COMMUNITY INFO

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February 16, 2006

BOARD MEETING

The Rehoboth Beach Homeowners’ Association is holding a Board meeting on Saturday, February 18, 2006 at the All Saints Episcopal Church at 18 Olive Street.  The meeting will start at 9:00 am and will feature further discussion of the relationship between members of the commercial district and residents of the community.  Several business owners have been invited, including Dale Lomas, owner of the Crosswinds Motel and former President of the Chamber of Commerce, Joe Hill, a prominent realtor and former Commissioner candidate, Joyce Koos, who operates The Bake Shoppe on Rehoboth Avenue, and Jeff Hamer , owner of Fins Restaurant. 

In the past RBHA has taken positions on such issues as the FARs and noise, which might appear contrary to the interests of some businesses.  At the Board’s November meeting Main Street Executive Director Fay Jacobs stressed the importance of community support for the downtown businesses.  Shop and dine downtown was the message.  RBHA wants to dispel any perception that our organization does not support the community businesses.  We believe that a balance of commercial and residential development is critical to sustaining Rehoboth Beach.  This dialog will allow us to hear the concerns of businesses and be heard on these important matters.

Everyone is welcome to attend, to express their views, and to ask questions of the panel and Board members.

TREE ORDINANCE

The City implemented a Tree Ordinance on January 17, 2006.  It is a remarkable document; the first in the state of Delaware to protect trees on private property.  Nevertheless, it is controversial and is still a work in progress.  Recognizing this, the Mayor and Board of Commissioners have agreed to re-examine the new rule in the near future, probably in April.

How does this new law affect you?  Can you cut down trees, plant them, prune them?  Are permits needed?  Are there fees?  What kinds of trees are affected by the rule?  Are there penalties for violating the new ordinance? 

We urge you to review the new ordinance and ask us questions.  The RBHA has worked with the city in developing and implementing the ordinance and we intend to participate in any future deliberations.  You can see a copy of the rule at our website, http://www.rbhomeowners.com/ParkShadeTree.html.  You will also find a “plain language” Q & A the city published to further describe the new provisions.

SNOW

Yes it snowed here, too.  As you can see from the picture above we only got 1-3 inches.  It melted pretty fast; but it was fun while it lasted!