Ocean View News

Update-- At 3:00p.m. today Bethany Beach was to be closed to all beach related activities (swimming, fishing, etc.) until conditions improve.

Coastal Delaware residents and municipalities were preparing mid-week for at least a brush with Hurricane Earl, as the major hurricane continued on its track northwest through the Atlantic. Earl’s closest approach to Delaware was expected to occur Friday afternoon, about 175 miles from the coast, and a hurricane watch was issued by the National Weather Service mid-day on Sept. 1. A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning remain in effect as of mid-day Thursday, Sept. 2.

Ocean View and Millville officials this week confirmed that discussion of the possibility of joint policing of the towns has continued this summer, despite the cancelation of one planned meeting and a lack of externally visible movement on the issue.

The Town of Ocean View and owners of three parcels that had been requested to be rezoned for commercial use recently reached a settlement on the issue after the town’s denial of two of three applications was challenged in court.

The Ocean View Town Council held a special workshop on Aug. 31 to review and discuss the town’s existing Land Use and Development Code.

Southern Sussex Rotary heard from invited guest U.S. Sen. Thomas Carper on Thursday, Aug. 27, regarding health care and recent insurance reforms. Carper explained that the idea of larger purchasing pools that the Bethany-Fenwick Chamber of Commerce put it motion a few years back was something he had talked up and “didn’t forget about.”

Children who have enjoyed the weekly lessons on marine life, wetlands and other fun outdoor activities at the Bethany Beach Nature Center – and those that have yet to see what the fuss is about – are being invited on a special free guided kayak tour through the inland bays on Saturday, Sept. 11.

Ocean View resident Joseph Stewart holds the rank of two-star general in the Marine Corps and as a vice-admiral, or three-star general, in the United States Maritime Service. Stewart served as the United States Merchant Marine Academy’s (USMMA) ninth superintendent and, upon his retirement in 2008, the Academy commissioned to have his portrait painted so it may hang in Wiley Hall – the chief administrative center for the Academy and former home of Walter Chrysler, in Kings Point, N.Y.

Some area businesspeople got to sit down and pick the brain of U.S. Sen. Tom Carper on Friday, Aug. 21. Mike Nally of Miken Builders, along with some of his staff, and Mike Jahnigan of the Sun Group of Businesses, with some of his staff, each met with the senator to talk shop.

On Wednesday, Aug. 6, the Town of Ocean View received the ruling from the Delaware Court of Chancery in a case filed by a resident who had refused to connect to the town’s central water system. The ruling was in favor of the town, and Mayor Gordon Wood called it a “slam dunk for the town.”

On Tuesday, Aug. 17, the Ocean View Town Council held the second public hearing and reading of an ordinance to revise the town’s existing land-use code.

The Friends of the South Coastal Library will host its largest book sale ever on Thursday, Aug. 19, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; on Friday, Aug. 20, from 1 to 5 p.m., and on Saturday, Aug. 21, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The sale will be held in the meeting room of the library, at 43 Kent Avenue in Bethany Beach.

The Ellen Rice Gallery is hosting the second of two Saturday events this weekend aimed at raising funds for a program that helps devastatingly disfigured U.S. soldiers who were injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

A one-issue special meeting was held by the Ocean View Town Council on Aug. 6, to discuss and vote on whether to authorize Police Chief Ken McLaughlin to offer a qualified candidate a position and to be trained at the New Castle County police academy for service as an entry-level sworn police officer for the Town of Ocean View.

The Town of Ocean View held its first Business Breakfast meeting, in conjunction with the Bethany-Fenwick Area Chamber of Commerce, on Thursday, July 29.

Ocean View Councilwoman Michele Steffens said the breakfast was designed “to allow the town businesses to have a say in what’s going on.”

Ocean View police this week warned residents of a scam in which residents receive a check from Northern Lights Direct Response Television Ltd. According to Police Chief Ken McLaughlin, included with the check is a letter from Hallmark Financial Group indicating that the resident has won a sweepstakes.

Mindy Logan has been spending her summer raising money for a journey. On Aug. 26 she will be flying to Australia to work as a staff member for Youth with a Mission (YWAM). She will be working for the worldwide Christian organization for two years.

Andy White appreciates the benefits and advantages of keeping one’s body in good health. The retired high-school social studies teacher and cross-country and track coach found that living a sound life requires precise attention. After a devastating injury crippled him and inhibited him from doing much of the exercise and activities he grew up doing, he turned to Pilates.

The Ocean View Town Council held its monthly workshop on Tuesday, July 27, at which they discussed a proposed revision of existing town code.

It’s one thing to go on a mission trip to a foreign country, or even to another state, but the mission of helping people in need in your own community is something altogether different.

Summertime is in full swing, and many have been heading to the shore for a relaxing getaway and time with family and friends. But the increased number of vacationers inevitably leads to higher volume of traffic on the roadways.

Bringing to a close discussions dating back to February, Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Secretary Collin O’Mara recently announced that the agency has finalized a consent agreement with NRG Energy Inc. that will permanently shut down a third coal-fired electrical generating unit at the Indian River Power Plant in Millsboro by the end of 2013.

Whether doing cannonballs off the boat, taking off from the dock on a personal watercraft or swimming in the open bays, it’s nice to know how clean that water really is. And the Center for the Inland Bays’ second Recreational Water Quality Indicator Report can help in navigating the use of some of the local inland bays.

Delaware State Police this week were investigating a crash in which an Ocean View man allegedly struck a DSP patrol car while driving under the influence.

It was that time again this week: time for Ecumenical Vacation Bible School. In the Bethany Beach area, ecumenical means several churches working together for this annual vacation tradition, and the time in the middle of summer that some kids look forward to all year long, where they will once again meet new friends, meet new teachers and, for some, be introduced to Jesus Christ for the first time.

The Ocean View Town Council met on Tuesday, July 13, holding a public hearing for their 2010 comprehensive land use plan. The council voted 4-1 to approve the plan, following a discussion in which some residents expressed concern about future commercialization of the town and others expressed a desire for progress.