By V. GEORGE CAREY State Representative, 36th District, R-Milford V. George Carey (R-Milford) is a Delaware state representative in the 36th Representative District.

As a Sussex County legislator, and a person that has had to wait in line at the DMV, I couldn't be happier about the proposed new Delaware Motor Vehicles facility near Georgetown. This is a project I have been working on for several years and which Governor Minner supported in her recent Budget Address.

As a member of the General Assembly's Bond Bill Committee, I backed setting aside funding for this needed facility a couple of years ago. While the project was delayed slightly, that action resulted in more than $765,000 being carried over into the current state budget for planning, design and site development of the facility.

The 33-year-old Sussex DMV facility at US 113 and South Bedford Street Extended is woefully inadequate, a fact that is painfully obvious to anyone who has conducted business there. The situation was the unfortunate product of an outdated facility built during the Nixon Administration and Sussex County's surging population, which grew by 38 percent between 1990 and 2000.

This is not to say the DMV staff was part of the problem. On the contrary, they deserve praise for their perseverance and professionalism under difficult circumstances not of their making.

The new 38,500 square foot facility will not only address current weaknesses, its design will also encompass future demand as well. Instead of two inspection lanes, there will be seven with one inspection station in each lane. A second inspection station can be added per lane to accommodate growth.

There will be 22 customer service lanes -- more than triple the current number. Additionally, a new computer system called Q-Matic will assign customers numbers and then call them when it's their turn, directing them to the proper service window.

The facility will cost about $12.6 million -- $6.6 million in the upcoming Fiscal 2004 Bond Bill, with the balance in the Fiscal 2005 budget.

If everything proceeds accordingly, bid requests for the project will be made shortly after July 1, with ground-breaking likely to take place prior to the end of the year. Once underway, the construction will take 14 to 18 months on property adjacent to the old facility that once belonged to the Sussex Correctional Institution. Operations at the current DMV lanes will continue until the completion of the new building. The old facility will be demolished when the project is complete.

One of the pleasures of being a state legislator is the satisfaction of seeing a problem and taking effective action to deal with it. I pledge to continue my support of this project and I look forward to being at the ribbon-cutting in late 2004 or early 2005. Sincerely,
State Rep. V. George Carey
36th Representative District

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