Home Care In Selbyville, DE

Three candidates are running for two seats on the Selbyville Town Council, including Carol Cary, who ran unsuccessfully last year and has returned in 2022 as a candidate in the non-partisan election.

The other candidates are longtime incumbents Richard Duncan and Jay Murray. In Selbyville, all candidates run at-large and do not represent districts.

Duncan, 64, has served on the council for 11 two-year terms and said he wants to continue because, as founder 32 years ago of the non-profit Delaware Rural Water Association, he is familiar with water matters in the town of 2,400 residents and is water commissioner on the council.

“I was born and raised in Selbyville, and my job as executive director of the Delaware Rural Water Association helps me oversee water treatment in Selbyville. With all the growth and infrastructure, we have to continue to meet and maintain the infrastructure needs and the funding. There is a lot involved with infrastructure. We have taken pride in what we have built.

“There are new water mains, and we are trying to get our third water tower in the next few years, because there were pressure issues on the east side of town. We have the funding reserved to do that. There are a lot of upgrades. I’d like to do the water plant to make our water — not safer, because it is already safe, but to tweak things. We need grants, and I stay involved with the state and the federal government and all the agencies that provide funding,” he said.

“We want to make sure growth is in the right direction and that infrastructure is being met. It takes time. The water tank that we got took three or four years because you have to go through engineering and planning,” he said.

Duncan and his wife, Debbie, who works with him at the non-profit, have one son, Richard Duncan Jr. They also have seven grandchildren, including step-grandchildren.

Council members are paid about $200 each year, but Duncan said council members don’t serve for the pay.

“There are a lot of new issues coming up, working with different water systems. We want to keep moving forward. I know change is needed, but just everybody can’t get off the council at once. You have to keep some people who know what’s going on,” he said.

The deadline to file for the election was Feb. 10. The election will be from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 5.

Extending the hours of the election, and allowing early voting, is a change candidate Cary wants to see, since not everyone can vote during those hours.

“The trouble is that is the way our charter is written and it takes several years to get it changed,” Duncan said, adding that he has disabled friends who can’t get to the polls and thinks Cary’s idea has merit.

Cary is a native of Exton, Pa., a retired educator who was a teacher, principal, curriculum director and school superintendent in Pennsylvania during her 24-year career.

The 66-year-old has lived in Selbyville with her husband, Jack, for four years. They have three sons, Justin, Jordan and Jared, and a granddaughter, Addison.

When Cary ran for the council last year, she lost by 32 votes, but she decided to run again because, “I felt like so much is happening with growth and development in this town.”

“It’s an exciting time to be in Selbyville, to be a resident here. I talked to a lot of community members. I’m involved with the Selbyville Community Club, and I substitute at our local elementary school, Showell Elementary, a couple days a week to keep involved in education. And they need subs. I see a lot and I hear a lot, and I think they need some new life in this town, some new ideas.

“They need to hear from people and ask the people ‘How do you want to see it happen?’ ‘How do you want to celebrate or recognize the diversity we have?’ We have a very high poverty rate in Selbyville and a low literacy rate. How can we help to do something about that, besides just knowing it is there?

“These things are never addressed at town council meetings, but it’s not just roads and water and trash that any town council handles. It’s going above and beyond what is normal. That is part of my quest, to get everybody involved, to talk about what is working, what is not, to figure out how to bring jobs to our community throughout creative and innovative programs,” she said.

Cary said she favors managing growth and is interested in revitalizing the downtown area.

Murray could not be reached for comment before the Coastal Point’s press deadline this week.

SELBYVILLE, Del. - The Selbyville Public Library will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for its new building at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, and members of the community are invited to share in this moment.

Library Director Kelly Kline said she is grateful to the community and all the people who have been involved in the various points along this journey to make the new library building a reality.

“We want to invite the community to be involved in this moment because the new library belongs to them," Kline said. "This is a family-friendly event, so bring your kids and be ready to watch us break ground, under the tent, shovels in hand!”

The start of the new library building has been years in the making, beginning in 2016 with the completion of a needs assessment. These projects involve a lot of moving parts from requesting the support of the state Council on Libraries to community involvement to fundraising to architectural planning. This project would not be happening without funding from the state of Delaware’s Bond Bill, and the American Rescue Plan Act, which is a federal program designed to help revitalize communities after the pandemic. Furthermore, these appropriations allow construction to begin much sooner than originally anticipated.

