At Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Dagsboro, 31 babies have been laid to rest since the cemetery opened in 2002. Some have small stone markers, but many have only tiny plastic markers — meant to be temporary — to mark their brief time on earth.

The lack of permanent memorials for the babies has always bothered Don Lydick, deacon of the cemetery.

“It’s disgusting,” Lydick said, expressing hopes that a more permanent memorial could be put in place. While the Diocese of Wilmington supports such a memorial, it was understood that funding for the memorial would have to come from private sources.

That’s where Joe Mulholland comes in. Mulholland, 87, of Ocean City, Md., comes to the cemetery, generally twice a week, because his wife Jane’s ashes are interred there. He and Lydick got to talking and agreed that something had to be done to pay tribute to the babies.

Mulholland reached out to anyone he could think of to raise the $6,500 needed to build a memorial wall. So far, about half of the necessary funding has been raised — enough for a down-payment on a granite memorial wall.

The wall will bear the inscription “Holy Innocents” and will have space for the names of the babies currently laid to rest at Gate of Heaven, as well as about 60 more. The babies’ names will be watched over by a carved portrait of Jesus holding a lamb, Mulholland said.

Lydick said he is thrilled that Mulholland has taken the Gate of Heaven babies project under his wing. The two men share a bond over the little ones buried in the “babies’ section” and both make it a point to visit them frequently. Every time he visits his wife’s ashes, Mulholland will say a prayer over the babies’ graves, he said. Lydick also makes it a point to visit them whenever he can. “I’ll go over and say, ‘Hi, babies,’” he said.

Many of the babies buried at Gate of Heaven were born to single mothers or couples with very little money; plots were often donated by the Diocese of Wilmington. Most lived very brief lives; at least one died as a result of its mother being abused while pregnant. Lydick said that, no matter how brief their lives, those babies mattered on this earth.

“We want to make sure everybody is recognized,” he said, no matter how long they lived.

“They deserve a lot more recognition,” Mulholland said. “They were all here, and they were somebody,” he said. “God bless every one of them.”

Since few families visit the babies at the cemetery, Mulholland said, “We’re like the voice for them.” For him, the project is also a way to honor the memory of his wife, to whom he was married for 66 years. “She was a lovely gal, and she loved babies, she loved children,” he said.

In his efforts to raise funds for the memorial wall, Mulholland has enlisted the help of his grandson’s fiancée, Kelsey Marsh, who is a professional documentarian. She recorded a brief video for the project’s GoFundMe page on the Internet. In the two-minute video, Mulholland points out the index-card-sized plastic inserts that mark the spots where many of the babies were buried — some have artificial flowers placed on or near them, but some are just empty, faded plastic rectangles with no names identifying the spots where each little one is laid to rest.

With about half of the needed funds in hand, the memorial has now been ordered and a dedication has been set for May 14, 2016, Mulholland said. While donations have been coming in at a good pace for the past several months, from all across the country, he said he is worried that with the holidays and winter coming, momentum could be lost.

“My sole job has been promoter of the fund” for the past several months, he said. “It is a great thing we’re working on.” The babies buried there at Gate of Heaven will no longer be anonymous, no matter what. “We’re like the voice for them,” Mulholland said.

To donate to the Gate of Heaven Baby Memorial Project, go to the website at https://www.gofundme.com/babymemorialfundDE; contact Deacon Don Lydick at Gate of Heaven Cemetery at (302) 732-3690 or email him at dlydick@cathcemde.com.

The residents of the Delaware Avenue Association are still hoping to connect to the Town of Frankford’s water system.

At the town council’s monthly meeting on Dec. 7, Wesley Hayes Jr. of the Delaware Avenue Association asked the council if they had followed up with anyone following their October meeting, which was attended by Hayes, along with other Delaware Avenue residents and representatives from Sussex County, as well as Delaware Rural Water Association.

“We’re going to have to take a look at the overall financing. Can we incorporate this within the water tower? If there are grants out there, how much money are we going to be able to afford before taking out bonds. All those questions need to be formulated first,” said Councilman Marty Presley.

“I understand the Town is in turmoil, but at the same time, something still has to happen,” said Hayes.

Council President Elizabeth Carpenter said she was working about 60 hours a week on Town-related business and invited Hayes to volunteer at town hall to work on moving the process forward.

“I am willing to help you. I don’t have the knowledge or the time. I don’t have time. I need more people in town hall helping.”

Hayes urged the Town to make a move regarding potential grant funding that he said could be tied in to fixing the Town’s water tower.

“If you wait on this, you might miss out because of the fiscal timing.”

Hayes said that Delaware Rural Water Association could potentially grant the Town $100,000, with 75 percent of the entire project paid for through a USDA grant.

Presley said the Town needs to see what is most effective for the Town before it makes any cost-spending decision.

Tidewater Utilities District Manager Clarence Quillen spoke to those in attendance about the company taking over the Town’s water in December.

“Our objective is to get [clean, clear water] to every customer out in the Town.”

Quillen said Tidewater was able to figure out why residents were at times having rust-colored water, due to an intermittent problem with the variable frequency drive pumps.

Since Tidewater took over the Town’s water, Quillen said, the Town had only had one dirty-water complaint.

“I know that’s only been a week, but that’s still good,” he said, encouraging residents to contact town hall if they experience issues with their water.

Quillen said that Tidewater served the Town for two years, but for the last two years the Town was served by Artesian.

“We can speak for most of the town residents, and we’re very, very happy that you’re back,” Presley said.

“My objective is to provide adequate drinking water to everyone in town,” added Quillen.

Police chief recommends radar trailer to tackle speeding

Frankford Police Chief Mike Warchol said of his department’s ongoing efforts to mitigate speeding within the town, he would recommend the Town look into purchasing equipment to survey traffic within the town.

“The first thing we need to do before we can mitigate it is we need determine what areas in town are our hotspots. In doing that, we need to do traffic surveys.”

As a one-man department, with an additional part-time officer, he said it would be difficult for him to conduct the surveys himself.

Warchol discussed two different options for digital speed cameras that would have internal software that would be able to provide the Town with data related to vehicle speeds.

One of the two options discussed was a black box that can be placed on a telephone pole, that is radar-equipped with a computer. The equipment will measure speeds of the vehicles, collect the data and give a printed report of the speeds.

“It tells you the times of day on that roadway where it would be more profitable for you to be running radar or doing speed enforcement. It’ a good system; South Bethany currently uses it,” he added, noting the South Bethany department also has more officers than Frankford.

Warchol said the downside to the device is that “there’s no real preventer.”

“It’s basically a covert machine that sits there, and you just get what your normal daily traffic is.”

Warchol said he would instead recommend the Town consider a radar trailer over the radar box, because “the people that are mistakenly speeding — you’re going to slow them down.

The chronic speeders that need the tickets, they’re the ones we’re going to be catching with this.”

If the Town purchased a speed trailer, Warchol said, they would place it on roads with the most speed complaints, Frankford Avenue, Delaware Avenue, Thatcher Street and Clayton Street, and do traffic surveys on each of those roads for one week.

“That way, when it comes back and gives us the printout, it will give us which days we have more speeders and which days we don’t. That’ll help me schedule myself, and the part-time officer, or the full-timer when he gets back, to make sure we’re here during those times to be doing speed enforcement.”

He noted that a similar survey would have to be done in the summertime, as well, given the change in traffic during the summer season.

Warchol said his department could pay for the devices through a supplement to a County grant. He noted both devices were comparable in price, at around $4,000.

Presley said that he would like to see how the Town’s audit report comes back before the Town expends any money.

As the item was not on the posted agenda, it will be placed on the council’s January agenda for consideration with a possible vote.

In other Town news:

• Representatives of the Town met with representatives of the Town of Berlin, Md., on Nov. 13 to see how that town operates.

“I would like to put out a thank-you to them for hosting us,” said Carpenter. “They were more than gracious with their time and their knowledge, are completely willing to stand side by side with us in helping us grow and move forward.”

Carpenter said the visit was “amazing,” and the Town is grateful for Berlin’s hospitality.

• Following an executive session, the council voted 3-1, with Carpenter opposed, to approve a $250 Christmas bonus to the Town’s employees.

Earlier in the evening, property owner Kathy Murray questioned the council giving bonuses.

