Quantcast
Channel: Coastal Point - Local News
Viewing all 3937 articles
Browse latest View live

Selbyville officials wary of Mountaire water project

0
0

As Mountaire builds a new stormwater system near Selbyville’s water source, the Selbyville Town Council is hoping for the best, but definitely fears the worst.

“Our job is to project the groundwater supply,” said Councilman Richard “Rick” Duncan Sr.

Contamination is the horror story that town council members couldn’t shake from their imaginations as they heard a stormwater system construction update from Mountaire staff on Dec. 4.

The project is almost done.

The new infiltration basin is located behind the Mason Dixon Shopping Center, between Hoosier Street and Clendaniel Avenue. It would collect stormwater from several parking areas, including Mountaire’s live-holding shed, where tractor trailers do park with live chickens.

All water will pass through a forebay before emptying into the infiltration basin. As the enclosed forebay fills with water, sediment sinks to the bottom before water overflows into the main basin. Mountaire will be responsible for cleaning the forebay and mowing grass in the basin.

Town officials said they were thinking of Millsboro, where Mountaire’s failed wastewater system recently sprayed onto fields untreated water containing nitrates, coliform bacteria and other undesirable materials. Public and private entities are now trying to determine the extent of nearby residents’ well contamination.

Roughly a half-acre wide, Selbyville’s infiltration basin is 4 feet deep.

“From the top of the basin to the top of the water table, [government regulators] wanted a minimum of 2 foot. Then we hit the ground water,” said Greg Esham, a Mountaire engineer.

Esham said the land shouldn’t become saturated, which could cause the system to fail to filter properly.

“We’re only, like, 120 foot to where the aquifer is, and if you’re sitting on top, and this water percolates down …” said Councilman Clarence W. “Bud” Tingle Jr.

“The water, once it’s in the infiltration basin, it’s supposed to flow through the soil,” Esham said.

“See — there’s that ‘supposed to’ again,’” Tingle said.

Although engineers from the State of Delaware and Mountaire have explained what “should” happen, no one could promise that the system won’t fail and ultimately contaminate Selbyville’s aquifer.

To ensure Selbyville’s water really isn’t being compromised, the council had requested a nearby test well, but Esham said he hadn’t been instructed to design one. Currently, there is no monitoring well, because the Sussex County Conservation District did not require it. (Esham said they are the “gatekeepers” for DNREC, who are, in turn, the gatekeepers for the EPA.)

Mountaire staffer Eric Reeves promised to take that concern back to the head brass at the company.

If the electric system somehow failed, or a major storm overflowed the system’s capacity, the water would run into the nearby Sandy Branch. It was previously suggested that any contamination would be diluted by rainwater, but nothing is guaranteed. It could still put Mountaire over the legal limits for contaminants.

Mountaire is required to test water immediately after every storm. Councilman Jay Murray said he hoped the Town will also receive a copy of those results, so there will be no surprises.

To pump water from the south side of Hoosier Street, Mountaire planned a “wet well,” which Esham said is a concrete tank similar to a septic system that catches debris, with a force main that pumps water to the infiltration basin.

Duncan questioned how clean the well bottom could be, if there are no plans to clean it regularly.

“[If] water sits in the bottom of the tank, it’s going to start stinking. … We already have an odor problem in town — we don’t need another one,” Duncan said.

Esham said Mountaire will clean the well if it starts to stink.

Residents are always encouraged to call Town Hall to report unpleasant odors in the town, so they can keep a record for Mountaire to address problems. Monthly town council meetings often include one or two complaints from elected officials, which Mountaire staff promise to address.

“We’re still getting a rancid scent, like decaying flesh,” Councilman G. Frank Smith III said of the Mountaire facility in general.

Earlier this year, Mountaire staff repeatedly reminded Selbyville officials that the infiltration basin was required by the Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC). The project was designed after DNREC filed a complaint on Mountaire’s violation of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit in 2015.

DNREC approved Mountaire’s suggestions for improvement in a consent decree, which soon became a binding court order with a Superior Court judge’s signature.

Legally, in the whole infiltration basin project, Selbyville’s only role was to grant a permit for Mountaire’s pipe to cross the street, which the council did reluctantly after meeting with state officials last spring.

The project is meant to eliminate Outfall 002, the last remaining point-source outfall at Mountaire’s plant, which dumped everything directly into the Sandy Branch of St. Martin River, leading to Isle of Wight Bay and Delaware’s inland bays. (Various pollutants had pushed the Maryland Coastal Bays Program to note in 2015 that the St. Martin River “continues to be the worst area for overall watershed health.”)

Meanwhile, Mountaire’s wastewater facility is supposed to pretreat all the unwanted materials that come from inside the plant before the wastewater flows into Selbyville’s municipal wastewater treatment facility. There was a slight glitch in the system, Mountaire staff told the council in December.

“There’s small hole in the pipe, … so we reengineered it so we didn’t flow right to y’all anymore,” said Eric Reeves, Mountaire’s liaison to the Town. “Now we’ve got that fixed. We’ve got a permanent plan we’re working on. We’re getting a couple more bids on it. We should be starting to fix that in the next week or so.”

Reeves has been attending council meetings all year long as he transitioned into the role.

“We did contact you all. I will be straight with you all on each and every thing. … It may not be what you want to hear, but I will,” Reeves told the council.

Smith said he was not pleased at the situation and was awaiting official lab results on potential total max daily load (TMDL) violations.


Bethany Beach ready to drop the ball to kick off 2018

0
0

Why go to Times Square (or even sit at home and watch it on TV) when there’s a ball drop right here at the beach? On New Year’s Eve, Bethany Beach Ocean Suites will host the third annual Beach Ball Drop alongside the boardwalk in Bethany.

Festivities kick off at 10:30 p.m. at Hollywood Street and the boardwalk; and the fun continues until 12:30 a.m. The party, which is free and open to everyone, offers food and beverages, New Year’s party favors, giveaways, a D.J. and light show, and, of course, the countdown to midnight.

In true Bethany Beach style, when the clock strikes 12, an oversized beach ball will drop on Hollywood Street, just as it has the past two years.

The ball itself is quite unique, according to Ocean Suites Activities Director Allyson Knight.

“It’s a 7-foot inflatable beach ball, and — fun fact — it’s actually made of the same material that the floats in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade are made out of,” Knight said.

The ball will actually “drop” on the boardwalk this year, instead of in the street, Knight said. The ball, which is filled with helium, is dropped from a Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company ladder truck with the use of a pulley system, she said.

This year’s D.J. is Mike Warren from Just Kidding Around, and Knight said he will provide interactive fun, including a “pretty cool light show” and dance contests to keep everyone moving.

The New Year’s Eve celebration is just the beginning of a winter full of activities planned by the hotel. The “Frozen” Family Weekend, set for Jan. 19-21, offers guests who are fans of the Disney movie a chance to feel as if they are living in a fairytale. It includes a “royal” welcome at a reception on Friday, Jan. 19, a “melted” pool party, princess makeovers, royal ball and special guest appearances throughout the weekend.

On Jan. 26-29, the hotel will host its first ever Fire & Ice Festival. The centerpiece of that event is an ice sculpture tour in downtown Bethany Beach. Plans include live daily ice-carving demonstrations, warm-up stations, interactive ice games and plenty of food to keep participants warm.

While Bethany Beach has had its Jazz Funeral for years, this year it will add another New Orleans tradition. On Feb. 10, Bethany Beach Ocean Suites will hold its inaugural Mardi Gras celebration. The event will feature all the makings of a traditional Mardi Gras fête, including food, Dixieland jazz, bourbon sampling and classic king cake.

For more information on New Year’s Eve and other activities, visit www.bbosevents.com.

