Here is what is happening at the Nature Center in March! All programs are from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and include a story, activity and craft. All ages welcome.

-Saturday, March 6th: "Watercycle": Delawares watershed
-Saturday, March 13th: "Nest Building": Watch for birds building their nests
-Saturday, March 20th: "First day of Spring": Come help us find signs of spring!
-Saturday, March 27th: "Wind": Why is wind important?

There seems to be a perception that the beach has somehow been damaged and will not be able to adequately accommodate visitors this summer. Nothing could be farther from the truth. In fact, fall storms did do significant damage to protective dunes in both Bethany Beach and South Bethany Beach. In addition to damaging the dunes the storms also decreased the overall elevation of beaches in both communities. This sounds significant and might create the impression that our beach will not be as wide and accommodating as we would like but actually the end result has been quite different. The massive amount of sand from the reduction of beach height and dune damage is moving north and south (depending on wave and wind action) just off our beach front. The net effect has been to create a wide beach that will only get wider as the season approaches and the southerly flow of wind and wave that traditionally builds and widens our beach goes to work. All this by way of saying; we anticipate having a wider beach then we have enjoyed in some time for the summer 2010 season. The Town along with DNREC (Delaware Department of Natural Resources) is committed to making sure the beach is accessible and given its already impressive width we are sure it will be enjoyed by many.

More importantly than the width of our beach for the summer the State of Delaware, Delaware’s Congressional delegation and your Town Council are actively working to do everything in their powers to receive Federal Funding that would allow the reconstruction of our protective dune. The latest word we have received is that we should expect no action or work of any sort on our beach and dune (even if funds were to become immediately available) until sometime in the fall. It is not clear at this time to those actively working on this issue in Washington, D.C., what the current Administration’s position will be on funding these United States Army Corp of Engineers projects. All are hopeful that it will be positive and that we can look forward to the dune being reconstructed in the future. When we receive additional information on the status of the efforts of our Congressional Delegation we will post that information as soon as possible. It should be noted that our Congressional Delegation was in contact with Town officials within hours of these storms and that Senator Carper actually visited our beach front to personally view the damage within days of the storm.

Plans have been in development since the late 1990’s for Streetscape and multiple citizen groups and committees have been involved in the development of Streetscape designs and concepts. In addition, Streetscape has been discussed over 25 times at various Town Council meetings and the subject of three separate special meeting’s whose sole purpose was to hear input from the public regarding the Streetscape Concept.

There are many elements to the Streetscape Concept, sidewalks will be redesigned and made ADA compliant, parking meters will be removed and replaced with pay stations, pavers and other aesthetic enhancements will be used to make our downtown area significantly more attractive. The single most dramatic element of Streetscape, the first objective of all the dialog and planning centered on Streetscape, has been the removal of utility poles on Garfield Parkway between Route 1 and the Bandstand.

After deciding on a final Streetscape plan on May 16th 2008, the Town has explored the viability of removing those utility poles. The Town has recently received quotes from the utility companies that would be affected by the relocation of the poles and is moving forward to a possible Town Council vote on whether to proceed with the project.

The project would remove all utility poles from the street, replacing lights that are currently on wooden utility poles with actual streetlights similar to the lights on the Bethany Beach boardwalk and on the sidewalks of Rehoboth Beach. All utilities would then be provided to the businesses on Garfield Parkway from the rear of buildings.

The total estimated cost for the relocation of utilities and new lighting is $950,000.

There will be a Special Council Meeting on March 1, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. to hear public comment on the issue. Monies to complete this project have been included in the FY 2011 budget for Town Council consideration. A vote on the budget and an approval vote on relocating the utilities is anticipated for the March 19, 2010 meeting of the Bethany Beach Town Council.

Attached are drawings of the project and a listing of the projected costs showing how the project would be funded. You are encouraged to attend the meeting should you have an interest. If you are unable to attend, and would like to comment, please call 302-537-3771 or email admin@townofbethanybeach.com
[Click Here for Drawing #1]
[Click Here for Drawing #2]
[Click Here for Drawing #3]
[Click Here for Funding for Utility Relocation"]

Tax Adjustment List #3 was approved.

