Coastal Point • RUSLANA LAMBERT The view in Bethany offered a bit of everything on Wednesday, Jan. 25.

Coastal Point viewpoint 01.27.06

Boesch steps down from planning post
When Bethany Beach Planning Commission Chairman Phil Boesch suddenly stepped down from his post on the commission at their Jan. 21 meeting, the obvious question for most observers was whether the move had anything to do with recent conflicts over the town’s proposed Streetscape plan.

School board hears from arts supporters
Literally hundreds of Southern Delaware School of the Arts (SDSA) supporters packed the Indian River High School cafeteria. Others were diverted toward the auditorium, to catch Indian River School District (IRSD) School Board proceedings over a video feed, after the cafeteria filled up.

Ocean View narrows budget priorities
Ocean View Town Council members met for a double-header — a special meeting and workshop — on Jan. 17, trying to set some priorities in the coming budget. In the end, they reached consensus to maintain the status quo, at least for the next couple of years.

School district explains referendum
The Indian River School District (IRSD) has finalized a three-part referendum question, and they announced the particulars at the Jan. 24 school board meeting. Board members gave notice that they’d soon ask district residents for 25.5 cents on every $100 of assessed property value, divvied up over a two-year period, to support the three funding initiatives.

Bethany planners move ahead under new leadership
The resignation of Bethany Beach Planning Commission Chairman Phil Boesch at the commission’s Jan. 21 meeting was sudden, but the commissioners quickly reorganized and charged ahead with an agenda full of zoning issues, under the new leadership of Kathleen Mink.

Mural to provide ambiance at Bethany museum
A mural representing the historical Bethany Beach may soon adorn the town’s museum. The decorative element is one of the final pieces of the puzzle as the renovated and renewed museum settles in to its location in the renovated town hall lobby.

Assawoman reports light deer season
Deer season is winding down, and the number of hunters who managed to get a deer this season, compared to last, is down a little, too, according to park director Rob Gano at the local Assawoman Wildlife Area.

Local officials lobby for fed water act
Bethany Beach officials are taking new steps toward ensuring shoreline protection projects — such as their long-awaited beach reconstruction — are supported and funded through the federal government.

The Agenda

County readies for groundwater regs
A new set of groundwater protection regulations came before Sussex County Council members at the Jan. 24 council meeting — they’re state-mandated, but the council will have the opportunity to fine-tune the regulations.

Seaside Inn elevator denied again
Owners of the Seaside Inn in Fenwick Island have been trying to put in an elevator since the building was originally constructed. Though the hotel is now under new ownership and management, that desire was again thwarted this week in yet another Board of Adjustments hearing on the issue, Jan. 23.

Draft election rules trouble resort towns
Bethany Beach Town Council Member Lew Killmer has a bone to pick with proposed state regulations governing how municipal elections are run.

Charter changes line up after CORC action
The Bethany Beach Charter and Ordinance Review Committee (CORC) is finally seeing the end results of some of their hard work, with plans to submit changes in the town charter to the state senate, Town Council Member and CORC Chairman Lew Killmer reported at the committee’s Jan. 19 meeting.

Bethany proposes commercial moratorium
Bethany Beach officials have been expressing concern about the appearance of the town’s commercial district for more than a year. And they may buy themselves some time to deal with the situation under a proposed moratorium on changes to the exteriors of commercial buildings in the town.

Dagsboro imposes six-month moratorium
Dagsboro residents can still repair their houses, they can still apply for commercial permits or building permits (for single-family homes only), and they can still apply for minor subdivisions (four or fewer lots). But Dagsboro Town Council put the brakes on new annexations, rezonings and major subdivisions at the Jan. 24 council meeting — if the initial application wasn’t in by last Tuesday, it’ll have to wait until July 24.

Grassroots environmentalists take on plant
The nascent Citizens for Clean Power group is making the rounds with a documentary critical of standard practices at the Indian River Power plant, north of Dagsboro, and they stopped by the South Coastal Library in Bethany Beach on Jan. 19.

Pro Talk
This month, we talk with Harry Hipps, senior tennis pro at Sea Colony, outside of Bethany Beach:

Clark clarifies his endorsement of Isaacs Glen
Fenwick Island Town Council Member Chris Clark sought to clarify this week the basis of his public support for the proposed Isaacs Glen development outside Milton.

Bethany approves ordinances, sets hearing
Bethany Beach Town Council members approved two code changes at their Jan. 19 meeting, following a quiet and sparsely attended public hearing that night.

Whistle Stop seeks liquor license
Dagsboro Town Council somewhat grudgingly approved Whistle Stop Deli & Café owner Mike Oxbrough’s request for a certificate of compliance — the precursor to Oxbrough’s actual liquor license application — at the council’s Jan. 24 meeting.

Dagsboro residents leery despite clean water reports
Dagsboro residents facing a May 9 deadline for hook-up to the town’s water system — the end of the grace period for avoiding a $3,000 impact fee — raised questions about that deadline at the Jan. 24 council meeting.

Obituaries
Mrytle S. McCabe, 85
John D. Wilkerson, 75
Frank Marshall Holloway, 46
William David Atkins, 58
Doris M. Fitzpatrick, 77

Grapplers keep momentum rolling
Seven is one of the luckiest numbers in history — except for say, 11. But with no particular luck involved whatsoever, the Indian River High School wrestling team notched its seventh win in a decisive 48-23 victory over conference contender Cape Henlopen on Jan. 20. Two nights prior, Indian River snatched victory from the depths of long bus rides in a 34-28 come-from-behind win over Polytech — again, not by luck but by hard-nosed team wrestling.

Lady Indians maintain defensive pressure
The Lady Indians basketball team’s recent 57-20 loss to Sussex Tech marks an important moment in their season. Defensively, they held the Ravens to fewer points than their season average. It’s a move in the right direction, but the team was unable to string together the success.

Indians continue slide
After jumping out to an 8-2 record (6-1 in conference) Indian River’s basketball team dropped its third straight game to the Northern Henlopen Conference in an 85-70 loss to Sussex Tech on Jan. 24. Indian River played Sussex Tech close to the vest through three quarters and the Ravens held only a 54-53 lead. But every time the Indians held their ground, eventually they gave way.