Coastal Point • Maria Counts: Dagsboro Patrolman Tyler Bare, third from left, receives his American Police Hall of Fame Silver Star for Bravery award. With Bare, from left, is Staff Sgt. Harry Litten, Chief Floyd Toomey and Dagsboro Mayor Brian Baull.Going into dangerous situations is not an unusual situation for Dagsboro Police Patrolman Tyler A. Bare.

After graduating from high school, Bare joined the United States Marine Corps, serving as an MP, and completing a tour in Afghanistan.

Now a patrolman with the Dagsboro Police Department, Bare continues to go into dangerous situations on the home front.

Such was the case on June 6, when SusCom put out a call for officers to aid a Delaware animal control officer who was being actively attacked by a Pitbull terrier. Bare was the first on the scene.

“The dog was violently attacking an animal control officer to the point of near unconsciousness when Patrolman Bare arrived on the scene,” said Dagsboro Police Chief Floyd Toomey on Sept. 18. “He tried to kick the dog and the dog didn’t have any response to that at all.

“He stepped between the dog and her and dispatched the dog, putting himself at risk of being mauled. The victim was later treated and released but she has extensive… 100 stitches. She was very fortunate that the dog stayed in her lower extremities and didn’t move up her body.”

“She was begging me to shoot her through her leg to kill the dog. Once she was able to move her leg I was able to dispatch the dog properly and apply first aid,” recalled Bare.

Bare’s heroic efforts were recognized Monday night, when Toomey and Staff Sgt. Harry Litten presented Bare with the American Police Hall of Fame Silver Star for Bravery.

The award was “presented for unselfish line of duty heroism in which this law enforcement officer at perilous risk to his own life performed his duty in such a manner that it reflects courage, dedication, and initiative becoming to the professional law enforcement officer,” read Litten of the commendation.

“I do appreciate it. I did what anybody else would’ve done seeing something like that,” said Bare. “I greatly appreciate this.”

Frankford may be facing a referendum in the coming weeks to substantially increase their property taxes, as it looks to team up with the Town of Dagsboro to unify their police departments.

Last week, the Towns of Dagsboro and Frankford held two public forums to discuss the possibility of a unified police department.

“The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the proposed unification — I want to clarify, this is not a merger into one single department — it is a unification of two departments that will maintain their sovereignty,” said Dagsboro Police Chief Floyd Toomey. “It is designed to strengthen both town’s ability to respond to emergencies more effectively and efficiently enforce the law. A singular chain of command will be implemented, one chief, one executive officer, serving both towns.”

In order to pay for the unification, the Town of Frankford would have to raise their property taxes by 56 percent.

“The residents of Frankford need to decide if this is a priority,” said Frankford councilman Marty Presley.

At the Sept. 13 meeting, Toomey said officers would wear similar uniforms, patches, and other uniform-related paraphernalia. The Town’s police vehicles would be similar in style and design, as well as markings. Officers would be housed at the Dagsboro Police Department, Frankford used as a substation and evidence storage area. Toomey said this would be best for officer and visitor safety, as the Frankford Police Department was formerly operating out of the second floor of its municipal building.

The two towns would have a total of six officers — two hired by Frankford and four by Dagsboro (which the Town currently already funds).

Toomey said the total cost to the Town of Frankford for the two officers’ salaries insurance and pension would be approximately $121,506. He stressed that figure does not include general operating expenses — such as vehicles, ammunition, office supplies, et cetera.

He noted he believes the salary adjustment Dagsboro recently approved will help with retention of officers in both towns.

Frankford resident (and Coastal Point reporter) Laura Walter asked why the Town would have to hire two officers.

“We believe six officers would afford us what we’re talking about and give us the ability, if in fact we had a long-term illness, training, vacation — to continue that coverage with one officer out,” said Toomey, noting that all officers would be sworn in both jurisdictions and be covering both towns.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re a Dagsboro officer and you’re being paid by the Town of Dagsboro, and you’re the only one working. If there’s a complaint in Frankford, you respond to it and handle it as if it were your own.”

Dagsboro resident RuthAnn Marvel said she was concerned it would decrease her town’s police coverage. Toomey said it would increase Frankford’s coverage, and give officers additional field support on certain days.

The two parties would enter into a three-year contract to facilitate the unification.

“This would better instill confidence with citizens and future officers knowing there would be stability in the department.”

A sample schedule created would offer four days of 22-hours of coverage for both towns, with three days of 20-hour coverage. It would be an increase to both towns’ police coverage.

“I think the general consensus is this is a great opportunity. It’s a great way for Frankford to exponentially increase their coverage,” said Presley.

“The downside of it for Frankford is, we only budgeted for one police officer this year.”

Presley said the Town is on a time crunch in terms of getting a police officer so the Town doesn’t lose grant funding. If the Town does choose to go through with the referendum, he said he hopes to do it within 6 to 12 weeks.

Frankford resident Jerry Smith questioned what the Towns were trying to accomplish with the proposed unification, noting his town’s department received few calls.

“Chief Toomey said last night that our calls will increase when our citizens have the confidence that they’ll have some place to call and get a response,” replied Frankford councilman Greg Welch.

Frankford councilman Skip Ash added that the traffic in Frankford has increased “from all angles” and it is becoming dangerous.

“We’re trying to improve the situation,” said Presley.

“…For the Frankford residents, you can’t turn a blind eye to the fact, we have people selling heroin in the park… Crime is there and it’s not going to get any better. If everybody knows there is no police officers in Frankford, guess where they’re going to do their drug deals.”

Toomey noted a similar unification existed in Camden-Wyoming for a number of years, however the two did split in 2008.

Following the meeting, Dagsboro Mayor Brian Baull said the town had no plan to discuss the matter further at their council meeting.

“Honestly, right now I think the ball is in Frankford’s court. The big decision is, do they have the money to do it,” he said.

Baull noted that while Dagsboro council could make the decision unilaterally, if Frankford’s potential referendum passed, he wouldn’t be opposed to having a day when residents could cast a vote to voice their opinion regarding the unification.

“It seemed the majority of folks out here tonight were in favor of it… I wouldn’t want to just make the decision for them. I’d want to get as many people as possible to say, ‘we’re in favor of it,’ or ‘no, we’d like to leave it as it is.’

“If they decide it’s not within their budgetary discretion to do it, it’s for lack of a better term, no harm no foul. I think that, especially with smaller towns like both of us, you’ve got to look at things like this because it can save money and provide a public service— it’s going to be a win-win for both towns.”

The Fire Marshal might have frowned at the number of people squeezed into Roxana Fire Hall on Sept. 19. But Route 54 residents hovered just under the 274 occupancy limit, showing just how concerned they are about traffic issues in their corner of Sussex County.

It began with public demand for a traffic signal. Across from Keenwick Sound development, a new Royal Farms gas station and about 86 townhouses are approved to be built on Route 54, slightly east of Old Mill Bridge Road.

So State Sen. Gerald Hocker Sr. (R-20) and Rep. Ron Gray (R-38) invited Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) staff to discuss entrance plans for the proposed Royal Farms site, plus nearby Route 54 traffic issues.

People want a traffic signal at the intersection, but traffic engineer Peter Haag said a Royal Farms signal is not warranted at this time, based on traffic volumes and past reported accidents. (In fact, traffic crashes often increase when traffic signals are installed, according to officials, so DelDOT is monitoring whether a traffic light is really the best way to mitigate traffic problems.)

Instead, DelDOT approved two entrances along Route 54. On the east side of the parking lot, westbound cars may enter with an easy right turn. They are only allowed to exit there with a left turn to head eastbound again. They’d have to rely on Route 54’s center acceleration lane, but a small island would help block them from traffic as they wait to merge. Here, they cannot exit by turning right.

The second entrance is beside the housing development’s entrance. From there, people could only turn right and continue westbound on Route 54. From there, they could also drive a short distance then making a U-turn at the Route 54/Route 20 light, which is already congested.

The audience scorned both of these suggestions, citing the near-impossibility of merging into traffic on a busy day.

“With it being a resort area, people have to expect delays,” said engineer Todd Sammons, who also lives in a resort area.

The challenge is to balance people’s desire to live there with the need to build a four-lane highway.

But some of the traffic studies were done during arguably the quietest time of year, February.

Harry Chambers of Keenwick Sound scolded the traffic staff for not considering the summer traffic volumes, otherwise known as the “10 weeks that we go through hell.”

During his time as a traffic engineer in Maryland, he said traffic studies were done “at peak hours, not in February.”

Although the presenters kept things moving during those two hours, the crowd often showed animosity. People laughed bitterly, booed and flat-out shouted, “You’re stupid.”

Sussex approves projects

People applauded the idea of a moratorium, but that’s not in Hocker or Gray’s realm. Sussex County decides what to approve.

Typically, when a project is proposed along state-owned roads, the developer hires a state engineer to study the traffic impact and design an entrance.

So, once Sussex County approves this project, DelDOT’s traffic section has to make it work.

But what makes it work for the government makes it a nightmare for the residents, the people said. Residents stay at home on Saturdays to avoid beach traffic — or because they can barely access Route 54, which is backed up from Route 1 to Food Lion, at least 3 miles away.

“DelDOT is not a land-use agency,” Sammons said. “Once they get approval [from the county], which this did, we have to make the best of the situation, and that’s what we are doing. This project is moving forward. That’s not to say somethings can’t be tweaked, but right now this is the configuration.”

Based on all their internal and submitted analysis, this is the best traffic configuration. But, “We wanna be helpful. If you have suggestions, if we missed something, we are willing to take a look at it,” Sammons said.

Just because the project is designed doesn’t mean that the roadway will never change.

“We monitor traffic on every single roadway,” Sammons said. “In our section — it’s a battle — developers are there to make money, but … we’re there to make sure they do these things. If something’s not right after it’s completed,” DelDOT will still be watching.

As a traffic studies engineer, Haag works specifically to public and legislator complaints. He’s adding Route 54 to his to-do list.

“My job is to work for the people,” Haag said. “You bring it to me, I try to find a low-cost counter measure,” whether that be traffic signals or road striping.

Getting involved

Neither the government nor the developer is typically required to notify neighbors of such projects, so, like anything else, the county posts agendas for public meetings online. It’s up to the people to pay attention.

Since they’re unaware of projects beforehand, people often complain about projects when they see shovels in the ground, after all the approvals.

“We encourage you to go to those public meetings before the fact,” Haag said.

In fact, Royal Farms went through the Board of Adjustment with no public comment, to allow some encroachment into the setback.

“I wish you were all at the public meeting when they rezoned this corridor,” Hocker said.

County planning

for future

It’s possible the Route 54 wave of displeasure is aiming next for the county.

Although state legislators organized this meeting, the Sussex County representative wasn’t there to hear any of it. Councilman Rob Arlett (R-5th) and county Administrator Todd Lawson were in another council meeting that day. (Several county personnel did observe, but not speak.)

Royal Farms is just a “symptom” of a bigger disease, said resident Jeanette Akhter. Luckily, now is the perfect time to address the problem, as Sussex County writes its long-term land use Comprehensive Plan.

