Highlights of Town Council Meeting of April 12, 2008 | ||
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commissioners were present except for Mayor Tush, whose absence was due
to the recent death of her father and her need to attend to family
affairs in Georgia. A moment of silence was held in sympathy for
the Mayor and her family. In the Mayor’s absence, Commissioner Hanson chaired the meeting. She started by outlining certain rules for the conduct of the meeting, on a trial basis, consistent with recent Council discussions on how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Council meetings. These included limiting audience comments to 3 minutes each, directing audience comments to the commissioners and not to others in the audience, being respectful of others and not making disparaging personal comments, not interrupting other speakers, turning off cell phones, and reserving one half hour for public comments on any subject early in the meeting to ensure that audience members who could not stay for the entire meeting could be heard. Meg McCollough was recognized for her contributions to Melanoma awareness, and the Council declared that the month of May would be dedicated to Melanoma Awareness Month in Dewey Beach. David Main, President of the Dewey Beach Civic League, announced that the League would host a Happy Hour from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Mama Maria’s Restaurant that afternoon, which would be the first such Happy Hour of the season. In most cases, future monthly happy hours would be held on the Saturday evenings following Town Council meetings. Mr. Main also reminded everyone that May 17 was the annual spring Unity for Beauty Day hosted by the Civic League and the Town, and encourage everyone to sign up as volunteers to plant and clean up the town on that day. He commended Commissioner Hanson for her dedicated support and organization of this very successful periodic event, and thanked the other commissioners for their participation in past Beautification Days. Chief Mackert was recognized for 20 years of service as a police officer, 19 of which were in Dewey Beach. Carol Everhardt, President of the Chamber of Commerce, and Steve Montgomery, owner of the Starboard, outlined several programs and activities they had developed which were designed to improve business in the town and the enjoyment of residents and visitors to the town. These included --Monday night movies on the beach, to commence on June 16 and to run through Labor Day; --Wednesday night bonfires on the beach, to run through the same time period; --proposals to make parking easier for visitors to the town, including putting up landscaping at certain intersections to deter illegal parking and resultant towing of cars, the use of boots rather than towing to make cars easier for owners to recover, making the purchase of parking permits easier, and allowing free parking after 5 pm Monday through Thursday nights at non-metered spaces; --producing brochures to market town activities and businesses, and describing basic town and beach rules for all to better understand. They also reminded everyone of the Dewey Beach Sports Festival, to occur on the weekend of June 7, 2008. The Commissioners and various audience members commended the Chamber for these important and promising contributions. Due to the Mayor’s absence, it was agreed that the discussion of Floor Area Ratio (FAR) rules would be postponed to a special meeting yet to be scheduled in May. A proposal to open and operate Hammerheads Restaurant in accordance with various specifications, was approved, as was a separate application to operate a year round gourmet coffee shop at Izzy Plaza. A request by Grotto Pizza to set up a 10 foot square tent, removable each night, for the sale of ice cream, was also approved, subject to further review at the beginning of each season. Commissioner Walsh next reported on the results of several meetings of the special committee she has chaired to develop new rules and regulations on the signage and merchandise displays outside places of business in the town. An ordinance was proposed that would set various limits on the size and nature of such displays. There was much discussion of the pros and cons, including some strong objections from certain business owners who considered the ordinance to be an unnecessary and harmful interference with their rights and ability to earn a living. It was also pointed out that some merchandise displays had caused safety concerns by blocking sidewalk access, and presented legal difficulties due to uneven enforcement. It was pointed out that the regulations might have to evolve based on further feedback and experience, but that attempting to come up with a perfect regulation at the outset would delay the process for some time. The Commissioners voted to pass the ordinance, subject to further evaluation in the future as to its intended effects. The commissioners also discussed a three-year renewal of a contract between the town and Delaware Waste Management Systems for the servicing of trash cans at the beach access points and on the streets. Despite the issuance of an RFP and attempts to obtain several proposals, only Delaware Waste Management had submitted a bid. However, the increase in cost over the existing contract was deemed to be very small, and it was determined by the commissioners to be reasonable. The contract was approved. The commissioners also approved a proposal of the Roads Committee to name a park at the bay end of Read Avenue as “Monigle Park”, in recognition of various contributions made to the town by Donald Monigle and his family. While the Council approved this proposal, it also discussed the need to establish some criteria for the naming of parks and other sites by the town in the future. In an unusually long meeting, which included an executive session after the public portion, various other matters were discussed, all of which are reflected in the official minutes of the meeting (except for the Executive Session Proceedings) to be posted as soon as they are available. | ||