OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Millsboro 250 Committee Meeting - March 23, 2026

Town Council — Monday, March 23, 2026
BodyMillsboro, Delaware
SessionTown Council
DateMonday, March 23, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:30:28

Transcript — Verbatim
2:17

To call this meeting to order.

2:19

Today is March twenty third, and this is the Millsboro two fifty committee.

2:24

Please join me in a pledge of allegiance.

2:43

Thank you.

2:57

Mr.

2:57

O'Neal.

2:58

Present.

3:00

That's the committee members, Bob McKee, present.

3:04

Uh we have Kim Benton.

3:06

Present.

3:07

Nadine Tippanaro.

3:09

Present.

3:10

Chief Moyer.

3:11

Present.

3:12

Asley Sander, assistant town manager.

3:14

Present.

3:15

And Mr.

3:16

Jamie Burke, town manager.

3:17

Present.

3:18

And joining us in a day is Mr.

3:21

John Atkins.

3:22

Present.

3:23

And Miss Bonnie, we see you dialing in.

3:27

Yes, I'm here.

3:29

Thank you for joining us.

3:34

Can I have a motion, please to adopt the agenda?

3:38

Make a motion to adopt the agenda.

3:42

All favor say aye.

3:58

Okay.

3:58

I have a motion to adopt the meeting minutes from February eleventh.

4:03

So moved.

4:05

Second.

4:06

All favor say aye.

4:07

I motion carries.

4:09

Thank you.

4:11

Okay, since there's no public comments.

4:19

I'm sorry, ma'am.

4:22

Yes.

4:26

Do you mind coming up to the microphone just because we're an online meeting of self-serving if anybody's participating?

4:36

You speak of them.

4:37

Is there a generalized place where the minutes are posted?

4:40

I'm interested in this.

4:51

Is that right, John?

4:54

Um, but is there a place where the minutes are posted?

4:57

Or are there copies of the minutes?

4:59

That's it.

5:00

can if anybody's participating um my name's patricia olifant uh thank you very much you speak of them is there a generalized place where the minutes are posted i'm interested in this uh as a person who was born and reared in millsboro deliver been here longer in any of you problem with ship is that right john that's really um but is there a place where the minutes are posted or are there copies of the minutes that's that's all the minute chart so i can get myself if you go to the website and go to government um current committees america 250 they're right i apologize for the interruption oh no no not at all thank you thank you for joining us today okay uh potential event scholarships sponsorship sorry scholarships i think we've got some really good news recently and we're they're ongoing it's it's yeah it's ongoing but we're gonna look at things so far yeah great to hear about waste that's awesome took the opportunity during a construction meeting to do a little plug so you get the plug worked yep they need something we need something you know so yeah absolutely well still have a lot a lot more time to get more yeah yeah I mean I think that would be my overall thing I mean we're already excited for the the amount of people that have responded just in a very short time period Ashley's been doing fantastic work making direct asks of some of the bigger players that we would love to have involved and um so far so good with lots of time to keep working to build up and and we have a plan going forward so nobody's stepping on somebody else's toes are they getting a call from only one source got on transfer so yeah okay yeah we're working on brilliant room so we're just kind of putting the smaller sponsorship that we would have from that right side for now very good few weeks yeah okay keep up the good work are there any other large entities that you might that we do this with CDAC with some fundraising we're doing there for some affordable housing marketing we're working on um are there any large entities that you need contacts that somebody on this committee might have to help get to that warrant transfer on a another I mentioned something about here but you guys have talked to them before obviously I spoke with Zach and Zach had given it to the community cares um committee as well yeah I would just say that um I we're probably gonna have a more strategic divide and conquer plan like after this meeting after we get through some of the detail today so we can just if something pops up that we don't already have one we definitely can ask for that yeah definitely okay next item is uh donations silent auction event donations etc who's got information on that so there's a form online um it's on the town website and then the chamber also has the form for silent auction donations there's going to be a silent auction in the chamber the day of um the event I've talked to Dr.

