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County looks to push affordable rental housing

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Proposed modifications to the Sussex County Rental Program were presented to the Sussex County Council on Tuesday, July 26, by Brandy Nauman, the County’s housing coordinator and fair housing compliance officer.

Nauman said that, at the height of the real estate boom in 2004/2005, stakeholders worked with County staff to create a solution for low- and moderate-income households needing more affordable housing.

Through those efforts, the Sussex County Moderately Priced Housing ordinance was passed in 2006, with six initial applicants. In 2008, the Sussex County Rental Program ordinance was passed, with only one initial applicant.

Due to the market collapse, all applications stalled. Currently, said Nauman, there are no active applicants or projects.

“The need in the county has shifted from homeownership to rental, is what we’re seeing,” she said. “We need to update this program so that it properly reflects the current market conditions.”

Nauman said the United States Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) is “cautiously supportive” of the proposed changes.

Referring to the 2016 “Who Can Afford to Live in Delaware?” study conducted by the Delaware Housing Coalition, for tenants in Sussex County, Nauman said, the fair market rent for a two-bedroom apartment is $1,012. The average renter makes $10.92 per hour; but to afford the two-bedroom housing unit they would have to make $19.46 per hour or work 94 hours per week at a minimum-wage job.

The number of renter households in Sussex County is more than 17,000. She noted that an affordable monthly rent for a low-income individual is considered to be $464.

“That’s a pretty big gap,” said Nauman.

Nauman noted that the “30 percent rule,” originated during the Great Depression, states that the accepted norm is “one week’s pay for one month’s rent.”

“Anyone who spends more than 30 percent of their income on housing and utilities is considered cost-burdened. Anyone who spends more than 50 percent of their income on housing and utilities is considered extremely cost-burdened.”

To qualify for the current rental program, a development must have a minimum of 25 total rental units, be located within a town center, developing area or environmentally sensitive developing area, and have access to public water and sewer.

Developer incentives include bonus density of 20 percent and expedited review through the County’s Planning & Zoning process.

Tenants must live and work in Sussex County for one year and meet income qualifications, and the rental units must be maintained as affordable for 30 years.

The proposed changes to the program include setting fixed rental rates for each bedroom size, based on 50 percent of area median income (AMI) and to serve households making 80 percent of AMI or below.

She added that the developer would be responsible for qualifying the applicants, which would remove that burden from County staff.

“We’re going to try to foster some relationships between nonprofit housing providers and for-profit developers. It’s not something we would put in the ordinance, but it was something that came out of a meeting,” she said. “Nonprofits have access to significant subsidies and better financing, so maybe they could help leverage some funding for some of these projects.”

The council directed Nauman to move forward to prepare an amendment that would come before council in the early fall.

Also during Tuesday’s meeting, Joe Thomas, director of emergency operations, presented the council with a request to enter into a contract to purchase a new mobile command unit.

The purchase, he said, would be made through a state contract vendor, with the unit being used during weather-related incidents, as a backup 911 service and on-site during large events within the state.

“We are able to page all the volunteer fire departments and paramedics out of this vehicle,” he explained.

The current mobile command unit is 15 years old and has “outdated technology,” said Thomas.

“As we all know, there are pieces of equipment involved in all of our services, and at times those pieces of equipment have failures. We have to be prepared to back those up.”

The new mobile command unit would be made through a state contract, as Government Support Services, Office of Management & Budget, has entered into a cooperative agreement with the Houston-Galveston Area Council of Governments.

“It allows us to use cooperative purchasing, and we’re able to build out and use other contracting sources through Delaware.”

The cost of the unit and related equipment is $1,620,400; however, Thomas said more than 50 percent of the cost would be recouped, due to Homeland Security and Emergency Management Performance grants.

Councilman Sam Wilson asked how many times the unit would be used. Thomas said it would be used 30 to 35 times per year.

“I am prayerful it is never used,” said Councilman Rob Arlett.

The council deferred on a vote until its Aug. 2 meeting, as Council President Michael Vincent recused himself from voting and Councilman George Cole was absent.


Fenwick election issues discussed as campaign comes to a close

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After two would-be Fenwick Island town council candidates were recently deemed ineligible due to confusion over the eligibility of trustees under the town charter, Councilwoman Julie Lee emphasized the importance of straightening out and clarifying the charter in the next year.

As she said at the July 22 council meeting, every property in town is guaranteed at least one vote, by any full-time resident, deed-holder or artificial entity (such as a trust, which is currently considered to be one owner, no matter how many trustees there are, and therefore entitled to only one vote).

But that means Fenwick’s voter rolls technically include many non-persons (trusts or corporations, whose one vote is determined by a power-of-attorney).

“I know it’s a work in progress … but we definitely got into a quagmire here, and it needs to get cleared up,” Lee said.

About a decade ago, when Delaware and town election laws were changing, Lee said, then-Town Solicitor Tempe Steen recommended that the Town create a second elections body to arbitrate any concerns with elections, separate from the Board of Elections, which runs the election itself. Perhaps the council should now consider making the Ad-hoc Elections Committee a permanent board, Lee suggested.

As for the Aug. 6 election itself, Lee proposed there be no campaigning at the farmers’ market, piggybacking on someone’s prior request for no campaigning at the Town bonfire.

This is only the second contested election after a long hiatus for elections in in Fenwick. Nonetheless, there has been some contention, Lee said, as people “remove signs and replace them with other signs. Neighbors are putting pressure on other neighbors to take down your signs and … unsubstantiated letters to the editor.

“I do not understand why we cannot have a campaign based on facts instead of coercion, innuendo and false statements. I am just asking again for civility in this town as we move forward in this election. We only have two more weeks.”

When asked about campaign signs for another candidate in her own yard, Lee said she posted them after seeing campaign signs in other current councilmembers’ yards.

In regard to his July 22 letter to the editor of the Coastal Point, resident Jim Simpson shared his frustration with not having been published on the Fenwick Forum blog, which is run by a group of Fenwick citizens.

“They operate in the shadows,” Simpson said of Forum bloggers. “They will not tell you of connections within this group [and with council members]. It’s about time that you opened up, came out of the darkness and owned what you’re doing.”

Lee responded that she is a member of the town council, not of the Fenwick Forum. However, the list of founding members is on that website, she said.

Simpson demanded to know who makes the decisions on whether to publish letters there. Forum member Richard Benn said Simpson’s comments will get a response, but the editorial board rejected Simpson’s letter because it included “baseless accusations against an unknown person.” Moreover, he said, “There is no economic benefit to anyone in our group… The candidates are not involved in editing or creating anything other than what they want to put on our website in their name.”

In other Fenwick Island Town Council news:

• Hunting is now officially banned in town limits, decided unanimously by the council. The police chief encouraged the council to adopt the new law (Article IV, Chapter 116-15) after hunting occurred on the bay side of town.

• Passing its first reading was a proposed surface- and stormwater management bill, which would, among other things, require a professionally engineered drainage plan for any building improvement that affects property drainage, as well as for new construction and substantial improvements.

The proposal is intended to “add teeth” to the code so the Town building official has more power to enforce drainage policies.

• The council passed a first reading of a real estate tax law (Article I, Chapter 146-1), which codifies a policy for tax collections, delinquencies and fees.

• Led by Richard Mais, the new Ad-hoc Financial Committee will study the gross receipts tax, beach funding, canal dredging and, now, sidewalk funding.

• The recently renamed Emergency Management & Infrastructure Committee will expand to monitor major state or county projects that come through town.

After Labor Day, Sussex County will begin repairs to a sewer pumping station between the police station and the town park, outgoing Councilman Bill Weistling Jr. reported. A temporary pumping station will be set up so the town’s system won’t shut down during renovations to some older equipment. There should be no effect on traffic, except when the project cuts across Cannon Street, officials said.

The Town has no control over the work, but the emergency committee will stay updated, in case there are unexpected consequences or costs to the Town.

• One resident asked whether the town council has thought about green space, in terms of its future growth. On Bunting Avenue, the big houses block the breeze, she said, which makes the street little better than the city. She asked if there’s intention to bring back green space. Councilwoman Diane Tingle said narrower houses were once considered, but there was uproar just over raising the houses by two feet.

The Environmental Committee will take up the discussion of green space.

• Due to inclement weather, the Town had a two-part bonfire, which raised about $8,000 for local lifeguards to compete in California.

• The council approved $14,223 from the 2017 fiscal-year budget to pay for milling on the beachfront street ends, which officials said lays better than the current stone dust. The funding will come from State-provided Municipal Street Aid funding.

• A number of black pine trees have suffered from beetles and nematodes, which infect and kill weak trees. However, the Environmental Committee reported a good response from property owners about removing dead trees to prevent the infestation from spreading. Letters were recently sent to owners of trees suspected of having an infestation.

• This was the last meeting for Tingle and Weistling, who are both retiring after 10 years on the council, and for Town Manager Merritt Burke, who recently took a new job as CEO of the Sussex County Association of Realtors (SCAOR).

Police Chief Bill Boyden will be the interim town manager during the search for his replacement. Applications for the position are due Sept. 9.

The town council’s next regular meeting is Friday, Aug. 26, at 3:30 p.m.

Police pursue wanted man from Millsboro to Georgetown

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The Delaware State Police Sussex County Drug Task Force (DTF) this week arrested a Bridgeville man after he fled from troopers during a traffic stop.

Police said their investigation began around 10 p.m. on Friday, July 29, when troopers assigned to the DTF were actively looking for Keadre L. Smith, 26, of Bridgeville, who was wanted on a warrant out of Sussex County Superior Court for alleged drug dealing.

Detectives said they located Smith near the Lingo Creek Apartments in Millsboro and watched as he entered a 2006 Chevrolet Impala and traveled west toward Georgetown. Troopers and probation officers assigned to the Sussex County Governor’s Task Force (GTF) and State Police Aviation (Trooper 2) were contacted and went to the area of Zoar Road east of Speedway Road, where a traffic stop was initiated on the vehicle.

As the trooper approached the driver’s side of the vehicle and instructed Smith to turn it off, police said, he suddenly accelerate the car forward and drove across a residential lawn before turning northbound on DuPont Boulevard (Route 113) in an apparent effort to avoid apprehension.

Troopers said they began to pursue the Impala, with Trooper 2 maintaining a clear visual of the car as it approached Route 113 and County Seat Highway (Route 9). There, it turned eastbound on Route 9 and continued onto Old Furnace Road, where police said it eventually stopped at a residence on Concord Pond Road.

According to the DSP, Smith then exited the vehicle and ran into the house before coming back out moments later. He was taken into custody without further incident. They said a visual search of the vehicle by troopers after the car had stopped at the house revealed two of Smith’s daughters, ages 1 and 5, had been inside the vehicle as he was fleeing from police.

The girls were turned over to their mother at the house and were uninjured, police said.

Smith was transported back to Troop 4, where he was charged with two counts of Reckless Endangering 1st, Possession of a Deadly Weapon During the Commission of a Felony (Vehicle), Disregarding a Police Officer’s Signal, two counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Resisting Arrest, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and other traffic-related offenses. He was arraigned on those charges, as well as the two charges of Dealing Drugs on the original warrant, and was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $117,250 cash bond.

Suspected heroin found in baby formula jar during traffic stop

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Delaware State Police this week arrested a Bridgeville man for heroin possession after a traffic stop near Rehoboth.

According to police, the incident occurred around 7:34 p.m. on Sunday, July 31, as a trooper on patrol in the area of Coastal Highway (Route 1) southbound, north of Shuttle Road, observed a dark blue Mercedes-Benz E32 traveling at an apparent high rate of speed and failing to signal lane changes. The trooper conducted a traffic stop in the parking lot of IHOP, located at 36670 Bayside Outlet Drive, where the operator was identified as Tyrie J. Williams, 24, of Bridgeville.

Police said a computer inquiry into Williams’ license revealed it was suspended, and an odor of suspected marijuana was also detected coming from the vehicle as the trooper made contact with Williams, who was traveling with another man and Williams’ 6-month-old son.

All of the occupants were asked to exit the vehicle while a search was conducted. Police said a bag was located behind the driver’s side floorboard, just in front of the car seat in which the 6-month-old was sitting, and the bag contained a plastic jar normally used for baby formula with 507 bags (7.605 grams) of suspected heroin, as well as a glass jar with 34 grams of suspected marijuana.