Dagsboro coffee shop the result of a dream allowed to percolate

0
0

Coastal Point • Kerin Magill: Dana Miller, left, Patrick Miller, center, and Audrey Miller hope their new coffee shop, Dagsboro Days, located on Main Street in Dagsboro, will become a popular meeting spot for locals and visitors.Coastal Point • Kerin Magill: Dana Miller, left, Patrick Miller, center, and Audrey Miller hope their new coffee shop, Dagsboro Days, located on Main Street in Dagsboro, will become a popular meeting spot for locals and visitors.In a small alcove built into the wall above shelves bearing bags of locally sourced, organic coffee, sits a large coffee cup. And by coffee cup, we mean, literally, a coffee cup. It’s a takeout cup completely covered in coffee beans. A well-worn cup, each bean carefully glued to its outer surface.

That cup, it turns out, served as the impetus for what is now the newest addition to Dagsboro’s Main Street businesses.

It was given to Dana Miller, who owns the new Dagsboro Days coffee shop, by her friend Tasha, 11 years ago. It bore the message “One bean at a time, and when gathered, a whole pot will brew.”

For years, Miller said, the cup collected spare change. It also served as a kind of talisman that kept her dream alive over the years. Her daughter Audrey Miller, who now works in the shop with both of her parents — Dana and her husband, Patrick — remembers the cup being around when she was younger.

She also remembers something else that inspired her mom: a love for coffee, which Dana passed on to her daughter at an early age.

“I was doomed from the start,” Audrey Miller said with a chuckle.

Sitting at a front table in the shop, which opens officially Jan. 1, Dana Miller recalled how trips to Italy inspired her, igniting in her a desire to replicate what she experienced at coffee shops there.

“Seeing how people came in and either get their shot of espresso at the counter and continued on with their day, or sat and connected...”

That word — “connect.” That’s what Miller said she wanted to foster in her own coffee shop someday.

“We need more of that,” she said. Like the legendary bar where “everybody knows your name,” Miller said, “I want this to be a place where people come and connect. I envision a gathering place.”

Although, early last week, the shop had only been open for a few days in “soft-opening” mode, Dana Miller said she was already seeing that starting to happen at Dagsboro Days. It seems many in town have been anxiously watching the progress of the new shop since the Millers purchased the building in May.

She recalled a woman who was out walking one recent day, who poked her head in the door and said, “You’re here! We’re ready for you!” and then resumed her walk.

“I love that!” Miller said.

Audrey Miller, a 25-year-old business major who comes to the shop as the “brains” of the operation, according to her mom, said the soft opening has been a great way to get to know the community and vice-versa.

“We walked down the street and made connections with people,” she said.

Dana Miller actually already had set down some roots in town, while working at the nearby Jayne’s Reliable furniture store.

Audrey Miller joins her parents in the shop after four years with Habitat for Humanity, having started its neighborhood revitalization program in Laurel. She sees her new role as similar, in some ways, to her former job, as both involve — there’s that word again — connections. The family hopes that by breathing new life into the circa-1950 building, they will be part of a rebirth of the town’s downtown business area.

Not lost on any of the Millers is the fact that, just down Piney Neck Road is a major attraction in the making: the Delaware Botanic Gardens, currently in the early stages of construction, which could attract more visitors to the generally quiet town than it has ever seen before.

While they are excited by the prospect of the gardens’ benefit to the town, they are focused for now on the folks who currently pass by the shop every day.

“We are hoping to attract commuters — we have heard from a lot of teachers that they hope we’ll be open early in the morning so they can stop in,” Dana Miller said.

The shop has already hosted its first “gathering” — the annual Christmas luncheon for Town of Dagsboro staff, which they admitted was a bit of an inside job, since Patrick Miller is a member of the town council. But employees at other businesses in town have already begun calling and placing lunch orders.

The shop’s specialty is obviously its coffee, which comes from Easton, Md.-based Rise Up Coffee Roasters. Dagsboro Days currently offers three types of Rise Up’s fair trade-certified, organic coffee. Dana Miller said she and her family were attracted to Rise Up because of the company’s emphasis on people.

They were also impressed, she said, by the fact that Rise Up took the time to train the Millers in how best to prepare their coffee, including a visit to the Easton roastery, where they practiced their pours on Rise Up’s own customers.

The menu at Dagsboro Days also includes a selection of buns, donuts, cookies and sandwiches, which currently change often as the family finds what works best and what their customers ask for. Audrey Miller said the soft opening has given her a chance to experiment with the menu.

Dana Miller said she wants to have a “combination of sweet and savory” on the menu, with possibilities including grilled sandwiches and frittatas, in addition to the sweet offerings, and bagels supplied by A Bagel And of Ocean Pines, Md. She envisions Dagsboro Days as a spot where folks can stop in and get a nice cup of coffee and something satisfying to eat.

“It’s absolutely terrifying… and exciting!” Dana Miller said of the process of bringing her dream to reality right there in downtown Dagsboro. “To see something you’ve always thought about come to fruition…”

Part of the joy of opening a business in a building with some age on it, she said, is that “locals have been stopping in and telling us that they remember hanging out here” when it was a pizza place, and in many of the brick building’s other iterations. At one point, they’ve learned, it was home to a pet shop.

As for the newest owners, Dana Miller said she and her family hope to make their own memories for themselves and their customers for years to come.

Dagsboro Days is located at 33103 Main Street, Dagsboro. For more information, call (302) 927-0556 or visit the shop’s Facebook page. Hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 1. Beginning Jan. 3, hours will be 6:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends. Dagsboro Days will be closed on Tuesdays.

Two new traffic warning signs go up on Route 17

0
0

Drivers on Route 17 (Roxana Road) will see new flashing yellow beacons to help warn them when traffic may be approaching at two intersections: Daisey Road and Powell Farm Road/Peppers Corner Road.

It isn’t a full stoplight, strung across the road. Instead, the through-route-activated warning system (TRAWS) is a sign with yellow flashing beacons that activates when another car is approaching the intersection from a crossroad.

Route 17 traffic drives through that area at 50 mph, while the side-road traffic must come to a complete stop and yield at Route 17.

Now, when cars on the side roads approach the intersection, underground sensors will send a signal to the Route 17 signs. Drivers on Route 17 will see the flashing LED on a yellow sign that reads “Vehicles Entering When Flashing.”

Drivers aren’t required to do anything differently, and it does not change the overall traffic pattern. However, the change is intended to make drivers more cognizant about driving safely through the intersection.

“By alerting drivers on the major approach … it allows them to make adjustments to their driving (lower travel speed, increase awareness of the approaching intersection, prepare to apply brakes in case of vehicle running the stop sign) that have been shown effective in reducing the number of angle type crashes that occur at minor stop controlled intersections such as Daisey Road/Roxana Road and Powell Farm Road/Roxana Road,” Traffic Studies Manager Peter Haag wrote to state legislators a year ago.

The Daisey Road project should be done in mid-January, while the other project is awaiting electric hook-up from the power company.

DelDOT also recommended installing “Look Again” signs on the cross streets. DelDOT staff said they hope this will reduce the number of cars that run the stop signs or that “fail to remain stopped.”

Past improvements, including regular signage and striping, haven’t been very effective in significantly reducing car collisions, according to DelDOT.

According to the Federal Highway Administration, “This system has been most successfully deployed in rural areas or in areas where the through route speed limit is 45 mph or greater.” Route 17 meets both criteria. Missouri used the signage system and reported an average 51 percent drop in car crashes.

It’s a relatively low-cost project, compared to installation of a full traffic signal. Both roads could expect to see more traffic in the future, as they both end within half a mile of each other in Bayard, an unincorporated area currently seeing new housing developments.

Route 17 has gotten plenty of action lately. Although DelDOT staff have said that stoplights are not the answer to all traffic problems, a full traffic signal was installed at Route 17 and Burbage Road in late 2016, after a DelDOT traffic study determined that 8 out of 11 accidents there could have been prevented.

DelDOT has also relied more on situational technology to improve safety and traffic flow. For instance, many traffic signals rely on underground detectors to give vehicles a green light, and some pedestrian crosswalks activate a stoplight for oncoming traffic.

Fenwick town council talks dredging and borrowing

0
0

The Fenwick Island Dredging Committee met in December to begin brainstorming a plan of attack in their quest to improve navigation in the Little Assawoman Bay and two channels leading there.

