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DIRECTORY AND PASS DISTRIBUTION INFORMATION

Updated Friday 5/16/25: Packets with directories and passes will be available for pickup next week-stay tuned for information. Community Patrol starts coverage on Friday the 23rd, and Beach Patrol on Saturday the 24th-both patrols will be on duty every day through Labor Day.

2025 SOCIAL EVENTS

Surfin’ into Summer!  Friday, June 20, 7-9 p.m. June’s Happy Hour will take place on the beach at Bayberry, where we can celebrate the astronomical start of summer and the year’s longest day. This is a “bring your own” event — chairs, drinks, and if you can, a snack or dessert to share. A new tradition seems to be people bringing pitchers of some “yummy” thirst-quenching” punches – don’t hesitate to do so. Raindate: Saturday, June 21.

Women’s Beach Patrol competition will be held on Thursday June 26, starting at 6:15. T-shirts will be for sale, with proceeds going to the patrol’s travel competition fund. Come cheer on our women patrol members as they compete against others from up and down the coast!

Hot Dog Picnics: scheduled for Sundays June 29, July 13 and July 27 are run by the participants in our Junior Guards program. These includes a brief safety demonstration and rescue demo and an explanation of beach rules, followed by beach games for kids of all ages. The event is wrapped up with hot dogs for all.

Family Block Party: Tuesday, July 1. Have fun playing carnival games with family and friends! Rain date July 2.

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.

MAY 3, 2025 COMMUNITY MEETING

At the May 3, 2025 Community Meeting, the community approved the Board-recommended Annual Assessment, which was set at $3325 per developed residential property. Click HERE for further information.

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, June 21 at 9:30 am. The usual ZOOM access will be provided to the community. Click HERE for further information.

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. In February, the Board circulated a community survey on this topic, with a followup in late March.

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.

MBA STAFF RECOGNIZED IN THEIR OFFSEASON POSITIONS

Shout outs to Colin Crandell, our Beach Patrol Lieutenant, and Gavin Harrell, Beach Patrol member, for their recent accomplishments as highlighted in the Feb. 14 Coastal Point newspaper. Colin was named Henlopen Athletic Conference boys’ swimming Coach of the Year for the third straight year. Colin coaches the Indian River High School team (which doesn’t even have it’s own pool!) Gavin Harrell, who swims for IRHS, also received kudos for being a “swimming standout” in a full page article about his accomplishments, in which he praises Colin and mentions that he lifeguards for Middlesex Beach. Proud of you guys!

HIGHWAY FENCING PROJECT COMPLETED

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 in January 2025, Eastern Shore Porch and Patio (ESPP) replaced the remainder of our 20ish year old highway fencing, and also the community owned fencing at the west end of Errett and Short Roads.

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

MBA Organizational Chart | MBA Terms and Conditions of Website Use

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

2025-26 TRASH SCHEDULE

Click HERE for a copy of the 2025 Trash and Recycling pickup schedule. The pickup schedules 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.

Upcoming Board Elections

Each year at the End of Summer Community Meeting on Labor Day weekend, the Community elects 4 Board members to serve two year terms. This year, there will also an election for a 5th Board member to serve a one year term filling a vacancy. Please contact Nominating Committee Chair Paul Bradley (nominating@middlesexbeach.org) if you are interested in running. This year, the two year terms of Margie Cyr, Kate Mounteer, George Rayburn, and Dave Wiecking are expiring, as is the shorter term of Steve Larsen. Dave has served the maximum two consecutive years as President, and will assume Paul Bradley’s Past Officer position on the Board.

Last year’s End of Summer Community Meeting was held on August 31, 2024 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 Organization Meeting, the following officers were elected: President: Dave Wiecking; Vice-President: Margie Cyr; Treasurer: Bob Wood; Secretary: Kate Mounteer.

Updates on Drainage

Internal Drainage (updated 5/21/25):

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. The issues with various retaining walls on the sides of various driveways make this project more complex than any other street. (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.) For that reason this street will be the subject of drainage work in the Fall of 2025.

There are two culverts along Errett Rd that are collapsing/hopelessly clogged that will be replaced before the end of June. The Board has put a hold on any previously announced work on this street.

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