Community Facilities Committee
Committee Chair: Dave Wiecking
Don Deraska, George Rayburn, Marty Shecter
Click HERE for a discussion of likely and possible offseason projects for 2025-26, ranging from roadwork to drainage work to fencing and landscaping projects.
GENERAL OVERVIEW
The Community Facilities Committee (CFC) is responsible for overseeing the maintenance of, and developing plans for improvements to, the common grounds owned by the Middlesex Beach Association. It was formerly named the Public Works Committee, until someone pointed out that there is very little about Middlesex Beach that is Public.
This includes the roadways and associated grass areas, fencing along the highway, the community signs located in the DelDOT median of Coastal Highway, the Guard House, the walkways to the beach, the dune fencing, and, as is stated in the deed to our property, this includes all land “to the waters of the Atlantic Ocean”.
The CFC’s primary concern is functionality, but it works with the Landscaping Committee to make things aesthetically pleasing.
Additionally, the committee has responsibility for the community’s drainage ditches (parts of which are located on individual member property), and the dunes (parts of which are located on individual members property).
None of the various utilities in the community are owned by the MBA.
Many owners rely on plantings on MBA property to shield their view of things beyond their respective lots. However, may times there are legitimate reasons-usually related to drainage or sightlines at intersections, why such MBA plantings need to be significantly trimmed back, or removed. If there’s something beyond your property lines that you don’t want to see on a regular basis, consider plantings on your own property (and not directly adjacent a ditch).
FENCES AND GATES
ROADS
Speed Hump Info / Speed Hump Map
Emergency vehicle access to East Short Road
COMMUNITY DRAINAGE
Evergreen Road – this street will see our next big drainage project due to the large number of corrugated steel pipes under several driveways which are rusting away. In at least one case, MBA has needed to run a smaller diameter ADS pipe through more than one before complete collapse. There are significant obstacles, including landscaping and retaining walls, that are in the way along the existing ditch that will require additional planning and discussion with affected homeowners.
Errett Road – plans are on hold for the work necessary to construct proper swales along the portions of this street that have never had proper community drainage. See THIS CHART, which shows the necessary work in front of each property.
EXTERNAL DRAINAGE
External Drainage – Separately, since (2021??) several members of the Board have been pushing DNREC to improve the flow of water between our community and the Assawoman Canal. While we saw the basics of the initial plan, it is not feasible due to the extensive amount of underground utilities that must be avoided and can’t be moved. These include everything from the 30″ forced sewer main under Kent Ave (which leads a mile out into the ocean), local sanitary sewers (including a pump station just west of Bridge Rd), an incredible number of (largely abandoned) Verizon phone lines, fresh water pipes (both Artesian and Sea Colony related), and substantial buried cabling between the 2 substations on Kent Ave.
There is currently a 15″ diameter pipe under Kent Ave which carries stormwater from Short, Bayberry and Errett Roads towards the canal; this pipe is currently free flowing, so the water level in the ditches on both sides of Kent Ave. are generally equal (except possibly shortly after large storms). We have been advised that DelDOT will not replace this pipe with a larger one because downstream conditions cannot be altered to accept more water than is currently the case.
At our early September 2025 meeting with their crews, they decided to investigate the feasibility of replacing the uphill running pipe at the west end of Bridge Rd. with a flat one at a slightly lower elevation.