News Briefs 9/19/23

September 19, 2023

Sept. 21 workshop is for Sussex County staff and officials

Sussex County Council and Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission will hold a workshop at 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 21, at the county's emergency operations center, 21911 Rudder Lane, Georgetown.

Chip Guy, county communications director, said the workshop will be a chance for staff and officials to get information and discuss possible code changes in the weeks and months ahead. “No action is taken at workshops,” Guy said.

He added that if any changes are agreed on, it will still take weeks and months to legally prepare any amendments, discuss those with officials and schedule public hearings.

He also said some people have the mistaken notion that this is unprecedented action by county government. “We've had joint workshops in the past to discuss priorities and trends officials are seeing,” he said.

The workshop will not be livestreamed, and seating is limited. While open to the public, no public comment is accepted at workshops.

Johnnie Walker Beach panel meets Sept. 21

The Lewes Johnnie Walker Beach Subcommittee will meet at 5 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 21, at city hall. Jesse Hayden from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will discuss the process for building a replica of the Johnnie Walker pavilion. For a full agenda and meeting link, go to lewes.civicweb.net.

African American Heritage panel to meet Sept. 21

The Lewes African American Heritage Commission will meet at 6 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 21, at city hall. The agenda includes updates on Johnnie Walker Beach, Juneteenth and the Daisey Family. For a full agenda and meeting link, go to lewes.civicweb.net.

Environment group to meet in Rehoboth

The Rehoboth Beach Environment Committee will meet at 1 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 21, in the city hall commissioners room, 229 Rehoboth Ave. The agenda includes discussions on gas-powered landscape equipment, offshore wind farms and their potential impacts, noise pollution, light pollution and the city’s non-idling policy.

A full agenda, meeting materials and a livestream are accessible at cityofrehoboth.civicweb.net. Only in-person attendees may make comments. For more information, contact the city at 302-227-6181 or information@cityofrehoboth.com.

Rehoboth transit committee to meet

The Rehoboth Beach Streets and Transportation Committee will meet at 3 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 21, in the city hall commissioners room, 229 Rehoboth Ave. The agenda includes discussions on various city projects, safety concerns at the intersection of Grove Street and Columbia Avenue, sidewalk conditions around the city, and shrubs and plants blocking visibility of pedestrian and vehicular movement.

Special Rehoboth commissioner meeting Sept. 22

Rehoboth Beach commissioners will hold a special meeting at 9 a.m., Friday, Sept. 22, in the city hall commissioners room, 229 Rehoboth Ave. The agenda includes consideration of a resolution proposing a public hearing be held on abandoning a portion of Baltimore Avenue at its eastern terminus. This is related to the Rehoboth Beach Patrol facility project.

EPA will investigate complaint at Bioenergy Devco

The Environmental Protection Agency agreed Sept. 8 to investigate whether Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control discriminated against the black, Hispanic, Latinx and Haitian communities when reviewing and approving permits for a Bioenergy Devco poultry waste recycling and composting facility near Seaford.

Socially Responsible Agriculture Project senior counsel Eli Holmes, who drafted the complaint, applauded EPA’s decision, and called on DNREC to revoke the permits and stop the project immediately.

The complaint alleges that DNREC violated the public’s rights to information and public participation when reviewing permits for Bioenergy Devco’s facility in Seaford, resulting in discrimination against the local community.

Other organizations involved in the complaint include Sussex Health and Environmental Network, American Civil Liberties Union of Delaware, Delaware Poor People’s Campaign and Delaware State Conference of Branches of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

“Access to information and public participation are central to a functioning democracy,” Holmes said. “We hope EPA's decision will result in stronger protections for people discriminated against because of their race, color, national origin and language."

The decision follows a Title VI Civil Rights complaint filed in December 2022 alleging DNREC and Sussex County violated the rights of the Seaford community when reviewing permits for Bioenergy Devco’s facility.

“EPA said it isn’t formally investigating Sussex County but is considering starting a review to ensure the county complied with Title VI,” said spokesperson Julie Wilson.

VIA to host wine tasting Oct. 1

The Village Improvement Association will host a wine tasting from 3 to 5 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 1, at Bin 66, 20729 Coastal Highway, Rehoboth Beach.

Ticket holders will have the opportunity to taste three white wines and three red wines, plus selected light bites. A raffle will be held for a prize of six bottles of wine.

A portion of the proceeds from this event, and all events held by the VIA, will be used for donations to local nonprofit organizations.

Space is limited, so purchasing tickets soon is advised. The advance ticket price is $20. For more information or to purchase, go to rehobothbeachvia.org. If space remains, $25 tickets will sold at the door Oct. 1.

The Village Improvement Association of Rehoboth Beach is a women’s civic and charitable organization dedicated to community improvement by enhancing the lives of others through volunteer service.

Apply for Rotary grants by Oct. 31

The Georgetown-Millsboro Rotary Flags for Heroes Fund at the Delaware Community Foundation is now accepting grant applications. Grants awarded will be from $500 to $5,000 and are available to nonprofit organizations working to address community needs in in Georgetown and Millsboro, with preference given to organizations located in Georgetown and Millsboro.

The application deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 31. For more information, go to delcf.org/grants.