Coastal Point • R. Chris Clark: Sue Clark, Barbara McCoy, Carol McCloud, Mary Ellen Gonski, and Todd Sposato out front of the Barefoot Gardeners Club gardens at Fenwick Town Hall.They may be retired educators, but that doesn’t mean that these members of the Barefoot Gardeners Club are finished teaching.

After being awarded a first-place state award for environmental stewardship for their work with butterfly gardens, the group is switching things up this summer for their “Children’s Story Hour” at the town park adjacent to Fenwick Island Town Hall.

“This year, we decided to change our plan a little bit,” explained Sue Clark, one of the club’s youth committee pioneers. “We wanted to teach about seeds and about growing vegetables.”

For their first session of the summer, on Wednesday, July 8, the kids already got a chance to see some of those vegetables sprout, after the group planted a garden full of cucumbers, tomatoes, squash and peppers.

“They physically get to go over and look to see if there’s anything growing,” said club member Barbara McCoy. “They saw that there was a cucumber, and they got to taste it — we keep it hands-on.”

“We’re all teachers, so we know that, ‘OK, they’re restless — let’s get up and stretch,’” added Clark. “That’s why we decided to change and do the vegetables — just have a whole different plan this summer.”

Meeting every other Wednesday from 10 to 11 a.m., the free Story Hour also, of course, includes stories, in addition to art projects and gardening — but, above all, the kids also learn what it means to be part of the Barefoot Gardeners.

“We tell them they’re the stewards of the earth,” explained McCoy, “and that this is their earth, and they need to be the protectors and the caretakers of it. If they go to the ocean, we tell them to throw the shell back if there’s something alive in it — just little things like that.”

“Taking care of the earth, that’s all kind of woven in,” added Clark. “I think it’s a great project. I see what happened with my granddaughters, and they love it.”

While the first story hour of the summer saw a light turnout, the group has high hopes for the second session, on Wednesday, July 22, when the Suzanne Thurman, executive director of the Marine Education, Research & Rehabilitation (MERR) Institute pays a visit — bringing a 30-foot inflatable whale with her, for purposes of both education and fun.

“We want to get more community support,” Clark said. “Since we were all Gardeners Club members, we were looking to do something with our youth committee.”

To attend the free Children’s Story Hour event on Wednesday, or any session throughout the rest of the summer, simply stop by the Fenwick Island Town Hall at 10 a.m. to check it out. For more information of the Barefoot Gardeners Club, find them on Facebook.

You never know what you’re going to stumble upon at Dana’s Pantry. But to Dana Banks, who also owns The Parkway restaurant right down the block, that’s kind of the point.

“Originally, I wanted to have 100 percent what I wanted to have in my pantry — but then I started thinking about other gifts,” said Banks, who opened the doors at the shop’s Bethany boardwalk location last month. “It’s about finding cool things that you’re not going to see anywhere else.”

Equating the shop to Bethany Beach’s answer to somewhat of a Williams-Sonoma-type store, Banks said Dana’s Pantry carries a wide array of items for beachgoers’ own pantries and more. From soaps, shampoos and lotions from Savannah Bee, to cooking products from Stonewall Kitchen, and to anything one might need for a cocktail party — chances are Dana’s Pantry has it on the shelves.

“We have some fun gourmet items,” Banks explained. “It’s just kind of eclectic. It’s like a country-farmhouse feel. Everything for your beach house — just for when people are here and they go, ‘Where can I get that?’”

In addition to bar items, such as martini glasses, portable wine glasses, wine keys, strainers, muddlers and all kinds of drink mixes, the shop also carries party favors, such as drinking games and wine bags, to go along with plenty of bar and beach snacks.

For beachgoers looking for a snack, there are Taite’s cookies, crab salsa, jerky, gluten-free snacks, chocolates, specialty peanut butter, jams and crackers. And for dinner guests, there are capers, sardines, olives and much more.

All the sauces and snacks have, of course, been hand-picked by Banks herself, who’s been testing them in her kitchen to see what she likes best.

“The key lime juice I use in my key lime pie. The coconut milk I use in a lot of my stuff. The siracha sauce I use, the chipotle…” said Banks. “I’ve been incorporating and trying a lot of the products in with my cooking — like, I did pork chops with the maple-chipotle barbecue sauce. I did a fig jam with an apple butter… Different things. I use the peanut butter for the peanut butter burger at The Parkway.”

But unique food and drink items are not the only things to be found when browsing the store. There are also some items that one might not find in the typical pantry, including custom-made soy candles, “Home T’s” shirts and mats displaying home state pride, sunscreens from Coola, and even a pet section.

“My passion is people enjoying themselves when they come in here, and finding something that they like,” Banks explained. “It’s discovering something.”

While Banks, of course, still has a kitchen to run at The Parkway, she said she’s enjoyed her time being able to run the shop, talk with the customers and find new items to bring it.

“I really enjoy it. You get to talk to people on a different level,” she said. “This was a lot of fun to put together. I know that I’m going to keep adding, it’s going to evolve.”

Banks went on to note that, like The Parkway, Dana’s Pantry will remain open seven days a week throughout September before dialing the hours back for the second-season, but they’ll still be open when people are in town throughout the off-season, she assured.

The shop is located at 98 Garfield Parkway, Unit #108, in the Blue Surf building on the Bethany boardwalk, and is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the summer. For more information, check out their Facebook page or call (302) 616-2657.

Coastal Point • Tripp Colonell Joe and Cat Godleski are the new owners of Tom & Terry's Seafood Market in Ocean View, carrying on a proud tradition and bringing some new concepts, too.Tradition runs deep at Tom & Terry’s Seafood Market in Ocean View.

For 32 years, Tom and Mary Ellen Ball provided local patrons with the highest quality seafood that they could bring in. Not only have the crabcakes been made with the same recipe for more than 20 years — they’ve been made by the same person. And not only do the employees keep coming back, summer after summer, but now so do some of their kids.

So when it came time to retire, the Balls went to Joe and Cat Godleski, who they knew would be able to not only carry on the tradition they had built but carry it forward for the next generation.

“I originally met Tom and Mary Ellen when I moved back here after college. That was my first restaurant gig down here, was at Tom & Terry’s on [Route] 54,” said Joe Godleski. “We kept in touch over the years, and last year they asked Cat and I if we wanted to buy the place. They wanted to retire.”

Not only had Joe gotten his culinary start with the Balls, but Cat had also been joining them at the Fenwick Island Farmer’s Market through the years, with her homemade desserts from her former bakeshop, Beach Sweets. They had even carried her signature Beach Sweets Salsa in the store. With that in mind, the Balls’ decision may have been a no-brainer, and, for the Godleskis, it was a dream come true.

“It’s was kind of a dream of mine,” Joe Godleski explained. “We kept the name. We want to keep doing what they have done since 1983 and build on that.”

“We’re honored that they even approached us,” added Cat Godleski. “We want to keep it up and take it little bit further, the next generation of Tom & Terry’s.”

While the Godleskis will continue to offer everything that people have come to expect at Tom & Terry’s — whether it be fresh fish, Maryland steamed crabs, dayboat scallops, oysters, mussels, or even local produce — the “next generation of Tom & Terry’s is bringing a few twists.

In adding items including their house-made salads, soups and desserts, the goal is to provide customers with whatever they need to prepare their dinner.

“They can stop here and pick up everything for dinner, instead of making a couple different stops,” said Joe Godleski. “They can just come here and get their meal taken care of for the night.”

“It’s a lot to host a meal. You want them to enjoy it,” said Cat Godleski. “Anything you need to prepare your fish, you can get it all here. Come in and we’ll help you, and you can go home and take all the credit for it and be a rockstar.”

And not only will they get you set up for dinner, right down to the Old Bay, they’ll even tell you how to properly cook it or recommend just the right sauce.

“Once you learn the techniques, then you don’t need a recipe,” said Godleski, noting that cooking demos may be next on the Tom & Terry’s horizon. “It’s fresh, simple food — it doesn’t need a lot of help.”

Other future plans for the market include expanding the bakeshop and catering for holiday events, whether it be small dinner parties or family-reunion crab feasts.

“We’re willing to accommodate special orders if you’re trying to pull off a Christmas party or anything at all,” Cat Godleski said. “With Beach Sweets, we did a lot of catering up through Christmas and the holidays, so we want to be able to continue to do that.”

For right now, however, the new generation of Tom & Terry’s is set to continue a long-standing tradition of excellence.

“We want to be known for having the best fish at the beach,” said Joe Godleski. “We just want to hold the highest quality standards that we can.”

Tom & Terry’s Seafood Market is located on 30447 Cedar Neck Road in Ocean View and is open daily at 10 a.m. For a full menu, visit www.tomandterrys
market.com. For gluten-free crabcake requests, or when ordering steamed crabs, make sure to call ahead to the store, at (302) 539-4311. For off-season catering, contact the market through their Facebook page.

The Town of Ocean View continues to improve one of its greatest assets — John West Park.