“The disease is how much development is occurring rapidly and without adequate planning in this whole portion of the county. Planning and Zoning has been laboring for years on the Comprehensive Plan. It’s up to us to have input. We have the ability as county residents,” Akhter said. “Attend Planning and Zoning meetings and let people know how many more symptoms you want to be facing.”

Information is online at www.sussexplan.com. People may submit comments and read other public input.

The Planning Commission’s next Comprehensive Plan workshop is Sept. 27 at 9 a.m. in Georgetown.

Other ideas

What about evacuation routes during major storms?

“If we can’t get out, there will be loss of life, unquestionably,” said resident Barbara Shamp of Swann Keys.

Another resident suggested the people be willing to dig into their pockets, so local governments be less reliant on development and realty transfer taxes.

People suggested longer turn lanes or turn times at intersections.

Although the traffic signals have been adjusted to meet traffic demands, “over capacity, a traffic signal is not going to help that. All I can do then is manage delay,” said DelDOT’s Gene Donaldson, who lives along Route 54. “You have one of the most advanced systems in the United States … you gotta understand its’ a single lane roadway from Route 20 to Route 1,” capable of comfortably processing 1,500 vehicles per hour, maximum.

Discussion of this problem will likely continue in October, as Hocker and Gray are organizing another public meeting with Arlett and Lawson. For updates, citizens can join Hocker and Gray’s email lists.

This year, more than 150 Delaware deaths were suspected overdoses. And 2017 isn’t done.

So, Salem United Methodist Church and Selbyville Police Department partnered to host a community meeting on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 6 p.m. at Salem Center, the community hall behind the church sanctuary.

The forum will focus on drug prevention, treatment and signs of use. Experts will also discuss current crime trends and answer questions from the public.

Panelists include representatives from the Selbyville Police Department, Delaware State Police and Sussex County EMS.

This meeting is for everyone: the civic group concerned about local crime; the parent who notices suspicious behavior at the dinner table; or someone who is the friend of a friend with addiction issues.

Literally anyone could become addicted to narcotics, from the urban youth to the elderly with a hip replacement. Their friends, family and neighborhood can feel the impact, too.

“Come, and be a part of the solution,” Salem leaders said. “We are all called to be one in this community and address and end the drug usage that is occurring.”

Salem U.M. Church is located at 29 W. Church Street, Selbyville.

Details are online at www.selbyville.delaware.gov.

Anyone who notices suspicious or criminal activity should always call the police. For information on Delaware’s addiction treatment and recovery programs, call (800) 345-6785 or visit www.helpishereDE.com.

Coastal Point photos • Shaun M. Lambert: Sussex Riptide, a group of Sepcial Olympics Delaware participants, and the Ocean View Police Department took part in a bicycle regatta, traveling through Bear Trap Dunes in Ocean View on Thursday, Sept. 21.Before the Special Olympics Cycling Classic at Dover Air Force Base on Sept. 23, Sussex Riptide athletes gathered at the Ocean View Police Department for a pre-race hurrah.

“This is a nice cooldown before the Dover race. When they get there, they’re amped up and ready to do — whereas this is more of a social event,” said Riptide coach Adam Rones.

“They all enjoy it — it’s a fun day for all of them,” added coach Tony Gough.

The athletes, with a full-blown escort from the Ocean View Police Department, pedaled from the OVPD all through Bear Trap — about a 45-minute ride — before returning to the police department for a celebratory pizza party.

“I like it,” said athlete Jillian Calanna, 23, who also participates in tennis and bowling. “I like being with the athletes and socializing.”

“I’ve been biking for a long time,” added athlete Gretchen Cooper, 38, who also competes in bowling.

The regatta is the second-to-last hurrah after months of training at the Delaware National Guard Bethany Beach Training Site.

“It’s rewarding to have all the practices and have them enjoy it on a weekly basis. Cycling — we have the Dover race at the end. So, each week they look forward to practice; but them throughout the season — they’re really looking forward to the Dover race,” said Rones. “That’s fun — to build them up to a goal and at the end of it they get their ribbons at the Dover race. It’s very rewarding. It’s just great to see them work their way through it.”

Sussex Riptide athletes Christine Arancio, Carol Bak, Calanna, Cooper, Justin Daisey, Robert Franco, Connor Hartman, Andrea Koehler, Timothy Magee, Suzanne Schaible and Robert Smith Jr. went on to compete in the Special Olympics Delaware (SODE) Cycling Classic.

SODE athletes competed in races ranging from 500 meters to 20 kilometers, including tandems at certain distances.

“They all enjoy it — it’s a fun day for all of them,” said Gough.

Working with the National Guard to facilitate training for cycling athletes has been a wonderful experience, said Rones and Gough, and a partnership for which they are thankful.

“Delaware National Guard in Bethany has helped us out a lot, because we used to ride up and down Route 1 in Bethany and then take the back streets, and that got a little hairy,” said Rones. “It’s been a nice, safe place where we can do our thing and not deal with a lot of traffic.”

“We greatly appreciate the National Guard,” added Gough, noting that the two entities have been working together for four years. “They welcomed us… It’s a very, very nice environment to be in. That is just the most awesome venue for us to be in.”

Daisey, 36, said he loves going fast on his bicycle during practice.

“We do it at the National Guard base in Bethany Beach. We get to hang out with the officers every once in a while.”

“I told them, ‘Thank you for your service,’” added Calanna.

Rones said interest in cycling has grown among the Riptide athletes — with around 15 participating in the sport.

“I think this is the biggest team we’ve had,” he said. “The nice thing is it’s a little less competitive down here. Some of the northern teams are a little more forceful in their training, and pretty serious. This is a little bit more geared toward participation.”

The regatta does not take place every year, but the Sussex Riptide athletes do have a great working relationship with their local police department.

On Thursday, Sept. 21, riders were given an escort by OVPD Officer AnnMarie Dalton and PFC Brian Caselli on patrol bikes, the department’s ATV and one patrol vehicle.

“The police are nice,” said Calanna. “We do regattas, Cops & Goblins; we have parties for the athletes here.”

“Chief Ken [McLaughlin] has always welcomed us here and has always invited us to come participate with his department,” added Gough. “They’ve been very helpful. It’s just become a fun thing to do.”

McLaughlin has supported the organization for years, participating in events such as the annual SODE torch run and hosting athletes at the department.

“Chief McLaughlin has always been a big supporter of Special Olympics, and a lot of the kids live in this area. So, we let them have their Halloween parties and other events here. We try to help them out as best we can to give them safe escorts,” said OVPD Sgt. Rhys Bradshaw.

Next month, the department will host the team’s Halloween party at the station.

“It’s fun to hang out with them, and let them see us and get to know us better. Like Jillian, as you saw — we’re on a first-name basis.”

Bradshaw said being out in and interacting with people in the community is important to the department, and their partnership with Sussex Riptide is just one example.

“We always want to be seen in the community as part of the community. We want to know the people in the community and have them know us as people,” he said. “We want our interactions with the community to be more than just us stopping them for a traffic violation.”

The Ocean View Police Department and the Delaware National Guard are two of many local entities who support area Special Olympics athletes.

Bicycle Connection, Millsboro Bowling Alley, Bayside Tennis Club and Sea Colony have been champions of the team.

“Sea Colony is extremely supportive of everything we do. They open their doors to us for tennis, strength training, swimming…” said Gough. “We have a lot of folks who live in the community who make donations and help whenever they can.”

According to its website, the mission of Special Olympics Delaware is to “provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for more than 4,200 children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community.”

Daisey, who also competes in swimming, bowling and tennis, said he loves getting to hang out with all his friends and suggested more athletes join.

“It’s always fun!”

Gough said many of the athletes also work in the community — at Hocker’s, Walgreens, Giant, and Marshalls.

“One important aspect of this is building social skills, so they can communicate with others,” he added.

The organization is always looking for volunteers to help out, and these volunteers said it takes very little time to make a big impact. Rones said the cycling sport is a great way of seeing whether or not volunteering is right for a given person.

“A lot of it is more supervision than technical knowledge. It’s a good entry point to see what your comfort level is with the athletes and use it as a jumping-off point.”

Rones first started coaching tennis 10 years ago and then moved on to cycling.

“I had graduated from college and got work out here, and I was just looking for something to get involved in,” he said. “My first practice, Marie [McIntosh, a fellow volunteer] was there, and she encouraged me to grow in the field. She’s sort of the hub down here and does an awesome job volunteering her time for it.”

Prior to his retirement, Gough was a member of the Frederick County Board of Education for five years, where he was chair of curriculum.

“Once you start working with the athletes — they start to get to know you, you start to get to know them — it becomes like a family. It’s a very rewarding thing to do,” he said.

Gough said meeting McIntosh was also a key factor in becoming more involved in Special Olympics.

“If you’re going to be with her, you’re going to be in Special Olympics,” he said of his partner, with laugh. “I got a little involved in it until I met Marie.

“My favorite line is: ‘I’m following Marie.’ Even when we’re traveling in Europe! We’re going through this small town in Germany, and there are all these trailers and big signs, ‘Special Olympics Germany.’”

“It takes volunteers to do this,” said Gough simply.

For more information about Special Olympics Delaware, visit www.sode.org. Those who wish to get involved by volunteering with Sussex Riptide may contact McIntosh at mariemcintosh522@gmail.com.

The Joanne Gichner House, built in the early 1900s, is one of seven historical homes on the Coastal Towns Historic Homes Tour on Oct. 7.Tourgoers on the Ocean View Historical Society’s inaugural Coastal Towns Historic Homes Tour on Saturday, Oct. 7, will be able to stroll through the Joanne Gichner House — a large, stately Victorian — to see how its owners lovingly renovated a 100-year-old structure in keeping with its origins.

One of the home’s two functioning woodstoves remains in the front living room, very typical of Ocean View houses before electricity and central heating. Gichner and her late husband, Michael, purchased the home in the 1970s, remodeling the house twice by moving walls, modernizing the kitchen and turning the side porch into a full bath, foyer and laundry room, but keeping the original main staircase, front porch and main entry foyer.

Michael Gichner’s father, William Gichner, was the blacksmith at Iron Age Antiques (the building now houses the Salon on Central), and the Gichner living room showcases a one-of-a- kind iron quilt on a stand made by many blacksmiths to honor William Gichner on his 75th birthday. Tourgoers can also admire the rolltop desk in the family office.

Tickets for the tour, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 7, are limited and are on sale at the Ellen Rice Gallery on Route 26 in Ocean View and at Made By Hand on Route 1 in South Bethany, and online at www.ovhistoricalsociety.org. Tickets cost $20 for OVHS Members or $30 for non-members. Proceeds will benefit the evolving Coastal Towns Museum and Hall’s Store Visitor & Education Center.

What wonderful words can you weave?

People who love letters can team up in a Scrabble tournament to raise money for a nonprofit helping teach adults to read.

Scrabble at the Beach is a happy-hour fundraiser for Literacy Delaware, which is based locally in Frankford, but operates statewide.

“We thought it would be the perfect off-season event. There are so many trivia games in the area, and every one of us plays Words with Friends online,” said organizer Carole Bailey, board member and event organizer.

