Home Care In Millsboro, DE

Harbor Freight Tools announced on Tuesday, Oct. 24, that it will be opening a new store in Millsboro. The new store will be located at 28632 Dupont Boulevard and is expected to open this winter. An official opening date will be announced closer to opening, representatives said.

Construction has already begun at the location, using local workers and companies from the surrounding Millsboro area, they noted.

“We’ve been looking to open a location in Millsboro for a number of years so that we can provide the tools and equipment at tremendous values to the community,” said Trey Feiler, senior vice president for Real Estate & Construction for Harbor Freight Tools. “In addition to finding a great location, we were attracted by the availability of great associates in the Millsboro area, and we look forward to having them join the Harbor Freight team.”

The store is expected to bring between 25 and 30 new jobs to the community, including sales and logistic supervisors, senior associates, sales associates and seasonal opportunities as well. Harbor Freight Tools offers a competitive starting rate, they said, “along with a best-in-class retail benefits package that includes robust health coverage, and Thanksgiving and Christmas off.”

“Harbor Freight provides stability and the opportunity to advance in a company that continues to grow, with over 28,000 associates and more than 1,400 locations nationwide. Harbor Freight recognizes that its people are key to its success and is committed to being the best place to work in any industry. The company was recently certified as a Great Place to Work and by Fortune as one of the best places to work in retail. It has also been recognized three years in a row by Forbes as one of the 20 best large companies to work for in retail and one of the nation’s Best Employers for Veterans. Forbes has also recognized Harbor Freight as one of 20 best large companies for women to work for in retail, and one of the best large companies for diversity.

The company has also been recognized for the past two years as one of the country’s top employers in terms of diversity and inclusion by DiversityJobs.com, by Fortune as One of America’s Most Innovative Companies and by Newsweek magazine as One of America’s Most Trustworthy Companies.

Interested applicants can apply online at www.harborfreightjobs.com/retail and search “Millsboro, DE.”

The family-owned company started in Southern California in 1977, when 17-year-old Eric Smidt began transforming his father’s small phone sales business into a mail order company, bypassing resellers, dealing directly with factories, and passing the savings on to the customer. The company opened its first store in 1980. Today Harbor Freight Tools has more than 75 million customers. The company this year will introduce more than 800 new tools and accessories. Harbor Freight Tools is one of the nation’s fastest growing retailers, opening two new stores every week.

Planet Fitness Millsboro (28595 DuPont Boulevard, #5, Millsboro) will host a Construction Preview on Saturday, Dec. 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Community members are being invited to this outdoor event to get a first look at the 17,315-square-foot club which is expected to open in mid-December.

In addition to previewing the facility, the first 50 guests to visit the Planet Fitness booth will receive a $25 gift card to Wawa. Visitors can enjoy complimentary refreshments and snacks, and enter to win a Planet Fitness gift bundle, which includes a free year of the PF Black Card Membership, 40-ounce stainless steel mug, sweat towel, combo lock and more.

“We want to extend a warm welcome to everyone in the Millsboro community to join us for an exclusive sneak peek at this brand-new facility and experience Planet Fitness’ Judgement Free atmosphere,” said Christine Smith, chief marketing officer at National Fitness Partners, a Planet Fitness franchise division. “We are so excited to be a part of the Millsboro community and provide everyone with a non-intimidating, affordable, high-quality fitness experience.”

Those in attendance will have the opportunity to sign up for Planet Fitness Black Card membership at special discounted rates. They can either join with no commitment for $1 down, $10 per month for the Classic Card membership, or join with no commitment for $1 down, then $19.99 per month for the PF Black Card membership. (This deal expires on Dec. 16.)

The PF Black Card membership provides members the ability to bring a guest every day at no additional charge, access to all 2,400-plus Planet Fitness locations in all 50 states and access to the PF Black Card Spa area, among other benefits.