At the July 14 council meeting, Town Manager Dianne Vogel said the Town did receive the $10,000 grant from Sussex County for park improvements, which will be used to install a shade shelter in mid-August. She added that the Town will try to obtain an additional grant from the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control (DNREC) to fund installing another shade shelter.

Vogel added that lighting outlining the gazebo, the barbecue and picnic pavilion, and town hall itself have been installed. The expenditure was included in the Town’s approved 2016-fiscal-year Capital Improvement Budget.

Councilman Bill Olsen asked Town Administrative Official Charles McMullen about the status of other improvements to the park. He said the playground at John West Park now has a Boulder Ridge Rock Wall, a Jax Web for climbing and a Moto-Cross “C” Spring Rider, and that upgrades have been made to fitness equipment. Later in the fiscal year, an octagonal shelter over the handicapped-accessible picnic table nearest the gazebo will be added.

“We’re getting a lot of nice compliments… People are talking about how happy they are with the park.”

“I had all my grandkids there over Fourth of July, and they just loved it,” added Mayor Walter Curran.

Olsen asked McMullen what the status was for the Assawoman Canal Trail.

“Is it open, closed?”

McMullen said the trail is open; however, it has not been “officially” opened yet.

“There are a few things they’re trying to finish up,” he said. “People are using it. They’ve been using it during construction. Everyone I’ve talked to about it who has been down there has had nothing but nice things to say about it. The reviews are good, but it’s not yet officially open.”

Vogel said the Town is waiting on an invitation from DNREC to the official dedication, which has yet to be scheduled.

In other Town news:

• Friday, July 17, at 6 p.m., Junior Wislon and percussionist Chatty will perform at John West Park. The Boy Scouts of Troop 281 will sell hotdogs, and Mr. Softee will provide free ice cream. The concert is free and open to the public.

• OVPD hosted two Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid Response Training (ALERRT) courses during the week of June 22, at Lord Baltimore Elementary School. The ALERRT curriculum, developed after the shooting at Columbine High School, has become the national standard in active-shooter response training.

• OVPD officers provided Rescue Task Force (RTF) training to firefighters and EMS officials from the Millville and Bethany Beach volunteer fire companies and Sussex County EMS. The training on June 26 was also held at Lord Baltimore Elementary School. RTF incorporates fire and EMS into the initial response to an active shooter or bombing event.

• PFC Justin Hopkins and K-9 Hardy have graduated from the Delaware State Police Canine Training Academy. The OVDP K-9 Team currently holds certifications from certifying organizations including: Delaware State Police, National Tactical Police Dog Association and National Police Canine Association.

• The Ocean View town council will not meet in the month of August. Its next scheduled meeting will be held Sept. 8 at 7 p.m.

Connections Community Support Programs made a presentation to the Sussex County Action Prevention Coalition’s (SCAPC’s) Seaford Chapter at its monthly meeting last week.

SCAPC is a nonprofit organization with the mission “to help individuals and families who are struggling with addictions, substance abuse and other life-related problems get the help they need through collaborating community resources and services, and coordinating opportunities that promotes positive choices that lead to healthy lifestyles and wholeness.”

Adam Taylor, Connections public relations specialist, discussed the addiction epidemic that is plaguing the country with an audience of approximately 40 community members.

Taylor, a recovering heroin addict himself, said that he was in active addiction between the ages of 14 and 26.

“It almost killed me several times,” he said. “In my active addiction in heroin, I almost died. My parents prepared for my death. Drug counselors told them they didn’t think I was going to make it.”

Taylor was able to get clean in 1988. However, after a traumatic event, he relapsed with prescription painkillers and bourbon, that time while he had a wife and two kids.

“I was physically there for everything, but I wasn’t emotionally there,” he said of that time in his life.

Taylor said his wakeup moment came when he called someone to arrange to give them a check, only to learn that he had already paid them the money. And, worse, that his kids were in the car with him and he had no memory of the transaction.

“They told me my kids were in the car… I was put on this planet to physically harm and hospitalize anyone who endangered my kids. There was nobody on the planet hurting my kids but me… I was the only threat.”

After that incident, Taylor called a rehabilitation facility, and he has been clean and sober since 2011.

“I’m doing this to not die,” he said, “to get back into super-dadness. I change the way I think… Things that used to thrill me, I now view as things that endanger me. I’ve gone from my own worst enemy to my own best friend.”

One attendee asked Taylor, “How do you stay clean?”

“The most important thing I do is go to group support meetings. By my nature, I am prone to isolation and I’m pretty arrogant. I have the ability to forget I have this affliction,” he said. “There are many ways to get sober. I need to go all the time to stay sharp.”

Taylor joined Connections in November of 2014, after a career in journalism. Connections — one of the largest nonprofits in the state — serves approximately 35,000 people statewide. Along with addiction treatment, Connections offers a variety of help to those in need, including job programs and housing services.

Taylor also discussed his thoughts on how the heroin epidemic grew into the problem that it is today.

“I thought this was just another heroin spike, but I don’t think that’s true anymore,” he said. “It’s now in the cities and in rural towns… The body count is rising, and I think it’s here to stay.”

Taylor said that governmental agencies’ actions are extremely conflicted, which does not help address the issue.

“At the same time one federal agency [Center for Disease Control] is saying, ‘It’s the worst crisis we’ve ever seen,’ the [Federal Drug Administration] continues to approve new powerful time-release narcotics, which I think is completely insane.”

Taylor said that, while he’s not unsympathetic to those who have legitimate chronic pain, “For the life of me, I don’t understand the need for time-release opiates.”

Addiction rate soared in the 1990s, according to Taylor, with new prescription pills hitting the market, and “Addicts started modifying them.”

“Government regulations started making the pharmaceutical companies reformulate these pills to make it harder to do that, which was somewhat successful, I guess,” he said, noting some pressure was also put on the doctors prescribing the medications.

Street prices soared, leading to an influx of other opiate options.

“The heroin traffickers saw a business opportunity and flooded the market with cheap heroin after a Percocet 30 became $30 a pill. And that explains our heroin epidemic today.”

Taylor said that — while there are organizations at the local level, such as SCAPC, and at the national level, including the FED UP! Coalition, whose mission is “to create one voice calling for an end to the epidemic of addiction and overdose deaths attributed to opioids (including heroin) and other prescription drugs” — the problem still is not getting the attention it needs.

“I’m stunned of the silent response, the crickets we hear… I really do think this is not getting the attention it deserves,” he said. “More people are dying of this than gun violence. We hear a lot about that. More people are dying of this than car accidents. We hear a lot about that.

“As far as I’m concerned, compared to the carnage we see all the time… Crickets, in my opinion.”

SCAPC Chairman Jim Martin said the group needs to focus on its mission and the positive things happening, to help make a difference when it comes to addiction in their communities.

“This morning I woke up and I literally couldn’t get out of bed. I knew I had to take a shower, I had to shave, I had to put my clothes on, but at 5:30 in the morning, I just wasn’t up for another day of the devastation that is out there in our communities. It seems like every day there’s a new story — someone’s life is destroyed. It’s just so upsetting.

“I do know there are problem-solvers out there in our county that are trying their hardest to get something going for Sussex County… and the fact that you are all here,” he said, is such a positive.

For more information about Connections, call 1-866-477-5345 or visit www.connectionscsp.org. The next SCAPC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 4, at 10 a.m. at the Stein Highway Church of God’s Lighted Pathway Family Life Center, located at 425 E. Stein Highway in Seaford. All are encouraged to attend. To learn more about SCAPC, visit www.facebook.com/pages/Sussex-County-Action-Prevention-Coalition/9748211....

Coastal Point • Submitted: Brooke Mitchell is your new Miss Delaware.Selbyville resident Brooke Mitchell’s life changed on June 13 when the Miss Delaware Scholarship Organization crowned her Miss Delaware 2015 at Dover Downs Hotel & Casino. Mitchell, 19, has been involved in pageants since the age of 6.

“I’ve been watching the Miss Delaware pageant since I was 6 years old. I’ve grown close to the organization and have competed in the Outstanding Teen organization, as well, which is the little-sister program to Miss America,” said Mitchell.

“I pretty much had grown up with the organization. It’s a big family, so I knew most of the girls. When I was younger, all of the Miss Delawares were my role models, so I knew that it was something I wanted to do.”

According to its website, the focus of the Miss Delaware Scholarship Organization is to “make scholarships available to the state’s most promising young women, providing them with educational choices and opportunities for personal and professional growth.”

Over the 13 years Mitchell has been competing in pageants, she said, she’s been able to make life-long friends.

“It really is just a sisterhood. There isn’t cattiness backstage, which is a good thing. I think people think that a lot, which is so not true.

“I’ve been doing pageants since I was 6 and have rarely come across a case where girls are not supportive of one another. We all work hard. We all know that everyone else works hard. I think, knowing that, knowing that about ourselves and how important it is to each of us, it really is a way to supporting each, even though it is a competition.”

Mitchell first competed for the Miss Delaware title last year, her first eligible year, and was the first runner-up to Brittany Lewis, Miss Delaware 2014. That year, Mitchell also won the pageant’s talent and evening-wear competitions.