Some of Selbyville’s most prominent organizations have strong relationships with the library, which date back to its inception. The library itself was formed in 1932 by the Selbyville Community Club and initially operated out of the Club Room of Red Men’s Hall. The Selbyville Community Club and the library partnered on many efforts through the decades, most famously on Youth Art Month, which transforms the library into a gallery for Selbyville’s young artists. The library then moved to the Salem United Methodist Church in the late 1940’s. To this day, the library still utilizes the Salem Church for the programs that are too big for its meeting room.

Kline is also quick to point out the rich history of the library as it relates to the families of John G. Townsend Jr. and Dr. Asher and Pauline Carey, who were both instrumental in the homing and furthering of the Selbyville Public Library to its current point.

“We wouldn’t be here without the Townsend family who gave the library a literal home for over 50 years as well as the Carey family, whose gift helped the library in its previous stage of growth 20 years ago," Kline said. "The location of the new building is also part of the Carey donation. The contributions from these two families endure, and we are so grateful.”

The new building will be a substantial upgrade for the community. The meeting room in the current library holds about 30 people, whereas the new building will be able to accommodate 150 people for larger activities and gatherings.

While most of the new library building project is currently funded, there are continuing operational needs, so fundraising is an ongoing effort as construction gets underway.

The project, which can be viewed on the library’s website at https://www.selbyvillelibrary.org, is expected to open in the early winter of 2023, as long as there are no unforeseen delays.

Kline and her staff would like to formally invite the community to experience the making of the Selbyville Public Library’s continuing history as they move into the next phase of growth. The groundbreaking ceremony on Oct. 4 will happen rain or shine, and refreshments will be available afterward in the library to celebrate.

By unanimous vote, the Selbyville Town Council at its Monday, Feb. 6, meeting, granted $1,000 to the Selbyville Community Club to help pay for expenses, and for prize money, for the annual youth art show.

Works by students from kindergarten through high school who attend Selbyville schools or are home-schooled will be on display at the Selbyville Public Library during the month of March, and prizes will be awarded during a ceremony on Saturday, March 25, at the library.

“We have donated every year,” Councilman Clarence “Bud” Tingle said.

“Some of these pictures are exceptional. I am shocked at how well these students can draw and paint,” Councilman Richard Duncan said.

Councilwoman Carol Cary made the motion to set the amount at $1,000.

Also during the meeting, Mayor Clifton Murray presented a proclamation to Diane Schmidt of the Community Club, designating March as Kids’ Art Month in the town.

Town tax rate won’t change

The council agreed not to change the Town’s tax rate, but to keep it at $1.85 per $100 of assessed value.

“It’s been $1.85 ever since I’ve been here, and I make a motion it stays the same,” Tingle said.

Mosquito control to continue

The council agreed to have the State spray for mosquitoes this summer.

“The State sprays, and we allow them to,” Murray said, offering a simple explanation of the agenda item.

“A plane flies over several times during the summer. The Town has been doing it as long as I’ve been here. Just don’t look up when the plane goes by,” Duncan joked.

Easter for Thousands

Zach Evans, who handles public relations for Mountaire Farms, announced at the council meeting this week that Easter for Thousands will be on Wednesday, April 5.

Boxes of food, each including a fresh chicken and cans of vegetables, will be packed into boxes to feed those in need, as is done at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Evans said the public is being invited to help and that details will be on the Mountaire website within the next couple weeks.

“It’s a great program. It really is,” Murray said, nodding and smiling at Evans.

Water report

Duncan, during his monthly water report, told the council that 3.9 million gallons of water were produced in January and that the Town continues to be in compliance with state regulations.

The Town is continuing its project to build a new water tower, and town officials are working with soil conservation and forestry officials.

“We have to extract some trees,” Duncan said.

He also reported the federal government is granting millions of dollars to replace water lines that might contain lead. Selbyville will apply for a grant for a project to replace water lines in local homes.

An Indian River High School student is interning in the town’s water department.

“Let him get experience. If he likes it, we might be able to hire him. It’s a workforce development pathway program. It’s important to get kids interested in what we do,” he said.

Public Works report

Duncan, while presenting his monthly Public Works report, told the council a new, six-bay Public Works building is under construction at the site of the former town hall on Church Street. There will be space for storage and a place where equipment can be worked on indoors, out of the elements.

“It’s hard to work on snow-removal equipment when you’re out in the snow. All the equipment will be inside. It’s been a long time coming. There will be a tour when it’s all done,” he said.

Recreation report

New pickleball courts at Selbyville Park are finished, and blacktop, fencing and lighting will be completed at the park, Duncan told the council when he presented his monthly Recreation report.

