Merry month of May off to a vigorous start

May is always one of the busiest months of the year. The news staff is going every which way to cover events from government meetings to games to fundraisers.

During the opening days of the month last week, I was feeling the energy and high level of activity.

On April 30, I attended a meeting of the Five Points Transportation Study working group. In two and a half hours the group came up with 75 ideas to improve traffic in that part of Delaware’s Cape Region. More coming on that.

On Tuesday, May 1, I listened to members of Lewes’ Historic Preservation Committee at City Hall in Lewes tell property owners Diane and John Kane why they didn’t like the house Brenda Jones designed for their empty lot on Second Street. They cited specifics including tall skinny windows, oval windows, too much variety of building materials, and other aspects that they felt didn’t fit with neighboring houses. In general, committee members felt the design didn’t fit “the rhythm and scale of other houses on the street.” The Kanes agreed to go back to the drawing board and work with Jones to return with a new plan. In a town that includes historic preservation in its core values, the committee plays a vital role. But it is also probably the committee in Lewes that deals more with taste and subjectivity than any other.

On Thursday, May 3, more than 100 people attended a violent intruder preparation and response program in the auditorium of Cape Henlopen High School. We listened to two Delaware State Police veterans and homeland security professionals stress how important it is to be vigilant and watchful for behavior by individuals outside the norm which could lead to violence. Robert Mooney of Delaware Crimestoppers said if people see suspicious behavior, they should call the anonymous tip line at 1-800-TIP-3333. The Cape Gazette has included the often-used admonition, “The price of liberty is eternal vigilance,” on its front page since the 9/11 attack on New York City and Washington, D.C., in 2001. Vigilance and reporting suspicious behavior have never been more important.

After the violent intruder meeting, I headed back to City Hall in Lewes for a meeting of the Commercial Architectural Review Commission. Members considered a request by representatives of Element Design on behalf of Richard Bell and his Clean Cut enterprise. Bell owns the mansard-roofed structure at commercially zoned 115 Savannah Road and is using it as a residence and business headquarters. He has proposed an addition which includes garage space and a third-story swimming pool for residential and commercial-display purposes. Commission members said the addition fits within the rules that govern their charge and approved the plans. Barbara Warnell, who is chairwoman of the Historic Preservation Commission, raised the red flag of pools, noise and neighbors. “Pools and their potential to disturb the peace aren’t just a problem in Rehoboth,” said Warnell. “There are complaints in Lewes too from neighbors who live alongside of rental properties with pools.” Lewes Councilman Fred Beaufait, liaison to the committee, said he is vitally concerned about noise but felt the city has the means to deal with problems, noting that in this case the police headquarters is only a block and a half away. There has been talk in Lewes of combining CARC with the HPC. The Bell property has historic and commercial design implications, though in this case the historic streetside face of the structure will not be altered by the addition.

On Friday, May 4, my itinerary included Honors Day ceremonies in the Cannon Laboratory building at University of Delaware’s College of Earth, Ocean and Environment in Lewes. The college’s new dean, Estella Atekwana, celebrated all the great scientific work being done by students and faculty. Marine policy related to fisheries. Marsh functions. The role of manganese in natural systems. Dangers to swimmers, especially non-locals, in the surf zone. All of these and much more were recognized in the awards. So much good work being done by young people who want to make the world a better place. Food for optimism.

On Friday afternoon, it was off to the Delaware Botanic Gardens in Dagsboro for a Dogfish-sponsored fundraiser. Volunteers from all over the country showed up to plant thousands of meadow varieties along with internationally famous meadow designer Piet Oudolf. The botanic gardens, on about 40 acres of ground fronting on Pepper Creek, is destined to become one of the real gems of Sussex County.

That’s just a little bit of what was going on in the beginning of the merry, merry month of May. In case you hadn’t noticed, this is a happening place.