“First of all, we don’t have an approved budget. The Town still does not have an approved budget. You don’t have the results of the forensic audit. One of the issues that I have been vocal about in the past is the annual increases for employees, is that they’re subjective. There is no formal annual performance review. It’s just, my understanding, it’s based on an opinion that they think someone has done a good job and everyone gets an increase. I take issue with that…

“What is the criteria that you’re going to discuss for issuing a Christmas bonus? Is it arbitrary? Is it just based on the fact that you’ve always done that? That’s part of the reason we’re in the shape we’re in. Because people did not make good financial business decisions.”

Carpenter said, in her opinion, the Town was in no shape to be handing out bonuses.

“I’m not prepared, at this time tonight, to just arbitrarily hand out Christmas bonuses.”

“Hell, they don’t give no big-ass Christmas bonuses, I’ll tell you that right now,” said town maintenance worker Dave Ward.

Presley said the Christmas bonuses are not part of the performance review of the employee, which is done during their annual evaluation. He said the Christmas bonuses are given as a gift.

Resident Dayna Aliberti said she agreed with Presley.

“Christmas bonuses are an added bonus that you give to somebody to promote keeping your employees happy. We’re a small community — we don’t have that many employees. If you go upsetting all of them, we’re not going to have anyone in Town.”

• The council also voted 4-0 to expend $5,600 for a security system to potentially be used in the Town’s water plant, park or other Town facilities.

• Murray asked that the town manager committee be resurrected in January. Murray said she believes it should be separate from the charter committee. The council agreed.

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

With the sun rising in the east, and those in attendance placing their hand over their heart, Bayard resident Tom Ford hopes to start off 2016 with a pledge to the United States of America.

“I said the Pledge of Allegiance every school day for 12 years — through grammar school, through high school. We would start the day with that. Now we’re getting some schools that are banning the Pledge of Allegiance.

“I certainly have no problem pledging allegiance to this country. I’m proud of this country. I may not be proud of everything this country has done, but I think we have one of the best systems known to the civilized man.”

Ford said he was moved to make a public pledge following news reports that Tashfeen Malik, one of the two gun-wielding terrorists in the Dec. 8 San Bernardino shooting, reportedly made a pledge to the jihadist militant group the Islamic State (also referred to as ISIL, ISIS or DAESH) on social media prior to the shooting.

“When Tashfeen Malik said before she went in to shoot those innocent people in San Bernardino that she pledged allegiance to ISIS, it really struck a nerve with me.

“I said, ‘We really need to say the Pledge of Allegiance… You know what? I would like to publically make a display of pledging allegiance.’”

Ford has asked his family to join him, along with friends and anyone else in the community who feels moved to do so. They plan to gather at 7 a.m. by the Bethany Beach bandstand, where he will set up a flag, and those in attendance will make the pledge around 7:10 a.m., before the 7:17 a.m. sunrise.

“It’s really simple,” he said.

Ford said he hopes others in the community will show their support of our country, and join him and his family as they pledge allegiance.

“It’s a new year, there are going to be a lot of changes in 2016. We are going to have a new president. I would just like to say the pledge of allegiance and asked my family to join me, and anyone else who would like to.”

The Town of Frankford is seeking candidates for its February town council election, as the seats currently filled by Charles Shelton, Pam Davis and Marty Presley have terms that are set to expire.

The Town’s annual election is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016, at town hall, from 1 to 4 p.m.

Those who wish to run in the election must be at least 18, must have lived within the town for at least one year immediately preceding the date of the election, must be a qualified voter in the Town of Frankford and not have been convicted of a felony.

Those who wish to file as a candidate must file a written Notice of Intention at Frankford Town Hall no later than 4:30 p.m. on Jan. 13.

Those who wish to vote in the upcoming election may register at town hall. While a Frankford citizen may already be registered to vote in State elections, they are not automatically registered to vote in the municipality’s election.

Those who wish to register to vote in the Town of Frankford must be a U.S. citizen, at least 18, reside within the limits of the town for at least 30 days prior to the Feb. 6 election and fill out a voter registration card at town hall no later than Jan. 15.

The Town will also be filling a fourth seat, with the Dec. 11 resignation of Elizabeth Carpenter. The Town has 45 days from the date of resignation to appoint someone to fill Carpenter’s seat, the term of which was set to expire in 2017.

Frankford Town Hall is located at 5 Main Street in downtown Frankford. For more information about the election or how to register, call (302) 732-9424.

Coastal Point • R. Chris Clark: Exercise Like the Eskimos participants rush out of the water after a quick dip in the Atlantic Ocean on Jan. 1, 2015.It’s been a Bethany Beach tradition for going on 20 years now, and this New Years’ Day will be rung in the same way, with the Leo Brady Exercise Like the Eskimos.

In addition to the annual plunge, in which participants brave the cold temperatures of the Atlantic to celebrate the new year, the days’ festivities — put on by the Quiet Resorts Charitable Foundation — will start out with the annual Hair of the Dog 5K and 10K oceanfront and boardwalk run.

The race and day’s events will include live music from D.J. Padraig and, as always, will include overall and age group awards and a post-race party at Mango’s on the Bethany Beach boardwalk, with beer and food donated by local restaurants.

To commemorate the race’s fifth year, participants will also receive a free insulated race tumbler provided by Burnzy’s Bar & Grill. As with prior events, racers are also being encouraged to dress up in festive costumes for the event and feel free to run the 5K with a four-legged friend.

Packet pickup for the race will be held at Mango’s on Thursday, Dec. 31, from noon to 4 p.m. Online registration for the event closed on Dec. 29; however, race-day registration will be held from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. on the Bethany Beach bandstand, with the 10K kicking off at 8:45 a.m. at Parkwood Street and Atlantic Avenue. The 5K is set for 10 a.m. at the same location, and “spalshers” are scheduled to gather for the plunge at 11:45 a.m. on the beach, and jump in at noon.

Registration for the 10K cost $45, registration for the 5K costs $35, and the plunge costs $20, though participants signing up for multiple events will be offered discounts. For more information on these events or a full pricing list and schedule, visit www.qrcf.org.

Fenwick ready to freeze for lifeguard fund

Just to the south, the 12th Annual Fenwick Freeze will take place on the Bayard Street beach in Fenwick Island at 10:30 a.m. on New Year’s Day, with proceeds to benefit the Fenwick Island Lifeguard National Competition Fund. Day-of registration, for $25, will run from 9 to 10 a.m., with Freeze-ers taking to the cool ocean waters at 10:30 a.m., regardless of shine, snow or sleet. All registrants will receive a long-sleeved T-shirt.

Adults who struggle with reading can get a boost at the Frankford Public Library.

To help Sussex County adults with low literacy skills, the library started a free reading program through Literacy Volunteers Serving Adults (LVSA).

“If you know someone, a friend or family member, who struggles with reading, please tell them that it is never too late to learn,” stated Frankford librarian Joan Loewenstein.

For many people, “Reading is so much a part of our daily life [that] we rarely consider what it would be like to be unable to read and understand medication directions, street signs, maps, bank statements, legal papers, job applications or instructions for a driving test,” stated Loewenstein.

Imagine if you couldn’t use those skills to help your children, either, she said.

The Frankford Public Library will pair learners with trained volunteer reading tutors. Tutoring is confidential and one-on-one, not a group class.

Students and tutors can meet anywhere in Sussex County, in a quiet and convenient place, such as a church or library. They’ll decide their own schedule, ideally meeting twice weekly for up to two hours each time.

The tutoring is a more casual and friendly atmosphere than school, Loewenstein said. “We try to get to know the learners, find out what goals they have…”

But learners must actively participate and study to truly benefit.

“This kind of tutoring asks more of people than just a regular volunteer job,” Loewenstein said.

Registration is ongoing. People may register for this winter, but if a waiting list forms, then more classes can begin in spring. The first class of volunteer tutors was trained in November.

There is no set end-date. Tutoring may continue as long as the learner wants assistance.

Currently, classes are just to teach English reading skills (although the Frankford Public Library could add English-speaking classes in future).

“Most people can read some, but the ones who come to us are under a fifth-grade level. Some cannot read at all,” Loewenstein said in September. “To see them grow in confidence, and see them learn each new thing, it’s almost like a light bulb going off. It’s very rewarding.”

She encouraged Sussex Countians “to come and get the help they need to improve their reading and meet their goals, become more confident, productive workers, involved parents and engaged citizens.”

