Ken Mammarella February 10, 2022 Government, Headlines
The Vactor 2100i recycles water while it cleans sewer lines. (New Castle County)
Two new sewer cleaning trucks promise to save water, energy and time by recycling cleaning water, New Castle County says in a flyer accompanying its annual sewer bills.
The new vehicles use hydraulic jets to dislodge debris, and they vacuum up debris and liquid from the sewer line into a large tank. The liquid is decanted and filtered until it’s clean enough to be reused.
The county paid $604,175.90 for each Vactor 2100i, about $125,000 greater than non-recycling trucks, according to Jason P. Zern, an engineer and senior manager with New Castle County Public Works. They join a fleet of 12 Vactor RamJet Trucks and three Vactor Jet Vac Combination Trucks.
“A typical cleaning truck will utilize 3,000-4,500 gallons of water a daily while out performing preventative maintenance,” Zern wrote in an email. “The recycling feature on these two trucks can potentially save using up to 2.3 million gallons of clean water per year, which equates to $30,000.”
“We have limited locations where we can access potable water for filling our cleaning trucks. We have found that our crews spend about 30-40% of their day traveling to these fill sites. The recycler truck can source water directly from the sewer lines, allowing the crew to continuously clean without refilling.
“We believe this improved efficiency will allow each recycler truck to clean an additional 16 miles of pipe every year versus the trucks in our existing fleet. Expanding our in-house cleaning capabilities means lower contractual costs. It would cost approximately $260,000 if we had to hire a contractor to clean 32 miles of sewer pipe.”
The trucks also sport simplified controls, a better lighting system and retractable vacuum nozzles. And the reduction in travel cuts fuel use and hence carbon emissions, the flyer points out.
“The recycler trucks will be utilized on daily preventative maintenance, focusing on areas known to have high levels of grit and debris,” he wrote. “The trucks will also be utilized on emergency corrective maintenance where their unique abilities best fit a specific task. They will also be used on the cleaning of larger-diameter sewer lines, which require more water to clean (the larger the pipe, the more water needed).”
Public Works maintains 1,800 miles of sewer pipe, serving 120,000 customers. Part of its obligations to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is to clean 500 miles of sewer pipe each year, Zern said.
“These new vehicles will greatly enhance our ability to keep these sewer assets in good condition,” he wrote.
Photo by Chris Boswell, Getty Images. As the I-95 Restore the Corridor project in Wilmington transitions to its second phase, DelDOT officials have announced upcoming changes to traffic patterns. Phase two construction will require closures of I-95 Southbound in Wilmington throughout the month of December, including: Monday, December 13 through Thursday, December 16, 2021: Overnight Closures (9 PM to 5 AM) of I-95 Southbound from Exit 7 Delaware Avenue/SR 52 to I-295 split and the I-95 SB on-ramp from N. Jackson St. Friday, December 17, 2021 through Saturday, December 18, 2021: Overnight Closure (9PM to 9AM) of I-95 Southbound from the PA Line to I-295 Split. Friday, December 17, 2021: Ramp Closure (9 PM), Exit 6: I-95 SB off-ramp to MLK Boulevard/4th St. This ramp will remain closed for the first portion of Phase 2 construction. Friday, December 17, 2021: Ramp Closure (9 PM), N. Jackson St. on-ramp to I-95 Southbound. This ramp will remain closed until Phase 2 construction is completed. Saturday, December 18, 2021: Ramp Closure (9 AM to 10 PM), Exit 7B, Delaware Ave./SR 52 North. Detours: Monday, December 13 through Thursday, December 16, 2021: (I-95 SB Overnight Closures): Motorists will take Exit 7B Delaware Ave. to Jackson Street, left onto MLK Boulevard, right onto US 13 Southbound, to I-495 Southbound. Friday, December 17 to Saturday, December 18, 2021: (I-95 SB Overnight Closure): Motorists will be directed to I-495 Southbound at the PA Line. Local traffic entering I-95 Southbound from Naamans Road, Harvey Road or Marsh Road will be directed to Exit 8, US 202 Northbound to SR 141 SB to I-95 SB. Saturday, December 18, 2021: (Exit 7B Daytime Closure): Motorists will be directed to Exit 7A, Delaware Ave./SR 52 South, left onto Adams Street, left onto Delaware Ave. For additional information for the I-95 Corridor Project, visit restorethecorridor.com.
