Fenwick Island
Delaware

Message From the Mayor

We started the year with the Fenwick Freeze, which aptly earned its name, had the snowstorm which hit us in mid-January followed by the “Deep Freeze” of late January and February, causing all the lagoons and much of the bay to become covered with ice, trailed by the snowstorm which did not really materialize (thank goodness), topped off by the blizzard which did materialize in a big way!  For the last round, we experienced more than 10 inches of snow, exploding transformers, downed power lines, visits from two different fire departments to extinguish fires from transformers and howling crazy winds which made the snow blow sideways. Fenwick went dark about 9:30 p.m. on Sunday and for some of us, me included, it stayed dark for the next 5 days. What a long cold stretch the Winter of 2026 has turned out to be.

Figure 1–Fire from transformer at Atlantic and Bunting during Blizzard of 2026

A huge shoutout goes to our Public Works crew—John, Bryan, Josh and Mike– who worked 22 hours straight from Sunday afternoon to Monday morning and had all our streets plowed by dawn as well as Master Corporal Majewski who kept Fenwick safe despite downed power lines and exploding transformers during the blizzard. 

The good news?  Temperatures are rising, the official first day of spring is March 20^th and we are a mere 12 weeks from Memorial Day…summer is coming and if John Steinbeck’s quote is accurate, we are in for a sweet one! 

Figure 2–The Fenwick Freeze with flag bearer, Councilmember Lucy Wilder, leading the way. Yes, our flag was upside down–the sign of distress from the freezing cold!

TREASURERS REPORT:

As of January 31, The Town’s overall cash balance of $4.37 million represents a $310,000 reduction since October 31. This is typical as receipts from property taxes wind down while the town is still incurring normal monthly expenses such as payroll. Through January 31, overall revenues are in line with expectations. Building permits remain strong and the six-month revenues of $230,000 represent 67% of the annual budget. Overall expenses are also consistent with expectations. RTT revenues totaled $256,000 for the first six months which represents 73% of the annual budget. There were no home sales in January, which reflects a less active real estate market, but we expect enough property sales for the remainder of this fiscal year to support the $350,000 annual budget. The town remains on target with its overall budget and forecasted cashflows.

CHARTER AND ORDINANCE UPDATES:  

Given the traffic conditions near Surf Bagel, the owners asked the Town to consider making a modification to the Town’s ordinances so that they could lease and offer overflow parking on the unimproved lot next to the store. In the past, the lot had been used for a Farmers’ Market.

Town Council referred the matter to the Charter & Ordinance Committee, and the committee recommended modifications to permit parking on unimproved lots that are along Route 1 with certain safeguards/requirements.

Town Council approved the recommended modification for a first reading and Town Council will now hold a public hearing on March 23^rd at 10 a.m. before considering the modifications for a second reading and final approval at the March 27^th Town Council meeting.  

The proposed modifications are as follows (modifications in red): 

Chapter 160-10 F (proposed modifications in red): 

F. Vehicle parking on an unimproved lot in the commercial zone for a fee or not and with or without the permission of the lot owner is prohibited [Added 4-28-2000]

unless application has been made to and approved by Town Council for a temporary unimproved parking lot permit as set forth below:

1. Property Owner and any other involved business owner seeking to have vehicles park on unimproved lot make application to Town Council for a hearing on their request and shall include in the application:
   1. Identity of lot which is proposed for parking and legal owner;
   2. Identity of all business owners with an interest in the use of the lot for parking;
   3. Proposed parking usage including days of the week, hours of the day and dates of use;
   4. Business property owner/licensee to which the parking will benefit;
2. Town Council shall have sole discretion to grant or deny the application and:
   1. Shall consider only those applications that seek to grant a temporary unimproved parking permit for unimproved lots that are contiguous to Route 1;
   2. Shall consider the impact that a temporary parking permit for unimproved lot would have on the property which it would serve as well as the surrounding properties;
   3. Shall impose whatever restrictions and/or requirements that Town Council, in its sole discretion, deems necessary to maintain the parking usage for the sole use of providing parking for the business owner/licensee’s patrons who seek to utilize the parking while physically being in the building of the business owner/business licensee  only, including, but not limited to:

                                                      i.      hours of operation;

                                                    ii.      dates of operation;

                                                   iii.      ingress and egress requirements;

