From the Sun-Times,
Feb. 7, 1990
Smyrna Council debates ice damage at Lake Como
By John Flood
Is the town of Smyrna responsible for ice damage to pilings and bulkhead in Lake Como?
Smyrna Town Council asked Mayor George C. Wright Jr. and Town Manager C. Donald Hodge to investigate the town’s liability, but some council members have already made up their minds. Their answer is no.
“The lake is a privilege for those who live on it,” said Councilman Robert Newnam. “It’s almost like an act of God, the freezing. The town can’t be responsible for that.”
Six property owners on Lake Como have claimed damage to their docks caused by ice. The town had lowered the level of Lake Como last fall to allow repairs to structures in the lake. Then the lake froze, and when the level of the lake was brought back to normal, the foot-thick ice around the pilings brought the pilings up as it rose, explained Hodge.
At least one property owner also claims damage to bulkhead. Three of the property owners are out of town, but the town owns the entire lake. Hodge had no estimate of the amount of the damage....
Mixed reaction to Channel One proposal
By Susan Biro, editor
Whittle Communications says it’s sending the signal loud and clear, but not everyone in the Smyrna School District agrees on the clarity of reception to Channel One. Whittle has already signed on more than 2,000 individual schools across the nation to receive their educational network, and as this year begins all school districts in Delaware are being approached by Whittle representatives.
The Indian River district and St. Mark’s have already agreed to accept Whittle Communications’ daily 12-minute program into their curriculums, said marketing representative Clark W. Gross who has been visiting all school boards in the state....
But so far the Channel One proposal has received mixed reaction from those in the Smyrna School District.
School Board President Mike McGrath said he hopes the board will look more closely at the proposal at the Feb. 21 workshop preceding the regular meeting, but otherwise expresses support for the intent behind Channel One.
“After looking at it myself I think it would be a tremendous asset to the middle and high schools,” said McGrath. “I will be supporting putting Channel One into the school system. It’s been approved in Indian River and they’re one of the best financed districts and they’re probably the most progressive in the state.”...
