Coastal Point photo • Shaun M. Lambert: Kaila Prince speaks about her experiences as a opioid addict.“People aren’t addicts. They are individuals who suffer substance-use disorder,” said Stacy Robinson, of Attack Addiction. “If you want to start to break the stigma, let’s start to use the right terminology.”

Robinson was one of nine people who spoke earlier this week at the Lord Baltimore Lions Club’s Drug Abuse Awareness Panel Discussion.

“I don’t like the terms ‘clean’ and ‘dirty.’ I like ‘people who are in recovery.’ There’s a way we can talk about this that doesn’t make people sound like they’re criminals, because they’re not. They’re people who suffer from a disease, just like people who suffer from diabetes and heart disease,” she said. “A person is not a diabetic — they’re a person with diabetes.”

Robinson, who also serves as the nurse for Sussex Central High School, said people need to educate themselves more about the disorder, which is an illness.

“It’s a chemical imbalance in the brain. When you do things you enjoy, your brain releases dopamine. Your brain tells yourself that you like it, it’s good — you want more of it. These are things that involve food, sex, sunshine, exercise — all things we need to keep ourselves healthy, to procreate our species,” she said. “Alcohol and drugs tend to create dopamine in exorbitant amounts in our brains. What happens when we do that — the reinforcement, the thing that says, ‘Hey, this is great, go out and get it’ — somehow becomes off-kilter.”

The Lions Club hosted the panel discussion with the hope of educating the community about the opioid epidemic that is hitting all too close to home.

“Everyone in this room, I believe, is directly or indirectly affected by opioid disorders,” said Lion Paul Bolton.

Organizers and panel members lamented, though, that there were fewer than 40 people in attendance at the discussion on Monday night.
Coastal Point photos • Shaun M. Lambert: Forum attendees and Lions’ members listen to one of the speakers during the drug abuse forum at Indian River High School.
“This place should be packed right now,” said state Rep. Ron Gray, who served on the panel. “It’s really scary times.”

Gray said he first heard about the opioid issue in 2014.

“Here we are four years later, and we continue to struggle for a solution,” he said. “We need treatment, not prisons.”

Lion Kaila Prince, who has been sober for four years, spoke about her own struggles with addiction. Having grown up in a household where her parents and stepfather had substance-abuse disorders, she became exposed at an early age.

“Just because my mom, my father and my step-father were in addiction doesn’t mean they were or are bad people,” she said. “Everybody in addiction goes through something, and when you’re in addiction, sometimes you don’t realize what you’re going through, so it makes it harder to realize you need help.”

Prince told the story of her childhood, which involved witnessing fights, substance abuse, being in foster care and her step-father’s suicide. She also witnessed her cousin sustaining physical abuse at the hands of her uncle.

Prince said she first got into drugs when she was 16 years old and moved in with her boyfriend and his family.

“That was a terrible idea. I was able to say no for a little bit, because I was 100 percent against drugs, but then his back went out and I saw how much Percocet worked for his back.”

Prince said she used his medication to treat her painful menstrual cramps, but that use escalated. She then went on to sniffing heroin for more than a year, because the cost of Percocet was so expensive.

“Then, just sniffing the heroin wasn’t working anymore, and he was like, ‘Can we just shoot up?’… Eventually, he kept asking and I couldn’t say no anymore, because he did it in front of me and I saw he wasn’t hurting anymore… So, I decided to do it also.”

Prince said she used for a few years before deciding “enough was enough” and got clean for her two children through the Crest program.

“And I’ve been sober ever since. “

“What happened to [Kaila] in her life led to trauma and pain that were not of a physical nature,” said Robinson. “When we talk to people who use drugs and alcohol, they are generally numbing a pain that we cannot see. Those types of pain are things we, as a society, can offer comfort and care for — not drugs, not punishment, not treating them like criminals.

“If we want to reduce the stigma that is surrounding substance-use disorder in our community, we have to stop treating people like they’re a problem and start treating them with compassion.”

State Sen. Gerald Hocker, who also was a speaker at the panel, said that faith-based treatment programs, such as Delmarva Teen Challenge, have shown to have a high rate of success — with 86 percent of graduates maintaining sobriety since the program’s inception nine years ago.

Hocker said that, in 2014, Delaware had the eighth-highest heroin fatality rate in the country, and since then the State has actively worked to decrease the prescribing of opioid medications.

Robinson echoed Hocker’s remarks, stating there needs to be more discussions on how doctors are prescribing medications.

“Because medications that were originally created for people with cancer pain are being given to people who have had a knee-replacement surgery,” she noted.

Pauline Powell, the leader of the Sussex County chapter of Attack Addiction, said she has been personally touched by addiction through her own son’s struggles.

She said the organization — a non-profit working to “spread the word about addiction by educating students and the community, assisting families in their quest for information, and supporting those in recovery” — began in 2013 and has worked tirelessly to address an escalating epidemic.

That first year, they successfully supported the state’s “Good Samaritan law,” which gives legal protection for those who call 911 in the event of an overdose, and for the victims.

“This was done to not only try to save lives but also to raise awareness of what’s going on in our communities,” said Powell. “We owe it to our neighbors to make changes.”

She noted that the organization also offers support and comfort to those who’ve lost loved ones, and she encouraged everyone in the community to attend one of their meetings.

“If you have never been in addiction, you cannot possibly imagine what it is like, any more than those people who are in addiction can understand what it is like for the family members that are going through this process, too — because substance-use disorder is not an individual disease. It is a family disease, and everybody involved plays a part.”

Naloxone use expands

Ocean View Police Chief Ken McLaughlin discussed how his department worked to be the first law-enforcement agency in the state to carry naloxone — a medication used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. Today, more than 25 state agencies carry naloxone.

Within 21 days of his department being trained and outfitted with naloxone, they had saved a life — a 61-year-old resident he described as “affluent.”

McLaughlin said that, in the 27 years he’s worked in Sussex County, he’s seen how compassionate the officers are who serve the citizens.

“And don’t think, by the way, that this disease hasn’t impacted our law-enforcement community as well. I know many police officers who have children who are struggling with substance-abuse disorder; they have other family members… We’re part of the community, too, and we’re struggling with this every single day.”

McLaughlin said his department has an open-door policy to help or find help for anyone who asks.

“As a small-town police department, I would say 75 percent of what we do every day is not traditional police work. We handle all kinds of complaints. We also have people coming in with their loved one, or they’re coming by themselves to ask for help,” he said.

He noted frustration with the lack of treatment available to Delawareans, noting that the situation has gotten slightly better. With the opening of the Connections treatment facility in Bridgeville, McLaughlin said he was happy to no longer have to send those who walk into his department out of state for treatment. However, that is not always the case. His department has still on occasion had to send those seeking treatment to Hudson House in Salisbury, Md.

Along with helping individuals seek treatment, McLaughlin noted that his department began its prescription drug takeback initiative in 2006, using an old mailbox to collect unused medications, some of which might otherwise be used by family members or others.

Today, now partnered with CVS, the department empties their drug disposal box weekly, and works with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency to safely dispose of the drugs. The last collection day, in October 2017, yielded 278 pounds of prescription drugs.

Cpl./2 Juanita Huey-Smith of the Delaware State Police said that, in 2017, DSP had started carrying naloxone, with two doses out per shift, after purchasing 354 doses at a cost of $7,434 for two years. Naloxone is not only available on every shift but is also kept in evidence detection units, at the front desk of each DSP troop and in every evidence room.

“Since we started carrying [naloxone], we’ve had 30 deployments in the field — 28 of those in 2017 and two in 2018 so far.”

Huey-Smith said the DSP is in talks to bring to Sussex County the Reality Tour, a program similar to the “Scared Straight” program, but for addiction.

“That’s something for youth and parents alike. It’s a program where parents have to come to with their children,” she said. “They’re opening these lines of discussion, because many families don’t even want to discuss it.”

The DSP is also looking at bringing in to the county the “Chasing the Dragon” video, focusing on the stories of those who experienced addiction, to be followed up with a discussion session.

“Another program we’re working on and optimistic about is ‘Hidden in Plain Sight.’ This is a mock bedroom where parents can tour and see some of the paraphernalia that you may see in a teen’s bedroom.

“It doesn’t mean a teenager is using drugs, but it’s things to look for… It’s designed to open parents’ eyes.”

Huey-Smith also urged people that when they see suspicious behavior, they should simply call 911. If they see a needle or a blue bag that looks out of place — don’t touch it, call the police.

“We don’t want you to run the risk of exposure,” she said. “If you’re concerned about someone, it doesn’t hurt to call and just talk to an officer.”

Corrections officer urges parents to be frank

Jim Elder, bureau chief for Community Corrections, said society is at an impasse with regard to the epidemic, yet he is still hopeful.

“I think the way we bring about solutions is to get together, to hear one another, to communicate with one another, and get a sense of possibilities that are out there,” he said. “I think we’ve been chipping away at the edges of this for some time, and I think we’re making progress. I’m optimistic. I’m optimistic because I’ve seen recovery… I know recovery is possible. In that vein, I’ll remain hopeful.”

He noted the importance of naloxone in the fight to combat the epidemic, saying, “You don’t get a chance to recover if you’re dead.”

The officers who work for him in corrections are uniquely qualified for the job, he said, as they serve to enforce the conditions of the court, but at the same time, in many instances, are referral agents, counselors, teachers, guides and coaches.

Elder said a lot of work should be done at home, and parents shouldn’t be afraid to have difficult conversations with their children about substance use.

He said they should become aware and informed of some of the early risks and signs of substance abuse, which includes sudden withdrawal, isolation and/or a change in behavior.

“If something doesn’t feel right, if they become sneaky in what they do — look at it. Don’t ignore it… Don’t be afraid to snoop. Mind your medicine cabinet,” he said, noting that studies show that those who have honest, frank discussions about drug use tend to not get into drug use.

“There are also a bunch of studies that say most people don’t do it,” he said of these parent-child discussions. “The question is, why not? Well, it’s uncomfortable to talk to your kids about drug use. I understand that.”

Many parents, he said, are scared of those frank conversations because of the risk of being called a hypocrite.

“‘What about you? You smoked marijuana when you were in high school.’ ‘What about your beer you have every night?’ We avoid these conversations because of the risk of being labeled a hypocrite. Unfortunately, the avoidance of those difficult conversations can lend themselves to risky behavior of behalf of your kids,” he said.

Elder recommended parents come to a consensus before having the conversation with kids, and to do it when they’re emotionally calm.

“Go into it thoughtfully,” he said. “The best way we do rehabilitation and reentry is through ‘no entry.’ We don’t want your family members, your children, to be in our correctional system. It is our goal to keep them out of the correctional system, because quite often by the time they get to us, it’s, in some instances, too little, too late.”