In Delaware, 1 in 7 adults reads at or below a 5th-grade reading level, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Although Frankford has done literacy programs for a while, it now serves as the Sussex County branch of Literacy Volunteers Serving Adults. The Sussex County Department of Libraries has also supported the program.

For more information or to register, visit the Frankford Public Library at 8 Main Street or call (302) 732-9351.

To learn more about becoming a tutor or making a donation, visit the LVSA website at www.litvolunteers.org or call LVSA’s main office at (302) 658-5624.

Due to a problem in the school’s swimming pool pump room, the Howard T. Ennis School was briefly evacuated on Tuesday, Dec. 22.

“Apparently, there was a strong burning smell coming out of that pump room, and they were concerned” about the potential for a fire,” said David Maull, Indian River School District spokesperson. “It’s all resolved now.”

A fire never broke out. The Georgetown Fire Company was dispatched around 1:30 p.m. last Tuesday to assess the situation but cleared the area as being safe. According to Maull, there was a problem with a transformer across the street from the school. That caused some pump-room equipment to go into electrical overload.

All students were safe, according to an announcement by district officials at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday. They were briefly evacuated next door, to Delaware Technical Community College. Students returned to Ennis before the regular 3 p.m. dismissal.

The IRSD had yet to determine if there was any damage to the pool-pump equipment. Winter vacation began last Wednesday, so the facility was expected to be generally clear of students until after the new year, anyway.

Yet, as a precautionary measure, Sussex Central High School canceled a home swim meet at the facility last Tuesday afternoon.

Within the span of three days, the Ocean View Police Department made three DUI arrests.

In the early morning hours of Dec. 16, an officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a vehicle that was traveling at a high rate of speed westbound on Atlantic Avenue (Route 26). However, the vehicle did not stop, and instead continued to travel at a high rate of speed into the town limits of Millville.

OVPD Cpl. Rhys Bradshaw, who serves as the department’s public information officer, said the vehicle eventually stopped in a parking space on Beach Plum Drive.

Patricio A. Bautista, 29, of Millville, proceeded to exit the vehicle but refused to stop when ordered to do so by the officer, he said. As a result, Bautista was tasered by the officer and taken into custody. He was later charged with his fourth offense of DUI, as well as resisting arrest, disregarding a police officer signal and multiple traffic offenses. He was committed to the Sussex Correctional Institution on $10,002 cash bail.

The department made two DUI arrests on Dec. 19, the first about 11:03 a.m., after conducting a stop for a traffic violation. Bradshaw said that when the officer made contact with the driver, Douglas M. Owens Jr, 51, of Frankford, they detected an odor of alcohol.

A subsequent field sobriety test led to Owens being charged with his sixth offense of DUI, as well as driving while suspended or revoked, and other related traffic charges. He was later committed to SCI.

That same evening, about 5:24 p.m., OVPD was dispatched to investigate a possible drunk driver, as citizens had reported to authorities that the vehicle had almost caused multiple accidents in the area.

OVPD officers located the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop. Following the stop and ensuing investigation, Charles R. Patterson Jr. of Frankford was arrested for his fifth offense of DUI, as well as disregarding a police officer’s signal and driving while suspended/revoked.

“The Ocean View Police Department has always been a very proactive department when it comes to traffic enforcement, and especially when it comes to DUI enforcement,” said Bradshaw. “Our mission is to keep the roads safe.”

During the holiday season, Bradshaw said, the department does see an increase in DUIs, and accordingly adds extra officers to shifts.

Bradshaw said citizens should be cognizant as to what they drink, and when, if they are outside their home and intend to travel.

“Know your tolerance, know your time. If you have a drink or two when you get there, don’t go drinking less than an hour later. Eat plenty of food and drink plenty of water. It’s just common-sense stuff.”

As was the case with Patterson’s arrest, Bradshaw said citizens regularly report possibly dangerous drivers to the authorities.

“They’re not all of those are drunk drivers,” he explained, noting that sometimes drivers reported turn out to be sleepy or distracted.

Bradshaw encouraged any citizen who feels there is a potentially dangerous driver on the roadway to call 911 and report it.

“We welcome people to call anytime they feel someone is impaired and could be a danger on the roadway.”

He added that the OVPD, along with all other area police departments, are working to keep the roadways safe, especially during the holiday season.

“OVPD, along with all the other agencies in this area, are very proactive in enforcing DUI rules. A lot of us have extra patrols during the holidays. We’re out there looking.”

If the Town of Selbyville has an emergency, thousands of people could know in a matter of minutes, now that Selbyville has registered for the CodeRED emergency notification system.

Town officials began researching the idea of an electronic notification system after residents complained that notification by posting a flier on their front doors wasn’t adequate for a July water emergency. CodeRED is a more active alert.

When Town officials need to contact many residents quickly, Town Hall or the Selbyville Police Department can send automated phone calls, text messages and emails.

The system will leave a phone message if possible, or retry the phone number if the line is busy or lacks an answering machine or voicemail.

The Town can target areas that need to be notified. The entire town limits will be notified of major emergencies. But Town Hall can pinpoint specific neighborhoods for more targeted issues, such as a pipe break or street repairs.

As Police Chief W. Scott Collins noted, the Selbyville mailing ZIP code area is larger than the actual town limits. Selbyville’s CodeRED alerts will only pertain to addresses in town limits.

Many Selbyville landlines are already registered in the system because the State of Delaware also uses CodeRED. Anyone wanting more connection can request emails, text messages or cell phone calls.

However, “No one should automatically assume his or her phone number is included,” said Collins.

He said all Selbyville businesses should register, as should residents with unlisted phone numbers; people who have changed their phone number or address within the past year; or those who use a cellular phone or VoIP phone as their primary number.

To register additional information, visit Selbyville Police Department website at www.selbyvillepd.org, and follow the link to the “CodeRED Community Notification Enrollment” page.

Required information includes full name, street address (no P.O. boxes) and phone number. Additional phone lines and emails can be entered, too.

People can choose to create an updatable account, or just do a simple, one-time sign-up.

The CodeRED mobile app also shows alerts from around the country, as well as severe-weather alerts.

“CodeRED gives those who want to be included an easy and secure method for inputting information,” Collins stated. “The data collected will only be used for emergency notification purposes.”

Messages are based on geography, so street addresses are required for everyone, to ensure notifications go to the right people, whether they’re using cell phones or landlines.

“Such systems are only as good as the telephone number database supporting them,” a press release about the system stated. People must have a number in the database to receive updates.

Previously, Selbyville PD used another emergency system, but registration was voluntary and not widespread.

For help registering or more information, residents can call the Selbyville Police Department at (302) 436-5085 or Selbyville Town Hall at (302) 436-8314.

For more information about CodeRED’s managing company, Emergency Communications Network LLC, visit www.ecnetwork.com.

Coastal Point • File Photo: Following a successful tree-lighting ceremony and a round of fun activities surrounding their Weekend Wonderland series, the town of Bethany Beach will keep the holiday momentum going with the first-ever New Year’s Eve Beach Ball Drop at the boardwalk end of Hollywood Street, next to the Bethany Beach Ocean Suites hotel.While it’s been warm enough to toss around a beach ball on the beach this holiday season, there’s an event set for New Year’s Eve in Bethany Beach that could top that.

The first-ever New Year’s Eve Beach Ball Drop is set for midnight on Jan. 1. The 7-foot inflatable ball will be dropped from the top of a ladder truck on loan from the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company and will light up when it reaches the end of its drop.

The “Drop” will take place at the boardwalk end of Hollywood Street, between the north and south buildings of the Bethany Beach Ocean Suites hotel, which is sponsoring the event.

While tickets are required for the black-tie ball being held inside the hotel at 99 Sea Level, the hotel’s restaurant, the ball drop itself is open to the public. Starting at 10:30 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 31, complimentary hot chocolate and coffee will be served. D.J. Magellan from radio station Ocean-98 will provide family-friendly entertainment, according to Sarah Witkowski, assistant marketing and events director for the company that owns the hotel.

The idea for the drop came from Jack Burbage of owner Blue Water Development Corp.

“He came up with the idea even before the hotel was done being constructed,” she said. Planning began in earnest about three months ago, and Witkowski credited town leaders for their support in bringing the event to Bethany Beach.

“The Town was really welcoming to the idea,” she said. “It’s a great environment for the public to come together and celebrate.”