The tournament is set for Tuesday, Nov. 7, from 4 to7 p.m. at The Peninsula community clubhouse, between Long Neck and Oak Orchard.

Teams of four will be given a Scrabble board and a full pile of letters. Together, they will come up with the best words they can and build a board to produce the largest number of points. Their completed board is judged against everyone else’s. There are three rounds — sometimes with special themes.

Groups can also lift their scores into the thousands range by purchasing additional tiles (an extra “Q” can make a big impact on the triple word score).

Local businesses or housing communities can also send teams to defend their honor in this battle of the brains.

Each ticket includes one free drink, access to a cash bar and enough hors d’oeuvres that “you won’t have to go home and cook dinner.” Between each game, people socialize, get more food, shop the gift basket raffles and buy into the 50/50.

Sponsorships are still welcome at different levels, from cash to prize gift baskets.

Winners will earn the trophy and bragging rights at the first Scrabble at the Beach.

Bailey first attended a Scrabble fundraiser in Wilmington and had a blast. She has also tutored adults in the literacy program through the Frankford Public Library.

“It’s a free program for students, and all the tutors are volunteers. There are only 2.5 paid employees in Delaware,” she said.

Bailey said she is upset by the statistic that in Delaware, 1 in 7 adults reads at or below a fifth-grade reading level, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

Volunteers teach basic reading skills for adults who haven’t progressed beyond an elementary-school reading level, plus some English language instruction. Lessons are taught one-on-one.

Since 1983, more than 2,600 adults have studied literacy with Literacy Delaware. In 2015, services expanded to include Sussex County, partnering with the Frankford Public Library.

It can be tough to live with lower literacy skills. People can use other skills and context clues to get things done, but there are gaps that they can close by improving their reading skills, such as reading emails, medicine bottles or notes from their children’s teacher. Eventually, Bailey said, the family’s children may not be strong readers either.

Bailey recalled one learner who was functioning as an adult and member of the local fire company.

“Here’s a guy — he was 41 years old. He was able to pass all the fire department tests without reading, because they’re really mechanical tests you have to do,” Bailey said. “So, I took him on, and after a year, he had his driver’s license.”

Soon, the man’s mother and sister also requested tutoring.

The Peninsula clubhouse is located at 26937 Bay Farm Road, Millsboro, Del.

Scrabble registration is due by Oct. 19. The cost is $200 for a team of four. One person can register the foursome with a fun team name. People can register for the fundraiser online at www.literacydelaware.org.

To become a tutor or pupil, contact Literacy Delaware at (302) 658-5624 or www.literacydelaware.org.

Coastal Point • Shaun M. Lambert: Former CIA director John E. McLaughlin discussed national security issues, and had a bit of fun, at Dickens Parlour Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 21.Former director of the Central Intelligence Agency John E. McLaughlin strode onto the stage at the Dickens Parlour Theatre in Millville last week and got right down to business.

McLaughlin, who served as deputy director of the CIA from 2000 to 2004 and acting director of the agency from July 2004 to September 2004, chose five topics involving national security on which to focus during his hour-long talk.

It was during McLaughlin’s time as acting CIA director that Richard Bloch, owner of the theater, met McLaughlin, Bloch had told the audience for the first lecture in the venue’s inaugural lecture series.

Bloch recalled meeting the longtime intelligence officer at a Washington, D.C., restaurant, where the two men talked about their mutual love of magic — which Bloch joked made McLaughlin’s lurking security detail nervous as the men discussed “secrets” — about magic, not national security.

McLaughlin said choosing five topics for his lecture was a bit of a challenge. “There has never been a time in your life when the list of issues we have to worry about has been longer,” he told the audience.

He started with the topic that was undoubtedly topmost in the minds of the audience, as Congressional committees and a special investigator delve into the questions surrounding Russian intervention in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. He called the moves “the most serious infringement of our sovereignty that I’ve seen in my lifetime, and we can’t let it happen again.”

McLaughlin assured the audience that the core tactics that Russia appears to have employed in its interference are not new and in fact date back as far as the Russian czarist period.

“I’m drawing on history,” McLauglin said, “but also on personal experience,” which includes three trips to Russia in the past three years “where I had the chance to actually sit down with people from the Kremlin and the foreign ministry” — the last one just before the November 2016 election.

He pointed to the Russian news agency RT as an important player in the attempts to affect the American political process. One little-known fact, McLaughlin said, is that RT reaches 100 million homes through cable television. He also mentioned the Sputnik news agency, and a secret relationship with Wikileaks as avenues through which Russia attempted to influence the American presidential election.

The techniques, he said, were set during the Cold War, and technology has allowed their expansion.

McLaughlin did not equivocate as to whether or not the Russian government meddled in the election — he discussed three types of Russian influence, known as “active measures” in the intelligence community, beginning at the time of the Russian Revolution in 1917.

“This was a series of techniques they developed to affect public opinion about a regime that was widely thought of as a pariah regime,” he said. Dividing them into types labeled with the colors white, gray and black.

White, he said, would include “what they say openly,” in attempts to change public opinion. “Gray” would include “front groups” — those claiming to be independent of the Russian government “but which are actually not.” Black, he said, involves more clandestine measures, including secret agents and espionage.

And while President Donald Trump may have popularized the term “fake news,” McLaughlin said “Russians are actually the authors of fake news.”

The ex-CIA director discussed the rise of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, during a time when Russia was reeling after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. “It was a mess, by 1999,” he said, adding that Putin stabilized the country.

He likened international relations to a family dinner where Russia had been relegated to the children’s table, and said that, with its recent attempts at interfering in American politics, Putin was “sawing the legs off the adult table.”

He said that when he last visited Russia in October 2016, he heard news programs talking about the need to prepare bomb shelters in case Hillary Clinton was elected. While McLaughlin said pro-Trump actions on the part of the Russians are “harder to prove,” he said he is “absolutely certain he was seeking to damage Hillary Clinton.”

Whether Americans were colluding with Russia in that effort, he said, has yet to be established. He did say, however, that he senses the investigation by Robert Mueller into that possibility was “going into higher gear” in recent weeks. He also said that Donald Trump Jr.’s meeting with Russian authorities last summer “was a classic Russian intel operation.”

In the aftermath of the Russian interference, McLaughlin said, the United States “needs to make sure state, local and federal elections are secure.” To that he added that President Trump “needs to confront the Russians with it.”

McLaughlin next addressed rising tensions between the U.S. and North Korea. He told the audience that, that same day, he had spoken to NBC News correspondent Andrea Mitchell and told her that he believes North Korea has been working on intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the U.S. for at least 22 years “and within the term of this president, they will achieve that.”

Of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, McLaughlin said, “I don’t think he’s irrational. I don’t think he wants to commit suicide.”

He also warned that he does not believe a pre-emptive strike is possible in the event the U.S. learns of an imminent attack, because the North Korean border is too close to Seoul, the capital of U.S. ally South Korea.

McLaughlin said recent sanctions placed against North Korea by the United States are “very serious” and will be part of an ongoing series of moves to deter North Korea from launching nuclear weapons, which will also include flyovers by supersonic jets, as well as diplomacy.

“I think they can be deterred,” he said. “In the end, I think this is going to devolve into an issue of (the U.S.) and the Chinese managing this problem.” McLaughlin added that he sincerely hopes such moves are possible, because “playing nuclear chicken with [Kim Jong Un] will make the Cuban Missile Crisis look like pinochle.”

Of the United States’ relationship with China, McLaughlin said it is “the most important bilateral relationship we have.” He lamented President Trump’s decision to pull out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, saying the move “created a vacuum” in international relations.

He said that, in his dealings with China through his intelligence work, he has learned that “they have a vision of who they are, where they’ve been and where they’re going,” which makes them unique in the world.

“We face a serious competitor there,” McLaughlin warned, “and we need to pay attention.”

McLaughlin also addressed risks involving Syria, a nation where “at least four combatants” have kept the nation in crisis for years, the most recent and most serious of which is ISIS. McLaughlin said he remains confident that the U.S. will be victorious there.

“We will take down the caliphate,” he said.

Under the general umbrella of terrorism, McLaughlin summed up what he said he feels are the important facts right now.

“I would just say that we haven’t been attacked again,” since Sept. 11, 2001, he said, adding that “homegrown terrorists are our biggest problem right now.” He said that Europe is currently experiencing serious terrorism threats that “we need to help them with.”

McLaughlin said that Zbigniew Brzezinski, national security advisor to President Jimmy Carter, had a way of looking at the world that he feels sums up current events well. Brzezinski, he said, thought there were three possible states the world could be in: Stable, messy and nasty. McLaughlin said he feels the world currently is in a “messy” state, but that, “if we’re not careful, we could have a nasty world.”

And, on that note, he took questions from the audience.

After that, since he is also a magician and he was in a magic parlor, McLaughlin rolled up his sleeves, pulled out some century-old silver dollars, and made them seem to magically move between his hands, to the delight of the audience.

He said that, while technology has brought innovation to many fields, including intelligence, in magic, technology poses a unique problem.

“The range of things that astonish people have gotten smaller,” he said. He did, however, manage to pull it off in the Millville theater that night, judging by the audience’s reaction.

The lecture series at Dickens Parlour Theatre continues Thursday, Oct. 12, with an appearance by Jim Brochu, an actor, director and playwright who won New York’s Drama Desk Award for his performance in “Zero Hour,” a one-person play about the life and work of actor and comedian Zero Mostel. He has also appeared in television series from 1976 through 2002, ranging from “Law & Order” to “Cheers,” and appeared in the 1993 movie “Mother of the Bride.”

Tickets for the lectures are free; and will be available two weeks before each lecture, through the theater’s box office at (302) 829-1071 or on the theater’s website at www.dptmagic.com.

The Ocean View Historical Society is one step closer to building its replica Hall’s Store — what will serve as the group’s main hub at its historic complex located at 39 Central Avenue.

To move the project ahead, the society sought from the Ocean View Board of Adjustment two variances from the town code regarding land use and development. They requested a variance that would allow the society’s new building to exceed the maximum 35 percent lot coverage by 18 percent. The society also sought to receive a variance to encroach into the rear and side yard setbacks, which, according to the code, at least 10 feet.

Town Administrative Official Charles McMullen noted that the land upon which the building is to be built is owned by the Town of Ocean View but was leased to the historical society in May of 2010 for 15 years, with the option to extend the lease for five years, at a cost of $1.

McMullen said it is the paver patio, and not the building itself, that would encroach into the setbacks.

He voiced concerns that, in reviewing the project, the Sussex Conservation District did not look at 29 Central Avenue as one parcel, but looked at it in relation to all of the Town’s properties.

“That’s 4.43 acres, I believe,” said McMullen. “The concern I had with that was, if the Town decided they wanted to put further improvements on the lands of the Town of Ocean View, would the approval of this affect the ability to do that?”

McMullen said he has been in contact with the Sussex Conservation District, noting that if the review was left as-is they could be a little more stringent with future Town property development.

McMullen recommended that, since the Town has never combined its properties in to a single parcel, that the Board make it a condition of approval that the property be re-reviewed by the Sussex Conservation District as a single parcel.