Elder said there are resources out there to help those who feel helpless, noting the HelpIsHereDE.com website and Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. He also recommended reading “Get Your Loved One Sober: Alternatives to Nagging, Pleading & Threatening” by Robert J. Meyers and Brenda L. Wolfe.

“In the end, I wish we had 10,000 people in here, because I know we have hundreds of thousands of people who are affected by this,” he said. “This is a complex problem, and there isn’t just one solution. The solution is multifaceted, and involves everyone in this room and every agency that’s represented here.”

Coastal Point photos • Laura Walter: The Connor-Jacobsen building in downtown Bethany Beach now stands empty, with the longtime local realty firm now owned by Joe Maggio Realty and relocated to Starboard Center, at 23892 Coastal Highway, Suite 5, on southbound Route 1.It’s the beach version of the circle of life. Renters fall in love with the Quiet Resorts and bring their families for vacation, year after year, building memories. They also, oftentimes, build lasting relationships with the rental agencies that provide the places for their families to build those memories.

When those beachgoers decide to become beach home owners, they often turn to the same companies. That’s been the recipe for success for Connor Jacobsen Realty for several generations.

Now, with the purchase of the longtime beach real estate agency by Joe Maggio Realty, the circle has widened a bit.

Maggio, who already had an office in Rehoboth Beach, has completed the purchase of Connor Jacobsen, along with Realtor Mike Moreland, after being approached by Marie Cahill, who had owned the business for about five years.

Cahill had purchased it from Joetta Jacobsen, who, with her husband, John, had purchased it from Susan Connor in 1993.

Connor had operated the business since the 1970s, according to Joetta Jacobsen. Before that, it had been owned by another family, Jacobsen said, dating back as early as the 1940s. As such, it remains the oldest real estate agency in Bethany Beach.

Connor Jacobsen built its reputation on rentals, mostly of tradition beach homes in downtown Bethany Beach, Jacobsen said. With the transition to Maggio, the business looks to expand its sales division. Maggio brings more than 45 agents — along with their expertise — into the new venture.

Cahill said she approached Maggio “after working on a nominating committee for the Women’s Council of Realtors that selected him as Entrepreneur of the Year. His background and commitment to the local community was a perfect fit for my clients,” some of whom had been served by the company for more than 40 years, Cahill said.

Maggio said the acquisition was “a very natural and complementary fit to our boutique business model,” adding that he hoped to bring additional tools, “like online booking, deposit insurance and credit acceptance to enhance the tenant and landlord experience.”

Moreland, as an investor, brings “a vast background and knowledge from his former career at Cisco Systems,” Maggio said.

Jacobsen said the core of the business has always been rentals, but that, often, longtime renters eventually became buyers. When they were ready to become owners, those former renters, she said, would tend to come to the company they had come to trust as rental agents. And then, Jacobsen said, her company would take care of those properties for their new owners.

“We would check on their properties, we would meet their needs” as they rented their homes to the next generation of visitors.

She said she looks back fondly on the years she ran the business.

“It provided a good living for me,” she said. “It provided for my children as they grew up; it put them through college.”

Cahill, who joined the company in 2008 as a manager, said she feels comfortable handing the reins over to Maggio.

“He’s got a very good reputation. People really do like them,” she said of the company’s new owners. All but one of the existing Connor Jacobsen agents are now with Maggio, Cahill said.

Looking back over her own tenure as owner of the longstanding business, Cahill said she is thankful for her relationship with Jacobsen.

“We’re still very close friends, Cahill said. “She worked at the office, which was great because I could go to her and say, ‘How did you handle that?’ ‘What do I do now?’ ‘How do you handle this person?’” Cahill said with a laugh. “She’s been a great agent. She’s been a great mentor to me. She really did show me the ropes, so to speak.”

Cahill, however, was no neophyte when she became the owner of Connor Jacobsen, having managed the Bethany Beach office of Long & Foster Real Estate for about 17 years. Her first foray into the real estate business came in the 1980s, when she lived in Albany, N.Y.

Now, though, she is looking forward to retirement with her husband, Jimmy.

“Jimmy and I are still happy and healthy together, and in June we’ll be married 58 years. We’re old! But we still have our health and we are young at heart, and we are great-grandparents.”

To find out more about Joe Maggio Realty, go to www.maggiorealty.com or call the Bethany Beach office at (302) 539-5500 or the Rehoboth Beach office at (302) 226-3772.

At the Town Council meeting on Tuesday, March 13, the Town Council of Ocean View agreed that for the next round of budget preparation, the draft model should show a raise to property taxes of 100 percent. The final determination on the actual percentage of increase to be used will be done at the town budget workshop meeting on March 27. A final vote on approval of the budget will be taken at the town council meeting on April 10.

This is a drastic step, but one compelled by the necessity to properly fund major capital projects — mainly drainage issues.

For many years — well over a decade — Ocean View, like many other coastal towns, has been relying on transfer taxes to supplement their operating budget. They did this for a number of reasons:

• The entire area was in a growth spurt and transfer taxes — the tax paid when a property is sold — was a continuing stream of cash.

• The capital projects (drainage, street and sidewalk repairs, etc.), were evident but not critical and could be postponed.

• Prior councils were reluctant to initiate tax increases due to political fallout.

The problem with this is transfer taxes were designed to be used for capital projects, whether new or replacement, not to supplement the operating budget. Furthermore, once the two main housing developments (Beach Club and Silver Woods) are completed, there is essentially no more land to develop in the town.

Since resales are approximately one-half of the total sales, then the revenue from transfer tax will effectively be cut in half. Compounding the problem is the fact that transfer taxes are passed through the State and they can, in any given year, cut the amount allocated to cities and towns.

Having said that, this town council has been prudent in its operating budget spending, recognizing that the safety and welfare of our citizens is of primary importance.

Four years ago, the town council agreed to start weaning the Town off transfer taxes, and a certain amount was set aside each year to increase the capital funds that would be required to do the necessary work.

Because many of the drainage projects have not been started, much less completed, the ancillary damages of erosion and wear and tear of surrounding areas and streets has increased causing potential safety issues. Now we are forced to try to complete the projects as fast as possible in order to minimize the safety issues and reduce costs.

Much of the delay, but by no means all of it, was the reluctance and sometimes outright refusal of the adjacent homeowners to give the Town the necessary easements required for the Town to do the work. Many of these same people were the first to complain to the Town when heavy rains inundated their properties. Now, the Town is pushing ahead, and those projects that fulfill the requirements of easements first will be the first ones in line for the improvements.

In order for the taxpayers to have a perspective on the potential increase, shown below is a chart depicting what the annual/monthly increase would be for varying percentage increases based on Town of Ocean View 2018-fiscal-year assessed values and tax rate.

Please understand that the Town has no choice but to stop using transfer taxes to supplement the operating budget. By doing so, if we don’t raise property taxes now, the Town will run out of money before the end of the 2019 fiscal year.

This was a difficult decision for the town council members, but it is the responsible decision, giving what the Town is faced with in terms of capital projects. It is now incumbent on the town council members to ensure the projects move along expeditiously and efficiently.

BodineFor the last three years, Carol Bodine has served on the Ocean View Town Council, a civic duty she said she enjoys.

“Somebody has to step up and serve,” she said. “Before we go to a council meeting, there’s work where we read up on what’s going to be on the agenda, so we’re well-prepared. You think about it all the time, because if something is proposed… I want to do what’s right for the place I live.”

Bodine is running for re-election in the town’s District 4 election. She has been challenged by resident Berton Reynolds for the three-year position.

A resident of the town since 2004, having moved from the Washington, D.C., area, Bodine moved to Delaware with the idea to serve her community.

“I just got involved from then, and I’m still involved,” she said, noting that she’s now the State Secretary for Delaware Republican Party. “I started out helping and then gradually grew into that position. I attended the last convention in Cleveland as a delegate.”

Although Bodine is very active in her party, she emphasized that politics do not play a role on the Town’s dais.

“The council is non-partisan, and I do not bring my political connections to the council. I focus on what’s right. For example, this tax increase is totally against what a Republican would do, but it’s right for the Town. I leave that at the doorstep when I go into a council meeting.

“Sometimes you don’t know what’s going to come up,” she added. “You have to think of the town as a whole, not just the particular development you live in. For the last few years, things have been running smoothly… when I don’t see a large crowd, I know things have been running smoothly.”

Bodine is a retired registered nurse who received her degree from St. Agnes Hospital in Baltimore, Md. She has worked at the National Institutes of Health and Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Md., and ran a nursing agency with her sister.

“My parents didn’t think I should go into nursing,” she recalled. “I worked from the time was 14, saved all that money to pay for my schooling at St. Agnes. I was determined I was going to be a nurse. My daughter is now a nurse-practitioner… It’s in our blood.”

Now a fulltime resident of the Town, Bodine said she likes spending her time serving her town and is a very active member of Saint Ann’s Church, as a congregant and member of the vocal and bell choirs.

She discovered the area after her son — a “full-bird” colonel in the Army — returned from a deployment in Iraq and said she should get a house at the beach.

“He came home from Iraq and said, ‘Mom, I have a great idea! Let’s get a house near Bethany Beach.’ When he was a teenager and in college, I was living in Maryland, he used to come to Bethany Beach every year because his friend’s mother had a place down here, and they’re still here. He said he always loved Bethany Beach.

“I came down without him and picked out this development. I didn’t even know where I was going. I had not been to Bethany Beach; I had been to Ocean City… I’d never move again — I love it here.”

Bodine said she had moved around a great deal after her husband passed away in 1998 and had never wanted to settle down, until she came to Ocean View.

“I was just trying to find a place to call home. I moved around a lot, trying to find a place I feel comfortable. And I do down here.”

Since moving to the area, Bodine said she’s seen the town change, but pointed out it has also remained the same in terms of charm.

“I was a lot of residents of Ocean View — once I moved here I didn’t want anyone else to come,” she said with a laugh. “But you can’t do that. I’ve seen some development and a change in traffic, but relatively speaking, it’s a quiet little town.”

Bodine first ran for council in 2015, at the suggestion of former District 4 councilman Bob Lawson, who was term-limited at the time.

“I always wanted to, but prior to me coming in, we had good people on the council. Bob Lawless had termed out, and that was my opportunity to move into a spot.”

If re-elected, Bodine said she hopes to see some of the Town’s list of road and drainage projects completed.

“All these projects — we have to get the drainage projects taken care of. We have to get the roads taken care of, we have to be ADA-compliant on the sidewalks. We have to do all those things. That’s going fairly slowly. I just want to get all these projects done,” she said, noting it has impacted the Town’s coffers, leading to the discussion of a potential 100 percent tax increase.

“That’s the biggest problem in our budget — doing all those projects. The Town was dependent on the transfer tax to correct the budget, and we had to stop that because they’re going to be dried up pretty soon.”