Plans are for the ball to be dropped “rain or shine,” Witkowski said. For more information on the events at the hotel, go to www.bethanybeachnewyearseve.com or check out the Bethany Beach Ocean Suites Facebook page for the New Year’s Eve Beach Ball Drop event.

A 90-bed psychiatric hospital is still coming to Georgetown, after the failed appeal of the project’s initial approval was heard before the Delaware Health Care Commission. The 70,000-square-foot hospital is to be located in Georgetown, adjacent to La Red and Beebe Healthcare facilities. The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2017, with construction to begin next year.

The facility, which will employ approximately 150 people, will provide treatment for children, adolescents, adults and seniors through intensive in-patient treatment, out-patient care and specialty programs for women, veterans and those dealing with substance abuse.

In October, Universal Health Services (UHS), which had voiced opposition to the scale of the project at the initial public hearing, appealed the commission’s decision.

At the Dec. 17 appeal hearing, the board reconsidered the UHS appeal but ultimately did not overturn their decision.

Jason Powell, attorney for Universal Health Services, spoke to the board about their reasons for appeal.

“Why are we here and why did we object to this application in the first place? ... My clients live and breathe mental illness every day and work closely to other healthcare providers, hospitals, the State of Delaware and the court-appointed monitor, and have done so for years.”

Powell said his clients welcome any outside provider that can provide “appropriate care.”

“What we’re asking is that you reconsider the scope and size of the project. This is the time to right-size this project. This project is too big. That’s why my clients are here.

“This proposal, in its current scope and size, is not beneficial for the state of Delaware or its citizens.”

Powell said that SUN’s decision to offer 90 beds was arbitrary and an “excessive number.”

“Approval of a project of 90 beds will greatly over-bed this state,” he added.

Lisa Goodman, who represented SUN Behavioral Health, argued that the appeal filed by UHS didn’t meet the standards required to decide if the board should reconsider their October decision to approve the initial application.

Goodman submitted that no newly discovered, significant or relevant information that was not available to the commission was presented.

“What they’re arguing is they don’t agree with the conclusions you drew from the evidence. The fact that they don’t agree does not meet the standard.”

She added that there had been no significant changes in fact or circumstance since the commission made its decision to approve the application.

“The third thing that could prompt you to rehear this is if you agree that you, as a body, materially failed to follow your procedures. You did not hear Mr. Powell argue that. Again, in good conscience, I don’t think that he can. You put this through your very careful process.”

Dr. Nicholas Perchiniak, the associate medical director of the emergency department at Beebe spoke in favor of the 90-bed facility.

Perchiniak said that, from June 1 to Dec. 17, for involuntary admissions, 46 percent of patients waited longer than 12 hours; 10 percent waited longer than 24 hours; and 3 percent of patients waited longer than 36 hours.

“The longest length of stay was in November — a patient waited nearly 100 hours for inpatient care. This patient — we were told by the referral facility that all beds were at capacity.”

Perchiniak said that, working in Beebe’s emergency department, he has a firsthand view of the need for more inpatient beds in Sussex County.

“I think this is a critical resource, not only for our emergency departments to treat these patients appropriately, but also to allow for general medical care,” he said, “and also for the outpatient care that a facility like this would be able provide.”

Steven Page, president and CEO of SUN, said the facility would not have an excess of beds and would be providing services needed by Sussex Countians.

“We didn’t just happen upon Delaware. We were asked by the hospital CEOs in Sussex County to come and evaluate and see what’s going on. They were seeing it. They were seeing challenges in placement, and they were being told, ‘No bed available.’”

During discussions, John Walsh — a citizen serving on the commission — had reached out to state legislators, asking them to weigh in on whether or not the facility was needed. Walsh abstained from voting at the Dec. 17 appeal hearing.

Yrene Waldron, executive director of the Delaware Healthcare Facilities Association, also motioned that the commission reconsider the board’s scope.

“We have difficult jobs. We’re a volunteer board. We try to do our due diligence. We come with our hearts and our minds ready to really get engaged and do the very best job that we can to make the right decisions, but none of us want to be taken to court… It’s a hard job to be on this board.”

Waldron motioned that the board reconsider its decision in terms of the size of the project, stating that the board may have failed in fully considering the size and scale of the project. The motion failed, with a 3-4 vote.

Commissioner Dr. Vincent Lobo also moved the board consider reopening discussions.

“I see no problem with having another meeting and having a full discussion… I don’t think it would hurt anything,” said Lobo.

Lobo’s motion failed, again with a 3-4 vote, and the board’s original approval stood.

To combat a lack of public participation, the Millville Town Council could soon allow nonresidents to vote and hold public office.

On Dec. 22, the council reviewed Resolution 16-02, a town charter amendment involving nine changes, which include allowing non-resident property-owners to vote and hold public office.

If the charter amendment is approved by the council and State of Delaware, one the five council members could be a “freeholder” (property owner or trustee within town limits).

Town Solicitor Seth Thompson explained the 15-page amendment, page by page.

“The charter is your town’s constitution,” he said. “You can’t deny residents the right to vote. It’s a question of if you want to extend the right to vote to non-residents,” he explained.

According to Delaware Code, once voting rights are given to landowners, they cannot be revoked.

“You have additional people who can vote, additional people who can serve on council. If you’re a resident, maybe your vote’s worth a little bit less. That’s kind of the policy you have to think about,” Thompson told council.

Filling the council

The measure is designed to welcome more eligible participants in town affairs, especially as people scoop up land in new developments to build their future retirement homes.

“It becomes harder and harder to find people to [serve],” Mayor Gerald “Gerry” Hocker Jr. told the Coastal Point on Dec. 10. “I think other towns have done the same thing. We’re not the first town to take this route.”

Public participation in town affairs is often sparse, on committees and in the audience at meetings. The Planning & Zoning Commission was even disbanded recently when it failed to get a quorum for regular meetings.

It seems that every time a vacant seat is filled, another becomes vacant, Hocker said. Often, there is only one nominee.

The topic becomes especially relevant, as the town council will have another spot to fill after the holidays, having just lost a member. Harry Kent passed away on Dec. 11. He had been appointed to the council in May of 2012.

“The Town of Millville lost a true asset to the town,” said Hocker of Kent, calling for a moment of silence on Dec. 22. He said Kent served “not for a passion to change the town, but for a passion to adapt.”

Early praise for amendment

Councilman Steve Maneri said he hopes this amendment will encourage truly dedicated people to participate on town boards.

“The only thing is, I would hope this person who’s going to run — he really has Millville in his heart,” Maneri said.

“Would it be prudent then, for the mayor to be a permanent resident? Someone who’s here more full time than not?” asked resident Wally Bartus, concerned that a non-resident mayor could have split allegiance.

The members of the town council, not the residents, vote among themselves to choose the mayor, pointed out Town Manager Debbie Botchie.

But the council could include a stipulation that mayors must be full-time residents, Thompson offered. The council can also vet applicants before appointing them.

Currently, Millville taxes 1,356 properties, and it has issued 72 rental licenses at present. But only 334 properties would qualify property owners to vote, as many of those properties are just empty lots without residential homes built on them yet. As of the 2010 Census, the town had less than 600 residents.

Every person gets one vote, although a single property could house multiple voting residents.

“I think it’s a good idea. These are people here that need to have a vote…” to participate in town affairs, Bartus said after the meeting.

With little advertising before the meeting on Dec. 22, the only audience members were two Millville By the Sea neighbors, as well as the Millville Volunteer Fire Company’s fire chief.

The nuts and bolts

Besides allowing freeholders to participate, under the proposed charter amendment, the overall requirements could tighten for voters and candidates.

As for voter eligibility, the council must decide whether to use the state’s voter rolls or maintain its own records (which is common, but proves a challenge for some nearby towns). Currently, people can just walk into Town Hall with some proof of residency on election day.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of practical experience with elections,” Thompson said. And with few candidates recently, town elections have become infrequent.

The draft of the amendment suggests that voters could be either a full-time resident for at least six months or a freeholder for at least 90 days before the election. (The inequity is because full-time residence is harder to prove, but Town Hall can find land-ownership records quickly, Thompson suggested.)

Individuals listed on the deed would each get a vote. Property-owning trustees would get one vote. Corporations owning a property cannot vote.

