Coastal Point • RUSLANA LAMBERT A surfer catches a wave during the ESA surfing tournament in Ocean City, Md. on Sunday, April 24.

Coastal Point Viewpoint 2005.04.29

IRSD Board Rescinds Calendar
Two big issues, one big Indian River School District School Board meeting. Concerned residents filled the Frankford Elementary cafeteria on April 26, as School Board members rescinded the previously agreed upon calendar for 2005-2006 and reviewed a list of possible areas for budget cuts.

One-way traffic proposed in Bethany
Judging by the lukewarm participation in Monday’s workshop on proposed bicycle and pedestrian safety measures in Bethany Beach, few of the town’s citizens realized that one-way roads would be among the proposals presented by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT).

Ocean View considers upscale restaurant
Restaurateur David Harkness presented plans for the Oak Arbor Inn at the corner of Woodland Avenue and Route 26 last week — first, before the Ocean View Board of Adjustment (BOA) and then before the town’s Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission.

County council defers on Moose Lodge
Sussex County Council held public hearing on the Loyal Order of Moose application at the April 26 council meeting.

Guest Column by State Rep. Gerald Hocker
For most of its existence, Sussex County has been largely rural. In recent years however, the county has been undergoing a fundamental change. While many portions of Sussex continue to retain their rustic character, other sections have been transformed into suburban landscapes. Many portions of eastern Sussex have all the characteristics of urban areas, with high-density dwellings, multi-lane highways and gridlock.

Golf show hits the green this weekend
The fourth annual Mid-Atlantic Golf Show swings into the Ocean City convention center this weekend when golfers from all over will be in area to play during the busiest golf package weekend of the year.

Plans for Pennsylvania Avenue spring a leak
The concept of a pump to help alleviate flooding in Bethany Beach’s Pennsylvania Avenue area will have to be reconsidered, Town Council Member Harry Steele and Town Manager Cliff Graviet revealed at the April 21 meeting of the town’s Flood and Drainage Committee.

South Bethany candidate points to openness
The atmosphere surrounding South Bethany Town Council is considerably more harmonious than it once was, according to Council Member Richard Ronan.

Ocean View prepares for potential disasters
Relax — no one has suggested any likelihood of a disaster striking this area. However, as husband and wife team Tom and Pat Sheeran pointed out, that’s the problem — there’s no way to predict.

The Agenda
Meetings in the community this week.

Voting reform group meets May 4
Citizens for a Better Sussex (CBS), a grassroots political activism group calling for greater county representation in eastern Sussex County, will meet Wednesday, May 4, 7 p.m., at the South Coastal Library (Bethany Beach).

Merry Girls
They call themselves “The Merry Girls of Sussex County,” yet none were born locally. They get together for the unabashed joy of merely having fun, although many of them devote considerable other time to both serious volunteer endeavors and serious research at Dover Downs. And, they are entitled by their age (ranging from 59 to 83) to wear red hats with their purple outfits. They all belong to the California-originated Red Hat Society.

Millville shop to benefit Alzheimer's study
Barbara Kenyon will celebrate her late grandmother’s birthday on Sunday, May 1, with the grand opening of her new Forget-Me-Not Shoppe in Millville.

Golf tournament to benefit wellness
The 1st Annual Jake’s Seafood House Golf Tournament will be held on Monday, June 20, at the Marsh Island Golf Club to benefit The Wellness Community-Delaware. Enjoy fabulous prizes, a buffet luncheon and drinks afterward at Jakes’ Seafood House on Route 1, Rehoboth Beach. Golfers may register to play for $60 per person, including green’s fees and cart.

Postal workers welcome IR class prez
Indian River High School’s senior class president Deniz Nhan took the helm at the Frankford Post Office on April 21 (for the day).

Beebe to raise awareness of osteoporosis in May
Beebe Medical Center will offer free screenings for osteoporosis in May on different days and locations around Sussex County. May is Osteoporosis Prevention Month.