“I came back this year hoping to do a little bit better, and I’m glad I reached my goal and am excited to go to Miss America.”

Mitchell was crowned Miss Milford in February and was one of 11 young women to compete in June’s Miss Delaware pageant. Mitchell, who is a dance teacher at Dance Alley in Millsboro, performed baton twirling to “Rhythm of the Night” as her talent this year.

“We have to compete in talent — I’ve been dancing since I was 2 and baton-twirling since I was 4,” she said. “I twirled for Miss Delaware; it was a combination of baton and dance.”

Confidence is key when competing, said Mitchell, who also competed in categories such as swimsuit and evening gown.

“First thing, you have to be pretty confident in yourself. I don’t think you’d get very far if you weren’t confident in yourself, which is really important.

“We have to do an interview with all the judges. Just being up on current events and being worldly about everything that’s going on is very important,” said Mitchell, who also won the People’s Choice Award.

As the winner, Mitchell will receive a $10,000 scholarship from the Miss Delaware Scholarship Organization, as well as other scholarships, gifts and, of course, the crown.

Mitchell said she has been preparing for her role as Miss Delaware since she was a little girl.

“Ever since I was little, I knew it was something I wanted to do. Everything I have competed in pageant-wise has been leading up to this, because it was my ultimate goal.”

Since her win, Mitchell said, she has been spending a lot of time in Dover with her director, as well as with her Crossfit trainer.

“I’ve had a few interviews all over the state. It’s really exciting, and I’m looking forward to how the rest of the year is going to go.”

A Sussex Central High School graduate, Mitchell is studying elementary education at Delaware Technical Community College but will be taking next semester off to focus on her new role.

“I may take online classes after Miss America, depending on the outcome,” she said. “We’ll see what happens.”

During her time as Miss Delaware, Mitchell plans to promote her platform of volunteerism throughout the state.

“The very first time I competed was in the Little Miss Sussex County pageant, and it benefitted the Make-A-Wish Foundation. So, I have been volunteering since I was 6. That’s what my platform is, because at 6 years old, it just stuck with me.

“I visited hospitals and spoke to children — just talked to them about things they didn’t really get the chance to talk about. Some of those kids don’t even get visitation from their parents — they’re just there in the hospital by themselves, which is really upsetting to me. I think that, if you’re able to volunteer and are able to help someone else, then you should absolutely do so.”

Mitchell said she hopes to educate young people on the importance of volunteering, as well as the opportunity to volunteer.

“I think that one of the problems is children don’t realize they can volunteer, too. I want to promote volunteerism — not only in adults, but in children, too.”

Mitchell is now preparing to compete in Miss America on Sept. 13 in Atlantic City, N.J.

“We’re trying to get everything ready. All my paperwork, for the most part, is in. It’s official now — all my headshots are done,” she said. “I go up for choreography in New York on Sunday.”

As a Selbyville resident, Mitchell is close with Miss Delaware 2012, Alyssa Murray.

“I’ve known her since I was a kid. I was very happy when she won and was very supportive of her. It’s really exciting to follow in her footsteps, along with other former Miss Delawares. It really is a sisterhood; it’s great.”

In the few weeks that she’s been Miss Delaware, Mitchell said she has received an outpouring of support from all over the state.

“I just went to Old Timers’ Day. It was a lot of fun. So many people wished me luck for Miss America and said congratulations and said how happy they were to have someone from Selbyville,” she said. “I’m also getting a lot of support from Milford, because I represented Milford at the state pageant this year.”

Mitchell said she’s excited to see what the year has in store for her and is proud to be representing the state of Delaware.

“I’m really excited for this year, and I hope I can do Delaware proud at Miss America. I know it’s been a while since we’ve had someone make even the top 10; so, hopefully, I can do that this year. I’m going work really hard to try and make that happen.”

To follow Mitchell’s journey, follow her on Instagram, @missdelaware2015, or on Twitter, @_brookeA_, or on Facebook, at www.facebook.com/brooke.mitchell2. Newsletter updates are also available, by signing up at www.missde.org.

The Town of Frankford this week approved its 2016-fiscal-year budget, after some confusion.

Resident Greg Welch asked why the line item “operating transfer” for $29,210 was listed as going out of both the proposed General Fund Budget expenditures and the proposed Water Budget expenditures.

“Where is that being transferred to?”

“It’s kind of the intercompany transfer account,” said Councilwoman Velicia Melson. “It’s not necessarily $29,000 of expenses.”

Welch said the budget didn’t show the money going out and coming back in, but rather going out from each account.

“If we pay an expense out of the general fund that is part of the water, you have to book it into that operational transfer in order at year-end for the journal entry to pick that up by the accountant to make that adjusting journal entry, to do that adjustment between the two accounts,” she explained.

Melson said she, too, is a little confused by the process in regard to the line item adjusting for the income but noted there is a learning process.

“Because this is the first year we’ve had two separate budgets.”

Town Administrator Terry Truitt read an email from Jefferson, Urian, Doane & Sterner, P.A., the Town’s auditor, received after the Town requested a clear definition of the operating transfer account between the two funds.

“This is Tiffany Schrader’s response. She said, ‘It is basically funds that are general fund money but are ‘transferred’ to the water fund to pay expenses, or the other way, vice versa.

“‘So if the water fund is budgeted at a deficit, and the general fund is at a surplus, there is to be a transfer to effectively balance this budget. Transfer in on one side, out on the other,” the response said. ‘You don’t physically transfer the funds per say, but when you pay payroll, and there are payroll taxes and other entities of expenses, the funds will somewhat become general fund expenditures that create this transfer.’”

Welch said the items were showing an expenditure of $58,000 that doesn’t exist.

“You’re actually hiding $58,000 of revenue... I think it’s very clear that it’s not legit.”

Mayor Joanne Bacon admitted the discussion confused her.

Resident Marty Presley said the budget has to show the money going somewhere.

“It shouldn’t actually be in the budget — it should be a transfer,” he said.

“It’s voodoo economics,” said Welch.

Presley also said the pension match in the proposed budget looked off. Bacon said she noticed it, as well.

“It about doubled what it should be,” said Presley.

In the budget, public safety budgeted $10,000 for pensions, while $4,100 was budgeted for the pensions of non-public-safety employees, and $4,100 set aside in the water budget for pension matching.

Truitt said Frankford Police Chief Michael Warchol might have kept everything in the account because he didn’t have good working figures, as the Town is hoping to add another officer this year.

Presley said what was budgeted is a payroll of $166,000, which comes out to about $8,300 at the agreed upon 5 percent; however, the Town has budgeted $18,200.

Bacon said that, just working off of public safety budgeted wages of $89,000, only $4,450 should be budgeted for public-safety pensions.

Melson asked Truitt to confirm that any changes made to the budget would have to be advertised for two weeks prior to another hearing and a possible vote to approve the budget. Truitt agreed. She also stated that the budget would need to be adopted by July 15.

Welch said that in previous council meeting minutes, former town solicitor Dennis Schrader had said the budget would need to be approved no later than July 31, which is also what is stated in the Town’s Charter.

He added that the Town’s fiscal year runs from July 1 through June 30, and questioned why the council was approving the budget nearly two weeks into its new fiscal year.

“We’re already 13 days into this fiscal year,” said Welch.

Melson said she was not entirely pleased with the budget, as well.

“I will state that the budget is not 100 percent accurate. It is not how I would prepare and review a budget,” she said. “Given the time constraints…”

“That’s a self-imposed time restraint,” said Welch. “We’ve had all year to get this done. We had a time restraint in last year’s budget, and we didn’t have time to get it done right. Now we don’t have time to get it right again.”

Melson noted that the Town had been working on pension and healthcare issues, which impact the budget.

All council members in attendance stated that the budget process needs to be tweaked in the future.

“I think the whole budget process needs to be looked at differently next year. We need to get to a point where we’re comparing actuals instead of rolling year to year,” said Melson.

Melson motioned to adopt the proposed budget as published, with the public-safety pension to be reviewed and a possible amendment to reflect 5 percent of the salary.

The council voted 3-0 to approve the budget, with Council Members Charles Shelton and Jesse Truitt absent.

Town discusses water tower

The Town of Frankford is still mulling over what to do about the care of its water tower, after Steven Lewandowski of CABE Associates gave a presentation at the council’s July 6 council meeting regarding two refreshed bids to provide service.

In March, representatives of Southern Corrosion, based in Roanoke Rapids, N.C., visited the town and inspected the water tower. The company handles maintenance and repair for all Artesian tanks. Their estimated cost was $111,000, which includes pressure-washing the exterior of the tank, cleaning rusted areas, painting it and sterilizing the tank’s interior.

Pittsburg Tank & Tower Maintenance Co. of Henderson, Ky. also provided a refreshed bid of $190,576 for work to the tank; however, they did not visit the site.

Following a workshop in June, the council had requested CABE evaluate the quotes from the two difference maintenance providers.