“We do not meet the Army Corps of Engineers’ metric for getting federal funding,” which prioritizes commercial shipping on waterways. “We have to look at the ocean and the bay as our factory. We produce a lot of jobs … and income in the state with the ocean and the bay, and we maybe need to start looking at them differently.”

Committee Chairperson Bernie Merritt said Fenwick needs to make some noise. The committee began doling out assignments, including contacting state and local legislators.

They discussed past scientific and economic studies, as well as how to involve the public. This summer, property owners packed town hall to share their concerns about waterway safety and dredging.

While the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control takes the lead on water, some other states consider waterways as a mode of transportation, so perhaps DelDOT could someday be involved. Either way, Fenwick’s goal is to keep consistently working on the issue, so their momentum doesn’t just fizzle out.

“We are not alone, and I think we’re stronger together,” Town Manager Terry Tieman said of the Association of Coastal Towns (ACT), which includes six towns from Fenwick to Lewes that are also interested in maintenance of smaller waterways.

“The key is we concentrate on the beaches so much — and we should — we can’t lose track of how important the bay is to the … tourism and economic footprint,” Merritt said.

The Dredging Committee hopes to meet again in January and invite DNREC officials to discuss the results of a 2016 bathymetric survey.

Town plans

charter change

It’s been about 65 years since the Town of Fenwick Island was founded, and the town council recently realized that some numbers have not been adjusted for inflation.

In December, the council decided to change the town charter to increase the short-term borrowing cap for the council, from $500,000 maximum to 5 percent of the total assessed value of all non-tax-exempt real property located in town. Right now, the assessed value of the town’s real estate would set that borrowing cap at about $1.5 million. Any such short-term loans would have to be repaid within 10 years.

Council Members Roy Williams and Julie Lee said they preferred that borrowing anything over $500,000 require a supermajority vote of the council, which ultimately led to Williams dissenting in the 6-1 vote.

“I have a problem with it being done by four people. I’d like to see it done by five, because it’s quite a bit of money,” Williams said.

“We pass the budget every year with four people,” Councilman Richard Mais countered.

Councilwoman Vicki Carmean said the council is typically unified in major spending decisions, although Lee pointed out that future councils may not be so united.

But the original charter was written without the requirement of a supermajority, and the town council has voted to keep it that way.

Fenwick’s next step will be to ask state Sen. Gerald Hocker Sr. (R-20th) and state Rep. Ron Gray (R-38th) to sponsor the amendment in the Delaware State Legislature, which must itself approve town charter changes by a two-thirds majority.

In other Fenwick Island news:

• After un-tabling a proposed change to the zoning code, the council voted 5-2 (Lee and Williams opposed) to allow some businesses to keep mechanical equipment in property setbacks. Council members had requested to see a diagram showing exactly how commercial lots and their neighbors would be affected by changes to Code Chapter 160-5.C (Area Regulations — Commercial).

Corner business lots will be allowed to have mechanical equipment (such as mechanical pumps, ice machines and more) encroaching 4 feet into their 15-foot side setback. Some businesses could also encroach within 6 feet of the rear property line.

Some residents said they were worried that the allowance places equipment closer to their homes, but most council members said they felt it will allow some leniency from another recent and more strict law, which could have pushed businesses to choose between retail space or putting noisy mechanical systems on their roofs. Vegetative buffers and other screening are also already required near residential properties.

• The 2017-fiscal-year audit was recently completed, with auditor Tom Sombar reporting “a very strong year for the Town — a lot more positives than negatives.” He made some recommendations to improve bookkeeping, which Tieman said staff are already doing. She said the Town’s transfer to a new bank complicated some bookkeeping work, but the system should be smoother now.

• Fenwick police reported an increase in phone and mail scams. People are being encouraged to simply ignore suspicious phone calls and emails. When collecting taxes, the IRS, State and Sussex County will only send official mail through the U.S. Postal Service. They won’t telephone people, demanding money orders or pre-paid debit cards for payment, police emphasized.

• After a presentation from Verizon Wireless, the Technology Committee had recommended the council pursue small-cell wireless technology (from all companies) in town, which should improve mobile signals. The Charter & Ordinance Committee will discuss that at the Jan. 5 meeting.

• The 14th annual Fenwick Freeze will be held on New Year’s Day at 11:30 a.m. at Bayard Street on the beach. Registration is from 9 to 11 a.m.

• The Environmental Committee will celebrate Earth Day with a town-wide trash pick-up event on April 21.

• At the 2017 Turkey Trot, 651 participants and 54 dogs raised $8,100 for the Roxana and Bethany Beach volunteer fire companies. Organizers said that next year, someone else might need to take over planning the Thanksgiving fun-run, or it could become a more casual, no-cost event.

The Fenwick Island Town Council’s next regular meeting will be Friday, Jan. 26, at 3:30 p.m.

IRSD to start talking growth again — ‘We’re behind the ball’

0
0

Even if Indian River School District were, right this moment, to successfully pass a referendum to build new schools, it would be years before the doors opened and the district found relief for the growing student population.

In the new year, the IRSD Board of Education is ready to start having some “serious talks about increased enrollment, especially in the north,” Board President Charles Bireley said in December.

In the autumn of 2016, even the State of Delaware recognized that IRSD needs additional buildings, giving them permission to pursue four capital-improvement projects: a new elementary school at the Ingram Pond property in Millsboro; a new middle school on the Sussex Central High School property north of Millsboro; 26 additional classrooms, an expanded cafeteria and another gymnasium at Sussex Central High School; and replacement of the Howard T. Ennis School building in Georgetown.

But those approved certificates-of-necessity took a back seat to the current-expense referendum that the IRSD was trying to pass at the time (which failed in its initial vote and wasn’t approved until a second vote in the spring of 2017), just to keep the lights on and make up for budget cuts elsewhere.

But the kids keep coming, and just a quick study of the Georgetown schools made district leaders nervous.

For instance, this year, at Sussex Central High School, the school population has already exceeded the space capacity of 1,500 by another 115 students. Based on Millsboro and Georgetown middle schools, SCHS is only going to get more cramped.

“We would be facing a situation next year where they have an increase of 100 more than they are today,” said Superintendent Mark Steele. “I do plan on running projections for all 16 schools over Christmas break and give you some good solid numbers when we get back … give us a real clear picture of what we’ll be facing over the next five to seven years.”

“We’re behind the ball with this referendum,” Rodney Layfield said.

“We’re looking at about four, five years down the road before we can get any relief. We’re also going to see the same crowding at East Millsboro and Long Neck. They seem to be growing rapidly,” said Steele.

Even if State money isn’t available right now, Bireley said, “We need to do our part to get ready.”

There is some good news on the building front. Because Howard T. Ennis is a special State school, it’s 100 percent State-funded, and the State is moving forward with allowing IRSD to build a replacement building on the district’s preferred location on Stockley Center land, across the street from SCHS.

In other recent Indian River School District news:

• The local teachers’ and staff union thanked the IRSD school board for not supporting the State’s proposed anti-discrimination Regulation 225, which was intended to protect at-risk students but was criticized by some as appearing to take away parental rights. Although the state-level union had supported the regulation for protecting students, Indian River Education Association (IREA) President J.R. Emanuele said the local union had not supported the measure, but was outvoted at the state level. The regulation and comments thereupon are currently under consideration by Delaware Secretary of Education Susan Bunting, the former superintendent of the IRSD.

• Selbyville Middle School, Georgetown Middle School and Georgetown Elementary School were honored as State Recognition Schools for performing at exceptionally high levels and/or closing the achievement gap.

• The board updated Policy GBCB.6 (Staff Conduct/Social Networking Policy for Employees), which clarifies that staff may only contact students through “district-approved forms of communications, such as: email, learning management systems, other online collaboration platforms and legitimate broadcast software, such as rainedout.com. Other forms of personal electronic communication with students, such as instant messaging, cellular phones, social media or texting are strictly prohibited.”

The IRSD Board of Education’s next regular meeting is Monday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m. at Indian River High School.

Shiver me timbers! Fenwick Freeze returning Jan. 1

0
0

What’s it like to jump in the Atlantic Ocean on New Year’s Day?

