Upcoming meetings and events for our towns.
Bethany Beach
• The Bethany Beach Audit Committee will meet on Thursday, May 8, at 10:30 a.m. at the town hall.
• The Bethany Beach Commercial Design Review Committee will hold a meeting at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 9, at town hall. The purpose of the meeting is to review, discuss and vote on an application and plans submitted by the Connors for property located at 765 Garfield Parkway, Lot 3, Block 30, C-1 Zoning District, Bethany Beach.
• The Town Council of the Town of Bethany Beach will hold a public hearing on Friday, May 16, at 6:30 p.m. at the town hall, to consider and receive public comments regarding: (1) a proposed amendment to the town’s subdivision ordinance to amend Section 200-41 (“Streets”) of the Bethany Beach Code; (2) a proposed amendment to Chapter 245, Article V (“Non-Conforming Uses and Structures”) of the Bethany Beach Zoning Code by deleting the Current Chapter 245, Article V, in its entirety and replacing it with a new Chapter 245, Article V (“Non-Conforming Uses and Structures”); and (3) a proposed amendment to the “Official Zoning Map of the Town of Bethany Beach” by deleting the current zoning map and replacing it with a new “Official Zoning Map of the Town of Bethany Beach.” This map includes the following districts: R-1 (Residential District); R-1A (Boardwalk Residential District); R-1 B (Sea Villas Residential); R-2 (Residential District); C-1 (Central Commercial District); C-2 (Neighborhood Commercial District); and MORE – (Municipal, Open Space, Recreational Facilities, and Educational Zoning District). Copies of the proposed ordinances are available upon request at Town Hall or on the Town’s Web site at www.townofbethanybeach.com. The Town Council may vote upon the proposed amendment at the Town Council meeting next following the public hearing or may table action until a later date.
• The Bethany Beach Police Department has obtained accreditation from the Commission of Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies Inc. (CALEA). The associated standards cover everything from ethics, searches, property and evidence, to labor relations. Of the more than 17,000 police agencies in the United States, only 524 have achieved this designation. Of the 524, only 26 are the same size as the town’s department.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed initial beach reconstruction in the Town of Bethany Beach. Planting of dune grasses and installation of dune crossings and dune fencing has been completed. DNREC is still awaiting word from the Corps as to whether the 16-foot-tall dune can be lowered by the requested 2 feet and still provide adequate storm protection — a conclusion that is still expected to be months away. While DNREC officials previously said state employees and equipment would lower the dune if the Corps approves that move, Corps officials said recently that a reduction would have to wait until the next replenishment cycle, possibly two to four years away, if the change is approved at all.
• The Town of Bethany Beach is now offering a voluntary curbside recycling program. Participants in the program will receive a 65-gallon wheeled container, which will act as a common container for the recyclables. Pickup is scheduled, from May through September, for every Friday. From October through April, pickup is the first and third Friday of the month. The cost to the home owner will be $32 per year, billed with yearly tax/sanitation bills. Citizens may participate in the recycling effort by filling out an application and returning it to the town hall or mailing it to the address on the application. The application is also available on the town’s Web site at www.townofbethanybeach.com.
South Bethany
• The Town of South Bethany will hold its regularly scheduled council meeting on Friday, May 9, at 7 p.m. at the Town Hall, located at 402 Evergreen Dr.
• The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has completed the initial beach reconstruction in the Town of South Bethany. The planting of dune grass has been completed, with installation of dune fencing surrounding the dunes also complete. Remaining to be done is installation of final segments of dune fencing bordering beachfront properties on the rear side of the dune and completion of the construction of an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramp at South 3rd Street, which is currently under way. South Bethany is providing copies of plans for reconstruction of the public beach on its Web site, at www.southbethany.org.
• The town’s canal dredging project is currently under way. Progress photos can be seen online on the town Web site.
• South Bethany residents can sign up anytime throughout the year for the town’s new curbside recycling program. If they are out of town during the winter months, they may submit an application when they return. DSWA will deliver the recycling container shortly after the application is submitted.
• South Bethany town hall construction is completed. Town hall staff have moved into the building, and the town will hold all future meetings in the new town hall. Final paving of the parking lot at town hall and the police department was set to begin the week of April 14. Offices will remain open, but parking will be very limited. The town hall and police station grand-opening/ribbon-cutting ceremony is planned for Saturday, May 3, at 9 a.m.
• Honorary/memorial bricks for the area located around the flagpole at town hall can now be ordered. For details, refer to the town’s Web site and its forms page and click on the honorary/memorial brick order form link.
• The town’s Bulk Trash Pick-Up Day will be Saturday, May 10. All bulk items should be placed at the curb the night before to ensure collection. The following items will not be collected: automobile batteries and tires, construction debris, flammable/hazardous materials, oil/petroleum products, paint, rocks, bricks, concrete blocks, dirt, stumps, appliances containing CFC Freon gas: A/C units, freezers, refrigerators; tree limbs and shrubbery must be cut into no longer than 4 foot lengths, bundled and placed at the curb. Logs are limited to 30 pounds and 4 inches in diameter. Inadvertent collection of material placed in, on, or adjacent to bulk items to be collected will not be the responsibility of Allied Waste/BFI. Materials should be placed at the curb the night before to ensure collection. For more information, call Allied Waste/BFI: (800) 762-8888 or contact the town hall by telephone: (302) 539-3653 or e-mail townhall@southbethany.org. Regular weekly household garbage WILL be collected at this time.