In attendance at the BoA meeting were 17 community members who voiced their support of the application, with no attendees voicing opposition.

Former OVHS president Carol Psaros spoke to the board, representing the society, stating that the replica of Halls Store would serve many functions for the non-profit group, with a big focus being education.

“It’s going to serve many purposes for our organization, as well as for Ocean View. It will be a place for groups to come to our site, as they’ve been coming the last six or seven years — only they’ll have the benefit of a building that has a roof on it, that has heat. It will have a meeting room where we can sit schoolkids down and talk to them after they’ve had a little tour of our buildings.

“We can host group activities, and it will also give us a place for our Board of Directors to meet monthly. We’re really excited about the flexibility and the positive things we can do with this headquarters.”

She noted that the front of the building would be built in the likeness of a country store of that era, to resemble Ocean View’s original Hall’s Store.

“It has a lot of historical significance, because the front of the building will look like Hall’s Store,” she said. “This area in the 1600 and early 1700s was called ‘Hall’s Store’ because the Hall family had a country store here. After the Town incorporated in 1889, of course, it became the Town of Ocean View.”

Psaros noted that the building would have two handicapped-accessible bathrooms and a small galley kitchen, “which would make the site perfect for our social events, and most importantly it would allow us to do a lot of educational programs that the public would enjoy.”

She said she was excited for what the historical society has in store for the future, and how it will benefit the town and surrounding communities for years to come.

“It will be something the community can be proud of,” she said.

The board approved the variances unanimously, with the condition that the property be re-reviewed by the Sussex Conservation District.

The concept plan for the project was also reviewed on Sept. 21 by the Ocean View Planning & Zoning Commission, but no vote was taken by commissioners.

Millville’s growing, and town officials are looking to attract even more development, so the town council is considering reducing taxes for new properties that annex into town.

The move started as part of an enticement package to encourage a recent 31-acre annexation along Windmill Drive and Dukes Drive, which the town council approved two weeks ago.

The Howard Robert Hickman Revocable Trust plans to build a 92-unit housing development called Peregrine Bay (on Sussex County Tax Map parcels 134-12.00-394.00 and 134-12.00-394.04).

“We put an incentive package together to get them to build here, instead of building in the county,” a decision that occurred in executive session, said Town Manager Debbie Botchie.

By making both ordinances retroactive for all of 2017, the Millville Town Council could fulfill its promise to the property owner.

The idea is just a starting point, as they discussed ideas and await guidance from the town solicitor.

“I think the purpose of it is to encourage annexation, because I think it benefits the town as a whole,” said Councilwoman Valerie Faden.

Ordinance 18-02 would create an “Abatement of Real Estate Taxes” section of Chapter 132, giving a one-year break on property taxes for any property annexing into town limits.

Ordinance 18-03 would reduce future real estate transfer taxes for the property (amending Chapter 132 “Realty Transfer Taxes”). Whenever the current property owner sells the property, the transfer tax would be 0.75 percent, or half of the town’s regular 1.5 percent.

The RTT discount would only relate to the first sale of property after its annexation, and a property annexed now might not be sold for five years (if being developed) or decades (if it’s an individual household).

There is room for more development tax breaks in the future.

“First we need to knock on the door,” and gauge the response, said Mayor Robert “Bob” Gordon. There are still “properties conducive for building and development. … We’re not all used up.”

But with residents in other parts of the county concerned about rapid development in Sussex County, what is the Town of Millville doing to curb rapid growth?

Botchie said the Town has more stringent rules than the County. For instance, sidewalks are required, and multi-modal paths were required along Substation Road. Also, the Delaware Department of Transportation will require Peregrine Bay to make changes to Windmill Drive to accommodate the new traffic.

No members of the public attended this week’s meeting, and there was no official vote. Discussion will continue at a future meeting. Because it’s a tax issue, they aren’t required to, but will likely hold a public hearing for the two ordinances.

Future town councils can always change the code if development gets out of control, officials noted.

The Millville Town Council’s next regular meeting will be Tuesday, Oct. 10, at 7 p.m.

Selbyville is a small town with a healthy utilities business. In fact, money from the municipality’s sewer and water customers often pays for other Town operating expenses.

During a positive financial audit report, auditor Leslie Michalik of PKS & Company noted that the Town transferred $234,000 from the utilities fund into its general fund during the 2017 fiscal year. (Other revenues also increased, so $211,000 was still left over.)

With that kind of cash cow, the Town has little incentive to change the plant or even transfer ownership to anyone else.

But those were two suggestions made Sept. 11 in discussions about upgrades to the County’s South Coastal Regional Wastewater Facility. Right now, Selbyville treats all of its own waste, then pumps effluent (wastewater that has already been treated) to the regional facility.

Sussex County is making broad updates to the wastewater treatment systems. They are updating the South Coastal Regional Wastewater Facility near Bethany Beach and adding a bio-solids facility at Inland Bays Regional Wastewater Facility in Millsboro.

The County has money to start, and they hope to begin construction by the fall of 2018, said Sussex County Engineer Hans Medlarz.

The County’s 2008 wastewater agreement with Selbyville has no end date, but now is the time for Selbyville to decide if they want to change anything. Design has begun on the County upgrades.

Council members said they weren’t interested in too much change. They suggested that the Town continue pumping over the effluent, as it currently does.

“I pump a good effluent. … The Town has spent a lot of money on our wastewater plant,” said Councilman G. Frank Smith III, who oversees the system. “I’ve got three little pumps, pumping 12 miles. I’ve never had a problem.”

That doesn’t require the same drastic changes as some of the other options discussed, such as shipping waste products in a different form, or relinquishing the Town’s (very profitable) wastewater system to be managed by Sussex County.

Especially after recent upgrades to its water and wastewater systems, Selbyville officials want to get some good use out of the system, providing utilities both in and outside of town limits.

The council plans to discuss the matter again in future.

In other Selbyville news:

• A three-month-long drug investigation surrounding the Polly Branch Road drug trade resulted in 14 arrests. The Selbyville Police Department assisted the other Delaware and Maryland law-enforcement agencies in the investigation.

Meanwhile, the SPD has finally received $19,900 in seized cigarette trafficking money, with which Police Chief Scott Collins hopes to purchase additional camera systems.

• The Selbyville Public Library will host Coffee with a Cop on Oct. 4, from 5 to 6 p.m. The public can meet the Selbyville police officers, ask them questions or just thank them.

• This summer, children were served 434 free meals at the Selbyville Public Library (plus 115 for adults) through the Boys & Girls Club and The Odyssey church.

• The council unanimously approved a conditional-use zoning for a dance studio at 38070 Dupont Boulevard. The 9.7-acre parcel is already zoned commercial and is owned by Douglas Hudson.

• An annexation that began in 2016 was unanimously approved, for a quarter-acre lot near the crossroads of Route 54 and Hudson Road (Sussex County tax map parcel 533-17.00-181.00).

• To improve the water supply on Route 54, the Town is considering a potential partnership with Artesian Water. Although Selbyville provides tap water as a utility, Artesian has proposed selling Selbyville 50,000 of gallons per day at a rate of $3.50 per 1,000 gallons. That would increase water pressure on the east side of town, including in Lighthouse Lakes. It could also benefit fire protection and provide either party with water in an emergency, said Councilman Rick Duncan Sr.

• Selbyville’s own Ana Calles, 17, was recently crowned Miss Hispanic Delaware. She thanked town council for helping to sponsor the pageant/scholarship program.

• The Selbyville Halloween Parade will be held Oct. 25 at 7 p.m., with food vendors, a children’s costume contest, a 50/50 drawing to benefit Fenwick Island Lions Club and more. Groups or businesses that wish to participate or march in the parade should call (301) 655-0742 or (302) 436-8314.

The Selbyville Town Council’s next regular meeting is Monday, Oct. 2, at 7 p.m.

Is there any cell phone service in the science lab? How about the cafeteria?

If most high-schoolers are already carrying what are essentially mini-computers in their pockets each day, then Indian River School District might take advantage of that fact.

Principal Bradley Layfield of Sussex Central High School is proposing that the two district high schools have a pilot program this spring to test having cell phones in the classroom.

“Smartphones are ubiquitous. I think they can be harnessed for an educational purpose with strict parameters within a classroom,” he told the IRSD Board of Education on Sept. 25.

Currently, the district policy is that personal devices must be turned off, and students can lose their phones just for checking the time on them.

But they’re using computers more than ever, submitting assignments on the Schoology platform and collaborating on Google Docs.

The district has improved tech, but the laptops still aren’t available at a one-to-one student ratio. Science classrooms want to watch more labs; career classrooms want to quickly film videos; art students want to research images, music and choreography.

“The whole reason this is a pilot and not an adopted policy is because there can be a lot of pitfalls here,” Layfield said.

It’s not a perfect system yet. The district can use firewalls to keep students from accessing certain websites through school-based wireless internet, but they can’t control anything accessed through a phone’s own mobile data network. Also, Layfield said he didn’t know if the wireless firewall would apply to standalone apps.

Additionally, the district must clarify if cell phone use would still be prohibited on school buses.

They’ll gather input from anyone involved, including students, teachers, staff and discipline data.

Officials said now’s the time to begin testing and observing, especially since the technology is guaranteed to change exponentially in the next five years. When they enter 12th grade, today’s middle-schooler may be doing things with a smartphone no one could imagine now.

“Part of education is teaching people how to be a responsible user of technology,” Layfield said.

Anti-bullying campaigns in schools have had to be refitted to address cyber-cullying.

“This is a chance for us to give you more freedoms, and with freedom comes responsibility. But it is up to us to teach you digital citizenship,” Layfield said.

Is there concern about students being allowed to silently communicate en masse during school hours? Not really, Layfield said.

“I have typical found that the more students that are aware of any type of communication, the more likely that we will be are of it,” which comes from staff building trusting relationships with the kids. “That will be a concern to monitor. That is not anything that we have been made aware of.”

With the board’s approval, the schools could likely educate their teachers and students well enough to roll out the new system after the winter holidays.

As a new high school principal, Michael Williams may bring different perspective, having most recently worked with middle-schoolers until coming to Indian River High School this year.

This would be a pilot program for IRSD to gather data and iron out the kinks. Only time would tell whether the IRSD scraps the whole idea or writes the experience into an official policy.

“It is going to be difficult, but we do want to see where there could be pitfalls, where there could be positives,” said Layfield, who said he has seen other high schools with successful cellphone use. Sometimes cafeterias were less noisy because kids were listening to music or podcasts instead of talking.

Things have changed.

“Let’s face it. Students who are teenagers are digital natives. They have no idea what life was like before cell phones,” Layfield said. “A student checking a social media profile [today] … would be the equivalent of a boyfriend and girlfriend meeting up at the locker to make plans for the weekend.”

Obviously, cellular phones can be a distraction when used for the wrong purposes, such as surfing the web or updating their Instagram accounts from school.

“We’re trying to avoid that,” Layfield said. “I think by allowing personal use of cellphones during transition times, there’s less of an urge” to check social media in class.