7:44

Kyle Bentley with Sussex Academy he oversees the high school middle school and elementary school he said that they are on board with doing an art contest with our students the art classes are going to and the students art it's going to be displayed in the chamber to drive put traffic into the chambers you know grandma grandpa cousins aunts uncles can go in and vote on like their child's artwork but then on the silent auction items will be there as well so if anyone has any contacts for good silent auction items for looking I got so far I've gotten um a round of golfer for it rahobith beach country club um Ron Mason got round of golf at Plantation Lakes um I got a swag basket from King's Creek um Baywood is doing a round of golf um pink leopard in from her they're gonna do like a Lily Pulitzer basket.

8:30

Yes um and I think that's oh food line is going to give some gift cards that's we're still looking for that's any any possibility of uh soliciting the chamber members to see how many local businesses yeah I just I think that in in the game plan of attack we were starting with getting bigger ticket items and then the silent auction oh shore bird's tickets too yeah short stick I should be able to get more once yeah we definitely will have more still collecting those then I have a contact who has a contact with the get us uh four Redskins tickets and then Jimmy O'Connor is reaching out he's a contact with the cap capitals is that the hockey team yeah and then she's gonna get um tickets for that as well I contacted Eagles Royals one more but I haven't heard back from them yet do we have a flyer like we can give the potential sponsorship yes we do can we get some yep ashley has the digital version of it so and she might have a hand up some of the sponsorships have already been spoken for so we just need to kind of update it so I can do that and say sold out right it's a good problem to have actually if you guys touch bases with uh DD stained glass uptown here they have done some things for the firehouse for the fire company that that really really comes out nice I mean they could do something for um possibly Millsboro 250 or she could have for a slide auction oh I have it that's a good yeah she's in sheet oh you want me to hand it on my okay okay next next item event attractions what what do we have actually in place at this point and and what are we still pursuing what are

10:00

I mean they could do something for um possibly Millsbow 250 or she get that for a slide on an auction.

10:06

Oh my that's a good yeah she oh you want me to hand it on my best I'll follow that okay okay next next item event attractions what what do we have actually in place at this point and and what are we still pursuing what are the what are the definitely that we have live bands we have um a live band southbound of Delaware is going to be playing on the stage downtown um from two to four and that's and then the parade will kick off at 4 p.m okay I was thinking there's uh one of my neighbors is uh motorcycle rider and he rides with the group of veterans they may be interested in in coming out that day and being part of the parade great uh they've done it for veterans day at uh at the golf course so I I can ask them fireworks are lined up with our we've gotten approval from um jao and set uh Sussex Central well I guess it's not now but the building to utilize that for the parade staging as well so we're all set for that okay may also be able to get a a group of uh small group of uh bagpipers so they were willing to come come down for a ceremony so I'll check on that retired uh law enforcement most of them and then I uh reached out to Ms.

11:50

Ruth Ann or Ruth Ann Spicer she's very involved in the return day parade um just to see if she could get us some contacts for who they use for return day um I figured she would be helpful with her knowledge and being involved with that for so many years and I reached mostly wolves is another yeah okay yes you know Rosalie yes yeah then shared with that on Facebook today she what she shared the event on Facebook okay yeah I will or she says yeah she's green um and then I reached out to sons of the American Revolution they're out of the Lewis chapter um they have agreed to be in the parade as well as they're gonna have a booth um downtown just to give information out about their organization is there a parade registration form and forget me if forgive me if it's online as well it's online and then they're all being submitted to Nadine so that way everything is in one central location and not kind of piecemealed so then we can all we can we're not gonna leave her high and drive that will help her this is all being sent to her so it's all in one location.

12:52

Yeah.

12:55

Can we bring up the DJ thing yeah so the DJ is all set for the field but he had a thought which we agreed with because we're gonna have more speaking opportunities that it would be helpful to have like some kind of stage because he's usually just working there without a stage.

13:11

So we don't know if we can move the stage the mid shop audio stage.

13:15

No I wouldn't say so no I mean you can talk to them but that would be a well no they bring their crew and they set up and then they have them monitor it and then take it down.

13:25

Yeah I mean I guess we could but that that wasn't in the quote that they sent over yeah I don't know what other options we have for some kind of state over there I can check so I mean it doesn't need to be very big.