                                                   iv.      maximum length of time parking per vehicle limitations;

                                                     v.      configuration of the parking lot, including gating, fencing and marking                                                                         parking spaces;

                                                   vi.      maximum number of vehicles to utilize the parking lot;

                                                 vii.      number of parking spaces to be utilized;

                                               viii.      requirement of parking attendant;

                                                   ix.      screening, setbacks, fences, gating;

                                                     x.      and any other restriction, limitation or requirement, not specifically referenced herein, that Town Council deems necessary to assure the proper use of the temporary parking on unimproved lot permit;

2. 1. Shall have a public hearing either as an agenda item at a regularly scheduled Town Council meeting and/or schedule a special hearing date that is published to the public;
   2. Shall ensure that public participation on the proposed usage be permitted during a hearing.

4. Town Council may revoke the temporary parking on unimproved lot permit at any time and for any reason, with five (5) days written notice to the parties seeking the permit or, in the event any of the conditions, limitations or requirements established by Town Council for parking use are not met and/or there is a traffic hazard created by the use of the lot for parking, the Chief of Police may revoke the temporary parking on unimproved lot permit without notice, pending review by Town Council at the next scheduled Town Council meeting.
5. Parking fees imposed directly on the patron utilizing the unimproved lot for parking shall be prohibited.
6.  Any approved temporary parking on unimproved parking permit by Town Council shall expire within the date set forth by Town Council in the permit and, in any event, no later than one (1) year from the date of issuance.    

Charter and Ordinance has also been asked to review and consider updating the Lighting Code to modernize the language to keep up with current technology and with DarkSky principles in mind. 

In addition, the Infrastructure Committee has asked Charter and Ordinance to begin the process of reviewing the ordinances to recommend modifications to assist Fenwick in becoming more resilient to bayside flooding.

INFRASTRUCTURE /FLOODING UPDATE:

Bayside flooding is one of our biggest priorities for the Town. We hired Straughan Environmental to create a Comprehensive Engineered Master Resiliency Plan for the Town and to define engineered methods of mitigation, recommend proposed demonstration projects, develop concept designs for the demonstration projects, prepare final design plans with cost estimates, and prepare bid documents for the high priority demonstration projects.

We hope to have the Comprehensive Engineered Master Resiliency Plan completed by Straughan Environmental by the end of 2026.  The Comprehensive Engineered Master Resiliency Plan will provide the next set of tools and insight for taking the additional steps for mitigating bayside flooding and planning for resiliency.

Straughan Engineering has been working on the project and has recommended that we ensure that all our bayside homes/street ends meet a target elevation (bulkhead/berm) of 3.98NAV88 by 2050 to protect the Town from bayside flooding.  Town Council has referred Straughan’s recommendation to Charter & Ordinance for further study and ordinance changes as needed.   

Public Works continue to maintain the valves that have been installed in the drainage pipes and to clear debris from pipes. If you believe that the valves are not working or that the pipes are not open, please contact Town Hall to report. You can access updates on maintenance/inspection and repairs to the pipes on our website, under the Departments-Public Works—Discharge Replacement Plan at  https://fenwickisland.delaware.gov/files/2025/09/DISCHARGE-REPLACEMENT-PLAN-2025.pdf. Please keep in mind, in the event of high tides, the valves and pipes cannot assist until the tide recedes. Our Town on the bayside is flat and almost at sea level so there is not enough “fall” for the pipes to be effective while the tide is high. 

We have also repurposed some “NO WAKE SIGNS” that we place throughout Town in problem areas to remind drivers to travel slowly through the road when there is flooding so as to not create a wake that can enter homes.

The Infrastructure Committee, chaired by Council Member Susan Brennan, is planning a public engagement campaign to share Straughan’s findings and recommendations in May. We will advertise the date once it is selected so that you can participate. To see past resiliency symposiums, go to https://fenwickisland.delaware.gov/flood-information/.  All the symposiums detail the challenges and the work the Town has undertaken and will undertake in the future as well as ideas you can incorporate to help.

