WEEKEND #5, 2021
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
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BACKING THE BLUE, ONE STRIPE AT A TIME
An informal group of volunteers, known as the Blue Line Bandits,
started showing its appreciation to Delaware police last month. The group's
mission, says John "Plunger" Peterson, one of its four founding
members, is to "hit" every law enforcement agency in the state with
some sort of blue lines in visual support of the police.
Police officers risk their lives every day to keep us safe and what they
do and see on a daily basis takes a physical and mental toll on them, Peterson
says. "Add the constant criticism and attacks on their ethics by the
mainstream media, failures of the justice system and more and more violent
crimes, they need to know they are not forgotten," he adds.
Peterson says he and his group of volunteers, including Susanne Whitney,
Jennifer Rambo, Dan Kapitanic and Jon Boone, decided they "needed to
do something... something that would show all of law enforcement that their
sacrifice to their communities is not taken for granted." The three men
in his group all have experience in the building trade, "so we know how
to layout a line," he explains.
The group's first "hit" was to tape
a blue line in front of the Delaware Attorney General's offices
in Dover last summer. But it started to peel so they decided they wanted to
clean it up and make it more permanent this June.
"We went somewhat dormant during that pandemic," Peterson states,
"however, Cpl.
Keith Heacook's murder ignited a fire under us. Starting in mid-May, we
have now 'hit' six local Delaware departments in Sussex and Kent counties."
He says the group's goal is to contact every law enforcement agency in Delaware
and offer them something, a blue line on the door, a blue stop line, a blue
line at the officers' entrance, etc. So far he says he has not heard "no"
from any department he contacted. The stripe on the road in front of the AG's
office is the only one they did without asking for permission, he points out.
In addition to the Attorney General's office, the group has blue
striped police departments in Delmar, Harrington, Rehoboth, Lewes, Georgetown
and Camden.
Peterson is a licensed master plumber who owned a plumbing contracting firm
in Washington, D.C. for 30 years. He sold his business in 2014 but still holds
five of his master plumbing licenses. He now volunteers his time between the
Lewes Fire Department and the Delaware
Patriot Guard.
Photos courtesy John Peterson
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THE SINGLE-SPACE PARKING METER IS HISTORY
The parking permit could be next!
Visitors this coming holiday might notice something different about parking
in downtown Rehoboth Beach. Gone are the days when you get out of your car
and pay the meter at the head of the space. The city is now using centralized
parking kiosks for motorists to pay for parking in all of the traditional
"parking meter" areas. Three years ago the city started replacing
the single-head meters on the side streets with these multi-space parking
kiosks.
The city utilizes a combination of pay-by-space, pay-and-display
and pay-by-plate parking options that require payment at a kiosk
with quarters or credit cards if not paid via ParkMobile,
says Evan Miller, the city's projects coordinator.
Pay-by-space requires payment using a space number that is
found within the parking space. This is what is used on Rehoboth Avenue and
Grenoble Place, where the technology was initially tested.
Pay-and-display requires payment and display of the receipt
on the dash of the vehicle. If paying via ParkMobile, a license plate
number is entered. This form of parking payment is used now in the Grove
Park parking lot and at the Convention Center parking lot.
Pay-by-plate requires payment using the vehicle's license
plate (all letters and numbers on the license plate must be entered). This
system is used at the other "metered" parking areas (which is not
the same as the permit parking areas).
Pay-by-space and pay-and-display are enforced by Parking
Department personnel who patrol on foot. But on the back streets, where parking
meters had existed for decades, parking is now enforced using license-plate
reader technology that has been installed in two of the Parking Department's
cars. That is why the pay-by-plate method of parking payment
is used here. This type of enforcement works on the back streets but is not
considered appropriate for congested Rehoboth Avenue.
Miller says the city has a total of about 2,200 "metered" parking
spaces which includes on-street and parking lots. But he notes that an official
count has not been conducted recently.
The virtual parking permit is something the city is studying for the future.