“We encourage everybody to use the park. We will be putting in playground equipment and planning for a new pavilion, so you can play pickleball and sit there for awhile and relax. We will put up proper signage. We also have a softball field, and we are working with Mountaire on renderings to see what the park will look like in the future,” he said.

Rezoning request approved

The council unanimously approved a request to amend the zoning ordinance for property owned by the Long family, from G-C, general commercial, to R-4, residential with a resident planned community (RPC) overlay, near Gene’s Auto Sales at 37050 DuPont Boulevard.

During the meeting, there was a public hearing on the matter, with a representative for the developer saying plans for a commercial development will come later and that currently, the developer is interested in building 98 homes, priced in the low $300,000s, with most of them on 75-foot-by-125-foot lots and about 25 percent of them on 60-foot lots.

He said the property doesn’t front Route 113 at all, that there are almost no back-to-back lots and that most of the homes are planned to be on a lake on the property.

During the public hearing, a man asked about the timeframe for construction, and the representative said the homes will be built during the next 18 to 24 months.

A women asked if a traffic study had been done at Cemetery and Cypress roads, and the representative said several have been done and that the contractor will “do whatever DelDOT wants.”

“DelDOT will review our plans and do traffic studies and make requirements,” he said, adding the residential community’s entrance will be off Cypress Road.

A woman asked if the speed limit will be lowered in that area, and he said that will be up to the State.

When someone else asked whether the community will be fenced-in, Duncan said the development is in the preliminary stage and after the Planning & Zoning Commission reviews the request, the Town can make recommendations and ask for buffers.

“P&Z will take a real hard look at it and see that it meets requirements. This is the first time we are focusing on the west side,” Duncan said.

Another rezoning request OK’d

Also approved was a request to amend the zoning ordinance and rezone property owned by Coy Investments, from R-2, residential, to GC, general commercial.

Joel Sullivan of Coy Investments told the council his father started the company, a landscaping business, and now there is a desire to expand and open a retail garden center near Blueberry Farm Road. He said it won’t negatively affect the area. He said there are two parcels, of 8 acres and 6 acres.

During the public hearing on the matter, a woman said Blueberry Farm Road cuts between the two parcels and asked about large delivery trucks and vehicles traveling in the area, but Sullivan said his company picks up dirt, gravel and other items needed on the way to locations where work will be done and doesn’t receive large deliveries. He said the garden center wouldn’t be built for another five to seven years.

Asked about lighting, he said the facility will be lit.

A man asked how the owners plan to keep the area looking like a neighborhood, and Sullivan said if they get the right zoning approved, they will “be sure to invest in the property and landscape it.”

The man said the front of businesses always look nice, but the back and sides aren’t always attractive and that could affect property values of homes in the area. Councilman Richard Duncan said the town can made recommendations after the Planning & Zoning Commission reviews the request.

“I think this would be a good use for that property,” Tingle said, and the council unanimously approved the request.

Police report

Police Chief Brian Wilson, during a brief report to the council, said officers responded to 433 calls during January and issued 115 traffic tickets.

He said one officer is still out on medical leave.

Little League donation request tabled

A request for funding from the Lower Sussex Little League was tabled.

Tingle moved to table it until the next council is sworn in, and the council agreed. The 2023 council election will be on Saturday, March 4. Seats available for reelection are now held by Mayor Clifton Murray, Councilmen Frank Smith and Tingle. Three people have filed for those seats, but the Town won’t release names of candidates until after the Board of Election members verify they are qualified. The Board of Election is scheduled to meet on Monday, Feb. 13.

None of the incumbents could be reached for comment about whether they are seeking reelection.

The other council members, elected to two-year terms in March 2022 and up for reelection next year, are Richard Duncan and Carol Cary.

In November, the council amended the town charter to create election districts, a change from the longtime policy of all council members being elected at-large, but those districts haven’t yet been established, so this election will be at-large.

Council members are not limited to a number of consecutive terms they may serve. They are paid about $200 each year.

Council meeting date change

The Selbyville Town Council will meet on Monday, March 13, instead of on the first Monday of the month as usual, due to the annual election.

Town Manager Stacey Long explained the date was changed, by unanimous vote of the council, because there must be at least seven days between the election and the next council meeting.

Beebe Medical Group is pleased to welcome primary care physician Darlene Haupt, DO, to its medical staff.

Dr. Haupt will provide primary care services for children and adults at Beebe Primary Care Selbyville, conveniently located at “Bayside Corner” at the intersections of Routes 54 and 20. Beebe will open this new location in early December. A separate announcement will be sent out about the practice’s opening celebration.

To make an appointment, call the office at 302-291-6045.

