$93,560 to fund drug prevention programs
NEWTON. The Sussex County Board of County Commissioners allocates money from the settlement of opioid litigation.
Newton /
| 14 Jan 2025 | 09:52
The Sussex County Board of County Commissioners approved a resolution to give $93,560 to Municipal Alliance Committees for drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs at the board’s meeting Wednesday, Jan. 8.
The money is from the settlement of opioid litigation.
There are 11 Municipal Alliance Committees representing 22 of the 24 towns in the county, said Jill Space, the board’s deputy director.
The board also approved a resolution rejecting all bids for a redesign of the county’s website because they were above the budgeted amount.
Board director Chris Carney said county projects this year include replacement of bridges on Mudtown, Unionville and Berry roads in Wantage and repair of a bridge on Fenwick Road in Frankford. An in-house construction crew will do the work on two of those projects, he said.
On-campus housing?
During the meeting, officials of Sussex County Community College (SCCC) discussed their plans, including the possibility of building student housing on the campus in Newton.
SCCC president Jon Connolly pointed out that 62 percent of the college’s budget comes from tuition. “When enrollment goes down, it really hits our bottom line.”
The college does a good job of attracting graduates of high schools in Sussex County but retaining them through graduation with an associate’s degree is more of a problem, he said.
Having on-campus housing provides more of the “college experience” that students want, Connolly said.
Residence halls have been tied to improved grade-point averages, retention and graduation rates, he said. “It’s about engagement. Off-campus, they’re not engaged as much. You don’t get the out-of-class experience.”
County administrator Ron Tappan has named Ericka Fox and Philip Crabb to the SCCC search committee.
At the annual reorganization meeting Jan. 1, Commissioner Alan Henderson pointed out that the five-member committee had only three members.
During the meeting, Tappan said he is working on the 2025 county budget as well as contract negotiations.