Bodine said she enjoys working with her fellow council members, and the respectful atmosphere they have established.

“They’re wonderful. Sometimes we disagree, we’ll have a three-to-two vote, but nobody gets upset. Everybody knows you’re doing what you think is right. We all get along beautifully, and I hope it stays that way.”

Bodine said she plans to put out campaign signs in the coming days and start campaigning door-to-door to meet voters.

“I just love this town. Everything I do on that council is for this town,” she said. “I live here. I want everything to be nice in this town.”

The Ocean View election will be held on Saturday, April 14, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at town hall.

The Town of Ocean View will host a Candidates’ Night on Monday, March 26, at 6 p.m. to give voters the opportunity to meet the two residents running for the District 4 council seat.

Incumbent Carol Bodine and resident Berton Reynolds are running for the seat, which has a three-year term. The event will be held at town hall and is open to the public.

“They’ll sit at the dais,” explained Ocean View Town Manager Dianne Vogel. “Each candidate will be given three minutes to explain why they want to run, discuss their platform or anything else they wish to tell us.”

After the candidates introduce themselves, there will be a chance for audience participation. The evening will be moderated by a member of the Board of Election or Vogel.

“We will have cards at the front for people to write their questions on; then, after the candidates have introduced themselves, the moderator will ask the questions of the candidates,” she explained. “If time permits at the end, and candidates want to make themselves available to meet with anyone in the audience one-on-one, then we’ll do that.”

Vogel said she expects the event to last about an hour. The election will be held on Saturday, April 14, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at town hall.

Those who reside in the town still have the opportunity to register to vote, as the deadline is April 2. Voters must be at least 18, a citizen of the United States and have maintained their residency in Ocean View for at least six months immediately preceding the election.

Residents may register in person, at the Wallace A. Melson Municipal Building, or download and mail in a registration form through the Town’s website. Those who are registered to vote for state or county elections are not automatically entitled to vote in the Town’s election and must have registered with the Town.

Residents who have not voted in the Town’s elections in one or both of the past two consecutive years in which there was an election must re-register in order to vote in April.

As for the Candidates’ Night, Vogel said it’s a great way for residents to meet who will represent them for the next three years on council.

“Every organization I’ve worked with that has a board or council, they want to understand why people are running for a position — what their platform is, what their goals are. It’s important to have that they have the opportunity to share it,” she said.

For more information or to print an online registration form, visit www.oceanviewde.com/clerk. Those who are unsure if they are eligible to vote may visit or call town hall at (302) 539-9797, ext. 101. Ocean View Town Hall is located at 32 West Avenue in Ocean View.

The South Bethany Police Department is the subject of staffing and building discussions as the town prepares its 2019-fiscal-year budget.

Looking to trim a roughly $2.5 million budget, the town council likely will not fill a vacancy left by police officer Megan Loulou, who recently took position at another nearby department.

That move would return South Bethany to six fulltime officers, as the town had several years ago.

“We think we can get along with fewer,” Council Treasurer Don Boteler reported from the Budget & Finance Committee.

South Bethany would have the same manpower as before 2015, when the additional position was created.

The town’s 24-hour police coverage would be tight, but still doable. It would really be threatened if a second officer left (which Police Chief Troy Crowson said is likely) and the council chose not to fill that hypothetical vacancy.

“We are fine at six, and if we lose anything else, it would be greatly impacted. I think we’re going to have a short staff this summer, and we’re going to have to adjust … with the anticipation of another officer leaving,” Crowson said.

However, they do have a plan to accommodate those eventualities.

The police station will rely more heavily on its a part-time seasonal officer, whose duties include data entry, daily barricade setup, probably some beach patrol on ATV and more.

Crowson has advocated for the additional seasonal administrative assistant, which the town council also considered cutting. Although that person sells parking permits on the weekends, he or she also answers phones and does paperwork that otherwise eat up a police officer’s patrol time.

The Town’s financial auditor has recommended processing all financial transactions in town hall, so Crowson said the administrative assistant could go there, but that their other work is important.

“With the reduction in staff, they’re going to be down to single officer now,” said Crowson, adding that he dislikes the officer doing all the desk work, plus patrols, traffic stops and complaints.

Meanwhile, with the current police dispatcher/administrative assistant having left for a new job, the council will also consider dropping that position from 40 hours to 30 hours. (It had just increased in 2017 from the previous 35 hours.)

The council will continue budget and staffing discussions at their March 22 meeting, at 2 p.m. The budget will likely be finalized in April.

Town preps for police station project

After bids for a building expansion at the police department came in way over budget, the Town has pursued a more austere path of “repurposing” the building.

Council Member Tim Saxton has made it clear he doesn’t want the Town to pay a cent of the estimated $80,000 cost until all police grants or donations have been exhausted.

“We have had the mindset we were going to commit reserves,” countered Mayor Pat Voveris.

“I’m all for funding it with grant funding,” Crowson said. “Everything we’ve done to the building has been grant funding so far.”

But he warned that the police budget may need other increases, since items including ammunition and bulletproof vests are about to need restocking.

Multiple experts have told South Bethany that the police building presents some major liabilities, including for safety of staff, visitors and detainees; personal privacy; weapons safety; evidence security; and escape prevention.

Crowson said he believes (and the council agreed) that he’s found a way to improve safety; eliminate the “multipurpose” rooms; and provide adequate space for all the various enforcement operations.

The current “multipurpose” room is inefficiently housing a locker, kitchen and armory. So the armory would move. The separate locker room would get a small shower (to help officers dealing with pepper spray, bodily fluids, illegal substances, death investigations and long coastal storms). The kitchen and evidence rooms would become standalone rooms. The dispatcher’s station would also move.

The reconfiguration would involve moving and building some new interior walls, but the exterior shell would remain the same. A professional engineer is now drawing up the plans and official bid package.

In the future, the police would seek grants for more safety precautions and relocate the reception entrance.

“We’re on track for reducing liability,” Crowson said.

So far, the police station has completed the $20,000 Phase 1, which included separation of the evidence and detainee processing rooms; new electric key cards; new detention bench; new evidence lockers; and more.

Public questions

police morale

When police lives are potentially on the line with every traffic stop, trust in the job and colleagues is especially important.

But resident Daniel Cowell said he doesn’t believe the morale of South Bethany police officers is in a good place.

He said that stemmed from several recent issues: the building project being downgraded from an expansion to a repurposing; an employment study being kept secret, despite resulting in rank and pay changes; public yard signs that read “No Outsourcing”; and no major discussion of police morale.

Cowell said he first heard such unhappy talk at the local fire hall, since law-enforcement and the fire service are typically tight-knit communities, especially in a small town.

“Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, and you’ve got to pay attention to the smoke. … That boat is still rocking, so far as I’m concerned and the many attempts and long hours [the town council] put in to try to rectify the problems … I don’t think has been sufficient to resolve the problems that I see,” Cowell said.

Signs of unhappy employees can include complaints, passive-aggressive behavior and employees leaving.

“None of them are good for the health for this community,” he said, especially when policing is an expensive investment for towns, and police have to trust and depend on each other in stressful situations.

“I think we’re losing people … and if you want 24-hour coverage, which I assume all of us do, you can’t cut through the muscle and cut to the bone and expect 24-hour coverage,” Cowell said.

He also complained that the Town kept secret the results of a CPSM employment study of the police department. The council had asked CPSM to submit the study to their attorney and cited “attorney-client privilege” for not releasing the report.

“It was never made public, and it think that roiled the issue still further. I don’t see that as being a matter of employee-client privilege, because if you hire a consultant, you are the consultee, and that report comes to you because you paid for it. What you do with it is something else,” Cowell said.

“If you want to take it to a lawyer, and he tells you what to do, that’s client-attorney privilege. … The fact that the department itself didn’t see it did not help the issue. It did not help them feel like they were playing on a level playing field of trust with the council.”

Voveris responded that all other parts of the process were public, including the votes for action.

“The recommendations that they made [which] we put in place have been totally transparent. So there’s your report. … There are things in there we didn’t act on. There were things we didn’t feel we need, and we didn’t like the message,” Voveris said.

As for sharing the document, “I don’t see a value to it at all,” she said, “because I think we’ve been very transparent. I think South Bethany is a great place to work. … I think it’s just time that we all get down to business and we get focused and we move forward.”

Councilwoman Carol Stevenson questioned whether the council should share the CPSM report with the police chief and town manager to “clear the air,” but she also added pointedly, toward Crowson, “Morale, from my way of thinking, comes from the top and how the top reacts to changes.”

“It also based on changes that are made. … We’re functioning through the changes,” Crowson said, but when employees leave, there is an effect.

Crowson has indicated that other officers might depart soon.

Cowell also said he hasn’t gotten the impression that the council is dedicated to the police station project, even if they did previously approve more money for an expansion.

“This council basically said, ‘We’ll spend between $60,000 and $80,000,’” Saxton said. “If that’s not a message that we’re behind this, I don’t know what is.”

Special to the Coastal Point • Submitted: Albert and Barbara Jean Franklin were recently honored with the dedication of the parking lot at the Frankford Public Library in their names.Albert “Ab” Franklin is a life-long Frankford resident — born Aug. 7, 1936, right on Knox Street.

“At nights, you could walk all over town — it didn’t matter where you wanted to go — and there was no problem,” Franklin recalled.

Franklin’s love of his town is ever-present — meet him on the street and he’ll tell you a tidbit of Frankford history, and then invite you to his house, where he has an entire room dedicated to all things Frankford. If you’re really lucky, he’ll write you a check from one of his found books from the First National Bank of Frankford.

The room is filled with treasures to make a history buff envious — from pens and pocket knives bearing the names of Frankford businesses of yore, to black-and-white photos and poultry memorabilia — including feed bags from Eagle Poultry, which was once the largest poultry plant in the world.

Franklin also displays items of his own childhood — marbles he had, and items from his father’s barbershop, including the leather strop used to sharpen and polish his razors.

“There was a time when I could sit down and go street to street and tell you everybody’s name and where they lived.”

Franklin’s wife, Barbara Jean, always smiles and laughs when Ab starts talking about his collection. The two met when they were students at the John M. Clayton School and later married.

Barbara Jean lived on a farm about a mile outside of town but eventually, around the age of 12, her family moved to Thatcher Street.

“I used to love to come to town from the farm,” she said. “I just loved to walk around Frankford. It used to be that you knew everybody who lived here.”

On Tuesday, March 6, a sign was erected at the Frankford Public Library, dedicating the new library parking lot to the Franklins.

“The day they did it was her mother’s birthday,” said Ab of his wife.

“I was honored,” added Barbara Jean. “You just don’t dream of things like that happening, not in a little town like this.”

The parking lot is located where Mrs. Alvana Campbell’s house once stood, on Green Street. However, when the house went on the market, the Franklins’ son-in-law purchased the property and had the home demolished, as repairing it would have been cost-prohibitive.

