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Ordinance would shift $25,000 to Knollwood park improvements; council debates accepting Waste Management funds
Summary
Ordinance 25-162 would appropriate $25,000 — $15,000 from Claymont Lions Club donations and $10,000 from Waste Management — to renovate Knollwood Park’s basketball court and add pickleball. Some council members objected to taking money from Waste Management because of the company’s landfill proposals; staff also secured a $125,000 matching state grant for the project.
Chair John Cartier introduced Ordinance 25-162 on Jan. 13, 2026, a proposed FY2026 capital-program amendment to appropriate $25,000 for Department of Public Works parkland improvements: $15,000 in donations from the Claymont Lions Club and $10,000 from Waste Management, with a corresponding $25,000 reduction in bond funding.
Councilwoman Sheldon sponsored the item and described the Knollwood project as replacing a basketball court on Colby Avenue and adding pickleball courts. "We're gonna put a new basketball court and pickleball," she said, adding the improvements would be a "state of the art" complement for youth and other residents. The chair noted parks staff, led by Kendall Summers, also secured a $125,000 matching grant from the state Outdoor Recreation Parks & Trails program to support the project.
Several council members raised objections specifically about accepting money from Waste Management. Councilman Street said he would not support taking funds from the company, asserting the company had previously indicated it would seek to raise the height of the landfill and suggesting accepting money risked advancing that agenda. "We have no business taking money from Waste Management for anything," Street said. Councilman Carter acknowledged the company’s broader community efforts but said the donation would not change his stance on the landfill issue. Councilman Smiley likened the arrangement to a "slot machine" where money goes in with no payoff.
Council members also recognized the broader fundraising effort and grant matches that reduce capital expenditures. The transcript records discussion and objections but does not record a formal committee vote on Ordinance 25-162 in the public portion of the Jan. 13 meeting.
