Bethany Beach News

The relationship between Bethany Beach’s Cultural and Historical Affairs Committee (CHAC) and the Bethany Beach Historical Association (BBHA) has always been complicated.

Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) officials once again rolled out preliminary plans for Route 26 improvements, from Clarksville to the Assawoman Canal (between Ocean View and Bethany Beach), on March 27.

The department’s made a few changes since the last go-round, and more than 160 people stopped by the Roxana Fire Hall for the update.

Working against a 180-day clock that started Feb. 10, Bethany Beach officials have plunged directly into the work needed to establish guidelines for commercial architecture before their moratorium on such construction elapses on Wednesday, Aug. 9.

Bethany Beach Town Council Members voted unanimously to abandon the unopened section of Maryland Avenue at their March 17 meeting, making way for the combining of the town’s latest land acquisitions, the former Disciples of Christ Christian Church and Neff properties, as dedicated a single parcel of open space.

It’s been two months since Bethany Beach’s town council sent a proposed height allowance back to the town’s planning commission for further review, concerned about how the enticement designed to encourage a higher, 7/12 or greater roof pitch would truly impact residences and the town’s overall aesthetic.

As the refurbished Bethany Beach Museum begins to take its final shape, so also the final shape of the group that runs it begins to be formed.

Bethany Beach is ready to roll into its 2007 fiscal year with a $9.4 million budget. Council members approved the budget at their March 17 session, adding a whole new element of green to their rare St. Patrick’s Day meeting.

Bethany Beach Town Council members enacted a series of charter changes and other measures at their March 17 meeting. The bulk of the items were in the nature of housekeeping measures, officially moving forward items recommended by various committees and signing off on contracts recommended by Town Manager Cliff Graviet.

Parishioners at St. Ann’s Catholic Church mourned the loss of one of their priests this week, with the sudden death of Father Paul P. Iaia. The 75-year-old associate pastor had served at the Bethany Beach church for eight years and would have celebrated the 50th anniversary of his ordination this May.

Beebe Medical Center’s long-time emergency services location in Millville may be moving a few miles westward, expanding and staying open year-round, at least as a walk-in clinic.

With a moratorium in place on commercial construction in Bethany Beach and no ability to extend that measure, town officials pushed forward this week toward developing a set of design guidelines and related zoning ordinances that they hope will encourage architecture in the town’s commercial district in a desirable direction.

Anyone who drives on Route 26 in Ocean View on a regular basis has surely noticed the two train cars sitting on the north side of the road about a half-mile from Bethany Beach.

The Bethany Beach Cultural and Historical Affairs Committee will host another in its series of cultural events on Wednesday, March 22, at the Bethany Beach town hall.

Fresh on the heels of their presentation of State Archivist Russell McCabe, the Bethany Beach Cultural and Historical Affairs Committee is preparing another cultural extravaganza. On Wednesday, March 22, local author Gordon Wood is scheduled speak on the history of the Bethany Beach area.

Compared to the budget process for the 2006 fiscal year in Bethany Beach, this year’s budget process seems to be flowing with unexpected smoothness.

Bethany Beach Town Council members voted unanimously at their Feb. 17 meeting to amend a recently passed moratorium on commercial construction, to allow simple replacements and repairs after an administrative review by the town.

Recent Planning Commission action on several items the commission has voted to recommend to the town council has exasperated Lew Killmer.

Bethany Beach has enacted a moratorium on the construction and exterior renovation of commercial structures, with a 5-0 vote on Friday, Feb. 10. (Mayor Jack Walsh and Council Member Harry Steele were absent.)

Bethany Beach is looking into adding another layer to its existing audit controls. The town’s Audit Committee held a meeting with accountant Craig Boyce on Thursday to consider what Boyce might do as a secondary oversight on town finances, in addition to the town’s existing auditing firm.

Among a handful of parking ordinance and fee changes considered at a Feb. 13 meeting of Bethany Beach’s Traffic and Parking Committee, Town Manager Cliff Graviet proposed more uniform hours for the town’s parking meters and permits, aiming for ease in a future in which the town’s parking meter system might be automated.