News Briefs 10/29/21
Update on Route 24 closures
DelDOT officials have issued an updated schedule of lane closures for the Route 24 project. Plantation Road and Warrington Road will have single-lane closures for striping from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. through Tuesday, Nov. 30, with no closures on the weekend.
Route 24 eastbound will be closed between Mulberry Knoll Road and Route 1 for milling, paving and striping from 8 p.m., Monday, Nov. 1, until noon Tuesday, Nov. 2. Detour route: Motorists on Route 24 eastbound will turn left onto Mulberry Knoll Road and then turn right onto Cedar Grove Road and continue onto Postal Lane and turn right on Route 1 southbound and turn right onto Route 24. Final paving will begin in early November through mid-December, pending weather. Construction is anticipated to be complete by 2022. For details, go to deldot.gov/projects/index.shtml?dc=details&projectNumber=T200411209.
No Sussex council meeting Nov. 2
Sussex County Council will not meet Tuesday, Nov. 2. The next regularly scheduled meeting is at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 9, in the county administration building, 2 The Circle, Georgetown.
Sussex eyes disabled vets tax exemption
At its Oct. 26 meeting, Sussex County Council introduced an ordinance to provide relief from property taxes for veterans in the county who are 100 percent disabled. The action would follow the recent state law that exempts those veterans from school district taxes starting in 2022.
Among the requirements is that a veteran 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.
She said the exemption would cost the county just over $43,000, which is .002 percent of total property taxes collected each year. The ordinance will be placed on future council and planning and zoning agendas.
Sussex selects three new sites for EMS
Sussex County is looking at three sites for new paramedics stations – Dickerson Road in Millsboro, Cave Neck Road near Milton and Old State Road in Lincoln. In addition, a north Seaford data center is planned to be constructed. At its Oct. 26 meeting, Sussex County Council awarded an engineering contract not to exceed $295,000 to George, Miles and Buhr.
Engineering services will include permitting, stormwater management design, evaluation of water supply and sewer design.
County engineer Hans Medlarz said one of the main criteria for site selection was availability of water service for the buildings’ state-required fire suppression systems.
Lewes BOA to consider menhaden reel appeal Nov. 2
The Lewes Board of Adjustment will consider an appeal from the Lewes Historical Society at 10 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 2, regarding the historic preservation and architectural review commission’s decision to deny the placement of the menhaden fishing net reel on LHS’s campus at the corner of Shipcarpenter Street and W. Third Street. The appeal questions HPARC and the building official’s authority to make such a decision. The meeting will be held at the Rollins Community Center and via Zoom. A link can be found at lewes.civicweb.net.
Lewes Public Art meets Nov. 1
The Lewes Public Art Committee will meet at 6:30 p.m., Monday, Nov. 1, at city hall and via Zoom. The group will discuss this summer’s public art projects in Canalfront Park and George H.P. Smith Park.
They will also discuss the upcoming community workshop meeting Wednesday, Nov. 3, programming for 2021 and consideration of next year’s exhibitions.
A link to the meeting can be found on the agenda at lewes.civicweb.net.
Lewes Board of Health meets Nov. 2
The Lewes Board of Health will meet at 9 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 2, at city hall and via Zoom. The group will discuss COVID in Delaware and the Lewes area, including possible recommendations on vaccination and testing of city employees. A link to the meeting can be found on the agenda at lewes.civicweb.net.
Rehoboth Beach to host annual auction
Rehoboth Beach will host its annual auction Saturday, Nov. 6. Bidding will start at 9:30 a.m. both inside and outside, weather permitting, at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Ave.
More than a dozen trucks and cars, a variety of maintenance equipment, single-head parking meters, wooden benches, old signage, furniture, jewelry, bicycles and electronics are on the auction block.
Auction items can be previewed in person from 3 to 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 5. Registration will be available about an hour before bidding begins. Emmert Auction Associates will conduct the auction. The auction is open to the public; there is no fee to register to bid; however, a 10 percent buyer’s premium will be added to all purchases. Payment may be made via cash, check or credit card.
Lewes secures Christmas tree
The City of Lewes has secured a blue spruce from Harry Still to be used as the city’s Christmas tree in Zwaanendael Park this holiday season. It will be cut and transported by Sussex Tree, which is donating its time and equipment. The tree is expected to arrive in the city Nov. 18. The tree will be lit Saturday, Dec. 4, after the Christmas Parade.
Route 1-16 utility relocation begins
Utility relocation for the Route 1-Route 16 grade-separated intersection project near Milton will require daytime lane shifts and shoulder closures on both roadways from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. from Monday, Oct. 25, until April 2022. For more information, go to https://deldot.gov/projects/index.shtml?dc=details&projectNumber=T201500301.
