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Lewes library landscaping costs over budget

Council debates next step with budget talks on horizon
February 2, 2017

A landscaping plan for the new Lewes Public Library originally estimated to cost $4,500 in 2014 may now jump to more than five times that much. 

Parks and Recreation Chair Alison Kirk presented estimates for the library section of the parcel known as the Thompson property at city council’s Dec. 12 meeting. With estimates from two landscaping companies in hand, she said, she anticipates the cost to maintain the city-owned property at $20,000 to $25,000. The figure shocked officials, who had previously approved $10,000 for landscape maintenance of the entire 5.9-acre parcel, which also includes the new trailhead and a 0.75-acre parcel of open space behind the library. 

Landscaping the library section is the only known of the entire plot, as costs associated with landscaping plans for the new trailhead and the 0.75-acre parcel behind the library are still unrealized; although Lewes in Bloom has proposed a plan to bring a garden for all ages to the area behind the library, of which it would assume maintenance costs. 

Kirk said the city’s landscaper, Distinctive Landscaping, is maintaining the library property within the $10,000 budget, but they’ve had to do the bare minimum in order to stay within budget, including only one round of mulching and limited weeding.

With the full $25,000, she said, the landscaper can do more mulching, fertilizing, pruning and cleanup of leaves and debris. 

Ned Butera, chair of the library design committee, said it became apparent quite early in the process that the cost to maintain the property would be significantly more expensive than the landscape architect’s estimate. 

“In all fairness to him, we put pressure on him to give us an amount,” Butera said. “He went with apparently a rule of thumb that it’s 5 percent of the installation cost.” 

The library’s landscape design committee then jumped into action, meeting with Joseph Wick, owner of Joseph Wick Nurseries in Dover, who analyzed the plan and offered recommendations to cut costs. 

Because the landscape architect had been advised to avoid exotic plants and emphasize low-maintenance plantings, Butera said, Wick was unable to identify much to cut costs. However, he did suggest the library consider planting three types of grasses instead of shrubs. 

“We had an obligation to have a pleasant, first-class landscaping plan for a first-class library in a first-class area,” Butera said. “I think the board believes the landscaping plan we installed is appropriate and met its objective. To be honest, other than pulling plants out, I’m not sure there’s much we can do.”

Councilwoman Bonnie Osler pointed to the budgets of the city’s other parks, wondering why the library property’s costs are so much higher. Zwaanendael Park and Canalfront Park demand the most money to maintain at $6,925 and $5,400, respectively.

Kirk said the library property demands more because there are more beds, requiring more mulch. 

The parks and recreation budget is already around $200,000 annually, and Mayor Ted Becker wonders if the community would be willing to continue adding expenses. 

“How much more can we push that and how much more will the citizens be willing to push it?” Becker said. “We need to figure out what the threshold is of what we’re willing to do.”

He said the city is fortunate to have volunteers from Lewes in Bloom, who help keep the maintenance costs down. 

“If we added the manpower hours Lewes in Bloom puts in to keeping our parks looking the way they do, we’d probably double our budget,” he said.

As an example, Becker said, Lewes in Bloom planted 19,500 bulbs for next year’s Tulip Festival and it did not cost the city a cent. 

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