The Committee of 100 | FYI Archives

All of The Committee of 100 working committees have been going through a reorganization process that has brought a host of new working members and a burst of output as the committees tackle issues which impact economic development in New Castle County and Delaware. If you want to join this productive activity, contact Beverley Baxter or the Chairperson of the committee in which you are interested. The Committee of 100's strength is in the expertise of its members.

Education Task Force

At its May reorganization meeting, the Education Task Force reconfirmed its mission, to monitor and maintain an awareness of all issues that potentially impact the quality of the education systems in Delaware; to maintain an on-going dialogue with the leadership within the education systems in Delaware; and to inform and alert the Delaware business community of any education-related issues that require either action or input from the business community at large.

The Education Task Force, led by Chairperson Stephan Lehm, President of Vandemark & Lynch, determined to address three immediate issues. First, the Task Force determined that The Committee of 100 should send a letter to each member of the General Assembly in opposition to Representative Hazel Plant's House Bill 414, which would delay implementation of student accountability. The letter has been sent. Second, recognizing that the State allotment to school districts for minor capital repairs is so inadequate that unaddressed minor capital repairs become major and more costly, the Task Force determined that The Committee of 100 should address the issue by, 1) requesting that the Governor consider an increase for the FY 2004 Budget; 2) coordinating with district superintendents on an increase; and 3) communicating relevant information to members of the General Assembly. Third, the Education Task Force determined that economic development in New Castle County and Delaware is not served by negative misinformation about our school districts. The Task Force will research what's good about Delaware schools, notably in comparison to surrounding districts, and determine ways to disseminate that information.

Land Use Committee

The reorganized Land Use Committee, led by Chairperson Juli Hammond, Senior Counsel, Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley, and Co-chair Stephan Lehm, President, Vandemark & Lynch, has developed an aggressive agenda. The mission of the Land Use Committee is to promote sound land-use planning and policies which facilitate responsible economic development while preserving economic, community, social, historical, and natural resources in New Castle County and Delaware. The Committee has, historically, monitored land-use practices and proposals, including legislation, in Wilmington, New Castle County, and Delaware which could impact economic development. It acts proactivelly, as well, to bring about positive changes which enable responsible economic development to continue to keep our economy healthy.

At its reorganization meeting in March, the Land Use Committee created three subcommittees: UDC, Scenic Byways, and Sewers. Chaired by Kimberly Brosseit of Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley, the mission of the Unified Development Code Subcommittee is, to propose amendments consistent with the New Castle County Comprehensive Plan to substantive and procedural portions of the UDC that prevent or delay development projects. To that end, this active subcommittee has already held several working meetings as well as held consultative meetings with members of the legal, engineering, development, and business communities to seek input. The Scenic Byways Subcommittee, chaired by Dick Hatfield, Chairman, Colonial Parking, will monitor and actively participate in DelDOT's Delaware Scenic & Historic Highways program. Dick Hatfield and Beverley Baxter are serving on the Brandywine Valley Scenic Byway (BVSB) Advisory Committee and Dick serves on the BVSB select committee preparing the application for federal funds. The Sewers Subcommittee, chaired by Joe Charma of Landmark Engineering, has already met with New Castle County Council President Chris Coons to provide information on viable, ecologically-sound waste-water treatment alternatives.

Environment Committee

The Environment Committee, chaired by Jeff Bross, President, Duffield Associates, at its reorganization meeting in April, created five subcommittees to address key environmental issues. The Brownfields Subcommittee, chaired by Kevin Hanson of Tetra Tech, has already held several meetings and determined to study the new DNREC inventory of Brownfield sites for suitability for development; develop an overview of a shorter, alternative DNREC process (utilizing a comparison with New Jersey's ISRA program and Pennsylvania's Act 2 program) to allow earlier redevelopment; test the effectiveness of the Delaware Brownfields grants program; and research opportunities for promoting Brownfields redevelopment in New Castle County. The Sewer Subcommittee, chaired by Dave Clark of Duffield Associates and the UDC Subcommittee (chair to be named) will coordinate with the Land Use Subcommittees on Sewers and the UDC. The Air Subcommittee, chaired by Jeff Bross, President, Duffield Associates, and the Water Subcommittee, chaired by Marian Young, Vice President, WIK Associates, are recruiting additional members with pertinent expertise.

Scholarships Awarded

The Committee of 100 2002 Academic Scholarship was awarded to Evan Mackey, a Salesianum senior who will be attending the University of Delaware this fall. In addition to this $2,000 scholarship, member contributions to the scholarship fund enabled the Scholarship Committee to award a $750 scholarship to Elizabeth Wong, a McKean High School senior, and a $500 scholarship to Amy Wilkinson, a senior at Dickinson High School. Each of these winners had weighted GPAs of 4.0 or better and SATs over 1400; were leaders in multiple organizations in and out of school; and made significant contributions to their communities. All three of these excellent students will attend the University of Delaware: Evan will major in mathematics and economics, Elizabeth in accounting and finance, and Amy in business.

The 50/50 at the Monthly Dinner Meetings and the voluntary scholarship contribution which member-companies make at the time of dues payment make these scholarships possible.

The Committee of 100 has contracted with Möbius New Media to construct its website. Initially, the website, which will be found at Committeeof100.com, will contain basic information such as The Committee of 100's history, Principles & Purposes, committees, meetings, FYIs, links, and contact information. Phase II anticipates an email broadcast system. To that end, we need your email address.