Town council candidates would have to qualify as part of one of those eligible groups for at least six months prior to the election. They’d also have to be 21 or older. (Currently, candidates must be 18 or older and a resident for at least 90 days.)

As it stands today, any council member who moves outside of town limits immediately vacates their seat. The amendment would allow council members elected as residents to finish their term if they remain freeholders in Town despite moving their full-time residence elsewhere.

Other beach towns have similar rules on the books.

“I do believe property owners have a right to vote in a town where they pay taxes,” Botchie said.

Other charter changes

The text of Resolution 16-02 and the charter amendment itself can be read at Town Hall during regular business hours.

The amendment would clarify rules regarding town council meetings, members and elections.

All ordinances could only be passed by the majority of elected members. So if the council has five elected members, but only three attend a meeting, all three of those members must vote for an ordinance in order for it to pass. Currently, the town code only requires that kind of majority for a handful of council actions.

If approved, the amendment would also make emergency services funding more flexible. Up to 6 percent of annual property taxes could be donated to any combination of fire, ambulance or emergency treatment services.

The charter currently allows the same 6 percent to be funded but specifies up to 3 percent each for the fire companies and the ambulance/emergency medical services.

The amendment would also change the way Millville’s “Territorial Limits” are described.

Rather than spell out every boundary, the charter would refer to maps on record with Sussex County’s Office of the Recorder of Deeds. As a result, Millville wouldn’t require a whole charter change during future annexations.

Vote delayed

Technically, the town council only needs to vote once on the amendment. But they opted not to vote Tuesday night. Discussion will continue at a future meeting or workshop.

If and when they pass the resolution to move forward with the charter change, Millville must get State approval. State Sen. Gerald Hocker Sr. and State Rep. Ron Gray would be asked to sponsor the amendment in the Delaware General Assembly. It must pass both chambers by a two-thirds majority.

It’s done as soon as the governor signs it, Botchie said.

For more detailed Coastal Point coverage, read the Dec. 21 article “Hearing on non-resident voting in Millville set for Tuesday” online at www.coastalpoint.com.

As the name implies, the Millville Volunteer Fire Company serves the community primarily on a volunteer basis. However, 11 EMS staffers are paid to ensure local ambulance coverage. Now, to improve its 24-hour ambulance service, MVFC is proposing a flat ambulance fee for local towns.

“It’s an insurance policy … on the local level,” Fire Chief Doug Scott told the Millville Town Council on Dec. 22.

Millville Volunteer Fire Company is proposing that local towns charge $35 to every property. The mandatory ambulance subscription would buffer individual residents from pricey ambulance costs in the event of an emergency.

Currently, every household in the MFVC ambulance district can purchase an annual, optional $50 ambulance subscription. (The MVFC’s ambulance district covers the incorporated towns of Millville and Ocean View and unincorporated zones, such as Clarksville.)

Ambulance rides always cost money, averaging $800. Typically, in an emergency, when people are transported via ambulance, the MVFC charges the patient’s insurance first. Then the MVFC bills any outstanding charges to the patient.

But the $50 subscription covers any remaining ambulance charges for any members of the subscriber’s immediate household. The MVFC still charges the insurance to recoup some expenses, but the individuals do not pay for any calls all year.

Scott estimated that 40 percent of households in the fire district currently use the subscription.

But if the towns of Millville or Ocean View, or homeowner associations, joined the new ambulance subscription as a group, every household would pay $35. Plus, all household visitors and renters would also be covered for discounted ambulance service. For businesses, the employees would be covered, but not customers.

“If we could get 100 percent return … we would expand who was covered, and we would do it at a lower rate than what we normally charge,” Scott said.

The Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company already uses a similar system with the major four entities of the Towns of Bethany Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island and the Sea Colony development. The four entities assess property owners a flat rate of $53 for the regular BBVFC ambulance subscription, which they pass directly on to the ambulance service to cover its costs.

Not to shirk their duty

For the MVFC, that money saved would pay for a second nighttime EMS crew. Currently, four EMTs are split between two stations during the day. There is one nighttime crew of two EMTS, and sometimes they can’t cover all the calls of a growing population. That means the MVFC must sometimes ask neighboring fire companies to help.

“We do not like having anyone else answer our calls,” Scott said. “We try to maintain that responsibility as much as we can.”

Two round-the-clock crews could elevate Millville’s service significantly.

Last year, the MVFC received more than 1,800 EMS calls and more than 355 fire calls, Scott said.

Until 2009, the MVCF also provided ambulance service to the beach towns and their neighboring unincorporated areas, in addition to its own service area inland. But the high call volume caused the MVFC to give up beachfront EMS in order to focus on its own immediate area. That led to the creation of the BBVFC service and its fee structure.

But the population boom has spread inland, so Millville and Ocean View EMS numbers are approaching previous highs.

Meanwhile, “Volunteerism is down nationwide for the fire service, and we are impacted by that,” Scott said.

Paying for lifesavers

Some people misunderstand fire department funding, especially if they didn’t grow up in Delaware, Scott said.

“I think some people think we’re fully paid and we’re fully funded by another means,” but that’s not true, Scott said. Voluntary fundraising is a big part of their budget.

Payroll is the fire company’s biggest expense. While the Towns voluntarily contribute money to MVFC, there are some stipulations on how that money is used. The ambulance subscription fee would be used however MVFC wants, whether for staff or fuel.

The plan will be presented at an upcoming Ocean View Town Council meeting. Individual housing developments will also be invited to join the discounted service if they aren’t part of a participating municipality.

The Towns’ participation would make it a mandatory program for property owners.

Meanwhile, individual properties outside of town limits won’t get the discounted $35 rate, but also aren’t required to pay the annual fee.

Ultimately, the most effective method of funding would be for Sussex County to collect and distribute fire and ambulance fees countywide, similar to school taxes, Scott said. But that discussion is for another day.

In January, Scott will present more concrete numbers to the Millville Town Council.

Delaware Seashore State Park is offering a series of programs this January to help people get outdoors, stay active and learn about the history and natural wonders of the area.

The January Hike Series continues each Sunday in January. A park naturalist will lead a hike in a different location each week within the park. All hikes begin at 1 p.m., and pre-registration is required. The fee for hikes is $5 per person.

The hiking schedule is as follows: Jan. 10, Burton Island Nature Preserve; Jan. 17, Prickly Pear Trail at Fresh Pond; Jan. 24, Thompson Island Nature Preserve; and Jan. 31, Indian River Inlet Bridge and “Coin Beach.”

Also continuing through January is the Tuesday evening lecture series. The lectures take place at the Indian River Life-Saving Station Museum at 5 p.m., and each Tuesday will feature a different topic. The lecture series is free and all participants will receive a coupon to a local restaurant to use that evening after the lecture.

The lecture series is as follows: Jan. 12, “The Indian River Inlet: The last 100 years”; Jan. 19, “What’s the story behind the WWII towers?”; and Jan. 26, “Responding to Marine Mammal Strandings,” presented by the Marine Education, Research & Rehabilitation Institute.

For more information or to pre-register for a hike, contact the Indian River Life-Saving Station at (302) 227-6991 or visit destateparks.com/park/delaware-seashore.

Military jets will soar over the beach and boardwalk of Ocean City, Md., once again next year as the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds return to headline the O.C. Air Show, June 18-19, 2016.

The ninth annual edition of the event was moved one week later to accommodate the jet team’s schedule. The Thunderbirds flight demonstration team includes six pilots, flying patriotic red-, white-and-blue F-16s that fly in formation and perform aerial maneuvers sometimes just inches apart. They fly 40 maneuvers during their demonstration that showcase their skill and dedication.

The Thunderbirds will headline a full afternoon lineup of some of the nation’s top military and civilian performers.

Air Show organizers also announced that the U.S. Navy Blue Angels will return again the following year, for the 10 anniversary of the O.C. Air Show on June 17-18, 2017. Their inaugural appearance at this year’s event drew record-breaking crowds to the resort town.

“The O.C. Air Show keeps getting bigger and better thanks to the support of the Town of Ocean City and the hundreds of thousands of spectators who come out to make it a success — some from as far away as New York, Ohio and the Carolinas,” said Bryan Lilley, president of the O.C. Air Show. “With the confirmation of the Thunderbirds in 2016 and the Blue Angels in 2017, it will mark four straight years that the O.C. Air Show has featured a major military jet demonstration team.”