The property was divided, and half was sold to the Frankford library to be used for a second parking lot.

“It was absolutely essential. We are a small library, but we are a vital part of the community,” said Library Director Rachel Wackett, noting that it was important to gain additional space to accommodate our patrons and add more handicapped parking.

The library’s board decided to go one step further and dedicate the lot to the Franklins, recognizing their contribution to the community.

“We did it because Ab and Barbara Jean are longtime residents of Green Street, and they’re good people,” said Bob Long, who served on the board for five years.

Long said the Franklins, being good people and good neighbors, would check up on “Miss Alvana,” who lived in the now-razed home, daily, as she lived just down the road from their house.

“They’ve always been really good people, taken care of their neighbors,” Long said. “They’re hard working, worked hard all of their life. They’re a good family. Being the kind of people they are, they were worthy of it.”

“He’s really been a vital supporter of the library all the way through… for decades,” added Wackett of the Franklins. “There are so many good people in this town. It’s always nice to have the dedicated support like that the Franklins have always shown to the library, and we thought it would be a fitting tribute as well.”

Like the Franklins, Wackett said the library is one of the anchors of the community. She hopes more people will take advantage of the wonderful resource in their back yard.

“Come in and see what is new, see what you can get involved in, and especially to acquire a library card — it’s free!”

Long said the dedication was also fitting, given Franklin’s affinity for Frankford history.

“His museum is kind of like a library itself. It’s free — if you want to go he’d gladly show you his stuff,” he said. “He loves Frankford.”

Franklin has, in fact, even taken his museum on the road, displaying it at various locations throughout the county.

Wackett said getting the new lot up and running was a multi-year process, from purchase to completion.

“We couldn’t have done it without our Rep. [Rich] Collins and Sen. [Gerald] Hocker. They helped us through their discretionary funding. They gave us the capital needed to advance the project.”

The Franklins said the library has been a great asset to the town and is enjoyed by their whole family — it was frequented when their girls were little and often by their only granddaughter, Hannah.

“We used to take care of Hannah when she was little, when her mom and dad would work. We used to take her down to the library — she loved to go to the library. Miss Lowenstein was there, and they had the classes in there,” said Barbara Jean. “It was a nice library then, but it’s so nice now, so much bigger and all. With the park we have and all, it’s just a nice little town.”

The two have supported the library for years in various ways — Barbara Jean once crocheted an afghan and donated it to the library for a raffle to raise money.

“I give them a little something once in a while,” added Ab.

Earlier this month, their daughter Carol Esham had taken them to breakfast and on the way home drove to the new parking lot for a surprise unveiling.

“I didn’t even notice the sign,” Barbara Jean recalled with a laugh. “They did a beautiful job with it.”

The Franklins said they are honored to have the lot dedicated to them in the town they love so dearly.

“We’re honored to have a sign like that put up with our name on it,” said Ab. “We were happy about it. I thought it was really nice.”

Coastal Point • Laura Walter: Ronald ‘Ron’ Belinko is sworn in as the newest member of the Millville Town Council earlier this month.A new council member stepped onto Millville Town Council dais this month, as Ronald “Ron” Belinko took the oath as the newest member of the Millville Town Council.

Although he has not served on a town council before, Belinko brings years of similar experience as a retired coach, teacher and athletic administrator. His 46-year career included about 20 years as athletic coordinator of Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS), overseeing 50 secondary schools and more than 1,600 coaches.

“Education is public service,” he said. “When you were president of the [Maryland] state athletic association, that’s all public service to the students of Baltimore County. Since retirement, you always want to be involved with community, and this is an opportunity of moving into Millville and wanting to make a difference in the town.”

Having become athletic coordinator, soon he was teaching leadership courses to other athletic administrators across the country. Belinko has served and led a variety of athletic committees, helping to write state rules, run tournaments, improve training and increase participation.

His many professional awards include this winter’s induction to the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Hall of Fame.

That experience includes management, budgets and managing tax dollars. Those skills and interests fit with his new assignment to Millville’s Parks & Recreation Committee.

“What I have to do is listen to folks, the residents, listen to some of their concerns in a growing community, keeping in mind it is very difficult to manage when you’re in a resort area because you have a lot of part-time folks, weekend folks, and they don’t understand how the local government works. So it’s very important to educate and keep that segment of the population informed, because, let’s face it, they pay taxes,” Belinko said.

He said he hopes to keep Millville a safe place to live, while growth continues, with Millville’s own history and tradition.

“We’ve got to keep an eye on the growth, make sure it’s planned and we get the right businesses in this area. Beebe Healthcare’s going to have a tremendous impact on the growth of Millville,” Belinko said of the incoming emergency department and cancer treatment center on Route 17.

Previously, Belinko had told the Coastal Point that leadership isn’t about being an expert. It’s about sharing experience with others and hiring people whose knowledge counters his own shortcomings.

He moved to Millville fulltime in the spring of 2015 with his wife, Donna, also an educator. He said he still enjoys watching and playing sports locally.

His life has been centered around the Baltimore region, growing up in a blue-collar family, graduating from University of Baltimore in 1966 and later earning a master’s degree at Morgan State University.

Belinko takes the council seat formerly held by Valerie Faden, who did not run for a second term. The election was canceled when another candidate exited the race early, so Belinko and incumbent Steve Maneri went unchallenged for the two available seats. Their two-year terms began on March 13. Both live in major housing developments in town, Belinko in Bishop’s Landing and Maneri in Millville By the Sea.

Coastal Point • Tyler Valliant: Bethany Beach Police Department Sgt. Brandon Elliott solved a home-improvement scam. For Elliott’s efforts, he was nominated for a Joshua M. Freeman Valor Award.In June of 2017, Bethany Beach Police Department Sgt. Brandon Elliott was dispatched to investigate a report of home-improvement fraud.

The daughter of a 93-year-old man living in town had reported that a group of individuals posing as contractors were scamming her father out of money.

“They had been milking this man for money,” said Elliott, noting that the suspects had allegedly stolen $30,000 from the one victim alone.

Elliott said the criminals are drifters who travel from place to place, using the same scam, oftentimes getting thousands of dollars out of unsuspecting homeowners.

“They go out to different homes and sell this scam. It’s been going on forever. Apparently, in Pennsylvania and western Maryland, this happens a lot,” he explained. “They were going door-to-door, selling this scam that they were asphalt contractors for the Town of Bethany that were going to redo the roadway out front of their house, and when they redid the roadway, there was going to be a drop-off from their driveway to the road,” he said of the story the scammers told homeowners.

“They told them, since they’d be in the area anyway, that they could pave their driveways for them for a cheaper fee because of the fact they were already going to be there. Then they would throw out a number that was ridiculously low for an asphalt driveway, but required payment up front.”

The group would begin work, but once the money was received would feign an excuse “to get more supplies” and go immediately to the victims’ banks, cash their checks and never returned to the home.

“All they did was take a black tar — what you recondition blacktop with — they were taking that and spraying it on top of the blue-chip stones, and then they rolled it out and left. Basically, they sprayed this product, completely ruined their driveway.”

Elliott said similar crimes have occurred in South Bethany, Dagsboro, Ocean Pines, Carol County, Md., and Virginia.

In South Bethany,” he said, “the man had agreed to do it because his wife had fallen and broken her hip, and the stones made it hard for her to get in and out of the house. It just so happened they showed up around the same time, and he thought he was going to get this blacktop driveway done so he could push her wheelchair across it… They literally sprayed around the car. They’re pretty crappy criminals.”

Unfortunately, by the time the crimes had been reported to Elliott, the checks had already been cashed. However, he was able to work with the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Unit, as well as banks and other law-enforcement agencies, to identify one of the suspects cashing the checks.

“They had to use an I.D. to cash the checks, and they had to make the name out to the same I.D. It just so happens that one of the guys used his real I.D. I got video footage of him there,” he said.

Elliott worked with law-enforcement in West Virginia, where that suspect, Levi Clark was on parole for various crimes, including burglary, to identify him through his distinctive tattoos.

“He had already done a few years and got put out on parole. He wasn’t allowed to leave the state of West Virginia. As soon as I called them and said I had warrants, they snatched him up. The day I was supposed to go get him to bring him back to Delaware, they were like, ‘Nope. He’s staying here.’”

Elliott said Clark will have been in jail on West Virginia’s charges for a year in August, when he is up for a parole hearing.

“If he doesn’t get paroled, they’re going to hold him for 10 years. I don’t know if I’m ever going to get him down here.”

Elliott was also able to identify another suspect who had allegedly cashed two of the big checks — one for $10,000 and another for $8,900. Originally indicted on home-improvement fraud charges, the suspect has now also been indicted on charges of Crimes Against a Vulnerable Adult, which is a higher-class felony.

“The problem is the two guys are just the people that took the money to the bank. The man we really need is the man who sells the job, who’s a different guy,” said Elliott.

Getting that far in a scam investigation is considered an achievement, as many victims don’t report the crimes, which are difficult to investigate.

“These guys are hard to get. Usually, they move in and out and you don’t get any identification on them. What we did get out of it was really good.”

Elliott said they hope to recover some of the victims’ money; however, he said it will be difficult, given the amount.

“I think a lot of people think elderly people around here have a lot of money, but sometimes they’re on fixed incomes. Not everybody that lives here is a multi-millionaire. Sometimes some of them have been here for years and years and years, prior to when that big boom happened.”

Warming others of the dangers of scammers, Elliott said to be wary of anyone coming to the door offering services.

“Nobody comes door-to-door to sell things anymore. So, you should be suspicious if someone comes to sell you something, especially if it seems too good to be true,” he said. “If you watch any home-improvement show on DIY Network or talk to Marnie [Ousler],” he added of the local contractor who has her own TV show, “or talk to anybody — they’ll tell you you need to research your contractor before you hire them, and you don’t give them money up front.

“Usually, with a contractor, you give half the money, they finish the job and if it’s satisfactory, you pay the rest of it. If they require money up front to do the entire job, then there’s probably a problem.”

If someone tries to sell something to a home owner at a home, Elliott said not to give them money, be sure to take their name and information, and then call the police.

“If it’s too good to be true, it’s probably not true,” he said. “Scammers, in general, try to target elderly people, because they aren’t up-to-date on what’s going on and they usually have significant funds… They are also sometimes very trusting.”

While some people coming door-to-door may be legitimate, he said — offering as an example kids offering to shovel snow out of driveways for money — Elliott said people still need to be wary.

“Most of the time, it doesn’t happen, and if it does happen, check them out. Ninety percent of the time, it’s probably going to be a scammer,” he said. “They were in and out of here within a week with that kind of money. These are only the people who reported it. You got to think some of these people may not report it, too... Imagine if they had had more time.”

