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Tony's
Bethany Beach Newsletter
June 19, 2009 |
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TOWN OF BETHANY
BEACH
TOWN COUNCIL MEETING
REGULAR MONTHLY MEETING |
FRIDAY, June 19, 2009
TOWN MEETING ROOM
7:30 P.M. |
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I. OPENING
OF REGULAR MEETING |
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A.
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Call to Order and Roll Call
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All Council members, Town
Manager, Town Clerk and Solicitor Representative were present |
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B. |
Pledge of Allegiance |
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C. |
Approval of Agenda |
Approved |
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D. |
Approval of minutes for regular meeting on
May 15, 2009 Approved |
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E. |
Approval of Financial Report |
Approved |
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F. |
Announcements/Recognition of Visitors and
Public Comment |
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The annual Town Council election will be held on Saturday, September 12,
2009 here in Town Hall from 12 to 6 p.m. |
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Anyone wishing to file as a candidate for the election must file an
Application for Candidacy at Town Hall no later than 4:00 p.m. on July
28, 2009. |
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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' contractor
has just completed a beach replenishment for us and is now in the
process of removing their equipment. |
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Delaware State Senator,
George Bunting, recently notified us that the Delaware Army National
Guard facility located north of Bethany Beach is seeking $3.365 million
in federal funding for a proposed Wind Energy System, which will have a
total KW capacity of 750KW utilizing three wind mills and is expected to
provide approximately 100% of their annual energy usage. The
target date for construction is no later than October 2012.
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During our Town Council
workshop/special meeting held on June 15, 2009
Bluewater Wind presented
a proposal to tunnel below Garfield Parkway and Kent Avenue and
install a 230KV
power line, which would carry electricity from their proposed off shore
windmill complexes to the Delmarva Power facility located on Kent Avenue
from which it would continue via a power lines right of way to the Indian River Power
Plant. Contact information for Bluewater Wind is shown on the last
page of the linked to Powerpoint presentation. |
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The U. S. Army Corps of
Engineers has committed $100,000 in resources to study the Pennsylvania
Avenue flooding problem. This is a study that is looking for
solutions to the problem of flooding that may include engineering
solutions or may ultimately lead the Corps to determine that work on
this roadway does not qualify for further Corps action. One may
ask why this issue needs to be studied more; the reason is simple, the
Town has found no solution that will prevent North Pennsylvania Avenue
from flooding. The $1.7 to $2.0 million dollars the Town could
spend to install a new drainage system will simply drain North
Pennsylvania Avenue a little more quickly than the old system BUT only
if there is NO tidal flooding. |
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II. COMMITTEE REPORTS |
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A. |
Report from Audit Committee (Doyle) |
No meeting this month thus no
report |
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B. |
Report from Budget and Finance Committee
(Gordon) |
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C. |
Report from Charter and Ordinance Review
Committee (Peterson) |
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D. |
Report from Communications Committee
(Mulligan) |
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E. |
Report from Cultural and Historic Affairs
Committee (Olmstead) |
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F. |
Report from Non-Residential Design Guideline
Committee (Killmer) No
meeting this month thus no report |
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G. |
Report from the Planning Commission (Killmer) |
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H. |
Report from the Town Manager (Graviet) |
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AGENDA PUBLIC DISCUSSION - Public
comment about any subject not on the meeting agenda. Public
comment regarding agenda items will be heard after each agenda item is
introduced. |
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III. OLD BUSINESS |
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There was no old business this month |
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IV. NEW BUSINESS |
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A. |
Discussion Regarding
Requirement to Create Cover Sheets for Town Council Agenda Items.
(Olmstead) |
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This issue will return on a
future agenda as it was thoroughly discussed, but not voted on as the
agenda did not state that Council might vote on this item. |
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B.
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(First Reading)
An Ordinance to Add a
New Chapter 144 Entitled “Geothermal Closed Loop Heat Exchange Well
Systems” to the Town Code of the Town of Bethany Beach. (Killmer
Synopsis This
Ordinance adds a new Chapter 144 to the
Town Code of the Town of Bethany Beach for the purpose of regulating the
design, installation, construction, and placement of Geothermal Closed
Loop Heat Exchange Well Systems (GCLs) within the Town limits. This
Ordinance also implements regulations for permit requirements for
installation and construction of GCLs as well as system maintenance
requirements.
As
this was a first reading, Council generally does not take a vote at this
time. |
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C.
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(First Reading)
An
Ordinance to amend Chapters 232 (Voting and Voter Registration) and
Chapter 233 (Municipal Elections) of the Bethany Beach Town Code to
Make Them Consistent with the State Municipal Election Statute
(Title 15, Chapter 75 of the Delaware Code) (Killmer)
Synopsis This
ordinance amends Chapters 232 and 233, which deal with Voting and
Voter Registration and Elections, to bring them in line with the
State Municipal Election Statute found in Title 15, Chapter 75 of
the State Code of Delaware. The amendments eliminate superfluous
information to streamline the voting and election process for the
residents and property owners of the Town.
As this was a first
reading, Council generally does not take a vote at this time.
Additionally, this ordinance was received too late from our Town
Solicitor for proper consideration by Council members prior to our
meeting.
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D. |
Review and Possible Vote on Report
from
Communications Committee “Current Practices and Recommendations |
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(Young)
Synopsis
Council has requested an update of the report, last done by the
Committee in 2007. The report lists current practices related to how
the town provides information group as (1) website and electronic
communications (2) town Council and Committee Communications (3) other
communications. It provides current practices used for “Communications
Incoming” from citizens. The report provides recommendations in each of
those areas. It also shows the status of recommendations adopted by
Council in June 2007 as non-binding guidelines.
Council
discussed the report and thanked our Communications Committee for their
work. |
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E. |
Review and Possible Vote on Survey Topics
(Young) |
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Synopsis
In March
2009, Council authorized the Communications Committee to work on
surveys. In May 2009, Council was in agreement to establish an ad-hoc
committee to develop specific surveys on topics previously approved by
the Council. This agenda item allows Council to make such approvals or
assignments to the Committee if desired at this time.
Council
listened to the proposal for a survey on recycling and discussed the
value of the recommended survey. As Council assigned our Recycling
Committee with several tasks last Monday during our Town Council
workshop / special meeting, it was the feeling of the majority that we
should wait for the committee response to our questions. Council
then voted to not incur the expense of a Town survey on this subject at
this time. |
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F.
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Consider resolution to reappoint Charles
McMullen as Alderman (Graviet)
Council voted to ask the State Legislature to
reappoint Mr. McMullen as Alderman. |
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ITEMS OF
BUSINESS LISTED ON THE AGENDA FOR THIS MEETING MAY BE REFERRED TO
THE PLANNING COMMISSION FOR CONSIDERATION. THE AGENDA ITEMS LISTED
MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED IN SEQUENCE. THIS AGENDA IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE
TO INCLUDE ADDITIONAL ITEMS INCLUDING EXECUTIVE SESSIONS OR THE
DELETION OF ITEMS INCLUDING EXECUTIVE SESSIONS WHICH ARISE AT THE
TIME OF THE MEETING.
Additional items may be referred to the Council from the committees
that meet between the posting of the agenda and the Council meeting.
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