Williams was taken into custody without incident and transported back to Troop 7, where he was charged with Possession of Heroin, Possession with Intent to Deliver Heroin, Endangering the Welfare of a Child, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Driving While Suspended or Revoked and other traffic-related offenses. He was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $62,500 cash bond.

The 6-month-old child was uninjured, police noted, and was turned over to the mother at the scene. The other male passenger was not charged, they said.

DSP arrests Millsboro man for suspected sixth-offense DUI

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The Delaware State Police this week arrested a Millsboro man after he was found to allegedly be operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol for the sixth time.

Police said the incident occurred around 9:07 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27, as a trooper parked on East Diamond Street, facing Power Plant Road, observed a 2012 GMC Sierra traveling northbound on Power Plant Road, allegedly without a headlight. The trooper, police said, conducted a traffic stop on the pickup truck on Iron Branch Road north of Bunting Road.

According to the DSP, contact was then made with the operator, Gary L. Levis, 52, of Millsboro, and the odors of suspected marijuana and alcohol were both detected. A DUI investigation ensued, and Levis was taken into custody and transported back to Troop 4.

Prior to leaving the scene, an inventory search of the vehicle was conducted, and troopers located 16 suspected Oxycodone pills and 16.74 grams of suspected marijuana. A computer check revealed he had had five previous DUI convictions (in May and November of 1994, two in March of 1995 and one in April of 20014). This arrest would be his sixth on such charges.

Levis was charged with 6th Offense Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Driving While Suspended or Revoked, Possession of a Controlled Substance without a Prescription, Possession of Marijuana and Driving without Two Headlights. He was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $12,650 secured bond.

Things we love: Fun in the sun, blasts from the past

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Editor’s Note: Staff members of the Coastal Point have contributed some of our favorite things to do in the area, and we share them here with you. Some are happening now, like the Senior League and Big League Softball World Series tournaments in Roxana. Other events and activities take place during other times of the year. We just wanted to plant some cool ideas in your heads.

No matter the time of year, there’s nearly always something going on in the area. From the long-running and unique traditions of Sussex County to new cosmopolitan delights focusing on art and culture, the area offers a festival or other entertainment option for nearly everyone. Here are some of our favorites:

• Concerts — It doesn’t matter what kind of music you like; there’s a concert for every taste and budget, which is pretty amazing considering the year-round population of the area. The options range from free concerts on the Bethany Beach boardwalk bandstand to inexpensive performances by the Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra at a local church to high-end headliners performing at the Freeman Stage at Bayside.

Free concerts can also be found in Ocean View’s John West Park on some summer evenings, and in Ocean City’s Northside Park in the summer and each spring and fall for Springfest and Sunfest. Headline acts at those Ocean City festivals cost a little more to see but are still in reach for many people. Most Thursday-night performances at the Freeman Stage are also free, as are Saturday-morning concerts and shows designed for the whole family.

• Arts and crafts — If your fancy tends toward artworks or fine crafts, there’s no shortage of those in the area, either. Beyond the offerings at local retail stores and direct from local artists, the Bethany Beach boardwalk each year hosts two major festivals focused on arts and crafts.

Each June, the Town of Bethany Beach organizes the Seaside Craft Show, which focuses on fine crafts selected by a jury for their worthiness to be part of the show. Whether it’s seaglass jewelry or painted furniture or pine-needle baskets, it’s a treasure trove of potential gifts (for oneself or others).

Then, in September, the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce puts on the Boardwalk Arts Festival on the Bethany boardwalk, with its focus on local and regional artists — many of whom are well known for their seaside themes or capturing nature in a photograph. If you’re keen to discover a new favorite artist, there’s no shortage of potential fan favorites at this annual show.

• Softball World Series — Each summer, nestled away in unincorporated Roxana, the Pyle Center prepares to host softball teams from all around the world for the Senior League Softball World Series and Big League Softball World Series. With teams in 2016 coming from all across the United States and countries including the Philippines, Canada and, for the first time, China, locals and visitors alike have the opportunity to witness some of the best young softball players that the world has to offer.

Admission is always offered on a first-come, first-served basis and is free — just keep in mind that, for championship games, the main field can hold up to 700 screaming fans. If you’re hoping to catch some of the action from the comfort of your couch, the championship games are aired on ESPN! For more information, visit www.seniorleaguesoftballws.com or www.bigleaguesoftballws.com.

• Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral — Whether you live in the area year-round or just call the beach your home away from reality, there’s nothing quite like the inevitable arrival of Labor Day — summer’s unofficial end. Despite the easing of traffic and increased availability of beachfront parking, our staff knows that Labor Day marks the coming of cooler temperatures, shorter nights and fewer days spent basking in the sun.

Each year, the town of Bethany Beach puts its own special spin on the season finale, with a ceremonial lifeguard swim and the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral parading down the boards. Dressed in full mourner’s costume or straight off the beach, locals and visitors can pay their respects as the funeral procession accompanies the Summer of 2016’s casket through the throngs of friends and loved-ones. True to New Orleans jazz funeral form, Dixieland jazz bands parade from the north to the south end of the boardwalk with the “mourners,” playing songs such as “Amazing Grace” and remembering the good old days of the dearly departed. This year’s procession will begin around 5 p.m. on Sept. 5.

• Frontier Town — Dust off your cowboy hat and saddle up for a wild, wild weekend (or more!) at Frontier Town park and campground in Berlin, Md. The park celebrates the era of the cowboy with a replicated 1880 Old Western town and famed Wild West Show, which runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day.

Guests can feel as if they’ve been transported back in time with a day full of cancan shows, gun fights, train holdups, a jailbreak, and paddleboat and pony swing rides. Gates are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and those looking for some more typical summer fun can check out the Frontier Town water park and mini-golf. For schedules and ticketing information, visit www.frontiertown.com.

Looking to stretch your visit out a big longer? Frontier Town also has about 600 camping spots, ranging from primitive to RV-ready. The campground offers even more fun activities for the family and backs up to the Sinepuxent Bay. The grounds are open from March 25 to Nov. 11 this year, but if you’re looking for a quiet getaway without the hubbub of the rest of the park or crowds, take advantage of their off-season prices and availability. Reservations can be made by going to reservations.frontiertown.com or by calling 1-800-228-5590.

Agenda — August 5, 2016

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Bethany Beach

• The Bethany Beach Town Council and the Board of Assessment will meet at 1 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 19, at town hall, at which time the council will sit as a board of revision and appeal to hear appeals from assessments and to make corrections and revisions as it deems appropriate. The Annual Tax Assessment List is available for public inspection at town hall. The council will hold its next regular meeting at 2 p.m. that day.
• There will be no town council election in Bethany Beach in 2016, as incumbents Bruce Frye, Jack Gordon, Rosemary Hardiman and Lew Killmer were the only candidates to file for the four seats up for voting in the planned September election. They will each serve a new two-year term starting this fall.
• Bethany Beach’s pay-to-park season resumed May 15 and runs until Sept. 15.
• Prohibitions on dogs on the beach and boardwalk in Bethany Beach resumed on May 15.
• The regular meetings of the Bethany Beach Town Council and Planning Commission are now being broadcast, with video, over the Internet via the Town’s website at www.townofbethanybeach.com, under Live-Audio Broadcasts. Both meetings are at town hall.

South Bethany

• The Town of South Bethany will host a free showing of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” on Aug. 4 at 8:30 p.m. The movie will be show at South 3rd Street and South Ocean Drive, at the beach walkway. Guests can bring a chair, blanket, flashlight, etc. Kids can get glow sticks and other lighted giveaways. Beach wheelchairs will be available. Attendees are being asked to observe parking laws.
• The Planning Commission will meet Friday, Aug. 5, at 10 a.m. for regular business, as well as a public hearing for Peter and Susan Trelenberg’s application to combine existing Lot 85 at 242 Bayshore Drive and 25 feet of Lot 86, which they have purchased, to change the lot size to 100 by 100 feet.
• There will be no 2016 town council election, as only four candidates registered for the four available seats: incumbent Mayor Pat Voveris as mayor, incumbent Councilwoman Sue Callaway, and incoming council members Don Boteler and William “Tim” Shaw.
• Recycling is picked up biweekly, continuing on Friday, Aug. 12.
• Yard waste is picked up biweekly, continuing on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
• The town council’s next regular meeting is Friday, Aug. 12, at 7 p.m.
• Town Hall is now open Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., without closing for lunch.
• The Cat Hill barricade hours have been changed to 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. for traffic turning from Kent Avenue onto Black Gum Drive, from May 15 to Sept. 15.
• Yoga on the beach is held Wednesdays from 8 to 8:45 a.m. at S. 4th Street. Boot Camp on the beach is Mondays and Fridays from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. Donations are accepted as payment. Bring water and a towel.
• Parking permit requirements have resumed for the summer. Permits are available at town hall.
• Prohibitions on dogs on the beach resumed on May 15 and run until Oct. 15.
• The Town of South Bethany’s website is located at www.southbethany.org.

Fenwick Island

• A second public meeting on the comprehensive plan will be held Saturday, Aug. 13, at 9 a.m.
• The town council election is scheduled for Aug. 6. Three seats are up for election, each with a two-year term. Candidates include incumbent Gardner Bunting, Vicki L. Carmean, Kevin Carouge and Bernard H. “Bernie” Merritt Jr. Incumbents Diane Tingle and Bill Weistling did not file to run for re-election. Would-be candidates Charles W. Hastings and Marc McFaul were deemed not to be eligible.
Eligible voters must be at least 18, and either a resident, property owner or a trust designee in the town by March 1. The voter registration deadline was June 30 in person and July 8 by mail. Details are available online and at town hall. Absentee voting is allowed. An affidavit must be signed and returned to Town Hall before a ballot will be mailed. Affidavits can be found online or obtained by contacting Town Hall. Absentee ballots must be returned by noon on Aug. 5.
• The Environmental Committee will meet Aug. 11 at 2:30 p.m.
• The town council’s next regular meeting is Friday, Aug. 26, at 3:30 p.m.
• The Fenwick Island Farmers’ Market has moved to Warren’s Station, at 1406 Coastal Highway, and will be open on Mondays and Fridays, until Sept. 5, from 8 a.m. to noon.
• Recycling is collected every Friday from May to September.
• Parking enforcement began on May 15.
• The Fenwick Island town website is located at www.fenwickisland.org.

Ocean View

• The Ocean View Town Council will not meet in August. The next regular council meeting has been set for Tuesday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m.
• The Ocean View Planning & Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustments will not meet in August.
• The Town of Ocean View’s Facebook page can be found at www.facebook.com/townofoceanview.
• The Ocean View town website is located at www.oceanviewde.com.

Millsboro

• The Millsboro Town Council this week voted to hire Sheldon P. Hudson, the now-former assistant town manager, to replace the long-serving and recently-retired Faye L. Lingo as the municipality’s chief administrative officer.
• The Millsboro town website is located at www.millsboro.org.

Millville

• The town council’s next regular meeting is Tuesday, Aug. 9, at 7 p.m.
• The Millville Farmers’ Market has been canceled for 2016, due to the Route 26 road construction and last year’s low attendance. Organizers thanked the public for their continued interest and enthusiasm.
• The Millville town website is located at www.millville.delaware.gov.

Frankford

• Curbside recycling is picked up every other Tuesday, continuing Aug. 9.
• The Town of Frankford website is located at www.frankfordde.us.

Selbyville

• Curbside recycling is collected every other Wednesday, continuing Aug. 17.
• The Town website is at www.TownOfSelbyville.com.

Dagsboro

• The Planning & Zoning Commission will meet Wednesday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m., at Bethel UMC.
• There will be no town council election this year. All three incumbents re-filed for their seats, with no challengers.
• The Town can now accept credit cards payments from citizens online. Instructions are on the Town website.
• The Town of Dagsboro website is at www.townofdagsboro.com.

Indian River

School District
• Committee meetings are scheduled for Monday, Aug 8, at the Indian River School District Educational Complex in Selbyville: Policy at 5 p.m.
• The district website is at www.irsd.net.
Sussex County
• Agendas, minutes and audio, as well as live streaming of all County meetings, may be found online at www.sussexcountyde.gov.

