting, Sussex County Council unanimously approved a conditional-use request filed by Covered Bridge Inn LLC and Hopkins Henlopen Homestead LLC for an events venue at 30066 Fisher Road, west of an existing wedding venue on the Hopkins family farm.
Owner Ingrid Hopkins said the new venue will be for one-day wedding and events rentals using existing farm structures on the property. The project has received approval from the Agriculture Preservation Foundation.
Sussex P&Z delays vote on Bayhealth project
During its July meeting, Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission did not act on a revised preliminary site plan for a proposed Bayhealth healthcare facility between Lewes and Milton. On the recommendation of Commissioner Kim Hoey Stevenson, members took no action on the site plan for a 48,500-square-foot medical office complex at the intersection of Route 9 and Hudson Road.
Commissioners had deferred a vote at their June 24 meeting to obtain more information on the site layout, and landscaping and lighting plans.
Hoey Stevenson said the proposed lighting plan does not go far enough to protect nearby residents.
“I don’t want people’s yards lit up all night,” she said, suggesting a proposed buffer along Hudson Road be extended. Planning and Zoning Director Jamie Whitehouse said staff would meet with the applicant’s engineer to voice the commission’s concerns.
Wheatley, Hoey Stevenson lead Sussex P&Z
At its July 8 reorganization meeting, members of the Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission elected Bob Wheatley as chair and Kim Hoey Stevenson as vice chair. Wheatley has served on the commission since 1995; Hoey Stevenson was appointed in 2017.
