There's a Chill is in the Air.
Get ready Fall is coming...
2024 Annual Meeting & Picnic Highlights
Thanks to everyone who attended this year's annual meeting and picnic on September 7 in Grove Park. It is always great to see so many familiar and new faces. ​It was another perfect day in Rehoboth with sunny skies and cooler temperatures for early September which contributed to a great turnout.
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After our regular business meeting during which 3 board directors were approved for another term, President Frank Lacey welcomed Chief of Police, Keith Banks for his annual "state of the city" report for the summer.
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He discussed police activities and services they provide in the City of Rehoboth Beach and in Country Club Estates specifically. He covered topics ranging from recruiting new full time and summer officers, preparing for President Biden's frequent visits, crowd control and safety issues during summer bandstand events and mitigating traffic safety issues. He was pleased to hear from a neighbor on Munson Street that speeding was reduced after a center line was added prior to this year's season. He also mentioned several initiatives that will begin in the next few months.
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September 20 (Commissioners Meeting)
Police Department will be highlighted
October 18 (Commissioners Meeting)
Presentations by the Police, 911 Dispatch Center & Beach Patrol
November 13
Mass Casualty Training Event from 6 to 10 pm for Police, Fire and EMT
THANK YOU, Sunny Bay, for another delicious lunch.
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Spring News...
2nd Annual Spring Meet & Greet
Country Club Estates hosted its second annual Meet & Greet on Saturday, April 20th in the Zellers Pavilion at the Stockley Park Tot Lot.
In spite of "iffy" weather - a little colder than we hoped with chances of rain - and a competing meet & greet hosted by RBHA, attendance was good. With coffee, donuts, fresh fruit and good conversation, we met new neighbors and welcomed back several old friends. Looking forward to seeing you back next year!
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Thanks to all those who attended - some of you escaped before the photos.
Save the date for upcoming Annual Meeting & Picnic on September 7th at Grove Park.
Community Yard Sale
Weather was not our friend this spring!
Despite our best efforts, it was damp and cold for CCEPOA's first ever Community Yard Sale. Additionally, there were many other communities who had a similar idea for that weekend.
Still, there were several of us who braved the elements to set up and show our wares. While there were lots of "lookers", unfortunately there were not as many buyers.
We heard from many of you who participated with recommendations and suggestions and we plan to have a discussion at the Annual Picnic.
2023 Annual Meeting & Picnic Highlights
The Annual meeting and picnic took place on September 9, 2023 at the pavilion in Grove Park. It was a perfect day, sunny with a breeze.
Following the business meeting, City Manager Laurence Christian brought us up to date on current city projects, including REACH OUT REHOBOTH , a new initiative to give residents and stakeholders an opportunity to learn more about city projects and to share questions, feedback, and ideas! For more information and to sign up click here.
Always a crowd favorite, Chief Banks was on hand to provide an update on the state of the City and Country Club Estates in particular. Of course, for our community, speeding is always a hot topic for disccussion and he provided some surprising statistics. Click here to access his full report.
Food was provided by Sunny Bay Cafe and a good time was had by all.
Lines in the Sand
To help residents stay informed, the City of Rehoboth Beach "publishes" a digital newsletter, Lines in the Sand, approximately twice a month. You can see a recent issue or sign up to receive Lines in the Sand in your inbox (click here).
City of Rehoboth Beach - 2022 Water Quality Report - click here
Inaugural Spring Meet & Greet - April 15, 2023
In an effort to be more welcoming, Country Club Estates Property Owners Association held its first Spring "Meet & Greet" at the Tom Zellers pavilion in Stockley Park on April 15th following the regular board of directors meeting.
Supplied with coffee, donuts, fruit and a surprise cake from Pasqualini's, the event provided an early opportunity for neighbors to meet and share ideas and concerns.
It was a beautiful day! Attendance was a nice surprise & it was great fun chatting with new and old friends.
Will definitely be the first of more community events to come.
ARCHIVED CCEPOA NEWS
CCEPOA WINTER NEWSLETTER 2021
A few words…
I have been president of CCEPOA for just over 6 months. During that time, the pandemic has been a constant issue. Despite that, through the efforts of several Board members and officials at city hall, the Tom Zellers Pavilion was dedicated this Fall. Thanks to Gary Glass, CCEPOA Treasurer, it is now possible to pay association dues via the website. The city has done a beautiful job of repaving Stockley St. from Scarborough to Hickman Streets. We anticipate adding a Resource page to the website. It will include a link to the current list of Rehoboth Beach licensed contractors as per the Department of Planning. If you have had a successful experience with a contractor and would like to list the company on the website, please send us the contractor’s name, specialty, contact information (ie. Phone number, address, website, email address) and your name and email or phone number showing you are willing to serve as a reference. Hopefully by Spring our country will be headed toward a full recovery from the pandemic and the recent attack on our Capitol.
