DOVER – Delaware’s Recycling Public Advisory Council (RPAC) will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday, May 1, at DNREC’s State Street Commons Offices located at 100 W. Water Street, Dover, DE 19904. The RPAC meeting agenda can be found on the state’s Public Meeting Calendar.

The Recycling Public Advisory Council was enacted into law by Senate Bill 234 in May 2010, and charged with advising the Governor’s Office, the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, and the Delaware Solid Waste Authority on all aspects of recycling, including: methodology for measuring recycling rates; development of grant criteria and selection of applications; and possible outreach activities designed to achieve higher recycling rates.

For more information about RPAC, please visit https://dnrec.alpha.delaware.gov/waste-hazardous/recycling/recycling-public-advisory-council/ or contact Adam Schlachter, recycling program manager, DNREC Solid & Hazardous Waste Management Section, at 302-739-9403.

For more information about the monthly RPAC meeting, including the agenda, please go to https://publicmeetings.delaware.gov/Meeting/62760.

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DOVER, DE – For anyone in Delaware looking to buy a home, Delaware State Housing Authority (DSHA) has launched a new website that provides convenient and detailed information about the authority’s homeownership programs and the home-buying process. The website, www.kissyourlandlordgoodbye.com, connects potential homebuyers in the state with resources on low interest mortgage loans, down payment assistance, the Delaware First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit and more.

“Purchasing a home can be one of the most rewarding decisions someone can make. Owning a home can provide a sense of security, independence and pride,” said DSHA Director Anas Ben Addi. “In addition to the benefits owning a home has for the individual or family, we also know that encouraging homeownership helps strengthen and support our communities and can reduce crime. This new website will be an invaluable tool for DSHA and will allow us to help more Delawareans achieve the dream of homeownership.” 

“This is an incredible resource for our customers,” said Don Byrom Jr. (NMLS#709360), a loan officer at M&T Bank, CRA Mortgage Division. “We often hear from those looking to buy a home that they are unsure of where to start in the process. DSHA’s new website will now be that starting point where potential homebuyers can go for more information to begin their journey to buying a home.”

For potential homebuyers who are ready to take the next step in the process, DSHA’s new website provides information on participating lenders, housing counselors and realtors who work directly with the authority to offer homeownership loans and down payment and closing cost assistance.

DSHA officially unveiled the new website at the 2019 Delaware Homebuyer Fair on April 13, where more than 400 potential homebuyers received information on finding properties, obtaining low-cost financing, down payment assistance, home inspections and maintenance and budgeting.

DOVER – Delaware will hold its 18th Drug Take-Back Day on Saturday, April 27, 2019. Delawareans can discard their expired or unused medications at 24 locations statewide between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.

Organized nationally by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Drug Take-Back Day is operated locally by the Division of Public Health (DPH). The twice-a-year event is aimed at reducing the risk of prescription medications being diverted for misuse, and has resulted in nearly 11,000 pounds of medication being collected since 2010. Properly discarding unused medications is an important ongoing event in the effort to address the nationwide opioid epidemic. Doing so reduces the risk of addiction by keeping prescription medications out of the hands of people who may misuse, abuse, or sell them, and helps reduce the risk of drug overdoses.

“Both the direct prescribing of opioids for pain as well as the abundance of these dangerous drugs in our medicine cabinets and communities, have been a significant driver of the opioid epidemic,” said DPH Medical Director Dr. Rick Hong. “By safely turning in your prescription medications during Drug Take-Back Day, you can help fight the opioid epidemic in our state and make your home safe from potential prescription drug abuse or theft.”

According to the 2017 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 6 million Americans abused controlled prescription drugs. The study shows that a majority of abused prescription drugs were obtained from family and friends, often from the home medicine cabinet. Since January 1, 2019, there have been 70 suspected overdose deaths in the state. Preliminary estimates for 2018 indicate 419 overdose deaths across Delaware, an increase of 21 percent from the 2017 total of 345 deaths, according to the Division of Forensic Science.

In addition to the 24 sites participating in April’s Drug Take-Back Day activities, there are 21 permanent medicine drop-off locations across the state available year-round. Six of Delaware’s permanent drop-off sites are in Walgreens pharmacies and the other 15 are located in local law enforcement agencies. For a list of permanent collection sites, visit https://www.helpisherede.com/Get-Help/Prescription-Drug-Drop-Box.

On Drug Take-Back Day, medications for disposal must be in a container such as a pill bottle, box, blister pack, or zipped plastic bag, with personal information removed. Liquid medications must be in their original containers. Needles, aerosols, biohazard materials, medical equipment and batteries will not be accepted.

