Coastal Point • Laura Walter: For his years of service to Selbyville, retiring Town Administrator Bob Dickerson (center) received a tribute from the Delaware House of Representatives, including state Rep. Ron Gray, left, and state Rep. Rich Collins, right.For perhaps the first time since 2008, Robert “Bob” Dickerson sat in the audience of a Selbyville Town Council meeting. The newly retired town administrator still got to speak on July 6, though, as he accepted a tribute from the Delaware House of Representatives.
State Reps. Ron Gray (R-38th) and Rich Collins (R-41th) shook his hand and spoke of the support Dickerson has given over the years.
“I appreciate your service,” Collins said. “To my mind, this is a very well-run town, and you were a big part of that.”
The certificate honored “this outstanding individual for his many years of dedicated service to the Town of Selbyville.”
“We’re gonna miss him bad,” Mayor Clifton Murray said.
“It’s been a pleasure,” Dickerson said.
Meanwhile, residents and council welcomed Mike Deal as the new town administrator. Selbyville has received 13 applications to fill Deal’s former position of code enforcement officer.
The town council had a full house at this particular meeting, although no controversial items were listed on the agenda.
“It’s good to see this many people. I’m wondering what we’ve done,” joked Murray, “or haven’t done.”
Some new residents came just to observe and learn more about the town. One Route 54 resident from Mallard Lakes asked if she was a town resident, since she has a 19975 ZIP code. No, the council said. Although the Selbyville ZIP code covers an area that spans nearly to the beach, she still lives outside of town limits.
• Christmas carols have been on Dennis Shipley’s mind lately. The Ruth Street resident complained about the volume of an ice cream truck’s music, which includes everything from Christmas carols to “La Cucaracha” on regular rotation. From his dining room, with the air conditioning on, Shipley said, he can still hear the truck three blocks away from his house.
Meanwhile, he said he understood that local church bells had been silenced due to a noise complaint.
“I can hear him from the next street over,” Shipley said of the truck. “How come I gotta listen to that, and I can’t listen to church bells?”
The council and other attendees recalled that the church had simply lowered the decibels after a complaint, but later stopped the bells on their own.
The ice cream truck has a business license, said Town secretary/treasurer Deborah McCabe. Councilman Clarence “Bud” Tingle Jr. suggested the Town ask the truck’s operator to turn down the music.
• The Town’s 2014 Annual Drinking Water Report was recently published. “During 2014 we conducted tests for over 80 contaminants. We detected seven of those contaminants,” but none violated the Safe Water Drinking Act, the report said.
• In one more month, designs for the new water treatment towers should be completed. When the grant-funded project is complete, Selbyville will have five fully working wells.
• The council approved a 2015 maintenance contract for Town wells. For $2,100, A.C. Schultes Company will inspect two town wells this year. All five wells will be put on a rotating maintenance schedule, with extensive reports to be made. The Town previously hired Schultes for maintenance, but “just got away from it” in recent years, said Councilman Rick Duncan. The lack of maintenance has led to problems, Tingle noted.
• The Selbyville Public Library has already served about 75 free meals to children this summer. Anyone 18 or younger can eat free lunches at the library as needed, no questions asked.
Meanwhile, attendance at the Summer Reading Program has doubled from last year, reported library Director Kelly Kline.
• “Old Timer’s Day went well,” Murray said of the 58th annual June festival, hosted for the first time by the Bethany-Fenwick Area chamber of Commerce. “I think they did a great job.”
• Odors coming from Mountaire poultry processing plant have gotten stronger as the weather heats up, reported Duncan. The company has a few more ideas to try to minimize it, said Jay Griffith, Mountaire’s director of operations.
• New road signs were hung at the three iterations of Dukes Street, to reduce confusion for mail delivery. Residents and the post office should be notified soon, officials said.
The next regular Selbyville Town Council meeting is Monday, Aug. 3, at 7 p.m.