Ocean View News

In a marathon four-hour meeting with more than 100 opponents present and hundreds more making their opinions known through letters of opposition, Sussex County Planning & Zoning commissioners this week deferred action on the application of Castaways Bethany LLC for a proposed development consisting of a campground, multi-family duplex residential units and a waterpark, collectively to be known as Castaways Bethany, located off of Cedar Neck Road near Ocean View.

When I first met with the men and women of Mason-Dixon VFW Post 7234 to write my first column about them two weeks ago, I was overwhelmed by the level of service they provide locally, statewide and nationwide.

A proposal to build a campground, multi-family dwellings and an outdoor amusement facility on 38.5 acres on Cedar Neck Road near Ocean View was set to be the subject of three public hearings this week, on Thursday, Sept. 6, at 6 p.m. before the Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission.

Monday evening, 26-year-old Joshua Dean Howard of Ocean View was arrested following a four-hour standoff with Delaware State Police.

Man arrested for fourth-offense DUI

Police this week arrested an Ocean View man on a fourth-offense DUI charge. According to the OVPD, Brendan S. McPadden, 51, was arrested Aug. 23 after an officer stopped his vehicle for an equipment violation and detected a strong odor of alcoholic beverages when he approached McPadden in the car.

When I received an email from Mason-Dixon VFW Post 7234 Jr. Vice Commander Fulton Loppatto, asking me to highlight the fine work, fine people and fine food of Post 7234, located at the end of Cedar Neck Road on the Indian River Bay at Quillens Point in Ocean View, I had no idea how involved members are, both locally and statewide.

After roaming free on Cedar Neck for an estimated 15 years, the peacocks at James Farm have been captured and penned.

The Town of Ocean View held a special meeting last week to unanimously approve a resolution rejecting all bids received for the construction of the town’s proposed public works building.

Earlier this week, the Town of Ocean View unanimously approved the ratification of an employment contract hiring Dianne Vogel as the town’s new town manager.

In two weeks, 14 children from all over Delaware, as well as some from Pennsylvania and Maryland, will be visiting Camp Barnes for the Fourth Annual Delaware Burn Camp.

Ocean View bicyclists, beware!

Just a hop, skip and a jump away from downtown Bethany Beach, in a quaint little storefront in Ocean View, delicious and nutritious juices are now on offer. Juicebox opened its doors about two weeks ago and has already begun to flourish as locals and visitors alike stop in to try the healthy treats.

Earlier this month, the Ocean View Historical Society received some exciting news — the Tunnell-West house, the society’s labor of love, will be listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.

By Maria Counts

Staff Reporter

Last week, Special Olympics Delaware athletes from all over the state journeyed to Camp Barnes to participate in a three-day summer camp.

Bear Trap Dunes Golf Club in Ocean View provides golfers with one of the most unique experiences in the entire state, with three nine-hole courses that make any outing different than the last time. Known as the Grizzly, the Kodiak and the Black Bear courses, each group of holes offers something different, all while adhering to the natural lay of the land.

Construction on Route 26 is unlikely to begin until spring of 2013 at the earliest, but DelDOT is already starting public outreach. Select community members along Atlantic Avenue have received invitations to join the Delaware Department of Transportation SR 26 Working Group.

Those attending the Beach to Bay Cottage Tour (or anybody with a taste for homemade California-style chicken salad) can take a break from the annual event and stop by Ocean View Presbyterian Church for lunch on Wednesday, July 25, and Thursday, July 26, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Diners at the annual Heavenly Lunch — held each year to coincide with the Cottage Tour — can eat-in or take their food out.

Nearly two decades ago, Harry Walls organized a bike ride for friends and families, in an effort to encapsulate summertime at the beach and promote a healthy, active lifestyle. The ride quickly gained popularity, but Walls’ health was rapidly deteriorating from an unexpected diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis. Walls lost his battle with the disease in 2007, but thanks to the dedication of a community, his legacy lives on.

The Ocean View Town Manager Search Committee is again ready to select a candidate to manage the Town. After a brief executive session this week, the town council unanimously voted to allow Councilman Tom Sheeran and the committee the authority to extend a job offer to a candidate, as well as to negotiate an employment contract.

For making a positive difference in her community and inspiring others, Ocean View resident Marisa Grimes — a 2010 graduate of Worcester Preparatory School — was one of 10 teenagers from across the United States selected by Coca-Cola to be an Olympic Torchbearer in the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.

Last week, Mariner’s Bethel United Methodist Church hosted the First State Work Camp, in which approximately 500 volunteers from seven different states and 12 churches traveled to Delaware to help do home repairs for locals in need.

For making a positive difference in her community and inspiring others, Ocean View resident Marisa Grimes — a 2010 graduate of Worcester Preparatory School — was one of 10 teenagers from across the United States selected by Coca-Cola to be an Olympic Torchbearer in the London 2012 Olympic Torch Relay.

The 7th Annual Ocean View Bicycle Safety Checkpoint will take place on Thursday, July 12, from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Taylor Bank in Ocean View.

Paintings to form foundation of inspirational card line

Artist Ellen Rice is beginning a challenge this week — to create 50 paintings in 10 weeks and to use those paintings to inspire.

Last week, the Ocean View Planning & Zoning Commission unanimously approved the final site plan for the planned CVS pharmacy to be located at 54 Atlantic Avenue, just west of West Avenue on Route 26.