A potpourri of miscellaneous news SCRIBBLED IN A REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

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STAYING PUT: A reality sign on the original Talleyville branch post office does not signal any intention on the part of the U.S. Postal Service to move out. Spokesman Greg Vandever explained that the building has been sold to a new owner and the sign refers to that transaction. The postal service leases the building to house the carriers who deliver mail in the 19803 postal zip code area in Brandywine Hundred. Customer service was moved from there to a new facility a half mile north on Concord Pike. He said the postal service expects to sign a lease with the new owner, but is "looking at other options" in the event it is not able to cut an acceptable deal.

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BRIDGE PROJECT NOT IN DANGER: Federal regulations protecting the historic Hagley mills do not jeopardize plans to build an expanded Tyler McConnell crossing of the Brandywine nor will they significantly delay it, consultant Bill Hellmann told the project's advisory committee on Sept. 9. He said it may be necessary, after further evaluation, to tear down the existing two-lane bridge and replace it with a new four-lane span instead of eventually proceeding with state-approved plans to build a parallel two-lane bridge. The ultimate decision, he said, hinges primarily on how many supporting piers are considered acceptable in the designated historic district protecting the original Du Pont powder mills.

The group was told by Richard Meyer, an historic review consultant, that the right-of-way of the present span, built in 1952, was gerrymandered out of the district -- evidently, he said, as a matter of convenience. He recommended that the district boundary be redrawn to provide a more accurate definition of the area. The only way that would preclude improving the flow of traffic along the Route 141 corridor would be if there were a feasible alternative to the present crossing site, Hellmann said. Considering the historic and cultural assets of the entire Brandywine Valley between Wilmington and the Pennsylvania line, there are none. Additional cost of building a new four-lane bridge will not be a factor in the decision, he said.

Meanwhile, improvement work on the Barley Mill Road approach to the bridge and its intersection with Montchanin Road will proceed according to schedule, with bids likely to be sought by the end of the year and construction beginning in the spring of 2003.

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RAISES APPROVED: Teachers in the Brandywine School District have received a 3.75% increase in the local portion of their pay for this academic year and will get a 4% raise next year under terms of contract amendments ratified on Sept. 9 by the school board. When coupled with the 2% raise granted all state employees this fiscal year, the current raise nets out to about 2.6% for teachers making the district's $50,000-a-year average. The state pays about two-thirds of a teacher's salary. Brandywine will augment pay for its newest teachers by $500 and provide $1,000 to any teacher seeking the prestigious National Board certification.

Board vice president Nancy Doorey remarked that the increases "still do not put us where we need to be" in terms of competitive parity with districts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. She noted that a survey of district residents last year showed overwhelming support for salaries necessary "to attract the best and brightest teachers." The board approved the contract changes without dissent after a brief discussion which included minimal details about the agreement. A member said later that the panel had been fully briefed in closed-door executive session. A 'press release' issued after the vote publicly disclosed for the first time the apparent major terms. Salaries and benefits are by far the largest items in the district's local budget.

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DATES OF INFAMY: September 11 has joined the list of dates significant in American history because they galvanized the nation's population and brought forth a groundswell of patriotic emotion. Do you know what it was said always would be remembered about  these seven other memorable dates?

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NEW COMMUNITY PLANNED: A spokesman for Brandywine Town Center confirmed reports, first published by Delaforum, that the commercial complex may get new neighbors. He said an entity known as The 202 Group has signed a letter of intent to purchase the large parcel on the north side of Naamans Road between Shipley and Grubb Roads. The Council of Civic Organizations of Brandywine Hundred has scheduled a discussion of the proposal for its general meeting on Sept. 12. The council's newsletter said a community of 100 upscale single-family houses is planned for the tract. William Rhodunda, 202 Group's lawyer, could not be reached for comment.

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If modern medicine is responsible for such great advances to prolong life, why do doctors insist on being paid before you leave their offices?

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DelDOT STUDYING REFLECTORS: There are several locations at which various types of in-ground highway reflectors are being tested, but Delaware Department of Transportation spokesman Michael Williams said recent mild winters with very little snow have not allowed for gathering conclusive data about their durability. Delawareans, he said, have become accustomed to down-to-the-pavement snow plowing. "As long as we run the plow blades flat to pavement it will always be a conflict," he said. The reflectors, which define highway lanes have been used for several years in other jurisdictions, and significantly increase visibility at night and during inclement weather other than snowstorms.

In response to another safety-related inquiry from Delaforum, Mike Angelo, an assistant director in the transportation solutions division, said DelDOT prefers the steel guardrails it uses to flexible mesh highway barriers. A recent article posted in the Pulse section related that South Carolina officials credit use of the latter on its Interstate highways with saving 100 lives. Angelo said that the rope barrier, similar to arrester barriers on aircraft carriers, looses its tension and effectiveness after it has been hit. Steel, on the other hand, continues to perform well after impact, he said. Its effectiveness also is not dependent on height of the barrier and offers less stringent requirements for proper installation.

