NEWS AND UPDATES
Archived, August 2006
Bryan Hall to Join Delaware Office of State Planning Coordination
Bryan Hall has agreed to join the Office of State Planning Coordination as Circuit-Rider Planner for Sussex County, starting on August 28. Mr. Hall replaces Ann Marie Townshend, who recently became the Director of Planning and Inspections for the City of Dover. Circuit Rider-Planners are professional land use planners who serve as planning liaisons between state agencies and municipal and county governments.
"We were thrilled to see Ann Marie Townshend get the opportunity to serve the City of Dover," said State Planning Coordinator Connie Holland. "And we are lucky to have Bryan Hall to follow in her footsteps. While we were looking for Bryan, over the last few months, Herb Inden and David Edgell -- our other Circuit-Rider Planners -- have gone over and above the call of duty. They have filled in to help out Sussex County and Sussex cities and towns without letting down their clients in New Castle and Kent Counties."
Mr. Hall comes to State Planning from the Delaware Department of Agriculture, where he was Urban and Community Forester for the Delaware Forest Service.
(8/25/06)
State Planning Coordinator to Speak at Two Public Forums in September in Sussex County
Connie Holland will be the featured speaker at meetings of the Center for the Inland Bays Citizens Advisory Committee and of the Citizens Coalition in September.
On September 12, Ms. Holland will speak on the Preliminary Land Use Service (PLUS) to the Citizens Advisory Committee of the Center for the Inland Bays. The Citizens Advisory Committee meeting is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., at the Center for the Inland Bays at 39375 Inlet Road, north of the Indian River Inlet Bridge in Delaware Seashore State Park. The meeting is free and open to the public. For information, please contact the Center for the Inland Bays, at (302) 226-8105.
On September 17, Ms. Holland will speak at the Annual Meeting and Dinner of The Citizens Coalition, a civic group in Sussex County that tracks growth and development issues. The dinner is scheduled for 5:30 p.m., at the Virden Center, on the Collage of Marine Studies campus, in Lewes. The cost of the dinner is $40 per person. Reservations are required. For more information, please contact Michael Tyler, at (302) 645-7572.
(8/21/06)
Census Bureau Releases Estimated Demographic and Social Characteristics Data for 2005
| . | 2005 | 2000 |
| Median Age | ||
| Delaware | 37.9 | 36.0 |
| New Castle Co. | 37.0 | 35.0 |
| Kent Co. | 35.7 | 34.4 |
| Sussex Co. | 42.4 | 41.4 |
| Percent Minority | ||
| Delaware | 26.4 | 25.4 |
| New Castle Co. | 29.1 | 26.9 |
| Kent Co. | 26.6 | 26.5 |
| Sussex Co. | 18.4 | 19.7 |
Data sets from the the American Community Survey are now available for all states, congressional districts and places with populations of 65,000 or more. In Delaware, that includes all three counties and several of the larger school districts in New Castle County. Prior to the American Community Survey, demographic and social characteristics data of this type were only available every ten years. In 2008, the Census Bureau will make estimates available for places with populations of 20,000 or more. By 2010, data are expected to be available annually for all geographic levels, including Census Tracts and Block Groups.
According to the new data, Delaware's median age rose from 36 years in 2000 to 37.9 years in 2005. Sussex county had the highest median age in 2005; 42.4, up from 41.4 in 2000. Nationally, the median age was 36.4 years in 2005.
Among the American Community Survey findings noted in the media is the fact that all but one state (West Virginia) saw an increase in diversity. In Delaware, the minority population rose from 25.4 percent in 2000 to 26.4 percent in 2005. Nationally, the minority population went from 24.9 percent of the total in 2000 to 25.3 percent in 2005.
New Castle County was the most diverse in Delaware in 2005 with a 29.1 percent minority population, up from 26.9 percent in 2000. Sussex County was the least diverse with an 18.4 percent minority population, a decrease from 19.7 percent in 2000.
Detailed data tables and fact sheets are available for Delaware and all three counties (Kent, New Castle, and Sussex) on the US Census Bureau web site.
(8/15/06)
Policy Forum on the Delaware River Basin Planned for October
The Delaware Water Resources Agency will present a Water Policy Forum on the Delaware River Basin on Monday, October 16, at the University of Delaware's Clayton Hall Conference Center, in Newark, Delaware. The forum -- The Delaware: Challenges and Opportunities Affecting a Working and Environmental River -- will include roundtable discussions of issues around the Delaware River's status as a central economic artery and as an important environmental resource. There will be a discussion of key issues and an overview of recent changes in water laws.
The day-long forum will cost $25 per person. That will include lunch, forum materials, and refreshments. Senior citizens and students who register may request complementary attendance. Registration is required by October 2.
The Delaware River Basin includes parts of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.
The forum is sponsored by The Water Resources Association of the Delaware River Basin (WRADRB), the Water Resources Agency of the University of Delaware Institute for Public Administration, the Delaware Water Resources Center, the The Delaware Section of the American Water Resources Association (DE AWRA), and the The Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control.
(8/10/06)
Agendas Posted for August PLUS Review Meetings
Agendas are now posted, in PDF format, for the August 23 and August 30 meetings of the Preliminary Land Use Service (PLUS). PLUS meetings provide review and comment by state agency planners on land use change proposals. That feedback is made available to developers and to local government officials before proposals are brought before local officials, who have final approval authority. A map of the latest PLUS projects is also available. The meetings both will start at 8:30 a.m. in the first floor conference room of the Haslet Armory, on William Penn Street, in Dover.
(8/4/06)
Draft Agenda Posted for August 17 DGDC Meeting
A draft agenda (PDF) has been posted for the August 17 quarterly meeting of the Delaware Geographic Data Committee (DGDC). The meeting is set for 9:00 a.m., in Room 220 of the Kent County Administrative Complex, on Route 113, in Dover. Agenda items include updates on several statewide data projects and a discussion of a proposed Asset and Resource Database. There will also be a roundtable discussion of ongoing data projects and data needs. The DGDC meetings are open to all those interested in the use and sharing of geospatial data.
(8/1/06)