“It was a little difficult because they weren’t apples-to-apples,” said Lewandowski, noting that, as Pittsburg’s bid offered substantially more services, in order to compare the two, they had deleted services from Pittsburg’s bid that weren’t in Southern’s in order to give a better comparison. “In doing so, the bids were actually pretty close. Southern was low at $111,040. Pittsburg’s bid was $115,145.”

The major items in both bids were the exterior and interior coating systems.

Lewandowski recommended the Town contract services with Southern Corrosion.

He noted that Southern Corrosion was proposing a 10-year contract; however, the bulk of work to be done in the first year.

“Then there would be an annual service for 10 years, at cost of $9,425 per year,” which would cover responding to emergency calls to the tank.

He noted that Pittsburg Tank & Tower Maintenance Co. did not provide any references, while Southern Corrosion did.

“They all gave very high remarks about Southern’s services,” he said. “We also learned that each one of those five references did not have a 10-year maintenance contract… Our point being that seems negotiable.”

Lewandowski recommended that the Town engage Southern Corrosion in conversation about an extended service contract, if that’s what the Town is interested in.

He added there are some services in Pittsburg’s bid that CABE recommends the Town discuss with Southern Corrosion, regarding safety and structural issues, such as the rods that cross the tank.

The council chose to table the discussion until a town solicitor is hired, and an inquiry is made as to whether or not the 10 years of service would be negotiable.

In other Town news:

• During the July 6 meeting, the council unanimously approved the purchase of an 8-gallon-per-hour chilled water fountain for the town park, at a cost of $375. Prior to its installation, the Town will look into making the location ADA-compliant.

• Frankford Police Chief Michael Warchol said he has concerns about trucks turning from Main Street onto Thatcher Street, and vice-versa, and plans to contact the Delaware Department of Transportation to see if they can be restricted in some way.

It took about 2.5 hours for the South Bethany Town Council to cover regular business at their meeting on July 10, when discussions ranged from zoning to law enforcement and touched more than briefly on the continuing controversy over FEMA flood plain designations.

After hiring an independent study of South Bethany’s flood plain maps, the council unanimously agreed last week to submit a list of follow-up questions to consultant Taylor Engineering.

“Today, we’re just talking about further communication,” Mayor Pat Voveris said, “just clarification on the report they gave us.”

Although Voveris got a verbal indication that a 10-foot base flood elevation (BFE) is unlikely to garner approval through the FEMA appeals process, council members said they wanted a few calculations.

For instance, if they got further analysis on waves overtopping the dunes, as recommended, what kind of results might they get? Also, they wanted an estimate on the cost associated with such studies or calculations.

Although the engineer was concerned about a conflict of interest because Taylor Engineering is also contracting with FEMA, Voveris said the company vice-president assured her that the report is valid and can be presented as evidence.

She was also confident that the company won’t display false confidence to encourage South Bethany to pay more to fight a hopeless cause.

“They are a very solid company, and they have instructed other companies on how to do this kind of work. They’re not ambulance-chasers … just to get a big bill. They want truth, and they want accuracy,” said Voveris.

Meanwhile, resident Kent Stephen said he was still frustrated after last fall, when he said, “the council stomped all over the ‘Sunshine Laws’” in its discussions regarding mandatory freeboard. The proposal was originally slipped into a FEMA-mandated zoning proposal, but ultimately voted down, to become optional for property owners.

“A wildly unpopular freeboard mandate … was not published in the agenda. The same mandate had already been voted down twice by the Sea Level Rise Committee, once by the Planning Commission and once by the council itself,” Stephen said.

Stephen alleged that “the FEMA document had not been made available to the public, so the law was broken on this basis.” Until the council officially votes to repeal the measure, he said, he sees that as setting precedent for future councils to skirt the government transparency laws.

He noted that the mayor had seen there was a breach of propriety and had even discussed the matter with the Delaware Attorney General’s Office.

“I was made aware that I could have taken action, and I saw no sense to … when the [issue] was corrected” and replaced with a voluntary freeboard option, Voveris answered.

“Nobody comes here with underhanded items. Nobody comes here intending damage,” she said of the council.

Later in the meeting, Councilman George Junkin reported that the Town is brainstorming some “low-hanging fruit” to earn points toward a community-wide discount on flood insurance. Mandatory freeboard for new construction alone is under consideration. But the Town would only get points if substantial repairs were included in the freeboard mandate.

“But I’m not ready to bring this to council. The community does not like mandatory anything,” so more education is needed, Junkin said. Meanwhile, “If we educate our community, we get points on [the Community Rating System].”

How much space?

After a zoning ordinance lost support from even the committee that had written it, the South Bethany Town Council voted this week to not approve a spacing requirement for houses.

Ordinance 179-15 stemmed from the code enforcement officer’s request for clarification of the minimum spacing between first-floor enclosure boards, such as lattice. These usually form the walls of otherwise open spaces used for storage, so as not to be counted as interior space and included in the houses’ floor-to-area ratio (FAR).

“Our recommendation to the council tonight is that you do not pass this ordinance,” said C&C Chairman John Fields.

The C&C’s Bob Cestone explained the background of FAR and lattice spacing, which was developed when he was on the council.

“When the council at that time was writing the ordinance, we were trying to limit the bulk of the house. Back then, the talk was of ‘McMansions.’” To be less restrictive, the council allowed people to enclose the bottom floor — as long as visible space remained between each slat — without it counting against the FAR. The goal was to reduce a house’s bulkiness.

“Unfortunately, we never really put the dimensions,” and a builder recently asked for a specific dimension, which the code enforcement officer couldn’t provide, since the council had never designated a minimum space.

Charter & Code members suggested .75-inch minimum spacing, but disagreed with the council’s eventual idea to reduce that to .25 inches.

“It looks like it’s solid — so what’s the point?” Cestone said of the smaller minimum. “That’s our take. You need some space in there to meet the original intent of the code.”

“To me, this feels that this has not been thought out enough,” said Voveris. “I think we all need to be educated on this before we do anything.”

Councilman Tim Saxton wanted to eliminate FAR altogether. He and Callaway said they wanted people to have storage space without others being able to see inside.

The council voted, 6-1, against the ordinance, which also included clarification of “substantial improvement” and “substantial damage.” Junkin gave the only vote in favor.

In other South Bethany news:

• Bulkhead issues were tabled after much discussion, as the council seeks more education on the topic. No one seconded a proposal to allow homeowners to build their bulkheads 1 foot higher than the adjacent road elevation.

The current code doesn’t allow people to build higher bulkheads than their neighbor, which has always been interpreted to be the same height, Junkin said. But bulkhead heights vary all over town, he reported.

“I believe we should allow a homeowner to raise his bulkhead to a reasonable height. Our committee picked 1 foot,” said Junkin, adding that higher bulkheads would allow a downward slope for stormwater to the road drains.

But Carol Stevenson suggested that the council just clarify overall alignment.

• Discussion was brief on a proposal to remove grandfathering for homeowners who currently pipe stormwater and outdoor shower drains into the canals.

“With our high-density population [roofs, roads and driveways], we’re close to 50 percent impervious surfaces,” which means a lot of unfiltered water flooding nutrients into the canals, Junkin said. He estimated that hundreds of drains still lead to the canals, although new construction is prohibited from doing it. Junkin noted that it would be unpopular, though the Canal Water Quality Committee wanted to “do what’s right.”

Although several property owners had questions, the entire conversation stopped when the motion failed to get a second.

After talking to code enforcement, Junkin confirmed that gutters cannot drain through new or substantially improved bulkheads.

“If you replace your bulkhead and you’ve got rainwater gutter running through it, you have to disconnect it, because it’s a substantial improvement to your bulkhead and you have holes in it,” Junkin said.

• Callaway noted that the Community Enhancement Committee had been reminded that “we’re not an HOA,” and there’s a difference between a poorly-cared-for property versus a code violation. A code-enforcement constable drives the town every day to review properties and construction. Meanwhile, people can submit anonymous complaints on the Town website, and he’ll investigate.

It’s a “contagious thing when people start fixing up their properties,” Callaway said.

• “The Assawoman Canal Trail is nearing completion just north of Route 26, and it’s coming our way,” Stevenson said of the trail, which will have restrooms, informational bulletin boards and a dedication by summer’s end. “It’s going to be an asset to our community as it comes toward us.”

• Grants are available for wetland restoration, Junkin reported, responding to a citizen’s question from May.

The State is coming in July to take a look and recommend action, since the Town’s Planning Commission said it’s not in their purview, said Voveris.

However, neither councilmembers nor the citizen who broached the topic are able to pursue the grants, lacking either interest or free time, Junkin said.

• When asked why not every property has to pay for fire hydrants, Town Manager Melvin Cusisk said, “We don’t own the water system. It belongs to Artesian [Water], and they have a hydrant … charge.”

However, some properties don’t contract with Artesian, so they could benefit in the event of a fire, despite not paying such a fee.

“I believe [Artesian] said it wasn’t worth their effort to go after people” who aren’t even in the database, since they don’t receive a bill, Cusick said.

“So you’re being a good neighbor,” said Voveris, who noted that she’s still on well water and has asked Artesian to report on how many other properties aren’t serviced by Artesian. “If you’re not a customer, they can’t bill you.”