In addition to state-of-the-art cardio machines and strength equipment, a 30-Minute Express Circuit, fully equipped locker rooms and numerous flat-screen televisions, Planet Fitness Millsboro will offer a PF Black Card Spa area with HydroMassage beds, tanning, CryoLounge and a RelaxSpace Wellness Pod. Black Card members can select between a variety of videos, scents and even temperatures while learning more about diet, nutrition, breathing and the benefits of exercise. The Wellness Pod tracks heart rates, and encourages members to use breathing and meditation exercises to reduce anxiety levels, disconnect and recharge with a unique, multi-sensory experience.

The Millsboro club will be Planet Fitness’ 10^th club in Delaware. Its portfolio includes clubs in Milford, Dover, Seaford and Middletown.

For more details about Planet Fitness Millsboro, visit https://www.planetfitness.com/gyms/millsboro-de, or call (302) 551-2437. For more information or to join online, visit www.PlanetFitness.com or follow them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PlanetFitness), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/planetfitness) and TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@planetfitness).

Founded in 1992 in Dover, N.H., Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the world by number of members and locations. As of Sept. 30, Planet Fitness had more than 18.5 million members and 2,498 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico and Australia. The company’s mission is “to enhance people’s lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment,” which they call “the Judgement Free Zone.” More than 90 percent of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent businessmen and businesswomen.

Drivers in the Millsboro area can expect two detours while the new Millsboro Bypass and bridge are being built at Hollyville and Robinsonville roads.

Hollyville Road at Route 24 will be closed sometime during current construction, DelDOT engineer George Pierce told the Coastal Point this week, saying it will probably be around the first of the year, and drivers will be detoured around it. Robinsonville Road is more likely to be off limits as the project nears completion.

“We are working that out. We have to convert the Route 24 intersection near Robinsonville Road, so that detour will be at the end. The project really won’t be too impactful, except for the residents on those roads, but everyone will be able to get in and out,” Pierce said.

The project includes a two-lane connector road between Routes 113 and 24 north of Millsboro. The new alignment will extend east and bridge over Fox Run Road, the Norfolk Southern Railroad, the Millsboro Pond and Gravel Hill Road. The new road will connect to Route 24 west of Mountaire Farms. There will be one artery for traffic traveling in each direction on the 2.8-mile bypass and a 45-mph speed limit.

Known as a cloverleaf, the overpass will have two loops, one in the northeast quadrant and one in southwest quadrant. It is being built to accommodate traffic for the next 20 to 30 years. There are two contracts for the work, a $99 million contract for the bypass and $40 million contract for grade-separated intersections, or the overpass, according to Mark Whiteside, project engineer and manager for the Delaware Department of Transportation Project Development South.

Biking and walking paths will extend the entire length of the bypass, separated from the roadway by grass buffers.

“The impacts won’t necessarily be bad. Our department does acknowledge the amount of traffic congestion in Millsboro now, and it’s only getting worse. We all can see that. The Millsboro Bypass will help mitigate that congestion, and we will do everything we can do expedite construction,” Whiteside said.

“The only way to get on Route 24 now is through Millsboro. We want to lighten congestion, especially during peak hours. One thing really causing congestion is trucks. The quality of traffic flow is very poor in that area. We are building this for safety and to alleviate that congestion. We hope the trucks will use it,” he said.

Signage will direct trucks to the bypass, instead of through downtown Millsboro, with its quaint shops and restaurants.

R.E. Pierson Construction Co., based in Pilesgrove, N.J., and with satellite offices in Sussex County, will be the contractor for the dual alignment of the bypass. The other contract will be bid upon.

The project is expected to be completed by Memorial Day of 2025, likely with a ceremony.

“Oh, yes. There will be a ribboncutting. I’m sure everyone will be out there, clapping and patting each other on the back,” Pierce said.

A public information session, to explain detours, lane shifts and delays during construction, will be planned for this fall.

DelDOT officials started talking about a bypass about 20 years ago, when they were working on the Route 113 North-South study, Whiteside noted.

“For a project this big, and considering the environmental impacts, there is a chance for it to be prolonged because you need the environmental document approved. There is a lot of public input, coordination, that needs to be considered,” he said.