Although schools need to be stringent about inappropriate cell phone use (such as inappropriate photos, bullying or social media during class time), the change could also help students better communicate. For example, many of Layfield’s 230 English language learner (ELL) students own smartphones with the “vital” Google Translate app.

Does Sussex Central have enough bandwidth for 1,600 new Wi-Fi connections? Layfield said they do, according to the former IRSD head of technology. That means students shouldn’t have to rely on their family’s mobile data plan to make use of their phones in school.

The current cell phone proposal is online at www.boarddocs.com/de/irsd/Board.nsf/Public (click “Meetings,” “Sept. 25, 2017,” click “View the Agenda” and “6.07 Policy”). Discussion will continue at future meetings of the Policy Committee and the school board.

Members of the Sussex Sports Center Foundation this week requested that Sussex County financially support their endeavor at the Sussex County Council meeting on Sept. 26, giving a presentation on the project to the council.

The foundation is planning to build a sports facility for resident and visitor use in Georgetown, just north of Route 9 on Sandhill Road.

“The County has been approached by a non-profit foundation which was created for the idea of establishing a sports complex within Georgetown town limits but outside of the town center,” said County Administrator Todd Lawson on Tuesday. “This has been an ongoing discussion for several months with several members of the community. We’ve gotten to the point now where it is time for County Council to hear directly from the foundation…”

The park would be located on 70 acres of land donated by Joe Schell to the foundation. It would include playing fields for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and informal touch-football games, as well as walking trails, pickleball courts and playground equipment. The center would have eight regulation-sized soccer/lacrosse fields, paved parking for approximately 350 cars and restroom facilities.

The foundation is requesting $1.5 million in support from Sussex County to make the facility a reality.

Zac Crouch of Davis, Bowen & Friedel, who also serves as a member of the foundation’s leadership committee, said the project is located within Georgetown town limits. He said it is expected to go for preliminary review soon and that the Town of Georgetown is on board with the project.

“The whole thing here is to provide a facility that is for the community,” he said, noting that the project could solve some long-standing issues.

“That intersection has had problems for a number of years… One of the issues DelDOT has had … is drainage and land to align the intersections. We’ve been in communication with DelDOT. The foundation will be donating two parcels of property at the intersection — that way the alignment of that intersection can be done perfectly, so that it can correct some of the problems that are there today and have been there for a while.”

Schell noted that DelDOT is applying for a $7 million federal grant to help fix the intersection, in conjunction with the project.

Crouch said a portion of land will also be donated for drainage, as there is a “huge drainage problem in that area.”

Bobby Horsey said the foundation anticipates having plan approvals by the first of the year, with the facility to open for play in the spring of 2019.

“I think this project is a big asset to our county,” he said.

Horsey also took the time on Tuesday to recognize Schell for the donation of the large piece of property.

“We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the generosity of Mr. Schell, who donated this property.”

Schell drove home the point that the non-profit organization would not be looking to make money, but to be a facility for all.

Sources of funding, once the facility opened, would come from events, clubs and church groups meeting there, and summer camps, as well as things like wedding receptions held outside.

Demand, public

support discussed

Schell said the project in total would cost $4 million to construct, with 59 percent of the funds coming from private-sector donations. The foundation is seeking 41 percent in public-sector contributions — $275,000 from the State of Delaware, $25,000 from the Town of Georgetown and $1.5 million from Sussex County.

“The proposal we made to you… at some point, further down the road, if you all want to get into the parks-and-rec business, you’ll have the option to buy the facility from the foundation for $1.”

Schell said the facility would be a county asset, believing in the “built it and they will come” mentality.

“Do I think there’s enough demand right here in Sussex County? Yes… The community, we think, really wants this.”

Councilman I.G. Burton said he was struggling with the idea of a tournament facility versus a community recreation center.

“When you look at the financial side, if it’s a community facility and it’s getting a lot of activity but not generating enough income… I think the focus should really be towards a community-driven facility.”

Schell said the sports complex would host a minimal number of tournaments, leaving that to Pete Schwartzkopf’s Sports at the Beach.

“[Pete] believes that facility’s economic impact on Sussex County is over $1 million per weekend. They have tournaments there 36 to 38 weekends a year… He thinks it’s $40 million of economic impact,” said Schell of conversations he’s had with Schwartzkopf. “But that’s not what we have in mind.”

Councilman George Cole asked if the project would be completed in phases, to which Schell replied that all construction would be done on one phase, with the exception of at some point replacing portable toilets with a permanent restroom facility.

“Everything else we’re doing right away.”

He also noted the support the project has already received from organizations including the Henlopen Soccer Club, Seashore Striders, La Super Liga de Delmarva, First State Pickleball Club and more. The foundation also received a letter of support signed by a number of state legislators.

Councilman Rob Arlett asked if the County had the funds with which to support the large grant request. County Finance Director Gina Jennings said the County has $1 million in its budget for capital improvements.

Arlett recommended asking the Town of Georgetown and the State to augment the remaining $500,000. Cole added that the council could amend its budget.

Arlett also questioned whether it would affect other clubs and their feasibility. He added that he would like to hear from the community as to what they think of the project.

The council determined on Tuesday that, while there would not be a public hearing scheduled related to the facility, interested members of the community could write letters or emails to the County regarding the project, or attend a County meeting and speak during the citizens’ privilege portion of the weekly agenda.

Those who wish to email comments may do so by visiting sussexcountyde.gov/contact-county-government or mailing comments to Sussex County Council, P.O. Box 589, Georgetown, DE 19947.

In other County news:

The council voted unanimously to appoint Ocean View resident Bruce Mears to the vacant Board of Adjustment seat formerly filled by Bud Rickard. Mears had his public interview before council at Tuesday’s meeting, at which he noted he is in his sixth four-year term on the Sussex County Building Code Board of Appeals, of which he became chairman in 2003.

“I’ve been self-employed since I was 19. I founded my company, Bruce Mears Designer-Builder in 1985; that’s 32 years of experience in the building industry. I’ve worked side-by-side with Planning & Zoning, I go to all the educational programs I can go to.”

Mears said he wouldn’t have issues attending the BOA meetings, held every other Monday, due to his being self-employed.

Asked about any possible conflicts of interest if he were to be appointed to the board, Mears said there were none he was aware of.

“But being a local Sussex County resident, I’m sure I’ll know a few folks or be associated with a few folks to apply to the Board of Adjustment, at which time, if I deem it a conflict, I will recuse myself.”

Cole said he was happy to have Mears serve on the board, in an appointment that will expire in June 2020.

“I think developers, everybody, will get a fair shake.”

The council also received a presentation from University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Director Mark Isaacs regarding the $10,000-per-year grant the County awards to the program.

Isaacs said the monies are spent in six areas, including extension programs, family consumer sciences, production agriculture programs and activities in their poultry diagnostic laboratory.

“The big one I’d like to highlight is the internship program. Last year was the first year the council provided $10,000 to go to the Sussex County internship program,” said Isaacs, noting that the County is now in its second year of financial support to the program.

“Academia is great about teaching students book-knowledge, but when it comes to real hands-on knowledge, there’s a lot to be desired, so internships are a great way to get these students out of the classroom and gain hands-on opportunities. The support the council has provided has been monumental in allowing us to do that.”

Isaacs said, for internships, once they identify students, they try to find out what they’re interested in and even provide a rotating internship for those who may not have a definite focus.

“We try to give them all different kinds of career opportunities that are within our county.”

He added that the internship program has given students the opportunity to grow in their fields and build professional relationships.

“We put these students where they have to interact with the public. It’s a great program. Our goal is to double the internship program through industry support, as well as council support.”

This past summer, the program had four interns, two of whom were supported by the grant provided by the council.

Arlett asked where the interns land following graduation, and if they stay in the county.

“Since last year was the first time we did it, we don’t have any that have graduated yet. Our intent, though, is to bring them back.”

Isaacs said the university hopes to eventually grow the program to host about a dozen interns every summer.

“Thank you for your continued support. … Not one penny is going north. It all stays in Sussex,” he said. “I just want to thank you all for what you do for the county.”

“Thank you for all you do, seriously,” replied Council President Michael Vincent. “You guys do great things out there, and we’re happy to help with the internship program, and we’ll continue to do that.”

Fenwick Island election laws will not change significantly anytime soon. The town council has decided not to extend voting rights to anyone married to individuals who own their property in trusts.

In August, the council put the brakes on a proposed voting ordinance what would have allowed spouses of trustees to vote but also limited the number of other non-resident property owner voters per house.

Just getting to that first reading (now rescinded) took about two years, starting with the hot-button summer election of 2015.

“Before 2008, trustees were treated as people,” said Councilwoman Julie Lee. They were considered freeholders who owned their property in trust. Fenwick’s original charter allowed any freeholder and their spouse to vote.

But Fenwick updated its election rules in 2008, cleaning up language and addressing some other issues when the State of Delaware changed municipal election law statewide.

Since there were no contested elections until 2015, no one realized the scope of the changes until then. They were startled to find that trusts are now specifically labeled as an “artificial entity,” which still only allows each trust one vote.

In a trust, the trustee holds property for the benefit of a beneficiary. The land isn’t held “free and clear” as would be the case with a deed with a person’s name on it, said Town Solicitor Mary Schrider-Fox.

“I hope we can find some way to reinstate the votes of the trustees and spouses of trustees who lost their votes in 2008,” Lee said.

But Schrider-Fox had found holes in the recent proposal that would have allowed two votes per trust and four votes maximum per property with non-resident owners.

With so many unanswered questions, some council members, including Bernie Merritt, backed away from supporting the charter change. Multiple parties can own a property. What happens when three siblings inherit a house, and two people put their shares in a trust? If there are different rules for different types of ownership, which rule prevails? The council needed to offer more direction.

Councilwoman Vicki Carmean said recent elections have become a “convoluted game … see how many people you could get in your household to vote,” with angry conversations throughout.

But Town staff will always have to analyze the citizens’ claims to the right to vote.

“As long as you have non-resident property owners and different entities that can vote, that’s something your Town staff will always have to do,” Schrider-Fox said.

In fact, Town staff usually do the research — despite municipal law stating that it places the burden of proof on the property owner — because a number of property owners have berated Fenwick staff for trying to enforce that provision.

So, as a matter of convenience and because the cost isn’t terribly high, they research the deed with the attorney’s help. (She’s now teaching Town staff to access those electronic records rather than rely so heavily on her.)

“We review the deeds to see how the property is titled because that’s what we care about. … We don’t review the trusts,” Schrider-Fox said. “Most of the time, people want to keep their trust documents quite private, actually.”

Many people don’t know how their own trust is organized, since they simply ask their estate lawyer to set up the best solution.

Sometimes potential voters are surprised to learn that each person has their own trust (and therefore their own votes) rather than all sharing one trust, which only gets one vote.

In Fenwick Island, 34 non-residents are registered to vote on behalf their trusts. There may be more non-residents who would like to participate, just as there are non-residents who maintain a vacation home there but don’t bother much with town business.

Lee said she doubted people would go to the legal expense to adjust their deeds or trusts to sway an election.

“No matter what set of rules you have, if you allow non-resident property owners to vote, people could … manipulate the system to gain an advantage,” Schrider-Fox said.

