CLICK FOR THE GATE COMBINATIONS

PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO OUR BYLAWS:

The Bylaws of the Middlesex Beach Association, Inc. give direction for how our Board of Directors conducts business, and for the governance of the community. The Bylaws, which were last amended in 2009 (just prior to the enactment of Delaware’s DUCIOA legislation), are being updated to comply with current Delaware law and to clarify some procedures.  There are no drastic changes being considered; in a nutshell, it includes some cleanups to comply with DUCIOA, a way for either the Board or community to remove Board members if necessary, and a way to make the voting/proxy process a whole lot more understandable and online.

CLICK HERE to see a draft of the new bylaws with some explanations of the changes.

HIGHWAY FENCING PROJECT

HOPING TO START WORK IN JANUARY…

In early 2024, MBA replaced about half our highway fencing, in addition to a short section at the west end of our community. We were very pleased with that work, and have signed a contract with Eastern Shore Porch and Patio (ESPP) to replace the remainder of our 20ish year old highway fencing, and also the community owned fencing at the west end of Errett and Short Roads. (Separately, a few adjacent property owners have on their own engaged ESPP to replace/install some fencing along their own properties. This work is NOT part of the MBA project, but there may be some overlap in the timing of the actual work.)

As with last year’s work, the new fence will be a similar shadowbox style to what is in place, with tighter spacing between the boards. At the back of Short Rd, the residents on both sides of the street have or are about to have a solid fence along Kent Ave, so MBA’s fence will match that style. The weather is not remotely cooperating…

CLICK HERE for details about last year’s fencing work, the basics of which are applicable to the upcoming work.

Pickleball, Basketball & Other Sports

At its 11/16/24 meeting, the Board heard a presentation by Bob Unetich, who is a pickleball player and consultant on sound issues surrounding such courts. Further information on this topic is available at THIS LINK.

In October, a Board email introduced the issue of noise in the community caused by pickleball, basketball, and similar activities, and invited community members to submit comments to the Board on the concept. Because the request for comments did NOT state that they would be published to the community, they have not. The Board is currently finalizing a community survey on this topic that will be out in early January.

Please consider your neighbors when playing pickleball and basketball. We all come to Middlesex Beach for the quiet, relaxation and peacefulness of the community. The noise created by playing pickleball or basketball may be interfering with your neighbor’s enjoyment of their property. Any proposed draft rules will be communicated to all members and there will be an opportunity for comment before the board considers whether to implement a rule and the details of the rule.

BEACH SIDE PARKING:

bicycles, full sized vehicles, and everything in between (golf carts and LSV’s)

There are more and more golf carts and LSV’s (Low Speed Vehicles) being operated to get members, their families and their guests to and from the beach. On the other hand, parallel parking spaces along Dune Rd are all marked for use by, and sized for, SUV-sized vehicles. CLICK HERE for more information on this topic.

Directory Cover Photo Contest

Every year, MBA holds a contest to determine the photo which will grace the cover of the upcoming printed Directory. We ask that each person submit a maximum of three (3) photos for the contest. Please remember that we can’t show faces of children directly. Photos may be submitted by email to [email protected]. Please use as high a resolution as possible. Some photos may not be useable for printing if the resolution is not high enough. MBA retains the rights to crop any received photos. Make sure your photos are included in the contest! The deadline to submit photos is January 17, 2025.

2024-25 BOARD MEETING SCHEDULE

The MBA Board generally meets monthly. We are thrilled that Nally Homes, located in our Commercial District, and their landlord Kathy Dryden, have agreed to allow us to use their conference room. Next open meeting: Saturday, January 18 at 9:30 am. The usual ZOOM access will be provided to the community. Click HERE for further information.

MBA Organizational Chart | MBA Terms and Conditions of Website Use

For further information regarding MBA meetings or events, please contact the Board of Directors.

Board Elections

End of Summer Community Meeting was held on August 31 at the Ocean View Presbyterian Church. There were four announced candidates for the four Board seats up for election. Bob Wood received 102 votes; Kerry Hall 101 votes; Barbara Friedman 98 votes; Alan Lescht 93 votes; Steve Larsen 1 vote.

At the subsequent Board Organizational Meeting, the following officers were elected: President: Dave Wiecking; Vice-President: Margie Cyr; Treasurer: Bob Wood; Secretary: Kate Mounteer.

2025-26 TRASH SCHEDULE

2025 Trash Calendar is not yet available; pickup schedule remains the same as last year. This schedule includes Yard Waste pickup every other Wednesday through October. Yard Waste for this pickup must be properly prepared: either put such waste in paper bags or tied with cotton string into bundles no more than 4’ long. (Click HERE for a copy of the 2024-25 Trash and Recycling pickup schedule.)

SPRING 2024 LANDSCAPING SURVEY

On March 31, 2024, MBA emailed a Landscaping Survey to the Primary Property Owner for each property. Click HERE for further information.

2024 Happy Hours

Click for pictures from the May 4, 2024 Happy Hour held at the 4 Errett Road home of David Burgess and Kate Mounteer, the June 15, 2024 Happy Hour at the 26 Short home of Wendy and John Thiede, the July 20, 2024 Happy Hour held at the 3 Addy road home of CoryAnn and Kevin Clarke and the August 16, 2024 Happy Hour held at the 29 Dune Rd home of Michelle and Jeffrey Rivest.

Updates on Drainage

Internal Drainage (updated 10/1/24):

In the spring of 2024, MBA contracted with Harry Caswell to blow debris out of all our driveway culverts and other underground piping. While this work cleared debris from many portions of the drainage system, it also revealed some rusting steel culverts that will need to be replaced in the near future.

While some are scattered throughout the community, most of these are along Evergreen Road. For that reason this street will be the site of our next big drainage project. Click HERE for further information, which admittedly is rather bare-bones at this time. As plans develop further, we will share the details with the affected properties.

External Drainage (updated 10/1/24):

Based on input from DelDOT, DNREC has completed a second survey of the ditching and drainage areas along Kent Avenue and has used that information to come up with a modified plan, particularly at the most “downstream” part of the system (where the ditches drain into the Assawoman Canal just south of the Kent Avenue bridge). Because some of the work is on non-DelDOT property, easements will need to be negotiated with several private property owners. Click HERE for further information.

Some outside links of interest