There were announcements and recognition of visitors.

Committee reports were given.

An Ordinance to Amend Chapter 227 (Vehicles and Traffic), Section 3 (Persons Entitled to Obtain Seasonal Parking Permits) was adopted.
Synopsis
This ordinance changes the number of seasonal parking permits owners of improved residential property are entitled to from three to two per residence.

A Report on Bicycle Safety initiatives was provided.

A First Reading was given on An Ordinance to make “House-Keeping” Amendments to Chapter 72 Entitled “Regulations Governing Use of the Town Bandstand and Plaza”
Synopsis
This ordinance is a house-keeping amendment to clarify that Town-sponsored entertainment programs and Town-authorized concessions are exempt from all provisions of the ordinance. (As originally-drafted, such activities were identified as exempt in several sections of the ordinance but not all sections of the ordinance). Such activities do not need to be subject to the provisions of this ordinance because they are under the control of the Town either directly (the Town-sponsored entertainment programs) or indirectly (through contract with concessionaires) and the Town can impose appropriate limitations and requirements through those controls.

A First Reading was given on An Ordinance to Amend the Town Ordinance Entitled “Regulations Governing Use of the Town Bandstand and Plaza” to Provide for “Special Events”
Synopsis
This ordinance amends the town ordinance entitled “Regulations Governing Use of the Town Bandstand and Plaza” by creating bandstand regulations for special events that occur no more than once annually and are of such a unique nature and/or will attract such a large number of participants so as to not be reasonably accommodated under the ordinance’s typical time and manner restrictions. Under this amendment, special events shall not occur between the hours of 10:00 pm and 6:00 am, shall not take place when the bandstand is scheduled for use by another person or group or Town-sponsored event or Town-authorized concession. Special events shall not use the bandstand for more than eight (8) consecutive hours in one day or for more than 1 day during a calendar year. Additionally, amplification equipment may be used to communicate instructions, information, or music when needed due to the number of participants that it is anticipated will attend the event, provided that the volume shall not exceed that which is necessary to accommodate the participants attending the event and shall not be unnecessarily audible to those outside the bandstand/plaza. Electrical generating equipment may not be used, but amplification equipment may be run off the Town’s electricity for a fee or participants may use battery operated equipment. Artificial lighting may be used as long as it does not un-necessarily illuminate beyond the bandstand and there are no flashing, pulsing or rotating lights. No audio-visual equipment may be utilized, and a written agreement shall be required as provided in Section 4(e) of the original ordinance.

Contract submitted by Corrosion Control Corporation for the Repainting of Interior Walls, Filters and Miscellaneous Piping in the Gallery Room of Water Treatment Plant for the Amount of $33,100 was approved.

An Update to the Town Council Protocol Manual Regarding Council Notice Requirements was approved.

Town Council voted to send a Letter to U.S. Congressional Delegation Supporting Dune Reconstruction and Affirmation of Council’s Support for the Army Corps of Engineer’s Project

Discussion/Vote on Pay Station Proposal was removed from the agenda.

A motion to go into Executive Session to Discuss Pending Litigation was approved.

The purpose of this hearing is to receive comments on the proposed Town budget for FY 2011 (the fiscal year beginning April 1, 2010 and ending March 31, 2011).
[Click Here to View Draft Budget]

The survey has now been completed. We received responses from 350 residents using one or more of the services provided by Mediacom. The Town’s existing franchise agreement for cable service with Mediacom is due to expire on November 21, 2012. This survey is the first step in the three year process for renewal/non-renewal of that franchise. Our next step will be a town meeting with a representative of Mediacom to discuss the survey results, to explore additional comments made on the completed surveys and to answer questions posed by residents attending that meeting. This meeting will be held in the late spring. In the interim, other vendors will also be contacted to determine their interest in serving our area. Click Here for Survey]