When a resident flat-out asked her for her own opinion, the attorney didn’t offer the council an easy way out.

“That’s not my job,” said Schrider-Fox. Citizens have already elected council members to act in the best interest of the Town. “My job is to vet what you want to do. … I think my role is to look at the language and see some obvious holes that people could poke through and deal with that.”

But when it comes to predicting how Delaware General Assembly might receive such as proposal, she said she had no clue. The State hasn’t seen something like this before, and it could be precedent-setting.

In a straw poll this week, the council chose to stop pursuing the topic.

Councilman Richard Mais said he fundamentally believes only legal residents should vote. But he tolerates the current law and hasn’t heard anything better. Councilman Bernie Merritt and Mayor Gene Langan were also ready to end discussions.

Councilman Gardner Bunting said he preferred to stop discussions until a better proposal comes along. Previously, he had been the swing vote who allowed the council to even have this week’s workshop, but now, he said, “I tend to agree with Richard. Until we hear something better, I’d like to stay where we are.”

Carmean said she wanted to pursue trustee-spouse voting, having promised other citizens and friends to support it. Councilman Roy Williams also supported trustee-spouse votes, partly because his own family has owned property in Fenwick for many years, he said, and he’d like to still have voting rights, even if he and his wife were to change their residence.

After months of research, discussion and debate, Lee said she didn’t want to drop the topic, either. Her goal has always been just to restore the votes that were lost, which is no longer the simple matter it once was.

The proposal initially came from the Ad-Hoc Election Committee, which in late 2015 was created for public outreach, to explain who’s eligible to vote and how to register.

But their close review of the charter led the committee to suggest changes that would clarify, simplify or change the rules. They sent proposals to the Charter & Ordinance Committee, which made some tweaks and passed the recommendations to THE council.

The recent ordinance proposal would have allowed two votes for any trust; four votes maximum for any property owned by non-residents; still one vote for business LLCs, which is a rare voting right for businesses in Delaware; and still guaranteed votes for all residents, regardless of property ownership.

The Fenwick Island Town Council is still considering two other charter changes. They said they definitely want to clarify some elections-related legal definitions, such as “resident.” They’re also researching whether to increase the Town’s financial borrowing limits. The Charter & Code Committee will discuss both items at their Oct. 6 meeting, at 1 p.m.

Gov. John Carney, U.S Sens. Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and U.S. Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (all D-Del.) on Monday announced that the next steps are under way in the long-awaited beach replenishment projects in Bethany Beach, South Bethany and Fenwick Island.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District has awarded Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company a $17.2 million contract, and work is expected to begin after the new year. The costs of the project will be shared by the federal government and the State of Delaware, and the Congressional delegation said it has been a priority for them because it will help protect the homes, businesses and economy on coastal Delaware.

The towns’ beaches and dunes were damaged by strong storms, including a nor’easter in October of 2015 and winter storm Joaquin in January of 2016.

The project will involve dredging 1.2 million cubic yards of sand from approved offshore borrow areas. The sand will be pumped through a series of pipes onto the beaches of Bethany, South Bethany and Fenwick Island, and then graded into a dune and berm template designed to reduce potential damages to infrastructure, businesses and homes.

“Replenishing our beaches helps drive our economy by keeping our coastline accessible and accommodating for Delawareans and visitors. Delaware also is the lowest-lying state in the U.S., and beach replenishment helps us prepare for extreme weather events, sea-level rise and other effects of climate change,” said Carney.

“We are grateful to the Army Corps of Engineers for partnering with Delaware to ensure that beach replenishment for Bethany, South Bethany and Fenwick Island both bolsters our coastline and helps retain its natural beauty. I worked as Delaware’s congressman to bring attention and resources to this project, and want to thank members of our federal delegation for their continued leadership on this issue.”

“We’ve learned that by proactively building up our dunes and beaches, they can stand up protect our homes, businesses, schools and infrastructure from the nastiest storms,” said Carper, top Democrat on the Environment & Public Works Committee.

“Delaware’s 21 miles of oceanfront are more than just sand and surf — they generate more than $6.9 billion in coastal tourism annually and support 10 percent of Delaware’s workforce. We fought hard for this funding because beach replenishment protects not only our community but our economy as well.”

“Delaware’s most valuable natural resources are our beautiful beaches and shorelines,” said Coons. “The work that will take place from Bethany Beach to Fenwick Island is vital to our state, and I would like to thank the Army Corps of Engineers and DNREC for working to mitigate future erosion that not only threatens our tourism, but our natural habitat as well.”

“Our beaches are some of Delaware’s most treasured natural resources and an important economic driver for our state’s economy,” said Blunt Rochester. “I am pleased that next steps are underway in Bethany, South Bethany and Fenwick to replenish our beaches ahead of next summer. We need to protect our shores from future superstorms and preserve our pristine coastline for generations of Delawareans to come.”

A luau in October? Why not?

To celebrate the grand opening of their muscle-car showroom, the Speed Shop in Selbyville will host a luau-themed ribbon-cutting party on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

“If you are into classic cars, modifieds, hotrods, or just love the nostalgia that arises from seeing and hearing these car engines roar, then come and party with us,” Speed Shop representatives announced. “We like to have fun and promise a day of good food, laughter and new friendships.”

Speed Shop buys, sells, trades and restores custom cars.

“It’s been around for a while, but we just opened up a showroom,” said Fernando Guajardo, employee and event organizer. Owner Craig Mullins “has been restoring vehicles for people for quite some time now, but we never displayed the work. Now we’re getting into the business of buying, selling, restoring muscle cars. We want to be the hub of this on Delmarva.”

Guests are being encouraged to bring their own classic or muscle cars to display. There is plenty of parking and no additional cost for car owners to participate.

“I’m crazy about a black Chevelle that Craig did. The interior’s red. … It’s just a beautiful piece of artwork,” Guajardo said.

With warm weather expected, people can dress in their tropical clothes once more before autumn settles in. Guests can check out classic cars owned by their neighbors, or catch a rare sight of cars just passing through Delmarva Peninsula for the weekend.

Admission to the event is free for anyone already registered in the 20th Annual Endless Summer Cruisin’ weekend in Ocean City, Md. Regular admission costs $10, which includes roast pork sandwiches, a side and specialty drink. The pork itself will be slow-cooked on a turnstile over charcoal, which makes it crispy, but falling off the bone, Guajardo noted.

Kids get in free, and can enjoy burgers and hotdogs. Sodas and water will be available for $1. Admission also includes plenty of free food for everyone, including candy apples, cotton candy, ice cream, popcorn and other party favors.

For entertainment, a D.J. will keep things moving with music and games, and there will be a bounce house, obstacle course and kids’ car judging, as well as a 50/50, raffle and door prizes. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Delaware.

“It’s all about being able to come together as a community and, really, this is something the community can be very proud of. They have their own muscle-car gurus in Southern Delaware. … We have beaches, we have chicken and we have muscle cars,” Guajardo joked.

The Speed Shop is located on southbound Route 113, at 37050 Dupont Boulevard, Selbyville.

Details are online at www.speedshopde.com and www.facebook.com/bridgevillebullet.

Envision Frankford is planning the town’s annual Fall Festival for Saturday, Oct. 28. The fun-filled day will feature a costume contest, parade, games and more.

The costume contest will start the festivities at 11 a.m., with registration beginning at 10:30 a.m. The contest will be held in the Frankford Volunteer Fire Company parking lot at 5 Main Street, according to Envision Frankford Chairman Robbie Murray. Judges will be members of the fire company Auxiliary.

Prizes will be given in the 2-or-younger age group and the 3-and-4-year-old age group for funniest, most original, best prince/princess and best cartoon. In the 5-6-, 7-9- and 10-12-year-old age groups, prizes will be awarded for scariest, funniest, most original and most realistic costumes. Winners will be announced at 12:30 p.m.

The parade, led by Cub Scout Troop 382, will begin at the town hall at 11:30 a.m. and will end at the town park.

From noon to 4 p.m., there will be haywagon and firetruck rides, games, pumpkin painting, door prizes, a 50/50 raffle and food in the park.

Any vendors wishing to participate in the Fall Festival should call Robbie Murray at (302) 236-9333.

This summer, a basic picture book inspired sixth-grader Molly Amerling to write about refugee families. Now, she’s the first Sussex Countian to represent Delaware in the “A Book That Shaped Me” essay contest.

Sponsored by the Library of Congress and National Book Festival, the idea behind the contest is simple: fifth- and sixth-graders write about a book that has impacted their life.

Amerling was inspired by “The Journey,” a picture book by Francesca Sanna about a family escaping a deadly war in their home country.

“They try to escape, and they have to hide during the night because there’s many guards that are guarding the country limits. So they have to try and sneak by them … and then they just hide on trains and cars and trucks to get where they’re trying to go,” Amerling said. “They had to do that just to get to freedom in another country.”

The mother and her two children who are portrayed in the book don’t talk much about the father, who fought and died in the war.

“They talk about their feelings and their dreams. … They are scared and excited and nervous for what will happen,” Amerling said. “They’re excited to finally get out of where they’re living in the past and try to find a better place to live.”

It’s a big topic for a picture book. But it’s real life, and plenty of children have made similar journeys, now and throughout history.

This 48-page book spoke novels to Amerling, who is now attending Selbyville Middle School.

“I knew a child who moved from Syria to the United States for a better life, and he had many scary encounters in his country … and they just didn’t want to risk their lives there, so they moved to the United States. At first, he didn’t know any English, and he learned it.”

When she read “The Journey,” she said, she understood what he was going through. Now it resonates for her “that many people have had leave their home to come to America and … had to lose many of their family members.”

“I think that it was drawn and written very well, and it explains the topic to many young people very well,” Amerling said. “It’s not too violent or anything like that. It just shows the child’s perspective of how their journey was.”

Author Francesca Sanna poured color into illustrations that pop off the page. The language is simple. “We leave at night to avoid being seen … and keep moving for many days,” the narrator says.

The author was inspired by two girls she had met at an Italian refugee center. She began collecting other peoples’ stories of migration. Some were similar, but each was felt very poignantly by the person who walked, drove or sailed the many miles away from their home and sense of normalcy. “The Journey” became a “collage of all those personal stories and the incredible strength of the people within them.”

The book doesn’t show the family reaching their ultimate destination. Readers can only hope that they make it to the end.

In September, Amerling’s own family traveled to the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival in Washington, D.C., where essay winners received their medals and gift certificates on stage. Amerling beat four other state finalists to represent Delaware.

Although she wasn’t a national winner in the Letters About Literature Summer Writing Contest, Amerling’s parents said they were proud of her initiative and independence in writing her essay.

“We know she writes well, but it was really nice to see the thoughtfulness of it,” said Erin Amerling. “We were impressed with her and proud of her.”

Locally, Amerling represented the Frankford Public Library in the contest, which covers Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia and D.C. It wasn’t her first time entering the contest, nor her first success. In 2016, Amerling was a state finalist for her essay on “The Lemonade Stand” by Jacqueline Davies.