State of Delaware

• DelDOT’s reconstruction of the intersection of Route 26 and Powell Farm/Omar Roads has been largely completed, with a new traffic signal at the intersection converted to full stop-and-go operation. Traffic accessing Omar Road at the intersection must turn onto Powell Farm Road briefly in order to proceed onto or off of Route 26 at the light.
• Continuing work on the Route 26 Mainline Improvements Project, DelDOT has now ended daytime lane closures for the summer, returning to only utilizing overnight lane closures, though lane shifts and brief lane closures for project logistics can still be expected during the day. Motorists are being encouraged to use detour routes to avoid delays when lane closures are in place. Manholes in the project area have been raised to meet the height of the upcoming paving, so motorists should take extra care when driving over them.
Overall, the 4-mile-long project includes the reconstruction of Route 26 (Atlantic Avenue) from Clarksville to the Assawoman Canal and will widen the existing two-lane roadway to include two 11-foot travel lanes with 5-foot shoulder/bike lanes and a 12-foot wide continuous shared center left-turn lane. Construction is expected to be largely complete mid-summer and completed by the fall. George & Lynch is building the 4-plus-mile project from Assawoman Canal in Bethany Beach to St. George’s U.M. Church in Clarksville.
Regular Route 26 project meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 10 a.m. at Bethany Beach Town Hall. The public is being encouraged to attend or to get email updates from DelDOT via the project page for the Route 26 project at www.deldot.gov. For additional Route 26 project information or concerns, residents and businesses can contact Ken Cimino at (302) 616-2621, or Kenneth.cimino@aecom.com or at 17 Atlantic Avenue, Suite 2, in Ocean View.

County to hold public hearings on proposed sign ordinance

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The Sussex County Council plans to hold a new set of public hearings on a proposed ordinance to amend its code related to signs.

“There has been a lot of conversation,” said Council President Michael Vincent. “I think it’s easy to get mixed thoughts. Since we’ve had our public hearing, we’ve had a lot of meetings…

“My suggestion to council, when we get done today, we would, I hope, end up with a final document, ask the attorney to draw it up as an ordinance, reintroduce the whole ordinance and allow the public to have comment on what we’re proposing. I think, at the end of the day, we are better served if we take our time and do this one time and do it right.”

The County has been discussing its signage ordinance for more than a year, spurred by concerns raised by Councilman George Cole. Following months of working group meetings, council discussions and public hearings, an ordinance to amend the code related to signs was introduced in April. However, those involved with the working group voiced concern that the introduced ordinance was not a proper reflection of their discussions.

That sentiment was strong enough, in fact, that Clear Channel Outdoor, Geyer Signs, Hocker Signs, Jack Lingo Realtors, J.D. Sign Company, Ocean Atlantic, Phillips Signs Inc., Premier Outdoor Media LLC, Rogers Sign Co. Inc. and Timmons Outdoor Advertising hired Georgetown attorney David Hutt of Morris, James, Wilson, Halbrook & Bayard LLP, who also served on the working group, to create an alternate ordinance.

Vincent said that, as it has taken weeks for the council to review the draft ordinance and change it from what was originally introduced, he felt it would be best for the County to introduce a new ordinance. Cole said he was not in agreement with Vincent; however, County Attorney J. Everett Moore voiced support for the idea.

“[It] is so totally different than what we started with. It’s very convoluted and difficult to follow. I like Mr. Vincent’s suggestion,” said Moore. “We take all the input from the discussions that council has had, put together a concise ordinance, then we reintroduce it and have public hearings. That would give the public two chances to comment — once at the Planning & Zoning stage and one at the County Council stage. Then, hopefully, if there are any tweaks that need to be made to that, they are fairly minor tweaks.”

Cole asked how fast the process could get going. County Administrator Todd Lawson said staff were currently looking at dates and said that, if the attorneys are able to draft the ordinance in time, it can be introduced at the Aug. 9 council meeting.

The council agreed to reintroduce a draft ordinance related to changing its signage code and to hold additional public hearings on the new draft. That would move the process forward from the current moratorium on signage applications to the County.

Originally passed on Sept. 15, 2015, the moratorium ordinance states that the Sussex County Council “views the placement of off-premise signs as an important public-safety issue” and believes that “the recent proliferation of off-premise signs has a detrimental effect on the safety and welfare of the citizens of Sussex County.”

Slated to expire Aug. 15, the moratorium will have to be extended by the council to allow time for the public hearing process for the new draft ordinance.


Rally for a Cure marks two decades of effort

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For 20 years, a group of women at Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club have been doing their part to raise money for breast cancer outreach, education and research, and on Aug. 9 and Aug. 10, a ladies-only event and a co-ed golf tournament will again be held to raise funds for the Delaware Breast Coalition.

The event was started in 1997 by Ellen Stephens, who passed away in 2013. The fundraiser in its augural event had 52 players, resulting in a donation of $850 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation that year.

This year, the ladies-only Pink on the Patio event, with a “beach bash” theme, will be held next Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m., and all women from the community are being invited to attend. Tickets cost $30 per person and include heavy hors d’oeuvres, entertainment by D.J. Brian K. Hall and a cash bar.

“The main idea was to give people who were not golfers a chance to support the whole thing,” said event chairwoman Judi Davis. “It’s turned out to be pretty popular. It’s open to all — members, non-members, neighbors, sisters. No brothers, no husbands, no men.”

During the evening, those in attendance will have the opportunity to bid on silent and “Chinese” auction items. There will also be a 50-50 raffle. Some items will be auctioned off that evening; however, the majority will have their winners announced on Wednesday, at the awards luncheon, to give everyone an opportunity to bid.

Davis said the women who attend always have a good time at the event.

“A lot of them look forward to a night out without their husbands. Some bring all their neighbors, and they come in a group of eight or 10 and they have a really fun time.”

Breakfast and check-in for the golf tournament will begin at 8 a.m. There will be a “kamikaze” putting contest with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.

Those who wish to participate can contact Cripple Creek’s Pro Shop. The cost is $100 per person. Those participating will receive breakfast, lunch and use of a golf cart.

The scramble will be organized into foursomes. Davis said those who wish to enter may do so as a group of four or fewer.

“Any non-foursomes can sign up, and they’ll put teams together,” she said, adding that people of any skill level can compete.

Skill prizes, as well as golf team prizes, will be awarded for the men’s and women’s divisions.

On Thursday, there will also be a 50-50 raffle, along with the awarding of the auction items.

Davis said the community was generous this year in their donations of the items, which include two coolers of “cheer” (for which chances to win will be sold). Although a small number of auction items will be awarded Tuesday evening, the majority will be awarded Wednesday at the luncheon.

Items include gift cards, rounds of golf, gift baskets, artwork and handmade items.

“We have a one-week timeshare in Las Vegas that has been donated. That will be auctioned off,” said Davis. “We got a really nice, unusual side table with a golf motif. It has a glass top and a mirror.”

Davis said that last year the committee’s goal was to surpass the $400,000 mark in total funds raised, which they did.

“Now our goal is $500,000,” she said. “Every year, we take in about $28,000 to $30,000. We hope it stays that way.”

Davis said she works with a wonderful committee, all of whom hope to continue to raise money to support a worthy cause.

“We’d just like it to be as good as it has in the past. Each year we hope we make as much as the year before, and we’ve been lucky enough to do that.”

Tickets are required for Pink on the Patio and may be purchased from any committee member or in the club office. Reservations may be made at the club by phone and tickets picked up the night of the event. To register for the golf tournament, golfers should contact the Cripple Creek pro shop. For more information, call Cripple Creek at (302) 539-5359.

CHEER celebrating 45 years of serving the community

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Coastal Point • R. Chris Clark: CHEER began serving local senior citizens in 1971. Today, they offer more services and activities than ever before.Coastal Point • R. Chris Clark: CHEER began serving local senior citizens in 1971. Today, they offer more services and activities than ever before.Every day, seniors, including Marsha Smith of Ocean View, spend time at a CHEER activity center in Sussex County. This year, CHEER is celebrating 45 years of serving seniors such as Smith, 65, who has been a member of the Coastal Leisure Center in Ocean View for about four years and spends many hours there each week.

At the center, she’s known as kind of a computer guru. A retired computer teacher, she teaches a popular class on how to use tablets. She’s also the center’s “go-to” computer person — if anyone is having an issue with their computer, they tend to seek her out.

Between that and the exercise room and pinochle and trips organized for center members, Smith said, “For being retired, I don’t remember ever being this busy.”

Like many Sussex County residents who moved to the area to retire, Smith didn’t know anyone in the area, with the exception of her sister, who lives “10 minutes down the road.” She moved into an apartment near the center, partly because she knew she would enjoy the convenience of it.

“I like that I can come over here for lunch,” Smith said. “It’s my biggest meal of the day, and I don’t have to worry about it.”

Smith said she finds the center’s trips quite enjoyable. She said she particularly enjoys the “Mystery Trips” planned by center director Yolanda Gallego. Evening programs at the center — whether a musical program or a chance to learn about a particular topic — are also favorites for Smith.

“I’ve never been not entertained,” she said.

Along with Gallego, who Smith said “just does a great job,” she said she enjoys the other members. “People are very friendly, and there are lots of good volunteers,” she said.

On a recent Monday afternoon, a group of women sat together after lunch, having spent the morning together doing their weekly shopping and errands by CHEER bus.

Sybil Coolidge of Ocean View is legally blind and depends on CHEER’s buses for transportation.

“That’s a big help to people who can’t drive,” Coolidge said. Now 86, Coolidge said she has been attending the Ocean View CHEER center since it was located in the old town hall on West Avenue.

Bonnie Collins, 77, also of Ocean View, calls the Coastal Leisure Center “my second home,” saying she particularly enjoys the trips on Thursdays and Fridays. One of the few “real Delawareans” at the center, the Bridgeville native said she comes to the center to play cards, eat lunch and more.

“I do whatever they’re doing,” she said.

Gallego picks a theme for the center each month — in August, the theme is “Movies, Magic & Mystery!” Some of the featured activities will include a showing of a Harry Potter movie, a “Mad Hatter” Victorian tea party, a magic show at Millville’s Dickens Parlour Theatre, a murder mystery dinner party, and, of course, a “mystery trip.”

“The center does give us a lot to do,” said Patricia Merritt, 77, of Ocean View.

Another of the “bus riders,” Merritt said she can no longer drive due to macular degeneration, so the daily bus service is a big help. She regularly plays pinochle and bingo — and is a volunteer bingo caller — and enjoys going on the center-sponsored trips.

“It gives us a place to come where we don’t have to sit by ourselves,” said Merritt. “It’s a fun place to be.”

Sussex County has the fastest-growing senior population in Delaware, and by 2030, Delaware’s southernmost county is expected to be home to 50 percent of its senior citizens, according to Anthony DelFranco, CHEER marketing director.

The seven CHEER activity centers are the backbone of the division, serving the county’s 50-and-older population with daily meals, activities and other services. CHEER activity centers are located in Ocean View, Milton, Roxana, Long Neck, Greenwood, Lewes and Georgetown.

According to DelFranco, CHEER was founded in 1971 by the Rev. Milton Kean, in response to a need for services that help senior citizens continue to live as actively and independently as possible for a long as possible. The first CHEER center was housed in the Manor House senior community in Seaford.

Today, DelFranco said, CHEER’s mission is to provide “all the services a senior needs to age in place.” Those include a meal program that delivers meals daily; a personal assistance agency that provides services such as light housekeeping, personal grooming and errands; an adult day program, located in the Georgetown CHEER facility on Sand Hill Road, that serves those who are in the early stages of dementia or otherwise unable to stay home by themselves; a community center, also located in the Georgetown facility, which can host events for between 50 and 400 people; and transportation services that pick up customers and take them to activity centers near them and then take them home.

Each day, an estimated 6,000 Sussex County residents are served by CHEER, DelFranco said. The Ocean View center alone has 600 members — although not all are served there every day. Countywide, on average 30 new seniors sign up for the meal program each month, DelFranco said. Between 600 and 800 meals are delivered each day, and a total of 1,200 total meals a day are provided, including those eaten at the centers.

Those figures are only expected to go up in the coming years. According to statistics from the state Division of Health & Social Services, the segment of Sussex County’s population that is 65 or older will increase by 50 percent in the next 25 years.

