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Continued from page 6
community association to do the
same. CAS was instrumental in
reducing the initial impact fees
for those who originally hooked
up from a proposed $2,000 to
$500, and was also able to reduce
the initial annual fees by 40 per-
cent on longer than 100 front feet
and about 25 percent on less than
100 front'feet. Here is another op-
portunity to obtain further reduc-
tions. Although not much has
been said over the past several.
years, we have continued to keep
the sewer cost issue in front of
county, state and federal officials;
it has not been a dead issue.
Paul J. Pasqualini
Rehoboth Beach
Dennis Forney
Sto W on Cape
employee disturbing
I was extremely disappointed
and disgusted by the article about
Mr. Walls, the hall monitor, in the
May 26 issue. The article had too
much information about the ac-
tions of Mr. Wails and the teen
girl. I don't think it is appropriate
to share such explicit details of
their sexual encounter. I wish that
the author had thought a little bit
more about how her article would
affect the people reading it. I
don't think this article was fair to
the girl, her family, or Mr. Walls'
family. This is the worst kind of
sensational journalism. We have
to monitor what we see on the In-
ternet and TV, but do we need to
monitor what we read in a local
newspaper, a paper which my
whole family reads? I feel uncom-
fortable handing it over to my 11-
year-old brother.
I am a teenage girl, who attends
Cape just as the girl does, and I
was extremely upset that two staff
members at my school have been
arrested for sexual misconduct. It
really makes me question how
safe we are in our schools. Grow-
ing up, I have learned to be aware
of the dangers many of us face,
including drugs, bullies, and re-
cently, shootings. But nowhere in
my learning have I ever been
taught to fear my teachers. We are
supposed to trust our teachers.
And we're not supposed to feel
unsafe around them. What do I
think now? Do I need to worry
every time a male teacher is nice
to me? This subjects disturbs me,
and I'm angry that I, as a teenager
with enough to worry about; have
to add this to my list of fears.
I think the community needs to
be informed about these incidents,
but there is no excuse for using
such graphic terms. Thank you for
printing my letter.
Sarah Sprague
Cape Henlopen High School
A tribute to
fallen classmates
In the past week, we suffered a
loss far greater than any other -
wc lost a _friend. Ron Bull was
not only a friend, but he was our
family. It is a family that lost two
other great people in Curtis Davis
and Danielle Geurin.
Some may think they are gone,
but, in fact, they are right here be-
side us. When they were included
in the graduation ceremonies, I
thought it was the most respectful
thing ever, especially with the
standing ovation by their class-
mates at Cape Henlopen High
School.
To Ron, Curtis and Danielle, we
miss you, remember you and will
always love you. May you rest in
peace.
J.S.F.
Classmate
Cape Henlopen High School
Class of 2000
Conectiv telling me
what I already knew
An event has happened that has
compelled me to write my
thoughts in this forum. I recently
received additional electrical
service for one of our buildings
here, following nearly six months
of waiting for the installation. I
wasted many hours locating and
exposing the existing utilities to
facilitate the installation. Conec-
tiv Power Supply finally chose
the option to have the power sup-
ply cable bored or drilled under-
ground to the meter located on the
building, from a transformer lo-
cated on our property, instead of
trenching through the earth as is
customary.
I have found myself too busy
with other more urgent issues and
have not taken the time to use any
electricity at that location. Last
month, when meter time came
around, there was not one, but
three meter readers here at the
same time, one of whom I ex-
plained that the meter had not
budged a kilowatt since the instal-
lation, and told him he could walk
down to the building to confirm
my claim if he chose. He accepted
my statement.
I recently received the first
billing for this new •meter. I am
simply dumfounded about this sit-
uation. Maybe one of your readers
would be kind enough to take the
time to explain their logic to me,
as I am truly baffled. The billing
in my hand indicates that I owe
zero money for power usage and
that I should enclose a check for
$4,50 to pay for this information
from them, plus I must attach a
33-cent stamp on the return state-
ment.
I know that computers are only
as intelligent and efficient as the
operators who run them, but let's
get back to the basics or get real
for a second. Do I really have to
Spend $4.83 for the privilege of
having Conectiv tell me what I al-
ready knew? Presuming I owe
this bill, am I not within my legal
rights to send Conectiv Power
Supply an invoice for $4.50 to tell
them they do not owe me any
money for picture framing and
honestly expect them to pay it?
Seems logical to me.
Robin Reifsnyder
Coolspring
State responsible for
preserving DeBraak
The following letter was sent to
Gov. Tom Carper with a copy sub-
mitted to the Cape Gazette for
publication.
It has been brought to light by
an article written in the Cape
Gazette newspaper in Sussex
County, that there is no funding in
the budget for the conservation of
the Debraak shipwreck artifacts.