13:36

Yeah it could be a flatbed farm truck yeah seen that before oh yeah you can pull it in one of those we do all right Sherman's got one too his is probably not as dirty as we would like it to be pull it in letting you that would work a couple hours okay that's yeah because I think they'll be breaking down while you probably wouldn't want it you know you know I've seen him set it up it does take a you know take some time to grow get it actually did they give you an idea because it's not the same but are we talking the same setup as the DJ has for the parade or this is I think we're gonna have stage it's both yeah yeah I think we're gonna have a DJ setup no not DJ but the like the master ceremonies whatever MC at the chamber but then the band's going to be in a separate location.

14:27

Yeah they needed a larger stage and the stage for the band I was able to get that um donated with a tent or them since with consideration of the heat of the summer that um that both of those are being donated.

14:38

Yeah they usually bring it in a box truck and it takes them like about an hour to set it up so I'd assume about the same to break it down.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Community Engagement█████████████████████████25%
Public Engagement█████████████████████████25%
Historic Preservation██████████████████18%
Public Transportation██████████████14%
Public Safety████████8%
Arts And Culture████4%
Procedural███3%
Transportation Safety███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Millsboro 250 Committee Meeting – March 23, 2026

The Millsboro 250 Committee met on March 23, 2026, to continue planning the town's 250th anniversary celebration scheduled for June 27, 2026. The meeting covered sponsorships, donations, parade logistics, security, and community engagement. Public input was provided by Patricia Olifant, a long-time resident, who shared historical context and ideas.

Consent Calendar

  • The agenda and minutes from February 11 were adopted unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Patricia Olifant, a long-time Millsboro resident, asked where meeting minutes are posted and was directed to the town website. She later contributed numerous ideas from the 1976 bicentennial, including a community church service, a mural, and involving seniors as honorary grand marshals. She offered to share a list of additional ideas.

Discussion Items

  • Sponsorships & Scholarships: The committee reported positive response to sponsorship requests, with a strategy to target larger entities. Ashley is coordinating asks.
  • Donations & Auction Items: A silent auction will be held at the Chamber. Items secured include rounds of golf, gift cards, and tickets. An art contest with Sussex Academy will display student artwork.
  • Event Attractions: A live band, Southbound of Delaware, will play from 2–4 PM downtown, followed by a parade at 4 PM. Fireworks are confirmed at the ballfield. Parade registration forms are online and vetted by the town solicitor to require an American patriotic theme.
  • Parade Route & Street Closures: After discussion, the committee decided to keep Washington Street open for two-way traffic and close Main Street from noon to 6 PM. The parade will start at the middle school, proceed down Main Street, and return to the middle school. Railroad Avenue will be closed only during the parade. Delaware DOT approved both options.
  • Security & Logistics: Chief Moyer outlined security measures including drones, explosive detection dogs, and dump trucks at Church Street. Bicycle parking will be available. Shuttle buses provided by Dutton Bus Service will run from designated lots (M&T Bank, bowling alley, First State Orthopedic, etc.) with drop-off at the police department.
  • Community Engagement: Ideas were discussed for a time capsule, tree planting in Cupola Park, an apple pie eating contest, and a drumline competition as people migrate to the ballfield. The Nanticoke Tribe will have a separate event on May 30.
  • Grand Marshal: Mayor Bob McKee was proposed as parade grand marshal, and he accepted.

Key Outcomes

  • Decision to keep Washington Street open and close Main Street for the event.
  • Parade route finalized: middle school to Main Street and back.
  • Sponsorship and donation efforts continue; a grant application for $25,000 (with $2,500 match) is being submitted.
  • The committee will reach out to downtown businesses, churches, and seniors for participation.
  • Next steps include finalizing shuttle bus stops, coordinating with Dutton, and sending an editorial to media.

