South Bethany News

Photos from the May 12-13 storm are shown in slideshow format below, with newer photos toward the end. All photos are copyright © Coastal Point, LLC, and may not be used without express permission of the Coastal Point.

The Delaware State Police and Department of Transportation reopened Route 1 between Dewey Beach and Fred Hudson Road/Road 360 north of Bethany Beach and the Indian River Inlet Bridge late Tuesday afternoon, following a detailed inspection of the inlet and surrounding roadways. Remaining closed Tuesday, due to high water, were: Fred Hudson Road in the area of Route 1 and Old Mill Road in Millville, as well as several other roads in the Lewes, Slaughter Beach and Oak Orchard areas.

ResortQuest Delaware has announced its acquisition of Seacoast Realty, making it the state’s largest beach real estate brokerage. The two companies have had a substantial impact in the area’s real estate market in the past, stretching from North Bethany to Fenwick Island, and westward, and now, into Ocean City, Md.

On Saturday, May 10, starting at noon, Made by Hand International Cooperative in South Bethany’s York Beach Mall will be celebrating World Fair Trade Day, along with people in 70 other countries, to highlight the importance and benefits of fair trade.

Deserie Lawrence hit the ground running, starting her new job as sales, marketing and events manager at the Bethany Fenwick Chamber of Commerce just the week before the annual Ocean to Bay Bike Tour.

This year’s Spring Fishing Tournament is set Saturday, May 10, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and it will be hosted for the first time by Old Inlet Bait and Tackle.

This summer may prove to be a little less refreshing for some South Bethany beachgoers, and undoubtedly a little dissatisfying for some local businesses. For 14 years, Jeff McMahon has been assisting his father, Melvin, with his summertime business selling flavored snowballs to customers of all ages, perusing the town limits for customers in their white-and-red trucks.

The fourth- and fifth-graders of Lord Baltimore were treated to a special presentation on April 17, of “Tar Wars” a nationwide program that started in Colorado, designed to educate America’s youth about the dangers of smoking.

The Town of South Bethany will have a Spring Bulk Trash Pick-Up Day on Saturday, May 10, 2008. Branches and brush should be bundled in four-foot lengths. No chemicals and paints allowed. Freon must be removed from appliances. All items are to be placed roadside. Any questions, call Town Hall at (302)539.3653.
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The Bethany Beach Town Council voted 6-1 on Friday, April 18, to adopt the smoking ban the town has spent the last seven months debating and turning into legislation. With the vote, the town became the first in the state of Delaware to ban smoking on a public beach.

The Bethany Beach Town Council voted 6-1 on Friday, April 18, to adopt the smoking ban the town has spent the last seven months debating and turning into legislation. With the vote, the town became the first in the state of Delaware to ban smoking on a public beach. Such bans already exist in many California beach towns, as well as on the Great Lakes and in New England.

Diane Clark of Wholesome Habits understands that her store just outside Bethany Beach may be a little intimidating to newcomers, but as many people are finding out, the full-line, health-conscious store provides a variety of products and a multitude of information of the kinds that are giving millions of people worldwide a healthier outlook on life.

As they head south on Route 1 through Fenwick Island, the white words “Country Store,” set off by the red barn-like storefront beckon people to come in and check out what all the fuss is about. It takes an equally big sign to stop them from heading for the store’s doors in the winter, when it is traditionally closed.

The Center for the Inland Bays (CIB) has announced its 2009 Request for Proposals. During the past decade, the Center for the Inland Bays has awarded more than $1,080,000 for local scientific research, restoration, and education projects through competitive funding.

Work on two early phases of the construction of the new Indian River Inlet Bridge is revving up, with removal of excess soils from the existing faulty embankments set to begin the first week of April and work begun last week on geotechnical investigations into how the faulty embankments came into being and whether the state has grounds for a claim against their builders.

As spring finally warms and greens the Delmarva Peninsula, bicyclists from all over the mid-Atlantic region will shift into gear and head to Fenwick Island. The Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce’s annual Ocean-To-Bay Bike Tour is a favored season-opening ride, organizers noted.

Welcome to CoastalPoint.com 2.0! If you’ve visited our Web site in the last few weeks, you’ll already have noticed the appearance of the first phase of months of behind-the-scenes work by our staff on The Point’s Web presence.

As concerns about municipal revenues continue to peak over a sluggish real estate market and proposed House Bill 111, South Bethany officials adopted on April 13 what Councilwoman Bonnie Lambertson called “a bare-bones budget.”

“The good news is we’re not raising taxes,” said Mayor Gary Jayne. “The bad news is we’re not raising taxes right away,” he added wryly.

Men and women of law enforcement and fire departments undoubtedly dedicated their time and experience, risking their own lives for those of the public and for the betterment of their communities.

The Assawoman Canal and the beaches aren’t the only places in Sussex County going through changes right now. The town of South Bethany started their canal dredging project 10 days ago, after frigid temperatures finally ratcheted back up.

Bethany Beach Town Council members voted 5-1 on Friday, Feb. 15, in favor of drafting legislation that would ban smoking year 'round in the town's parks and playgrounds, and in its boardwalk bandstand area at Garfield Parkway. Smoking would also be banned on the rest of the boardwalk and on the town's beach during the summer season, from May 15 through Sept. 15, with the exception of designated smoking areas at the eastern edge of the new dunes. The seasonal beach ban includes "wet" areas of the beach -- its swimming and fishing zones.

Officers with the South Bethany Police Department are part of one of the few agencies in the state utilizing one of the most advanced technological developments in law enforcement.

Existing standards for public roads in Sussex County are admittedly less stringent than those imposed by the State of Delaware, but that could cease to be the case under a directive passed by the Sussex County Council at their Tuesday, Jan. 8, meeting.

The Sussex County Council on Jan. 8 granted unanimous approval of a conditional use for PMP Associates, which plans to bring a facility for healthcare and medical offices to a location near the intersection of Routes 54 and 20.

The South Bethany Town Council met for the first time last week in the new town hall, for their monthly special meeting/council workshop, and they wasted no time at all, jumping right into hot topics — including additional adjustments to the town’s upcoming recycling program, and vendors and smoking on the beach.