Delaware’s Drug Take-Back Day sites for April 27, 2019, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. are:

New Castle County
• Christiana Care Surgical Center, 4755 Ogletown Stanton Road, Newark
• Delaware City Police Department, 407 Clinton St., Delaware City
• Delaware State Police Troop 2, 100 La Grange Ave., Newark
• Newark Police Department, 220 S. Main. St., Newark (permanent collection site)
• Middletown Police Department, 130 Hampden Road, Middletown
• New Castle County Airport, 151 N. DuPont Highway, New Castle
• New Castle County Police Department, 3601 N. DuPont Highway (permanent collection site)
• Shipley Manor Nursing Home, 2723 Shipley Road, Wilmington
• Wilmington VA Medical Center, 1601 Kirkwood Highway, Wilmington

Kent County
• Atlantic Apothecary, 103. S. Dupont Blvd., Suite 2, Smyrna
• Cheswold Police Department, 691 Main St., Cheswold
• Delaware State Police Troop 3, 3759 S. State St., Camden-Wyoming
• Felton Police Department, 24 E. Sewell St., Felton (permanent collection site)
• Dover Police Department, 300 S. Queen St., Dover (permanent collection site)

Sussex County
• City of Lewes Board of Public Works, 129 Schley Ave., Lewes
• Dagsboro Police Department, 33134 Main St., Dagsboro
• Delaware State Police Troop 7, 18006 Coastal Highway, Lewes
• Laurel Police Department, 205 Mechanic St., Laurel (permanent collection site)
• Milton Police Department, 101 Federal St., Milton
• Milford Police Department, 400 NE Front St., Milford (permanent collection site)
• Atlantic Shores Rehabilitation and Health Center, 231 S. Washington St., Millsboro
• Ocean View Police Department, 201 Central Ave., Ocean View, (permanent collection site)
• Lewes Ferry Terminal, 43 Cape Henlopen Dr., Lewes
• Rehoboth Police Department, 229 Rehoboth Ave., Rehoboth Beach

For more details about Drug Take-Back Day, visit http://dhss.delaware.gov/dph/hsp/hhdrugtakeback.html or call 302-744-4546, ext. 4.
If you or a loved one is struggling with addiction in Delaware, call DHSS’ 24/7 Crisis Hotline to be connected to treatment and recovery options. In New Castle County, call 1-800-652-2929. Or in Kent and Sussex counties, call 1-800-345-6785. To search online for treatment and recovery services in Delaware or nearby states, visit HelpIsHereDE.com.

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

The Delaware Department of Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.

WILMINGTON, Del. – Governor John Carney on Monday released the following statement on the latest estimates from the Delaware Economic and Financial Advisory Council (DEFAC):

“We continue to show strong revenue growth, which is a positive sign for Delaware’s economy and our state budget. But, as we’ve said all along, much of this revenue is coming from one-time sources and volatile revenue streams like the corporate income tax. Delawareans expect us to responsibly manage their money in good and bad times. We should not use one-time revenue to fund ongoing expenses. That’s why we will continue to talk to legislators about dedicating one-time revenue to one-time expenses like infrastructure projects and open space preservation – while putting money away to prevent spending cuts the next time our revenue picture trends downward.”

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Learn more about Governor Carney’s Fiscal Year 2020 budget proposal.

DOVER – The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control’s Division of Watershed Stewardship will host a workshop for a special solicitation of watershed implementation projects from 10 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, April 30, in Dover, at the Kent County Administration Building, Room 222, 555 South Bay Road, Dover, DE 19901.

The workshop will focus on proposals for implementing new projects specifically designed to restore water quality as part of specific Delaware priority watershed improvement plans. Projects funded under the special solicitation will have the benefit of a zero percent loan interest rate, and no accrual of loan interest through project completion. After successful completion of the watershed implementation project, the outstanding principle loan balance shall be forgiven.

Applicants are limited to those with the necessary legal authority to enter into a loan agreement with DNREC for a loan through the Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) program. Eligible applicants include state agencies, counties, municipalities, other commissions and political subdivisions or interstate bodies with the capacity to borrow. Partnerships are encouraged where necessary to promote larger projects that are beyond the capacity of smaller organizations.

Proposed projects will be selected for funding consideration through a special project solicitation conducted by the Division of Watershed Stewardship, Nonpoint Source (NPS) Pollution Program, and evaluated for CWSRF funding by DNREC Environmental Finance. The Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council (WIAC) through a competitive review process based on ranking criteria shall recommend project requests to the Secretary of DNREC for final approval.

The total CWSRF loan request cannot be less than $500,000 and no greater than $1 million. The funding allocation for the special solicitation is $2.5 million.

For more information, please contact Jim Sullivan, Division of Watershed Stewardship at 302-739-9922.

Vol. 49, No. 102

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