"The goal would be to utilize a virtual permit system for both residents
and visitors whereby license plate numbers would become the parking 'permit,'"
Miller explains. With residential permits, residents could apply for parking
permits online from any device – smartphone, tablet or computer – while city
staff reviews documentation and evaluates applications in real-time.
Once approved, residents are notified and can acquire their virtual permits
immediately, after which they could easily purchase more if need be. They
can also update their vehicle information from the same mobile-friendly web
application.
Visitors would also be able to purchase parking permits online from any device;
however, several permit options would be available, including daily, weekly
and seasonal permits. No application or documentation would need to be submitted
or reviewed by city staff. The placards hanging from rearview mirrors and
windshield stickers could then be eliminated.
"The goal," Miller says, "would be to phase out all stickers
and placards so the permit system is entirely virtual and enforced through
license plate recognition... This is a long-term goal and there remain many
logistics and details to be worked out." He says the phase-out of parking
permits could happen within the next five years but it "depends on the
appetite of the commissioners," he added. Presumably this enforcement
would be done by auto and not by bicycle.
Miller says the city generates nearly 25 percent of its revenue from parking
and parking fines.
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OFFICIALS STRESS PEDESTRIAN, BICYCLIST SAFETY AT LOCAL
EVENTS
Ten pedestrians or bicyclists have been killed on Coastal Highway between
Lewes and Fenwick Island during the past three years and nearly 70 have been
injured according to Cynthia Cavett from the Delaware Office of Highway
Safety. As a result, state and local officials met last Tuesday morning
in Dewey Beach to get out the word on the state's latest pedestrian crossing
device, the rectangular rapid flashing beacons (RRFB).
RRFBs are specially equipped crosswalks that feature the familiar rectangular
pedestrian crossing sign combined with yellow beacons that flash for one minute
after pedestrians press the button.
Studies have shown nationally that these rapid flash beacons can increase
motorist compliance by more than 40 percent, says C.R. McLeod, DelDOT's community
relations director. "We are continuing to see far too many incidents
happen here in our beach resort areas over the past several years," he
told reporters. Read more on WGMD.com.
This past Friday, officials cut the ribbon on the Junction and Breakwater
Pathway Rehoboth Beach Extension. This event marked the completion of
the bicycle connection into Rehoboth Beach from the Junction and Breakwater
Pathway network. The $513,000 project included the connection of a 10-foot-wide
asphalt trail from Canal Street to Rehoboth Avenue and the development of
a two-way buffered bicycle lane along Rehoboth Avenue to Grove Park within
the city.
Shown at the ribbon
cutting are Rehoboth Beach Mayor Stan Mills, members of Sussex Cyclists,
Comm. Richard Byrne, Senator Ernesto Lopez, Rep. Peter Schwartzkopf, U.S.
Senator Tom Carper, DelDOT Secretary Nicole Majeski, Comm. Patrick Gossett
and Comm. Jay Lagree.
This is the final link to the approximately 14-plus mile Junction and Breakwater
Pathway that follows a section of the former Penn Central Railroad.
The extension makes it possible for bicyclists and pedestrians to travel more
safely between Rehoboth and Lewes.
The city has an agreement with the state to take care of day-to-day maintenance
of the trail extension to Church Street including snow removal, trash collection
and grass cutting, says Kevin Williams, Rehoboth Beach Public Works director.
The city is not receiving any state funds for this maintenance, he added.
Last Thursday, the first bicycle safety checkpoint returned on Coastal Highway
at the Royal Farms outside of Rehoboth. One more is planned
this Thursday, July 1, at the same location.
More checkpoints may be planned depending on the success of these two.
2 INJURED IN HIGH-IMPACT CRASH ON LAUREL STREET
Rehoboth Beach police received several calls when the driver of the car on
the left crashed at high speed into two others parked in the third block of
Laurel Street around 1:10 a.m. this past Sunday.
Amazingly, the man driving the car and his female passenger appeared to suffer
only minor injuries. They are both in their 20's. Ambulances took both of
them to the hospital.
Plastic car parts and broken glass created a significant debris field.
