Dover –  One Checkpoint Strikeforce DUI checkpoint is scheduled to take place Friday August 1st, in Newark and will be conducted by the Delaware State Police.  DUI saturation patrols will also be conducted this weekend by Harrington PD and Seaford PD.

Last week 88 individuals were arrested for DUI in Delaware bringing the total DUI arrests statewide for 2014 to 2,330.  Of the 76 fatal crashes this year, 40% were alcohol related.

Checkpoint Strikeforce is a regional sobriety checkpoint campaign aimed at arresting DUI offenders, by using high visibility enforcement to deter those who would otherwise choose to drink and drive.  The campaign, a six month long effort running through New Year’s Eve, involves setting up weekly DUI checkpoints statewide.

For more information on Checkpoint Strikeforce visit www.ohs.delaware.gov, www.DUIRealTime.com and follow regular campaign updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe  and Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE.

The Delaware Public Archives (DPA) is commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the beginning of World War I by offering a new reference guide to resources that can be found at the Archives relating to the “war to end all wars.” Director of the Delaware Public Archives and State Archivist, Stephen Marz, states that “with the interest that will surround the 100th anniversary of the war, we felt that people would be searching for materials, especially primary sources, that will provide some insight into the conflict. The Archives created the guide to meet the needs of these researchers and other patrons who may have an interest in the conflict.”

Developed by Archives staff member Katie Hall, the World War I Guide is available online at http://archives.delaware.gov/collections/collections.shtml and in the Archives’ Research Room. Collections at the Delaware Public Archives that contain World War I materials include Governors Papers, Pamphlets, Military Records, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Extension Service Reports. Among the records preserved are military records, photographs, newspapers, scrapbooks, and correspondence from Delawareans serving in the war. Hall notes that “researchers who are looking for Delawareans who served, such as a grandparent or great-grandparent, may want to start with the World War I Army Service Record Cards, National Guard Enlistment Papers, or the Inductee Record Books. We expect that a number of researchers will be coming to the Archives to look for their ancestors who served in the War during this anniversary period.”

For more information about the World War I reference guide, contact Katie Hall (302) 744-5036 or e-mail katie.hall@delaware.gov.

For information about the Delaware Public Archives, please visit the website at http://archives.delaware.gov. You can also become a follower of the Archives Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/DelawarePublicArchives) and read the Archives blog (http://archives.blogs.delaware.gov/) to learn more about events and other items of interest at the Archives.

The Delaware Public Archives is located at 121 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard North in Dover. The Mabel Lloyd Ridgely Research Room is open to the public Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. On the second Saturday of every month the Research Room is open from 9 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.

The Delaware Public Archives (DPA, archives.delaware.gov), an agency of the State of Delaware, is one of the oldest public archives programs in the United States. DPA serves the citizens of Delaware by identifying, collecting, and preserving public records of enduring historical and evidential value; ensuring access to public records for present and future generations; and advising and educating interested parties in the creation, management, use, and preservation of public records.

On July 29, 2014, the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs announced three awards for the Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief Assistance Grants for Historic Properties program and is seeking public comment on its finding that the selected projects will not adversely affect historic properties.

The grant program is funded under the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, 2013, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama in response to the effects of the destructive hurricane which struck the East Coast of the United States in late October 2012. As part of the act, $50 million was appropriated to the National Park Service to cover the costs of preserving and/or rehabilitating historic properties damaged by the storm. Subsequently, the National Park Service allocated $1 million for Delaware’s component of the program which is being administered by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs. The purpose of the program is to help return damaged historic properties to useful condition, preserving the state’s cultural heritage for future generations.

The division publicly announced the availability of the grants and posted information on the program in January 2014. To qualify, properties were required to be listed, or eligible for listing, in the National Register of Historic Places, and have documented damage that resulted from the effects of the storm. Eligible properties included those owned by private individuals or organizations, local governments, or the state.

