Memos at Random


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

Congressman Michael Castle said he is seeking $150,000 in federal money to begin a long-term project to develop a recreation area along the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal.

Standing on the banks of the waterway on May 7, he acknowledged that, with an initiative of that magnitude, "the good days are the one when you make the announcement and the one when you cut the ribbon." In between, he said, there has to be a lot of hard work by many people. He didn't speculate on how long 'in between' will take or eventually cost, but said the result will be worth it. He described the canal as "an untapped recreational and educational resource." If Congress approves, the money will go to finance a study by the Army Corps of Engineers in hopes of bearing that out.

"It is a wonderful idea that should have been thought of long ago," said New Castle County Executive Tom Gordon, who pledged county participation. Lt. Col. Thomas Chapman, who heads the Corps' mid-Atlantic region, said it is "not just a dream -- it can become a reality." Opened in 1829 as a privately-owned nautical tollway, the canal now is a free 35 feet-deep, 14 mile-long channel across Delaware and Eastern Shore Maryland for nearly 1,000 commercial ships a year and scads of 'weekend navy' boats. Delawareans have long divided themselves between those living 'above' and those 'below' the canal.

When Oskar Herbe sailed up the Delaware River, he realized he was following in the wake of countrymen who made history by making the same passage 366 years ago.

Herbe, who calls Kalmar, Sweden, his hometown, said he had "heard about" the linkage between that place and Wilmington, Delaware, the starting point for New Sweden, the short-lived and only Scandinavian settlement in colonial America. The 20-year-old corporal is completing his year of mandatory military service aboard H.Sw.M.S. Calskrona, which docked on May 7 at the mouth of the Christina River, a mile and a half from 'the Rocks', where, local tradition holds, the original settlers first set foot on land after a harrowing voyage aboard the Kalmar Nyckel.

The Calskrona, a mine-layer which, at 3,600 tons, is the largest ship in the Swedish navy, is making a four-day goodwill visit on the second-to-last leg of its annual training voyage. Cmdr. Per Ståhl, her veteran skipper, said he selected Wilmington as her U.S. East Coast port-of-call at the behest of Lt. Cmdr. Thomas Edén, navigation officer, who was here for the 1988 anniversary celebration. Although security-conscious Port of Wilmington won't allow locals to visit the vessel, the 170 officers, national-service conscripts and midshipmen who make up her crew have a crowded itinerary of being hosted ashore.

While dutifully professing how pleased they were to visit here, the young men and women beamed when reminded they were less than a month away from reaching home after three months at sea. They get back just in time for Midsommardagen, the Swedish equivalent of New Year's Eve, Mardi Gras and Fourth of July rolled into one.

PASSIVE PREFERRED: Eighty-six percent of the 881 residents surveyed said they want Jester Park developed for 'passive recreation', according to the ad hoc Jester County Park Action Committee. Twelve percent want it to be 'active' and the rest offered no opinion. The survey was a sampling of opinion in a 2 square mile area around the site on Grubb Road near Naamans Road. According to the group's report, many residents of Chalfonte, which abuts the now-undeveloped and -unopened park, want it fenced to block access from their community and from Hanby Middle School.

Their election is still six months away, but already the six new County Council members are getting action on some issues which have been around for just over a quarter century.

Council's digs on the eighth floor of the Redding building not only be enlarged to provide them with office space, it will be completely refurbished. Plans now being developed call for new carpeting, a new ceiling and, most important as far as Council's staff is concerned, a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system. Clerk of Council Betsy Gardner told Council's executive committee on May 4 that that should take care of long-standing concerns over air quality and provide room-by-room control over temperatures in the warren. As much of the work as possible will be done during Council's August recess.

Along with taking care of their physical well-being, the sextet and their aides will be mentally conditioned by a detailed orientation the day they arrive, which quirky state law said happens the day after the election. In the past, taking office has been tantamount to being tossed into the deep end of the pool and told to swim or sink. That makes sense, said Councilman Robert Woods, since "they're expected to be ready to vote on things right away." President Christopher Coons said that, with the overhaul, "we'll finally be able to get rid of all the residue that has accumulated around here over the past 25 years."

