Community Planning Committee
Minutes, 15 July 2009 (unapproved)
Present: Ron Meick, Danny Schweers, Ray Seigfried, and Sally Sharpe.
Ray Seigfried, convener, called this meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. at the Buzz Ware Village Center.
Minutes Approved
The committee unanimously approved all the previous minutes on this website for 2008 and 2009 that may have previously been left unapproved.
Memorial Garden Sign
Ron talked to two sign makers, one of whom will give him a bid on a sign for Memorial Garden. This sign will face Harvey Road so people attending funerals will find it. He hopes to get one more bid.
Instant Ticketing
Ray hopes to talk with New Castle County soon. Our desire is to continue instant ticketing in Arden, but not for overgrown grass and weeds, or for tree branches in yard, or for vehicles parked on lawns. If that is not possible, would it be possible for the Ardens to fall under some other New Castle County land-use classification such as that applied to large estates? Ron suggested that we should base our decisions on the actual Land Use Code governing instant ticketing, not the summary of the code we have been using for discussion purposes.
Website Sub-Committee
Danny moved, Ron seconded and it was approved unanimously to create a Website Sub-Committee to be chaired by a member of the Community Planning Committee and to include the Village Secretary and any others who may be appointed by the Community Planning Committee. This sub-committee will be responsible for the Village website - arden.delaware.gov.
New Signs on Harvey Road at Orleans
Danny reported that DelDOT, in response to a request from the Village, has added five new chevrons along Harvey Road near Orleans Road. The hope is that drivers will more easily see that deceptive curve and will be more likely to stay on the road. The DelDOT workers also put back in place a pedestrian crossing sign knocked over a few weeks ago by yet another driver going off the road in wet weather.
Future ADU and Leasehold Policies
Ray proposed moving forward with the development of ADU policies at our next meeting. For example, do we need a policy about re-defining leasehold boundaries? Right now, the Village has graves mistakenly planted on the Arden Club leasehold and the Club has been mistakenly using part of the Memorial Garden for years. Neither party is unhappy with the status quo, except that it makes future uses problematic.
New Committee Member Needed
Michael Falstad, unable to attend meetings, has resigned. He might be interested in future years. At the September Town Meeting, this committee will nominate someone to take his place.
Permeable Surfaces
Sally Sharpe bemoaned the loss of permeable surface in Arden. Too many leaseholds are replacing gravel driveways with paved asphalt.
Next Meeting
There will be no August meeting. Our next regularly-scheduled meeting is Wednesday, September 16, 7:00 p.m. at the Buzz Ware Village Center.
Respectively submitted,
Danny Schweers, Committee Secretary
