Coastal Point • RUSLANA LAMBERT Jenna Quillen of Frankford sends one down the alley at the Millsboro Bowling Lanes last Sunday as part of a fund-raising Bowl-a-Thon held by the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.

Coastal Point Viewpoint 2006.03.24

IRSD referendum all set for Tuesday
Patrick Miller — the director of business and finance for the Indian River School District — has noticed something worrisome in the last couple of weeks. In the final push toward the district’s Tuesday, March 28 referendum, the school board and district employees have held more than a dozen meetings to peak public interest. The problem is, there doesn’t seem to be any public interest, he said.

Old Mill Road to be closed through May
Sussex County engineers have presented a timeline for ongoing sewer work along Old Mill Road, north of Millville. Last week, they warned local residents to expect a detour to Clubhouse Road at least until the end of May.

Bethany creates new residential height option
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.

Winergy re-filing wind farm proposal
Scott Lynch is all for wind power. The energy program planner for the Delaware Energy Office would love to award rebates for the installation of the green technology, he said. Unfortunately, as the office has awarded numerous bids for solar and geothermal technology, wind is not as much of a reliable resource in the area. Not one application for the state rebate for wind power has landed on his desk.

University Center studies Ocean View history
Since September, officials from the University of Delaware Center for Historic Architecture and Design have been surveying Ocean View properties for their historical significance

Police hook Frankford-area prostitution ring
Delaware State Police officers arrested two women on Sunday, March 19, at 214 Twin Cedars Apartments near Frankford, in relation to a regional prostitution ring.

Bethany passes $9 million budget
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.

GUEST COLUMN- Brush up on your Shakespeare
I’m going to tell you about a very remarkable Friend of mine. But first I’m going to alert you to a stunning news item: The greatest poet and dramatist in history, William Shakespeare, was born 442 years ago, on April 23, 1564. How’s that for a bulletin to knock your socks off?

Dagsboro enacts new revenue generators
Dagsboro Town Council may have steered the town’s finances out of the red and into the black in a single special meeting, March 20, with the installation of some significant fee increases.

Council considers hard line on permits
Sussex County Council members will soon consider a pair of ordinances targeting scofflaw builders, following a presentation at the March 21 council meeting.

DelDOT proposes new rights-of-way regs
Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) planners have been showcasing some comprehensive new regulations this week, aimed in part at facilitating developer-DelDOT cooperation on rights-of-way purchases.

Ocean View accepts police station design
A Tuesday-night workshop in Ocean View town hall proved to be the site of yet another argument about the town’s proposed 15,000-square-foot police station, which was approved by the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission on March 16.

The Agenda

Bunting reserves judgment on Hayward
State legislators lambasted former Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT) Secretary Nathan Hayward this week, but local Sen. George Howard Bunting (20th District) took more of a moderate stance.

Experts advise Fenwick town manager search
Fenwick Island is seriously considering getting a town manager to run the town’s day-to-day operations and take some of the administrative burden off the mayor and council members. And they’re calling in the experts to ensure they know all they need to know about the job, appropriate qualifications and the best candidates to fill it.

Museum management discussed in Bethany
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.

Inlet residents ask DelDOT for improvement
Folks living along the south side of the Indian River Inlet are apparently feeling a little left out, what with all the roadwork taking place as part of the construction of the new Indian River Inlet Bridge.

This week in Delaware history

South Bethany discusses parking change
South Bethany Town Council members held a first reading for their revised parking ordinance changes at a March 10 council meeting, reviewing a series of changes suggested by Town Solicitor Dennis Schraeder and answering a few questions and concerns from the town’s citizens.

Millville considers adopting impact fee
Millville’s town council announced while working on its 2007 fiscal-year budget recently that it will consider implementing an impact fee. The fee would accompany building permits for additions and new construction, to help pay for services in the small coastal town.

Fenwick Island beach re-vamp nearly done
After years of hopes, plans and lobbying, the massive beach reconstruction project in Fenwick Island has entered its final phase. Only a few tasks remain to be completed, with the beach replenished, dunes rebuilt and stabilizing sea grass planted.

Commission preliminarily approves 21 homes
Against some resistance, Ocean View’s Planning and Zoning commissioners voted unanimously on March 16 to grant preliminary approval build 21 townhouses at Big Oak Lane and Muddy Neck Road.

Bethany passes erosion ordinance
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.

Obituaries
Thaddeus J.‘Lump’ Stokley, 77
Margaret H. Taylor, 81

States of the beaches
With roughly $14 million still needed from the federal government to cement planned beach reconstruction efforts in Bethany Beach and South Bethany, officials in the two towns are focusing their efforts on persuading the two houses of the U.S. Congress to include those funds in the budget for the 2007 fiscal year.

Girls hope to improve on courts
Indian River’s girls head tennis coach Elizabeth Tiffany was working with the bare essentials last season. She had a tough time fielding a team to compete from week to week last season, and their home court had seen better days. They only won one match last year. But that’s in the past now, because this year they have a new school, along with a new tennis court.

Indians hope to join elite
Henlopen Conference tennis is traditionally dominated by just a few schools: Caesar Rodney, Dover and Seaford. But the balance may have shifted in Indian River’s favor this year.

Indians test out new field
Some things in sports never change — like the intense rivalry between Seaford and Indian River varsity baseball teams. But one thing has changed since the last time they played — a new Indian River ballpark.

Warkawks drop third straight
The Sussex County Warhawks semi-pro football team’s season is nearly over. A light is visible at the end of the tunnel, but no one knows just how long their road may go and despite losing three straight games, it is possible to still make the playoffs.