State officials also had to obtain rights-of-way for about 47 parcels that will be impacted by construction. That is still being done, but enough of them have been obtained to begin, he said.

DelDOT pays property owners fair market value for their land and works with a real estate team. Whiteside said DelDOT will pay about $15 million for rights-of-way.

Construction will be funded by the federal government and state through FY25, with the majority, or 80 percent, being paid by the federal government.

In March, Gov. John Carney was among dignitaries who gathered on Fox Run Road in Millsboro to mark the beginning of work on the new, $139 million Millsboro bypass and remembered it being talked about 30 years ago.

“So this has been a long time coming,” the governor said, noticing hundreds of trees that had been cut down and were piled in the field where he stood. The governor, a proponent of the Tree for Every Delawarean Initiative, in partnership with the Urban and Community Forestry programs, asked, “Are we going to replace them?”

Secretary of Transportation Nicole Majeski nodded and told Carney, “Rest assured all the trees we have had to take out, we will replace them. We are committed to replacing them,” as the governor nodded his approval. This week, Pierce also said they will all be replanted.

Joining Carney for the groundbreaking in the spring were dignitaries including Sen. Tom Carper, Sen. Gerald Hocker, Sen. Brian Pettyjohn, Representative Ruth Briggs King and Representative Rich Collins.

“We think alike especially with projects like this,” Carper said, talking about the importance of improving infrastructure locally, statewide and nationwide and saying the bypass will save lives.

“Us. The people in our families. Kids. Wives. Husbands. It’s pretty hard to put a price but it’s going to keep us safer,” Carper said.

Briggs King said she “can feel the pain” of drivers frustrated as they are stopped in long lines of traffic in Millsboro.

“It’s been a long process, many public meetings. I thank all the people from DelDOT for listening. Thank you for funding and thank you for the support,” she said.

Longtime Millsboro Town Council members Larry Gum and Mayor Faye Lingo were both voted out of office in the Saturday, June 10, election, defeated by challengers Marty Presley and Matthew Davis.

In the contest to represent District 3, Davis defeated Lingo by a 375-to-147 vote. In the Town’s at-large district, Presley received 380 votes, to Gum’s 135. Both Davis and Presley will begin three-year terms on the council next month.

Councilman Ron O’Neal, who ran unopposed, received 348 votes, with 304 by machine and 44 by absentee ballot, and will continue representing District 2 for another three-year term.

For the first time, the Town offered the option of absentee voting, which proved popular. O’Neal received 44 votes by absentee ballot, Davis received 67, Lingo and Gum both got 16, and Presley had 69.

Davis and Presley will be sworn in at the Monday, July 3, town council meeting.

Saturday evening, shortly after vote totals were posted on the Town’s website and front door of Millsboro Town Hall, Davis — who was driving back to Millsboro from Ocean City, Md., with his wife and three children when reached by the Coastal Point — said he appreciates voters’ support.

“There was a lot of really positive support, and I’m excited for the future of the town. There are a lot of really good things going on,” he said.

He thanked Lingo and Gum for their many years of service and said they have been staples in the community.

Currently a member of the Town’s Board of Adjustment, Davis is vice president of Farmers’ Bank of Willards in Millsboro. He said residents on his street in Plantation Lakes are going to gather and celebrate his victory.

Previously, he had said the reason he filed to run for election wasn’t because he’s concerned or upset about anything the current council is doing, but because the town is growing rapidly and council members represent thousands more people than they once did, “and a lot of people are depending on their council to make the right decision.”

“We have an awesome town here, and it’s a growing location. I see it in everybody, through the bank, dealing with customers who come in. I really believe the town has a great future. I want to be part of it,” he said.

Presley, a certified financial planner and father of five who formerly served on the Frankford Town Council before moving to Millsboro, praised Lingo and Gum for their service and said his and Davis’ victory was “representative of what the vast majority of residents felt.”

“They wanted to get new eyes on things and have a different outlook. I think Matt and I listened to what residents were saying and what residents want,” he said.