It is the responsibility of
Deiaware to conserve these arti-
facts properly and hopefully to
provide a museum so the public
can enjoy the cultural history of
our most famous shipwreck, the
DeBraak.
I am requesting, as a citizen and
a taxpayer of the State of
Delaware, a complete audit and
investigation of the following:
• What was the requested budg-
et each year for the past 14 years
for the conservation of said arti-
facts?
• What was the actual budget
approved for each of the 14 years
for the conservation of said arti-
facts?
• Who authorized the elimina-
tion of funding for said conserva-
tion budget?
Your immediate attention
would be appreciated in this most
important matter of cultural and
historical significance to the State
of Delaware.
The $500,000 Bond Bill re-
quested by Rep. John Schroeder
of Lewes should take priority
over all other Bond Bill requests,
since the conservation of the De-
Braak artifacts as a preexisting
obligation of the state, or an
amendment, on your part, should
be made to the 2001 budget.
William J. Winkler
Ocean View
Boaters ruin Half
Moon reenactment
Just returned from the Half
Moon re-enactment battle in
Lewes. Thank you Half Moon
crew for your excellent event.
Much work and planning went in-
to this activity.
Rain did not stop this event, the
playing of the fife and drum corps
or the many people watching.
The rain also did not stop the
very rude and inconsiderate peo-
ple with their boats.
Too bad the boat police could
not have roped off the complete
area beforehand to keep such peo-
ple out.
M. Hughes
Harbeson
Two homes about to fall in Lewes bespeak
a different culture, a different time
Two houses tucked into a quiet
part of Lewes at the southwestern
end of Mulberry Street will likely
fall to demolition crews over the
next couple of months.
Standing side by side in an
overgrown section of the commu-
nity, behind Beebe Medical Cen-
ter's complex, the houses repre-
sent a rapidly disappearing aspect
of Lewes culture.
For most of the 20th century,
the houses were home to black
families with the names of Riley,
Sunkett, Hill and Polk. The prop-
erties were sold recently. Lewes
Mayor George Smith, who grew
up just a block away, agreed this
week that it's unlikely they have
been purchased by black families
of the area. "It just takes too
much money to afford the prices
that people are throwing up on
properties in town now."
Smith said the houses are proba-
bly in the realm of 100 years old.
"Both are now empty and suc-
cumbing rapidly to the persistence
of nature and its elements and
vines.
Althea Palmer lives across the
street from the William Sunkett
house which stands on the corner.
"It's been there as long as I can re-
member and I've been here many
a day," said Palmer.
Elizabeth Stewart, 82, lives a
block or two away on land in
Shipcarpenter Square. A lifetime
Lewes resident, Stewart enjoys
her small house that at one time
was the only dwelling on the en-
tire block now filled by the re-
stored houses of Shipcarpenter
Square.
"Those houses [the Sunkett and
Riley houses] were there before I
was here," said Stewart this week.
''They're everybit as old as I am.
William Sunkett's dead now but
his wife, Mabel, is in the nursing
home. He was an ordinary per-
son. Down sick for two years or
more before he died. Bedfast. He
and his family came around
Lewes in the 40s or 50s I'd say.
He shucked oysters and did differ-
ent things for people. He may
have worked down to the fish fac-
tory for a while. I don't really
know. After he died, other mem-
bers of his family lived there a
while but I think it's been empty
BAREF00TIN'
for a good while now."
Elizabeth hasn't been feeling
well lately but she's no longer
bothered by people approaching
her to buy her valuable piece of
land in Shipcarpenter Square
"They don't bother to ask any
more. I've told them no so many
times. They know it's no use."
William P. Sunkett's 'name still
stands prominently in store-
bought metal letters on the front
door of the falling and ramshackle
house where he and his family
lived. Stewart said the Sunketts
kept cats and someone in the
neighborhood continues to feed
them. One day this week two sat
quietly on the cracked front walk
before the front door and ate from
plastic bowls. They're the only
life left at that end of the street
where there used to be lots of ac-
tivity.
Mayor Smith said Ernest Riley
lived in the house next to Sun-
kett's for a while and then moved
into a larger house next door, clos-
er to Blockhouse Pond. That was
before the mid-point of the 20th
century. "He worked for the state
for a while and his wife, Lucy,
worked for the hospital. She
mothered most of his children. I
think there were 10 in all. After
she died Ernest remarried and had
a couple more children by his sec-
ond wife. Four or five of his chil-
dren were older than me and I'm
approaching 70." The larger house
they lived in was torn down a
number of years ago.
Smith said when he was grow-
ing up, Lavinia and Latin Polk
lived in the smaller house.
Continued on page 8
Dennis Forney photos
The only life around the Bill Sunkett house these days is the
cats that enjoy the generosity of neighbors.