Fenwick Island News

With a contract for the design and construction of the new Indian River Inlet Bridge expected to be awarded in July, Skanska USA Civil Southeast Inc. is the apparent winning design-build team for the project, which could start construction in early fall, to carry traffic no later than December 2011.

Diversify. Diversify. Diversify. As any investor will say, that’s the key to success. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket and don’t have just one basket. For Ken Lloyd of Ken Lloyd Builders, his new basket is a crane.

CurveSmart, the revolutionary technology five years in the making, is available at two local Curves studios, in Ocean View and on Route 54 in Williamsville Country Village.

Troopers seek information on suspect

The Delaware State Police mid-week were investigating a robbery that occurred Monday, June 30, about10:15 p.m., after a person imposing as a police officer allegedly stopped a motorist and took their wallet.

With a contract for the design and construction of the new Indian River Inlet Bridge expected to be awarded in July, Skanska USA Civil Southeast Inc. is the apparent winning design-build team for the project, which could start construction in early fall, to carry traffic no later than December 2011.

It had become somewhat doubtful over the past year that Delaware would ever have an offshore wind farm. But, in a compromise reached this week, it appears the wind park could be built about 12 miles off the coast of Rehoboth Beach by 2012.

The Fenwick Island Town Council had a full plate at their council meeting on Friday, June 20. Topping the agenda was a motion to accept the ambulance sponsor’s agreement between the so-called “Big Four” and the Bethany Beach Volunteer Fire Company’s new ambulance service.

Though some local residents are concerned about potentially toxic organisms in the water, last week’s hot, sunny weather is considered a likely culprit in the fish kill that left approximately 30,000 juvenile Atlantic menhaden dead in Dirickson Creek near Old Mill Bridge Road between Sunday, June 15, and Thursday, June 19.

Late spring and early summer thunderstorms have brought a bevy of rain to the area, causing lawns to explode with growth and grass to grow well higher than a grasshopper’s eye. For some area property owners, that has meant extra time spent mowing their lawns. For others, it has meant letters from town hall, official citations, fines and even expensive mowing fees.

The sixth annual Fenwick Island Bonfire will light up the night on Saturday, July 5, at 6:30 p.m. and go until 10:30 p.m. The rain date for the event is July 6.

The winds of change may soon be sweeping through Delaware with renewed force.

On Monday, June 23, the powers behind the offshore wind farm - Delmarva Power and Babcock & Brown - announced they had reached an agreement.

The Fenwick Island Environmental Committee heard from representatives from Artesian Water Company at their monthly meeting on June 9, learning about how water gets “from the aquifer to your home.”

For less than what you would pay at the grocery store or a commercial produce stand, people can buy fresh vegetables at East View Farm on Bayard Road almost year-round.

Like many people armed with the right attitude and plenty of determination, Brandon and Kerry Case, owners of Antique Prints in Ocean View, turned something unexpected into an opportunity.

Fenwick Island is $48,000 richer, thanks to the recent sale of their town-owned trash trucks. Town manager Tony Carson reported at the Town Council’s May 23 meeting that, with the help of Police Chief William Boyden and his knowledge of eBay, the two trucks have been sold and the buyers were to fly in to retrieve them.

HipAHA, Fenwick Island Boot Camp, is gearing up for its second season, with a June retreat fast approaching.

Although new to the Delaware/Maryland coastal art scene, Dee Granger is no stranger to beach life, and no stranger to art.

For the past four years, Brian DeLuca has captured the essence of Philadelphia’s eats and has been supplying the shore with thousands of cheesesteaks and subs with Philly’s Finest. This past weekend, he introduced his latest establishment, High Stakes Bar and Grill, right next door to his shop just outside Fenwick Island on Route 54.

I stopped in at the new Harris Teeter grocery store on Route 54 a few weeks ago, for the first time, and picked up a few things on the way home. I was pleased with what I saw and returned to do my regular grocery shopping the following week.

The Fenwick Island Environmental Committee met on Wednesday, May 14 to discuss water, water and more water.

Life began to return to normal in coastal Delaware on Wednesday, as flood waters from this week’s late-season nor’easter finally began to recede and damage assessment turned into recovery. The sounds of chain saws, pumps and rakes were common throughout the area mid-week, as property owners sought to clean up what Mother Nature had flooded, shredded and broken Monday into Tuesday morning.

Despite this week’s nor’easter — or perhaps all the better for it — the annual Fenwick Island Beach Clean-up will be held this Saturday, May 17, at 9 a.m., starting at Dagsboro Street.

Photos from the May 12-13 storm are shown in slideshow format below, with newer photos toward the end. All photos are copyright © Coastal Point, LLC, and may not be used without express permission of the Coastal Point.

The Delaware State Police and Department of Transportation reopened Route 1 between Dewey Beach and Fred Hudson Road/Road 360 north of Bethany Beach and the Indian River Inlet Bridge late Tuesday afternoon, following a detailed inspection of the inlet and surrounding roadways. Remaining closed Tuesday, due to high water, were: Fred Hudson Road in the area of Route 1 and Old Mill Road in Millville, as well as several other roads in the Lewes, Slaughter Beach and Oak Orchard areas.

ResortQuest Delaware has announced its acquisition of Seacoast Realty, making it the state’s largest beach real estate brokerage. The two companies have had a substantial impact in the area’s real estate market in the past, stretching from North Bethany to Fenwick Island, and westward, and now, into Ocean City, Md.