The division received three applications. A technical-review committee found that all three of the applications qualified for funding according to the selection criteria and application requirements. Because the currently approved applications did not exhaust the full amount of funds awarded to Delaware, the division may elect to hold another round of grant applications. Additionally, in accordance with its agreement with the National Park Service, the division plans to apply some of the remaining funds toward improving data on the location and nature of historic properties in areas vulnerable to such storm events, assisting in disaster planning.

The three historic properties that will be assisted by the program are as follows:

Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse
Location: Situated on the outer breakwater in Lewes harbor
Built: 1926
Historical significance: Listed in the National Register in 1989 as a contributing structure within the National Harbor of Refuge and Delaware Breakwater Harbor Historic District, a nationally significant aid-to-navigation and safe harbor
Ownership: Non-profit
Storm damage: Results of wind-driven water and waves
Federal grant: Up to $360,000
Scope of work: Replacement of dock and stairs leading to lighthouse; assessment of condition of lighthouse Historic-preservation outcome: The grant-funded work will define the critical preservation work necessary to maintain and preserve the lighthouse, and will restore proper access to allow such work to occur and to further the organization’s public interpretation and educational programming

Milford New Century Club
Location: 18 N. Church St., Milford
Built: 1885
Historical significance: Individually listed in the National Register in 1982 as part of a multiple-property nomination for the city of Milford, the building is significant for its architecture and as a long-standing community center, a purpose it still serves
Ownership: Non-profit
Storm damage: Results of high wind, wind-driven rain and rising water
Federal grant: Up to $60,000
Scope of work: Replacement of roof and associated interior and exterior repairs; exterior painting and associated repairs; replacement of HVAC system
Historic-preservation outcome: The grant-funded work will secure the building’s exterior to prevent further damage and deterioration, and will allow the building to again be used year-round for the organization’s civic projects and rental for local events

Phillips Potato House
Location: 7472 Portsville Road, Laurel
Built: Circa 1900
Historical significance: Individually listed in the National Register in 1990 as part of a multiple-property nomination for sweet potato houses, a specialized agricultural outbuilding in Sussex County. The potato houses reflect the modernization of agricultural practices in southern Delaware during the first half of the 20th century including the emergence of truck farming
Ownership: Private
Storm damage: Results of high wind, wind-driven rain and water run-off
Federal grant: Up to $42,000
Scope of work: Removal of damaged asphalt siding and repair of wood siding and trim; window repair; removal of metal roofing and restoration of wood shingles; foundation repairs
Historic-preservation outcome: The grant-funded work will secure the building’s exterior to prevent further damage and deterioration, and provide an opportunity for returning the building to agricultural use and/or for an adaptive reuse to include public interpretation of agricultural practices

In order to receive funding, the grantees must ensure that the repair work is consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties, and must maintain and preserve the properties for a period of time thereafter. Grantees must also document that consulting and contractual services have been open to competitive bidding and selected in accordance with state and federal law. Grantees must also comply with a number of other reporting requirements to demonstrate that the project is properly carried out. These commitments are documented in a grant agreement that is signed by the division and the grantee.

The division has received the National Park Service’s approval to award these three grants on the condition that all program requirements are being met including compliance with federal historic preservation and environmental laws. Because the program is federally-funded, Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act requires that the projects’ effects on historic properties are taken into account. Section 106 also affords local governments, interested parties and the public the opportunity to comment on the projects. For more information on this law and the public’s role in the review process, go to the federal Advisory Council on Historic Preservation’s publication, “Protecting Historic Properties: A Citizen’s Guide to Section 106 Review.”

To fulfill its Section 106 responsibilities, the National Park Service has negotiated a programmatic agreement with the 12 states affected by Hurricane Sandy. This agreement will govern the project-review process for the states’ grant programs, including provisions for public notification and involvement in the program. The agreement also prohibits use of the funds for work that would adversely affect historic properties.