“It’s not as bad as it seems,” said Becca McWilliams, organizer of the Fenwick Freeze. “You go in so fast, and your adrenaline is pretty pumped at that point. You’re in and out before you feel how cold it is. … If you do it, you really feel good after you do it. It’s kind of exhilarating.”

Similarly brave souls can participate in the 14th Annual Fenwick Freeze on Monday, Jan. 1, at 11:30 a.m. at Bayard Street in Fenwick Island.

“It’s a good away to star the new year. Kind of a cleanse, you know?” said McWilliams, who swears she never catches a cold in the years she splashes in the ocean on New Year’s Day.

Participants should have warm gear for afterward, such as towels, blankets, coats, boots or even coffee or hot chocolate.

“Jump in at 11:30, and be done at 11:35!” she said with a laugh.

The Freeze itself is free and open to the public. Long-sleeved event T-shirts (charcoal gray with a teal mermaid design) can be purchased beforehand for $20, or $25 on the day of the event. Proceeds from shirt sales will benefit the Fenwick Island Beach Patrol summer competitions, which often lead to several local guards competing at the national level. People can also donate cash if they don’t want the shirt.

People have two chances to buy shirts: Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Fenwick Island Town Hall and on Monday from 9 to 11 a.m. at the beach. Details and shirt purchase forms are online at www.fenwickisland.delaware.gov.

“Come out and support the local beach patrol. It’s a great way to start your new year,” McWilliams said.

Also at the Freeze, winners will be announced for the “Find Freezy the Snowman” shopping contest, which customers of Fenwick businesses entered in December.

Mariner’s invites those grieving to ‘share’ with others

0
0

The ministers at Mariner’s Bethel United Methodist Church know that no matter the season, people are experiencing grief. Because of that, they decided to start offering GriefShare to those in the community in need of support.

“It’s such a common issue — grief — especially around the holidays,” said Joe Ciccanti, lay-minister of pastoral care at Mariner’s. “Those who have had experiences of having a death in the family or the loss of a loved one, and they need somewhere to turn — it’s really good to be able to offer that.”

According GriefShare’s website, “GriefShare groups meet weekly to help you face these challenges and move toward rebuilding your life.”

The program features three elements — video seminars, support-group discussion, and personal study and reflection.

“We meet the second and fourth Monday of the month in Room 209 at the church. I start out by making sure they understand about confidentiality in the group. Then there’s a time of sharing after the video. I make it clear that not everybody has to share. They can pass if they want to.”

The church has already completed one session of the course and will be beginning the journey again on Monday, Jan. 8, 2018, at 10 a.m. The meetings will take place every second and fourth Mondays of each month.

The full GriefShare program runs for 13 weeks, with each week being a standalone session.

“If someone misses one week, they don’t need to see that video before they see the next,” said Ciccanti, noting the videos are about 40 minutes in length.

Those who participate in the free program will be given a GriefShare workbook to use throughout the sessions.

“There are testimonials in the book. They have exercises for reflection, scripture verses… There are sections they can take notes to go along with the video. They can use that workbook to track their progress and follow along with the videos.”

Ciccanti said the first session had a steady, small group of about 10 people.

“Those who are willing to come out have really gotten a lot out of the videos. We have some who are further along in their grief journey, who are wanting to help others, reach out and support them. They need that time to communicate, share, and express their feelings about things. They’re also looking to connect with others, in terms of helping them as well.”

If the group were to grow, Ciccanti said, Mariner’s Stephen Ministry, a one-on-one caring ministry for those in the church who are grieving, would help run the sessions.

“Some really prefer solitude, but there are times when there is a need to connect with others who are going through similar situations,” he noted.

Ciccanti said the environment is warm, welcoming and supportive for those who attend. Attendees do not need to share, but can, if they choose to do so.

“There’s just so much of a need for it out there, that after praying about it and talking to the pastors, it seemed to be a really good idea to start this at Mariner’s,” he said. “The pastors are supportive and the other lay leaders are supportive of this group as well. We’re all working together.”

While GriefShare is a Christian-based program, Ciccanti said all are welcome to attend the sessions, and he hopes that those in need do.

“It’s open to the community, not just members of the church. There’s an incredible need out there, and we’re just one of the places that offers this. I just want to give folks the opportunity to come out and share and connect with others, because oftentimes people need that support from others.”

Mariner’s Bethel United Methodist Church is located at 81 Central Avenue, just off Route 26, in Ocean View. For more information regarding Mariner’s GriefShare program, call (302) 539-9510.


County P&Z hears, defers two change-of-zone applications

0
0

After holding public hearings on Dec. 21 for two local change-of-zone applications, the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously voted to defer their decisions on both.

One application, for a parcel located at the southeast corner of Bayard and Double Bridges roads, filed by Lemuel H. Hickman GST Exempt Trust fbo Brenton Archut, requested that a 5.11-acre area of their overall parcel, which measures 24.8 acres, be rezoned from AR-1 (Agricultural Residential District) to Business-1.

The property is vacant, with no improvements, and is currently being used for farming.

“We’re not trying to overreach,” said the applicant’s attorney, Dennis Schrader of Morris James. “What my client would like to do is a small retail, garden center in this location.”

Schrader said the Delaware Department of Transportation’s Level of Service indicates the level of service at that parcel would likely be less than 50 vehicle trips per hour or 500 trips per day, therefore not requiring a traffic impact study.

“It’s been in our family for approximately 75 years,” said Archut of the property, noting that, over the years, the property has started to be surrounded by development.

“Above us, completely surrounding us, is a new subdivision being built,” he said. “Currently, there’s probably 25 to 30 homes already built or under construction. And the full subdivision, by the time it’s over, will be 88 homes. Just down Camp Barnes Road … is where The Estuary is being built, and that’s approximately 700 homes, 40 to 50 of which are already built or under construction.”

Archut said a small subdivision was also being built across Bayard Road from the property, and noted that, about one mile away is Forest Landing, which is close to being built out. Sections of Millville By the Sea will stretch to Peppers Corner Road, about one mile away, as well.

He said the property had been used as a poultry farm by his grandfather until the early 1980s. The chicken houses were taken down in the 1990s.

“It’s been share-cropped ever since.”

Along with the garden center, Archut said his family hopes to potentially construct a “small convenience-style” store, similar to Quillen’s Market, which used to exist just up the road.

“We don’t envision any petroleum products,” he said. “We just want a place … where all these 800-some homes can possibly get something to eat, potentially a gallon of milk and any other necessities they may need that would prevent them from going out on busy roads like Route 54 and Route 26.”

Archut said the closest stores of that type would be Uncle Willie’s on Route 54 and the Royal Farms in Ocean View, which is a few miles away.

The proposed plan would include a total retail space of approximately 7,000 square feet, while the greenhouses would equal approximately 3,500 to 4,000 square feet.

“I have been approached by three landscapers looking for space in this area,” said Archut. “On the concept plan, there are 50 parking spaces, but the way the property is set up … there could be significantly more, if necessary.”

Under the proposal, significant space would be dedicated for stormwater management. While DelDOT does not require a traffic impact study for the site, they did increase the designation of the road to a major collector.

“There’s been increased traffic on the road,” Archut stated. “If anything, we know we’re going to have to do road improvements, intersection improvements, potentially road improvements down both sides of the road, which we’ll be more than willing to do when it becomes necessary. If anything, it would probably make the area safer than it is now.”

Schrader noted that, while the change-of-zone application gave details related to the desired use for the land, if the request was granted, they would still be back before the County with preliminary and final site plans.

No one at the hearing spoke in favor of or in opposition to the application. The commissioners voted 4-0 to defer their decision.

The commission that night also heard a change-of-zone request filed by Preston and Brenda Brasure for their 2.72-acre property on the west side of Roxana Road. The Brasures requested that the property, which has been in the family since 1946, be rezoned from AR-1 (Agricultural Residential district) to a CR-1 (Commercial Residential district).

The applicants’ attorney, Shannon Carmean Burton of Sergovic, Carmean, Weidman, McCartney & Owens P.A., noted the owners have no intentions of developing the property at this time.