Pat McClure, who lives in Dagsboro, is able to drive herself but comes to the center regularly for the trips. She also takes an occasional turn manning the front desk, greeting members as they come in the door.

“One of the reasons I come is the social aspect,” said McClure.

DelFranco and Gallego both emphasized the importance of the varied CHEER programs in allowing seniors to stay in their homes as long as possible. And, with the projected growth in the senior population, DelFranco said volunteers are a crucial part of CHEER’s ability to serve the seniors well.

“We are in dire need of volunteers,” he said.

Volunteers help with meal preparation and delivery and with other aspects of CHEER programs.

“We are going to need more volunteers to meet the needs” of the growing population, DelFranco said.

More senior centers will probably be built, in addition to the seven already serving the county. Funding will come from State coffers. DelFranco lauded the efforts of Sussex legislators to keep the needs of CHEER in the forefront during the state budgeting process.

“They do a great job; they fight for us for grants-in-aid,” he said.

For members such as Beverly Donovan, 80, of Ocean View, being able to attend center activities several times a week is a welcome routine. She and her husband moved to the area from Frederick, Md., and when he passed away and she had a stroke, she moved in to a home that was specially outfitted to meet her needs.

The transportation services from CHEER are a part of Donovan’s daily life.

“I ride it every day,” she said.

DelFranco agreed that the bus service is key in seniors’ ability to maintain independence.

“It’s hard when you can’t drive anymore,” he said.

Gallego urged anyone who is interested in seeing what CHEER has to offer “to come in and visit.”

For more information on CHEER programs, call the CHEER office in Georgetown at (302) 515-3071 or go to www.cheerde.com.

Fenwick Island candidates get final word before election

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This year’s Fenwick Island Town Council election gives voters the choice of four candidates for three positions. Polls will open at Town Hall on Saturday, Aug. 6, from 1 to 5 p.m.

Voters can select three of the following candidates: Gardner Bunting (incumbent), Vicki L. Carmean, Kevin Carouge and Bernard “Bernie” H. Merritt Jr.

Council terms are two years. Current Council Members Diane Tingle and Bill Weistling did not run for re-election.

Two additional candidates were ruled ineligible because of property ownership issues. Charlie Hastings and Mark McFaul were deemed ineligible because they don’t live or directly own property in Fenwick Island, instead being part of artificial entities (such as a trust or LLC) that own property.

Voters must already be registered at Town Hall to vote in the election.

Election details are available by contacting Town Hall at (302) 539-3011 or online at www.fenwickisland.delaware.gov.

In preparation for the big day, the Coastal Point has polled Fenwick candidates on some of the issues. Their responses are listed alphabetically by the candidates’ last name. (Editor’s note: Per longstanding Coastal Point editorial policy, letters to the editor regarding the election were not published in this week’s issue, in order to allow the candidates to have the final word on their campaigns before the election.)

Gardner Bunting

Q. What qualifies you to serve on Fenwick Island Town Council?

Q. What is your opinion on voter/candidate eligibility? Do you believe that any of the following should or should not be allowed to vote/run for Town Council: Residents who do/don’t own property? Non-resident property owners? Artificial entities (LLCs, trusts, etc.)? Spouses of trustees?

A. I believe that any property owner that meets the voter requirement set forth by the Charter and Delaware voting laws should be eligible to run for office. Delaware LLC law prohibits the above, so we must abide by this or attempt to change the law. This would require the General Assembly to act and may be difficult.

Q. What is your opinion on the branding of Fenwick Island? Is it needed? Should the town pursue matching grant opportunity to hire a professional designer/consultant? Should the town pursue another direction?

A. Branding could be good for the business community, but we have already done some of the things that are needed. I would like to continue to work with Main Street Delaware in other ways to attempt to have good quality shops and restaurants and encourage property owners in the commercial district to enhance the appearance of their facilities.

Q. What do you envision for Fenwick’s future, including business development, housing or traffic/parking?

A. I would like to see a continuation of the quiet town atmosphere while encouraging business to flourish. Traffic is and will be an issue, since Route 1 is our Main Street. More sidewalks will help make it a better and safer walkable town along Route 1. The Town has attempted to make parking better by designating spots on the side streets, but space is limited by the original street design.

Q. What else should voters know about you or your goals for the next two years?

A. Sea-level rise, drainage, bicycle and pedestrian safety, sidewalks on Route 1 all need more study, as well as canal and channel dredging, and beach replenishment funding for the future.

Vicki Carmean

Q. What qualifies you to serve on Fenwick Island Town Council?

A. I am fortunate to live in a wonderful community where everyone can agree on one idea: they love Fenwick Island, all of it — the beach, the bay and the town. Yes, some change is inevitable, but like most of my friends and neighbors I am dedicated to preserving the best of this Quiet Resort so that it will be here for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.

As a full-time resident, I have the time, energy and enthusiasm to commit to the many meetings each month that are necessary to make the community successful. My previous 10 years serving on Council make me familiar with the importance of good leadership, legalities of governing, and problem solving. I have served as Council Secretary, Chair of Beautification, Parks & Recreation, Safety and Environmental Committees.

In addition, I have been a “worker-bee” on the Charter & Ordinance, Comprehensive Plan I, Election and Beach Committees. I have also been active with the Fenwick Island Society of Homeowners (FISH), not only as a member but also on the Executive Board. All of these experiences have broadened my knowledge so I can best represent what the voters want and thus make good decisions about what is needed in this community.

Q. What is your opinion on voter/candidate eligibility? Do you believe that any of the following should or should not be allowed to vote/run for Town Council: Residents who do/don’t own property? Non-resident property owners? Artificial entities (LLCs, trusts, etc.)? Spouses of trustees?

A. About a year ago I was asked to serve on the much-maligned Ad Hoc Election Committee for the purpose of developing an information document that could explain Fenwick’s complicated voter qualifications. After reviewing the Charter, the committee members noted that more was wrong than the voter qualification verbiage. However, we stuck to our mission to develop a push card that covered the essentials.

At the end we decided to take the additional step of asking the Charter & Ordinance Committee to define both “bona fide resident” and to reverse a 2008 Charter change that included trusts with artificial entities (LLCs and corporations) when they were given a vote, even though there was no legal requirement for doing so. This change limited votes for many non-resident property owners.

Unfortunately, this request was viewed as a move to subvert the rights of existing voters. Actually, the committee was trying to make the voting process easier. Now that some candidates have been declared ineligible because of confusing Charter language, I would hope that the Council will move forward to research what is or is not allowed by Delaware and federal regulations in order to bring Fenwick’s Charter into compliance with the law, as well as the expectations of the 21st century.

Q. What is your opinion on the branding of Fenwick Island? Is it needed? Should the town pursue matching grant opportunity to hire a professional designer/consultant? Should the town pursue another direction?

A. I am totally supportive of the business community, which is an integral part of Fenwick’s charm. In fact I can’t stay away from the wonderful retail stores and outstanding restaurants available here.

So I made it a point to attend the July 22 workshop where I learned that “branding” is a merchandising technique designed to bring visitors and their money into a community for the purpose of making businesses more prosperous.

A dozen Sussex County towns were listed as “branding participants,” none of which were coastal towns but rather inland communities that needed to boast their struggling economies. Since I lived in one of those towns for years, I am aware of how much time and money have been spent on redoing streets, landscapes and store appearances over the last 30 years in order to rejuvenate the business sectors. The branding program, which offers to post attractive pictures on the website with special fonts and color schemes for signage, should be an appropriate final phase of a much larger effort.

As such, I am concerned that the Business Development Committee is pushing branding before taking a look at the big picture and some unintended consequences for Fenwick. The $10,000 price tag is a lot of tax money ($125 per property) for a town with a limited budget and unofficial plans to increase taxes/special fees for next year.

During her pitch for branding, the spokeswoman also made vague references to a future monetary commitment once the Town moves forward with the branding program. The unknown total cost would be in addition to any expenses for the new lighthouse decorations on Coastal Highway and the $1,200 estimated increase in the electric bill to keep them lit all year.

Meanwhile, there are other areas in the commercial zone needing attention, such as the once-beautiful median strips that are now full of weeds. Plus, for over 10 years there has been talk but no action about adding sidewalks with landscaping in the commercial zone; these would not only enhance the town’s appearance but also insure pedestrian safety. Residents (who are required to have enclosed trash areas) have been urging regulations to enclose dumpsters in the commercial zone so that trash does not spill into the streets and onto other properties. How are these going to be funded?

And finally, I have strong reservations about the impact of more visitors on Fenwick’s infrastructure, especially regarding traffic, public safety and the limited parking. Only four parking spaces of any size are available, and all of these are privately owned. Furthermore, Coastal Highway, which is about as wide as it can get, becomes a slow moving-parking lot in the summer season except when traffic stops completely for a red light or an accident.

In conclusion, while I am not against “branding” per se, I am concerned that it is not a quick fix for improving the commercial zone and the town’s appearance. I believe thoughtful community input is needed first to develop an action plan.

Q. What do you envision for Fenwick’s future, including business development, housing or traffic/parking?

A. As I mentioned before, business development is important, especially when it adds to the well-being of Fenwick. The commercial zone is an essential part of a basically residential town that has bayside and oceanside sections on either side. I believe that changes in one area cannot be made without impacting the other parts of the town. Therefore, I would like to encourage a thoughtful review of what is actually needed in the commercial area and how these plans would impact the residential community.

The town itself has only four traffic lights along a one-mile and three blocks-wide strip of land. Except for a few special businesses, Fenwick’s “high season” for business depends on summer visitors wanting to enjoy the sun and fun on the bay and beach. I would like to see a step-by-step plan developed and carefully implemented.

Housing is not in short supply for this town … in fact, all kinds of housing is available, from fabulous castles to charming cottages, several condos and many rentals. On the bayside, stormwater runoff has become a problem as vacant lots are built up and inadequate drainage systems do not carry off the water. Silted canal areas also need attention. On the oceanside, beach replenishment and dune protection are extremely important and must continue.

I want the Town to be proactive in convincing state and federal authorities to fund vital programs that protect our community. Flood insurance rates have continued to rise; however, the Town has taken steps, such as the freeboarding regulations, to mitigate some of the increased costs.

Traffic/parking issues probably have no “perfect” solutions that are practical and affordable. Parking is limited and Coastal Highway is not going to get any wider. Some businesses have developed reciprocal parking arrangements. Meanwhile, the town police do a very professional job of handling accidents and traffic problems, when they occur. The FIPD also actively provides pedestrian and bicycle safety programs. However, crossing Coastal Highway where there is no traffic light remains risky at best. Most of the serious problems occur during the summer season.

Q. What else should voters know about you or your goals for the next two years?

A. An important part of this election campaign is my pledge to promote “Positive Policies” to encourage the voters, Council and Town to be part of a team that honestly works together. Ideally Fenwick will continue to be a Quiet Resort where both residents and visitors can enjoy the natural beauty of the sea and bay. However, I can agree that even in the best of places, room for improvement exists, especially when it comes to everyone treating others with courtesy and respect.

My agenda includes (BASIC) support for a balanced budget, accountability, safety and streets, infrastructure and common sense. I am not a politician or good poker player because what you see is what I am. I don’t believe in playing games with government responsibilities. I genuinely believe in working with people and building consensus with a shared decision-making leadership style. Together we can solve issues and retain the quaint charm of our Fenwick Island paradise. I ask for your vote on Aug. 6.

Kevin Carouge

Q. What qualifies you to serve on Fenwick Island Town Council?

A. I have been a property owner in Fenwick for nearly 14 years and have come to appreciate the features of our town that make it such a unique enclave on the Delaware shore. I have held many leadership positions in my career, to include division president of a publically traded company and chairman of the board of a non-profit organization. I am able to understand multi-faceted issues and drive to the critical elements required to make tough decisions.

Most important, I understand the value of working with all individuals on any issue and communicating before, during and once a decision is made. For the last several years, I have become progressively more active in Fenwick town government and have made a concerted effort to outreach to the community, making myself known and understanding what is important to the public.

Q. What is your opinion on voter/candidate eligibility? Do you believe that any of the following should or should not be allowed to vote/run for Town Council: Residents who do/don’t own property? Non-resident property owners? Artificial entities (LLCs, trusts, etc.)? Spouses of trustees?