During his campaign, Presley listed two of his concerns: “rapid growth of the town and the Town’s lack of outreach and transparency to the residents.”

“Growth is integral to any town, but there needs to be a balance with the quality of life of the existing residents. The residents’ concerns should be the priority and the reason why we have an elected council to start with,” Presley said.

He was also concerned about transparency and citizen engagement, which he called “an issue for too long.”

“It is the main concern for many residents of Millsboro. If you look at turnout for town elections, it is unacceptable, and often we have no candidates for the open seats. Even when we do have contested seats, getting 200 votes is considered a big turnout. Canceling elections because the incumbents are unopposed is not healthy for any town, and having the same officials preside over any town for decades can only lead to problems.

“I believe a big part of this is the lack of information the town provides the residents,” Presley said.

He said he finds it unacceptable that the Town “does the bare minimum required by the state” and doesn’t effectively use technology, so he wants to see the website improved. Citizens should be able to watch meetings virtually on Zoom or another platform, find more information on social media and have access to recordings of meetings, he said.

“I chose to make Millsboro my hometown over other towns and states. Millsboro is a great town, and I am very proud to be a resident. But we need to preserve our way of life, and make sure the town is inviting and safe for future generations to come. Development pressure will only increase, since God is not building any more land east of Route 113,” said Presley, a lifelong Delmarva resident who has lived in Sussex County 20 years.

When it came time to present the pot, grant the ganja or bestow the bud ? however you want to say it ? the organizers of Delaware's first "Joints for Junk" decided to hand out the promised pre-rolls at the start of the two-hour trash clean up in Millsboro this fall.

While the Delaware Cannabis Advocacy Network has been organizing community events ever since its founding in 2013, this was the first time it was doing one since marijuana was legalized in Delaware eight months ago.

So the nonprofit advocacy group brainstormed a new way to attract volunteers: give out grass. And they didn't even wait until the volunteers put in the work first.

"People preregistered, showed up, signed a waiver and we gave them a joint," says Zoë Patchell, president of Delaware CAN. "And, actually, nobody took the joint and left. It was a really positive, inspiring day."

Once they landed on the catchy event name, they had to find a location for the community service project, eventually landing on Millsboro, the Sussex County town of about 7,000 whose council had just voted to prohibit the sale and manufacturing of marijuana.

"There was significant community support there while we were involved in opposing the vote, so it just seemed like a great place to do it," Patchell says.

So did the cannabis giveaway work? It sure did.

"It was probably one of our best turnouts for a community service project," Patchell says, adding that volunteers didn't light up on site. "There were a number of new people we had never met before, and a few of them even became members."

The event drew more than 50 volunteers over the age of 21 with each getting a pre-rolled joint, which was donated by members of the nonprofit group. (Under new Delaware law, anyone can gift an adult up to an ounce of marijuana.)

More than two dozen bags of trash were collected from the area surrounding the Millsboro Town Center ? the same place where the Town Council voted against marijuana just six days prior at a Nov. 6 public hearing.

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From 10 a.m. to noon, six teams were deployed in florescent yellow vests to pick up any garbage they found using large garbage bags of the same color. While there were no issues reported with their first "Joints for Junk" project, some residents came out from their homes to ask what was happening as they saw the brightly dressed volunteers roaming the neighborhood.

"It was a really positive reception," Patchell says. "We just told them we were here to make Millsboro more green."

Delaware CAN usually hosts two major community cleanups each year and is planning another "Joints for Junk" event this spring. Expect the same setup as in Millsboro: come out to help and receive some reefer for your time.

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So where will the next one be? They haven't locked in a location just yet.

"We just want to show everyone that cannabis consumers care about the community and a lot of the negative stereotypes are simply not true," says Patchell, whose group is now working on expanding expungement, increasing access for medical patients, home cultivation and more. "We care just like everybody else."

Have a story idea? Contact Ryan Cormier of Delaware Online/The News Journal at [email protected] or (302) 324-2863. Follow him on Facebook (@ryancormier) and X (@ryancormier).