August 16, 2007_S

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2007

VOL. 12 NO. 17

Public will be given another chance to comment on licensing

NEWS HEADLINES FESTIVAL - The Eastern Shore AFRAM Festival is another success. Page 2 BLADES - Two key members of the town leadership are leaving. Page 5

By Lynn R. Parks

TAXES - You can now earn more as a senior and still get a tax break. Page 5 DESHIELDS - Wife of former Major League player Delino DeShields opens a business. Page 6 VOLUNTEERS - Some volunteers start at an early age. How young may surprise you. Page 8 EXPANSION - Bridgeville Volunteer Fire Company is moving ahead with expansion plans. Page 14 HISTORY - Dan Parsons believes in the value of understanding history. Page 15 ANGELS - Ruth Rhoades urges folks to be an “angel in blue jeans” for a youngster in need. Page 16 CLOSED - How much longer will the road to Woodland be closed? Page 16 MUSIC - The Seaford Summer Music Festival takes place Saturday. Page 28 SCUFFLE - A Laurel man is arrested following a scuffle with a police officer. Page 38 OPENINGS - More area businesses celebrate openings. See pages 6, 14 and 40. HONORS - Woodbridge High School FFA Chapter takes several honors at the State Fair. Page 53 THIRD - The District III Senior League softball team places third in the world. Page 41 SCRAPBOOK - The Star’s summer scrapbook continues on page 43 of this week’s paper.

INSIDE THE STAR BUSINESS BULLETIN BOARD CHURCH CLASSIFIEDS EDUCATION ENTERTAINMENT FRANK CALIO GENE BLEILE GOURMET HEALTH LETTERS LOOKING BACK LYNN PARKS

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20 24 32-38 10 28 47 44 50 30-31 39 17 17

MOVIES OBITUARIES ON THE RECORD OPINION PAT MURPHY PEOPLE POLICE JOURNAL SNAPSHOTS SPORTS TIDES/WEATHER TODD CROFFORD TONY WINDSOR

7 26 23 54 51 18 38 52 41-46 55 25 48

50 cents

The large lettering on this road at Galestown proclaims, “365 days and counting.” On June 25, 2006, the dam at Galestown washed away large sections of the road. This is the second year that people living in Seaford have had to detour to attend the Sharptown, Md. carnival. Photo by Daniel Richardson

Galestown dam project may soon be underway Mark your calendars: Dorchester Board of Public Works Director Bob Tenanty recently told the county council that construction on the replacement millpond dam could start as early as August 22. By Ann Wilmer Dorchester County Board of Public Works awarded George and Lynch of Dover a contract to construct a new dam and bridge on Galestown Millpond to replace the structure lost due to heavy rains and flooding in June 2006. Dorchester County Council authorized Tenanty to go ahead and award the contract instead of waiting for the next council meeting. On Monday morning, Tenanty said the signed contract had been returned

along with the contractor’s bonds and proof of insurance. The next steps include the council signing the contract, setting up a preconstruction meeting and issuing a Notice to Proceed (NTP). And Tenanty’s office will hire an on-site inspector to monitor construction progress for the county, but they have not yet advertised the position. Tenanty said that construction would begin before the end of August. If no major issues arise, then the NTP should be issued by August 22. Galestown residents, while hopeful, are will waiting to be shown it will actually happen. Linda Walls, president of the Galestown Millpond Assocation, said she has heard that George and Lynch was ready to start but that the utilities company has been given until Continued to page four

Members of the public will have another opportunity to speak out about the city of Seaford’s proposed business and rental license. A second workshop on the licensing proposal will be Tuesday, Sept. 18, starting at 7 p.m. in the city council chambers in city hall. The city held its first public workshop on the proposal in November. At that time, nearly two dozen business people and landlords protested the license, calling it “bad law” and “heavy-handed intrusion.” But Councilman Rhea Shannon told the group that requiring that business owners and landlords have licenses would help protect the town from decay. “We are trying to save the town,” he said. In December, Mayor Ed Butler called for a council vote on whether to move forward with the licensing proposal. The vote to do so was 4 to 1, with Councilwoman Pat Jones casting the lone “no.” Following the meeting, Jones said that the lack of a business and rental license is part of what sets Seaford apart from other Sussex County towns. “If this is one of the things that make us unique, we should keep it that way,” she said. As proposed, the program would require that all business owners and owners of rental property be licensed. The city would be able to make regular inspections of rental properties, to ensure that they are up to code. In his Oct. 24 presentation of the licensing proposal, then city director of operations Charles Anderson included a suggested fee structure. Under that structure, general business licenses would cost $75. A hotel or motel would pay an additional $10 per room. Warehouses and retailers whose facilities are larger than 10,000 square feet would pay $300. Landlords would pay $50 for each apartment they own, $10 per room if they just rent out rooms. Owners of rented storage units would pay $2 per unit. Non-profit organizations would not be exempt. Fees would be paid every year. City manager Dolores Slatcher told the people gathered at the November workshop that the licensing program would allow the city to better control conditions in rental properties. “We have a number of issues with rental properties and the landlord is not available,” she said. “We live in a more mobile society, a more absentee society, and one of the ways to gather information about landlords is through a license.”


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