A. I believe, as is true in America, that all citizens have the right to vote. In Fenwick, non-resident property owners, whether residential or business, should be able to vote, as each of us pays the taxes that support the town’s activities. Voting allows us to exercise input into how the town is being operated with the funds we provide.

I also believe that if a property is owned in a family trust, that there should not be only one vote allowed. This is similar to our national government, where all citizens in a household of legal age are allowed to vote, not just the person whose name is on the deed. With regard to LLCs, I believe that the council must convene and reexamine this issue to ensure that the intent of charter changes some years ago is completely understood. It would be inappropriate of me to weigh in definitively on this issue before gaining this information. I also believe that we should fully examine state and local law in this regard.

Q. What is your opinion on the branding of Fenwick Island? Is it needed? Should the town pursue matching grant opportunity to hire a professional designer/consultant? Should the town pursue another direction?

A. Fenwick Island has a unique brand already; “The Quiet Resort,” and its imagery is firmly planted throughout town signage through the use of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse, a unique and historic landmark. I don’t believe a “new brand” is needed or what makes a town.

For me, it is the look, feel, and charm of the community when someone passes through that makes them stop and take notice and makes people want to live and visit here. To me, this cannot be accomplished by a new slogan, a new graphic or bold lighting. Indeed, if one were established, it would accomplish nothing without a significant commitment of advertisement and promotion dollars, (i.e. visibility) by the town and the business community.

This expenditure, whether for an initial rebranding or an advertising campaign, is not in the best interests of all Fenwick Islanders given concerns over funding of future beach replenishment, tackling the problem of increased silting in the bayside canals and the need to possibly dip into the realty transfer tax for town operations.

Q. What do you envision for Fenwick’s future, including business development, housing or traffic/parking?

A. As I have said in my two townhalls, personal interactions with residents, in my Bunting Avenue information stand and in the Fenwick Island Society of Homeowners’ meet-the-candidate forum, I am for maintaining Fenwick as the Quiet Resort. To me, this means focusing on the look and feel of the community; keeping an eye on residential and commercial density, making the commercial footprint we have better not larger, keeping the diversity in homes and ensuring access to the beach and bay by all owners and visitors.

While on town council, I would like to work with the year-round residents, part-time residents and commercial business owners to establish a detailed comprehensive vision to guide our day-to-day decisions. I’d like to see the town increase its dialogue with commercial property and business owners to talk about ways we can improve the “wow” factor for people drive along Route 1. All of this would ultimately work to improve the value of all properties.

As I said in the Comprehensive Plan meeting, there is significant pressure building as Route 54 continues to be developed. The surrounding population is increasing, more shops and stores are being built to compete with Fenwick businesses, and the impacts go on. We must be better, not bigger, unique and not the same, and continue to be the Quiet Resort.

Q. What else should voters know about you or your goals for the next two years?

A. Our most important challenge in the next months will be the recruitment and hiring of a new town manager. I would like to use this forum to publically thank Merritt Burke for his service; his departure is an unfortunate loss to the town. The council will need to marshal its efforts to ensure we replace him with the right individual. That single action will help set the course for the town’s future.

Above all, I plan to be an active representative of all the stakeholders in Fenwick Island. I will lead open and active communication and outreach to the community, through the establishment of bi-annual comprehensive surveys of the property owners. I would increase proactive communication through the use of email, driving the community to our newly created, very functional website for additional information. I would use the town billboard to more frequently to communicate community meetings and other activities important to how our town evolves over the next 25 years. I am very excited to become a permanent part of our town government and look forward to serving your interests!

Bernard ‘Bernie’ Merritt Jr.

Q. What qualifies you to serve on Fenwick Island Town Council?

A. I am just like every other homeowner of Fenwick Island — I have a strong love and commitment to this community. My wife, Nancy, and I, along with our two girls, have been coming here for years and have created many special memories together as a family, with neighbors and getting to know the community.

As a property owner on the Bayside since 1999, I understand the issues facing our bay residents, but I also understand how we all cherish the beauty of the coast and need to continue to protect and replenish our beach. My hope is that I bring an unbiased opinion to the Council that can help stop the rhetoric of over-development while working with our residents and visitors who enjoy having local shops and restaurants within walking distance. I think a level-headed approach to local government is preferred over governing by emotions.

Q. What is your opinion on voter/candidate eligibility? Do you believe that any of the following should or should not be allowed to vote/run for Town Council: Residents who do/don’t own property?Non-resident property owners? Artificial entities (LLC’s, trusts, etc.)?Spouses of trustees.

A. We need to welcome as many people to the voting process as we can, but there are limits and laws that we need to follow. The town is waiting for comments back from legal counsel on voting privileges. As a governing body, we need to be cautious about making changes without counsel. Voting is a very important privilege and, regardless of my opinion, it may affect a Town Charter change.

Q. What is your opinion on the branding of Fenwick Island? Is it needed? Should the town pursue matching grant opportunity to hire a professional designer/consultant? Should the town pursue another direction?

A. The branding issue originated in the Business Development Committee meetings, and the plan now is for this committee to review the recommendations that have been put forth. Once they have an opportunity to review it again, with possible additional suggestions, it should be sent back to the Council and discussed in a public forum again. I think having the public weigh in would be an important part of any potential branding process moving forward. We don’t need to rush the process to meet a grant deadline.

Q. What do you envision for Fenwick’s future, including business development, housing or traffic/parking?

A. • Continue to address flooding and drainage issues on the bayside.

• Make sure our beaches have appropriate maintenance and funding for ongoing beach replenishment.

• Continue to research and look for grants to improve pedestrian/bike paths and sidewalks along Route 1. New commercial development is required to put in sidewalks.

• The height increase has been addressed by a public survey, and an election took place before the change. We need to respect the outcome and move on.

• Continue to enforce the town codes for residential and commercial building.

• Talk of restricting business development should be approached carefully and a fair balance needs to be in place and not be decided by the emotions of a select group. Families enjoy our restaurants and shops.

• For the first time in years, all retail units in town are rented, with new, quality stores and restaurants.

• Sensible retail development is a plus in our town and is something we have had for the last 63 years.

• Parking is always an issue in Fenwick. We have striped the streets to control parking.

Q. What else should voters know about you or your goals for the next two years?

A. As I mentioned at the FISH meeting on July 9, I don’t think things are so bad!

The town runs efficiently:

• We have a town government that works with dedicated and devoted employees.

• Trash and recycling are picked up on schedule; the town is dedicated to street repairs and has taken advantage of sharing grants for drainage on the bayside.

• We have two parks that have been updated and are quite popular with our families.

• Grants should continue to be pursued for sidewalk additions, and recent ordinance changes now require new construction in the commercial zone for sidewalks.

We need to remember that we are a town of mixed commercial and residential space. Commercial business affects us for three months of the year. Buildings are old in the commercial area, and minor problems do exist. Like all towns, things need to be upgraded and improved, but we need to work together in a cohesive and positive way to make improvements.

The Business Development Committee meets and makes recommendations throughout the year. Maybe the Council should send recommendations back to the Business Development Committee with the items that the public would like addressed. The key is to work in a positive manner with our residents and commercial partners to continue to make Fenwick the town we all love!

Thank you again for your consideration on election day!

Dagsboro removes Thompson from P&Z

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The Dagsboro Town Council voted unanimously Monday night to remove a member of its Planning & Zoning Commission

According to Chapter 34 § 34-4, “The Mayor, with the approval of the majority of the Town Council, may remove any member of the Planning and Zoning Commission for cause after a public hearing.

“The Mayor, with the approval of the majority of the Town Council and without the necessity of a public hearing, may remove any member of the Planning and Zoning Commission for reason that the member has been absent without reasonable excuse from three or more Planning and Zoning Commission meetings within a one-year period.

“Vacancies occurring other than by expiration of term shall be filled for the unexpired term by the Mayor, subject to confirmation by a majority of the elected members of the Town Council.”

At the Aug. 1 meeting, Mayor Norwood Truitt presented council with a list of reasons as to why he believed James Thompson should be removed from the commission. The list stated Thompson had been “repeatedly disruptive” at meetings, has discussed items not listed on the agenda and may have a possible conflict of interest, as he works part-time for the developer of The Woodlands at Pepper’s Creek, where he also resides.

“Do you primarily revolve your meeting around what’s transpiring at the Woodlands of Pepper’s Creek?” asked Councilwoman Theresa Ulrich.

Thompson said he had never done so, that anything he brought up was related to the State of Delaware’s erosion and sediment control manual. He added that the Town Code that requires, if there is wetlands on a lot, it may require a permit from the State of Delaware or Sussex County or both.

“How do we know if it requires a permit if it’s not inspected?” he asked, adding that he just wanted to bring up that topic in a P&Z meeting.

Thompson also said that he had issues with how the meeting agendas were put together.

“There’s stuff on the agenda that shouldn’t be, and there’s stuff that’s put on the agenda that shouldn’t be.”

Town Administrator Stacy Long said that, if residents or the council would care to look at the minutes from the commission’s last meeting, it would read that every member of the commission, excluding Thompson himself, agreed not to put Thompson’s item on its agenda.

“Who wrote the minutes?” he asked, to which Long responded, “Not me, and it’s recorded.”

Long said she had asked the commission three times if they wished to discuss the manual. She recalled Commissioner Cathy Flowers stating that she did not want to discuss something that “is out of the Town of Dagsboro’s hands.” Flowers made the motion and it was passed, said Long.

“Please stop saying I made the decision not to do that, because it’s so untrue,” she added.

Thompson said he had not been privy to the “charges” against him.

“I have not been told who is trying to remove me or why.”

Councilman William Chandler said the P&Z is a small group of people that needs to work in a collegial and cooperative manner.

“I respect you have strong, vigorous, passionate viewpoints that you wanted to get across. I respect that — I actually admire it. But it doesn’t always work well in small environments.”

Chandler said he believed it would be better for Thompson to continue to voice his opinion, but off the commission.

“It would be for the better interest of the Town and the people of the town if you would do that.”

“The Planning & Zoning Commission has to move forward,” said Truitt. “They can’t get stuck on one or two items. Planning & Zoning has a lot of issues to deal with…”

Thompson declined to voluntarily step down from his position as commissioner.

P&Z Chairman Scott Crater said he believes the subdivision is the catalyst of the discussions.

“I think that he’s using being a part of this committee to look over his subdivision. He’s using it in his own discretion somewhat. I wouldn’t say he’s taking advantage of it… But it is the catalyst to many meetings.”

Crater said that, at their last meeting, Thompson was “very hostile” and did not want to approve the agenda because his items were not included.

“I was accused of not following the rules and regulations of the Planning & Zoning… We’re all a member of a small body of people who volunteer. We don’t have any one individual subdivision picked out that we are zoning in on to stop development. We want everyone to get along. To me, you were very hostile — enough that it was upsetting.”

Long said she agreed that Thompson had been hostile, particularly with her.

Thompson said what he was accused of did not, in his eyes, constitute “cause” for his removal.

The council voted 5-0 to remove Thompson from the commission.

Thompson complains of treatment by Town

During public comment, Thompson spoke to the council again, stating that he was representing the interests of homeowners in the town.

“All you did was shoot the messenger,” he said. “I’m trying to support my neighbors.”

Thompson said he had serious concerns related to the commission following its rules. He said he had tried to raise concerns about how items were placed on the agenda, and those concerns were not met well.

“All I was trying to say was, ‘Follow the rules.’”

Thompson also charged that, after the meeting, when he brought up his concerns, Long had made disparaging comments about his appearance.

“I don’t know why she did that. Can you understand why I was getting annoyed? So I sent a letter to the mayor. He sends a letter back, ‘Thank you for your resignation.’ I never resigned! You think I was a little ticked off at that?”

Thompson said he then sent an email requesting to meet with Truitt, to which Long responded, stating Truitt had denied his request.

“This is a certified letter sent to the Town on June 11,” said Thompson, who held up an envelope. “It was returned to me, unclaimed by the Town of Dagsboro, which I believe is in violation of municipal law… According to the U.S. Post Office, I am allowed to deliver this certified letter in person.”