BBPD Valor Award pick for 2018

For his work on the investigation, Elliott was nominated for a Joshua M. Freeman Valor Award by Chief Michael Redmon. Elliott previously received the award in 2011, when he pursued and detained a suspect who was wanted for first-degree murder by Baltimore City Police.

“They had put out an intelligence report, and it was posted up on our board, and I saw it when I came into work. I saw it… It was a Mustang or something. He bobs right by past me,” recalled Elliott. “It goes from 0 to 100 in 30 seconds. It’s fast. You could be doing nothing and nobody could be out there, and then something screwy goes down.”

Elliott, an Indian River High School graduate, went into law enforcement first in 2002, working as a parking officer in Dewey Beach, but eventually made his way down to Bethany Beach.

“What brought me down to Bethany — I had a job in Dewey, but it didn’t have benefits. I grew up down here. I actually had two academy classmates working here at the time, and they told me about the job here and I jumped at it, got hired — and the rest is history.”

Bethany is a unique place to work, said Elliott, noting a “night-and-day” difference between it and his first town of employ.

“We handle a lot of complaints in the summertime. That’s the main bulk of the work,” he said, adding that he handles most of the in-depth investigations in the department “I have a lot of the criminal work. These long-term investigations are what I enjoy. I was fortunate that when I was hired here, because I had an interest in it, Chief was supportive of sending me to extra trainings and letting me do things.

“He was getting me involved in things that those first-, second-, third-year officers weren’t getting into. Usually, around here, you’re on the road, handling your complaints, doing DUIs and things like that. My first three years on, I’m doing drug-recovery investigations, sexual assaults… He had a lot of trust in me, because I took a big interest in doing that kind of work.”

Elliott, who has been working in law enforcement full-time for approximately 12 years, said he loves his job and the people for whom he works.

“I’ve grown up in a family of law-enforcement. It was something I was always around. My uncle was a captain with the state police; my dad was a police officer for 32 years, retired as a chief. I kind of fell into it… and now I’m here,” he said. “I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing.”

Spring has sprung, or so the calendar says. And despite a month that’s brought seemingly endless wind and rain, and even some snow, both this weekend and next, bunnies will be hopping and eggs will be dropping across the land.

Easter egg hunts, egg scrambles — by any name, they’re a spring tradition. Even though it doesn’t exactly feel like spring out there, eggs will be hidden and hunted by the hundreds. Baskets and buckets — and even some bags, probably — will be filled with eggs, which will be filled with all manner of treats.

Parents might want to layer the kids up — but not too much, because they will need to be able to move to search for those eggs.

Along with the piles of eggs, there’s a heaping basketful of egg hunts, all at different times and locations — and here’s all the information needed to find a hopping good time.

And… Go!

March 24

Selbyville Community Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, March 24, 10 a.m. to noon

Details: 10 a.m. noon, activities at the Selbyville fire hall; 11 a.m., egg hunt on Park Street. Activities include fire truck rides, face painting, refreshments, tech table, bounce house, crafts, pictures with Thumper. More than 8,000 eggs will be hidden for children up to age 12; several areas will be separated for age groups and special needs. Golden eggs win prizes. Items will be collected for the Shirley Grace Pregnancy Center, including diapers, sizes 4-6, baby wipes and baby clothes in sizes 12 months to 2T. Free coffee and donuts will be available.

Location: Selbyville Volunteer Fire Company. 30 N. Main Street, Selbyville

Hosted by: The River Church, Selbyville Fire Company, The Odyssey Church, Peninsula Community Church, Selbyville Police Department, Selbyville Public Library Salem United Methodist Church and Forge Youth & Family Academy

18th Annual Easter Egg Hunt & Breakfast with the Bunny

Saturday, March 24, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Location: Mulligan’s Pointe (formerly Sussex Pines Country Club), 22426 Sussex Pines Rd., Georgetown

Details: Along with the egg hunt, there will be games, activities, face painting, a moon bounce and more. New this year: “Breakfast with the Bunny,” a buffet breakfast featuring opportunities to have pictures taken with the Easter Bunny. Breakfast will cost $9.99 for adults, $4.99 for children 3-10, and children 2 or younger may attend free of charge. Call (302) 856-2318 or email events@mulliganspointe.com to RSVP. Games begin at 10 a.m.; egg hunt begins at noon. There will be three age-grouped areas for ages 3-5, ages 6-9 and ages 10-12.

Hosted by: Georgetown Chamber of Commerce

March 25

Easter Egg Hunt & Community Children’s Party

Sunday, March 25, 2 to 4 p.m.

Location: Mason Dixon VFW Post 7234, 29265 Marshy Hope Way, Ocean View

Details: Games, fun, food and crafts for children, visits with Easter Bunny, prizes for every child. Bring your own basket.

Hosted by: Mason Dixon VFW Post 7234

March 31

Egg Scramble

Saturday, March 31, 1 to 4 p.m.

Location: Frankford Town Park, Frankford

Details: Visit the Easter Bunny and enjoy fun games, crafts and Easter egg hunts. Stop by the registration table to get wristbands for the appropriate age group for each child. Egg hunt schedule: 1:15 p.m. — teens and those with special needs; 1:30 p.m. — 0-2 years; 1:50 p.m. — 3-5 years; 2:10 p.m. — 6-8 years; 2:30 p.m. — 9-12 years.

Hosted by: Envision Frankford

Community Egg Hunt

Saturday, March 31, 11 a.m. to noon

Location: Cupola Park, North Morris Street, Millsboro

Details: Participants will be divided into three age groups, each with its own field of eggs, children ages 2 to 12 are welcome; 5,000 eggs will be hidden. The Easter Bunny will be on hand for pictures. Free admission.

Hosted by: Greater Millsboro Chamber of Commerce

Dewey Beach Egg Scoop

Saturday, March 31, 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: Dagsworthy Street beach, Dewey Beach

Details: Egg hunt for three age groups; no registration required. Egg hunt schedule: 11:15 a.m. — toddlers to age 4; 11:30 a.m. — ages 5-8; 11:45 a.m. — 9-17; 11:55 a.m. — adult (18 or older), 50/50 cash egg hunt, $5 donation to play. Activities include photos with the Easter Bunny, carnival-style games and D.J. Parking is free.

Hosted by: Dewey Beach Business Partnership

Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday, March 31, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Location: Holly Lake Campsite, 32087 Holly Lake Rd., Millsboro

Details: Holly Lake Campsite will be hiding more than 1,500 eggs, with prizes for each age group, ages 1-4, 5-8 and 9-12. There will also be children’s games. Admission is free. For more information, call (302)-945-3410.

Paid parking can cause consternation for motorists. But for municipalities, it’s a tool to manage crowding and earn some income.

South Bethany still has roads that do not require parking permits in the summer. With Route 1 splitting the town in half geographically, on the ocean side, the eastern blocks have always required permits. On the quieter western side, it’s been years since any permit was required — until now.

The South Bethany Town Council recently voted to create permit zones on the west side of Route 1. Now, parking permits will be required in the first 250 feet of every western road adjacent to Route 1. (This will be fully implemented after the Town researches and installs proper signage.)

“We’re the only town from Dewey Beach to Fenwick Island that doesn’t require a permit on the west side of town,” said Council Member Tim Saxton. “My goal is to try and get us a little more aligned with neighboring towns.”

Beach traffic is only expected to increase, as thousands of new homes are being approved in nearby developments. And while South Bethany is providing a lot of free parking, council members said they also want to ensure residents themselves have adequate access to their local beach. (The beach is publically owned, which means the Town must provide fair access, in both parking and crossovers.)

“I’m not trying to solve a problem today. I’m trying to solve a problem tomorrow,” Saxton said.

Councilman Frank Weisgerber said he already sees heavy parking near Anchorage Canal, although he said he doesn’t know if that’s out-of-towners or just west-side residents from the Cat Hill neighborhood.

People “living on the west side use the back roads a lot,” said Weisgerber of the rapidly growing developments nearby. “We’re only seeing the tip of the iceberg, and these people gotta go somewhere.”

“Right now, people are parking for free on the bay side, because they don’t have to have a permit,” said Police Chief Troy Crowson, adding that he believes Ocean Drive spots will become more coveted when western permits are required. After all, drivers are less inclined to walk across the highway if the parking cost is the same as along the oceanfront.

The council also approved price increases for this year’s parking permits. Property owners can purchase up to four seasonal permits at $20 each. (Replacements cost $50 each, for any reason.) Daily parking passes cost $20 each for anyone. Permits are required during certain hours and certain locations, from May 15 to Sept. 15.

There is no fee for contractors.

Permits can be purchased in person at town hall. (The town council is still debating whether to continue allowing weekend permit sales at the police station, since financial auditors recommended keeping all monetary transactions in town hall.)

The majority of council members voted to invest nearly $8,000 in a parking kiosk and an online permit system, although neither is ready for installation and use. Town hall staff still have research to do before the summer season. They’re investigating an outdoor parking kiosk for town hall, where people could buy daily passes and, it is hoped, their household seasonal passes.

When implemented, the new online system would help part-time residents who may not be in town during regular business hours at town hall.

Voicing many concerns, Council Members Sue Callaway and Carol Stevenson voted against the kiosk expense. For example, they said, only about 100 daily parking permits were issued last summer, and with such a low number, “I didn’t feel we have a big enough audience to spend $8,000,” Callaway said.

Additionally, there were still questions about permitting numbers, maintenance responsibilities, software upgrades and kiosk capability, such as whether it could handle household seasonal passes for everyone else. Even after the vote, Mayor Pat Voveris noted that she felt under-informed on the topic.

Town staff have been directed to take their time in researching the council’s subsequent questions, even if that means the new kiosk and website sales aren’t ready for this 2018 summer season.

The town council also debated whether a kiosk would eliminate the need for a weekend staff assistant at town hall or the police department, but Crowson argued that the administrative assistant helps with paperwork so police officers can spend more time patrolling.

Budget discussions will continue at 2 p.m. on March 22. The budget will be finalized in April.

Court of Chancery Vice Chancellor Joseph Slights III this week provided temporary injunctive relief to the Concerned Citizens of the Estates of Fairway Village and 36 Builders Inc./Insight Homes, preventing Fairway Cap, the developer of The Estates of Fairway Village, from leasing any of the townhomes it currently owns in the community.

The Concerned Citizens of the Estates of Fairway Village and 36 Builders had filed two separate complaints in the Court of Chancery earlier this year, after the developer of the property made it known that they would no longer be looking to sell the 120 townhomes they were building, but rather would lease them.

In their complaint, Concerned Citizens of the Estates of Fairway Village claimed Fairway Cap breached its contract, breached its fiduciary duty and was acting in a fraudulent manner.

In the 36 Builders complaint, they claimed Fairway Cap had breached the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, tortious interference with actual and prospective contracts, and breached the condo documents.

