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Councilman Street presses Public Works on neglected parks and sewer backups; manager says some issues predate administration
Summary
Councilman Street criticized maintenance at Rosegate, Simon's Garden and Auburn Park and raised sewer backup concerns; Public Works manager Cleon Cawley said some changes predated this administration, described outreach and beautification work, and encouraged continued communication while acknowledging disagreement.
At the New Castle County Public Works Committee meeting on April 7, council member Street delivered a forceful critique of Public Works' handling of parks and sewer issues in his district.
"I am not pleased at all with what's going on with the department," Street said, accusing staff of removing a basketball court and leaving multiple parks in poor condition. He said residents have raised complaints for more than a year and that sewer backups continue to harm households in his district.
Cleon Cawley, the department's general manager, responded that some of the actions Street cited — including the court removal — occurred prior to the current administration and that Public Works had since engaged with residents and made targeted improvements. "They went and got federal dollars for that ... we did spend money to beautify it as best we could," Cawley said, and he emphasized that he has repeatedly returned calls and texts and met with residents.
Other council members offered contrasting perspectives. Councilmember George Smiley emphasized that maintenance is prioritized on lists and that timelines can be long: "Some of us handle it differently...Trees are down in the parks. We go out and look at them. We do what we can make sure it's safe," Smiley said, noting funding constraints across more than 200 parks. Councilmember John Cartier highlighted a successful $4 million renovation at Bechtel Park and praised staff for the outcome.
Brandon Toole also thanked Public Works crews for quickly covering graffiti before an Easter event, an example of responsiveness cited by several members. Taggart raised a separate concern about county property where damaged vehicles and ruts were visible and asked staff to consider remedies to avoid enforcement inconsistency with constituents.
Cawley and council members agreed to continue follow-up, and staff said they would work with council offices on specific park issues and provide status updates. The committee did not take formal action on the complaints during the meeting.