“I’m in poor health, and I figured it would do my family good… I don’t plan on doing anything with it,” said Preston Brasure.

Brasure also stated that he and his wife moved out of the family home on the property in 2005 because they wanted to live in a more rural area. Since then, they have had renters at the property, but that experience, he said, has been “hectic.”

Engineer Steve Hutchins of Axiom Engineering stated that the parcels are located in an area that has “been trending commercial for some time.”

Hutchins said the County’s commercial land use and development plan shows the property in a projected commercial growth area.

Burton noted that the “majority of the lands in close proximity to the Brasures’ property are zoned CR-1 or C-1,” calling attention to Hocker’s Super Center, Bob’s Marine and Creative Concepts. She added that the adjoining parcel to the west, while zoned AR-1, is owned by 84 Lumber.

“Although the Brasures do not plan to develop the land at this time, they do recognize the change in the character and quality of the area, and believe that the property has limited value as residential property at this point.”

She added that the rezoning would “provide compatibility with these neighboring uses” and that they do not believe it would have a negative impact or cause detriment on neighboring areas or uses in the area.

Kelly Jansen of Bridgeville spoke in favor of the application, noting that the applicants are her parents.

“He had a boat before he even had a bicycle,” she said of her father. “Moving inland was very difficult for them… It’s not a question if it’s going to be zoned commercial, it’s a question of when.”

Jansen said the roads are already full with traffic, and what they are asking for would not change the character of the area.

“I don’t like the area becoming commercial, either… but it is. This is always been something they’ve talked about… They are not trying to change the character of the district.”

Brenda Bove, who owns the horse farm immediately adjacent to the Brasures’ property, spoke in opposition to the application.

“The property currently is a small property. It has two rentals, one of which has a failing septic system and it doesn’t have access to County sewer,” she said. “Until it has access to County sewer, it should not be rezoned commercial.”

Assistant County Attorney Vince Robertson said the commission would have to have some discussion before taking action on the application.

“That one was just purely speculative, but there were legitimate reasons for it,” he said.

“Speculative zoning is not appropriate. We don’t change zones just so people can sell their land for more money. There has to be another compelling reason,” said Commissioner Bob Wheatley. “In this case, while the applicant presented the profit motive as being one of their arguments, it wasn’t their only argument. And I think their other arguments were compelling.

“There’s a lot of other development in that area,” Wheatley added. “I certainly feel for the horse-farm folks, but they’re probably going to be subsumed by all of it at some point.”

The commission voted 4-0 to defer action on that application as well.

Start the New Year off right — with a quick run and dip

0
0

Coastal Point • File Photo: Revelers took a (cold) leap of faith into the ocean off Bethany Beach last Jan. 1 to participate in the Leo Brady Exercise Like the Eskimos event, put on by the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce.Coastal Point • File Photo: Revelers took a (cold) leap of faith into the ocean off Bethany Beach last Jan. 1 to participate in the Leo Brady Exercise Like the Eskimos event, put on by the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce.

Those who are looking for a way to start the New Year off with a bang, and possibly wash away 2017, may want to consider a cleansing dip in the Atlantic on Jan. 1.

The Leo Brady Exercise Like the Eskimos will celebrate its 23rd year in Bethany Beach on Jan. 1, 2018, giving people of all ages the opportunity to dive into the frigid ocean.

Those interested in taking the plunge may register the day-of, at the bandstand in downtown Bethany Beach from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. All participants must sign a waiver and will receive a wrist band indicating their participation. The cost to register for the plunge is $20 per person.

Eskimos will gather on the beach by Garfield at 11:45 a.m. for a noon plunge into the ocean — rain or shine.

Prizes will be awarded for the best team attire/theme, as well as the “Whale of a Team” award, given to the largest registered team. The “bathing suits-only” event will end with a post-plunge party and award ceremony at Cottage Café from 12:30 to 4 p.m.

The funds raised by the event support the Captain William O. Murray Scholarship, part of the Quiet Resorts Charitable Foundation, given to a student who exhibits a strong commitment to civic and community service.

According to the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce’s website, “Each scholarship recipient will be awarded $2,000 per year for four years. The scholarship is based on a combination of financial need, academics, school involvement and community service.”

That same morning, the Hair of the Dog 5K/10K race will also take place in downtown Bethany. The land-based rain-or-shine event costs $35 for the 5K, $45 for the 10K, or $70 to do the 5K, 10K and the plunge.

Those who wish to participate may register at the bandstand between 7:30 and 8:30 a.m. At 8:35 a.m., there will be a mandatory pre-race meeting at the starting line. The 10K will kick off promptly at 8:45, with the 5K beginning at 10 a.m. A post-race party will be held at Mango’s from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.

Awards will be presented to the top male and female overall in both races and in age groups, at 11 a.m.

For more information on the events, visit http://business.bethany-fenwick.org/events/details/annual-hair-of-the-do....

Delmarva Whiskey Club sponsoring benefit for SEAs the Day

0
0

The Delmarva Whiskey Club will hold its Fourth Annual Winter Golf Outing & Scotch Dinner on Jan. 27 and 28, 2018.

The event will begin at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27, with a Scotch Whiskey Dinner. The sit-down pairing of fine food and high-end Scotch will be held at the Cove Bar & Grille at the Bayside Resort Golf Club in the Bayside in West Fenwick. The golf outing will feature a shotgun start at 11 a.m. Sunday, in a foursome team scramble format.

Proceeds from the events will go to Operation SEAs the Day, a beach week event for U.S. military veterans who are recovering from injuries sustained while serving the country, and their families. During the week, Bethany Beach will host soldiers and their immediate families for a week of rest and relaxation.

The Delmarva Whiskey Club was established for whiskey fans and sponsors various whiskey-tasting events during the year. The club welcomes those who have just begun to appreciate whiskey, as well as seasoned whiskey aficionados.

To register for the Whiskey Club’s Winter Golf Tournament, or for more information, visit http://www.delmarvawhiskey.com/golf. To become a tournament sponsor or join the Whiskey Club, contact Kevin Clover, president, at (215) 815-1706 or kevin@delmarvawhiskey.com.

Registration open for Winter Delmarva Birding Weekend

0
0

Registration for the Winter Delmarva Birding Weekend is now open at www.DelmarvaBirding.com for the birding extravaganza slated for Jan. 26-28.

Nature lovers may be aware of the Spring Delmarva Birding Weekend held in April, but organizers have again planned another schedule of field trips in late January to showcase Delmarva’s diversity of winter wildlife.

“We enjoy such a big difference in bird species in winter and spring that it just made sense to host two weekends,” said Worcester County Tourism Director Lisa Challenger. Now waterfowl, raptor and songbird lovers can enjoy an arctic experience on the peninsula.

Travelling thousands of miles, harlequin ducks, eiders, purple sandpipers, falcons and more than 25 species of duck, goose and swans are on full display in the Mid-Atlantic for about four months a year. More than 105 species were tallied in 2017.

There are also opportunities to see unusual winter rarities, such as a snowy owl or snow bunting. Both species have been seen recently along the Delmarva coast. Birding Weekend organizers said the only way to see the birds is to shed those winter blues, dust off the binoculars and get outside.

Seals are a draw, too, with close-up looks at harbor and gray seals on the breakwaters in Delaware Bay during the Lewes boat trip that departs from Fisherman’s Wharf.

Guided by local birders with decades-long experience on the shore, the walking tours and boat trips accommodate visitors from the curious nature lover to fowl fanatics. Last year, birdwatchers from surrounding states flocked to the winter event, organizers said.

“Most folks have no idea how spectacular the winter birding is down here,” said guide and event co-organizer Jim Rapp. “The sheer number of bald eagles and ducks is mind-boggling. We’re hosting the event on the weekend between the NFL playoffs and the Super Bowl, so we hope you’ll get off the couch, bundle up and get outdoors!”

The winter trips feature a near-shore maritime boat cruise to enjoy pelagic and arctic migrants, waterfowl and eagle-watching trips, and jaunts in Delaware and Maryland through what are considered some of the most pristine habitats on the East Coast.