The topic came up exactly one year after Cusick last reported the information.

• A resident said she hopes Town staff have the correct tools for responding to broken pipes. She said she got a $1,000 water bill after a pipe burst this winter. Although the Town responded to her house, the leak continued because the dispatched vehicle didn’t have the correct tool to shut off the valve.

• Megan Loulou was sworn in as an officer in the South Bethany Police Department. The new recruit had to be sworn in before she graduates the police academy this summer.

• An assault that occurred early Sunday morning appears to have been targeted, so people shouldn’t fear their neighborhood, said Police Chief Troy Crowson.

“We’re looking for help with it. There’s not a lot of information there,” Crowson said. “We’re not out to describe it. We’re trying to get information.”

• Teenage “June bugs” presented fewer problems than usual, Crowson said. One party even broke up before complaints were made, just because a patrol car drove by, he said.

• People are being encouraged to lock their bicycles when parking in public.

• Since the canal oxygen diffusers have not appeared to significantly improve water quality during the project’s testing phase, they will be removed and sold.

The Canal Water Quality Committee is contracting with University of Maryland to analyze water samples, since Delaware’s free testing was severely backlogged.

• The movie on the beach “Dolphin Tale 2” has been rescheduled for July 25 at 8:30 p.m. at South 3rd Street. The rental companies agreed to return at no additional cost, if the event is rescheduled within a month. The council allotted an additional $300 for additional supplies for that night.

• The treasurer’s report was adjusted so grants stand out more clearly from the regular budget. The first two months of the 2016 fiscal year have been “really, really good” for transfer tax, which has already hit 31 percent of its expected budget, Saxton said. Building permits are already bringing in big dollars, too. But property tax income is only showing at 66 percent because of a backlog in processing payments, which were due two weeks prior.

• After a “significant” algal bloom this spring, Cusick said the State did an “excellent job” cleaning the bloom, although it took some time for the algae harvester to actually arrive.

• A local pedestrian path must be widened to 8 feet if it is to legally become a shared pedestrian/bicycle path, said Crowson. It’s currently about 6 feet wide and would require an investment of signage and striping, too.

• South Bethany’s float won two awards at the Bethany Beach’s Fourth of July Parade: Best in Parade and Most Patriotic. Local musician Eric Tsavdar wrote a town song for South Bethany, which was played on the float.

The next town council workshop is Thursday, July 23, at 2 p.m.

Selbyville residents were instructed to boil their tap water for about 48 hours this week to prevent possible transmission of E coli.

On Tuesday, July 14, the Selbyville Water Department alerted residents that a broken water main could cause E coli to contaminate the water supply.

“On July 13, 2015, a water main was broken and drained the water tower,” stated the townwide flier. “This resulted in the possibility that E. coli bacteria can get into the water supply. These bacteria can make you sick and are a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems,” including babies, young children and others with severely compromised immune systems.

E. coli had not been confirmed to be present in the water at that time, and the boil-water order was made just as a precaution. Officials announced Wednesday afternoon that testing of the water supply by the Delaware Division of Public Health’s Office of Drinking Water had shown there was no contamination with E. coli, and they lifted the boil-water alert.

Town water was shut off on Monday night after Chesapeake Utilities struck a water main near Church Street and Baker Alley, around 5:30 or 6 p.m.

“They were digging for their gas line they’re going to run, and they hit a 12-inch water main,” said Town Administrator Mike Deal on Tuesday. “That’s the main water pipe for the town of Selbyville.

“This was a flow going out of town, but all the water just drained from the towers. … We lost everything,” Deal said. “But then we got the crews on it. They worked diligently to get it repaired, which they did.”

Just how many gallons were lost, Deal did not know. But there was “a lot of water running down the street.”

Part of Church Street was closed until the pipe was repaired around 4:30 a.m. Tuesday. The town wells began refilling the towers, and the water plant came back online. Extra chlorine was added to the system to disinfect the water.

However, water pressure was still weak mid-week, and residents were asked to not use lawn irrigation until full service was restored.

Three agencies were hard at work on the night of the incident.

“Chesapeake company has their own guys for that scenario; we had our town people; and we had a private contractor who does a lot of the water work in town,” Deal said.

Asked about any potential gas fumes in the area, Deal said, “I was there at the site, and the only fumes I was picking up was the diesel — they were using diesel equipment.”

Despite the water problem, children still attended daycares and summer school in town this week. Southern Delaware School of the Arts provided clean bottled water and prepackaged food to students and staff after learning about the contamination. Cleaning was to be done with a bleach-water combination.

“E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes [which] can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms,” the flier explained.

For more information, call Town Hall at (302) 436-8314, the Selbyville water plant at (302) 436-8349 or Delaware Office of Drinking Water at (302) 426-4791. The water test results were also to be posted online at www.townofselbyville.com.

The Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission voted unanimously this week to approve the preliminary site plan for Mountaire Farms’ planned corporate offices near Millsboro.

The company plans to build a 45,248-square-foot corporate headquarters building at Maryland Camp Road and John J. Williams Highway, at its current complex east of Millsboro.

At the time of the July 9 P&Z meeting, the County’s Planning & Zoning office had secured approval from the Delaware Department of Transportation but were waiting other agency approvals.

On April 14, Mountaire had withdrawn a conditional-use application for a proposed office facility west of Millsboro, located between Revel and Hudson roads, following concerns vocalized by neighboring residents.

The new facility would be a workplace for Mountaire employees who had previously worked out of an office building in Selbyville that had to be torn down and others who have worked at offices in Millsboro that were originally built as a hatchery. Parking for the new building would be located in the front yard.

The current complex is zoned HI-1, heavy industrial, and does not require a change of zoning for the addition of the new office building.

During the hearing, the commission noted plans for a future addition at the plant, as well as site improvements along John J. Williams Highway and Maryland Camp Road.

Greg Esham, a project engineer for Mountaire, clarified that what was delineated as the future processing building is actually the site’s hatchery.

“Two years ago, we put an addition on the hatchery on the east side. Our plans are within the next coming year to add on to the other end. It’s not anything to do with chicken processing — it’s the hatchery.”

Esham noted that the equipment in the existing building is outdated and needs to be replaced.

“It’s really old. It was built back in Townsend’s days, back in the early ’80s. So, it’s simpler to build a building, have new equipment, than build the existing building out.”

He added that the new corporate building would take about a year to be built.

The commission unanimously approved the application for preliminary site plan, with the final site plan approval subject to approval by Planning & Zoning staff following receipt of all other approvals.

Several months and thousands of dollars later, the people who oppose oyster aquaculture in Beach Cove finally have some hard data to support their claims.

As resident James P. Bond said, “The scientific reasons as to why this is a poor location are very convincing.”

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) made plans to allow 24 one-acre aquaculture plots on the seabed of Beach Cove, a nearly enclosed body of water in the far southeast of Indian River Bay. Currently under review by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the total proposal includes 442 one-acre plots in the Inland Bays.

The cove is so cherished that eight surrounding communities formed Save Beach Cove, a new coalition aiming to remove Beach Cove from the aquaculture list. Some of them aren’t even physically located adjacent to the cove.

“It’s not just the people surrounding Beach Cove that use Beach Cove,” said Bond, who lives in Cotton Patch Hills “People who boat in the Inland Bays know that Beach Cove is the place to go if you want to find a protected spot” to learn to sail or waterski.

People at the meeting were also concerned to imagine children sharing the water with metal cages.

The Indian River Bay was also the backdrop for a July 15 public meeting at the Ocean View VFW. Save Beach Cove invited the public to hear the results of an executive summary. The report covered data and conclusions previously published in two documents: a letter from the coalition’s legal counsel and expert Ed Launay’s environmental study from February.

The new Save Beach Cove coalition is doing everything it can to remove the small Bethany cove from consideration, even if they have to pay for it.

The cost of saving Beach Cove

“We’ve got the best legal counsel we could find,” Bond said.

But hiring the best means paying the most. Bills are coming in at up to $500 an hour, a resident said. Those costs would be significantly higher if not for potentially thousands of volunteer hours that citizens have given to the effort.

The coalition has raised “six figures” worth of donations from individuals and homeowner associations. They are encouraging others to donate to help save Beach Cove.

“This is very much a grassroots effort that brings together people from all backgrounds. … It’s been a public amazing effort,” Bond said. “People visit Delaware from all over the world. This is a treasure that people have come to love.”

He said nearly 800 people have signed an online petition, some from as far away as Africa. A car with Florida plates was seen sporting a “Save Beach Cove” bumper sticker.

But it’s a battle nonetheless, and the coalition has hired lawyers, in case it comes to litigation.

Opponents said the aquaculture plan has already had casualties. Resident Dave Green named a couple whose house reportedly failed to sell after the potential buyer learned of the drama involving Beach Cove. Nearby, another buyer reportedly needed persuading before consenting to sign the deed. The stories serve as a warning to those who don’t believe aquaculture could have an impact on property values, Green said.

How to get off the list

State Rep. Gerald Hocker Sr. said it would be unwise to just legislate an aquaculture ban at Little Assawoman Bay and Beach Cove — especially if DNREC is willing to work with the public.