• Any citizen of South Bethany who would like to receive the Zephyr newsletter via e-mail instead of through the U.S. Postal service is being asked to complete and submit the Homeowner Contact Information Sheet online at:www.southbethany.org, on the Homeowner Contact Information Sheet/Email Registration page.
Millville
• The Millville Planning & Zoning Commission will meet on Monday, May 12, at Millville Town Hall at 7 p.m.
• The Millville Town Council will meet on Tuesday, May 13, at Millville Town Hall at 7 p.m.
Ocean View
• The Town Council of Ocean View will hold a public hearing for the first reading of an ordinance on Wednesday, May 7, and a public hearing for the second reading of the same ordinance on Tuesday, June 3. The ordinance would grant a conditional use of land in the GB (general business) district for the installation of eight gas pumps on 4.07 acres on Atlantic Avenue (Route 26). Both public hearings will be held at 7 p.m. or as soon as possible thereafter in the Town Hall, located at 32 West Avenue.
• The Town of Ocean View will hold its next regular council meeting at the close of the public hearing scheduled for Wednesday, May 7, at 7 p.m. The council has moved its regular meetings from the first Tuesday of the month to the second Tuesday of the month, starting after the June meeting.
• The Ocean View Board of Adjustments canceled and rescheduled its meeting originally scheduled for Thursday, April 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the town hall. The meeting is now planned to be held on Thursday, May 15. The agenda for the meeting includes continuation of the public hearing on Application V-220, a request for a variance from Article VI, § 222-21.2 of the Ocean View Code, submitted by Dirickson Landing Associates, which is seeking a variance that will permit the construction of a dwelling within the 25 foot wetlands’ setback and the construction of a 5-by-25-foot dock and walkway in the wetlands on property located at 6 Tingle Street (099.360).
• Contractors have completed construction Ocean View’s central water system and the go-ahead for the system to be turned on for emergency use was given Jan. 31. The system has been cleared for individual property owners to hook up after March 1. The town recently notified property owners by letter of that date and details of how hook-ups should be made. Final determinations of costs to users and property owners were formally adopted at the council’s Feb. 5 meeting. Property owners will have to make arrangements with a certified well driller for the conversion of existing wells to agricultural use or for the destruction of those wells, as well as with a town-licensed plumber for water hook-ups. The town has set a $10 utility connection fee for at least the duration of the first year of water connections. Plumbers making the connections are also required to obtain a public health certification for each connection from the state, at a cost of $100 to the plumber, per legislation passed in June 2007, the cost of which is generally passed on to the property owner.
Fenwick Island
• Fenwick Island citizens can now pick up seasonal parking passes at town hall. All parking passes must be picked up in person at town hall this year.
• Fenwick Island will host its annual beach clean-up event on May 17, starting at Dagsboro Street.
• Fenwick Island, with Delaware Solid Waste Authority (DSWA), is offering all town residents curbside recycling. This program is being offered to town residents at no additional cost. Throughout the months of October to April, residential curbside recycling pick-up will be bi-weekly, on Fridays. During the months of May to September, the pick-up will be weekly, on Fridays. Residents who sign up for the program will receive a 65-gallon cart on wheels for plastic narrow neck bottles, plastic grocery bags, aluminum, steel and empty aerosol cans, newspapers, junk mail and corrugated cardboard. These containers will be delivered about the third week of September.
Property owners and residents can sign up at any time. There is no deadline. For more information on this program or any other DSWA program, call the Citizen’s Response Line at 1-800-404-7080. Registration forms are available by download on the town Web site at www.fenwickisland.org or in town hall. The Fenwick Island Lions Club is continuing to recycling aluminum drink cans, which can still be dropped off in the bin behind town hall.
• The New Friends of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse is currently meeting for reorganization and future planning, and volunteers are being sought to operate the lighthouse for tours during the summer. For more information on volunteering, call Volunteer Coordinator Jan Thompson at (302) 732-3216. For more information on the lighthouse or to donate, call (302) 436-8100 or contact The New Friends of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse at P.O. Box 1001, Selbyville, DE 19975.
Selbyville
• The Selbyville Town Council will hold its regular monthly meeting on Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. at the town hall.
• Selbyville has hired a new town administrator to replace retiring Town Administrator Gary Taylor. Former Baltimore Trust bank executive Robert Dickerson is now serving in the role. Taylor will work with the town as an administrative consultant for at least the next year.
Indian River School District
• At its regular monthly meeting on March 18, the Indian River Board of Education approved a series of changes to the 2007-2008 school district calendar. The last day of school for students has been moved to Tuesday, June 10. This will be a full school day. In addition, Monday, June 9, which was originally listed as a half-day, will now be a full day of school. The changes were made a result of the weather-related cancellations of Jan. 25 and Feb. 22.
Sussex County
• The Sussex County Board of Adjustments will meet on Monday, May 5, at 7 p.m. in the County Council Chambers in Georgetown.
• The Sussex County Council will hold its regularly scheduled meeting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 6, in the County Council Chambers in Georgetown.
• The Sussex County Planning and Zoning Commission will hold its regularly scheduled meeting on Thursday, May 8, at 6 p.m. in the County Council Chambers in Georgetown.