Coastal Point • RUSLANA LAMBERT Marta Nelson, of Baltimore, looks through some of the many books available at the book sale held at St. Martha’s Episcopal Church in Bethany Beach last weekend.

Coastal Point viewpoint 2006.06.02

Rubinsohn to replace Cestone
Absentee ballots made the difference in South Bethany’s May 27 town council election, with incumbent John Fields narrowly retaining his council seat by beating out challenger Chris White, with an 11-vote margin.

Crafters gear up for second annual show
Organizers of the Seaside Craft Show had their fingers crossed last year in June, with the first edition of the Bethany Beach boardwalk event. But they were blessed with fine weather and a better-than-expected turnout, marking the event’s inaugural edition as a genuine blowout success.

Odyssesy of the Mind team best in world
After finishing second last year, the Indian River School District’s elementary school Odyssey of the Mind (OM) team won a world championship in Iowa over the weekend.

Celebrating America
On May 17 every year, Emanuel and Franca Ortiz have a party. Complete with a cake and decorative icing, the celebration looks more like a birthday party than an anniversary. But May 17 is an anniversary for Franca Ortiz, formerly Franca Ferraro. And this year’s 50th anniversary of her arrival in America was momentous for the four-year Selbyville resident and anyone in attendance.

Bethany gets input on plans for property
If opinions expressed at a May 26 public workshop are representative of feelings in Bethany Beach, the town council can breathe a bit easier in that there appears to be general support for council members’ planned use for the town’s large parcel of land at the intersection of Route 1 and 26.

Bethany gives relief for landlocked lot
The Bethany Beach Board of Adjustments on Wednesday voted unanimously to grant variances to property owners Richard and Phyllis Brenneman for their lot at 305 Maplewood Court. The problem: the lot isn’t actually on Maplewood Court. Nor is it on any of the town’s streets.

Fractured Prune coming to Millville
When people visit the Fractured Prune doughnut shop in Rehoboth Beach for the first time, they receive a free O.C. Sand, the shop’s most popular doughnut.

Bethany disempowers historical society
It’s been a long fight for members of the Bethany Beach Historical Association. And it’s a fight they lost on May 26, when the town council voted 5-1 to transfer all authority for operation of the town museum to the Cultural and Historical Affairs Committee (CHAC) led by Vice-Mayor Carol Olmstead.

The Agenda

Veterans honored in local observances
Memorial Day weekend marks the beginning of the summer season for local beach towns, but observances held in Fenwick Island and Bethany Beach over the weekend were keenly focused on ensuring the holiday keeps it original meaning — to remember those lost defending the nation.

Pro talk
This month our interview is with Brian Trout, Golf Pro at Cripple Creek Golf and Country Club in Dagsboro.

Fee ordinances to be revisited in Dagsboro
Two Dagsboro ordinances will be revisited in the form of public hearings at the town’s July council meeting. The ordinances passed on March 20 established an impact fee, charging developers $1,500 per EDU, and a 3 percent building permit fee. Both have drawn complaints from area builders and developers, which might lead to lawsuits, according to at least one area developer.

Obituaries
Ruth Ann Kowalski, 59
Thomas M. Andes, 86
Alice M. Grabey, 79
Edward C. Hensler, 69
Merritt W. Whitney, 60
Julia W. "Jule" Gogarty, 73

Commercial guidelines well on track for Bethany
Time is ticking on Bethany Beach’s commercial construction moratorium, which is set to expire Aug. 9. Members of the town’s Architectural Guideline Development Committee for the C-1 and C-2 Zoning Districts (AGDC) are keeping that in mind as they finish up their job of envisioning the commercial districts’ desired appearance going into the future.

Bethany committee endorses reorganization
Bethany Beach’s town code now weighs in at a hefty 7.5 pounds, nearly filling the oversized binder in which it resides. And those who most often lug that robust tome from place to place — members of the town’s Charter and Ordinance Review Committee (CORC) — thought that maybe it was time to give their backs a break, by breaking up the book itself.

Fenwick Island looks to trim budget
Fenwick Island Budget Committee members were looking to cut the fat from the draft 2007 fiscal-year budget when they met on Wednesday, May 24. Some $80,000 worth of tentative budget line items were placed on the table, but the committee members held their cutting hands, largely opting to just keep a scalpel handy during the coming year rather than make definitive cuts.

School district passes its 2007 budget
Since December, Indian River School District Finance Director Patrick Miller and the Finance Committee have worked on the district’s 2007 fiscal-year budget with one major concern: energy.

Ready or not, here they come
We’ve all been there — company’s coming and we’re not remotely ready. There it was, Memorial Day weekend, the opening of the season, summer fun is supposed to start, yet we are faced with one of the cursed blessings of living at the beach — getting ready for the troops.

Crowd pleaser
When he was 14 years old, Tim Hailey worked his first job as a dishwasher in a local crab house. Hailey worked in the restaurant for eight years, helping run the kitchen, and eventually he assisted the owner with inventory and ordering supplies. During his time at that job, in the early- to mid-1980’s, he knew that he would one day own a crab house.

Taste the coast
For the price of a single meal at some local restaurants, area residents and visitors will be able to sample a wide variety of food and drinks and listen to jazz music on Sunday, at an event that is becoming an early-summer staple in the Bethany Beach area.

Lady Indians can't catch up to Central
Indian River’s softball team erased a 2-0 deficit against Seaford in the quarterfinals to win 5-2. But pulling off two straight come-from-behind games – the second against defending state champions the Sussex Central Lady Knights, no less – proved to be too tall a task.

Binstead leads Indians up the fairway
Four year’s ago, Indian River’s golf team was 1-15, a mere shadow of their now consecutive Southern Division championship seasons. Head Coach Neal Beahan’s team had a successful 11-5 season in 2000, but he lacked the necessary players to compete on a consistent basis until a group of freshman joined the team in 2003.

Smith, Cole wrap up careers on high note
Indian River’s first-doubles tandem of Ed Smith and Charlie Cole finished their senior season with an 11-3 record and had a good showing in this year’s state tournament.

Indians fall to William Penn
Only two days after shocking No. 11 seed Brandywine 5-4 in a ninth inning comeback, Indian River found it difficult to hold onto its own 2-0 lead against William Penn in the quarterfinals. That rough patch came before the team headed into extra innings, where they eventually lost 3-2 on a walk-off sac-fly in the bottom of the ninth, effectively ending their state championship hopes.