“It would make me look good in my community, but it wouldn’t do [any] good” for three of 62 state legislators to ruffle feathers, said Hocker, adding that he believes DNREC is trying to work with citizens on this issue.

“We want to be civil. We want to be professional. We want to always be taking the high road on things,” Bond told the audience. “Our goal is not to embarrass the State. We could have gone to the media first.”

Besides shipping all of their data to DNREC Secretary David Small, the coalition is writing letters to the editors of newspapers, as well as to politicians and other government officials.

“We’re in this for the long haul. And we’re determined to save the cove,” Bond said. “We look forward to working with our government officials as they work toward the next step.”

Something fishy

Since September of 2015, the coalition has sent hundreds of letters and requested documents under Freedom of Information Act.

They said they believe their data is enough to discourage oyster harvesters from investing in Beach Cove. They cited temperature extremes (from freezing this winter to 85 degrees in July) and poor tidal flushing, due to the cove’s shallow entrance. With knee-deep mud on the sea bed, Launay questioned how oyster cages could be kept the requisite 4 inches off the ground.

“That’s why organizations like the EPA, FDA should be concerned. Who’s going to eat an oyster from an area that’s been designated [unsafe]?” Bond asked after the meeting.

Launay also argued that part of Beach Cove’s SADA is located very near (and with corrected calculations, should be in) the State’s Prohibited Shellfish Growing Area, based on bacteria emanating from nearby marinas.

“Based upon the prohibited shellfishing area as posted by DNREC and the calculation of the closure areas associated with the Bayside Hamlet and Quillen’s Point community marinas, as many as 19 of the 24 one-acre proposed oyster farming plots … are in violation of DNREC’s Shellfish Sanitation Regulations,” the report concluded.

They said they also feel the CIB used incomplete data to show just how busy Beach Cove is, with marinas, boat slips and other water usage.

Meanwhile, they argue that DNREC provided incomplete data to the Environmental Protection Agency, Food & Drug Administration and U.S. Coast Guard.

According to the report, Launay concluded, “It is my opinion, expressed to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty, that the condition and characteristics of Beach Cove make [it] unsuitable for shellfish aquaculture.”

He evaluated environmental conditions, shellfish sanitation, water quality, navigation and recreational use, and public trust considerations.

Beach Cove is significantly different from the other proposed aquaculture locations, he argued, with a higher density of development and proximity to community marinas and a boat ramp within 250 feet of the plots.

But what really upset residents, they said, was that “at no time during the process of developing its shellfishing regulations or selecting SADA sites were any waterfront riparian owners directly notified,” although they believe they should have been, based on the Regulations Governing the Use of Subaqueous Lands.

“[B]ased upon this, Mr. Launay’s 30 years of environmental permitting experience in Delaware, … at a minimum, adjacent riparian owners are notified by DNREC via direct mail even for the most minor activities, such as a simple pier. In some cases, as part of the subaqueous lands permitting and leasing procedure, landowners within 1,000 feet are notified by mail.”

“When I saw articles in the local [news]papers, I thought people read the papers,” Hocker said. “Apparently, I was wrong,” and very few people attended the first aquaculture meeting in Fenwick.

“I think there was very little thought” in the plot locations, Hocker said. “I have not heard one person say they’re against aquaculture, but let’s put it in the right place.”

Bond even works for an environmental nonprofit that has planted oyster beds.

Although oysters have long been touted for their water filtration abilities, Bond said scientific studies are second-guessing that — especially in an aquaculture setting. The report suggested that “an estimated 2.5 million tons of oyster feces each year from the proposed 24 one-acre plots” could wreck Beach Cove, which already “does not have good tidal flushing.”

The report noted that the PVC pipes marking each corner of 24 one-acre plots could confuse sailors, especially when conflicting with regular navigation markers. Plots are separated by 20-foot alleys, meant to allow for navigation through the field.

“It is difficult to contemplate how any mariner looking at a SADA site at water level could even identify a narrow channel within a vast field of 20 or more acres of 100 or more PVC pipes … under the best of circumstances, let alone under windy, inclement weather, or low-visibility conditions.”

The report is available online at www.savebeachcove.com.

Baby Alana Prettyman has come home with her parents, but the community is still fundraising for the young family. Alana was diagnosed with a neurodegenerative disease this summer.

Read more about the family here: http://coastalpoint.com/content/community_comes_together_support_baby_al....

July 7
BENEFIT FOR BABY ALANA
Summer Salts Café will host a benefit from 7 to 11 p.m. The night features silent auctions, raffles, a 50-50 and DJ. Restaurant is located in the Marketplace at Sea Colony. Call (302) 541-5500 for more information.

July 11
BENEFIT FOR BABY ALANA
Scotty’s Bayside Tavern will host a benefit for the family. From 2 to 6 p.m., guests can enjoy the $10 buffet, cash bar with Happy Hour prices and music by DJ Cindy. There will be a Chinese auction, two 50/50s and a donation jar. All proceeds go to the family. To donate food or auction items, contact Robyn at (443) 614-3904. For more details, call (302) 436-1941.

July 18
BRACELETS FOR BABY ALANA
There will be a special table set up at Hocker’s Supercenter in Clarksville to collect donations for the family. Donors will receive a pink “Hugs for Alana” bracelet.

July 26
BENEFIT FOR BABY ALANA
At Cripple Creek Country Club, there will be a benefit from 4 to 9 p.m. Several local restaurants will send trays of food, besides the dinner and dessert stations. There will be a DJ and dancing, cash bar, door prizes, live auction, raffle items, 50/50 and a wheel of gift cards. Tickets cost $30 and are available by visiting Dynamic Physical Therapy of Fenwick Island, located behind Food Lion, or calling (302) 988-1586.

Selbyville Police W. Scott Collins reported on Friday, July 17, that officers in his department had arrested a 16-year-old Selbyville boy after reports he had threatened people with a handgun in the area of Ellis Alley and Church Street about 5:15 p.m.

According to police, the teenager reportedly discharged a weapon in the direction of several people and was located shortly after the incident by responding officers, using information obtained from witnesses. The weapon, which was also recovered, was determined to be a BB/pellet gun.

The boy was charged with two counts of Aggravated Menacing, two counts of Reckless Endangering, Possession of a Dangerous Instrument, Disorderly Conduct and Possesion of Drug Paraphernalia.

Anyone who witnessed or has information that could help with the investigation is being asked to contact Selbyville PD Det. Robert Reed at (302) 436-5085 or Robert.reed@cj.state.de.

Coastal Point • Tripp Colonell: The LSLL Junior League All-Stars won the state title on Saturday night, but they need your help to get to Regionals.After winning their second straight state championship, the Lower Sussex Junior League All-Stars are headed to the regional tournament in Connecticut — that is, if they can raise enough money first.

Last year, at the Major League level, after becoming the first LSLL softball team in program history to win a state title, some of the girls’ expenses were covered when they got to Bristol, Conn., for tournament play. But this year, at the Junior League level, they’re going to need a little more help.

“Last year, all the girls’ lodging, all the girls’ meals, all the girls’ laundry was all done by Bristol — none of it is this year,” explained LSLL head coach Mike Patille. “We gotta get the girls hotel rooms; we gotta get transportation back and forth to the parks; we gotta feed them; we gotta get their uniforms laundered every day — everything is on us this year.”

Patille estimated that, including travel expenses and lodging, the team need could need to raise upwards of $10,000 to make it to regionals to battle for a chance to get to the Little League World Series in Washington.

To offset the cost, fundraising efforts are needed, and with the team scheduled to make the trip on Thursday, July 23, they need to be done soon.

“I’m gonna have my business [Overture Audio and Home Theatre] donate a TV or something — we’ll sell some raffle tickets,” Patille explained some of the ideas in place. “Realistically, we need 10 grand.”

While $5 raffle tickets for the 40" Sony LED TV, bushels of crabs donated by commercial waterman Nick O'Donnell and Bryan Mister, prize packs from Catch Surf and Toobs courtesy of Colin Herlihy, and more will be sold by the players at Lower Sussex Little games early this week, the team is also hoping to see some support from the community at large — the same community that they’ll be proudly representing at the tournament.

“You’re representing your Little League all the way through,” said Patille. “When you watch the ones on TV, they talk about the Little League they represent — then the state, then the region. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, when you go there. It’s a whole new life lesson that they just can’t experience until now. To come up with the money to allow them to do it is huge.”

Some local businesses are also jumping in to help, including Mio Fratello’s on Route 54, which will host a Dine and Donate on Tuesday, July 21, from 4 to 9 p.m. At the event, if patrons mention LSLL, a portion of the sales will be donated to the girls’ trip.

For supporters who’d rather donate directly, a fund has been set up on the Lower Sussex Little League website at www.lowersussexlittleleague.com. For more information, contact Becky Snyder at gejrsnyder@aol.com.