The Town independently completed a resiliency project on Farmington Street that built a sandbag berm on the street end.  Led by Fenwick Island resident, Jay Ryan, a retired engineer and member of the Infrastructure Committee, volunteers, many living on Farmington Street, filled sandbags and Public Works built a berm. The site was selected because of the unique feature of having retaining walls on both sides of the street that allowed us to connect the berm. While complete, the project has not yet been tested. If successful, this will give us another set of tools to consider when assessing methods of mitigation for other streets throughout the Town.  Thank you to Jay, the Infrastructure Committee, the resident homeowners who are allowing us to tie into their properties as well as the volunteers who filled the sandbags. As they say, it takes a village…. 

Figure 3–Resident volunteers filling sandbags for Farmington Street Berm Project

Figure 4–Farmington Project During the Build

Figure 5–Farmington project completion

MARYLAND OFFSHORE WIND PROJECT UPDATE:

In a word, the future of offshore wind along our coast is UNCERTAIN.

The battle is now being fought in the Courts. There have been a lot of filings, motions, rulings and appeals but nothing definitive yet.

Most recently, the Trump Administration ordered that all ongoing construction of offshore wind projects be halted due to national security concerns caused by the interference that the wind turbine towers have on radar and sonar detection systems. According to reports, during the permitting process under the Biden Administration and continuing through to the present, the defense department raised warnings that the height, rotation and sound from the wind turbines would create electromagnetic reflections that cause “clutter” and “shadow zones” which prevent the detection of targets such as drones, missiles or vessels.  Other countries have also halted construction due to similar national security concerns. The lower Court rulings overruled the stop work order and the Trump Administration has appealed. With modern warfare being fought with drones and missiles, national security along our coast is a true concern.

In the federal action in which we are a party with Ocean City, the government (BOEM—Bureau of Ocean Energy Management) filed a Motion to Remand and Vacate the permit that was issued by their agency, citing an error in assessing the ecological, economic and national security impacts when the permit was issued; however, the lower Court denied BOEM’s request.  In the same action, the Court denied US Wind’s motion for a preliminary injunction to block the federal government from reviewing or potentially revoking the permits, basing the ruling on the fact that BOEM had not yet revoked the permits making the issue not yet ripe for judicial intervention. So, the case proceeds with further discovery, argument, and briefs.

In January, Ocean City hosted a public information session where a panel of speakers provided information about the true impacts that a windfarm along our coast would have on our local environment, national security and economy as well as the costs of the project and how those costs will continue to be added to our electric bills.  I was honored to speak at the session along with panelists with expertise in electricity regulations/costs, commercial fishing, radar/sonar interference, and the environment. If you would like to review the session, please go to:   https://stopoffshorewind.com . I thought the information provided by the President of the Maryland Waterman’s Society, owner of local commercial fishing boat, Skilligalee, was particularly sobering.  You can also donate and the proceeds go to assisting in the federal action.

Figure 6–OC Public Session Held in January–“At What Cost?”

At the state level, we have filed appeals in Delaware challenging the permitting process by DNREC that approved connecting the cables by jet plowing through the Indian River Bay, raising concerns about the negative impacts on the environment, including the inland bays, tourism and property values, as well as DNREC’s failure to adequately follow its own regulations in approving the project.   Recent document exchanges have revealed that the Center for Inland Bays had deemed that jet-plowing through the Indian River Bay was the “worst option” and would have a significant negative environmental impact. Former Attorney General and Judge Jane Brady and Stephanie Ballard Wagner represent the Town, as well as other appellants, without charging legal fees.

We also joined Sussex County in challenging the State of Delaware in passing SB159 that circumvented Sussex County’s denial of US Wind’s request to build an electrical substation at the old Indian River Power Plant.   SB159 ignores generations of legal precedence known as “home rule” which empowers local jurisdictions, not the State, to be the sole authority in making zoning decisions that are best for its constituents. Former Attorney General and Judge Jane Brady and Stephanie Ballard Wagner are representing the Town and Sussex County in this case as well and, again, are doing so gratis. Unfortunately, the Court of Chancery denied the temporary restraining order we sought to prevent the law from taking effect on procedural grounds, saying Sussex County waited too long to file, and the law went into effect at the end of January. However, we are continuing to challenge the constitutionality of SB159 to strike it down and briefs have been exchanged.

More is coming and we will keep you advised. 

ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEE UPDATE:

The Environmental Committee is now overseeing Phase II of the Faucett Okie Family Nature Preserve. There are three new benches in the park. The committee has also installed a natural fence barrier to delineate boundaries and incorporate simple modifications along Bayard Street to create easier preserve access for our visitors. If you have long branches that need to exit your property, please reach out to Public Works in Town Hall to come and collect them for placement in the fence.

Figure 7–Natural Fence in Faucett Okie Family Preserve.

Dune grass planting is scheduled for Saturday, March 21^st  from 9 AM to 12 noon.  If you and your family and friends are able to volunteer to plant dune grass in Fenwick, please register online at: http://de.gov/beachgrass.  You should receive an email confirmation once you register.

Also on Saturday, March 21^st from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. is the Delaware Solid Waste Authority Collection Event at the Fenwick Island State Park which accepts household hazardous Waste, electronic goods recycling, and paper shredding. For more information go to: https://dswa.com/collection-event-schedule/.

There will be a Pollinator Park workday on March 26^th from 9 a.m. to noon to get things ready for the spring.  Please bring your gloves and join us.

A permanent sign telling the story of how the Faucett Okie Family Nature Preserve came to the Town has arrived, assisted by a generous donation by Resident John Nason. Dedication of the Faucett Okie Family Nature Preserve is tentatively scheduled for Saturday, May 23^rd, time to be announced so please stay tuned.

The Fenwick Island Environmental Committee is sponsoring a Bay to Beach Cleanup to celebrate Earth Day 2026 on Saturday, April 25th beginning at 8:30 am.  Participants will gather at Town Hall (800 Coastal Highway in Fenwick) for refreshments, cleanup assignments/supplies, environmental topic displays, a raffle and a commemorative token of appreciation. Please join us in keeping Fenwick the cleanest town on the shore!

Afterwards, stop by the new Faucett-Okie Family Nature Preserve  at Bayard Street and Coastal Highway where we will be enhancing this tranquil setting  with mini-forest plantings.

The Town received a grant from the Centers for Inland Bays called The Mid-Atlantic Environmental Justice Fund, Tree Canopy for Resiliency and Public Health: Tree planting and tree canopy improvements to address local public health, climate change, ecological and environmental concerns such as air pollution and storm water management. The Town will be receiving plant materials to create or fortify a pocket forest in the Faucett Okie Family Nature Preserve and will be planting on Earth Day, April 25^th, after the bay to beach clean-up. We will need lots of volunteers for Earth Day so please assist if you can.   

The Environmental Committee is also working on plans to improve the sidewalk plantings and review the median plantings.

Please consider coming out to help with these opportunities to benefit Fenwick!  

DARKSKY COMMITTEE UPDATE: 

The DarkSky Committee requested that Town Council consider modernizing the Lighting Ordinances to take into account recent technology in lighting and Town Council referred the request to the Charter and Ordinance Committee for further study and recommendations.

The DarkSky Committee is also creating a list of DarkSky friendly lighting choices that can be distributed to residents and businesses when considering lighting for new builds.

Look for the DarkSky Committee display at the Earth Day events on April 25^th. 

FENWICK ISLAND POLICE UPDATE:

The FIPD is now accredited by the State—what a tremendous accomplishment!  Under Chief Morrissey’s leadership with the assistance of Master Corporal Majewski and the rest of the department, we achieved accreditation in October. Thank you to the entire FIPD for your hard work and commitment to the process. 

Cpl. Emily Truitt received the Fenwick Island Police Officer of the Year award from the Carl M. Freeman Companies. Well done Cpl. Truitt!

Figure 8–Cpl. Truitt receiving Fenwick Island Police Officer of the Year Award

Chief Morrissey continues to receive grants from various agencies to help Fenwick Island continue to be a force well-equipped and well-respected in the State.

Chief Morrissey’s contract will expire in September, and we are currently negotiating an extension.

 BEACH COMMITTEE UPDATE:  

Due to some new and exciting family additions/commitments, Jacque Napolitano decided to step down as the Chair of the Beach Committee and Kurt Zanelotti agreed to take on the reins.

A huge thank you to Jacque for spearheading the Beach Committee for the past four years. Due to the work of her committee, the Beach Committee continues to be the leader in planning our family-friendly summertime events as well as the Fenwick Freeze. We applaud Jacque and all who have served on this committee and thank them for their tireless support for the FIBP and the Town of Fenwick Island. 

