Sports
Fun
Schaefer pushes for process, wins
Miss Gertrude celebrates a century
Page 44
Page 28
FEBRUARY 3, 2023
THE LOCAL VOICE OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
Volume 20, Issue 5
FREE
Closures won’t come with bridge replacement DelDOT: Route 54 bridge project won’t mean closure, detours By Kerin Magill Staff Reporter The public got its first detailed
Selbyville Public Library expansion plan expands, adds more parking
look at plans to replace the bridge over the Assawoman Bay on Route 54 west of Fenwick Island at an information session this week. Officials from the state Department of Transportation and the consultant for the $40 million project were on hand for the program, held Tuesday, Jan. 31, at the Fenwick Shores hotel in Fenwick Island.
The question on the minds of most attending the workshop was whether the bridge would be closed during the demolition of the current bridge and the construction of a new one. The answer: No — at least not for any extended period. Although traffic will be stopped occasionally during certain parts of the construction, vehicles will be able to access the bridge through-
out the two-year project, officials said. The plan, according to Nick Dean, project manager for DelDOT, is that the bridge will be demolished one half at a time, allowing for traffic to continue across the remaining half while the construction takes place on the new bridge. See BRIDGE page 3
Skating by the sea
By Susan Canfora Staff Reporter Selbyville Public Library officials this week settled on a $440,000 purchase of a house and lot on McCabe Street, behind the library, with the intention of razing the existing brick home there and using the land to build a larger new library than previously planned, to move it farther west and add 15 more parking spaces. About 1,000 square feet will be added to the original layout for a 14,000-square-foot, $13 million structure to be built behind the existing library on South Main Street. Now the cost will be higher, but Library Director Kelly Kline said she won’t have an amount until rebidding and more permitting are done. “The cost is coming up a little bit because we are adding square footage, because of the purchase of the property and volatility in the market. We are doing value engineering to try to bring the cost down,” she said. Construction is expected to begin in June and take one year, setting the See LIBRARY page 2
Special to the Coastal Point • Butch Comegys
A standalone skating rink in Bethany Beach drew children of all ages during last weekend’s Fire & Ice Festival. The money raised at the rink went to the Lord Baltimore Elementary School PTO. For more coverage, turn to page 32.
Gray, Hocker weigh in on current legislative session By Susan Canfora Staff Reporter The bill to legalize recreational marijuana use vetoed by Gov. John Carney last year is being discussed by lawmak-
ers again this year, but even if it passes both the House and Senate, it will likely be vetoed again, state Rep. Ron Gray (R-38th) predicted this week, during a conversation with the Coastal Point about the current legislative session.
Lawmakers are off until the first week in March, when he said the bill will be further discussed. The 2023 session ends June 30. “The marijuana bill is in the form of two bills — House Bill 1 and House
Bill 2. One is to decriminalize marijuana so a person can have 1 ounce or less. House Bill 2 regulates who can grow it, who can sell it. It’s a big bill See SESSION page 4