WHAT'S IN A NAME?: Red Lion Hunt is about to become Red Lion Chase. Why did homebuilder Toll Brothers take the trouble to go through the county's regulatory labyrinth to accomplish that? Simple, the firm's lawyer, John Tracy, told Council's land use committee: Marketers reason that prospective purchasers are more likely to be attracted by the new name. After all, he explained, a chase is more genteel and less violent than a hunt. Try telling a red fox -- or even a red lion, if you can find one -- who has been on the receiving end of both that there's really a clear distinction.

Bruce Harter said he did not make a strong effort to land a job as superintendent of a school district in northern Colorado.

"From time to time, I'm invited to apply, invited to interview for, or am nominated for another superintendent position. I've been declining these since I've come to Brandywine," he told Delaforum. According to a 'press release' issued by the Poudre School District in Fort Collins, Harter was one of four finalists for the position after a nationwide search which resulted in 92 applicants. Fort Collins is a city of 130,000 and the location of the main campus of Colorado State University. The public school district there serves 24,500 children -- more than twice as many as Brandywine -- in 44 schools.

Harter acknowledged that the superintendency "had some appeal since one of my sisters lives in Colorado," but said he "decided not to continue with the process ... once I had been offered an interview." He disputed a statement in the 'release' which attributed his withdrawal to a schedule conflict which prevented him from participating in two days of interviews leading to a final selection. That explanation was "taken out of a longer conversation I had with the board president and [did not] represent why I withdrew," Harter said. (CLICK HERE to read previous Delaforum article.)

SPARE CHANGE: Discretionary use of contingency funds to meet out-of-the-ordinary expenses is a normal business practice, Ronald Morris, the county's chief financial officer, told County Council's finance committee. In government, it enables executives and managers to satisfy obligations directly "instead of going through the process of spending a month coming back for a budget adjustment," he said. In the case of New Castle County, several such funds, when combined, "add up to only eight-tenths of one percent of the budget," he said. "You're talking nickels and dimes."

The issue, which was raised at a budget hearing on May 3, came to the fore in light of County Executive Tom Gordon having used some of his contingency money to pay for outside attorneys to represent county employees. Council president Christopher Coons, without referring specifically to that, asked Morris if he thought Council should have an advance say in authorizing such spending. "That depends on what you feel is appropriate discretion for the executive to have," Morris replied. Monthly reports to Council, he added, are intended to keep Council fully apprised.

CORRECTION: New Castle County Council did not approve passing through $310,040 of state money to convert the large county-owned lot at Naamans and Marsh road into a three-diamond baseball complex for exclusive use by Brandywine Little League. Delaforum previously reported that it did. The erroneous article was based on discussion at a meeting of Council's finance committee. When the measure came before Council at its Apr. 27 session, however, Councilman William Tansey, its sponsor, tabled it for further consideration after some of his colleagues objected to its exclusiveness.

PLANS REVISED: Astra Zeneca is seeking county approval to change its plan for completing the expansion of its corporate headquarters and research complex. An extensive set of documents filed with the Department of Land Use call for shifting the allocation of space among yet-to-be-constructed office buildings and reconfiguring them. A visitors center would be located at the complex's Concord Pike gate and an internal access road built to connect with the former Rollins Building property which Astra Zeneca has annexed to its complex

Arnie Caine, a company official, said the plan was submitted at this time mainly to secure authorization to build a parking garage. He said there is no timetable for beginning work on the next phase of the expansion adding that the initial target date for completion, 2007, has obviously been pushed back. The revised plan covers a total of 28 structures, most of which are already standing, with about 3 million square feet under roof on the 150-acre property, the southern half of which is owned by and leased from the state.

ONE OF OURS: When Google, a Delaware corporation, goes public, people will be watching not only on Wall Street but also in Dover. Investors are hoping the widely publicized move signals a comeback in the dot.com ranks. The corporation department has fingers crossed that this stock sale will inspire other large initial public offerings. With a drought of them in recent years, Delaware franchising has taken a hit. An average of 40 to 50 a year -- about half of them chartered here -- is a far cry from 400 to 500 in the 1990s. Google itself will contribute $100,500 in franchise tax, the ceiling for large companies.

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.