County parks manager outlines reforestation, Southern Park build‑out and Red Lion demolition; council presses for maintenance funding and clearer reporting

Kendall Summers, parks division manager, briefed the Public Works Committee on multiple park projects and fielded sustained council questions about maintenance, signage, staffing and funding.

Wiggins Mill Park: Summers said Wiggins Mill Park — a large regional park outside Townsend that is currently under agricultural lease — has seen multiple years of reforestation work. In 2023 the county planted about 11,000 small nursery trees or “whips” in areas outside tillable farmland; staff noted those plantings are intentionally small to account for mortality and replacement. In 2024 the county, working with a vendor, planted about 50 additional trees in a different outlined area. Summers said the county partnered with DNREC (and the Department of Agriculture provided planting support in 2023) and received a reimbursable grant to fund part of the plantings. Summers said the county plans a volunteer tree‑planting event to coincide with Earth Day (April 2025) focused on the area outlined in the plan and cautioned that planting occurs outside active pivot irrigated areas to avoid conflicts with the agricultural lease.

Southern Park: Summers reviewed the concept plan for Southern Park, the county’s recently opened park south of the C&D Canal. The first phase, opened last fall, includes courts (pickleball, basketball, tennis), multipurpose fields, an inclusive playground and parking. Summers said the county is now extending utilities (electric and water), preparing a site for a maintenance base south of the canal, and plans to complete a full loop walking path to support 5K events. Additional parking and picnic/pavilion rental facilities are planned; Summers said pavilions would not be completed until at the earliest next year and that the maintenance base will position crews to service parks south of the canal.

Prest Park (often called the Red Lion property): Summers said the county acquired the multi‑parcel acreage decades ago and that several remaining farm buildings are beyond repair, constitute safety risks and are attractive nuisances. The county completed historical documentation with the University of Delaware Center for Historic and Architectural Design and structural evaluations; restoration estimates ranged from about $1.3 million to $2 million, but staff said there is no identified reuse that would justify that cost. Summers said the historic review board had placed comments on the demolition permit, and that the county expects to finalize permitting within the next month and seek bids to demolish most buildings, preserving only the spring house and grading the property to make it safe pending a concept plan and public input process.

Council concerns and funding questions: Council members repeatedly pressed Summers and administrative staff about preservation of existing parks, staffing and maintenance funding. Councilman Dave Carter raised volunteer suppression of invasive species and council members offered to coordinate volunteers for plantings; Summers said the sewer department used specialized equipment last year to control mature invasives and that herbicide follow‑up is planned.

Multiple council members emphasized that volunteer labor cannot replace a sustained maintenance budget for large regional parks such as Glasgow Park and Southern Park. Councilman Gary Smith Street and others said volunteers are useful for episodic events (tree plantings, clean‑ups) but not for ongoing maintenance; Summers said the division had filled a number of vacancies this year but did not provide exact counts during the meeting and offered to supply staffing numbers. Council members also raised signage and wayfinding problems at Glasgow Park and asked staff to prepare a consistent sign plan.

Funding and policy context: Council member Dee Durham noted that current park impact fees will be insufficient to pay the capital and operating costs for the new parks south of the canal; she urged staff and administration to produce a financial plan with price tags and to identify organizational changes. Council members asked the administration to coordinate with Route 9 Community Development Corporation (which provided external funding on a playground) to resolve community concerns.

Other operational notes: Firewood collection (logs and larger wood) remains banned because of a statewide restriction on moving wood due to invasive pests, Summers said. Summers also said the county is coordinating with partners on future public outreach and public‑input meetings for Prest Park once demolition is complete.

Why it matters: parks opened or under construction generate ongoing operating and capital obligations. Council members pressed for a clear maintenance plan, staffing counts and a budgeted approach, noting that impact fees and volunteerism alone will not cover long‑term operating needs.

Next steps: Summers said the county will finalize demolition permitting for Prest Park, solicit demolition bids, plan a public‑input process for a concept plan, provide requested staffing and sign plan details to council, and schedule an Earth Day volunteer planting in April 2025.