The Agenda

Bethany Beach

• The Bethany Beach Commercial Architecture Guideline Committee will meet on Friday, March 17, at 10 a.m. at the town hall. The meeting is set to include a first meeting with designer Jeff Schoeollkopf, who may be hired as a consultant for the committee at the town council meeting scheduled for later that day. Committee members have been asked to consider their visions and dreams for the downtown commercial district to begin the architectural guideline development process with Schoeollkopf.

• The Bethany Beach Budget and Finance Committee will meet at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 17, to review final changes to the town’s draft budget for the 2007 fiscal year.

• The draft budget and schedule of fees for the 2007 fiscal year will be the subject of a public hearing at 2 p.m. on Friday, March, 17, in preparation for a possible vote on adoption of the budget at the town council meeting later that night.

• A public hearing is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, March 17, on the issue of a proposed resolution to vacate and abandon that unopened section of “Maryland Avenue” (a “paper street”) lying between Central Boulevard and Garfield Parkway.

• The Bethany Beach Town Council will meet at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 17, in the town hall. The agenda for the meeting includes:

o Adoption of the budget and Schedule of Fees for the 2007 fiscal year (April 1, 2006, to March 31, 2007);

o Formal establishment of the Architectural Guideline Development Committee for the C-1 and C-2 zoning districts;

o A second reading for an ordinance to enact a new Chapter 115 “Erosion Control” to the Bethany Beach Town Code to require owners of properties abutting any waterway in the town to maintain their properties to prevent erosion; and requiring the construction of approved bank stabilization and/or erosion control devices, if needed, as allowed under applicable state and federal law and penalties for non-compliance;

o Consideration of a resolution to vacate and Abandon the unopened section of “Maryland Avenue” (a “paper street”) lying Between Central Boulevard and Garfield Parkway;

o Consideration of a charter amendment to: (1) allow the town to collect costs and attorney fees if it is the prevailing party in an enforcement action, (2) remove the “cap” on the amount the town can collect for violations of town ordinances and to allow the council to set the amounts without any charter limitation, (3) allow the town to have more than one assistant alderman, (4) eliminate the one-year term for aldermen and make their terms indefinite, and (5) to authorize the town to adopt, by reference, the state motor vehicle statutes and corresponding penalties, including future amendments thereto without further action by the town council, as the motor vehicle ordinances and penalties of the town;

o Discussion and possible vote on the antenna request from the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company, leading into a planned Board of Adjustments hearing on the request;

o Consideration of a series of contracts, submitted by: (1) Trice, Geary and Myers LLC, for auditing services for the 2006 fiscal year; (2) Standard Change-Makers Inc., for the purchase of three bill changers; (3) Jeff Schoellkopf (JSD Inc.) for design guidelines for the C-1 and C-2 zoning districts; and (4) JMT Engineering for Garfield Parkway Streetscape improvements; and

o Finally, consideration of a vote to no longer allow free parking by those with handicapped placards or tags and to double the total number of handicap parking spaces.

• The Bethany Beach Planning Commission will meet Saturday, March 18, at 9 a.m. at the town hall. Agenda items include:

o Review of an application for land combining and sketch plans for a PRD filed by Helen Loftus for property located on block 145, lots 15 & 16 on Garfield Parkway in the R-2 zone;

o Consideration of an amendment to Chapter 200-25 of the zoning code to establish a timeline requirement for completion of a planned residential development

o Continued discussion on proposal for developing a side-yard setback allowance for new or renovated street-facing homes on corner lots

o Continued discussion on a proposal for amending Chapter 245, Article XII, to change the Parks, Recreation and Open Space District to incorporate municipal properties (proposed as Municipal, Educational, Recreational and Community, or MERC); and

o Continued discussion of proposed zoning amendments designed to encourage a 7/12 roof pitch.

• Bethany Beach will host a cultural event with a lecture on the area’s history pre-1900 from Gordon Wood and an exhibit by the Bethany Beach Watercolor Society starting at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, March 22, at the town hall.

Fenwick Island

The Fenwick Island Town Manager Search Committee will meet on Monday, March 20, at 3:30 p.m. in the town hall.

South Bethany

The South Bethany Town Council will host a special meeting/budget workshop on Thursday, March 23, at 7 p.m. at the town hall.

Ocean View

• Ocean View’s historical committee will hold a special meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, March 20, at town hall. Speakers from the University of Delaware Center for Historic Architecture and Design will give a presentation on important historic architectural features in the town of Ocean View. No RSVP is required. Refreshments will be served.

• The town will hold a town council work session at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, in the town hall meeting room. Among other topics, councilmen and members from the town’s Long Range Financial Planning Committee will talk about the design of the new police station.

Dagsboro

The Dagsboro Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) will meet on Tuesday, March 14, at 7 p.m., at the Dagsboro Fire Hall (31818 Waples Street). Commission members are slated to review the big, mixed-use General’s Green project (430 single-family homes, townhouses and apartments, on 116 acres, north of Clayton Street) — developers are seeking preliminary site plan approval. The commission will also consider a new Mixed Use or Town Center zoning district and drafts of new landscaping, buffering and signage codes.

Sussex County

Sussex County Council will meet on Tuesday, March 14, at 6:30 p.m., in Council Chambers at the County Administrative Office Building (Georgetown). On the agenda: (1) an ordinance that would reduce the size of off-street parking spaces and allow a reduction of size for compact-car spaces under certain circumstances, (2) an ordinance authorizing the issuance of up to $16 million for construction of the Millville Area Expansion of the Bethany Beach Sanitary Sewer District, and (3) an ordinance authorizing the issuance of up to $4.8 million for construction of the South Ocean View Sanitary Sewer district.

Indian River School District

The Indian River School District will hold a meeting at 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 23, at Indian River High School. The district’s board and other employees will discuss the March 28 referendum with the public in attendance.