The division finds that the projects will not adversely affect historic properties because:

• The proposed work will be designed to meet the above-referenced federal standards
• The grantees must make legally-binding commitments to ensure that the work is properly carried out
• The division and the National Park Service will have continuing oversight of the projects

To comment on this finding, or to request additional information about the grant program, the Section 106 review process, or the programmatic agreement, contact Gwen Davis, deputy state historic preservation officer, at 302-736-7410 or gwen.davis@delaware.gov. Comments must be received by Aug. 29, 2014.

Press inquiries should be directed to Jim Yurasek at 302-736-7413 or jim.yurasek@delaware.gov.

-End-

Contact:
Jim Yurasek
Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs
Phone: 302-736-7413
E-mail: Jim.Yurasek@delaware.gov
Web: http://history.delaware.gov

-Activities originate at Lewes, Del.’s Zwaanendael Museum. Open dates run through Sept. 29, 2014-

A limited number of tickets are still available for the Lewes, Del. based lecture/tours of the hull of His Majesty’s Sloop DeBraak, a British warship that was escorting and protecting a convoy of British and American merchant ships en route to the United States when it was capsized and lost off the Delaware coast on May 25, 1798. The program is a 2014 recipient of a Leadership in History Award, the American Association for State and Local History’s most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. Remaining lecture/tours, which are limited to 12 visitors per program, will take place at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on the following Mondays during 2014: Aug. 4, 11, 18 and 25; and Sept. 15, 22 and 29. (No program on Sept. 1.)

Conducted by historical interpreters from the Delaware Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs, activities begin at the Zwaanendael Museum, located at 102 Kings Highway in Lewes, Del., where a lecture on the ship will be presented in conjunction with the exhibit, “A Seaborne Citizenry: The DeBraak and Its Atlantic World.” The exhibit tells the story of the vessel, its crew and the historical context within which it operated in the late 18th century. Ticket holders will then be transported, via van, to the DeBraak hull facility in nearby Cape Henlopen State Park for a tour of the surviving section of the ship’s hull.

Nonrefundable tickets for the lecture/tours are $10 per person (restricted to persons aged 10 and above) and are available through the Shop Delaware website. For additional information, call 302-645-1148.

Significance of DeBraak…

During the late-18th and early-19th centuries, sloops of war such as DeBraak played an increasingly important role in Royal Navy campaigns. These relatively small vessels combined speed, agility, shallow draft and increased firepower, all of which made them formidable naval vessels. As the only Royal Navy sloop of war from this time period that has been recovered anywhere in the world, DeBraak serves as an invaluable historical resource for a time when Britannia ruled the waves and the United States was just beginning to develop its sea legs.

The surviving section of the DeBraak’s hull and its associated artifact collection have been curated by the Division of Historical and Cultural Affairs since they were acquired by the state of Delaware in 1992. Approximately one-third of the hull survives including the keel, keelson and framing elements of the lower hull, and a large section of the starboard (right) side.

(Delaware City, DE) – In his weekly message, filmed at Fort DuPont State Park, Governor Markell discusses efforts to address the environmental and historic preservation goals of the site while enhancing economic opportunities for the State.

“This week, I signed legislation authorizing the creation of the Fort DuPont Redevelopment Corporation, which will spearhead redevelopment of Fort DuPont in much the same way that the Riverfront Development Corporation did for the Wilmington Riverfront,” said Governor Markell. “We can abandon our history or we can restore it. By choosing to restore Fort DuPont and by maximizing its economic and environmental potential, we’ll keep Delaware moving forward.”

Every week, the Governor’s office releases a new Weekly Message in video, audio, and
transcript form. The message is available on:

YouTube: http://youtu.be/NVXe5NU7-NA
Delaware.Gov: http://governor.delaware.gov/podcast_video.shtml
By email: Please contact our press team to subscribe to our press list
Facebook: www.facebook.com/governormarkell
Twitter: www.twitter.com/governormarkell

The Governor’s Weekly Message transcript: Creating Economic Opportunity While Preserving our Past