Having spent the summer observing beachgoers on the town’s shoreline, Bethany Beach officials are now ready to further consider the notion of restricting the types of shade devices beachgoers can use there.

This spring, following on the heels of neighboring Rehoboth Beach banning canopies and all but “baby” tents, as well as limiting umbrella size, the Town’s Charter & Ordinance Review Committee was asked to look into doing the same thing, and ideas ranging from using the same degree of ban to perhaps not doing anything at all.

CORC developed an ordinance to make the step to band some types of shade devices, but according to Councilwoman and CORC Chairwoman Rosemary Hardiman, they didn’t put that draft ordinance forward to the council because they “felt at that time … it was late in the season and it might be better to look at what Rehoboth’s experience was with that ordinance and also to monitor the beach, take photos and look at issues that were particular to Bethany Beach.”

Over the summer, CORC members took hundreds of photos, some of which were displayed at the Sept. 18 town council workshop/special meeting, and they also received numerous photos from others, Hardiman said.

During that time, neighboring Fenwick Island passed its own ban, at the end of July, approving the use of umbrellas up to 8 feet in diameter but limiting the size of other devices to a 10-by-10-foot square or 8 feet in diameter for a round device, with at least three sides required to be open.

At their meeting on Sept. 8, CORC members had considered the issues once again, favoring unanimously a series of restrictions, though they were split over an outright ban on canopies.

Hardiman said she had asked both Rehoboth Beach Commissioner Stan Mills and Fenwick Island Town Manager Terry Tieman about their experiences with the new policies and whether they’d had to resort to measuring things with a tape measure. She said they had not, that the photos they had taken showed that they could “eyeball” things and use a rule of common sense: If things looked significantly larger than they were supposed to be, they would take action; if it was a few inches off, they would do nothing.

As far as CORC’s recommendations to the Bethany council, Hardiman said CORC members had agreed on:

• A maximum diameter of 8 feet for umbrellas. (That seems to be the standard, she said.)

• Allowing “baby tents,” with a maximum dimension of 36 inches in any direction.

• A ban on all other tents, as well as any kind of tarp (guide wires posing a safety hazard, though Vice-Mayor Lew Killmer noted that the Town already prohibits guide wires in its current code); sports umbrellas or “sport-brellas” (which Hardiman said are still permitted in Rehoboth Beach, if their sides are kept up, but which she said CORC members felt blocked the view); any kind of pavilion or cabana, which they said block the view of people sitting around their users, with sides that can’t be seen through or having three covered sides.

Hardiman said the group felt those rules would be easy for an enforcement officer to enforce and also noted an apparent increase in the use of pop-up tents, “where people go right up to the ocean and block the view of everyone behind them.”

She said the group had split on a recommendation on the more open canopy-type devices. In a 5-3 vote, the committee recommended to the council that canopies also be banned, with the three dissenting votes favoring a size limit, rather than an outright ban.

Hardiman said she had seen people in wheelchairs, in particular, using canopies, and she said Bethany Beach Patrol Capt. Joe Donnelly had said he noticed people with special needs were often using them.

“There are people who use them in the right way, who are mindful of other people and have them up against the dune line,” she said, pointing out instances when they’re used by large families who fit as many as eight people under a single canopy.

“Then there are others who make others so angry with them that they really spoil it,” she said, noting a photo that depicted two large canopies with 20 chairs lined up around them and a cornhole game set up in the middle, the entire encampment at the crest of the beach near the ocean.

Hardiman said many of the complaints they received were about people coming in early in the morning, setting up large “settlements” and then not coming down to use the chairs, canopies and umbrellas until perhaps 2 p.m., all the while taking up “the prime area” at the front of the beach.

Once such encampment that Hardiman said she’d pulled out a measuring tape to document had measured close to 1,000 square feet, she said. Gordon later called the image of that setup “obnoxious.”

In contrast, Hardiman said she’d spoken to the Rouet family, which has been holding a family reunion in the town every August for 35 years, including the now-adult six siblings and their families — about 57 people last year, according to Ron Rouet, one of those siblings, who spoke against a canopy ban at the Sept. 18 special meeting.

Hardiman said the family previously had placed their canopies up against the boardwalk but now placed them at the toe of the dune, and while they often set up at 8 a.m., she said that, by 8:30 a.m., there were 20 people there, using the canopies for shade and for playing card games.

“They’re an example of people trying to be thoughtful of others,” she said.

The visual impact of canopies was also at issue during those CORC discussions, Hardiman said, noting photos depicting clusters of canopies, large groups of chairs and many umbrellas, where she said the canopies were the thing that struck the viewer.

“Chairs and umbrellas — you don’t really see them as much.”

Hardiman said CORC members had acknowledged that some groups fit more people under a canopy than they could under an umbrella, taking up about as much spaces a group of chairs, with some of the conscientious beachgoers fitting perhaps eight people under a canopy and making sure it was weighted down to prevent it blowing away and posing a danger to others.

“When people really notice is when they’re up there at the front of the beach,” she said, as well as those who set up large canopies and then don’t use them, using the canopy instead to hold space or using chairs and blankets around them to stake claim to more beach real estate.

Hardiman said the group also wrestled with the idea of requiring canopies to be placed at the dune line, questioning the impact of that on people playing ball on the beach, for whom the Town’s preferred location has been close to the dune.

CORC suggests ban on tents, cabanas, tarps

In the end, Hardiman said, the committee had felt “it would be worthwhile — because it is an issue so many people care about — it would be good to go to people who live here … and do an online survey of five questions, to get feedback before we go to final decision on this.”

While that idea got support from the committee and the council, CORC did make its formal recommendations to the council, which included:

• Umbrellas limited to 8 feet in diameter and 7.6 feet in height;

• Baby tents up to 36 inches in any dimension permitted;

• All tents larger than 36 inches prohibited.

• No cabanas, tarps and other similar devices permitted;

• All canopies prohibited — a change changed from the April proposal and divided on that 5-3 vote; and

• To solicit feedback regarding shading devices from residents and property owners via an online survey.

While Mayor Jack Gordon said he agreed with all those recommendations, Killmer said he felt the proposed policy was perhaps too stringent.

“I think, personally, that you need to have shading devices on the beach, especially for young children and older people. I also believe we should be careful about not being too overregulated. There is a place for canopies,” he added, noting those with open sides and of a “proper size.”

“There are families who need those. I don’t think we should start making a lot of these rules to take the family fun out of it.”

Killmer said the Town would also need to be careful about advertising such restrictions, so that visitors aren’t bringing their gear with them for a vacation and then finding out they have to buy a non-prohibited substitute from a local store.

“Beaches are supposed to be a fun area,” he said. “I think by putting canopies closer to the dunes and keeping the front of beach open… The only important thing about having a view is for safety issues,” he emphasized, noting that there is no guarantee of a view of the ocean on a crowded day at the beach.

The safety aspect of a view, he said, was important for lifeguards, as well as families with young kids who might be playing in the water and who would want to be able to keep a close eye on them from the beach. “Viewing is for safety.”

Killmer said he was “totally against tents of any kind,” while open-sided canopies should be permitted, and the Town should have a location for them. “I hope by spring we will have plenty of area for them and to play ball. … I think people would recognize the right to play ball, and people playing ball would recognize the safety issue and move down. Yes, we should have some regulations, but I don’t think it should be overbearing.”

Councilman Jerry Morris began his comments on the issue by noting that he had once been “an umbrella boy,” and that they had commonly laid umbrellas on their side when it was windy, “and that does block the view.”

He said playing ball on beach is a safety issue in itself, especially on a crowded beach, with balls bouncing into people “and they don’t care. … We have to do something about that also.” He added that the Town would also have to address placing multiple canopies together, such as how close they could be or how many could be placed together or in a certain amount of space.

Councilman Joseph Healy Jr. said prior discussions of moving canopies back toward the dune had made sense to him. “Putting tents on the beach is probably a little over the top,” he added. “It’s a safety issue. We don’t want to hinder people from coming to the beach, but we need to be practical,” he said, talking of moving canopies to the back of the beach.

He also inquired as to Donnelly’s take on the related safety issues.

Town Manager Cliff Graviet said the lifeguard captain’s opinion was that tents and canopies are not a problem for the beach patrol. Hardiman said Donnelly had told her that some people have a reason to use canopies and also said that sometimes the beach patrol has more problems with umbrellas, such as on windy days.

“It does seem when people are setting up at 8 o’clock in the morning and not using them — that’s an affront,” Healy said.

“It’s all about me,” Killmer said of the attitude that action shows.

Hardiman said that early staking of a claim to space on the beach is a separate issue — one the committee had wrestled with. “I don’t know if there’s an answer.”

Gordon said Rehoboth had looked at putting canopies at the back of its beach, but the feeling had been that it would cause problems for ball-playing, as well as collection of trash, which was one reason Rehoboth had banned canopies entirely. (Graviet said there would be no issue with town staff moving its trash or smoking receptacles, and that they would work with whatever the council gave them for rules.)

“They were trying to make sure everybody knew the rules, and they did, and they haven’t had any big problems,” he said of Rehoboth. “They have had complaints,” he added, but they reached the conclusion that having canopies in the back isn’t necessarily a solution to the problem.

One of the threads of the discussion in both the committee and amongst the council on Sept. 18 was the notion of who uses canopies and why that might be part of the problem.

“I don’t think the idea of banning canopies is a [major] thing,” Gordon said. “I see a lot of umbrellas at the end of the season, but I don’t see a lot of canopies now that the tourists are gone. Canopies are primarily visitor-type implements,” he said.

“That’s because it’s families coming together,” Killmer explained, also noting that Rehoboth perhaps has a need for a more strict policy because it is using its lifeguards to enforce the rules.

“We wouldn’t,” Gordon said to that, noting that when Bethany first imposed its ban on smoking on the beach, they had someone “going up and down the beach” enforcing it for a year and part of another. “People were educated, and now they’re educated and the smoking thing is not an issue.”

He recommended that for the first year of a tent/canopy ban the Town do the same thing. “They could say, ‘Hey, did you know that…?’ even though the signs would be on the beach.”

“The people I talked to are full-time residents, and they wanted to ban everything,” said Councilman Bruce Frye.

“Tourism is important to us, along with the people who come here,” Morris said. “We have to be careful. We can’t be too overregulated.”

Newly installed Councilman Patrick Sheplee noted that he had been one of the three CORC members to dissent on the outright ban on canopies.

“That seems to be the big controversy. We all agreed on umbrellas and baby tents, that tents should not be allowed, that there should not be any type of wires extending beyond the perimeter of the device.”

He said he agreed with Killmer on the issue, favoring allowing canopies with some restrictions on size and/or location.

“It’s important to encourage shade for health reasons,” Sheplee said. “It’s important, whether or not canopies are used primarily by residents or primarily by tourists — the tourists are important, and their thoughts and wishes are important.”

Sheplee looked to the example of the Rouet family, who Ron Rouet said usually puts four canopies together in a square these days. “If we banned those, they would take up even more room with umbrellas. I think canopies are a square umbrella, if you will. They don’t block any more than an umbrella.”

Sheplee said he was concerned that limits on putting them side-by-side would result in a group taking up even more room on the beach. He said he was “very interested in input” from the townsfolk on the issue.