At the March 20 hearing in which oral arguments were presented, attorneys for the plaintiffs argued that Fairway Cap is running a commercial enterprise out of the development by leasing the townhomes.

“This went from a traditional development to an apartment complex,” said Concerned Citizens’ attorney Richard Beryl.

Beryl also argued that with the developer maintaining ownership of the leased properties, it would retain majority rule over the homeowners’ association — something the other property owners of Fairway Village had not anticipated.

The attorneys for Fairway Cap argued that there is nothing preventing any individual from purchasing four properties within the development and thus having majority vote over other property owners — why then should Fairway Cap be prevented from doing so?

They said the same can be true of renting — property owners may purchase and rent as many units as they want, so what is then preventing Fairway Cap from doing the same?

Fairway Cap’s attorneys also noted that Fairway Cap turned to renting properties after a poor selling stint — 29 townhomes sold in 10 years.

In granting the injunctive relief, Slights said the question is whether or not Fairway Cap’s plan to maintain ownership of units and lease them is consistent with the community’s governing documents.

“We’re at a point today where the eggs have not yet been scrambled,” said Slights. “A brief standstill while we sort this out is reasonable.”

Fairway Cap has already leased six of the townhomes, and those leases will be upheld. There are six applicants approved for leases; however, Slights said no lease is to be signed until the matter is resolved.

Fairway Cap has 46 townhomes under construction and approximately 66 lots. The injunctive relief does not prevent the developer from continuing to build.

Slights said the trial, which he said he believes should take no more than a day, should “occur very promptly,” and he told the parties to confer so a trial date may be set.

Coastal Point • Laura Walter: Lord Baltimore students practice for their first VEX Robotics World Championship. Pictured, from left, are: Makenzie Truitt, Cassidy White, Demetreus Moutzalias and Mason Haro.

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This year, when Lord Baltimore Elementary School started its first afterschool STEM Club, some students couldn’t even name the pieces. Now, they’re designing a robot for international competition.

On April 29, L.B. will send its Team Zeus to the 2018 VEX Robotics World Championship in Louisville, Ky. — a major accomplishment for a first-year team.

The team includes Mason Haro, Demetreus Moutzalias, Makenzie Truitt and Cassidy White (Wes Martin also competed with them at the Feb. 17 “SuperBot Saturday” competition in Georgetown.)

Teams had to design and build a remote-controlled robot, and program the computer element so the robot does as instructed. In this year’s challenge, teams are paired together to collect colored plastic rings and stack or push them into a scoring zone. At the world finals, they may even work with international students who don’t speak English, adding an extra challenge to overcome.

Now, the fourth- and fifth-graders are reconstructing their robot, brainstorming other robot designs and researching nifty engineering from around the world, including special wheels, claws and color-sorting techniques.

“We have two months. We can make our robot better,” Moutzalias said.

It wasn’t easy. In the beginning, “it was new to us, and we wanted to do everything,” Haro said. “We’ve learned to work as a team more.”

Stress mounted when their bot broke in the week before competition.

But the “Zeus” team has found its groove. They work well together, having discovered each other’s strengths in either programming, building or driving.

Coach Heather Wood said she is also impressed by “their interest in robotics. They dig deeper than we ask them to,” such as watching robotics videos in their free time.

“They started form not knowing the names of parts … to coming up with their own designs,” L.B. technology teacher Whitney McMillon said.

Winning in the qualifying competition was a pleasant surprise, since L.B. just started robotics with last year’s summer camp. Their subsequent afterschool STEM clubs have attracted 80 students, while allowing for several competition teams. After a grant from Tanger Outlets last fall helped start the program, McMillon said she hopes the grant money will continue to build the feeder program for the Indian River School District.

In the LB cafeteria, while the team assembled their practice course on the cafeteria floor, dozens of STEM Club students problem-solved nearby in their own organized chaos.

“So this has literally been going on since September, every Wednesday,” McMillon said.

“In my opinion, STEM is becoming more and more relevant at middle school and in the high school, definitely, but there are a lot of jobs here in the future that will require STEM skills,” McMillon said, “and that technology piece is important.”

She’s proud of the teamwork and creativity the students bring.

“They come up with their own ideas. So it definitely promotes a lot of critical-thinking skills,” McMillon said. “And they don’t even realize it right now, but they are kind of being engineers because they’re coming up with their own designs. It definitely will help them in the long run.”

IRSD the powerhouse

The Indian River School District made an impressive showing in state robotics competition this year. Six IRSD teams qualified for the 2018 world finals, in both the VEX Robotics Competition (the Selbyville Middle School Rocketeers and Indian River High School Indians Team 2) and VEX IQ Challenge (Long Neck Elementary School’s Long Neckers, Georgetown Elementary School’s Alphas and Georgetown Middle School’s Team B).

The world finals “is really is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. I want make sure they get a chance at that,” said robotics advisor and L.B. Assistant Principal Travis Bower.

Bower said past competitions have included special events, such as Girl Powered sessions, and special guests, including skateboarder Tony Hawk and a Mars rover.

Robotics has spread like “wildfire” in the past few years, especially as Bower helped start teams at Selbyville Middle School and Georgetown Elementary School.

Fundraising begins

Attending the world championships is no cheap proposition. It will cost about $5,000 to fly the team members, coaches and robot to Kentucky.

To help reach that goal, the team is planning two dine-and-donate fundraisers in Bethany Beach. The first is March 29 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Cottage Café. The second is April 17 at Bethany Blues.

Lord’s Landscaping in Millville is also donating a portion of lime sales through March 31.

What would the students tell anyone who donates?

“I’d say, ‘They’re nice people!’” Truitt said.

“Thank you!” added Moutzalias.

Tax-deductible donations are also greatly appreciated.

Anyone interested in sponsoring the team can contact Lord Baltimore Elementary School (302) 537-2700 or email whitney.mcmillon@irsd.k12.de.us or heather.wood@irsd.k12.de.us.

Coastal Point photos • Shaun M. Lambert: Judi Thoroughgood, John Thoroughgood and Debbie Lewis pose for a photo with store greeters, Riley and Grace.There are times one can walk into a small business, and it just feels like home. Millsboro’s Past & Present is like that — and it’s not only because it was once, in fact, a home.

“Well, the house was built in 1939,” explained Judi Thoroughgood, owner of Past & Present. “It was the Truitt home.”

Thoroughgood actually owns the store with her husband, John, and gives a lot of credit to Debbie Lewis for helping the store operate. The Thoroughgoods bought the building in 2016, poured resources and effort into transforming it into its current state, and fully opened for business earlier this year.

Situated on Main Street, right across from the Dairy Queen. Past & Present offers “an eclectic mix of country decor and coastal living,” said Thoroughgood. Each room seems to have its own identity — ranging from Amish furniture to candles to furnishings to custom-braided rugs.

The experience of simply absorbing all the merchandise is worth a visit unto itself, and the cozy feeling one can only get from shopping at a small business is only enhanced when shoppers are greeted by the couple’s two dogs, Grace and Riley.

Thoroughood also highlighted Lewis for her efforts and talent in making wreaths and custom floral arrangements. She added that Past & Present has gotten a lot of business making arrangements for local cemeteries.

She originally owned a store in Long Neck, until she began selling items on a consignment basis at a store in Gumboro. When the owner of that store decided to retire, Thoroughgood took it over, before opening the shop in Millsboro.

“It’s kind of my therapy,” she explained. “John’s not retired yet, so I have no interest in retiring or anything. I love doing this, and I’ll keep doing it as long as I feel that way.”

Coastal Point photos • Shaun M. Lambert : A spring display complete with Easter bunnies awaits customers. In fact, John has now moved his own office into the upstairs of Past & Present, allowing the whole family, including Grace and Riley, to spend more time together.

“He’s not just ‘Thoroughgood,’” said Judi, discussing her husband. “He’s ‘thoroughly good.’”

And the Thoroughgoods have fully-embraced the past of the building. Three wall surfaces in the house were made from the former floor of the house’s attic, and the sales counter and porch floor were constructed from old doors. It is a marriage of family, past and present — and Judi Thoroughgood sees a lot of hope in the future of Millsboro.

“Millsboro is growing and changing,” she said. “People are buying in to what’s happening in this town, and I think you’re seeing a lot of pride in these downtown businesses, and up on the highway.”

Past & Present is located at 108 Main Street in Millsboro. They can be reached at (302) 934-8215, and they have an online presence at www.pastandpresentmillsboro.com. The store’s hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday, but Thoroughgood said they plan to stay open later on Tuesdays, when the Dairy Queen Cruz-N is running.

Coastal Point • Laura Walter: Anybody can make Peeps dioramas pop with handmade details, such as the yarn-knit web in this ‘The Spider & the Fly’ design by librarian Jessica Bowman.Love ’em or hate ’em, there’s no denying that marshmallow Peeps can make for a hilarious craft time, and the Frankford Public Library is inviting children, adults and families to participate in its 2018 Peeps Diorama Contest.

Diorama themes can include any book, movie, TV show, video game or other pop culture item. Past entries have included “The Magic School Bus,” “Beauty & the Beast,” “Batman,” “The Outsiders,” “The Lorax,” “Hamilton” and more.

Now in its fourth year, the Peeps show is so popular that patrons look for it before springtime.

“Obviously, kids love it. It gives families a chance to do something together, [for] minimal cost or free,” said Jessica Bowman, the event’s organizer and technical services staffer at the library.

“It taps into a creative side that most people don’t have time for,” said Bowman as she drew a brick fireplace for her own “The Spider & the Fly” diorama.

Bowman said she loves the low-stakes fun of decorating with the sugar-dusted marshmallow bunnies and chicks — especially for adults.

“It’s the ability to create something, have fun with it and not have to find a place to put it when you’re done,” Bowman joked.

Dioramas must be built inside a shoebox of any size (except for individual adult entries). At least one Peep must be included in each scene. Any other materials are allowed for costumes and props, although the library requests a limit on other food items.

Diorama contents must be secure enough to be moved throughout the library. Contestant names and ages should be written on the back of the box. Entry titles should be written on the front.

There will be four judging categories: Family (children younger than 6 who are building with the help of family); Individual Child (ages 6 to 11); Individual Teens & Tweens (ages 12 to 17); and Individual Adults (18 or older).

The schedule for building and submitting the works fits into most children’s spring breaks. The library will even host free building time on Tuesday, April 3, from 4 to 7 p.m. Boxes, Peeps and supplies will be provided for that session.

Final submissions of dioramas, whether made at home or in the library, are due by Wednesday, April 4, at 8 p.m. To ensure enough supplies for the creation session, attendees are being encouraged to pre-register by calling the library or through its online calendar.

Library visitors are also being encouraged to vote for the “Peeples Choice Awards” on April 5, 6 and 7. Winners will be announced Tuesday, April 10, by 6 p.m.