No word yet from police on any charges.
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WOMAN INJURED AFTER FALL FROM SKATEBOARD, FLOWN TO
TRAUMA CENTER
An approximately 20-year-old woman had been riding what was described as
a motorized skateboard when she fell and struck her head. It happened just
before 1 p.m. last Monday on Bayard Avenue at Rodney Street in downtown Rehoboth
Beach.
She was originally described as unconscious, then conscious but confused.
As a result, the state police helicopter, Trooper 2, landed here
at the Rehoboth Beach Elementary School to fly her to a trauma center.
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PLANE LANDS IN SINEPUXENT BAY OFF O.C. AIRPORT
The pilot and four skydiver passengers in this single-engine plane are lucky
to be alive. According to The
Dispatch, this is one of the airplanes used by Skydive Ocean City.
Around 1:30 p.m. this past Sunday, the plane was at 5,000 feet when it experienced
engine failure. The plane did not make it back to the runway and landed in
the Sinepuxent Bay, where boaters quickly came to assist.
Photo courtesy Cesar
Campos, Campos Media
A slightly different account of what happened was reported in this Maryland
State Police news release. MSP identifies the pilot of the plane
as Matthew Cortigiani, 25, of Utah.
Initially all five had declined an ambulance to the hospital, but eventually
one of them was taken.
Photo courtesy Ocean
City Fire Dept.
According to an FAA spokesperson, the plane's registration number is N5324B
which is a 1956 Cessna 182 belonging to Plane Jane, Inc.
of Berlin.
2 FIREFIGHTERS INJURED IN WEST O.C. BLAZE
Just before 2 a.m. this past Tuesday, firefighters responded to a house fire
in the 12000 block of South Harbor Road in West Ocean City. Fire had engulfed
a single-story house with a large attached garage. Two firefighters suffered
non-life threatening injuries during the fire.
Shown is a screenshot from incredible video posted on Stephen
Manuel's Facebook. Photos of the
house are on the OCFD
Facebook.
Screenshot courtesy Stephen
Manuel
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REHOBOTH BEACH MUSEUM PAYS TRIBUTE TO BLACKMAN
Cheryl Blackman, one of those people who made Rehoboth, Rehoboth,
will be recognized in July with an exhibition in her honor at the Rehoboth
Beach Museum. Here she was on the boardwalk during her 50th birthday.
Blackman was known for her colorful costumes and active fundraising efforts
along Rehoboth Avenue and the boardwalk. Please see the Rehoboth
Beach Museum website for info.
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COASTAL MOMENTS ON DISPLAY AT THE PINES
It's hard to believe that Jim Kemp has only been painting since he retired
a couple of years ago. His latest exhibition, "Coastal Moments,"
which consists mostly of his landscapes and some figurative work, is featured
this summer in the main dining room of The
Pines Rehoboth Beach.
Kemp is a daily painter who is drawn to local scenes throughout the coastal
Delaware area, including the beautiful beaches, marshlands and state parks
where there are lots of opportunities to capture sunrises and sunsets. "When
people see my work I want it to feel familiar to them or to be a place they
would want to visit if it isn't," he explains.
He hopes those visiting The Pines for their full farm-to-table
menu and crafty cocktails will feel more at home when surrounded by his 17
paintings of local area scenes and moments currently on display.
Kemp paints primarily in his home studio but started to experiment with painting
en plein air over the past several months, primarily for quick studies to
support his studio work.
Kemp is an old-fashioned brush oil painter who sometimes uses a palette
knife to create more drama or texture in his work. He paints with oil because
he likes the creaminess and the ability to work with it for a longer period
of time before drying. He builds his painting starting with thin layers first
and then adds slightly thicker layers to reduce muddiness but to also provide
more depth in his work.
Although he has no formal training, Kemp says he took a few courses over
the past two years at the Rehoboth Art League, has studied numerous
YouTube art videos and books, and has taken a handful of online painting
courses. He enjoys painting and he does it every day. "Art is a skill,"
he points out, "the more you paint the better you improve your art skills!