The General Assembly’s budget-writing committee has launched a formal application process for non-profit community groups seeking capital grants through the Community Reinvestment Fund. The lack of a formal application process last year ignited debate amongst legislators, some of whom said the process lacked transparency, resulting in gentlemen’s agreements and pork-barrel spending. The Community Reinvestment Fund is a capital grant program that allocates funds to be used for community redevelopment, revitalization and investment capital projects designed to improve the economic, cultural, historical, and recreational health of Delaware communities. The fund was supercharged last year with one-time allocations from federal COVID relief packages. Because those funds became available late in the legislative session, “money from the fund was spread evenly among all 62 legislators to allocate to groups and local governments in their respective districts,” a press release from Bond Bill Committee co-chairs Sen. Nicole Poore, D-New Castle, and Rep. Debra Heffernan, D-Bellefonte, said. In many cases, community group leaders simply reached out to legislators to submit their requests, meaning those with closer relationships to lawmakers or more general political awareness may have had an edge in receiving state grants. Once allocated, each organization receiving funding would have ordinarily had its own line item within the bond bill so that in the event a legislator objects to particular recipients of funding, they could vote accordingly. But in 2021, because of the amount of money available, the late allocation of the funds and the number of organizations that applied, the total $70 million package was listed as one line-item in the Bond Bill under the assurance that the list of recipients would be made public once finalized. Both the House and Senate passed the bill and Gov. John Carney signed it without the list. Afterward, some legislators said it should, in the future, be included in the bond bill as a matter of transparency. That way, it could be presented to the public before a vote. “We heard the concerns loud and clear that we needed to be transparent and fair with soliciting and considering requests for these reinvestment funds, should they be available,” Heffernan said Thursday. “By making the application process publicly available with clearly defined criteria, we are fulfilling our commitment and ensuring that interested groups have the same opportunity and access to any funds allocated,” she said. Under the new process, county and local governments, community-based non-profit organizations, and private sector non-profit organizations are eligible to apply for funds. State agencies, school districts, charter schools, private schools, institutions of higher education, churches, fire companies, and for-profit organizations are not eligible for funds from the Community Reinvestment Fund. Funds can only be used for capital projects and associated costs, such as pre-construction, land acquisition and building construction. Projects could include reconstruction or rehabilitation of a building, installing equipment, acquiring land, constructing sidewalks, and installing sewers or water mains. “Our community of nonprofits are invaluable partners in the state’s continuous efforts to provide critical services to our fellow Delawareans,” Poore said. “Working in partnership with the state to reach some of our most vulnerable neighbors, these organizations provide a level of expertise and personal care that is unmatched.” The new application process for fiscal year 2023 launched this week on the legislature’s website. Applications are due by May 15.
Bear Drive In opens Friday behind the Lowe’s in Bear. Photo by Bob Weir. The Bear Drive In will open Friday night with “Fast and Furious 9” on one screen and “Jungle Cruise” on the other. It will follow up next week with “Suicide Square 2.” Shows will take place at dusk, which is about 8:30ish this week, said owner Bob Weir. The gates will open at 7 p.m., he said, and he encourages people to get tickets online as soon as Beardrivein.com goes live. “It is going to sell out,” he said Monday afternoon. Each screen will accommodate about 150 cars. If slots are available, patrons will be able to pay when they drive up to the site on Bear-Christiana Road behind the Bear Lowe’s. Tickets are $15 for adults ages 15 to 64, and include a 84-ounce bag of popcorn and a 16-ounce Coke, Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, Sprite. ginger ale or water. Discounts include $11 for those ages 55-plus, military or emergency personnel; and $11 for children ages 5 to 14, who get a smaller popcorn and drink. Children 4 and younger are free. The theater will only have one showing of each movie each night, Weir said. He’s been to other drive-ins and said 75% of the customers leave at the first show. His drive-in is also across from a housing development. Weir discourages people from bringing in their own food. The concession stand will sell hot dogs, nachos, popcorn, candy and snacks. The theater will pipe the movie sound through car radios. Vehicles should be kept in auxiliary without motors running because of the dangers associated with carbon monoxide build-up, he said. Guests are welcome to sit in the bed of their own pickup trucks, to raise the hatchback on SUVs as long as they don’t rise above the vehicle and to put lawn chairs outside their own cars and sit there to listen. The theater plans to show only first-run movies, except for a few theme nights. The schedule will also change as it gets up and running. This week, it will screen films on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Starting Aug. 6, it will become a five-day a week theater, with the same movies running Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Wednesday and Thursday. New movies will start on Fridays. Weir built the theater out of rented cargo containers, stacking some at opposite ends of the field to create the screens. The box office and concession stand also are created out of cargo containers. The theater held a friend-and-families show Saturday as a dry run, and it went well, Weir said. The drive in has portable potties on the site. Guests may want to remember insect repellant if they plan to leave windows open or sit outside, he said. The facility sits in a field that’s been mowed to provide the theater space. Weir said that he was able to hire people for weekend shifts fairly easily, but he needs to hire more because of the screening week going to five days. He also wants to point out what he considers a detail of impact. “It’s a drive in, not a drive through,” he said. “I keep hearing people call it a drive through.”
