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IR Bay Saturday NOTE: Sussex Beat is a mix of news, analysis and commentary by Eric Magill, publisher of Sussex County Online.
Enforcement agents from the Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife will board private boats this Memorial Day weekend for safety inspections. Usually, such a move by a government agency would produce an outcry from boaters concerned about their civil rights. In this case, though, many boaters will welcome the "Boat Block" scheduled for Saturday, May 27, 2000, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Massey's Ditch near Massey's Landing. As boating has become more crowded on Indian River Bay and in Indian River Inlet and as accidents have climbed (24 accidents and 3 fatalities in 1999), boaters are complaining that boating officials aren't doing enough to curb dangerous boating practices. Many have expressed fear of some of the wreckless boating they witness on a regular basis and some have even started avoiding the bay and inlet during the summer. During the "Boat Block", Wildlife officials will line up along Massey's Ditch and stop each passing boat to check for proper safety equipment, registration, shellfish and finfish violations and to assure that all children on board are wearing PFDs. Agents will also be discussing protection of the inland bays during the stops. While this appears to be a good step, it won't solve the problem of wreckless boating, which has contributed to the accidents and fatalities more than a lack of safety equipment. Only a regular marine authority presence would stop that, and unfortunately, we aren't seeing that anymore.
The Sussex County Planning & Zoning Commission will consider four requests for new subdivisions in the Lewes, Rehoboth Beach and Georgetown areas on Thursday, May 25, 2000, at the Sussex County Administration Building. On the agenda for the 7:30 p.m. meeting are plans that would add 219 homes to the area, ranging from a 116-home subdivision to a 9-home subdivision. The largest subdivision, Red Mill Village, would put 116 homes on 41 acres 2.5 miles north of Five Points on the west side of Route 1. It is proposed by Ocean Atlantic Associates V, LLC. Although zoned for mobile homes, the developer says mobile homes will not be allowed but some factory homes will be. A 55-unit single family home subdivision, Grant Estates, has been proposed for 30 acres at the southeast corner of Postal Lane and Sussex 275. Also on the agenda is a preliminary subdivision plan for a 39-lot development on 65 acres off U.S. 9 and Sussex 249 just east of Georgetown. Plans for The Village at Salisbury Switch call for lot and home packages from $90,000-$105,000. The fourth subdivision, The Oaks, seeks final approval for a 9-lot development on 9 acres off Sussex 265A north of Lewes. That subdivision is proposed by The Edge Group Inc. and developer Blake Thompson.
You can voice your opinion on county issues in the Sussex County Online Forum or cast your vote on various Sussex County issues on our online poll. Just follow the links below to make your voice heard and your vote count:
You can view a copy of Delaware boating regulations on the Division of Fish and Wildlife page at http://www.dnrec.state.de.us/fw/wildregs.htm (click on the link for "Current Boating Regulations"). You'll need the free Adobe Acrobat plug-in to view the regulations. Local News Index | News Index |
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