Memos at Random


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

Owners of historic properties would be eligible for a tax break worth up to $3,412 over five years if they invest at least $5,000 to restore, rehabilitate or preserve the property.

A revised version of a proposed county ordinance pending since July, 2003, was brought before County Council on Apr. 27 but tabled until at least the next session. If enacted, it will establish a tax-exemption program to encourage private-sector involvement in preventing the loss of irreplaceable historic structure. It applies only to those covered by an historic zoning overlay or listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The investment must go to cover the direct cost of exterior or interior architectural improvements which the Department of Land Use approves as meeting the intent of the ordinance.

The measure, sponsored by Councilwoman Patty Powell, caps the amount of exemptions that can be granted in any fiscal year at $50,000 with applications to be considered in the order in which the department receives them. The grants waive the tax on the first $150,000 of assessed property value and continue annually for up to five years so long as ownership of the property does not change. Properties in municipalities which accept county land-use regulation are eligible for the program. That excludes the cities of Newark and Wilmington.

PLAY BALL: County Council authorized passing through $310,040 of state money to convert the large lot at Naamans and Marsh road into a three-diamond complex for exclusive use by Brandywine Little League. The youth baseball league will maintain the property which remains county-owned. Naamans Little League already has a similar arrangement for its fields in Talleyville and Councilman Robert Weiner said Talleyville Girls Softball League and Concord Soccer League are in line for the Channin and Old Mill Lane schools sites when the deal for the county to acquire them goes through.

COST ESTABLISHED: The county police force has been authorized to spend up to $46.2 million to build it new headquarters. County Council on Apr. 27 added $21.2 million to the initial authorization in the current five-year capital program. Police chief David McAllister said the new building will be a 'state-of-the-art' facility that will "serve well into the future." It also will be the base for the county paramedical services and emergency communications units. The county will borrow money through the sale of bonds to provide the financing.

NO THANKS: Not enough residents of the area agreed to installation of 'traffic-calming' devices along Mount Lebanon Road so Delaware Department of Transportation has scrapped plans for doing so. The 'vote' by 308 participants in the survey was 52% in favor and 48% opposed. The ayes, however, fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to enable the proposed project to go forward. The stretch of the road west of Concord Pike, which runs by residential communities has long been considered hazardous because speeding is a common practice there.

ABOUT TO BECOME A MEMORY: The building in Talleyville which housed the former Concord Pike Library will be torn down to make way for a new and larger sanctuary for the First Unitarian Church. The present one will be converted into a fellowship hall. A subdivision plan filed with the county said the new structure will have the same gross floor area, 18,200 square feet, as the library building. The church acquired the adjacent property from the Wilmington Institute Free Library in an unannounced deal in 2003. The building project is due for completion in 2005.

THEN THERE WAS ONE: The Department of Elections confirmed that it cancelled the Brandywine school board election, scheduled for May 10, after Wayne Emsley, a former district administrator, dropped out of the race. That means the incumbent board president, Nancy Doorey, will begin her second five-year term on July 1. The board will decide later that month whether she will continue as president. This is the forth consecutive year in which there will have been no election in Brandywine. As a result, a majority of the seven-member board will be serving without having received a voter mandate.

Christopher Coons said he will establish a County Service Corps and tighten ties to the city of Wilmington if voters choose him to be the next county executive.

The County Council president used a ritual four-venue candidacy 'announcement' tour on Apr. 19 to tell supporters that he will build on accomplishments of the Gordon administration and gave them a peek at his proposed agenda. The service corps would be modeled on the federal Americorps and, he said, get "young people engaged in giving back to the community" during one-year hitches. He said county and city governments "have a better and closer working relationship than we have had for a long time" and pledged to strengthen that. "I play well with others," he quipped.

The gatherings actually were along the lines of coming-out parties since everyone not recently arrived on the planet has known for several weeks that Coons and Sherry Freebery, the county's administrative officer, are head-to-head into a primary-election battle for the Democratic nomination. Coons trod lightly, saying that he has supported the Gordon administration "when they got things right" and opposed it at other times. Executive Tom Gordon is ineligible for re-election. The closest Coons came to open criticism was saying that the county's fiscal surplus has to be "spent wisely and for an appropriate purpose."

Coons told Delaforum that he will permanently leave W.L. Gore & Associates, for which he is a lawyer, in June with the intention of serving as a full-time executive. The job pays about $110,000 a year. He told the meetings that he will report, by name and corporate affiliation, the identities of everyone who contributes $100 or more to his campaign and will not accept any contributions from persons involved in the development business.

PLANS FOR FORMER DANCE HALL: If the county Board of Adjustment agrees to ease parking space requirements, the long-empty Continental Ballroom on Philadelphia Pike will reopen as a mecca for fantasy-game hobbyists, the Claymont Community Coalition was told. Troy McCauley, of Philadelphia, said he and four partners will operate a combination game-playing establishment, Internet-linked coffee shop and costume outlet in about two-thirds of the building under a lease agreement with real estate entrepreneur Tony Fusco. Proposed opening is set for the end of May.

McCauley said tabletop fantasy 'gaming' has become a popular upscale hobby, appealing primarily to young adults "who have good jobs or teens with generous parents." He estimates having spent up to $15,000 on miniature action figures and other paraphernalia during the past four years. Although fights among patrons were one of the reasons Continental Ballroom failed, Rogues' Den will dote on mortal -- albeit imaginary -- combat. "I assure you they will be interacting peacefully," he said of prospective patrons, adding that there will be "intense adult supervision" on hand in the event not all of them are. (CLICK HERE to get an idea of what it is all about.)

WILLING TO COME: Lauren Segal, project manager for the proposed B.P. liquefied natural gas terminal at Crown Landing, N.J., denied that the company has refused to attend a meeting of the Claymont Community Coalition to discuss the project. Former coalition president George Lossé charged that was the case. I'm sure [it] was no more than a question of logistics," Segal said. "We have said repeatedly that we'd be more than happy to meet with groups seeking information and answer their questions." B.P. officials did attend a coalition meeting a few months ago, she pointed out. (CLICK HERE to read previous Delaforum article.)