Meeting Transcript

To call this meeting to order. Today is March twenty third, and this is the Millsboro two fifty committee. Please join me in a pledge of allegiance. Thank you. Mr. O'Neal. Present. That's the committee members, Bob McKee, present. Uh we have Kim Benton. Present. Nadine Tippanaro. Present. Chief Moyer. Present. Asley Sander, assistant town manager. Present. And Mr. Jamie Burke, town manager. Present. And joining us in a day is Mr. John Atkins. Present. And Miss Bonnie, we see you dialing in. Yes, I'm here. Thank you for joining us. Can I have a motion, please to adopt the agenda? Make a motion to adopt the agenda. All favor say aye. Okay. I have a motion to adopt the meeting minutes from February eleventh. So moved. Second. All favor say aye. I motion carries. Thank you. Okay, since there's no public comments. I'm sorry, ma'am. Yes. Do you mind coming up to the microphone just because we're an online meeting of self-serving if anybody's participating? You speak of them. Is there a generalized place where the minutes are posted? I'm interested in this. Is that right, John? Um, but is there a place where the minutes are posted? Or are there copies of the minutes? That's it. can if anybody's participating um my name's patricia olifant uh thank you very much you speak of them is there a generalized place where the minutes are posted i'm interested in this uh as a person who was born and reared in millsboro deliver been here longer in any of you problem with ship is that right john that's really um but is there a place where the minutes are posted or are there copies of the minutes that's that's all the minute chart so i can get myself if you go to the website and go to government um current committees america 250 they're right i apologize for the interruption oh no no not at all thank you thank you for joining us today okay uh potential event scholarships sponsorship sorry scholarships i think we've got some really good news recently and we're they're ongoing it's it's yeah it's ongoing but we're gonna look at things so far yeah great to hear about waste that's awesome took the opportunity during a construction meeting to do a little plug so you get the plug worked yep they need something we need something you know so yeah absolutely well still have a lot a lot more time to get more yeah yeah I mean I think that would be my overall thing I mean we're already excited for the the amount of people that have responded just in a very short time period Ashley's been doing fantastic work making direct asks of some of the bigger players that we would love to have involved and um so far so good with lots of time to keep working to build up and and we have a plan going forward so nobody's stepping on somebody else's toes are they getting a call from only one source got on transfer so yeah okay yeah we're working on brilliant room so we're just kind of putting the smaller sponsorship that we would have from that right side for now very good few weeks yeah okay keep up the good work are there any other large entities that you might that we do this with CDAC with some fundraising we're doing there for some affordable housing marketing we're working on um are there any large entities that you need contacts that somebody on this committee might have to help get to that warrant transfer on a another I mentioned something about here but you guys have talked to them before obviously I spoke with Zach and Zach had given it to the community cares um committee as well yeah I would just say that um I we're probably gonna have a more strategic divide and conquer plan like after this meeting after we get through some of the detail today so we can just if something pops up that we don't already have one we definitely can ask for that yeah definitely okay next item is uh donations silent auction event donations etc who's got information on that so there's a form online um it's on the town website and then the chamber also has the form for silent auction donations there's going to be a silent auction in the chamber the day of um the event I've talked to Dr. Kyle Bentley with Sussex Academy he oversees the high school middle school and elementary school he said that they are on board with doing an art contest with our students the art classes are going to and the students art it's going to be displayed in the chamber to drive put traffic into the chambers you know grandma grandpa cousins aunts uncles can go in and vote on like their child's artwork but then on the silent auction items will be there as well so if anyone has any contacts for good silent auction items for looking I got so far I've gotten um a round of golfer for it rahobith beach country club um Ron Mason got round of golf at Plantation Lakes um I got a swag basket from King's Creek um Baywood is doing a round of golf um pink leopard in from her they're gonna do like a Lily Pulitzer basket. Yes um and I think that's oh food line is going to give some gift cards that's we're still looking for that's any any possibility of uh soliciting the chamber members to see how many local businesses yeah I just I think that in in the game plan of attack we were starting with getting bigger ticket items and then the silent auction oh shore bird's tickets too yeah short stick I should be able to get more once yeah we definitely will have more still collecting those then I have a contact who has a contact with the get us uh four Redskins tickets and then Jimmy O'Connor is reaching out he's a contact with the cap capitals is that the hockey team yeah and then she's gonna get um tickets for that as well I contacted Eagles Royals one more but I haven't heard back from them yet do we have a flyer like we can give the potential sponsorship yes we do can we get some yep ashley has the digital version of it so and she might have a hand up some of the sponsorships have already been spoken for so we just need to kind of update it so I can do that and say sold out right it's a good problem to have actually if you guys touch bases with uh DD stained glass uptown here they have done some things for the firehouse for the fire company that that really really comes out nice I mean they could do something for um possibly Millsboro 250 or she could have for a slide auction oh I have it that's a good yeah she's in sheet oh you want me to hand it on my okay okay next next item event attractions what what do we have actually in place at this point and and what are we still pursuing what are I mean they could do something for um possibly Millsbow 250 or she get that for a slide on an auction.

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