Thompson said in the letter he objected being put “under police surveillance” on June 8 by a Dagsboro police officer who he said “waited for me outside of my house, followed me over here to this building, followed me through that door.

“When I sat down, he sat behind me and proceeded to announce to Scott and all the other people on the Planning & Zoning Commission that if I said anything at all, he’d have me removed. Apparently you’ve never heard of freedom of speech or class. You have not heard the end of this yet.”

Long retorted, saying that what Thompson had said was untrue.

“I do not want everyone sitting here to think that everything Mr. Thompson just said is accurate, because it is absolutely inaccurate. After a Planning & Zoning meeting, he waited for every single one of the commissioners to leave this room before he came to me, blasting off at me. Thankfully, within three seconds, Commissioner Flowers walks in this door, and sat and heard everything between our conversation.

“What he just said about disparaging remarks against him and calling him names is untrue.”

“I’ll take a lie-detector test. Will you?” responded Thompson.

Long said she thought perhaps Thompson’s perception of the conversation was not correct.

She added that she serves as the coordinator for Freedom of Information Act requests for the Town.

“The reason he kept getting shot down to discuss — it’s not on the agenda. I’m not going to allow any commission to violate the Freedom of Information Act,” she said. “I’m sorry I was doing my job. That’s all I can say. End of story.”

In other Dagsboro news:

• The council reviewed a proposed ordinance that would amend the town code to adopt conditional-use zoning classifications.

Chandler voiced his opposition to allowing for conditional use, stating what already exists in the code is “active and sufficient,” adding that to allow for conditional use would be a cost burden on the Town and likely invite litigation. Ulrich disagreed, stating she believed some had been treated unfairly.

The council will hold a public hearing on the proposed ordinance at its October meeting.

• The Planning & Zoning Commission will begin reviewing the town code as it relates to signs, in its entirety, as that section of the code has not been touched in 10 years. That decision was made due to Crater voicing the concerns of P&Z as it relates to signs, such as the Clayton Theatre’s marquis, which would be required to be changed if the business were to change ownership.

• The council voted unanimously for the Dagsboro Police Department to purchase a used 2011 Chevy Tahoe for $16,000. According to Chief Floyd Toomey, one of the department’s vehicles has cost the town a few thousand dollars in repairs over the last few months.

• Long’s last day with the Town is scheduled to be Aug. 10. She has been training the Town’s temporary clerk to take over duties, as they have not started searching for a replacement. The council agreed to advertise for a full-time town administrator position to replace Long and would look for two part-time clerks, to give the Town more flexibility.

Investigation finds Frankford financial procedures lacking

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Frankford Town Council members have expressed by letter and in comments at the council’s regular August council meeting that they are “disappointed” in the state auditor’s report on its investigation into town finances.

The council received the 20-page report on the investigation, which was conducted at the council’s request, just hours before their regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 1.

Although Town Council President Joanne Bacon was absent due to illness, both Council Vice President Greg Welch and Secretary/Treasurer Marty Presley commented at length on the report.

In a joint letter to state auditor R. Thomas Wagner Jr. dated July 15, the council responded to the initial findings of the report. The letter stated that council members, while “most appreciative of and do not disagree with the majority of your findings, and have already incorporated many of these, there is a level of disappointment with a couple of issues that were specifically requested to be examined and appears to be left unresolved by this report.”

The response went on to summarize the reason the investigation was requested: “…The town’s administration, prior to September 2015, consisted of a town clerk and a council president, who were husband and wife. While there were other council members, these members were basically shut out of the decision-making process. This period lasted for well over a decade and as stated was an obvious conflict of interest. This period ended abruptly in August of 2015 with the resignation of both under unusual circumstances and hostilities.”

The council’s response letter went on to state that, following the resignations of town clerk Terry Truitt and town council president Jesse Truitt, “Many citizens came forward to express their concerns” to the new council members.

“These concerns covered a period of many years and alleged serious financial irregularities,” the letter said. It went on to say that the council “felt it was their fiduciary duty to engage your office for a complete and holistic review of the town’s finances for the 13-year period in question.”

Instead, however, the investigation covered approximately two years — the time between an earlier investigation by the Department of Justice and the auditor’s office, in which an investigator interviewed Terry Truitt, as well as council members and town residents/taxpayers.

At that time, the council letter stated, the only documentation reviewed by investigator Matt Towers was the payroll records of the clerk.

“With the clerk being on notice of the investigation and complaints filed at that time, the council again feels that a more comprehensive inspection dating back to 2008 would be more appropriate.”

The council’s letter also addressed alleged financial irregularities in cash transactions.

“The council brought to your attention several occasions where homeowners double-paid their property taxes and no record of refunds could be located,” the letter stated. The council stated that, while the auditor’s investigation report concluded that the town had “inadequate controls” for cash receipts, “We acknowledge this and in fact this was the primary reason for engaging your office.” But what was needed, the council stated, “was, and is, a thorough review of this and all cash management within that period of time.”

Meanwhile, the council listed nine steps it has taken to address the concerns about the handling of financial issues within the town administration. They include:

• Institution of an employee manual detailing employee benefits, procedures, rights and responsibilities;

• Division of responsibility for town departments among the town council members, including oversight of employees, department budgets and monitoring expenditures, with each council member reporting on these to the council president;

• Establishment of a charter and ordinance committee;

• Institution of use of an outside payroll vendor for payroll services;

• Reduction in cash transactions with town residents as much as possible by encouraging residents to make payments with checks or money orders, and the addition of an online payment option;

• An “aggressive” campaign by the council to reduce past-due accounts;

• New procedures regarding rental of the town park, including elimination of cash refunds;

• A new vacation and sick-pay procedure as of March 1, 2016; and

• More strict monitoring of overtime pay and the addition of time clocks in the town hall and police department.

At the Aug. 1 council meeting, Presley said that, since the council had just received the final report that afternoon, “an in-depth conversation is a little bit premature,” but he reiterated the council’s statement in their response letter that “We were a little disappointed” in the scope of the final report.

Presley added that he feels the council was “extremely blessed to go out in September and make wholesale changes” in the town’s leadership and staff, and to “move forward in a new direction” at that point.

There was also discussion on Aug. 1 about potential changes in the town’s charter as a way to maintain proper procedures within the town administration, during which resident Jerry Smith opined that “A lot that’s been going on here is more reflective of the council members, instead of the charter.”

“We know that there was nepotism, and there was conflict of interest,” Presley said. He added, however, that he believes the town’s charter needs to be tightened up to prevent future issues. “Every situation we get into, we trip over our charter,” he said. “I think we’ll eliminate 75 percent of our problem” with charter changes, Presley said.

“The charter definitely needs changing, and we’re working on that. But the charter also needs enforcing,” Welch said. Of the most recent issues involving the Truitts, Welch said that he had “sat in meeting after meeting” before becoming a council member, and during that time his observation of the former administration was that “They weren’t following the charter. They’d change it to comply with the way they were violating it.”

Any updates to the town’s charter are required to be approved by the state legislature, Presley said.

While advising residents at the meeting to go home and read the auditor’s report, Presley said he feels that it is a step in the right direction. “We’re on the right track,” he said.

Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral to benefit Habitat for Humanity

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The Southern Delaware resort area’s most unusual celebration takes place in the “Quiet Resort” of Bethany Beach on Labor Day, and everybody is invited, according to Carolyn Bacon and Marie Wright, the assistant chairpersons of this year’s Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral events, which will be celebrated on Monday, Sept. 5, and benefit Sussex County Habitat for Humanity.

The Jazz Funeral activities will begin about 5:30 p.m. at the north end of the Bethany Beach boardwalk, with a mock funeral procession of mourners, along with the combined forces of three Dixieland jazz bands, that will carry a casket with a mannequin representing “Summer of 2016” to its final resting place at the boardwalk bandstand.

“The purpose of the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral is for those attending to get involved, have fun and enjoy the day,” Bacon said. “There is something for all members of the family to enjoy, and the event is admission free. The Jazz Funeral is a true end-of-summer celebration — Bethany Beach style.”

The Jazz Funerals held in Bethany Beach are a tribute to the jazz funerals made famous in New Orleans. An overview of the event can be viewed at the website at www.jazz-funeral.com.

Each year, the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral dedicates its events to a charity. This year, Sussex County Habitat for Humanity will be honored.

According to Sussex County Habitat for Development Director James A. “Jay” Gundy III, Sussex County Habitat for Humanity has accomplished much, but more funds are needed to continue their Sussex County programs.

“For 25 years, beginning in 1991, Sussex County Habitat for Humanity (SCHFH) has been building homes in partnership with very low- to low-income Sussex County families,” Gundy said. “In May 2015, SCHFH dedicated its 100th home. To date, SCHFH has sold 109 homes, with eight more currently under construction and four ready to begin.

“Examples of SCHFH’s productivity in the last nine years include 22 homes in the Georgetown Point development, 19 homes in the Concord Village development, 12 homes in Laurel, six in the greater Seaford area, five in Ingram Village,and one in West Rehoboth.”

SCHFH also does more than build homes, according to Gundy.

“It prepares partner families to be successful homeowners by requiring at least 200 hours of sweat equity and attendance at monthly pre-and post-homeownership classes that provide instruction in budgeting, insurance, predatory lending and foreclosure avoidance, and home maintenance, for example,” Gundy said. ”The partner family program provides social services and case management components to further empower SCHFH homebuyers.”

To help support Habitat, Bethany Beach’s “End of Summer Season Celebration” will also hold the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction. The 11th annual Jazz Funeral Silent Auction will be held on Friday, Sept. 2, from 3:15 to 4:45 p.m. at Bethany Blues Restaurant at 6 N. Pennsylvania Avenue in Bethany Beach.

“Every single dollar from the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction goes directly to Sussex County Habitat for Humanity,” Bacon said. “Local businesses have been very generous to help us in this, the 11th year, of the silent auction. Those who wish to bid to help out will find an interesting array of gift certificates and merchandise from which to choose. Remember — the silent auction is all for charity, and admission is free.”

Besides an array of items, the Silent Auction offers other benefits, she said.

“Although you will probably have your hands full just looking over the items up for bid, holding the Silent Auction at Bethany Blues is an exciting treat in itself,” Bacon said. “Bethany Blues is one of the most popular restaurants on the coast and has generously agreed to provide a conference and dining room for use by the Jazz Funeral Silent Auction.”

Music is also on the menu at the Habitat for Humanity benefit event.

“Our Silent Auction will also have great Dixieland music from members of the three New Orleans-style Dixieland bands that will perform as part of the Jazz Funeral on Monday,” Bacon said. “This is a tune-up session for our talented group of professional musicians.”

At the upcoming Jazz Funeral, spectators may also see the grave digger, the widow, Frogman, Santa Claus, the cowboy, Batman, the official photographer, the diva, Elmo, any one of a dozen Disney characters and various loose interpretations of black funeral attire. Band members and Jazz Funeral committee members will be outfitted with an official Jazz Funeral T-shirt.

Part of the celebration, Bacon noted, is a series of brief reflections and recollections by Bethany residents, politicians and businesspeople.

A representative of Sussex County Habitat for Humanity and the Jazz Funeral’s own Sister Marie are scheduled to present their comments and perspectives about the summer of 2016. The host for the event is broadcaster Liane Hansen, formerly of National Public Radio.

“We are all happy to pitch in to raise funds at the silent auction on the Friday afternoon prior to Labor Day,” Wright said. “Sussex County Habitat for Humanity helps local people when they really need help most.”

“Your presence at the Silent Auction is a step in the right direction,” she added. “When you attend, you can look over a wide range of local merchandise and enjoy the hospitality and fellowship at Bethany Blues restaurant.”

A special effort is still under way to contact area businesses for items of value that will be part of Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction.

Bacon noted that the Jazz Funeral events add some extra spark to the final weekend of the traditional tourist season.

“The Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral Silent Auction is one not to be missed. We will be offering many restaurant gift certificates and quality store merchandise that will please the entire family,” Bacon said.

“We are happy to have received a high level of positive support from the shops, stores and restaurants in the Bethany Beach, Ocean View and Fenwick Island areas as well as a variety of establishments in Millville, West Fenwick Island/Selbyville, Millsboro, Dewey Beach, Rehoboth Beach, Ocean City, West Ocean City and Berlin.”