John Welch
President
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Pavilion dedication in Stockley Street Park
The City of Rehoboth Beach formally dedicated the Tom Zellers Pavilion on November 6 at Stockley Street Park, the three-acre park just west of Scarborough Avenue. Tom was active in the Rehoboth Beach community, where he served as president of the Country Club Estates Property Owners Association for many years. More info here:
https://www.cityofrehoboth.com/news/general/city-rehoboth-beach-dedicates-pavilion-honor-tom-zellers
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(L-R) Mayor Stan Mills, Commissioner Richard Byrne, Commissioner Patrick Gossett, former Commissioner and Tom's wife Lorraine Zellers, Senator Ernie Lopez, Commissioner Susan Gay, and City Manager Sharon Lynn.
Library Check Presentation
Board members presented this check to Alison Miller RBPL Director
(L-R) Carol Parham, director, Barry Brandt, Vice President, Miller, John Welch, President, and Lorraine
Zellers, director
Library Notes
Please note, if you are new to Rehoboth you probably wonder why we donate to the "Public” library. The Rehoboth Beach Library uses the word “public” to show it is open to all. It is not what is considered a “public” library meaning that it is fully supported by the city or the county. It is an independent library only getting minimal financial assistance from the city and the county. Unlike “public libraries” in other states, much of its funding to books, etc. comes from private donations. The Friends of the Library conduct several fundraisers each year to support it. It is a fantastic resource for the residents of Country Club Estates and therefore CCEPOA annually donates to it.
A Brief History of Country Club Estates
Back in 1927 the City of Rehoboth had annexed Rehoboth Heights into the city boundaries. So, for the first time, the boundary of Rehoboth proper stretched all the way from Henlopen Ave. to the shores of Silver Lake. A few wealthy families like the Carpenters, the Till, and the Watermans took advantage of the sub divided lands and built elegant homes along the shores of Silver Lake on Queen Street and Lake Drive.
In 1928, a man named Ruby Vale, an attorney who had been appointed to a Delaware judgeship, and his business partners built a country club in South Rehoboth. It was the first Rehoboth Country Club, a destination for folks from across the Delmarva Peninsula or far away urban cities for a leisurely game of golf or tennis. The Country Club was designed by landscape architects from Washington D.C. with discretely placed native trees along the fairways and small waterways and shrub lined gardens alongside the club house.
The Country Club with its restaurant and tuxedoed waiters became in later years the sponsor of many parties and balls that included citizens from all over Rehoboth. Every year there were Masked Balls and the Blue Carriage Balls and many other dances won the paved area leading down from the clubhouse steps. Later the Country Club sponsored many of the Lifeguard Balls. By 1960, the Country Club needed to expand so the Board of Directors found some land further to the south and west, along Bald Eagle Creek where the golf course could be a full 18 holes. The partners sold the country club land to a group of developers named Dean, Fooks and Denham. The Group named "DFD" formed a land company named "Serca", which is Acres spelled backwards. The intent was to transform the hills and vales of the old Rehoboth Country Club into a beautiful gated community along the shores of Silver Lake. With landscaping already in place, it was a matter of dividing the land. Serca planned to position houses carefully so that each home had a view of Silver Lake. The planners approached the city to show them the planned community. Rehoboth rejected the concept as "too extent" in character from the rest of the town. The grand design was turned down. DFD tried again by altering the plans with the same results.
By 1962 Serca had bulldozed the country club lands into over 300 lots of approximately 5,000 square feet in size. DFD brought in manufactured housing which was coming into vogue at that time. The land sold for $5,000 and with a house the price tag came to around to $7,500. That was a good deal in 1962.
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This brief history was provided by the Rehoboth Beach Historical Society
(www.rehobothbeachmuseum.org). The Rehoboth Beach Museum is located at 511 Rehoboth Ave. near the circle at the entrance to town. The Stockley Street Tot lot was part of the country club. It was the sixth fairway of the nine-hole golf course. Across the lake was the fifth green close to where recreational courts are located today.
Trash and Recycling
Go to the city website to view/download both the 2021 Refuse and Yard waste Calendar and the 2021 Recycling Calendar.
What’s Happening:
Grove Park The canal access dock has been completed.
Silver Lake Owners of 6 Silver Lane are proposing to install a large pier and dock on Silver Lake.
Information is available in the Cape Gazette.
(https://www.capegazette.com/article/proposed-dock-rehoboth%E2%80%99s-silver-lake-draws-scrutiny/211396)
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Tree Trimming Delmarva Power will be in the area trimming trees and vegetation away from the electric lines. For questions, call or email the Communications Department as per the city website.
Scheduled Board meetings:
April 3 9:00 am Tom Zellers Pavilion
Possible agenda items:
1. Approval of 2021 dues billing
2. Parking and traffic flow issues likely to develop in CC Estates resulting from Clear Space and hotel projects. Possible taxes and fees that may be assessed to accommodate sidewalks, crosswalks, and storm water management due to Clear Space and the associated parking.
