What You Won't Hear About New Castle County From The County Executive!

True picture of New Castle County? This is not what you will hear from Paul Clark
Middletown Transcript —
New Castle County union leaders at the Civic League for New Castle County:
The union presidents shared their concerns...such as being short staffed in areas where more manpower is needed.
- "We're short staffed," Dan Tharby, president of Local 349- skilled trades ...
- Joe Lavelle, a retired county police officer who represents the police officers through FOP Lodge 5, said that he feels a sense of frustration when dealing with the county. A county police officer's starting salary is lower than that of a University of Delaware officer's, he said. The force is also 22 officers short.
- There also aren't enough paramedics in the field, said Local 3911 President Kenneth Dunn who represents the paramedics. There are about 100 personnel total, with only about 85 on the streets
- there was a five-percent raise for all appointed county positions last year and that county council has never amended the executive's budget when put before them.

See More: Residents express concerns and raise complaints at Civic League panel www.middletowntranscript.com

Janet Kilpatrick Responds To Request To Deny Stoltz's Lifting Of The Deed Restrictions For 20 Montachanin

Please click here to read about what you can do to help Save Our County fight the lifting of deed restrictions on the Stoltz parcel, 20 Montchanin Road, at the gateway to the Brandywine Valley.

According to the agenda posted for the January 24 NCC Council meeting, the vote on this Resolution --R12-015-- is to be withdrawn. A possible date for the vote will be February 14th but that is yet to be determined.

http://www2.nccde.org/council/Documents/MeetingAgendaDocuments/Council%20Agenda%201-24-12.pdf

I received the following information yesterday from Janet Kilpatrick in response to an email asking NCC Council: "Please don't lift the deed restrictions that protect the Brandywine Valley at 20 Montchanin" -

I do not know how I am going to vote on this, but thank you for your
comments. There are both protections and detriments to the proposal.

Below is information that I have so far on the requested change to this
property. This research is based on verifying statements made in emails
that I have received as well as the general research that is required for each vote.

EXISTING RESTRICTION:

1. The existing restrictions allow for a 1.7 acre footprint of building. 2 stories or 40' tall not counting the basement, but the basement is counted as total gross floor space so it can be made into offices, restaurants, or any other commercial or office use allowed under the code for this zoning category. The existing agreement says an office building and accessory uses so anything allowed in this zoning category can be placed within the building.

2. The site as built now is 138,000 sf on a 1.4 ac footprint (it is not at buildout - so without any change someone can build out the remaining .3 ac. which comes to about a 12,000 sf footprint, but as they can use 3 floors (basement, 1st and 2nd) that translates into 36,000 gross floor space more.

3. As it is now, that expansion can be on any side of the building, and this is where I
understand that the Breck's Lane people have concerns. Because of the topography of the site, if the building is builtout on their side , it will be higher than the rest of the building as the measurement goes from the existing ground to the top of the building, not from the lower ground level at the other side of the building. This could give them a towering effect next to their neighborhood.

4. If this were ever rezoned the original deed restrictions automatically are lifted. Existing restrictions take into account the possibility of rezoning.

5. There are no setbacks from propety lines.

NEW PROPOSED RESTRICTIONS

1. Would allow for 1.79 ac footprint - that> is 9/100th of an acre more than allowed in the (same> as in the existing restrictions).

2. Would allow for a separate 1 story building limited to 6000 sf>> and 25' high plus mechanicals. The square footage remains the same, it just allows for a split of buildings.

3. Calls for a 90' setback from property lines which ultimately does not allow buildout on the Breck's Lane side of the existing building. The newly proposed setback line is parallel to Breck's Lane.

4. It preserves the existing entrance and doesn't allow for other entrances.

5. It would only ever allow a rezoning on the 2 ac parcel that has the 1 story building, not allowing the whole site to be rezoned as the exsiting restrictions do. (this protetcs from combining w/the adjacent property to form one 30 ac site for development.

6. It limits use of what can be put on the site, since it is not just limited to office (accessory use per the existing agreement).

The public will have the opportunity to speak at the Tuesday Council
meeting. I encourage all those who have concerns to attend. Janet
Kilpatrick, New Castle County Council Member, 3rd District

Note - the vote is now tabled until February

________________________________________
From: Nancy Willing [http://us.mc1138.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=nancyvwilling@yahoo.com]Sent: Friday, January 20, 2012 10:10 AMTo: Kovach, Thomas; Reda, Joseph; Weiner, Robert; Kilpatrick, Janet; Hollins, Penrose; Diller, Elisa; Powers, Jr., William; Smiley, George; Cartier, John; Sheldon, Timothy; Street, Jea; Tackett, David; Bell, James
Subject: Please don't lift the deed restrictions that protect the Brandywine Valley at 20 Montchanin

CLNCC Discussion With New Castle County Union Presidents Set For 7PM Tuesday In Bear

On Tuesday, January 17, 2012, the Civic League for New Castle County will host a panel discussion with various union presidents with New Castle County government at their monthly meeting.

AGENDA
Discussion with New Castle County Union Presidents
With some regularity, the Civic League has discussions about County government operations and subsequent costs, and inevitably, taxes. The leadership and elected officials of the County come and talk from time to time, but we have never gotten input from the rank and file employee groups that represent where the rubber hits the road.

Accepting this invitation are:
Kenneth Dunn, AFSCME Local 3911, Paramedics;
Joseph Lavelle, FOP Lodge 5, Police;
Marc Klinefelter, AFSCME Local 1607, salaried positions
Frank Gentry, Local 2270 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
Dan Tharby, AFSCME Local 459 - skilled trades

This segment will begin at 7 PM and will include their comments on staffing and funding issues in New Castle County government, from their prospective.

The meeting will be held in the Paris Community Room, Delaware State Police Troop 2, 100 LaGrange Avenue in Bear.

Prepared by Chuck Mulholland
President, Civic League for New Castle County
378-4216

~
DelDOT Secretary Bhatt is the scheduled CLNCC speaker in February - he will attend our meeting at Troop 2 from 7-8:00 PM on Monday, February 20th.
Check the CLNCC web site for more details.

2012 Comprehensive Plan Update Public Comment Period Extended To 4PM February 2nd

News Journal reports ~ NCCo growth plan review extended - Land-use map complaints lead to longer public comment

New Castle County Planning Board has extended by 30 days the time for the public comment on the proposed 2012 update of the county’s Comprehensive Plan. The new deadline is 4 p.m. Feb. 2.A copy of the plan is on the county’s website at www.nccde.org. Follow the link under the “NCC Spotlight” area of the home page. For detailed maps down to the parcel level, click on “Draft Documents” and follow the directions to view map layers through the GIS mapping system.All county libraries also have a copy available. Comments on the plan should be sent to compplan12@nccde.org or to NCC Department of Land Use, Attn.: D.J. Guthrie Carter, 87 Reads Way, New Castle, DE 19720.