Hopefully!"
The main dining room at The Pines
is open daily from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. For more on Kemp, please see his
website.
Photos courtesy Jim Kemp
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PHOTOS OF THE WEEK
Fox near Gordon's Pond by Rick
Tananis...
Paddling in "paradise" by Pond (Savages Ditch in Rehoboth
Bay) by Diane Scobey...
Dark skies over ocean by Rick
Tananis...
OTHER NEWS:
MERR REPORT--- Suzanne Thurman from the MERR
Institute reports that last week her organization investigated the deaths
of two loggerhead sea turtles, one at Broadkill and one at Bennett's Pier.
No cause of death had been determined.
OCBP, EMS, RESUSCITATE 2 THIS PAST WEEK--- Lifeguards and
medics in Ocean City have had good luck this past week resuscitating visitors
who collapsed on the beach in cardiac arrest. Around 12:30 p.m. last Wednesday,
a 46-year-old man was found pulseless off 145th Street where he had been standing
in the ocean with his son and collapsed. An AED
was applied; he regained a pulse and was taken to a hospital. Around noon
on Sunday, a woman in her 60's collapsed in cardiac arrest off 119th Street.
Rescuers performed CPR until she too regained a pulse. She was taken to the
hospital via a helicopter that landed at Northside Park.
MAN FLOWN TO TRAUMA CENTER AFTER FALL FROM SCOOTER IN LEWES---
A man fell from his scooter and struck his head on the curb near the Cape
Henlopen High School on Kings Highway around 3:20 p.m. Sunday. He was
not alert and was flown to a trauma center for treatment.
MAN FOUND DEAD IN AUTO--- A man was found dead in an auto
on Cape Drive-North in Henlopen Landing, west of Lewes, around 7:45
a.m. Sunday. He appeared to have been there for several days. He was pronounced
dead at the scene and the medical examiner is investigating.
DEATH INVESTIGATION AT DEWEY HOTEL--- A 49-year-old man
was found in cardiac arrest around 8:40 p.m. on Sunday at Beach House
Dewey on Dagsworthy Street. First responders attempted CPR but were unsuccessful.
He was pronounced dead at the scene. The medical examiner is investigating.
WOMAN FLOWN TO TRAUMA CENTER AFTER FALL FROM GOLF CART IN WEST O.C.---
A 46-year-old woman fell from a golf cart at Castaways Campground in West
Ocean City around 3:30 p.m. last Friday. She was unconscious and bleeding
from the back of her head when she was flown to a trauma center.
OCEAN CITY'S 9-1-1 CENTER POWER WOES--- Ocean City's 9-1-1
center suffered a couple of power interruptions late Friday and early Saturday
which forced dispatchers to rely on pen and paper. When it started around
11:35 p.m., the dispatchers were left without working computers when the power
returned. They asked officers to curtail unnecessary traffic and pedestrian
stops. The dispatch center lost power a second time around 1:30 a.m.
DELDOT COLLECTING BIKES FOR FOREIGN STUDENT PROGRAM--- The
DelDOT bicycle program in the Rehoboth Beach and Lewes area lends,
repairs and maintains bikes for foreign students. The program is in need of
donated bikes. The program will accept all types of bikes but not smaller
than 24 inch. The program provides a safe and reliable means of transportation
for the students, which in turn supports the local businesses that hire them.
DelDOT can pick up the bikes at your location or you can drop them off at
the bicycle repair garage at the Park and Ride behind the Rehoboth
Fresh Market. The repair garage is staffed on Monday and Friday from
9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and on Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Please email
John Fiori for more info.
REHOBOTH BEACH HOMEOWNERS' ASSOC. CANDIDATE FORUM SET FOR JULY 17---
This year's candidate forum will be before a live audience starting at 10
a.m. on Saturday, July 17, at CAMP Rehoboth. The RBHA
is soliciting questions in advance, which will be presented to the candidates
by David Mariner and Mark Saunders, RBHA president. The forum will be live-streamed
and recorded.