3. More and more visitors are using Rehoboth’s beaches while vacationing outside the city. Is the city reviewing was these visitors can help contribute paying for the city services they are using (eg. Lifeguards, police, medics, etc.)?
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Future Meetings:
Meetings are scheduled to be at the Tom Zellers Pavilion at 9:00am on the first Saturday of June and August. Our Annual Meeting and hopefully picnic will be at Grove Park Pavilion on September 11 at 11:00am
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NEWS
Welcome to our new website! Check back often for news and updates on issues concerning CCE homeowners.
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Contents of April 2019 Newsletter sent to CCEPOA members
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Parking garage
A new task force has been formed to consider a parking garage in the City, and will be making its recommendations to the Commissioners within the next several months. Chaired by City Manager Sharon Lynn, members of the group include several Commissioners and business owners. The first meeting on May 3 is available for viewing on the City website. All meetings are open to the public. We will keep you updated via email!
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Hotel tax
Last September, our Mayor and Commissioners unanimously approved an amendment to the City charter to impose a lodging tax up to 3% on hotel and motel rentals. But the charter change must be approved by the General Assembly and has yet to be introduced. We will be contacting Representative Schwartzkopf and Senator Lopez to express our support for the hotel tax.
As it is now, hotels in Rehoboth Beach contribute very little toward the cost of city services and infrastructure. There is a hotel building boom in the City of Rehoboth Beach! Three new hotels have been proposed this year that will add an additional 230 rooms to the approximately 1150 that currently exist in the City. More people staying in hotels in the City will only increase the burden on our infrastructure and the services that the City provides to our visitors. Consider these factors:
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Residential rental houses have a 6% lodging tax and contribute more than $2 million a year to the City revenue stream. In addition, residential rental landlords often buy parking passes for their guests.
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. City-wide, parking fees contribute approximately $5.7 million a year to the City. Hotels have their own parking lots and garages, and guests pay nothing to the city for that parking.
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We spend approximately $200,000 a year to maintain the boardwalk. Hotel guests contribute nothing to that upkeep.
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We spend over $1 million a year in garbage collection, much of it on and near the boardwalk. Most of that money is paid from residential refuse fees from homeowners. Hotels pay nothing.
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We pay $650,000 a year for beach patrol services. Hotel guests are big users of the beach, just as they are big users of the boardwalk.
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Residents, visitors in rental homes, and anyone using parking meters in the City are the ones paying the bills for all this upkeep. It’s time for hotel guests to pay their fair share. We believe they would agree and that visitors to Rehoboth will not object to this small tax. Other resort towns already charge a hotel tax, and most cities and towns around the country do so, often at much higher rates! Guests are accustomed to them.
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We have just learned that a bill allowing Georgetown to enact a hotel tax up to 3% is already in the General Assembly.
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Utility Rates
As you may know, our water and sewer bills will be going up 30% and 60%, respectively, starting April 1, which means you will see the increase in your second quarter bill in July. The Utility Rates Committee will soon recommend final rates, and may suggest eliminating peak rates for summer, which means that the cost of higher summer usage will now be spread across all users throughout the year.
We do not yet know if a Town Hall will be scheduled to present the new rates before our Commissioners vote on them. We will keep you posted via email updates so be sure that we have your email address.
Major new development projects
Several major new commercial developments are underway in the City. In the past few months, plans for 3 new hotels and a large expansion for Clear Space Theatre have been introduced at Planning Commission meetings, and are currently undergoing site plan review. Two projects could affect parking along the streets of CCE.
One of the hotels directly abuts CCE. Called Rehoboth Grand, it will be a 90-room hotel at the corner of Rehoboth Avenue and State Road, on two parcels, one of which is now zoned residential.
Clear Space plans to construct a 295-seat theatre with offices and classrooms in the 400 block of Rehoboth Avenue, on three parcels located next to the Ark. On-site parking requirements have not yet been determined.
The other new hotels are in the ocean block of Baltimore Avenue, and on the boardwalk between Rehoboth Avenue and Wilmington Avenue. Please check the city website for Planning Commission and Commissioner meetings where these topics are discussed for any updates this summer.
Summer Season Updates
The new summer season will soon be upon us with increased visitors, pool openings and gatherings. If noise becomes an issue after 11:00 PM, you are encouraged to call the non-emergency number at the Police Department (302-227-2577). They would like to have a record of the “bad players”.
Blood Drive
The City of Rehoboth Beach has partnered with the Blood Bank of Delmarva on a blood drive to be held Monday, May 13, from 12 – 6 PM at the Convention Center, 229 Rehoboth Avenue. You can book an appointment by calling 1-888-8-BLOOD-8 or online at: http://bit.ly/rehobothdrive and use code CORB. The Blood Bank of Delmarva needs 350 donors per day to ensure patients at the 19 hospitals in Delmarva has the blood they need. Please help if you can.
Contact us at ccepoainfo@gmail.com if you have questions or comments.
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