As is the tradition with the previous Jazz Funerals, all funds raised from this year’s Silent Auction go directly to Habitat for Humanity and their charitable programs in Sussex County.

Anyone who wishes to volunteer to help out with the Bethany Beach Jazz Funeral or the Silent Auction is being asked to email jazzfuneral@comcast.net, call to leave a message after five rings at (302) 537-1585 or send mail to P.O. Box 505, Bethany Beach, DE 19930. A comprehensive overview of the event can be viewed at the website at www.jazz-funeral.com.

Lord Baltimore Lions Club selects new officers at dinner

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After a year of observance and commemoration of 70 years of service to the local community, members of the Lord Baltimore Lions Club are looking forward to a new year of commitment and service to the area’s citizens with a new set of officers.

At the Lord Baltimore Lions Club Installation Dinner, held recently at Cripple Creek Golf & Country Club in Dagsboro, Glenn Williams, governor of Lions District 22D, installed the new Lord Baltimore Lions club officers.

They include President John Monahan, First Vice-President Carol Justice, Second Vice-President Glenn Burow, Secretary Janet Bauer, Assistant Secretary Paul Bolton, Treasurer Don Stein, Assistant Treasurer Cory Walsh, Lion Tamer Jack Bauer, Tail Twister Anne Gude and Membership Chairperson Kathy Plumley.

Directors of the club include Tom Molnar and Tom Roth (both one year), and Bud Hillman and Pete Moore (both two years). The Immediate Past President PDG is Karl Gude.

The Lord Baltimore Lions Club service area includes Bethany Beach, Ocean View, Millville, Frankford, Clarkesville and Dagsboro. Club members meet on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at St. Martha’s Episcopal Church in Bethany Beach. For information about the club, contact Lion Janet at (302) 537-5175 or visit www.lordbaltimorelionsclub.com.


IRSD adult education program offers slate of fall courses

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The Indian River School District recently announced its adult education course offerings for the fall of 2016. They can now be viewed online at irsd.net.

Fall 2016 courses for youth include:

• Babysitting Course by Delaware Safety Council (ages 11-16): Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 17-18, 5-7 p.m., $50, Southern Delaware School of the Arts library. Advance registration required.

• Driver’s Education: Monday through Thursday, Oct. 10-13 and Oct. 17-20, 4-7 p.m., $525, Sussex Central High School, Room A164. A driving-only option is available for $325 for students who have passed the classroom portion of the course. Advance registration required. Private-school and home-schooled students should call (302) 732-1343 for more information.

• Boys’ Lacrosse (Grades 5-8): Mondays from Sept. 26 through Oct. 24, 5-6:45 p.m., $25, Indian River High School. Advance registration required.

• Intermediate Volleyball Academy (Grades 5-7): Thursdays from Sept. 22 through Oct. 27, 5:30-7 p.m., $40, G.W. Carver Center gym. Advance registration required.

• Beginner’s Volleyball Skills Academy (Grades 4-6): Wednesdays from Sept. 21 through Oct. 26, 5-6:30 p.m., $40, G.W. Carver Center gym. Advance registration required.

• Recreational Flag Football (ages 5-10): Tuesdays and Thursdays from Aug. 16 through Oct. 13, 6-8 p.m., $50, Georgetown Middle School. Advance registration required.

• River Soccer Outdoor League (co-ed, Ages 4-14): Saturdays from Sept. 10 through Nov. 5, $65, River Soccer Complex. Advance registration required. Register at www.riversoccerclub.com or by calling (302) 436-2963.

• Girls’ Field Hockey Clinic (Grades 2-5): Wednesdays from Sept. 14 through Oct. 19, 5-6:30 p.m., $40, John M. Clayton Elementary School. Players must bring shin guards, a mouth guard, goggles and a hockey stick. Advance registration required.

• Financial Aid Overview: Tuesday, Sept. 22, 6 p.m., free, Sussex Central High School auditorium. Pre-register at irsd.net.

• FAFSA Submission Event: Thursday, Oct. 13, 5 p.m., free, Indian River High School computer lab. Pre-register at irsd.net. Visit the district website for list of required documents.

• Scholarship Workshop: Wednesday, Oct. 26, 6 p.m., free, Indian River High School auditorium. Pre-register at irsd.net.

Adult education courses include:

• Aerobics-Step/Combo: Mondays and Wednesdays from Sept.12 through Nov. 21 (Session 1), $59.50, and Nov. 28 through Feb. 27 (Session 2), $63, 5:30-6:30 p.m., East Millsboro Elementary School. Payment due the first night of class.

• Aerobics-Low/High: Tuesdays and Thursdays from Sept.15 through Nov. 22 (Session 1), $63, and Nov. 29 through Feb. 23, $66.50, 4-5 p.m., Lord Baltimore Elementary School. Payment due the first night of class.

• Slimnastics: Mondays and Wednesdays from Sept. 12 through Nov. 16, 7-8 p.m., $56, Long Neck Elementary School. Bring exercise mat. Payment due the first night of class.

• Total Body Conditioning: Tuesdays from Sept. 20 through Dec. 20, 5:15-6:15 p.m., $45.50, Lord Baltimore Elementary School. Bring dumbbells and exercise mat. Payment due the first night of class.

• Self-Defense and Karate: Mondays from Sept. 12 through Dec. 19, 6:30-8:30 p.m., $65, John M. Clayton Elementary School. Payment due the first night of class.

• Volleyball, Co-Ed Recreational: Wednesdays from Sept. 14 through Dec. 21, 7-9 p.m., $52, Millsboro Middle School. Payment due the first night of class.

• Volleyball for Women (all ages): Thursdays from Sept. 15 through Dec. 22, 7-9 p.m., $48, Millsboro Middle School. Payment due the first night of class.

• Yoga (new night and time): Wednesdays from Sept. 7 through Dec. 21, 4:15-5:30 p.m., $65, Lord Baltimore Elementary School. Bring yoga mat and towel. Payment due the first night of class.

• Children Come Without Instructions — Parenting Skills Class: Wednesdays from Oct. 5 through Nov. 16, 6-8 p.m., free, G.W. Carver Center Room A117. This class is for parents/caregivers only. Pre-registration is required and can be done by calling Child Inc. at 1-800-874-2070.

• Conversational Spanish Class: Thursdays from Sept. 15 through Oct. 20, 5-7 p.m., $110, G.W. Carver Center Room A117. Advance registration required.

• Pickleball: Tuesdays from Sept. 20 through Dec. 20, 6-8:30 p.m., $65, John M. Clayton Elementary School. Wear sneakers and bring your own paddles. Advance registration required.

• Mentor Orientation: Sept. 8 (9 a.m. to noon), Sept. 27 (noon to 3 p.m.), Oct. 6 (9 a.m. to noon), Oct. 19 (9 a.m. to noon), Nov. 16 (noon to 3 p.m.) and Dec. 2 (9 a.m. to noon), free, G.W. Carver Center Room, A117. Advance registration required, at www.creativementoring.org.

For more information or to obtain a registration form, visit irsd.net and click on “Adult & Community Education” under the Departments tab, or call the Adult Education office at (302) 732-1343 or contact Michele Murphy at Michele.murphy@irsd.k12.de.us.

Fenwick talks committee to look at trustees

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With a Fenwick Island Town Council election just days away, discussion of voter and candidate eligibility issues continued at the Town’s Tuesday, Aug. 2, Charter & Ordinance Committee meeting.

Committee Chair and outgoing Councilman Bill Weistling reported that Town Solicitor Mary Schreider-Fox had reported back after Town officials requested clarifications on issues regarding voting rights of residents, non-residents and trustees — those involved in property that is held in trust.

The crux of her report, he said, was that, “If we decide to make any changes, the Town must focus on the word ‘trustee’” in its voting regulations.

The issue of land held in trust came into sharp focus recently when two would-be candidates for town council — each of whom are part of a trust — filed to be placed on the ballot for the Aug. 6 election.

After consulting with Schreider-Fox, Town officials had determined that, since the two men were members of “artificial entities,” which are not “natural persons” according to the law, the two candidates — Charlie Hastings and Mark McFaul — were ineligible to run, because they don’t live on or directly own property in Fenwick Island. Instead, they are trustees in artificial entities that own properties in town. (Hastings’ trust is invested in a house, and McFaul owns Ropewalk restaurant).

With that issue clarified, attention shifted to eligibility to actually vote in town elections. Currently, votes can be cast by property owners, permanent residents of the town and members of trusts.

“At this point, there is some confusion about 50/50 trusts, which is the most common trust scenario in Fenwick Island, where a husband and wife are named as trustees on a property,” said Councilwoman Julie Lee, who chairs the town’s ad-hoc committee on voting issues.

The committee discussed various scenarios that could come up with trusts, such as what would happen if both trustees died and multiple heirs became the trustees.

Following a suggestion by Lee, the committee agreed to recommend to the town council that yet another committee be formed to study the issue, the new committee comprising members of the existing ad-hoc committee and members of the town council.

The next Charter & Ordinance Committee meeting is tentatively scheduled for Sept. 6, depending on the wishes of the new council members who would be elected Aug. 6. Neither Councilwoman Diane Tingle nor Weistling filed for re-election.

Crash injures pedestrian, food-truck worker

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The Delaware State Police this week were investigating a motor vehicle crash that occurred north of Georgetown at Donovan’s Salvage parking lot, injuring a Millsboro man and severely burning a food-truck employee.

According to police, around 2:47 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 4, as Octavio Barrios-Fuentes, 35, of Georgetown was driving a 2001 Dodge Durango southbound on Donovan’s Road, he failed to negotiate a sharp left curve and the Durango drove off the right side of the road, where it struck a 1999 Buick LeSabre parked in the parking lot of Donovan’s Salvage.

Police said the initial impact between the two vehicles caused the LeSabre to rotate violently clockwise and strike a 36-year-old Millsboro man as he was walking by the car, throwing him into a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox, which was also parked in the lot. The LeSabre continued to rotate, they said, and struck a parked and detached food trailer that was occupied by a 50-year-old Lincoln woman, causing grease to spill out of the trailer’s vats and onto her.

According to the DSP, the Durango came to a stop on the grassy shoulder just south of the initial collision and Barrios-Fuentes then allegedly fled from the Durango down some nearby railroad track to a residence in Georgetown, where he was taken into custody by troopers and Georgetown police about 25 minutes later.

The Millsboro man was flown to Christiana Medical Center, where he was listed in stable condition with undetermined injuries. The injured food-truck worker was airlifted by State Police Aviation to Crozer-Chester Medical Center, where she was admitted in stable condition, with severe burns.

Octavio Barrios-Fuentes was transported to Troop 4, where he was charged with two counts of Vehicular Assault 1st, Leaving the Scene of a Personal Injury Crash, Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol, Driving Without a Valid License and various other traffic related offenses. He was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $8,000 cash bond.

Donovan’s Road in the area of the salvage yard was closed for approximately one hour while the crash was investigated and cleared.

OSD alumni return to better Warrior Beach Week

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Coastal Point • File Photo: Larry and Linda were a Very Important Family (VIF) back in 2014 for the first annual Warrior Beach Week, returned last year as an alumni family and this year are serving on the alumni committee, helping to improve the experience for new, incoming families during this year’s events.Coastal Point • File Photo: Larry and Linda were a Very Important Family (VIF) back in 2014 for the first annual Warrior Beach Week, returned last year as an alumni family and this year are serving on the alumni committee, helping to improve the experience for new, incoming families during this year’s events.“As that first week went on — that very first week that we were here — we knew this was something we wanted to be a part of forever,” said Linda, the wife of Larry, a wounded military veteran who elected to take part in Operation SEAs the Day in 2014.

The mission of Operation SEAs the Day is “to organize and facilitate a beach week event for our wounded soldiers and their families as a means of showing our appreciation for their service and sacrifice. It is our hope that such a community-based gesture of support will be comforting and help ease their transition back into civilian life.”

When the warrior families — also known as “very important families” (VIFs) — arrive, they will attend a welcome reception, where they will meet their host family, and later be taken to their host home (all of which had their use donated) for the week.

The couple will be returning to Bethany Beach this September for the 4th Annual Warrior Beach Week through Operation SEAs the Day. The two were first visitors in Bethany as a VIF in 2014. They then returned last year as an alumni family who helped the incoming VIFs acclimate during the week.