Organizers said participants often recount the event in terms of experiences rather than simply observing birds — thousands of snow geese lifting off a farm field, a majestic bald eagle soaring over the marsh, long-tailed ducks bobbing on the waves at the inlets, or the eerie hoot and shadow of a great horned owl at dusk. An outdoor experience is the true draw, they said.

The Delmarva Peninsula is considered one of the country’s premier birding areas, thanks to an extensive variety of habitat protected by coastal parks, refuges and wildlife management areas. More than 400 bird species have been recorded in the region, and previous Weekend tallies have topped 200 species.

“Delaware is teeming with bird species in winter,” said Southern Delaware Tourism Director Scott Thomas, “and this is a great place to experience them.”

If seeing so many bird species isn’t enough, participants can feel even better knowing that they’ve helped Delmarva’s birds by promoting birding and habitat conservation. Organizers of the event said birders, both novice and experienced, make an important statement about the economic value of birds and their habitats through the money they spend in local hotels, restaurants and shops.

Participants are being encouraged to remind local businesses that they are there to enjoy Delmarva’s natural areas and the birds that inhabit them.

“It’s our vast shallow bays and large tracts of protected marshes and bald cypress forests that make the Delmarva Peninsula one of the finest birding regions in the nation,” said guide and event co-organizer Dave Wilson. “During the Weekends, our guests will hike on private farmland and woodland that are normally off-limits to birders, and our waterborne trips go where the birds are. It’s amazing to tally 100 species in a single day on light hikes and boat trips in our own backyard.”

Gift certificates and customized private birding tours are available as holiday gifts.

The Spring Delmarva Birding Weekend, held April 26-29, celebrates the migration of the spring suite of warblers, shorebirds, waterfowl and raptors. Registration for the spring event will open later this month.

In addition, 2018 continues the Beans, Birds & Beers day-trip series, starting in February and continuing throughout the year all over the Lower Shore. Participants can enjoy local coffee, birds and craft brews on half- or full-day excursions.

Sponsorship and event registration information can be found at www.DelmarvaBirding.com.

Horse whisperers

0
0

Two new faces arrived on the playground at George Washington Carver Academy this autumn. One blonde and one brunette, they nibbled grass while waiting to meet the students.

Coastal Point • Laura Walter: Kareem Hood hangs with Mr. Jones at G.W. Carver Academy in December. Cute Horse is in the background.Coastal Point • Laura Walter: Kareem Hood hangs with Mr. Jones at G.W. Carver Academy in December. Cute Horse is in the background.In a unique approach to counseling, the Carver school brought an equine program to elementary and middle-school students.

School Counselor Whitney Price said she saw fewer office referrals and better behavior from students who attended the program regularly.

“They are enjoying it,” Price said. “We’re seeing a side of some of our students that we haven’t seen before, which is really empathy, compassion, a really gentle approach, which is really neat. We’re excited.”

Carver Academy is an alternative school for the Indian River School District, addressing the academic, behavioral and personal needs of about 70 K-12 students at any given time.

“We don’t want to be known as the school where the bad kids go. That’s not our purpose,” Price said. “We have amazing kids who just, for some reason, made some bad choices or need to [work on] coping mechanisms.”

The school district won grant money to make the program possible, and Carver staff are applying for more grants to continue the program in the spring.

Based in Lincoln, Courageous Hearts Equine Assisted Psychotherapy & Learning Center hosts similar horsey programs across the state, bringing their own mental-health clinicians and horse specialists.

“Horses are large and powerful, often creating a natural opportunity for some to overcome fear,” according to Courageous Hearts staff. “Horses are very much like humans, in that they are social animals. They have defined roles in their herd, they require work, and they have distinct personalities, attitudes and mood.”

They’re sensitive to non-verbal communication, so students who can’t convince a horse to follow certain commands might have to rethink their own actions. It isn’t a riding program, so kids keep their feet on the ground.

According to the program’s staff, everyone reacts differently to meeting a horse for the first time.

“Some of them are intimidated. Some just walk right up,” said Bekah Baughman, daughter of Courageous Hearts owner Rosemary. “For these kids, the teachers said they had never seen them that calm. They just petted them for an hour.”

On a warm December day, three elementary-schoolers trotted out to the temporary paddock. They’d had several previous visits, so they were comfortable leading the horses around.

How are the horses doing today? “They’re good!” the students said.

Horses have distinct personalities, but they’re presented to the students as a blank slate: no names, no gender, no information.

“We want them to discover this themselves,” said Linda Muncy, an equine specialist for Courageous Hearts. “We don’t give them any information about the horses, because they become metaphors.”

Every week, the kids assign names and genders to the horses. This week, the students named the two Welsh ponies “Cute Horse” and “Mr. Jones” (after a favorite staffer who was outside with them).

Kids reveal their own thoughts as they observe and interpret horse behavior.

Why are the horses standing so far apart today? The answers might be a projection of the students’ own minds or mood. (Maybe the horses need some alone-time. Maybe they’re angry at each other or one is a bully.) That gives counselors a foothold to help children discuss those kinds of feelings. “Why do you think this horse might be a bully?” “What makes him act that way?” “Why do you feel this way?”

On the surface, the kids learn how to brush, pet or even lead a horse around. But the lessons teach deeper skills, including empathy and respect. When Kareem Hood leapt in front of Mr. Jones, the horse jerked its head away. But Kareem then knowingly stroked the horse’s nose and calmed him down.

There are teachable moments everywhere. When startled, one horse ducked away. Humans do that too, Muncy said. “That’s how we stay safe.”

The day’s topic was goals, so students shared their own dreams for the future: to be a tiger trainer or a college football player. Then they got creative while imagining the horses’ goals. The kids decided Mr. Jones wants to visit Hawaii, so they dressed him in flowery leis and a sunhat.

“You always want to instill hope in the kids for the future,” said Michelle Munday, a mental-health intern at Courageous Hearts.

“The students really seem to look forward to this,” said school social worker Ann Breneman. Afterward, they draw or write about their experience with the horses.

These horses themselves have no special training. They’re just calm and non-aggressive. The program’s staff said horses are calming in general. The big creatures will cooperate with humans, but they also don’t take nonsense from anybody, which makes them perfect for working with kids.

Depending on grant availability, G.W. Carver Academy staff hope to bring the Courageous Hearts program back for high-school students this spring.

Selbyville, Frankford libraries to host social workers

0
0

People already go to the library to get a leg up on job hunting or social services, so the Delaware Department of Health & Social Services has made that connection official. Social workers will hold weekly office hours at seven locations, including the Selbyville and Frankford public libraries.

Through the program, which started in mid-December, eligible families and individuals can learn about, or apply for, state services in Delaware. That includes SNAP and other food benefits; childcare; Medicaid; long-term nursing care; cash benefits; home energy assistance; addiction help; employment and training; and more.

Dorian Baker, a Sussex County social worker, also helps people navigate the online application process for such services.

“There’s going to be a quiet place. Everything will be confidential. … Whatever takes place there stays there,” said Baker, adding that she wants people to feel comfortable when they chat with her.

Baker said she is proud of her clients’ success stories — especially six individuals who received state benefits, then began volunteering, followed Baker’s job advice and eventually earned paying jobs with State of Delaware.

“Not only did I provide them with those tools,” Baker said, “there was job information. We talked about life itself.”

In the 21st century, libraries have already emerged as community centers and technology hubs. Delaware Libraries and Delaware Health & Social Services partnered to extend the services already available at 15 state service centers.

“We’re giving people more ways to access social services,” said Kelly Kline, director of the Selbyville Public Library. “People often come to us asking about the benefits that DHSS offers, and they have a variety of … problems they ask library staff to assist them with. So they’re already comfortable coming to libraries and asking for these services.”

Thanks to the new program, people won’t need to drive to the Edward W. Pyle State Service Center, which is located among the cornfields of Roxana and nowhere near a regular bus route.

“Library patrons will receive face-to-face contact with a social worker who can help them on the spot and, as needed, connect them to other beneficial services and programs,” said Ray Fitzgerald, director of DHSS’s Division of Social Services. “We hope this will ease the process for those seeking services while freeing library staff to concentrate on patrons’ other needs.”

