News Briefs 3/25/25

Lewes Art group to meet March 26

The Lewes Public Art Committee will meet at 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, March 26, at the Rollins Center. The agenda includes continued discussion of the PAC’s annual art installation.

Lewes BPW to meet March 26

The Lewes Board of Public Works will hold its regular monthly meeting at 4 p.m., Wednesday, March 26, at city hall.

The agenda includes discussion of the long-range plan for its wastewater treatment plant.  The full agenda can be found at lewesbpwde.gov.

Lewes drawbridge openings planned

Routine maintenance is scheduled at the Savannah Road drawbridge in Lewes starting at 11 a.m., Tuesday, March 25.   The city said maintenance openings will happen as needed.

Horseshoe crab plan meeting March 27

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will host a public meeting on the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission’s horseshoe crab management plan from 6 to 8 p.m., Thursday, March 27, at the Little Creek Hunter Education Training Center, 3018 Bayside Drive, Dover. Information about attending the meeting virtually can be found on the ASMFC website.

The ASMFC seeks public input on proposed changes to the plan that would allow the ASMFC Management Board to set specifications for male-only harvest of horseshoe crabs for multiple years. 

Also to be discussed are options for managing male-only harvest limits, seasonal harvest restrictions and horseshoe crab harvest caps for Maryland and Virginia.

The proposed changes came out of an ASMFC Horseshoe Crab Management Objectives workshop in Lewes last year that brought together stakeholders – including commercial harvesters, conservationists, biomedical representatives, and fishery managers – to explore management objectives for the Delaware Bay-origin horseshoe crab fishery.

For more information about the public meeting, call the DNREC Fisheries Section at 302-739-9914.

Land use group’s first meeting set March 27

The first meeting of the Sussex County Land Use Reform Working Group, tasked with recommending revisions to ordinances limiting the county’s booming development, is scheduled for 10 a.m., Thursday, March 27, at the Sussex County Public Safety Complex, at 21911 Rudder Lane, Georgetown.

The agenda calls for the group to discuss its role and objectives, the issues it will address and its next steps. There will be an opportunity for public comment.

Development, particularly housing growth in rural areas, has become an increasingly contentious issue in Sussex County, the fastest growing county in the state over the past five years. Burdens development has placed on schools, healthcare providers, emergency services, the environment and roads apparently contributed to election victories in the fall for three candidates who were all calling for limits on growth to curb their harmful effects.  

During the first two quarters of this year, the working group is expected to develop a list of recommendations to county council. 

Lewes to hold workshop March 27

Lewes Mayor and City Council will hold a workshop and special meeting at 10 a.m., Thursday, March 27, at city hall.

The agenda includes discussion on a potential city-funded study to evaluate the Savannah Road bike lane between the bike trail crossover and the Drake Knoll.

LGBTQ+ resources available March 27 at Del Tech in Georgetown

The Empowered Futures Sussex Legal & Healthcare Readiness Day will take place from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., Thursday, March 27, at Delaware Tech Owens Campus Jason Technology Center Gym, 21179 College Drive, Georgetown. This free event will provide LGBTQ+ adults with assistance in completing healthcare proxies, advance directives and other essential legal documents in a supportive and affirming space.

Hosted by the University of Delaware Partnership for Healthy Communities along with CAMP Rehoboth and Delaware Technical Community College, the event will feature legal and healthcare professionals offering guidance, as well as community organizations providing support and resources tailored to LGBTQ+ needs.

“This event is about empowerment and preparedness,” said Kate Culhane-Suluai, Partnership for Healthy Communities program manager. “We want the LGBTQ+ community to have the knowledge and legal protections they deserve.” 

"CAMP Rehoboth is grateful to partner on this event to bring resources to equip community members with legal and healthcare readiness. We invite our community to come and take advantage of these free resources in our efforts to make legal and health services accessible to all LGBTQ+ people across the lifespan," said Kim Leisey, CAMP Rehoboth executive director.

For more information, visit tinyurl.com/yny93a94.

DelDOT to hold Rehoboth Ave. bridge information session

The Delaware Department of Transportation will hold a workshop from 5 to 6 p.m., Monday, April 7, at the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center about an upcoming project to give the Rehoboth Avenue drawbridge a makeover. In the coming year, DelDOT will clean and paint the bridge’s structural steel to prevent corrosion. 

This public workshop session will cover why the painting is needed, the project timeline, and how Rehoboth Avenue and Canal Street traffic patterns, as well as marine traffic, will be affected. 

The Rehoboth Avenue drawbridge project is expected to take about 10 weeks to complete and will occur between October 2025 and April 2026.

Bulk pick-up in Rehoboth to start

Rehoboth Beach’s spring bulk pickup service will take place on the southside of town the week of Monday, April 28, and on the northside of town the week of Monday, May 5. Southside bulk pickup includes Schoolvue and Scarborough Avenue Ext.

Acceptable items include appliances, e-waste, universal waste, furniture and mattresses, pipes, lumber, tires, junk and lumber.

Items that will not be accepted include commercial waste, dirt, rocks, and bricks, lawn/tree/shrub trimmings, glass panes, concrete, vehicle batteries, household garbage, hot ashes, heavy materials and hazardous waste.

Instructions for setting out bulk waste materials: place materials out no more than 24 hours before pickup; place materials in front of your property line and on the same side of the street; keep the bulk items pile clear of other objects, including cars; do not block sidewalks and traffic.

Residents may request a special bulk pickup during other times of the year for a minimum fee of $75 by calling 302-227-6181, ext. 123. See rules at cityofrehoboth.com.