Public comment on both sides

Ron Rouet told the council that he is the youngest of his family of six siblings, who have now come down to Bethany for 35 years in a row, gathering 57 family members for their group photo taken last year, with two more expected to be added by next summer.

“We’re very passionate about this. This is our beach,” he said, noting that his wife is an active-duty military service member, and while they live in Alexandria, Va., they have a part-time residence in the Selbyville area. “So perhaps I’m a tourist and a resident,” he told the council.

Rouet said his family has always set their canopies back from the water, and always “far away from the ramp, to allow people to go around us.”

He said Killmer’s points on common sense were the key, that overregulation was a risk when things were being measured with a tape measure.

“We get frustrated from people who set up early — we set up at 8, and we’re there from 8 to 6 pretty much every day. Others set up and won’t arrive until noon. … We haven’t ever had a complaint, because we use common sense. You don’t need a law if you use common sense.

“We have seen the same families grow up for 35 years,” he said of their fellow beachgoers. “My children have never vacationed anywhere else,” he added, noting that his daughter now sports a Chief Little Owl tattoo, in recognition of the Town’s iconic totem-pole-style sculpture.

Rouet said his family really needs the canopies they use.

“We’re a tall family,” he said, noting his brothers reach 6.5 feet and 6.75 feet in height and don’t easily fit under an umbrella. “We haven’t used umbrellas since maybe 34 years ago. … Canopies are higher. Umbrellas, you can’t see through” as well, he said, due to their often lower height. Some of the family members have artificial knees and find getting under the umbrella is difficult, he said, while their mother had multiple sclerosis and couldn’t get under an umbrella with her beach wheelchair.

“We range in age from 64 to 6 months, with two more babies next year — a canopy for us is the only option,” he emphasized, later saying the family would have to find a new location to go to the beach if a ban was implemented on canopies. “We won’t go to Rehoboth.”

“But it’s common sense, respecting others. The same with playing ball — if the beach is crowded, we don’t.”

Sheplee said the Rouet family “could be the poster-family for how to handle this situation,” noting that they use coolers and sandbags to weigh down their canopies for safety.

“We have never used a wire,” Ron Rouet said.

Asked about possible size restrictions on canopies, he said they’d have to spend more money if their 12-by-12-foot canopies were prohibited but would buy smaller, complying canopies, though they’d likely use more of them, “So the space would be the same.”

He explained that with family members flying in from California and Texas to gather in Bethany Beach, they’d find the money to buy smaller canopies, “But if canopies are banned, we don’t have an option — we will have to go somewhere else.”

“I wish people were as considerate as your family,” Gordon told Rouet.

Resident Toni Miller said she felt canopies pose a greater risk than umbrellas if they go aloft in the wind. “I think moving them back is an option. … We’re trying to be hospitable to the tourists. I don’t think this will make them stop coming, but I agree with working through the options, rather than just saying everything is banned.”

She encouraged the council to make sure the information on any restrictions gets out to visitors.

“There’s got to be an education process,” Killmer agreed.

Resident Joan Gordon lamented that Rouet’s family seemed to her to be unusual.

“You use common sense. Most people on the beach do not,” she said. “I believe that Jack and I spend more time on the beach than all the rest of the people on the council put together. We are beach bums, so I speak from a lot of experience, and most beachgoers, especially tourists, do not use common sense, do not use beach etiquette — they come right on top of you.”

Joan Gordon said canopies, tents and such “have proliferated at an exponential rate in recent years — not only in number but in type. … And that’s going to continue. They’re going to continue to proliferate in number, and they’re going to continue to proliferate in type.”

She said she wanted to have heard more from the five of eight CORC members who had favored the canopy ban.

Hardiman said she had tried to reflect the different points of view and present both sides.

“What was sent to the council was longer,” she said of the information from those who opposed canopies on the beach, including noting that anything less than an outright ban would be difficult to enforce, they had felt, as well as the perception that the majority of those using canopies are visitors.

“If you say you can’t have anything,” Joan Gordon argued, “that’s relatively easy to enforce, compared to saying you can have a 10-foot canopy and it has to be weighted down on the sides. Most do not use common sense,” she reiterated. “It would be a monumental task to get enough enforcement. … If you allow nothing but baby tents, it’s easy to do.

“But there is an aesthetic issue. There were times we walked along and it looked like a tent city of displaced persons. There’s something very attractive and beachy about beach umbrellas. I think there are all kinds of issues you have to consider here.”

Resident Jeanne Laird said that, as a daily beachgoer, “I have threatened every winter to hand out a beach-etiquette pamphlet to people as they come onto the beach.” She said she opposes all tents and canopies, limiting beachgoers to beach umbrellas for shade. “They create the shade that you need, and they’re just a better type of resource.”

Resident Denise Folliard said she goes to the beach at Central Avenue, “which in the best of times is a very narrow beach, with the public parking there, as well as the Christian Church” and, being on the boardwalk near the town’s center, is often very crowded.

She said she’s not necessarily opposed to canopies, and while the Rouet family is great, she said, “Many folks have no beach etiquette. I don’t mind the canopies if people would stay under them, but what happens is people set them up, and then chairs, blankets, a stroller…” she described, noting that one canopy she saw was placed over “a little plastic swimming pool right at the high tide line. … It’s common sense: Don’t set up your canopy at the steps or next to the recycle bin.”

Greg Reef, a visitor to Bethany since 1949 who also lifeguarded on the town’s beaches for seven years during his youth, said “I’ve seen it all, myself.” He emphasized the need for lifeguards not to be enforcing beach rules. “When I was lifeguard, we banned all ball-playing. You don’t need to go to the beach to play football. I’ve seen people hit by footballs,” he said, as well as by people running to catch a football. “There’s your safety issue.”

“As far as tents, I think umbrellas are for the beach. Tents and all these other things are for the woods. If you’re going to put some kind of size limits, fine,” he said, suggesting the Town hire someone “to walk up and down the beach to enforce this stuff.” Reef said he also didn’t believe umbrellas weren’t a workable solution for those who are especially tall, who have knee replacements or who sit on the beach in a wheelchair.

“It works fine for many people that we see coming in wheelchairs,” he said.

Resident Connie Webber offered the council a reason why most of the canopies disappeared from the beach after Labor Day.

“You mentioned we don’t see canopies now. That’s because our families aren’t here,” she said. “We need them when we have 10 or 16 people, not when we have two.” She said her family weighs theirs down, and she’ll sit and hold the umbrella or canopy if it’s windy. “If it flies, it’s going to hurt somebody regardless” of whether it’s an umbrella or canopy, she added.

“We do need to some restrictions to make them weight them down,” she agreed.

“I would like to see them not set up ahead of time,” Webber added. “I don’t like seeing canopies or umbrellas set up at 8 in the morning with no one there.” But she questioned how that kind of restriction could be enforced, especially when it would be difficult for one employee to take down a canopy alone.

“Canopies have become popular because you can’t use an umbrella when you go tailgating or camping,” she noted. “They’re multi-use equipment. You can’t use your umbrellas there. Beach umbrellas are only used on the beach.”

Resident Michelle Reed said she, too, is a daily beach walker, as is her husband.

“Our family comes in throughout summer,” she explained, noting that her elderly mother visits them for a month each summer. “There were times this summer when it wasn’t safe for me to bring her to the beach, and with all the canopies and tents positioned, beach chairs… I could not even get her on the beach, so we would have to return home.”

“We want people to enjoy Bethany,” she said. “I enjoy meeting people. I enjoy the tourists. We want this to be a family welcoming place, but I agree that not everybody uses common sense. … But we do have to consider doing something that is safe and is agreeable to all of us being able to use the beach in an enjoyable way.”

“There have been times in the middle of the summer when you literally cannot move through the beach because of the canopies and things being set up. We all have our favorite spots, and I’ve seen [the Rouet] family there over the years. I hate to say segregate one beach … to use canopies, but maybe it’s something to consider. I’m not averse to thinking that we could have a section of the beach for canopies only.”

Mayor Gordon questioned the council members as to whether they wanted to move forward with a survey or wait until their next regular meeting. “I would like to see what questions would be on a survey,” he said.

Hardiman suggested they proceed with developing a survey and then run questions by the council, working with Graviet on getting the survey available to voters. Graviet said he would send the survey out to all residents and property owners. The council is set to look at the issue again once the survey has been completed.

The Ocean View Historical Society is giving residents and visitors the unique opportunity to get an inside look at some of the most historic homes in Ocean View on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“This will be a one-of-a-kind tour, in that this is the only Ocean View Historic House Tour planned. Then we’ll move on to another town and do one,” said OVHS Board Member Carol Psaros of the group’s inaugural house tour.

Limited tickets for the tour are available for purchase at the Ellen Rice Gallery in Ocean View and Made By Hand in South Bethany. Tickets cost $20 each for current OVHS members and $30 for non-members. They may also be purchased online through the society’s website.

Seven historic homes will be on the tour, with docents located at each one. Proceeds will benefit OVHS projects and the future Coastal Towns Museum, which is planned to be located on the OVHS’s historical complex.

OVHS President “Barbara Slavin and Lena Kuhblank selected the houses. They did that from their knowledge of Ocean View. They just inquired of owners who were around — some are year-round and some are part-time. They just picked the best featured homes that had history tied to them.”

The idea was presented by Slavin and OVHS member Kimberly Grimes, and this will be just the first of tours to come from the OVHS and Coastal Towns Museum group, said Psaros.

“It was a decision of both groups — the Coastal Towns Museum and the board of the Ocean View Historical Society — to have a historic house tour in each of the towns,” she said. “This year it will be in Ocean View. Next year will be Fenwick, and the following year will be Bethany Beach.”

Psaros said the tours are part of a three-year fundraising plan that will help the organizations raise money for both the Coastal Towns Museum and the society’s future education center, Hall’s Store.

The seven homes on the tour are “smaller homes but big for their time.”

“The first house featured will be the Evans-West house, which some people have been through, because we had the house dedication party in the spring,” said Psaros of the home that was donated by the Brunner family and will eventually serve as the Coastal Towns Museum.

Although it is not officially on the house tour, the Tunnell-West House — part of the historical society’s complex at 39 Central Avenue — will also be open for house tour attendees.

Altogether, the tour homes and historical complex offer insight into Ocean View’s history and that of Sussex County, with towns and homes that were created starting in the late 1600s but evolved, particularly in the early 1900s.

“Some have been more renovated than others, but we tried to pick ones that still had the idyllic atmosphere of the turn-of-the-century homes,” said Psaros. “Remember, Ocean View was founded in 1889, but people had lived there for a couple hundred years before that. Then, it was called Hall’s Store. Then it became Ocean View when it incorporated. All these towns in southeast Sussex County and across Delaware really have a rich history.”

Ticket pickup will be on the day of the event at the historical complex, in the Tunnell-West House, located at 39 Central Avenue, Ocean View. Tickets are limited, so those wishing to take part in the tour are being encouraged to purchase online at www.ovhistoricalsociety.org or call (302) 539-8814 or email ovhsociety@gmail.com for more information.