Upcoming 2026 Beach Committee events will include:

• Annual Town Bonfire on Saturday, July 18, 2026, to Support FIBP. Please note the date as it is NOT on July 4^th weekend due to the 250^th USA 4^th of July celebrations that will conflict. 

• Fenwick Flicks –June 19^th  (tentatively “Finding Dory”).

• Fenwick Flicks– July 17^th  (tentatively “Happy Feet”).

• Fenwick Flicks– August 14^th (tentatively “Minions”). 

• Fenwick Flicks Classic Movie Night– August 21^st  (tentatively “Casablanca”).     

Please mark the dates now.  Also, if you would like to volunteer to help plan these activities, please contact Town Hall.  Even if you cannot join the committee, all volunteers are welcomed and appreciated. 

The Beach Committee purchased a new Lifeguard shed that is equipped with electricity and ready for the 2026 Summer Season.  

FENWICK ISLAND BEACH PATROL UPDATE:

Captain Ryk is accepting applications for the 2026 FIBP. If you or someone you know is interested, please have them apply. 

During the Summer of 2025, the FIBP made 83 rescues, responded to 141 minor medical events and 6 major medical events, found 18 missing persons, and transported 268 individuals with mobility challenges onto our beach.

Thank you Captain Ryk and Lt. Strine for operating such a professional group of lifeguards and thank you FIBP for keeping us safe.  

OTHER TOWN COUNCIL NEWS: 

MARINE SCIENCE CAMP IS COMING TO FENWICK ISLAND FOR THE SUMMER OF 2026–Town Council approved the use of Town facilities to host Marine Science Camp. Marine Science Camp advertises:

“Give your child an adventure where curiosity meets the coast. Campers discover the wonders of the ocean through hands-on field experiments and meaningful real-world research. They will explore local marine habitats, catch and release marine animals with seine nets, test water quality, and contribute data to ongoing citizen science projects. Engaging lessons on Beluga Whales, Tiger Sharks, Axolotls, Puffins, Upwelling, and Marine Invertebrates bring the ocean to life. With nearly two decades of experience and national recognition, this award-winning camp makes learning about the sea truly unforgettable. Registration is open now! Secure your child’s spot for a week full of discovery, learning, and fun. Spots are limited, so visit www.marinesciencecamp.com to learn more and register today.” 

IQ FIBER IS SEEKING TO COME TO FENWICK—IQ Fiber has contacted Town Council and wishes to place fiber optic internet lines throughout Town in the Town’s right of ways and offer services into houses.  Their service is 100% fiber optic not only at the street level but also in the homes which offer faster upload speeds as compared to traditional cable. IQ Fiber does NOT offer cable television services, as Comcast does.  Moreover, if you wanted to remain with Comcast, you could continue with that service  as both providers would offer services.  Installation of the lines would not entail trench digging but rather would use underground directional boring. While utilities would be marked in advance and all properties would be restored to their original condition, there could be inadvertent disruption to water and electric services. Currently, Comcast maintains fiber optic lines in Town but enters homes with coaxial cable.  Comcast has plans to replace coaxial cable with fiber optics at a future undetermined date.  IQ Fiber also advertises a U.S. based help service desk. We tabled IQ Fiber’s request pending further study and public comment. We welcome your thoughts and input on this issue.

 GO MELVO SNOBALLS APPROVED for another season in the unincorporated section of Fenwick Island.

 CASSELLA WASTE SERVICES is seeking to renew their contract, with three-year contract that establishes a fee increase each of the three years. Currently, the rate is $17.57 per home. The proposed contract renewal would call for a year one fee increase of $17.92 per home, year two $18.45 per home and year three $19.00 per home.  Town Council will solicit bids from other vendors and decide before the current contract expires.

 TOWN PURCHASES NEW PHONES and saves approximately 40% of current costs.  Our phone systems had reached their expiration age and were no longer being supported by updated technology. Erin Ellinger, Town Clerk, took on the job of reviewing new phone systems and found a system which delivers better technology AND will cost the Town less money per month than what we currently pay. 

 ACLU SUES TOWN OF FENWICK ISLAND—The ACLU filed suit against the Town of Fenwick Island in December and is challenging our election process set forth in our Charter which allows artificial entities to cast a vote in our elections. Seemingly targeting business entities but also entangling marital/family trusts, the ACLU alleges that allowing artificial entities to vote could dilute our voting system. While there are other Towns with similar election provisions and even though the State of Delaware endorsed the Charter change years ago, the ACLU decided to sue just us. The Town is actively defending the Charter provisions and our one person/one entity, one vote provisions.