Coastal Point • Tripp Colonell: Christian Heneghan and Erin Dresler-Looper behind the counter of Drifting Grounds, Ocean View's newest coffee house.When Christian Heneghan was looking for a local roaster to supply the beans for Drifting Grounds, the new coffee shop on Route 26 in Bethany Beach, he had two main requirements: he wanted a roaster big enough to be able to offer high-quality, unique beans for his brews, but also wanted one that was small enough to be able to cater to his requests directly. That’s exactly what he found with Homestead Coffee Roasters.

“I wanted good and interesting beans, and then I wanted someone who would work with me,” Heneghan explained. “These guys are big enough that they can handle the summer rush, and they’re small enough where I won’t get lost in the shuffle.”

With the Delaware River Valley-based roasters bringing the beans, Heneghan has been brewing up the roasts from Guatemala, Columbia, Honduras and beyond — with one goal in mind.

“My goal is to have the best coffee around,” said Heneghan. “What I’ve seen in the industry is people demanding better-quality products.”

To ensure the quality of the products being offered, Heneghan has made frequent trips up to Homestead’s headquarters to not only discuss what kinds of roasts he wants to offer, but to go over what the customers are saying about it, as well.

“I take their advice on a lot of things, but then I go my own direction, depending on how the community’s feeling,” Heneghan explained. “I’ve gone up there a couple times and talked about what I want to do and how I want to do it. I want to be unique — coffee is a lot like wine in terms of where you get the beans from and the flavors you want.”

As a result, Drifting Grounds is able to offer all the drinks that the big chains can, and some of Heneghan’s specialty drinks, as well, serving up everything from cold brews on tap, milk-based drinks and espresso, to just regular cups of joe.

They’re also offering non-coffee items, as well — from drinks including hot tea, juices and packaged drinks, to gluten-free snacks, fruit, baked goods from Bake My Day in Fenwick Island, and sweets from Sweet Disposition in Selbyville.

“I want to have everything for every level,” Heneghan said regarding coffee drinkers. “We do basically everything that the big chains do, but we use high-quality beans.”

So far, teaming up with Homestead has worked out well, but Heneghan has also teamed up with his brother — who, along with his father and uncles, helped him reinvent the space next to WaWa on Route 26, making it into two separate shops, so that his brother could move his toy store, Yesterday’s Fun, next door.

“My brother and I worked out kind of a deal — rather than one big space, we cut it into two half the size. We can fill it better. This is the perfect size for a coffeehouse,” said Heneghan. “We used a lot of what was in the previous structure, and we rearranged it. We took what we could, and then we just kind of made it our own — it’s nice because families can come in here and sit down.”

With the more efficient space, Heneghan has big plans, looking to establish Drifting Grounds as hub for local art shows, game nights, acoustic music, or whatever other venues present themselves.

“We’re gonna try to be local. We’re gonna try to be year-round,” he said. “It’s working out great so far.”

The shop is located at 786-A Garfield Parkway (Route 26) next to the WaWa in Bethany Beach, and is open daily from 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call the shop at (302) 829-1551 or visit their website at www.driftinggrounds.com.

Coastal Point • Submitted: Pat Riordan’s acrylic, ‘Nature Color Wheel’ will be featured at Gallery One’s August show, ‘Color — The Wheel Goes Round and Round.’Art lovers can go to Gallery One in August to see how the artists make use of the wonderful world of color.

Pat Riordan uses the primaries — red, yellow and blue — to fill her canvas with a bouquet of garden flowers. “Nature’s color wheel — harmony and beauty transcend in a ruby vase,” she said.

“Sea Grass” is the title of Peggy Warfield’s acrylic. In her piece she uses three colors — Perylene Maroon, Quinacridone Nickel Azo Gold and Anthraquinone Blue — basically, red, yellow and blue, plus Titanium White.

Sonia Hunt travels. She especially loves Italy, she noted. Her color study this month is a watercolor titled “Orvieto, Italy” in which she uses the complements of violet and yellow to interpret the ancient houses and the light and shadows of the narrow street.

If observers look carefully at Lesley McCaskill’s acrylic painting “Find Your Spot at the Beach,” they’ll notice one of the umbrellas is the color wheel. Then they can let their eyes circle around the beach landscape and notice how the colors are repeated in beach chairs, towels, bathing suits, hats, Boogie Boards and backpacks.

Laura Hickman celebrated the flowers of spring in Bethany. “Every spring the medians and planters are filled with gorgeous tulips. This year they were particularly bright, with lots of primary and secondary colors. They were like a giant color wheel,” she said. “Tulips in Bethany” was painted with acrylics in vibrant yellows, reds and purples.

The complementary colors of orange and blue define Joyce Condry’s watercolor/collage abstract. “I believe that colors are as important as words in describing things: like a person’s mood or an event or place,” she said. “For example, blue/green tones remind me of the beach; pastels are Florida or an island paradise; and yellow and blue are definitely France. To me, nothing describes America’s southwest like shades of orange and burnt sienna, as I have interpreted in my painting, ‘Sierra Sunset.’”

Inspired by exhibitions at the Ringling Museum in Sarasota, Fla., Dale Sheldon created her graphic piece “The Bandwagon.” Using variations of the complements blue and orange, she created an effect reminiscent of wood block prints. “What is more colorful than circus wagon wheels or a clown’s bicycle wheels? Irresistible!”

This is a sampling of the work to be seen this month at Gallery One. The public is being invited to view these pieces and more work by each of the gallery artists, as well as to visit the display of handmade art by local artisans who specialize in pottery, jewelry, blown glass, weaving, wood-work, metal/glass pieces and felted wool scarves.

Gallery One is always staffed by one of the artists and is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit Gallery One’s website at www.galleryonede.com for more information and the opportunity to sign up for monthly e-blasts, or call (302) 537-5055. The Gallery is located at 32 Atlantic Avenue (Route 26) in Ocean View.

Delmarva classic-rock band Hooverville is headed south this summer, making their debut at Brew River Restaurant & Bar in Salisbury, Md., on July 25 and taking their sound to the beach at Locals Under the Lights at the Freeman Stage at Bayside in West Fenwick on Aug. 27.

Their name gives a nod to the deep roots of rock-and-roll in American history and, appropriately, the four-piece classic rock band’s set-list is peppered with blues and bluegrass influences, along with some of the best of rock from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s (and a few ’80s classics, too), from both sides of the Atlantic.

Hooverville lead guitarist and vocalist Danny Beck blends the blues-flavored licks of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimmie Hendrix with the deep growl of a veteran blues singer, despite his comparative youth, at just 30.

Rhythm guitarist and vocalist James Marquardt is also Beck’s partner in the acoustic duo that in 2014 was named as the Delmarva Folk Festival’s Folk Hero. (The pair will also host this year’s contest, making use of James’ ebullient personality — which, as bassist Al “Big Al” Cook routinely notes, is five times as big as Marquardt’s physical stature.)

Marquardt also gives voice to the band’s renditions of classic Rolling Stones tunes, as well as danceable and sing-along favorites including “Keep Your Hands to Yourself.”

“Big Al” brings to Hooverville more than two decades of experience as a bass player and 15 years of work as a professional sound engineer, both for live performances and in the studio. When he’s not entertaining audiences behind the bass and mic for Hooverville, or running sound for one of his numerous clients, Cook often steps in at bass and vocals (and sometimes sound engineer) for legendary Ocean City, Md., rockers Tranzfusion, who consider him the fifth member of the band and dubbed him “Big Al” for the big sound he delivers.

Providing the backbone of Hooverville’s beat is John “Taco” Wroten, who has played professionally in country and rock acts since 1980, with more than a decade playing in nationally touring groups and in the country music scene in Oklahoma, including briefs stops in Nashville and Los Angeles, for opening stints for Marty Haggard and others.

Marquardt described Hooverville’s music as “the classic rock that people forgot they loved.”

“Everywhere we go, people say, ‘Oh, my god… — I love your sets!’ That just reinforces that every time I hear that. When is the last time you heard Dylan’s ‘Knocking on Heaven’s Door’? … There’s a difference in that music that we play.”

“We try not to play those token covers,” Beck noted, reflecting set-list choices including “Mustang Sally,” while Cook pointed to the rockabilly that often pops up when Hooverville takes the stage as an example of their cherry-picking within the various rock-related musical genres.

“How many bands around here do ‘Stuck in the Middle with You’?” Wroten offered.

And playing these classic tunes isn’t something Hooverville does just to keep their audiences dancing and singing along. For them, it’s a labor of love.

“I love the music that we play. I love learning it,” Marquardt enthused.

And the resulting show is something audiences ranging from visitors to Dover Downs and the standing-room-only crowd at the Bayview Inn in Bowers Beach to fine-diners at Abbott’s Grill & Bald Jason’s Pub in Milford have taken a shine to, hitting the dance floor with vibrant enjoyment of Hooverville’s energetic covers and sitting back to relish the soulful sounds of that bluesy influence.

“Hooverville is a band to experience,” said Wroten. “Every performance is different. It’s an experience.”

Hooverville will entertain the crowd at Brew River Restaurant & Bar in Salisbury, Md., on Saturday, July 25, from 6 to 10 p.m. They’ll be featured at Locals Under the Lights at the open-air Freeman Stage at Bayside on Thursday, Aug. 27, with the free-admission show starting at 7 p.m.

