Dewey incumbents sweep election- pg. 10
Delaware's Cape Region
Friday, September 26 - Thursday, October 2, 1997
Volume 5, No. 18
Lewes to hear input on proposed zoning changes
Gazebos, fences, hedges
boat slip limits on tap Sept. 29
By Dennis Forney
Proposed changes to Lewes's open space
zoning aimed primarily at the lands along
Pilottown Road between the road and
Lewes-Rehoboth Canal go to public hear-
ing on Monday, Sept. 29 beginning at 7:30
p.m.
Drafted by the Lewes Ad Hoc Zoning
Committee, the proposals aim to provide
the city building inspector with more spe-
cific guidance regarding permitted uses on
land zoned open space. Concerned about a
recent proliferation of gazebos and fences
larger than what had traditionally been built
along the canal, Lewes council members
imposed a moratorium starting June 9 on
all construction in open space zones.
Purpose of the moratorium was to pro-
vide time for the Zoning Committee to draft
changes that would provide more specifics
than the current law provides.
The proposed changes limit the size and
density of fences and plantings so as not to
block the public's view of the Lewes-
Rehoboth Canal from Pilottown Road and
also defines and specifies the size, design
and number of permitted gazebos and dock-
houses. The proposals also define the
amount of offstreet parking permitted in
open space districts and limit the number of
permitted boat slips.
Continued on page 14
Jen EIIIngsworth photo
A sweet spray of NASCAR success
Flanked by his crew, NASCAR driver Mark Martin sprays champagne on the crowd of photographers and fans in
Victory Lane after his MBNA 400 win at Dover Downs International Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 21. The win was the
first at the Dover track for Martin. The local contingent was Out in full effect at the race, as fans and as fire and res-
cue team members. See the health and sports sections inside for more coverage of the event.
Sussex P&Z to hold
last Land Use Plan
hearing on Oct. 2
By Michael Short
Sussex County will hold one final round
of public hearings before adopting its land
use plan.
But the final two hearings are likely to
produce more fizzle than sizzle. A year ago,
this was the most dominant issue in Sussex
County. Now, it tends to attract a handful of
concerned residents, all of them familiar
faces at public hearings.
That's a far cry from the days when more
than 100 people, most of them angry and a
few of them screaming, packed public hear-
ings at Delaware Tech and elsewhere.
Sussex County Planning and Zoning will
hold one more hearing at its meeting set for
Thursday, Oct. 2. Following that and a
hearing by Sussex County Council, the
Council is set to adopt the final plan.
County Council President Dale Dukes
said he expects the issue of whether to
require lot sizes of two acres in conserva-
tion zones (near waterways like the inland
bays) to be controversial. "I don't see much
else left that's controversial," he said.
He said he is happy with most of the plan,
a sentiment frequently expressed by county
officials. County Councilman George Cole
said that "no one got everything they want-
ed" in this plan and Dukes agrees.
Continued on page 15
500 officers join domestic violence response training ranks
By Kerry Kester
In the United States it takes only 365
days for men to beat 6 million women and
send 4,000 women to their graves. In fact,
acts of domestic violence in any form are so
prevalent that they occur approximately
every 18 seconds.
Since 1990, the number of acts of domes-
tic violence in Delaware has increased by
30 percent, and one-third of all violent
crimes in the state are related to domestic
violence, said Claire DeMatteis, spokes-
woman for Sen. Joe Biden.
Through the help of Biden's Violence
Against Women Act and Gov. Tom Carp-
er's state support, by the end of this year
800 Delaware law enforcement officers
will have special training on domestic vio-
lence response.
The two government officials joined
members of the Domestic Violence Coordi-
nating Council and law enforcement offi-
cials on Monday, Sept. 22 to announce that
a $64,000 grant secured through the Biden
Crime Bill package will provide 500
Delaware front line law enforcement offi-
cials with training.
"Domestic violence is a scourge which
affects all our residents - young and old,
white and black, poor and rich," said Carp-
er. "Through this collaborative and thor-
ough training program, our law enforce-
ment community will better prepare them-
selves to deal with crises of domestic vio-
lence, and to respond quickly, efficiently
and appropriately."
Last year the bill provided funds to begin
Delaware's concerted effort to curb the
problem. Funds from Biden's Crime Law
Violence Against Women Act has to date
provided for new shelters, more counseling
services, expanded legal services, and an
updated computer system to more easily
Continued on page 15