Dr. Haupt focuses on wellness and preventive healthcare, as well as comprehensive care for patients with a wide range of acute and chronic health issues. She is especially interested in women’s health. Prior to joining Beebe, Dr. Haupt served as a family practice attending physician at Geisinger Medical Center. There, in addition to her clinical responsibilities, she supervised a team of physician assistants and was actively involved in training activities with medical students as a clinical assistant professor of family medicine.

“It is exciting to relocate to Sussex County after spending the past 25 years getting to know the area, as a vacationer. I am comfortable and happy here,” said Dr. Haupt. “I love what I do and feel honored to take care of patients and help them reach their health goals.”

Dr. Haupt is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, where she graduated with academic honors. She went on to pursue a rotating osteopathic internship at Geisinger Medical Center, where she remained to complete her family medicine residency training. Dr. Haupt is board certified in family practice and is a member of both the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Osteopathic Association.

In her free time, she enjoys hiking, biking, and swimming. Dr. Haupt is married and has two adult children, who both work in the medical industry.

As a part of Beebe Medical Group, Dr. Haupt’s patients have access to 20-plus specialty offices in more than 40 office locations throughout Sussex County. Practices include the specialties of: Cardiothoracic Surgery, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Family Medicine, Gastroenterology, General and Bariatric Surgery, Hospital Medicine, Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine, Internal Medicine, Pediatric Neurology, Pulmonary & Sleep Disorders, Surgical Oncology, Urology, and Women’s Healthcare. Four Walk-in Care Centers serve the community in Rehoboth Beach, Georgetown, Millsboro, and Millville from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

"Love. Laughter. And compassion.”

Those three words are the secret to a long, happy marriage, according to a Selbyville woman who recently celebrated 65 years with her husband.

Salverio “Sal” Mazzotta and Marie “Mae” Mazzotta married April 12, 1958, in a church in South Philadelphia, with about 400 friends and family in attendance, they recalled in an interview last week. Last month, family and friends gathered at Brandywine Living at Fenwick Island to toast the couple.

The Mazzottas are not newcomers to Delaware, having lived in Wilmington earlier in their marriage, and settling in Sussex County in their retirement years. “It’s one of the most pleasant places” he’s ever lived in, Sal Mazotta said recently.

Marie is “pushing 88,” as she put it. Sal is nearly 91. Both recall the dance in their hometown where they met, thanks to the encouragement of Marie’s cousin Richard, who happened to also be Sal’s best friend.

At the time of that fateful dance, Sal had recently returned home after two years in the U.S. Army, having served in Korea.

“All I remember was this young man pushing my cousin aside, saying, ‘Who’s the girl?’” Marie said. “He took me in his arms to go out on the dance floor, and I knew — ‘Uh-oh. This guy means business,’” she said, smiling.

Sal, for his part, knew right away that Marie was “the one. I was in love with her the first time I saw her,” he said.

“We dated off and on” after that dance, Marie said.

Within about two years, the couple married, at St. Nicholas Church in South Philadelphia. It was a large wedding, with about 400 people, Marie said.

“In those days, you invited everybody, and we both had large families,” she said.

They went to New York City for their honeymoon, they said, because they both enjoyed the city, and both enjoyed Broadway shows. During that trip, they saw three shows — “Gypsy,” “Fiorello” and “West Side Story.”

They raised four children — two boys, Greg and Paul, and two girls, Anne and Rita — while Sal worked for Getty Oil. Marie worked as a legal secretary for many years, for a law firm where one of the attorneys she worked for specialized in divorces — a job where she said “I learned a lot of things — some things I didn’t want to learn.”

The Mazzottas’ philosophy regarding marriage is pretty simple.

“You have to have compassion. You have to have feelings. You know, love is one thing, but compassion is something else,” Marie said. “We have hardly ever argued. And we made it a point never to argue in front of the children,” she added.

The couple are fairly new residents at Brandywine. Sal moved there a few months ago, and Marie joined him about six weeks ago. Both say they are very happy there, especially since their children and grandchildren are close enough to visit often. They have 10 grandchildren and one great-granddaughter, Aleia Claire.

“It was a nice party,” Sal said of their 65th anniversary gathering.

“A nice party,” Marie agreed. “A total, total surprise. Wonderful. Grateful that people care so much. Because an anniversary is a personal thing. But I guess 65 years means something,” she said.

“We knew that they were planning something, but we had no idea, especially, of all the family that were here,” she added.

All in all, the couple said, although their life together has had its share of ups and downs.

“We don’t want for anything,” Sal said. “We take each day as it comes.”

Looking back on a life well-lived, together, he said, “Things work out for the best.”