A Dunkin’ franchisee who says he can’t get enough change from is bank will buy coins. Photo by Jeff Weese of Pexels Hot coffee, donuts, breakfast sandwiches and free money. What do these things have in common? All of them are being offered at four Wilmington-area Dunkin’ locations. Before you start the car and drive off to Dunkin’s Claymont, Wilmington, Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania, and Brookhaven, Pennsylvania, locations for your free money, be aware you’re going to have to fork over some change. Franchisee Rick Patel has started a promotion to buy coins from customers. His stores will pay you $105 in cash for every $100 you bring in coins. Patel says he was forced to get creative after his bank stopped giving him the boxes of coins he needed for his stores to operate normally. “When I go to the bank for change, they give me two rolls of quarters, five rolls of pennies, and that only lasts me about half a day at one of my stores,” Patel said. Patel got the idea for the coin-buyback after a bank teller encouraged him to offer his customers incentives for their coins. He began by offering free drinks, but quickly realized that no incentive was quite as powerful as cold, hard cash. “In the beginning I was giving out free drinks, coffee, iced coffee, and donuts, and then I started the $5 promotion.” Patel said he struggled to find coins during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, but after a while things returned to normal. It wasn’t until recently that banks stopped offering him coins again. “Throughout the last two months or so, banks have stopped giving out boxes of coins. They only have so many quarters for all the small businesses,” said Patel. “So it is tough right now for small businesses, but there’s so much change just laying around in people’s houses right now.” He posted the offer on social media on July 6. The promotion was highly successful the first week, but has slowed a bit in its second. Patel plans to continue the offer until he has enough coins to operate his businesses normally. To exchange your coins for cash, you can bring them to the morning manager at any of these four locations: 3224 Philadelphia Pike, Claymont, Delaware 1702 Faulkland Road, Wilmington, Delaware 1406 Naamans Creek Road, Garnet Valley, Pennsylvania 4589 Edgemont Ave., Brookhaven, Pennsylvania
Two of Delaware’s favorite summer festivals return next week. The Wilmington Greek Festival is back for its 47th year, offering online ordering and curbside pickup, which proved popular during the COVID-19 pandemic. It starts Monday, June 6 and runs through June 11. St. Anthony’s Italian Festival starts the next day, Sunday, June 12, and this year will go cashless. Patrons are asked to buy one kind of card for rides and another to spend on food, beverages and vendor sales, but vendors also will accept credit cards. It runs through June 19. The Greek Festival Sponsored by Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church at 808 N. Broom St., the festival is designed to create the sights, sounds and aromas of a Greek village. It offers indoor and outdoor dining, along with take-out and pickup, as well as shopping and entertainment. The site is open from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. each day, and really starts opa opaing in the evening as people crowd the outdoor tables to drink, mingle and down a gyro, souvlaki and kalamari from booths outside as they watch dancers and singers. The indoor dining room offers the best choices, but a warning to the wise: The choices diminish during the week as fans double down on their favorites. It also offers specials. On Tuesday through Thursday, stuffed peppers and roasted potatoes are available and on Friday, patrons can find baked fish plaki with string beans. Many of the items can be bought at the festival’s take-out booth on the south side of the property. Food can be ordered on site and carried to a table or out the gate. Most of the menu is also available for online ordering Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day. The system allows you to order, pay and set a pickup time. Among the selections are: stuffed peppers, ($10); chicken and orzo ($12); Greek salad ($10); 4 stuffed grape leaves, available with seasoned beef or meatless ($7) ; pastichio ($12); pastichio sampler with pastichio, spanakopita, tyropita and meatballs, $20; Moussaka Sampler with moussaka, spanakopita, tiropita and meatballs ($20); moussaka ($12); 4 Keftedees, which are meatballs in sauce, $3; tyropita, which are layers of phyllo dough stuffed with feta cheese ($8); spanakopita, which is layers of phyllo dough stuffed with spinach and feta ($8); rice pudding ($5), pastry variety box, $18. The Italian Festival Considered the largest Delaware festival, the event is the primary fundraiser for St. Anthony of Padua Grade School. It features all kinds of food, including the church’s own spaghetti sauce; carnival rides for every age; vendors selling all manners of wares, including pastries; and a variety of entertainment. Restaurants on site will be Caffé Gelato, La Casa Pasta/Chesapeake Inn, and Luigi and Giovanni’s. Admission is $5 per person. Children under 13 are free, but must be accompanied by an adult. Eight-day passes are being sold in advance for $12 and will be $15 on site. The festival, which will be held at 901 N. Dupont Street, generally clogs the neighborhoods around it with patrons parking all over. There is also free secure parking at Salesianum School at 1801 N. Broom St., with shuttle bus services from one hour prior to opening through 30 minutes afterward. The event will open Sunday, June 12, from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.; Monday, June 16, through Friday, June 17, from 6 p.m. until 10-:30 p.m.; Saturday, June 18 , from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.; and Sunday, June 19, from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Festival gift cards and Festival Monday Cards are now available in advance with $25 cards going for $22 and $50 cards going for $42. Buy them here. They will also be available at the festival, but at full price. Both cash and major credit cards can be used to buy them. Both festival cards and credit cards can be used at vendors. Majestic Midways also is going cashless, requiring the use of Magic Money Cards that may be purchased with major credit cards at kiosks on site. The Festival cards cannot be used to buy the Magic Monday cards.
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