Local
Victory for Rehoboth’s outdoor restaurants
new regulations regarding patio hours
Rehoboth Beach bars with patios may now serve customers outside later. (Blade file photo by Henry Linser)
After about 16 months of discussion, debate and squabbling, the Rehoboth Beach Board of Commissioners agreed on Jan. 20, by a vote of 6-0, on new regulations regarding patio hours. Voting for the first time was newly appointed Commissioner Patrick Gossett, who is gay.
Commissioner Stan Mills who initiated the complaints that resulted in a raid of several establishments, including Cloud 9 and Aqua, in September, 2010, recused himself on the recommendation of the Delaware Public Integrity Committee who felt he used his elected status to bring about the raids, which led to the arrest of several bar owners who were cited for infractions.
The vote allows patios to stay open as long as the inside of the establishment remains open. In most cases, this means 1 a.m. Up until a temporary freeze was put in effect in the spring, restaurants with patios could only serve alcohol on their patios until 10 p.m. and patrons had to leave by 11. In addition, it was agreed that there would be an enforcement officer in place who would talk to violators.
Carol Everhart, CEO and president of the local Chamber of Commerce, said, “the experiment of changing the hours of patios, which we wanted worked. Revenues increased because restaurant patios were open.” Everhart and others at the meeting praised the work of the enforcement officer.
Still unresolved is the noise issue, which early on was linked to the patio issue. The commissioners have been trying to determine how best to handle regulations on noise. A number of commissioners felt that use of the phrase “clearly audible” should be sufficient, but others have argued that there should be a clearer definition, such as determining where to measure the noise. However, because there were only five noise violations noted this past summer, the issue is not considered as crucial as in the past.
Earlier in that meeting, Gossett, who previously served as commissioner from 2004-7, was appointed to fill a vacancy on the Commission. Gossett becomes the third openly gay person on the seven-member panel. He joins lesbian Pat Colluzzi and recently elected Mark Hunker on the Commission.
Gossett noted that “the fact we not only have three openly gay members of the LGBT community as commissioners, but that we have members of the Planning Commission and Board of Adjustments, as well as the head of the local Chamber of Commerce and Rehoboth Main Street, a group which encourages events to attract tourists, shows how accepting Rehoboth is.”
The Comings & Goings column is about sharing the professional successes of our community. We want to recognize those landing new jobs, new clients for their business, joining boards of organizations and other achievements. Please share your successes with us at [email protected].
The Comings & Goings column also invites LGBTQ college students to share their successes with us. If you have been elected to a student government position, gotten an exciting internship, or are graduating and beginning your career with a great job, let us know so we can share your success.
Congratulations to Yadiel Meléndez, on their new role as Community Associate, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Meléndez is piloting a new role as a Community Associate at the Wanda Alston Foundation, where they support queer and trans young people in finding their footing, building independence, and experiencing a housing community where they are seen, valued, and affirmed. They are coming into this role with more than a decade of experience as a community organizer and operations specialist, supporting diverse communities through service, advocacy, and program coordination.
Previously they worked for Right Proper Brewing Shaw as a server and bartender and at Sephora, Washington, DC, and at FreshFarm, DC, in bilingual food access. They also worked freelance to build foundational structures for local queer BIPOC performance art coalitions, producing variety shows to curate space for marginalized performance artists in the community. They were a production manager for Haus of Hart Productions, a BIPOC centric performance art production. They also worked as field staff with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in Stafford, Va.
Meléndez is bilingual, Spanish and English. Their work is guided by a commitment to dignity, safety, and trauma-informed engagement, particularly within LGBTQ and BIPOC communities.
Congratulations also to Ben Rosen LICSW, on his new role as program director, with the Wanda Alston Foundation. Rosen previously worked with Fountain House’s OnRamps program, helping to build a new, innovative outreach program for individuals considered chronically homeless, and living with serious mental illness, in the Times Square area of New York. Rosen is a Psychotherapist, having worked with SG Psychotherapy, and as the psychotherapist with the Nest Community Health Center (URAM).
Rosen has a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts: Musical Theatre, Minor in Psychology (Cum Laude) from Malloy University Conservatory; and his M.S.W. in Clinical Practice with Individuals, Families, and Groups, from The Silberman School of Social Work, Hunter College, N.Y. He is independently licensed in New York and Washington, D.C.
Rehoboth Beach
BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
Attendees encouraged to wear appropriate gear
Diego’s in Rehoboth Beach hosts a monthly leather happy hour. April’s edition is scheduled for Friday, April 10, 5-7 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to wear appropriate gear. The event is billed as an official event of BLUF, the free community group for men interested in leather. After happy hour, the attendees are encouraged to reconvene at Local Bootlegging Company for dinner, which allows cigar smoking. There’s no cover charge for either event.
District of Columbia
Celebrations of life planned for Sean Bartel
Two memorial events scheduled in D.C.
Two celebrations of life are planned for Sean Christopher Bartel, 48, who was found deceased on a hiking trail in Argentina on or around March 15. Bartel began his career as a television news reporter and news anchor at stations in Louisville, Ky., and Evansville, Ind., before serving as Senior Video Producer for the D.C.-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers union from 2013 to 2024.
A memorial gathering is planned for Friday, April 10, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at the IBEW International Office (900 7th St., N.W.), according to a statement by the DC Gay Flag Football League, where Bartel was a longtime member. A celebration of life is planned that same evening, 6-8 p.m. at Trade (1410 14th St., N.W.).
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BLUF leather social set for April 10 in Rehoboth
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