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March 21, 2007

[Our only snow this winter, Thursday morning March 8, 2007]

GENERAL MEETING CHANGE

The General Meeting which is usually held the third Saturday of April is being changed to Saturday, April 28, 2007 to avoid a conflict with a City of Rehoboth Beach meeting on the matter of upgrades to City Hall and other municipal facilities.  Further information on this event will appear in a future RBHA News eMail.  The RBHA meeting is an important one; we will be voting on several By-laws changes; details are enumerated below.  We are also endeavoring to secure a speaker to discuss the proposed offshore windmill project.  Please plan to attend. The meeting will start at 10:00 am at the All Saints Episcopal Church, 20 Olive Avenue.

MARCH 17, 2007 BOARD MEETING

There was a quorum!  Here are some highlights. The Treasurer, Judy Mellen reported that funds in the checking and money market accounts totaled $10,574.34 for March 2007.Marcia Maldeis, Membership Chair, stated that there were 340 members; she also noted that 74 reminders were being mailed to members in arrears.  Proposed changes to the By-laws will be mailed soon. Details are below.  Hoyte Decker, Ordinance Committee, presented a draft revision and memo regarding posting of signs related to Board of Adjustment cases.  The Board approved the matter, which will be forwarded over the RBHA President’s signature for consideration by the Mayor and Commissioners.  Greg Gause also introduced a proposed change to the Tree ordinance affecting the contracting process for maintenance of trees  on city property.  He also indicated that the Environment Committee would be studying an array of other possible amendments to the Tree ordinance.  A speaker for the April 21st General Meeting has yet to be named.  It was decided to pursue a person involved in the Bluewater Wind LLC, the proposed wind-generated power project.  The Board adopted two proposals: one to support the SOLA3 position on transferring ownership of a buffer area around Lake Comegys from DelDOT to DNREC; the other to press for legislative action to resolve the problem of sunken boats in the canal near the canal bridge at the entrance to town.  In other New Business actions based on a recommendation of the Treasurer, the Board voted to terminate its insurance coverage; this will save the organization more than $700.  It also authorized a contribution of $500 to the Lewes/Rehoboth Association of Churches to be used to support the cause for feeding and providing other assistance to foreign students working in Rehoboth Beach. 

PLANTING DUNE GRASS

Here’s a final reminder: 9:00 am, Saturday, March 24, 2007 for the annual dune grass planting event.  We’re concentrating on the south end of the Boardwalk again this year; so meet us at Norfolk Street and the Boardwalk. [This is a location change.]  Bring gloves and a stake to make holes; we’ll provide the grass!

THANKS FOR YOUR FEEDBACK

Paul Kuhns reports that he received comments from you in response to his request for input on the possibility of creating a dog park within the city limits.  The Animal Issues Committee, which is chaired by Commissioner Kuhns, will be taking up the matter at a March 31 meeting. [Call City Hall for time and place, 227-6181.]

BY-LAWS CHANGES

The RBHA Board has approved a number of changes to the organization’s By-laws.  The matter will be brought to a vote of the membership at its General Meeting [now] scheduled for April 28, 2007.  The most significant change will reduce the Board from 11 to nine members, requiring a quorum of five.  Other changes are intended to allow more flexibility in functions of the President, Secretary, and Treasurer.  Another notable change will restrict access to the membership list to names only; members can further opt out of even providing their name.

WEBSITE UPDATE

I would like to be able to refer you to the website for complete details on the By-laws; however, that is a project that is still to be addressed.  It is hoped that some work can be accomplished soon.  More info on that will be in a future RBHA News eMail.

AROUND TOWN

TREE ORDINANCE CASE

The trail and mitigation hearing of the Laurel Street resident have ended in an essentially voluntary resolution.  At the trial held in Georgetown, March 7th, the parties agreed to an admission of guilt and payment of $2,000 in fines and restitution.  On March 20th a mitigation hearing was held by the city’s Park & Shade Committee.  It was decided that $1,500 of the restitution awarded at the trial would be combined with an additional payment of $1,300 for a total mitigation of $2,800.  This is the first prosecution of violations of the Tree Ordinance, which was enacted in January 2006.  A copy of the ordinance IS at the RBHA website; you may want to review it!  http://64.176.218.110/documents/060125treeordinance.pdf

WORSE THAN OBNOXIOUS

The last RBHA News featured a picture of a port-a-john on a Hickman Street sidewalk.  Attached are two pictures of an even worse situation in the beach block of Queen Street.  Bruce and Violet Chilcoat addressed the Mayor & Commissioners at its regular meeting on March 19th about water that has been pumping continuously since January 6, from a construction site next to their home.  The Chilcoats appeared before the city administrators in January on the same situation.  The Chilcoats have also corresponded with the Mayor three times without any response.  According to the Chilcoats the pump is pumping eight to nine gallons of fresh (ground) water every minute; the water moves through a pipe across the sidewalk and then down the street along the curb to a drain more than 100 feet away, past another neighbor’s home.  The water drains into Silver Lake and then into the ocean.  The Chilcoats cited several City Charter and Code provisions, which they alleged were violated.  They further charged that the city, builder, and home owner knew of this problem in November, but no plans have been submitted for its resolution.  After more than 15 minutes of lively comments by Commissioners, Mayor Cooper alluded to a letter that may soon be sent to the parties to address the matter.  The Mayor noted that construction jobs may, at times, warrant a more lenient enforcement approach.  Although his assertion may be valid, the length of time, from November until March, should have been adequate for the owner to address the issue, and therefore, the time for action is now rather than later.  The RBHA hopes the city addresses this issue immediately and finds an equitable solution.

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

The Rehoboth Beach Neighborhood Watch will present "CSI Rehoboth: Modern Detective Methods" in cooperation with the Rehoboth Beach Police Department.  Neighborhood Watch liaison Detective Kevin L. Jones will make a presentation on criminal investigatory techniques he uses in solving crimes including demonstrations of fingerprinting, photography, a talk on the Delaware Criminal Justice Information System, the State's criminal justice tracking system, and other topics.  The meeting is free and open to the public and is being held in the Conference Suite at Rehoboth Beach City Hall on Wednesday, March 28, 7:00 PM.  For more information call Rehoboth Beach Neighborhood Watch citizen coordinators Hoyte Decker at 227-7824 or Stan Mills at 227-6032.

By the way, you’re missing important information!  Many of you are not signed up for direct email alerts about important Rehoboth Beach Police Department news.  The community’s Neighborhood Watch program is working diligently to ensure vital safety information is relayed to residents and property owners.  When an urgent situation arises the RBHA has used its email system to notify members of emergency situations as was the case several weeks ago.  Please take some time to sign up.  You can visit the website for more information [http://www.rehobothwatch.com/] or simply send your name and email address to info@rehobothwatch.com.

PAST NEWS FROM THE RBHA

Click on the Date below for prior editions of News from the RBHA.