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JANUARY 24, 2025
Bethany to float funding for new water clarifier
THE LOCAL VOICE OF YOUR COMMUNITY.
Volume 22, Issue 4
FREE
Kids being kids
By Susan Canfora Staff Reporter By unanimous vote, the Bethany Beach Town Council this week passed a resolution to announce the Town’s desire to borrow funds for a new clarifier for the water treatment plant. They will hold a public hearing to hear comment about that resolution at 1 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 17. After the public hearing, there will be a second resolution offered, to determine whether there will be a special election held on the funding, in April or May. Town Manager Cliff Graviet, at the Friday, Jan. 17, town council meeting, said the new clarifier will cost $3.9 million, paid over 20 years. A clarifier, he explained, is a significant part of the Town’s water treatment process. Bethany Beach has deep aquafers that are not subject to the infiltration of chemicals, as some others are, but the water contains natural minerals, including iron, “in extraordinary quantities,” he said. “So, we have to treat the iron, then let the iron settle, then pump the clear water into our system, and pump it into our storage areas and deliver it to our homes. Removal of the iron is done by a clarifier,” he said, describing the current clarifier — 56 feet wide and contained in a concrete circle — as more than 30 years old and in need of replacement. Town officials investigated various systems to remove iron and decided it will be best to place two 40-foot clarifiers in the same footprint. The new clarifiers will be closed and protected.
Praise for town crews during snow Councilman Mickey Hinman credited the Town’s Public Works Department for “the outstanding job See BETHANY COUNCIL page 4
Special to the Coastal Point • Maryfrances Berger
Children play on the beach and in the surf of the Atlantic Ocean during a chilly visit to the shore.
Frankford greenlights first phase of Vines Creek Crossing By Kerin Magill Staff Reporter The Frankford Town Council this week gave the green light to the first phase of the Vines Creek Crossing development, slated to be constructed on the south side of the town. At its Tuesday, Jan. 21, meeting, the council unanimously approved plans for 110 homes to be constructed off Pepper Road, following the recommendation of the town’s Planning & Zoning Commission. The entire project will include 584 homes on 153 acres formerly known as the Cress-Parsons farm. Developers hope to begin construction in the spring. The first phase of the project will be built on approximately 45 acres, according to engineer Jame Sechler of Davis,
Bowen & Friedel, Appearing in support of the project at the meeting on Tuesday were Sechler, developer Robert Horsey of Double H Construction in Laurel and attorney David Hutt of Morris James in Georgetown. Frankford’s engineering consultant, Kyle Gulbronson of AECOM, told the council at the Jan. 21 meeting that the developer had met all necessary requirements from state agencies. Town Manager Sheldon Hudson said Gulbronson had submitted letters attesting to the plans’ adherence with Frankford’s Comprehensive Plan and with land development regulations. Hudson said both he and Gulbronson had reviewed the plans and had given them an “unequivocal green light.”
“They’re compliant with all town regulations and codes,” he said. “I’m completely comfortable recommending approval tonight,” Hudson said. “The Comprehensive Plan talks about everything… your future vision for the town, how you want it to grow, where you want it to grow,” Hudson said. Each of the council members gave essentially the same answer as to the justification for their approval, echoing Treasurer John Wright, who said that the plans meet all planning and zoning requirements and will be a “welcome addition to the town.” The property was annexed into the town in 2022. Sechler said Lennar Homes will hold a ribbon-cutting when See VINES CREEK page 6