Coastal Point viewpoint 2007.07.27

	Coastal Point • RUSLANA LAMBERT A surfer enjoys the ocean all to himself during the early morning hours of Wednesday, July 25, in Bethany Beach.

Four file for office in Bethany Beach
Bethany Beach will have at least two new town council members this September, with the decision by Council Members Lew Killmer and Wayne Fuller not to seek re-election. Four candidates — Joseph T. Healy Jr., Carol Olmstead, J. Robert Parsons and Margaret Bogan Young have filed for the three available council seats.

Beebe already thinking expansion
Beebe Medical Center has acquired another 12.8 acres in Clarksville to accommodate future expansion of the South Coastal Medical Complex that has not yet been built there. Jeffrey Fried, president and CEO of the medical center, said Lewes-based Beebe purchased the land late this spring.

Salt Pond HOA considers golf course purchase
Residents of the Salt Pond community, just outside Bethany Beach, have been in the center of booming development in the area recently and are now seeking to reduce its impact on their way of life.

Experts: Corn likely beyond salvation
Sussex County farmers continue to watch their corn crop turn brown and curl as drought conditions worsen with each day that goes by without rain. Federal officials were expected to begin studying the damage this week, but some have already predicted that they could harvest nothing this fall from hundreds of acres of non-irrigated field corn.

Indian River racial achievement gaps persist
Indian River students continued to perform among the best in the state on standardized tests, but achievement gaps between racial groups continued in 2007. Scores from the statewide spring test were released last week.

The Agenda

Blue Surf requests get mixed reception
While Bethany Beach officials have been supportive of plans to redevelop the landmark oceanfront Blue Surf Motel as a mixed condominium-retail area, the McCabe family and builder Coleman Bunting struck out on two of four requests made to the town regarding the project at the town council’s July 20 meeting.

Property owners approve sewer district
Local property owners approved the creation of a new Sussex County centralized sewer district west of Fenwick, near Roxana, on Saturday by a vote of 243 to 87. Officials will begin construction on the Johnson’s Corner sewer district in the spring of 2009, with completion expected in the summer of 2010.

Harry hysteria hits home
Hundreds gathered outside Bethany and Fenwick bookstores as Friday turned into Saturday last week to get their hands on the seventh and final chapter in the Harry Potter saga, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.”

Bethany Beach limits non-resident votes
Bethany Beach officials on July 20 adopted a variety of changes to the town’s voting and referendum rules, aimed at maximizing the ability of some citizens to vote while restricting the votes of some non-residents and better ensuring that future referendums operate without confusion.

Bethany seeing huge summer downtown
Downtown Bethany Beach has been very busy this summer, and it may get a little busier. Town Manager Cliff Graviet reported at the council’s July 20 meeting that in all the ways the town measures its transient summer population, business has been booming in 2007.

Bethany approves referendum changes
Bethany Beach Town Council members on July 20 considered sweeping changes to the town’s rules regarding referendums.

Frankford motorcycle shop owner charged with theft
The owner of Frankford motorcycle repair business was arrested on two felony theft charges last week after a Delaware State Police investigation revealed that he had taken money for services and parts but never provided them, according to state police.

Mini-golf business scores complaints
The return of miniature golf to Bethany Beach this summer garnered a warm response from most of the town, with residents citing the need for family-friendly activities in the downtown area after the town’s only course closed after the summer of 2005.

Special tax district on the table
Special taxing districts within developments continue to generate interest locally. Developers on Tuesday asked Sussex County Council to consider legislation that would allow them to create a district near South Bethany to fund infrastructure costs.

Obituaries
Linda L. Bunting, 56
John J. McGee Sr., 89
Chester Joseph Walls, 88

Aquacare makes a splash in Millville
Aquacare Rehabilitation Services Inc. is bringing a new wave of healthcare to the area. This week, the clinic celebrated their grand opening in the Millville Town Center, kicking off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday. The office is the company’s fifth, and largest yet, and has a lot in store for the area, with therapy treatment and community and specialized programs for all ages and stages of fitness.

Bay Back Tours
Tom Fowler has spent the majority of his life on Delaware’s Assawoman Bay, and for the third season, he has had the opportunity to share the splendor and marvel of what he’s seen through his Back Bay Tours.

Post 28 tournament hopes hanging in the balance
In the month of July, Post 28’s Sussex East Warriors have been the best Legion baseball team in the state of Delaware. They’ve won 12 games, including eight doubleheader victories, and lost only one, improving their regular-season record to 13-7 after a dismal 1-6 start.

FIBP takes honors in competition
The Fenwick Island Beach Patrol’s lifeguard competition team garnered top finishes in five events, in competition on July 11, and qualified for the national championships in those five events.