Other upcoming performances this summer include their monthly appearance at the Bayview Inn in Bowers Beach (July 18), and July 31 at Killens Pond State Park’s Summer Concert Series, as well as numerous other private functions, benefit events and shows throughout the peninsula.

For more information on Hooverville, contact James Marquardt at (302) 538-0088 or Hoovervillebookings@gmail.com, or visit the band’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Hoovervillemusic/, where there are also links to recordings of their live performances. To contact Al Cook about live sound services, call (302) 521-5935 or email abrannick@gmail.com.

I know I usually write articles about animals, and if you want to be technical, this one is about animals — just fictional animals.

I love to read books. I love to own books. I was so sad when Atlantic Bookstores went out of business, because they had such large sections of discounted books on various topics. I would buy loads of books there, on animals, ponds, landscaping, cooking and more. Being that the bargain sections were so reasonably priced, I basically started my own personal library at home.

Of course, the biggest section of my personal library was the animal section. I literally have hundreds of animal books — dozens of books on pets in general, dozens on dog training, loads of them on specific types of animals, like frogs, turtles, lizards, birds, individual dog breeds, cats, rabbits, and more and more and more.

I always believed you could never have too many books. (The people that helped me move just a portion of those books think otherwise, though!) Now, of course, many of those books are in storage. And during the summer, I usually turn my reading interests to what I like to call “beach reads.”

In my terms, “beach reads” are fictional books that you read simply for the pleasure of reading. Simple passing-the-time enjoyment. Not to expand your vocabulary. Not to really learn anything. Just to leisurely pass the time.

However, whenever you read, you undoubtedly learn something. Whether it is a new word, a phrase, slang… something. Well, because I love animals, I usually choose books with animals in them. (When buying discounted hardbacks, it might be just because a book has an animal on the cover.)

Being that I am in between home ownerships, and with currently not having a home of my own and staying with friends and family, and traveling around a bit, buying books and carrying them from place to place is difficult. (I still do it some, though — there’s nothing like being able to hold a book in your hand, skip pages or entire chapters, jump around, read the ending first and stuff like that.)

My sweet daughter found me a well-used Kindle and recycled it for me. The only problem, you need Wi-Fi to download books to it, and I don’t always have access to Wi-Fi. So, I have learned to go to the local book store, including Bethany Beach Books, find a handful of books I think I might like, buy them, read them and then, if I enjoy them, when I do have Wi-Fi, download a dozen or two by those authors.

So, my latest whim in books are mysteries involving animals in some way, shape or form. I am hooked, and Amazon Kindle loves me! Because I cannot always shop when they have sales and deals, I just buy what I like when I can. It is also amazing how many new things I am learning. (I have gotten hooked on a dozen or so different series of mystery novels. I will give you a few of my favorites later.)

The thing to remember when reading fiction, though, is that it is fiction and not all facts are factual. So, always be careful to check for accuracy if it is something important. Many good authors do extensive research for their novels, but the books are for pleasure, not education, so if using the information for education, fact-check.

One of the series I read was about standard show poodles. Much of the information was rather accurate regarding the breed and the show world, but not everything. The series did open my eyes to many new facts about poodles, though.

Another series was about Alaskan malamutes, obedience showing and general obedience classes. I learned a lot about malamutes from those books. Her facts on the dogs and the show world and activities to do with your dogs are generally quite accurate. I, of course, read a series on bloodhounds and trailing/search-and-rescue work.

I have also found what I am calling the “designer mysteries”. These are small series of books catering to practically any interest you may have. There are quilter series, sewing mysteries, teatime mysteries, pet-rescue mysteries, consignment-shop mysteries, White House gardener mysteries, cat-lover’s mysteries, farmers’ market mysteries, organic dog-food mysteries, and the list goes on and on.

Just because its summer, does not mean it’s time to stop learning. It’s just time to make learning a little more fun. So, go to your local library or favorite book store and find a good fiction book about some animal you don’t know much about, and go to the beach or pool and start learning.

Just remember, not all facts are fact-checked, so if it is something important, do fact-check before using it in real life.

Here are a few of the ones I have tried so far:

• Liz Mugavero, “A Pawsitvely Organic Mystery” (makes organic dog biscuits and food)

• Donna Ball Raine, “Stockton Dog Mystery”

• Laurien Berenson, “A Melanie Travis Mystery Book” (standard poodles, dog shows)

• Virginia Lanier, “Bloodhound Mysteries”

• Susan Conant, “Dog Lovers Mysteries” (malamutes, obedience showing and training)

• Abby Deuel, “Mandy Bell, DVM, Mysteries” (veterinarian)

• Eileen Brady, “A Kate Turner, DVM, Mystery” (veterinarian)

• Susan Holmes, “Waterside Kennels Mystery” (There is only one book in this series so far, but it’s an excellent book — a page-turner, can’t put it down — and very well written. I can’t wait for the next one. It has a boarding kennel, all aspects of show world, training, tracking, retriever events, and more.)

Cheryl Loveland is a semi-retired dog groomer. Her pet menagerie has shrunk to Bo, her bloodhound; Noel, her bichon frisée; and Bootsie, her cat. She currently resides between Keymar, Md., and Millsboro and Selbyville, and is currently not doing rescue work, but hopes to resume that when she returns to a more permanent residence. She is a member of Colonial Bloodhound Club and membership chairperson for Misspillion Kennel Club in Milford. She also still helps out at a local boarding kennel in the Bethany Beach area. She has been working with all varieties of pets since she was a child growing up in Montgomery County, Md. She may be reached at countryservice@comcast.net.

As part of its summer repertory, the Clear Space Theatre Company at 20 Baltimore Avenue in Rehoboth Beach is offering visiting families an engaging evening of theater with its production of “Seussical,” a musical by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty that is based on the tales of Dr. Seuss.

The show uses Seuss’ Cat in the Hat to tell the story of Horton the Elephant, while integrating a host of other Seuss characters, including the Grinch, Cindy Lou Hou, Gertrude McFuzz, Yertle the Turtle and the Hunches, as well as references to other Seuss works, including “McElligot’s Pool,” “Solla Sallew,” “Oh the Thinks You Can Think,” “The Butter Battle,” “Oh the Places You’ll Go” and “Green Eggs & Ham.”

According to “Seussical” director and Clear Space Artistic Director David Button, “Seussical” is perfect for imaginative kids. “‘Seussical’ is about bringing the imagination to life,” he explained. “Everything from the high-energy dancing to the colorful set and costumes to the moving lights and quirky sound effects — the design team has created a spectacle for not only children, but also adults.”

The show features actors from across the country who have united to bring each character to life for the audience. “The Cat in the Hat is a wildly energetic, trouble-instigator who takes on many different hilarious personas and characters throughout ‘Seussical,’” stated Andrew Cuccaro, a theater student from upstate New York who has taken on the iconic Seuss character. “He acts as the emcee for the whole show, ‘thinking’ up all of the other characters and antics with Jojo.”

Anneliese Pajewski, a senior musical-theater student from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia who plays Mrs. Mayor, said she sees much of her own childhood in the show.

“One of the things I think people love about the show is seeing the familiar characters they grew up with (and in my case learned to read with) on stage in this whole new story.”

“Seussical” runs in rotation through August, twice a week at 7:30 p.m. A complete schedule and ticket information can be found at ww.clearspacetheatre.org or by calling (302) 227-2270. Patrons can also inquire about the theater’s other two summer-rep productions of “Rent” and “Grease.”

Nature-inspired artists and artisans are being invited to participate in the third annual Arts in the Estuary, an event that features artwork, activities and demonstrations at the St. Jones Reserve and the John Dickinson Plantation near Dover.

Reservations to exhibit are now being accepted by the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve (DNERR) for the event scheduled on Saturday, Sept. 26, from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m., rain or shine.

“Arts in the Estuary is located amidst the lush landscape of the St. Jones Reserve and John Dickinson Plantation — an inspirational venue for artists and artisans to display and sell their artwork,” said Maggie Pletta, education coordinator with DNERR.

“We’re seeking all artists — sculptors, photographers, painters, musicians, and culinary and performance artists, especially those who are willing to engage the public and share their art through demonstrations.”

All artists and artisans are welcome to register. Each exhibitor will receive a free 10-by-10-foot exhibit space, available either inside or outside the Reserve or Plantation buildings. Registrations can be made online and by visiting https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ArtsinEstuary2015 or by contacting Maggie Pletta, DNERR educator coordinator, at Margaret.Pletta@state.de.us or (302) 739-6377.

Arts in the Estuary celebrates coastal and estuarine conservation, research and education at the St. Jones Reserve and highlights the work accomplished there to establish, protect and manage estuarine habitats for research and education.

The event, held in partnership with the John Dickinson Plantation, Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs (Delaware Department of State) and the Delaware Native Plant Society’s Annual Plant Sale, celebrates National Estuaries Week by exploring the estuary through an artistic and historic viewpoint.