Local post celebrates Vietnam vets
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) have proclaimed May 1-7 Vietnam Veterans Recognition Week, and the local Mason-Dixon Post 7234 (Quillen’s Point) will be holding a kickoff celebration on May 1.

Volunteers needed to assist with terrapin project
Each year in mid-May, just as people are heading for the beaches, unfortunately, so are the female diamondback terrapins. The terrapins live in the Delaware Inland Bays, but the females lay their eggs in the soft sands of the beach dunes.

Delaware Tech annual gala sold out for upcoming weekend
Starry, Starry Night, the annual spring gala fundraiser hosted by the Owens Campus Development Council of Delaware Technical & Community College in collaboration with underwriters Discover Bank and Atlantic Theatres — The Movies at Midway is again a sold out event. This year’s event will be held on Saturday, April 30 at 5:30 p.m. at the college campus in Georgetown. The festivities for the black tie event include a reception, dinner, art and champagne, entertainment, desserts and beverages.

Turtles need help when the rubber hits the road in the spring
Delaware’s turtles are coming out of hibernation and will soon be crossing roads as they search for nesting sites and, in some cases, make the journey from wintering habitats to summer haunts. The species Delawareans are most like to see on the road are box turtles, snapping turtles, spotted turtles and, in coastal areas, diamondback terrapins.

31st Annual Health and Awareness Fair
The Roxana CHEER Senior Center is hosting its 31st Older Americans’ Health and Awareness Fair on May 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fair will be held at the senior center in the Edward Pyle State Service Building located on Route 20 in Frankford.

State park closing stretch of beach for nesting plovers
Two pairs of piping plovers, Delaware’s endangered beach nesters, are setting up housekeeping at Cape Henlopen State Park’s Gordon’s Pond beach.

DelDOT talks third lane in Millville
Nothing’s final until the steamrollers roll and the road stripers stripe, but it now appears the SR 26 Mainline project, slated for completion in 2010, will include a center turn lane from the Assawoman Canal through Clarksville.

Fenwick makes move to expand dock allowances
Many Fenwick Island property owners who were not previously permitted to have a dock at their canal-side or lagoon-side properties may soon have that option. The Fenwick Island Town Council, at its April 22 meeting, heard a first reading of a proposed ordinance change that would allow docks on canals 50 feet in width or wider.

Marriage Licenses

Gamers Delight
Half-Life Counterstrike. Halo. Medal of Honor. The very names are thrilling, promising action and adventure one just can’t find around the office.

Shining Stars
The Village Players have done it again. Last weekend, area theater go-ers were treated to being the first audiences to experience another inaugural production from the creatively quirky mind of local playwright, author and, by-the-way, director of human resources for Carl M. Freeman Communities (Freeman), Harold Schmidt.

Meiklejohn leads offensive attack for Indians
When one player isn’t hitting, another usually is. And in the case of Indian River, senior right fielder Jerry Meiklejohn provided enough ammunition to put the Indians over Dover 10-0 on April 26.

Surf good in ESA tourney
The surf couldn’t have been any better as morning broke for the Eastern Surfing Association’s first contest of the season April 24, as 65 surfers converged on 37th Street in Ocean City. It was a beautiful Sunday morning and a great day for the all-day tournament.

Lady Indians still defensive
They remain undefeated, and yet another shutout was pitched by the No. 10 Indian River girl’s varsity soccer team, in a 2-0 defeat of Seaford on April 26.

Lady Indians soar to 11-2
The Lady Indians varsity softball team notched three more wins this week, to improve their season record to 11-2. They did so by dumping a massive amount of runs on their opponents.

Indians turn the tables on foes
The monkey is finally off the backs of the Indian River varsity tennis team. The Indian had lost four matches by the score of 3-2 this season, but no more. Turning the tables, Indian River (2-5) defeated Smyrna 3-2 in a rematch of their season-opening loss to the Bulldogs.

Warhawks end season on skid
The Sussex County Warhawks finished the 2005 season on a sour note, losing their last two games in a late season playoff push, to the cellar dweller Kent County Fire and the Talbot County Warriors.