The schedule for social workers in Delaware libraries is:

• Selbyville Public Library, Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.

• Frankford Public Library, Thursdays, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

• Seaford Public Library, Mondays, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.

• Dover Public Library, Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to noon

• Route 9 Library, New Castle, Tuesdays, 1 to 4:30 p.m.

• Wilmington Public Library, Wednesdays, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• North Wilmington Public Library, Fridays, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

“Come see us! We’re excited. We’re ready to help people,” Kline said.

Patrons can just walk in, although the libraries could adopt an appointment system for the services in the future.

Details are online at https://lib.de.us/socialworkers. People can also call the Selbyville Public Library at (302) 436-8195 or Frankford Public Library at (302) 732-9351.

“We want to make sure we get the information out,” Baker said. “We’re all eager. We’re all exited. Everybody wants this to work.”

Local girl does her part to spread the warmth

0
0

Coastal Point • Shaun M. Lambert: Maggie Bare, a third-grade student at Southern Delaware School of the Arts, decided she wanted to help people who needed warm coats, and she is.Coastal Point • Shaun M. Lambert: Maggie Bare, a third-grade student at Southern Delaware School of the Arts, decided she wanted to help people who needed warm coats, and she is.With temperatures often below freezing these past few weeks, those without a home are in need of warm coats more than ever.

With that in mind, 9-year-old Maggie Bare is doing her part to help.

“My aunt works for a hospital in Maryland, and she was doing a coat drive,” said Bare, a third-grader at the Southern Delaware School of the Arts.

“Her Aunt Ellen works as an emergency room nurse at the University of Maryland,” added Bare’s mother, Betsy. “We visited a couple weeks ago, and she asked our family to bring any extra coats, because they get a lot of homeless people from downtown Baltimore and she likes to give out things to keep them warm. Maggie had talked to her Aunt Ellen and decided she wanted to do something around here to help.”

Maggie’s Coat Drive runs through Jan. 16. She is taking all sizes of coats — new and used. Those interested in contributing may drop off donations at Selbyville Middle School, where Betsy Bare and her husband both work, or at Frankford Town Hall.

“We’re going to take them to the Christian Storehouse,” said Betsy. “My husband contacted someone there who works with five different churches, and they feed the homeless and do a soup kitchen about once a week. So, someone there will be able to give them out to local churches and organizations, to whomever may need them.”

Betsy Bare said that if anyone can’t get to either of the drop-off locations, a pick-up can be scheduled.

“We’re more than willing to come and meet someone somewhere if they want to donate the coats. If they want to come to the middle school, we’re there every day,” she said. “We’re flexible to make it work for someone to donate whatever they can. Once she gets them all, we’ll contact the Christian Storehouse and have them sent out to the local churches.”

Maggie, who started the drive in December, has collected about 15 coats so far.

“It makes me feel nice, because I like making people warm this winter, since I get cold a lot. I like people to be warm,” she said.

Maggie said all kinds of coats can be donated, but she said ones with hoods are especially nice.

“They can be gently used or whatever kind of coat people want to give!”

Maggie said donating to those in need is important, so why not give back if you can?

“It keeps someone warm, and it would be warm. If you’re warm, how about somebody else being able to be warm?”

“Everybody wants to be warm,” added Betsy Bare. “So, if you can help someone else be warm this winter, why not?”

Selbyville Middle School is located at 80 Bethany Road in Selbyville. Frankford Town Hall is located at 5 Main Street in downtown Frankford. To contact Bare about scheduling a pick-up, email her at bdupont8@yahoo.com.


All aboard!

0
0

With winter school breaks over and the new year begun, the Delaware Seaside Railroad Club will wrap up its holiday train display at the Georgetown Public Library on Saturday, Jan. 6, offering a final chance to take in the train layouts designed to delight even the very youngest visitors. The display is free and will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

There are four layouts at the library, according to club spokesman Bill Ziegler, ranging in size from 3 feet wide by 5 feet long to 12 feet long and 28 feet wide.

The largest layout is an O-gauge display that includes 16 dioramas, or scenes, Ziegler said. The theme of that one is “Rails Across America,” and it features a lifelike Niagara Falls made possible with the use of a rotating screen, as well as a display of Chincoteague horses, the Empire State Building complete with King Kong, Times Square and a “honeymoon cottage,” according to Ziegler.

The layout also includes buttons that visitors can push to activate features along the tracks. There are three trains operating on that layout at all times.

Another layout features two ovals of Thomas the Tank Engine trains, which children can operate with a remote, Ziegler said. A third layout features scenes from the book and movie “Polar Express,” in which visitors can look for main characters Billy and the Conductor. A fourth layout — the smallest of them all — is a Brio wooden train set, only 18 inches off the ground and very toddler friendly, Ziegler said.

Model trains remain an activity that brings generations together, Ziegler said.

“It’s something that’s active,” he noted, adding that, unlike so many modern activities, it’s hands-on and “doesn’t involve your thumbs” or a computer screen.

“Everybody that looks at it says ‘oooh’ and ‘ahhhh,’” Ziegler said. For visitors above a certain age, he said, “It brings back your childhood.”

The intergenerational aspect makes model trains especially appealing to families, he emphasized.

“We see the grandpa come in with the son and the grandson,” he said, adding that girls and women also enjoy model trains.

The membership of the Delaware Seaside Railroad Club, in fact, includes both genders, and members range in age from 14 to the 80s, Ziegler said.

In addition to their displays out in the community, the club, founded in 2004, now has a clubhouse in the Clayton Crossing complex on Route 113 in Dagsboro that is open each Wednesday evening from 5 to 8 p.m. and each Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Ziegler said, with this being the last weekend of the Georgetown show, visitors can make their way from there to the Dagsboro location if they really want to see some great train layouts.

The Delaware Seaside Railroad Club always welcomes new members. The club meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 7 to 9 p.m. in the South Coastal Library in Bethany Beach. Their next meeting is Jan. 9.

The Georgetown Public library is located at 123 W. Pine Street, Georgetown. The Delaware Seaside Railroad Club’s clubhouse is located at 32442 Royal Blvd., Suite 1-A, Dagsboro. For more information on club activities, go to www.delawareseasiderailroadclub.com or call (302) 945-1627.

Clayton Theatre offers captioned movies for hard-of-hearing

0
0

The writing’s on the wall at the Clayton Theatre. The Dagsboro movie theater is making the arts more accessible to people who are deaf and hard-of-hearing by offering open-captioning matinees.

“The deaf community is a vibrant community,” said Barbara White, who suffered progressive hearing loss in her youth. “I’m glad that we’ll finally be able to see a top-rated movie with open captions.”

Open captioning works just like subtitles. While in closed captioning the text is broadcast via signal, usually on those familiar black bars across the television screen, and can be turned on and off, in open captioning, everyone can see the words shown directly on the screen with the rest of the picture.

White encouraged theater owner Joanne Howe to try open-caption nights, which began in November with showings of the firefighter movie “Only the Brave” and continued in recent weeks with “The Star” and “Wonder.”

“I didn’t realize we had such a large hard-of-hearing community out there,” Howe said. “It’s been interesting. I’ve enjoyed working with them. I hope we can do some more in the future.”

But people don’t have to be deaf to benefit from captions. It helps English language learners, seniors losing their hearing and children learning to read.

“One woman commented to me, when she goes to the movies and they’re speaking in accents, like British accents, she has a hard time understanding,” Howe said. Captions could help her, too.

It’s not hard to do. With the Clayton’s new digital projection system, the staff simply choose the captioned option from the movie hard drive, and a technician ensures the picture fits the screen.

Howe hopes to host one or two open-caption showings per film.

“We’re happy to be able to do this,” said Howe.

The next open-caption screening will be Wednesday, Jan. 10, at 2:30 p.m. for “The Greatest Showman” (PG). The musical spectacular, starring Hugh Jackman, Michelle Williams, Zac Efron and Zendaya, re-imagines P.T. Barnum’s creation of spectacle and the modern show-business.

Details are available by calling the Clayton Theatre box office (302) 732-3744; on the calendar at www.TheClaytonTheatre.com, on their Facebook page and in newspaper ads.