For more information, contact the Frankford Public Library at (302) 732-9351 or on Main Street in Frankford. Entry forms are available at the library or online (https://frankford.lib.de.us).

Coastal Point • Laura Walter: Teacher of the Year Nichele Lobo likes a lively atmosphere in her fifth-grade classroom at SDSA.Fifth-grade students enter Nichele Lobo’s classroom each morning to find a positive new quote written on the board.

“I want my students to have a positive mindset about learning, about school, about what they can do,” Lobo said. “And if we struggle, that’s normal. Mistakes are part of learning. And I strongly believe, with an attitude like that, there’s no stopping you.”

Her desire to build a positive mindset at Southern Delaware School of the Arts has earned Lobo the title of the school’s 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year.

“People-oriented and high energy … I couldn’t ask for a more caring and dedicated teacher for our students,” said Principal Barkley Heck.

“Whatever students walk into her room, she just takes them where they are and loves them and works with them,” Heck said, “and parents are so grateful to have their students challenged, no matter what level they’re at.”

“I personally loved how she always saw the bright side in everyone and everything,” wrote a former student, Natalie Nearey.

“She may have been tough on us a couple times, but it was because she wanted to see us all succeed,” Nearey wrote. “She is always trying to do her best, but she doesn’t need to because she is the best in students’ hearts.”

As a youngster, Lobo had both good and bad schooling experiences, she said, which helped her decide her own direction as a teacher.

“You need a lot of patience, energy, drive. I need to be able to make things exciting for kids. It takes a lot of work. It’s not easy. I plan my activities” to be fun and engaging, she said.

She even won a grant to purchase Legos, which has engaged students in many ways, including showcasing creativity and math skills through free building and design exercises.

“I’m at an arts school. I want to inspire them to be creative and use their imagination,” Lobo said. “They think, ‘I’m playing. I’m not really learning,’ but they are.”

There’s hardly time to get bored, since the kids are always up and moving.

“We’re way past just sitting at our desks all the time,” Lobo said. “If you were to come in here during group activity, you’d see them all over. It’s busy in here … which is probably a reflection of me. I’m very high-energy.”

Although her family is from the area, Lobo said she inherited the “travel bug” and loves visiting new places with her husband and two stepchildren — especially beachy locales.

Lobo started as preschool teacher, then switched gears to do early childhood research and policy work at the nonprofit National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) in Virginia.

But after many years focused on young children, around 2004 she cannonballed back into teaching as a long-term substitute. Immersion is the fastest way to learn, and Lobo loved the challenge. Since then, her whole career has been at SDSA and John M. Clayton Elementary School (formerly Frankford Elementary). Now, she loves being back in the classroom with older children.

“This is a very diverse group, across all spectrums, from learning capabilities to everything … but they come together,” Lobo said. “I have been impressed by this group of students, by their ability to show kindness to each other and support each other.”

She hears them cheer each other on.

She said it’s a challenge to meet the needs of such a diverse group, encouraging individuality while pushing the accelerated students forward or helping others catch up.

Lobo is already a leader among teachers. She has served on the SDSA Instructional Leadership Team, helping guide the school’s overall direction; represented the school at the teachers’ union; and joined the statewide cohort to improve social studies resources.

Teaching is like a rollercoaster, Lobo said, with hard work and “exhilarating” successes.

“I’d hate to see a new teacher get overwhelmed with all the aspects that there are to teaching. You have to be a special person” to juggle the time management and classroom management. “I just want to see people go into the profession with an open mind.”

Lobo’s students make the job so rewarding.

“This group in particular is so loving, so sweet. I look forward to seeing their smiling faces every day. I really love teaching,” she said. “They inspire you to keep going.”

She said she truly believes the arts help in learning and problem-solving, so she is proud to represent SDSA as Teacher of the Year.

“The teachers are so creative, and what a great group of teachers to work with! So talented,” Lobo said. “It definitely is an honor, and I feel blessed to be surrounded by people who support me and what I do.”

The Indian River School District will announce the districtwide Teacher of the Year award later this spring.

In a tradition now more than a decade old, dozens of Christians will take part this week in the Good Friday Cross Walk from Mariner’s Bethel United Methodist Church in Ocean View to Bethany Beach.

Between 100 and 150 people are expected to participate in the walk on Friday, March 31, according to Mariner’s Bethel Youth Coordinator Christina Wilson. The participants will take turns carrying the cross east on Route 26, in groups of five or six people at a time, she said.

The cross that is currently used for the walk, Wilson said, came from the Parkway Church of God in Salisbury, Md. That church had used the cross in a live drama “and they passed it on to us,” she said. The cross used in past cross walks has since been given to Wilson and her husband, Mariner’s Bethel pastor the Rev. Woodrow “Woody” Wilson, and has been placed in the yard of their Laurel home.

The newer cross has a platform incorporated on the bottom, from its initial use in the Salisbury church’s dramatization, Wilson said. The platform is sometimes used once the walkers reach the boardwalk in Bethany Beach, when one church member portrays Jesus during a short program, she said.

This year, the walkers who aren’t helping to carry the large cross will have their own smaller crosses to carry, thanks to a church member who made dozens of crosses for the church. Though the church member wishes to be anonymous, Wilson said she is thankful for his gesture.

“He came by some old wood, and it’s something he’s started doing,” she said.

Wilson said the walk itself takes about an hour, and is followed by a short service at the beach and a lunch. The journey, representing a faith tradition more than 2,000 years old, attracts quite a bit of attention each year, she said, and even more so now that the group has grown from the 25 or so marchers the first year. The Mariner’s Bethel cross walk was begun by the church’s Crash’d youth group but now includes church members of all ages.

The walkers sometimes sing worship songs or pray along the 2-mile trek, and Wilson said it is always a moving experience.

“You think about what it might have been like for Jesus,” she said. “Battered and bruised, but still expected to carry the cross.”

Woody Wilson said he hopes the visual of the cross will serve to help non-Christians understand the solemn time in the church year a bit better. Using the fact that Easter falls this year on April Fools’ Day as a connection, he said, “Some people think it’s a foolish thing,” to follow the Christian faith. “They don’t understand the message of the cross.” That message, he said, is that “Jesus gave his life for us.” That, he said, “was the greatest act of love, ever.”

The Mariner’s Bethel United Methodist Church’s Cross Walk will begin at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 31. Walkers should meet in the lobby of the church, which is located at 81 Central Avenue, Ocean View, where there will be a short time of prayer before the walk. For more information, call the church at (302) 539-9510.

Coastal Point • Tyler Valliant: Selbyville Volunteer Fire Company’s Bob Odom has earned the respect of his department and chief for his efforts, garnering him a nomination for the Joshua M. Freeman Valor Award.Selbyville Volunteer Fire Company’s Bob Odom is not your typical firefighter… Oden hasn’t actually been able to go to fire school, because his calling as a pastor — currently working at Peninsula Community Church — keeps him busy, but he has still sought to help his community.

“My wife would tell you I’ve always been an ‘ambulance-chaser,’” Odom said with a laugh. “Wherever I’ve been, even though I hadn’t been a part of the fire department, I’d gotten to know a lot of the firefighters. When I hear the fire siren go off, I’m usually in my car, investigating… I have a scanner at home, listening to it. This was the first time my schedule and everything had allowed me to join.”

Odom said he has always had an interest in joining the fire service and, through the encouragement of friends in the service, joined the fire company in March of 2015. Now, he drives the department’s ambulance on Monday and Tuesday nights, and also helps as a Delaware fire police officer.

“Because I’m not able to train on the fire side, to fight fires, this allows me to respond and feel like I’m contributing if I’m not on the ambulance.”

Described as an “enigma” by SVFC Chief Matt Sliwa, Odom said he was determined to be of service to the fire company, no matter what.

“Most people say they want to help but say they don’t have time for this,” said Sliwa. “Bob said, ‘Here are the parameters of what I can do. Where do I fit?’

“‘We could really use you on the ambulance.’ ‘We always need help on scene with accountability, taking notes, an extra set of hands getting things off the truck…’ And he said, ‘OK, I can do that.’ He jumped in with both feet. He’s made a difference... I’m glad he came to us. He could’ve been in a couple of jurisdictions, given where he lives, but he came to us; and I’m really glad he did.”

As a man who serves as pastor and as an active member in emergency services, Odom said the two fields are very similar.

“My thing has always been caring for people, and that’s why driving the ambulance has been an extension of what I do as a pastor — caring for people and hoping for their best,” he said. “I love the comradery of the fellow firefighters and being a part of the community.”

“He’s a spiritual leader for the guys — not necessarily one type denomination or religion — he’s the guy who’s looking out for everyone and their mental thought processes,” added Sliwa. “‘Is everybody doing OK? How’s everyone doing?’ ‘That was a tough call, does anybody need to talk? I’m here.’ I’ve sat down with him a couple of times as friends, and we talk about stuff and he gives me a different perspective on things. As a chief, that’s nice to have and hear.”

Prior to joining the SVFC, Odom volunteered as the chaplain for the Sussex County paramedics.

“There was a fellow attending our church who was a paramedic. I had told him about my love for that whole system. He had invited me out to do some ride-alongs with the paramedics, and I got to know several of the paramedics through that and how they would be launching the chaplain ministry, and they asked me to join,” recalled Odom.

Odom also serves on the Sussex County Critical Incident Stress Management Team, which helps those in the service mitigate mental-health issues following a traumatic event.

“I try as I can to stop by the station and just say hello and ride around as needed. If I hear about somebody who’s had a tough call, I try to make myself available for them and care for them.”

“You see a child in a car accident, and you see your kids in your mind. It’s tough to see, tough to deal with, tough to handle,” said Sliwa. “The fact that Bob takes that job very seriously and he’s actively engaging people in conversation, paying attention to their well-being and asking — I guarantee you, if there’s an issue in my station, he’s going to catch it and bring it to my attention before I ever notice it. He’s like my frontline guy watching out for us, which, in turn, is watching out for our families.”

Born and raised in Mobile, Ala., Odom lived in New York and Virginia prior to coming to Delaware.

“Being a pastor, the church here needed a new pastor. They had talked about me coming up, and that’s how we got here,” said Odom. “I had passed through Delaware. I had not really been here. To be honest, I didn’t know a whole lot about Delaware, but when we came up to interview, we fell in love with the people. And, of course, we’ve fallen in love with the area.”

Having great pastoral role models as a teenager, Odom said, he felt the church is where he was being called to by God.

“I had a grandmother who prayed for me. She always wanted to see you in the ministry. I’m sure a lot of it was her prayer and her faith that helped direct and guide me,” he added.

