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Set For New IRHS |
NOTE: Sussex Beat is a log of news briefs and commentary by Kerin Magill, editor of Sussex County Online, with contributions from Sussex County Online users.
Groundbreaking ceremonies are set for Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2002 for the new Indian River High School. The new school will hold a maximum of 1,000 students. It will be located on Route 20 across from the Delaware National Guard Armory/Readiness Center near Dagsboro. The Indian River School District has slated completion of the new school for September 2004, as well as for the new Sussex Central High School near Millsboro. Both schools are being built as a result of funds approved in a May 23, 2000 major capital improvements referendum. Shortly thereafter, however, the state changed the formula it uses to calculate building expenses from $145 per square foot to $175 per square foot. As a result, initial bids on the two projects came in millions of dollars over budget and were thrown out. The projects got back on track -- although a year behind schedule -- after a new bidding strategy was put in place and other cost-cutting strategies were implemented. The Delaware General Assembly also passed legislation offering relief to school districts from the formula discrepancies. Ground was broken Aug. 8 for the new Sussex Central High School, located across from the Stockley Center near Millsboro. That school site encompasses 158.6 acres; the new Indian River High School site encompasses two parcels totaling 156.92 acres. The IRHS groundbreaking ceremony will be held at 9 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1. More details on the district's building plans, including renovations of existing schools, are available on the school district's web site.
If you want to have an impact on future outdoor recreation in Delaware, you have three more chances to have your say in Sussex County. The state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has scheduled a series of workshops on the State Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan (SCORP) throughout the state. The three remaining Sussex workshops are Monday, Sept. 30 at the Millsboro Civic Center, Wilson Highway; Wednesday, Oct. 9 at the Lewes Library, Adams Street; and Thursday, Oct. 17 at the County Administration Building on The Circle, Georgetown. The plan will help guide the allocation of about $1.3 million a year -- Delaware's share of the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund. In addition to looking at 30 outdoor activities, the workshops will focus on issues such as the future of outdoor recreation, competition for recreational resources, changing land use patterns, funding for maintenance, and operation of recreational facilities and the role of public/private sector partnerships. Written comments on the SCORP can be sent to Robert Ehemann, Division of Parks and Recreation, 89 Kings Hwy., Dover, DE 19901 or by e-mail at rehemann@state.de.us.
The Roxana Volunteer Fire Company is offering a device that can help emergency crews find your home. The fire department is offering the Smart Alert Light for $7. The light screws into fixtures like an ordinary light bulb and operates like a normal light bulb. But in an emergency, when the light is switched off and on twice, it begins to flash like an emergency beacon. Each light bulb is guaranteed for 2,000 hours under normal use. Roxana firefighters are also offering their services to homeowners associations or other organizations to discuss the Smart Alert Light as well as how to prepare yourself to make a 911 call. For more information, call Ralph Browning at 436-5682.
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