 JAMMING BY THE SEA TO PROVIDE AN ENCORE—Jamming by the Sea filled Town Hall with wonderful music by local musicians in February and has agreed to return and provide a spring concert encore on Friday, May 1^st from 4-6 p.m. in Town Hall. Please plan to attend if you like music that everyone can sing along.  Thank you to Gary Thomas who has arranged these events for us.

Figure 9–Jamming by the Sea in Town Hall in February

BE ALERT FOR FALL HURRICANES/STORMS/TOWN UPDATES:

We post updates on the Town’s Facebook account at https://www.facebook.com/TownofFenwickIsland.

COMING ATTRACTIONS:

 DSWA Collection Event—March 21^st from 8-noon at Fenwick Island State Park

• Dune Grass Planting –March 21^st at 9:00 a.m. –need to register at https://dnrec.delaware.gov/watershed-stewardship/beaches/beach-grass/ 

• Hearing on Proposed Changes to Off-Street Parking Ordinance, Chapter 160-10, March 23^rd at 10:00 a.m. at Town Hall or via Zoom.

• Town Council Meeting on March 27th at 1:00 p.m. at Town Hall or via Zoom.

• Town Council Meeting on April 24th at 1:00 p.m. at Town Hall or via Zoom.

• Earth Day—April 25^th Bay to Beach Clean-up at 8:30 a.m. at Town Hall followed by Plantings at Faucett Okie Family Preserve

• Spring Jam by Jamming by the Sea on May 1^st from 4-6 p.m. at Town Hall

• Town Council Meeting on May 22^nd at 1:00 p.m. at Town Hall or via Zoom.

• Memorial Day Ceremony—May 22^nd at Town Hall Park following Town Hall meeting.

• Faucett Okie Family Preserve Dedication—May 23^rd—time to be announced.

• Fenwick Flicks—June 19^th—Bayard Street at dark.

• Town Council Meeting on June 26th at 1:00 p.m. at Town Hall or via Zoom.

• Pollinator Park Soiree—June 27^th at 4 p.m. at the Pollinator Park

• Fenwick Flicks—July 17^th at dark at Bayard Street

• Annual Town Bonfire—July 18^th at Bayard Street beginning at 7 p.m.

• Town Council Meeting on July 24^th at 1:00 p.m. at Town Hall or via Zoom.

• Town Elections Saturday August 1^st 

• Fenwick Flicks on August 14^th at dark at Bayard Street

• Fenwick “Classic Movie Night” Flicks on August 21^st at Bayard Street at dark

• Town Council Meeting on August 28th at 1:00 p.m. at Town Hall or via Zoom.

• Various Committee meetings can be found by going to the Town’s website at  https://fenwickisland.delaware.gov/.

Please feel free to reach out to any Town Council member if you have any questions or concerns about things happening around Town and remember to check our website and Facebook pages for current information/events.  

Regards,

Natalie Magdeburger

Mayor/President of Fenwick Island Town Council

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To stay informed about events, meetings and things going on around Town, please be sure to check out the Town’s website at https://fenwickisland.delaware.gov/ and look under the MEETINGS, EVENTS, AND CALENDAR tab in the center of the homepage to review all the events, meetings and links for Zoom attendance.   There is lots of information on the website and you can even access many of the forms that the Town uses.

You can also sign up for an “Events Subscription” by going to the Contact tab at the top of the Town’s website homepage which will result in the receipt of an email to you on each day that notices of meetings and events are published on the Town’s website, including a link to the activity. 

You can also use the Contact tab on the website to contact Town Hall if you have a question, need assistance or have a suggestion.  

The Town’s Facebook page also hosts updates/announcements and is on Facebook at Town of Fenwick Island-Government. 

There are LOTS of activities and meetings going on and we hope by using the Town’s website and Facebook, you will not miss the things that are important to you and your family.    Of course, if you do not use the internet, you can always call or stop by for assistance or information.

If you are getting our email updates, please make sure to “whitelist” our address as some internet providers like to mark the updates as spam and are sending our materials to your spam folder.