For more information or to purchase premium viewing and VIP tickets, visit OCAirShow.com or call 1-877-722-2927. Attendees can save up to 35 percent with special introductory pricing that ends Dec. 14. Premium Viewing and the Flight Line Club were sold out this year for both Saturday and Sunday, so attendees are being encouraged to purchase early.

DNREC’s Division of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police this week reminded anglers that it’s time to purchase their 2016 Delaware fishing licenses, as 2015 licenses expired Dec. 31. A valid fishing license is required for fishing, crabbing and clamming in Delaware, in both tidal and non-tidal waters.

A resident annual fishing license costs $8.50 for anglers ages 16 through 64. Anglers younger than 16 and residents 65 or older are not required to purchase fishing licenses in Delaware. Some requirements differ for non-resident anglers. Exempt anglers may still purchase fishing licenses if they so choose, to help support fisheries management in Delaware.

Recreational anglers fishing Delaware waters also are required to obtain a Delaware Fisherman Information Network (FIN) number; the number is generated automatically on all individual fishing licenses sold through Delaware’s electronic licensing systems. License-exempt anglers; non-resident boat fishing license holders who do not have an individual license; and individuals fishing on licensed boats who do not have an individual license, must obtain their free FIN number by visiting www.delaware-fin.com or calling 1-800-432-9228.

Delaware fishing licenses are sold online, at the licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, and by license agents statewide. To find a participating agent, or to purchase a license online, visit http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/fw/Services/Pages/Lic-Perm-Reg.aspx. For additional information on Delaware fishing licenses, call (302) 739-9918.

Division of Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police officers between Dec. 21 and 27 made 672 contacts with anglers, boaters, hunters and the general public, including 41 vessel boardings for boating safety and fishing regulation compliance checks. Officers responded to 24 complaints and issued 16 citations.

Items of particular note:

• On Dec. 22, following an investigation, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police arrested George J. Walsh Sr., 67, of Lewes and charged him with felony impersonating a police officer and third-degree criminal trespass near Lewes. Walsh was video-arraigned by Justice of the Peace Court 2 in Rehoboth Beach and released on $6,050 unsecured bond pending trial at a later date.

• On Dec. 21, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police cited Rico Lopez, 19, of Frankford, for unlawfully harvesting oysters from the Lewes & Rehoboth Canal, where recreational oyster harvest is prohibited. Lopez was issued fines totaling $107, including court costs.

Citations issued during the week included: hunting with an unplugged shotgun capable of holding more than three shells, possession of prohibited lead shot while hunting migratory waterfowl, four citations for operating a motor vehicle off an established roadway on a state wildlife area, unlawful harvest of shellfish, three citations for operating a vessel with insufficient number of life jackets, no boating safety certificate, no navigation lights after sunset, operating an unregistered motor vessel, impersonating a police officer, third-degree criminal trespass and carrying a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle.

Coastal Point • Submitted: Lance Fargo and Sargent von Reiteralm pose for the camera after taking home first place at the Weimaraner Club of America’s National Amateur Field Championship in Ardmore, Okla., in December.For Lance Fargo and his Weimaraner, NAFC FC AFC Snake Breaks Sargent Von Reiteralm — whose friends call him “Sarge” — the dog days are finally over.

After coming in second during their first year competing in the Weimaraner Club of America’s National Amateur Field Championship in 2013, the two had had high hopes when they made their return to Ardmore, Okla., for the championships in 2014. But after a year of rigorous training, and all but locking up the event with an impressive start, Fargo and Sarge saw their chances slip from their fingers — and paws — in the fickle sport of gun-dog field trial competitions.

“Sarge basically had the thing won — the judges told me that he was the first-place dog,” Fargo recalled. “All we had to do was get through the retrieve, but there are so many variables, so many things that can go wrong on game day.”

Fargo took full responsibility for a mistake made during the retrieve that ultimately cost him and Sarge the title, comparing the disappointment to that of Russell Wilson throwing an interception at the end of Super Bowl XLIX as the Seahawks fell to the Patriots — which incidentally, would occur just about a month after the 2014 WCA Championship. Like Wilson, Fargo was devastated.

“You might compare it to the way Russell Wilson felt when he had the Super Bowl won last year and then all of a sudden, in the blink of eye…” Fargo started to explain “There’s a lot of similarity there. It’s absolutely gut-wrenching to experience something like that. You just want a do-over in the worst way.”

But after spending another year working hard, and putting up with what Fargo called “good-natured” jokes about the slip-up from the gun-dog community, he and Sarge would get that “do-over” in December, when they returned to Ardmore, looking for redemption, and got just that — finally winning the WCA Amateur Field Championship title and getting the figurative monkey off their backs.

“When Sarge was announced as the winner, I actually dropped to my knees and said, ‘Thank god, the monkey is off my back,’” Fargo said with a laugh. “I’m just thankful to have gone down there and finally reach that objective — worked doubly hard to come back and win.”

The hard work showed on an unseasonably warm Oklahoma afternoon, when Sarge beat the heat with an impressive run and what Fargo said was an ideal number of quail finds, at four. Even with redemption at stake, going in, Fargo was, of course, confident with his now top-ranked Weimaraner.

“I know I have a great dog, and when we went to run that day, I was really feeling a high degree of confidence,” Fargo said. “He really had a solid performance, in spite of running probably the hottest part of the day — he went out there and really made me proud.”

For the duo of man and best friend — or, in this case, man and best field competitor — after three years of establishing a relationship, and with Sarge now in his prime at 6, the chemistry is at its best.

“The past three years of working with him, we’ve becoming more of a team, on the same page of working together toward a common goal,” Fargo said. “You build more of a relationship with the dog over time. He understands more, with practice and competition, what’s expected of him and how you communicate with him.

“He’s 6 years old, so he’s very much in his prime. He was 3 years old when he was given to me. Obviously, a lot’s happened in the three years. He’s proven to be one of the best field trial Weimaraners in the country.”

For Ocean View’s Fargo, who’s also a renowned triathlete, it’s his third national championship in the past three years — having claimed his first title at the USA Triathlon age-group national championship in 2013, and following up with his second in 2014.

However, he noted that his first field championship title perhaps means even more, given not only the work it took to overcome the disappointment in 2014, but because of all the things that can go wrong during the hour-long event.

“For me, the National Amateur Championship, that is even more difficult to accomplish. It doesn’t take much — in the blink of an eye, your dog can be disqualified, just like I found out in 2014,” he said. “It’s one of those things where, just when you think you’ve seen it all, you see something else. There’s all kinds of situations that come up that you couldn’t have even imagined beforehand.”

For now, Fargo and Sarge will take a break and enjoy their victory before local field trials start back up next month. But whether one of those “blink-of-an-eye,” Russell Wilson-type events pops up again next December, or they bring home a title for 2016, one thing is for sure: Fargo and his dog are glad to finally get the 2014 monkey off their backs.

“I was really down about that for quite a while after [the 2014 championship], but we rallied and came back even more determined to win it this year,” he said. “Fortunately, I’ve got a great dog and I’ve got a lot of people helping me along the way.”

Coastal Point • Submitted: Dick Snyder’s archival pigment print of ‘Fog-shrouded Coast’ is among the photographs on display during the collaborative exhibits between the Coastal Camera Club and Rehoboth Art League through Feb. 28.On Friday, Jan. 15, from 5 to 7 p.m., the Rehoboth Art League (RAL) will present two collaborative exhibitions with the Coastal Camera Club at the RAL Art Studios on Route. 9.

“This is the first time that the RAL has collaborated with the Coastal Camera Club,” said RAL Exhibitions Director Jay Pastore. “The idea for this exhibition blossomed from our developing association with the camera club.

“Our new facility on Route 9 includes a state-of-the art digital photographic printmaking studio that members of the Coastal Camera Club monitor. They assist anyone interested in digital printmaking to create their own works of art.”

“The Coastal Camera Club — A Juried Exhibition” will take place in the main exhibition room. Lee Wayne Mills, interim executive director of the RAL, and Pastore curated the works in this exhibition — many award-winning works from club competitions. The range of images is expansive and impressive, from classic photographic portraiture to panoramic landscapes to inventive, manipulated works of wide variety, they said.

The second exhibition, “Focal Point —RAL/CCC,” will take place in the Corridor Gallery, also located at RAL’s Route 9 location. It includes works curated by a select committee of members of the Coastal Camera Club. The exhibition space will become a permanent site for members of the Rehoboth Art League who are also members of the Coastal Camera Club to display their works.