Warrior Beach Week 2016 will run Sept. 6-11 and give 25 wounded veterans and their families the opportunity to enjoy a beach vacation.

This year, they, along with another alumni couple, have served on the operating committee and through their own personal experience have worked to improve the week for the veterans and their families.

Larry retired from the U.S. Army as a staff sergeant in 2011. He had first enlisted in 1982 and served until 1988, then reenlisted during the first Gulf War.

“My grandfather served in the Navy during the second World War. I had an uncle serve in the Korean War… My dad served in the Army,” said Larry. “It was just something I did. I’m the only one out of all my cousins who actually joined.”

After the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Larry spent approximately six weeks at Ground Zero in New York City.

“I was a first-responder at the Trade Center. I was serving in the New Jersey National Guard, and our battalion headquarters was right across from Manhattan.

“After that, I served in Operation Noble Eagle, where we guarded airports, nuclear power plants in the state of New Jersey, and then I went to Iraq. When I came back from Iraq, I went to New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina. That was about five months after I got back from Iraq.”

Currently, Larry suffers from a traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety, among other afflictions.

“I was diagnosed with a left frontal lobe infarction… kind of like a brain bleed. I have some speech affects and concentration, stuff like that.”

“Between the traumatic brain injury and the PTSD, we have some anxiety issues, we have some depression issues, we have a lot of sleep-disorder issues,” added Lisa. “It’s hard sometimes, on a daily basis, because you have to change your schedule around. You become a primary caregiver. That definitely takes precedent over anything you had planned to do.

“Larry is up all night, so a lot of us are up all night. He’s up checking the house, making sure the doors are locked and nobody’s in the yard. If he’s up, lots of times the rest of us are up. He sleepwalks. Sometimes he has flashbacks which cause him to believe he’s back when he was deployed.”

While his injuries are great, Linda said the family has come a long way in working with his disabilities.

“I think, in the beginning, it was kind of like a ‘Why us?’ We didn’t bargain for that. It wasn’t in our plan. We didn’t think about it. You don’t know how life’s events are going to unfold, and it’s certainly not how I expected my life to be, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I really wouldn’t. You take what you’re given and you step forward.”

Linda said that, on a daily basis, she may help Larry manage his medications, create a task list and finish a sentence if he gets confused.

“I think we’ve all come a long way, we really have. A lot of those injuries cause us to do things differently on a daily basis. It just takes us a while to understand the effects of the injury. One of my biggest beefs before used to be, ‘If I’m standing in line at a grocery store, you have to stand here with me. Why do you get to go and I have to stay?’ There were just a lot of tugs and pulls. Now when we get to the line, I know he can’t stand there.

“Being in the car is a huge trigger. It brings back a lot of flashbacks for him, being on the road over in Iraq. There they had roadside bombs, kids that would roll things under trucks. Being in the car is one of those huge anxieties, so we don’t drive next to other cars, we stay away from the guardrails. You just have to integrate those injuries into your daily life.”

Larry, even after spending 27 years in the service, said he would still be in the Army if he could.

“But it just got harder for me. It was right for me to get out,” he said. “It’s a way of life. There’s a certain discipline… It’s not out here. It’s a brotherhood. When I retired, it was kind of like walking away from family — family that I knew for a long time, family that I had just met and family I would have met the next day or down the road.

“You’re around these people so long. You trust them with your life, and they trust you with their life. When you walk away from that, after all that time, you miss it. You sit there and think, ‘Man, I wish I was still doing it.’ Right after [retirement], I’d see posts on Facebook from guys who are going to Afghanistan and I’m like, ‘Damn — I never went to Afghanistan.’ That’s what I was thinking. ‘I should be there with them.’ But I was home with my family.”

Larry is an active member of Disabled American Veterans and his local VFW in Pennsylvania, where he and Linda reside. However, it was through the Coalition to Salute American Heroes that he first heard about OSTD.

“I was in a veterans’ hospital, an inpatient program. Linda had reached out to the Coalition to Salute American Heroes [in 2014] for some financial assistance while I was in the hospital,” he recalled. “Jill Hines contacted us and asked us if we would be interested in coming here. I said, ‘OK.’ At that point, we were on a waiting list.”

“She thought we’d be good candidates. So they sent us an application and we sent it in,” added Linda.

“Then we got a phone call a week later that we were on the A list,” said Larry.

Families form bonds that last beyond the week

During their first year as a VIF, Larry and Lisa’s host family was Bethany Beach Mayor Jack Gordan and his wife, Joan.

“They were, and still are, a big part of our lives. I talk to Joan a couple times a month. We do go back and forth. We see them every time we come down here. We send pictures and talk to each other.

When the couple was in town last month for a committee meeting, they lumped a family vacation into the visit and, for the first time, their kids were able to meet the Gordons.

“It’s nice to continue to have that bond. ‘We want you to come down here. We want you to experience what we experienced,’” said Linda. “It was natural for us to [add] a family vacation into the board meeting. So they could come down here and go to the Cottage Café with us or to the Frog House or to Mango’s… All those people are big supporters.”

When they first arrived in Bethany Beach in 2014, Larry said he and Linda walked into the OSTD experience with low expectations.

“I just thought we were coming down here, and they were going to put us up somewhere close to the beach.”

“I couldn’t even believe we had a homeowner who was willing, willing to just let us stay in their house for the week,” she said, “like, without any questions asked, just donated their house to us for the week.

“I think I cried for the first couple of hours that we were here. We walked in with little expectations. So, walking in with gift bags and goodie bags on the table, going through the house with your host, then her laying out hundreds of dollars’ worth of gift cards, if not more…”

The couple noted that Ron Drosdzal, owner of Armand’s in the Sea Colony Marketplace is a huge supporter of the event.

“I have a friend for life over there,” said Larry. “Just out of the blue, my phone will ring and it’ll say ‘Ron from Armand’s.’”

“He’s a very big supporter of OSTD and all military that walks through his door,” added Lisa. “He and his staff share hugs, they remember names. We walked in there last night for dinner, and it was ‘Hi, Larry! Hi, Lisa! How are you doing? We missed you.’ Hugs all around the table.”

After their experience as a VIF, the couple knew they wanted to continue to be a part of the event.

“We knew, even if we weren’t invited back, that we would come back. We had planned to take a vacation week and come back and volunteer in whatever way we could. We just wanted to be a part of it,” said Linda. “Whether it’s selling merchandise or giving out water or helping people get on and off a boat, we just wanted to help.”

In their second year, as alumni, Larry and Lisa said that, while it was a fun experience, they saw room for improvement.

“It was good. I got to judge a car show, as short as it was, because it rained,” he said. “We didn’t get to interact with the incoming veterans as much as we thought we would. That’s going to change this year. They made some changes as to how the alumni families will interact with them.” That will mean more interaction between the VIFs and the alumni families.

“Making sure they’re not overwhelmed when it comes to the some of the larger events, like the parade,” explained Larry of the motorized procession for the families that takes them to the Freeman Stage at Bayside for a special concert in their honor.

“It’s an extremely overwhelming event — especially if you come from a community that has no support, you feel like you’re all by yourself,” said Lisa. “When you’re not used to everybody giving, and you’re not used to being on the receiving end of that… It’s a very extremely overwhelming event.”

Now, returning to help oversee the alumni families, Lisa said she’s looking forward to helping families who are in a similar position to the one she was in.

“The beginning — if you are not used to having any type of support system, you don’t know how to accept that support system. I have no support at home. I have family, and your extended family sometimes doesn’t know what it’s like on a day-to-day experience. To try and talk to them is not ideal. There’s online chat boards, but there is no support close.

“Our goal is to give people the opportunity to talk, to listen, to share experience,” she said of the morning caregivers’ coffee hour, which was started last year. “It’s a confidential way to just get it out all on the table. Did I do a lot of talking last year? Probably not. … Did I do a lot of listening? Yes. Did I help a lot of people? I believe so.

“I could relate to what a lot of other people were saying. ‘Well, I’m not the only person who feels that. I’m not the only person who deals with that…’ I believe it’s a valuable piece to that whole week. It’s not just kayaking ... but being able to network with other people who are going through the same situation.”

“I look forward to talking to the veterans. It’s like a bunch of brothers getting together,” added Larry.

And as for what people can do for veterans in the community and country, the couple had some suggestions.

“Encourage local politicians, encourage state politicians, encourage federal politicians to make changes within the V.A. system, because it is very hard, very difficult, very tedious to get services sometimes from the V.A.,” said Larry.

“The people of Bethany? I don’t know what more they can do, because I can hear — I’m overwhelmed the entire time I’m here. You guys have got your own little world here, really.”

“It’s a world that doesn’t exist in many places,” said Linda. “I think it’s different when you grow up on a base and you have that type of community support than, when you grow up in a regular community or you don’t live near base… You can struggle with that support. This community outpouring is just something that a lot of places don’t have.”

The couple said they are thankful for OSTD and are grateful that other veterans and their families will have the opportunity to experience Warrior Beach Week.

“This community has really opened its arms to us, and for that we couldn’t be more thankful,” said Lisa. “We’re thankful for everybody’s support, everybody who has a hand in it, no matter how big or how small, and making it a week for people… We are just extremely grateful for the unconditional nonjudgmental love and support. And that’s what it really is. It’s unconditional. It’s like they scoop you up in their arms and wrap you up in them for a whole week.”

For more information about Operation SEAs the Day, to donate or find out more about how to get involved, visit www.operationseastheday.org.

IR students and alumni win $10,000 in alumni scholarships

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Coastal Point • Submitted: The community’s generosity helped the Indian River High School Alumni Association award 10 scholarships to alumni of all ages, including, from left: Abigail Buchler, Kayla Warrington, Brandon Williams, Caroline Lingenfelter, Madison McCabe, Cameron Goff and Emma Engel. (Not pictured are Taite Daisey, Sarah King and Gunnar Moldrik.)Coastal Point • Submitted: The community’s generosity helped the Indian River High School Alumni Association award 10 scholarships to alumni of all ages, including, from left: Abigail Buchler, Kayla Warrington, Brandon Williams, Caroline Lingenfelter, Madison McCabe, Cameron Goff and Emma Engel. (Not pictured are Taite Daisey, Sarah King and Gunnar Moldrik.)

This year, 10 students of all ages won college scholarships from the Indian River High School Alumni Association.

The group far surpassed their original goal of awarding four IR Pride Scholarships, which were presented to college students and to recent high school graduates at their Aug. 1 meeting.

Five recent grads won the $1,000 IR Pride Scholarship; four alumni won the $500 IR Pride Scholarships for Current Alumni; and one grad won a special memorial scholarship of $3,150.

The award celebrates school spirit, beyond the usual academics or athletics.

“These winners have made IR a better place, through their smarts, skills and their positive actions to improve other students’ experiences, too,” representatives noted.

Graduating senior winners of $1,000 were Emma Engel, Cameron Goff, Sarah King, Madison McCabe and Gunnar Moldrik.

College-level winners of $500 were Kayla (Warrington) Bollinger, Abigail Buchler, Taite Daisey and Brandon Williams.

The Marla Banks Daisey Memorial Scholarship was created to honor a former president of the alumni association, part of the Class of 1976, who passed away this year. The $3,150 scholarship was presented to Caroline Lingenfelter, whose goals of studying education, with a focus on the Spanish language, mirrored Daisy’s own pursuits.

Representatives noted that the scholarships are only made possible by the generosity of the community at the annual Beef & Brew event, hosted every April.

“The Alumni thank major sponsors of Frankford Fire Hall, Banks Wine & Spirits and WSFS. They also thank the many businesses and individuals who donate auction items, alumni who buy tickets and guests who enthusiastically bid at each auction,” they said.

The scholarship season opens each spring. Applications are due in April for high-schoolers and in June for alumni of any age already attending any level of higher education.

The Indian River High School Alumni Association nonprofit formed in 2012 to connect alumni while supporting and promoting IRHS. They meet monthly and welcome new members. Alumni, parents and friends of the school can join for free online. Other Alumni programs include facilitation of the new IRHS outdoor sign and a new teacher recognition program at IR.

For more information, visit www.IRHSalumni.com or email IndianRiverAlumni@gmail.com.

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