For his work and dedication to the department, Sliwa nominated Odom for the 2018 Joshua M. Freeman Valor Award. It was the first year Odom received a nomination. This month, he also received his first Phoenix Award as a member of the EMS crew that saved the life of a local man who had gone into sudden cardiac arrest.

“It’s volunteer, but it doesn’t change what we see, it doesn’t change what we do,” Sliwa added of the stresses involved in emergency services. “He’s a great friend, too. He’s someone I feel confident in talking to and confiding in. He’s just a very easy conversationalist, outside of being an Alabama football fan — we’ll let that slide. Everything else is pretty spot-on.”

Sliwa said he was disappointed Odom didn’t receive the overall Valor Award this year, because what he does for the department — while it might not be a noticeable showing of heroism — is, in fact, extraordinarily heroic.

“What he does and offers to the fire service is huge. You’re never going to see him carrying someone out of a burning building; you’re never going to see him with the huge Jaws of Life in his hands, cutting a car apart. He’s the one who’s looking out for us, and that’s really important, too.”

ReynoldsBerton Reynolds has lived in Fairway Village with his wife, Liz, since they moved to Ocean View in June of 2015.

“I had been coming down to the beach area for literally over 30 years,” he said. “We wanted to get south of the Rehoboth Beach/Dewey area, so we came down this way… We searched around and found Ocean View, and thought, ‘This is perfect,’ because we didn’t want to be right on the beach. We wanted to be a little inland, a little peaceful. And it kind of fell right into our lap.”

Now, having lived in the town for three years, he said he felt it was time to get active in local politics and try his hand at the town council.

“I just felt the need to be involved more. I had attended multiple council meetings. The participation is low, and that’s a shame. We need more of the community to be involved, to express their opinions. I just got the feeling that the council was going through the motions, because there was no true discussion, other than amongst themselves, on what to do.

“That’s not the way the council should be run,” he said. “The council is there to represent the residents of Ocean View. If they’re not hearing from the residents of Ocean View, then it’s only a perception of what’s needed.”

Reynolds is challenging incumbent Carol Bodine in the April election for the seat representing Council District 4. The winner will serve a three-year term on the council.

Reynolds was born in New Yor, but grew up in Arizona. He graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in aerospace engineering and has lived on the East Coast since 1989. His career has taken him everywhere from Boeing to Pep Boys and, now, Wells Fargo, working in information security.

“I’ve been a manager — whether it’s been of people or systems — I’ve done that for the better part of my entire career. I have the ability to understand how to see into the future, anticipate what’s going to happen — whether it’s personnel-wise, whether something is going to come up that’s going to be an issue,” he said.

Reynolds said he believes the two biggest issues facing the Town are the proposed 100 percent property tax increase and a lack of communication between town government and its citizens.

“We need to keep the town council in check,” he said. “I didn’t even know there was an election, and it was my own district. I didn’t know I had to register in Ocean View, even though I was already registered in the State of Delaware.”

If elected, he said he would try to get more citizens involved in the governmental process, possibly working with HOAs in the town to have them send representatives to meetings to keep their homeowners apprised of town happenings.

“There’s got to be a way to publish it more than just looking it up on the website,” he said of meeting notices. “It shouldn’t be reliant on a weekly paper to get the word out there. There’ve got to be other ways.”

While Reynolds still works fulltime, he said he has plans to campaign, including going to speak to homeowners’ associations.

Having moved to the area from Philadelphia, Reynolds said his stress level has dropped significantly, as he is able to enjoy the laid-back small-town atmosphere.

“I love the pace of life down here. I’ve loved the beach,” he said. “I grew up in Arizona — I didn’t have the beach, I had the desert. There is a big difference. I love being on the beach, I wanted to retire to the beach. I just love the atmosphere here. I love the community that’s here. It’s a friendly town. You go places and people wave, people do say hello. I didn’t get that where I used to live. I plan on being here for the rest of my life. I’m not going anywhere.”

The Ocean View election will be held on Saturday, April 14, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at town hall.

Coastal Point • Kerin Magill: From left, R. D. James and U.S. Sen. Tom Carper listen as Tony Pratt, DNREC’s Shoreline and Waterway Management Section chief, discusses beach replenishment at Bethany Beach on Tuesday, March 27. James is the new head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.The new head of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, R.D. James, got a firsthand look at the damage sustained to the coastline following a series of nor’easters this month as he toured Delaware beaches on Tuesday, March 27, with U.S. Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.).

James, whose official title is Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, took office in January.

The pair was joined by state and local officials at four stops, starting with Bethany Beach. As the group walked Bethany Beach’s boardwalk from the bandstand area, they couldn’t take the closest set of steps down to the beach, because those steps washed away in last week’s nor’easter. (They were later found at 48th Street in Ocean City, Md. — 11 miles to the south — and have since been returned to Bethany Beach, according to Lew Kilmer, Bethany Beach’s vice-mayor.)

Standing on the windswept, severely shortened beach in front of a depleted dune, Carper and James were joined by local officials including Kilmer and South Bethany Mayor Pat Voveris, as well as Tony Pratt, outgoing administrator for the Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control’s Shoreline & Waterway Management Section, and president of the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association.

Pratt explained that delays in beach replenishment are at least partially responsible for the extensive damage to the beaches in recent storms.

“When we go five years, and almost into six years, in a cycle, you’re going to see a lot more losses,” Pratt said.

Rehoboth Dewey, Bethany and South Bethany are on three-year maintenance cycles and Fenwick is on a four-year cycle, Pratt said, so the planned replenishment projects are long overdue.

“It is important to maintain it,” Pratt said. “It’s like putting the tires on your car for safety and you wear the tread over a certain amount of time, and you don’t want to extend that past the expectation of that tire tread. You might start hydroplaning and skidding.”

Carper said the beaches, and the tourism that goes with them, are “our bread and butter in this part of the state,” along with agriculture. “People love to come here; they just love to come to our beaches, and we want to make sure they have something to come to,” Carper said.

“If we didn’t have the dunes, we wouldn’t have much of anything else. It’s a partnership with the towns, the county and the state… and the Army Corps is hugely important,” Carper said to James. “We treasure your support, and we’re thrilled that you’re here.”

Pratt also emphasized the importance of healthy beaches to the economy, in Sussex County as well as the surrounding region.

“The economic drivers are just tremendous,” he said. “We think about [people like] the lifeguards that are directly related to the beach, but if you think about the travel corridors that extend from (Washington) D.C. and Philadelphia and Baltimore to get here… tremendous businesses have grown up along the way for people to get here, and the destination is the beach,” Pratt said.

Pratt added that a wide range of jobs, from lifeguards to carpenters to spa attendants —“They’re all part of the economy that’s grown up around beach recreation, and it’s a ripple effect that’s just phenomenal.”

James said this was his first visit to Delaware’s coast in his new position, “And I wanted to come to the coastal region to learn more about it. I’ll be going to the harbors and the ports later, but I wanted to come here.

“It’s obvious to me — we just came from the coffee shop in there — this is a family resort. That restaurant was full in there, and it was all families,” James said.

He agreed that the beaches are “an economic driver for this state and this area,” adding that he believes having beaches to come to “helps the quality of life of people in the surrounding areas that come here and vacation. They come here to relax and enjoy their families. I think it’s a wonderful thing, and I think the beach renourishment and the dune rebuilding is a very important part of this, to keep this available for our people, and I think we’re doing a wonderful job.”

“I’m Tom Carper, and I approved this message,” Carper said with a laugh.

James explained that funding for the shoreline protection projects comes partially from “the president’s funding, the president’s budget. And then the other part comes from the Congress. The Congress tries to establish work plans above the president’s budget each year,” James said.

“They’re trying to get back on a two-year cycle of the Water Resource Development Act, and, of course, there are competing interests all over the United States for those,” the Army Corps leader said. “We at the Corps and the administration try to weed out the most important and prioritize those and try to spend every dollar we can efficiently and effectively to get the most bang for the buck.”

Officials acknowledge timing, focus on need

“We understand and we appreciate the concern” of merchants and businesspeople regarding the scheduling of this year’s beach replenishment during the summer season,” Carper said of the work, which is now scheduled to begin in May in Bethany Beach and continue through mid-July in Fenwick Island, but he added that the focus needs to be on the completion of the project in order to preserve the beaches and protect the beach towns from storm damage.

Carper said it is a matter of “short-term pain, long-term gain. So bear with us,” he said.

“Part of the problem is, the real problem is this ocean is rising,” Carper said. “One of the reasons it’s rising is our climate is getting warmer. Ice is melting up to the north, and while we want to make sure that we have protected our towns up and down the coast, we also want to make sure we’re addressing the root cause” of the problems, he said.

“We’re seeing here the symptoms of the problem,” Carper said.

Carper is the ranking member on the Senate Environment & Public Works Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Water Resources Development Act. The WRDA authorizes the funding for the Corps of Engineers.

“We are currently in the process of drafting that bill with our majority counterparts, and a lot of that language is essential to how we’re going to restore our coast and how we’re going to help the Corps do a better job of prioritizing,” said John Kane, Carper’s senior governmental affairs advisor.

“When Secretary James was confirmed, one of the key points he made was that we need to get the Corps back to work, and we need to have them doing as much as possible wherever possible,” Kane said.

“What Sen. Carper is advocating for is making sure that the benefits and the costs of these projects are more appropriately weighed, so that we can see things like beach renourishment happen immediately,” Kane added.

Lt. Col. Kristen Dahle, commander of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District, said, “We’ve been working very closely with all the dredging companies on the coast, to get good prices…to make sure that everything’s fair, to make sure we’re not overpaying for what’s happening on the beaches here. We give them a longer time period to be able to complete their mission.”

“I’ll be honest,” Dahle said, “every dredge along the eastern border… is actively being used, so they go from one mission to the next mission to the next mission. This has been a hard year, you know — the Corps’ been working in a lot of areas.

“Storms that happened in the fall have affected dredging all throughout the fall and the winter, and have pushed a lot of our projects back. For every one of those nor’easters, I would say that we lost about a week,” Dahle said. “So we’ve been working closely with our agencies, to keep it on track, making sure those dredges don’t go to another project,” she said.

Dahle said that her office has to compete with emergency needs in other areas, and that “We’ve been defending those dredges to stay here. But we have to work across the nation and make sure that people are safe,” she said.

As for the timing of the projects, she said, “We can’t say ‘don’t do it during the summer’ because then we wouldn’t get good pricing and we wouldn’t get the pricing we need.”

Dahle said that, while there are penalties built into dredging contracts for going beyond the 240-day window from the time the contract is activated, “We take into consideration weather, and we take into consideration extenuating circumstances.”

From Bethany Beach, Carper and James were scheduled to travel to Rehoboth Beach, where replenishment has been done more recently than in Bethany Beach and thus where the beach has not suffered as much damage in recent storms. The group was also set to tour the Port of Wilmington and a proposed port site in Edgemoor later in the day.