“We had hearing and non-hearing families at the last event, for ‘The Star,’ and they seemed to be fine with the fact that words were on the screen. It’s very interesting for me, being a hearing person, to see the captioning on the screen and how people react to it,” Howe said. “We let people know, going in, that it was open-caption.”

Coming from the Maryland and Washington, D.C., region, Barbara White said that, in her retirement to Sussex County, she was disappointed in the lack of communication access for the deaf and hard-of-hearing — less movie access and fewer interpreters.

“Every time I came here to the area, I could not see a movie with my family because it was not accessible to me,” White said.

She said she rarely bothers to watch movies without captions, because reading lips and guessing at the plotline is too frustrating, especially for the price of a ticket.

Movie theaters also offer special eyeglasses that show digital closed-captioning just for the wearer. But White has never bothered, because other moviegoers call the glasses cumbersome. “Also, the theaters only sometimes have five pairs. So, if you have this big group going there, a lot of us would be left out.”

Although Joseph Innes has “tolerated” these glasses, “There’s no comparisons with the captions on the screen. That way, I have full access. I can sit back, relax and not have to spend my time adjusting my glasses up and down and over. I like to hold my popcorn and have my drink and not worry about all that other stuff. It’s an experience, you know? The experience is not the same.”

Before the open-caption premiere, dozens of people enjoyed dinner at the nearby Porto restaurant, including members of the Delaware Deaf Senior Citizens of Sussex County and the Delaware Association of the Deaf.

“Everyone is very excited. Finally, they can go into a local movie theater and have equal access to the movie,” Innes said. “We’re finally coming into the 21st century!”

“Really, tonight is special for the deaf and hard-of-hearing,” said White, who hopes this ball will keep rolling. “We feel that we just need to educate the community.”

Here’s a tip to everyone else: Don’t say “hearing-impaired.”

“It’s outdated,” White said. “Deaf people don’t feel that they have an impairment, because they’re not broken. … We’re constantly educating people.”

Several years ago, the Hawaii State Legislature first required movie theaters to host open captioning, once per film per week. They also required that eyewear and audio descriptions (if produced) be available upon request.

Nationwide, most other digital movie theaters will follow similar rules this summer, as the U.S. Department of Justice now requires similar accommodations under the ADA.

“We are very excited about the community partnership opportunities that we never had before. I hope this partnership and tonight’s event will extend to other opportunities,” said Billy Bowman of Ocean View, also representing Delaware Association of the Deaf. “We love movies. We are working on improving access at the hospitals, doctor offices, as well as schools.”

Interviews for this story were done with help from interpreter Brenda Kelley-Frey.

Beebe CEO Fried to speak at South Coastal Library

0
0

Beebe Healthcare President & CEO Jeffrey M. Fried, FACHE, will speak at the South Coastal Library in Bethany Beach on Monday, Jan. 8, to offer more information about Beebe’s planned $180 million expansion. Fried will speak starting at at 1 p.m., and there will be some time for questions.

“Beebe Healthcare is thoughtfully investing in expanding our presence in Sussex County — making excellent, innovative and accessible care a reality for our friends, families and neighbors for future generations,” representatives said. “Together, we’re ‘Creating the Next Generation of Care.’”

In Millville, Beebe is planning a freestanding emergency department and a satellite of the Tunnell Cancer Center. The new services will join the existing diagnostic imaging, physical rehabilitation, laboratory and walk-in care services already offered in the Millville area.

For more information, visit www.nextgenerationofcare.org.

Prince George’s to celebrate holiday season with concert

0
0

This weekend, Prince George’s Chapel in Dagsboro will host its annual Olde Christmas Musical Celebration.

“It’s something we have every year,” said Friends of Price George’s Vice-President Crystal Hudson. “Usually, it’s the first Sunday after New Year’s, because that’s how they did Olde Christmas back in the day.”

The free event will be held this year on Sunday, Jan. 7, at 1:30 p.m. in the chapel. It will feature a variety of holiday music. The snow date for the event is Sunday, Jan. 14.

“Basically, we send out letters to all the church choirs and missions to see if they want to come,” said Hudson, noting that all the performers volunteer their time for the program. “In between performances, we have the congregations, in between a couple people, stand up and sing Christmas carols.”

In the past, the program has included guitar players, choirs and individuals who sing with a recorded accompaniment. This year, Salem Methodist Choir will perform, along with a couple other groups. An opening and closing prayer will be given, and attendees may enjoy punch and cookies at the conclusion of the program.

“The acoustics in there is so nice because you have the high ceilings and up front in the sanctuary has high ceilings. We’ve had bell choirs and harps play in there, guitars, people playing the organ. It’s so nice.”

While the program, which usually lasts about an hour and a half, is free to the public, Hudson said they are always looking for donations or “love offerings.”

“We lease it from the Town, who leases the building from the State. We have to pay the small bills, like the electric, water, sewer and insurance. In order to keep that going and have money to pay, we do little things, like a basket for a donation, or ‘love offering,’ as we call it.”

There will also be sweatshirts, T-shirts and bags with an image of Prince George’s Chapel for sale to raise money for the church. In years past, the Friends group has held a homemade ice cream fundraiser on the grounds; however, Hudson said that has stopped in recent years due to aging membership.

“All of our members are older, and it’s hard to get young ones who are interested. We could always use active, young blood,” she said with a laugh, adding that the Friends are always looking for new members. “It would be nice to see young students who have a passion for history to join. We are all getting up there in age.”

Those interested in joining simply have to fill out a small form and pay a yearly membership fee — $10 per person or $25 per family.

Those who attend may stay for a tour of the historic building (which does now have heating and a restroom).

“It was built in 1755, so there’s a lot of history there,” said Hudson of the structure, noting they’ve had local school field trips visit the chapel in years past. “I can remember when I was still in high school, they had a bicentennial parade and they paraded down to the chapel and opened a big flag out on the grounds. That meant a lot to me, seeing that.”

Those who are unable to attend the musical celebration but would like a tour of the church may schedule a visit by contacting Dagsboro Town Hall. Hudson said Friends member and local historian Sandy Gerkin gives the tours.

She also noted that, while the chapel is not open on a weekly basis, it may be used for weddings and christenings.

Following the Olde Christmas Musical Celebration will be a free Easter service, which all are welcome to attend.

“We have an early Easter sunrise service at 6:30 a.m. People can just show up. We don’t charge, just ask for a love offering. We try to use local preachers. We don’t make it too long, because we know they have to go to their other services,” said Hudson. “When the sun does come up … it’s beautiful coming in that big window. We may have a couple singers sing, too.”

Hudson said the Christmas celebration is always well-attended and it’s a fun way to extend the holiday season just a little bit longer.

“We usually we have a lot of people who come every year. People just enjoy it.”

For more information on how to get involved or schedule a tour, contact Dagsboro Town Hall at (302) 732-3777.

Fenwick Freeze cancelled, but shirts are still available

0
0

It’s a New Year’s tradition to dive into the ocean, but it was a bit too chilly this Jan. 1 for Fenwick Islanders. The 2018 Fenwick Freeze was canceled.

“The Town decided to cancel it. They felt it was too much of a liability in case somebody got hurt,” said organizer Becca McWilliams.

“I know — it’s called the ‘Fenwick Freeze’ for a reason,” McWilliams joked.

The Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce and the Quiet Resorts Charitable Foundation still hosted their New Year’s 5K run and Exercise Like the Eskimos ocean plunge in Bethany Beach. Kicking off a weeklong cold snap in the area in which the daytime temperatures typically only reached the mid-20s — Fahrenheit.

While the event itself got frozen out, long-sleeved event T-shirts from the 2018 Fenwick Freeze are still available, for $20, with sales benefitting the Fenwick Island Beach Patrol and its competition fund. The shirts are charcoal gray with a teal mermaid design. Anyone interested in purchasing a shirt should contact Fenwick Island Town Hall.

Organizers are not likely to reschedule this year’s event, McWilliams said.

Viewing all 3937 articles
Browse latest View live




Latest Images