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HOW DO THEY DO THAT?: The Arden Club kept its streak alive by once again bested Jupiter Pluvius. Its 95th annual fair was held on Aug. 31 in an oasis of brilliant sunshine in the midst of a rainy holiday weekend. Not until late afternoon did threatening clouds appear and drizzle did not begin until 6:02 p.m., two minutes after the official close of the all-day event. As far as anyone now involved knows, the end-of-summer event has only had to defer to its rain date once -- in the early 1970s.  ":It probably rained some other times before that, but we're not sure," spokesman Aaron Hamburger said. "We all agree, though, that we certainly lucked out this time."

What's more, he said, this year's crowd, estimated at 8,200 people came close to the 1999 record of 8,700 and early tabulations showed the likelihood that proceeds, which benefit year-around club activities, set a new record. Most of the crafts and antiques exhibitors reported brisk sales and food vendors began running short by the end of the day, he added. "We drank more beer this year than ever," he said. The fair, however, ended on a poignant note. The usual Sunday morning cleanup was completed, in the rain, by noon. Then many of the volunteers attended a community memorial service for Dan Conner, who grew up in Arden and moved back nine years ago during his 21-year battle with cancer. He died on Aug. 22 at age 43.

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MONORAIL STUDY: Consultants studying the feasibility of an automated guideway transit system in northern New Castle County will focus on a route between Glasgow and the Blue Ball area in southern Brandywine Hundred by way of Bear, the Christiana Mall and hospital complex, the airport and downtown Wilmington. Randy Richardson, of Lea & Elliott, said that route provides the best combination of population and employer locations. Representative David Ennis, who has been advocating a route linking Fox Point with the Fairplay commuter station at Delaware Park, said he agrees with the choice as as a basic starting point.

Comparing existing and planned systems in North America, Alan Brick-Turin told a Wilmington Area Planning Council steering committee meeting on Aug. 28 that capital costs range between $52 million a mile in Vancouver, B.C. -- which has the only system comparable in length to what is being studied here -- to $111 million a mile in Jacksonville, Fla. By way of comparison, Delaware Department of Transportation has pegged the cost of building the Route 1 freeway at between $38 million and $40 million. Rider surveys have found that a large percentage of those who use light-rail or 'people mover' systems had seldom used mass transit before, he said.

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The attorney general's office has ruled that the Joint School Boards of New Castle County is a public body and ordered it to open its meetings to the public.

Acting on a Freedom of Information Act complaint filed by Delaforum in January, 2001, Michael Tupman, deputy attorney general, declared that Deborah Rodenhouser, administrative assistant in the Christina School District, was wrong when she denied access to information concerning what Wilmington Mayor James Baker and Theodore Blunt, City Council president, had to say about the city's then pending position on compliance with the Neighborhood Schools Act. Although that point has long since been rendered moot, Tupman ordered participating school boards to post notices in advance of future meetings and keep records about what transpires at them.

The Joint School Boards is an ad-hoc organization of school board members and administrators from all districts in New Castle County which meets for breakfast once a month. Rodenhouser maintained that it was not required to do so in public view, but Tupman ruled that Ddlaforum was correct on all six points raised in objection to that. Specifically, he wrote, the meetings involve public officials engaged in the public's business and doing so at public expense. At one point in his 14-page opinion, dated Aug. 19, he refers to a general practice of school officials meeting with state legislators to discuss issues issues and pending legislation of interest to them and indicated that that cannot be done legally behind closed doors.

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COPING WITH GROWTH: Wilmington Area Planning Council recommends that the Centreville area seek some form of official recognition as an "unique area" in order to manage future growth. Unless modified, the current county zoning process will, at best, result in development of about half the 4,588 acres of open space around the Kennett Pike village, according to a recently released final report of a study by land-use and transportation consultants. That would add between 1,200 and 1,800 "dwelling units" to the 1,000 now in the 14-square-mile area between Greenville and the Pennsylvania state line. The report largely reflects much of the sentiment Centrevillans expressed during information-gathering sessions last year.

New Castle County "decision makers" should be pressed to establish definite borders for Centreville itself and enact 'defined-village' ordinances regulating development. One approach would be to permit trading commitments to preserve open space in the countryside in return for more concentrated development within the village. Otherwise, the report warns, it will "change in a way which diminishes its historic character." Like other unincorporated areas, Centreville "is faced with the complex challenge of trying to balance the charm of the past with the forces of modern development and transportation," the report declares. It goes on to say, however, that "the costs and complexities of incorporation currently outweigh the benefits."