THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2008
VOL. 13 NO. 1
50 cents
Seaford approves sale of land for apartments
NEWS HEADLINES Morning Star celebrates Anniversary With this edition, Morning Star Publications celebrates its 12th anniversary. Thank you to the advertisers and readers for making the Seaford and Laurel Star newspapers the largest paid circulation newspapers in western Sussex County. WWII VETERAN - He saw countless examples of what Martasin describes as “man’s inhumanity to man” in the concentration camps. Page 8 TOLL CRASHER - Police say that a Maryland man ran through Delaware tolls 633 times without paying. Now he faces a hefty fine. Page 11 WHOSE KID? - “Sometimes” chooses a Seaford neighborhood for delivery of her “kid.” Page 53 TRUE LEADERSHIP - His strong leadership has helped the state out of difficult financial challenges See Frank Calio, page 54
FUNDRAISER - Elizabeth Perciful, Bridgeville, was one of the 270 people who attended Friday night’s art auction to benefit the Bridgeville Public Library. Of the more than 100 items for sale, she liked the picture of the Beatles framed with a copy of the sheet music for “A Hard Day’s Night.” Photo by Lynn R. Parks
By Lynn R. Parks The city of Seaford has extended its agreement to sell 12 and 1/2 acres in the Ross Business Park to Better Homes of Seaford, for the construction of two apartment buildings for low-income, elderly citizens. Better Homes requested the extension after it was unable to find funding for construction of the apartment buildings, to be called Hampton Circle. The city council first agreed to the sale of the land for a little more than $500,000 in April 2007. Tuesday night, it agreed to extend the agreement until the end of 2009. “Better Homes of Seaford is still working to obtain the financing package for the development of Hampton Circle,” executive director William Roupp wrote in a letter to the city. He added that he is still hopeful that the project will get funding, and that construction will start in the fall of 2009. As planned, the complex will have 65 apartments. Better Homes of Seaford already has 99 units for low-income, elderly citizens in the city of Seaford, 88 at its Virginia Avenue complex and 11 at Charleston Place in the former Kim Manufacturing sewing factory on Phillips Street. Hampton Circle would abut the current Virginia Avenue complex.
Final approval given for restaurant DERBY DELIGHTS - You won’t believe what this cake sold for at the Nanticoke Derby. Page 36
INSIDE THE STAR AUTO ALLEY BUSINESS BULLETIN BOARD CHURCH CLASSIFIEDS EDUCATION ENTERTAINMENT FINAL WORD FRANK CALIO GENE BLEILE GOURMET HEALTH LETTERS LYNN PARKS
30 6 17 24 32-35 14 28 55 54 45 40 36 22 31
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MOVIES 7 OBITUARIES 26 ON THE RECORD 39 21 PAT MURPHY 16 PEOPLE POLICE JOURNAL 11 PUZZLES 39 SNAPSHOTS 52 SPORTS 41-48 TIDES 7 TODD CROFFORD 25 54 TONY WINDSOR VETERANS OF WWII 8
By Lynn R. Parks Construction on Seaford’s newest eatery is set to start soon. The Seaford City Council Tuesday night gave final approval to a Popeyes restaurant, set to be built on the northeast corner of U.S. 13 and Middleford Road. The council’s approval came after a public hearing on the project. The property on which the 2,250square foot restaurant will be built is owned by Cato Gas and Oil. The lot has been vacant since 1998, when a Texaco gasoline station there closed down. The restaurant will have two entrances, from Middleford Road and from U.S. 13. Both entrances will be limited to cars turning right into the parking lot and turning right out of the parking lot. Cars traveling east on Middleford Road will not be able to
turn into the parking lot; similarly, cars exiting the parking lot will not be able to turn east onto Middleford Road. Councilwoman Leanne PhillipsLowe expressed concern that the intersection, already “very congested,” she said, will become even more crowded. City building official Josh Littleton told her that the Delaware Department of Transportation had required that the entrances be “right in, right out” only. In addition, city manager Dolores Slatcher said, Middleford Road will be improved to add a longer turn lane for vehicles headed west that want to turn north, either into Popeyes or onto U.S. 13. Cato Gas and Oil has been granted a state permit to drill a water well to service the restaurant. At the same time, owners have agreed to tie into city water within 180 days of it becoming available there. Littleton said that a
plan to extend city water along Middleford Road to that area of U.S. 13 is in the design phase. He expects that the water project will be complete at about the same time that the restaurant is ready to open. He told the council that he expects construction to begin shortly. In other action, the Seaford City Council awarded two bids. Delmarva paving will be paid $86,000 to pave Walnut Street, behind the Lutheran Church on Shipley Street. The next lowest bid for that project was $105,000. For the second year, Kelley Transport will haul away trash during the city’s annual cleanup week, set for May 12 through May 16. The company removed garbage during last year’s cleanup week and “did a great job,” said director of public works Berley Mears.
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