According to George Evancho, president of the Coast Camera Club, “The club typically conducts three to four exhibits each year, but I am particularly excited and pleased about exhibiting this year at the Rehoboth Art League. Photography as art makes the collaboration between the Coastal Camera Club and the Rehoboth Art League particularly rewarding.”

Both exhibitions will be on display through Feb. 28 at the RAL Art Studios on Route 9, located at 12000 Old Vine Boulevard, a mile west of Route 1. The opening is free and open to the public, and is being sponsored in part by Dogfish Head.

The Rehoboth Art League is a membership-based nonprofit arts organization dedicated to teaching, preserving and inspiring the arts in the region. For additional information on the art league, its classes, events and exhibitions, visit the website at rehobothartleague.org, or call (302) 227-8408.

Coastal Point • Submitted: Among those helping feed pets in need this winter were, from left, Jamie Ciavolella (House Pets), Carolyn Miller (Kenille’s Kupboard), Dottie Armstrong (CHEER staff) and Kim Ciavolella (House Pets), with a heap of donations from a holiday party hosted recently by Jackie Boyd (not pictured).When Meals on Wheels arrives to deliver hot food, a grateful senior citizen answers the door to receive a free meal. But, occasionally, there’s another nose there to sniff the scent of a fresh meal — and it wags its tail.

Volunteers realized that the seniors on a fixed income are doubly challenged when it comes to feeding their pets. When CHEER volunteers deliver Meals on Wheels, they sometimes find the old lunch tray sitting on the floor — proof that the owners let their pets finish the meal.

“Some families would feed their animals instead of eating the meals delivered for themselves,” stated Carolyn Miller, president of a nonprofit that helps people afford their pets, Kenille’s Kupboard Pet Pantry & Rescue Inc.

So moved by the sight, “A lot of the time, [volunteers] take money out of their pocket to help pay for food for their [clients’] pets,” Miller said.

“We want our seniors … to eat all their lunch,” said Elizabeth Walls, CHEER volunteer program director.

But some pet owners can’t bear to eat a whole tray of food, especially if they can’t afford enough dog food for their darling, hungry pups.

So, for at least five years, CHEER Meals on Wheels has delivered pet food to its elderly clients, thanks to grant money and other local donors.

Kenille’s Kupboard Pet Pantry & Rescue got involved for the first time this Christmas, hoping to keep giving on a monthly basis.

“We’re fortunate and really, really happy the pantry’s willing to help us out,” Walls said. “We’re very appreciative of the donation, and maybe over 150 pets received a Christmas bag of food due to them and Mispillion Kennel Club and our grant” from the Banfield Charitable Trust.

CHEER itself does not collect pet food, but it hands out any donations almost immediately, based on where volunteers see the need.

“It’s not going to take the place of them buying pet food,” Walls said, but it’s a burden lifted for another week.

Kenille’s Kupboard Pet Pantry & Rescue is a 501(c)(3) non-profit helping all Eastern Shore counties to keep pets with their families. The mission is to provide food and resources to families who don’t want to surrender their pets to a shelter due to inability to pay for supplies.

Kenille’s will serve anyone who can visit the pet pantry in West Ocean City, Md. They also try to deliver goods or meet people when possible.

“We don’t turn anybody away. We’re lucky enough to have a little bit of excess right now,” thanks to House Pets, Millville Pet Stop, Ocean View Animal Hospital, Pottery Place, Fenwick Pet Stop and other donors.

Kenille’s is a volunteer-run program located in West Ocean City, behind Ocean City Animal Hospital on Route 50. Pet supplies can be donated onsite or at local drop-offs. Cash donations are tax deductible and can be sent online at www.justgive.org or by mail to KKPP&R; P.O. Box 598; Ocean City, MD 21843. Donors should note on their donation if it is specifically for the CHEER program.

For more information, call (302) 539-0595, email kenilleskupboard@gmail.com or visit the Kenille’s Facebook page.

Meals On Wheels Delaware is a nonprofit that fundraises to support Delaware’s five boots-on-the-ground agencies providing Meals on Wheels, including CHEER.

Financial concerns dominated Tuesday night’s meeting of the Ocean View Town Council, as council members wrangled with falling revenue, an increasing need for space for town operations and questions about how much value to place on a public safety program championed by the town’s police chief.

Anticipated drops in revenue for the last fiscal year were confirmed in a report Feb. 5 from auditor Jean Schmidt. Transfer tax revenues had dropped by 49 percent from the prior year, she told the council. But that news came with a small silver lining — the number was above the figure in the town’s budget. Meanwhile, property taxes had come in 8 percent above the prior year.

Cash in hand for the town was down more than 13 percent from 2006, Schmidt said, but the positive side of that figure was shown in the town’s assets, as a substantial portion of the spent cash had gone toward the cost of the town’s new public safety building. The town had also increased its assets with $1 million worth of streets dedicated to it by private developers, she said.

However, for the first time in history, Schmidt noted, the town had gone into debt in its general fund, with $661,000 in loan costs for the construction of the public safety building. She noted that the town’s public works department had been virtually self-sustaining, but that part of the plus side of that segment of the budget included the assets brought to the town by those new streets.

The general fund and public works had come in under budget in 2007, she said, with the town’s public safety department coming in above budget — not uncommon in the area as gas prices have remained high and growing populations have strained police coverage.

Schmidt found only one major flaw with how the town handles its finances: too few people involved in financial functions — also not uncommon in the area, with most towns having a single financial officer with assistance coming from other town staff. That, she said, is unlikely to change.

Council members accepted Schmidt’s report with a unanimous vote Tuesday.

Public works situation elicits strife

After an absence from a Jan. 22 council workshop for which he had sent a written statement for the record, Councilman Roy Thomas requested several of the items discussed at the workshop be raised again at Tuesday’s council meeting so that he could continue his dialogue about them before the public and respond to a recording of the meeting.

Thomas delivered a lengthy critique of the Jan. 22 council discussion of expanding room for public works and the administrative operations by Administrative Official Charlie McMullen. That discussion had dealt with a proposed $1.4 million public works building, a potential stop-gap move for McMullen and his staff to the town-owned Lampe house and a $300,000 figure allocated in the town’s current draft budget for expansion for public works in 2008.

The councilman took issue with any suggestion that “everyone has signed off” on the $1.4 million building proposed by members of the town’s public works building committee. As a member of the committee and the council, he said he had not signed off on the project and felt it had fallen by the wayside as a result of “sticker shock” over the estimated $1.4 million price tag.

Thomas faulted fellow councilman and public works building committee chairman Bill Wichmann — with whom he has repeatedly butted heads on various issues — that the project had not been pursued actively. It was a delay Wichmann himself had laid at the doorstep of town staff, who he said had not provided the committee or council with a requested financial study until January, about nine months after the committee had requested it.

Thomas argued that Wichmann should have been the one to be the prime mover behind the project and that the subsequent time had been spent in town officials inquiring about the availability of various parcels and subsequently purchasing the Lampe property.

Citing Wichmann’s Jan. 22 statement that he would “have nothing to do with” a $300,000 public works building, Thomas requested the council consider at their February workshop what Thomas termed as Wichmann’s “resignation” from the public works building committee.

Thomas also faulted the council as a whole for failing to anticipate the town’s future need for space, saying they had misjudged those needs, despite a “40-year plan” that spurred the construction of a large police building. He suggested the council pursue a wider 40-year plan beginning at their February workshop.

Mayor Gary Meredith objected to that criticism, saying, “I take issue with the accusation that we didn’t think ahead.” He said they had looked at the time at adding space at the town hall property but had been unable to do so due to limits on the size of structures they could build there.

Thomas recommended the council consider temporarily moving public works and related administrative functions to the new public safety building’s second floor, versus the Lampe House, which he said would then free the town to demolish the house and build a new public works facility there. He asked that the issue be considered at a future council workshop as well.

Finally, having praised Councilman Richard Nippes for his Jan. 22 recommendation that a needs study on the public works situation be done, Thomas recommended that the council put such a mandate on their agenda for their February workshop.

Police take-home policy supported, cost questioned

Councilman Norman Amendt and Wichmann spoke out strongly on Tuesday in favor of the Ocean View Police Department’s vehicle take-home policy for officers, which generated considerable criticism from Thomas over the potential costs involved in continuing the program.

The program allows officers in the department to drive their patrol vehicles to and from their homes. Wichmann noted that the program means off-duty officers can respond directly to an emergency scene when called in for assistance after-hours, when it is common that only one officer is on duty in Ocean View.

Without their patrol vehicle at home, he said, officers would either arrive at the scene without necessary equipment and their radios to update them on the situation or would have to stop at the police station to pick up the vehicles and equipment. The change would make a difference in response time and public safety, he argued. The policy was instituted in Ocean View at roughly the same time as the town added 24-hour police service.

Police chiefs throughout the area — and the nation — have expressed support for such programs. They are in place in 12 of 18 Sussex County jurisdictions, including Laurel, Greenwood, Georgetown, Millsboro, Dagsboro, Selbyville, South Bethany, Bethany Beach, Dewey Beach and Lewes, and are considered an advantage when departments are hiring new officers.

Sgt. Heath Hall, who represented the department at Tuesday’s meeting — Police Chief Ken McLaughlin being away for training with the FBI — said South Bethany and Bethany had limited their policies to allow officers to take home their cars only when they were scheduled to return to duty the following day, but he said that limitation was only in place due to a lack of enough vehicles for both on- and off-duty officers.

Ocean View currently has eight officer positions and nine vehicles. Both of those other departments, he said, would prefer to have a full take-home policy.

Town Manager Conway Gregory had added the issue to the January council workshop agenda after the town’s Long Range Financial Planning Committee had requested a study of the costs and benefits involved. He emphasized that the presence of the agenda item had not been intended to directly elicit a vote on whether or not to end the policy.

Thomas presented a two-sided approach to the issue on Feb. 5, saying on the one hand that he supported it and was unaware of any acceptable alternative to using it. On the other hand, he said, the costs of the program needed to be paid for.

While Thomas had faulted McLaughlin’s report to the council in support of the policy for a lack of concrete numbers, Thomas presented the council and those in attendance at Tuesday’s meeting with an extrapolation of figures related to the program’s cost. It suggested that the program nets the town $420,000 in costs over five years to maintain the existing fleet of nine cars at a normal replacement rate.

Gregory’s draft budget and long-range financial planning cut that rate from 1.8 cars purchased every year (based on a five-year lifespan) to just two cars purchased in the next five years — in 2009 and 2010. The latter number is figured into the budget under dramatic cost cutting measures.

But Thomas said he was skeptical that it was realistic and that he could not vote to continue a policy that would cost the town $420,000 over the next five years, by his calculations, without the council finding the money to cover the expense.

Wichmann took issue with the presentation of that number as an added cost, since the program is already in place.

Thomas also said he couldn’t vote against the policy. “That would indicate that I don’t care about the health and welfare of our citizens,” he said, adding that he planned to abstain on any such vote unless council would sit down and figure out how to pay for the program.

With strong support for the program and an acknowledgement that its costs would have to be paid, council members voted unanimously to do so on Tuesday.

Water nearly ready to go

Also on Feb. 5:

• Council members voted unanimously to adopt fees and regulations related to the new central water system. Construction of the system is now complete and it had been approved for operation for emergency purposes as of Tuesday. Property owners will have to wait to hook up to the system, as town officials worked mid-week to iron out a quarterly billing schedule with Tidewater Utilities, which will run the system.

Expectations were that the go-ahead for hook-ups will be given as of March 1, according to Gregory, but official word from the town was expected to be sent out by mail late this week or early next, with information on licensed plumbers, procedures, the official hook-up start date and an application for the needed utility connection permit from the town.

Property owners would be required to hook up to the system before Feb. 28, 2009, to avoid added fees.

• Hall reported that officer Mary Rehill had completed her Delaware certification after months of training with the department and was now on patrol duty. Rehill is a 21-year veteran of the Philadelphia police, where she worked mostly with a special investigations unit that was later relabeled as a narcotics unit. “I’m thrilled to be here. I love the department. I love the town,” Rehill told those present at the Feb. 5 meeting.

Ocean View police are in the process of filling one last vacancy at the department.

• Gregory noted plans to meet with property owners living in the area of Longview Drive, Hudson Avenue and Woodland Avenue on Feb. 12, to discuss plans for a drainage project there. Council members voted unanimously on Tuesday to approve up to about $211,000 for the two phases of the project.

The first, covering Longview and Hudson, is nearly ready to proceed, at a cost of $132,000. The second, is on hold pending agreements with property owners about the town’s ability to access the property for construction and future maintenance. Gregory said a standard maintenance easement had been refused by some of the Woodland Avenue property owners, who had cited concerns about a loss of property value. A “maintenance agreement” has since been proposed. If the agreement is not signed, Gregory said that second phase will be shelved.

• Council members voted unanimously to give a six-month trial to a new policy on distributing information to the public at meetings. In an effort to reduce staff and copying costs, the town will supply only copies of the agenda, ordinances up for public hearing at a given meeting, and any documents specifically requested by the mayor or a council member.

The public will be able to fill out a form to request any other documents referenced in the meetings. During the trial period there is to be no cost for those copies, but council said they would consider using their standard copying charges if the costs for requested documents proved too costly after six months, at which time the policy itself will be re-evaluated.

• Gregory reported plans to proceed earlier than anticipated with reconstruction of a sidewalk and parking area at the public safety building, due to severe flooding problems. He said state transportation officials had refused to extend an existing permit that would have allowed the work to be done later in the spring. The work is now slated to begin in the next two weeks.

• Council members unanimously approved an amendment to the site plan for the Fairway Village RPC, which details and slightly alters the layout of planned recreational areas, as well as separates the areas into a third parcel owned jointly by the planned condominium and single-family home owners’ groups. The approval was recommended by town planning commissioners.

• Council accepted unanimously and without comment an addendum to the town’s salary study for staff, which was extended to include the town manager position, chief of police and public works director. The study indicates that the mean salary for a town manager in the area is $72,950 annually, with a median salary of $67,550.

The salaries ranged from $49,500 in Millville to $118,389 in Seaford. Gregory’s salary is $77,800 annually. He is the third-highest paid town manager among those cited when comparing towns with similar populations. Slightly more than half of the cited towns provide the town manager with a take-home vehicle, as is the case in Ocean View. Only two have geographic limits on the manager’s residency. Gregory lives in Denton, Md., where he also serves on the town council.

• Council members unanimously voted to adopt a resolution supporting Senate Bill 4, which calls on state legislators to be accountable to the Freedom of Information Act, from which they are currently exempt.

• The council agreed to create a form by which emergency responders could apply for grants from the town. They agreed to provide that form directly to the Millville Volunteer Fire Company and to allow other emergency response agencies to apply for grants if they so choose.

There is about $2,000 currently in town coffers for such a grant. The deadline to apply for grants would be Feb. 29, with a decision to be made by a committee comprising two council members and the town manager sometime in March should there be more than one applicant.

• Council members unanimously approve a package of Web site policies drafted by Finance Director and Web site designer Lee Brubaker. He received praise for his work on the project from Nippes and Gregory.

• The council unanimously approved police procedural policies on the use of force and firearms and on background investigations. They also approved the police department’s endeavor to become accredited with the state police, which Hall cited as a stamp of professional status and superior service. He said it would also reduce the department’s liability costs and potentially make it eligible for significant grants that are being proposed by state legislators.

The town will pay a $100 application fee for the process and the department will be required to maintain certain standards to retain the accreditation. The flurry of police procedurals approved by the council in recent months has been part of the effort to qualify for accreditation.

• The council approved about $900 in filing fees to be paid for the town’s Historical Society to become incorporated and apply for federal non-profit status. Nippes said that without the 501(c)3 costs paid by the town from the existing historical committee budget, the society would be ineligible to pursue any kind of fundraising activity as it prepares to start up a town museum.

• Council members also approved a $500 hole sponsorship for the April 26 Golf Classic Tournament and Silent Auction at Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club. The event is a fundraiser that will support Beebe Medical Center this year.

• The council also approved this year’s participation in the state’s mosquito control program, which is set to begin in mid-March.

• Finally, McMullen proposed council members consider at a future meeting an amendment to the town’s new rental tax code, designed to ensure that all owners of rental properties file a rental receipt tax form with the town. Filing of the forms has been spotty, McMullen said, with most professional management companies filing them while many individual property owners have not.