Lewes seeks input on Great Marsh Park
Story Location:
samantha drive
lewes, DE 19958
United States
Great Marsh Park is home to the Lewes Unleashed dog park, but the majority of the 66-acre parcel remains untouched, and Lewes officials are seeking input from the community to create a master plan to guide future use.
“We’re trying to be proactive,” said Alison Kirk, the city’s parks and marina administrator. “We’re figuring out what the best use is for the area. We just want to make sure people give feedback. If they want to see something there, great. If they don’t, that’s fine too.”
Kirk and the parks and recreation commission held an informational workshop at the park June 6, where they displayed aerial photographs of the park, maps with boundaries and geological features, and distributed questionnaires. Questionnaires will be accepted until Friday, June 30. They can be found by clicking the Parks & Recreation tab at ci.lewes.de.us.
Kirk said a master plan will be an important tool in the future. If someone comes to the city with a request to build athletic fields in the park, she said, officials will already have feedback from the community on whether or not they’d be accepting of such an activity.
Besides the dog park, the remaining parcel consists of 21.5 acres of passive open space and 31.8 acres of active open space. The park is owned by the state and leased to the city.
The city did not have a master plan when Lewes Unleashed requested to build a dog park on nearly five acres within the park, she said.
“We didn’t have a way to determine that [the dog park] was the best use for the area,” she said.
The questionnaire lists about 20 recreational activities, including community gardening, hunting, athletic fields and walking trails, and asks folks to circle what they find is an appropriate use for the park. The list includes the option of no activities.
The public will have another opportunity to provide input at a workshop scheduled for 2 p.m., Thursday, July 13.
Kirk said she will compile the results of the questionnaire and present them at a future parks and recreation meeting. She expects commissioners to discuss the master plan over the course of a few meetings before drafting a master plan.
Nick Roth is the news editor. He has been with the Cape Gazette since 2012, previously covering town beats in Milton and Lewes. In addition to serving on the editorial board and handling page layout, Nick is responsible for the weekly Delaware History in Photographs feature and enjoys writing stories about the Cape Region’s history. Prior to the Cape Gazette, Nick worked for the Delmarva Media Group, including the Delaware Wave, Delaware Coast Press and Salisbury Daily Times. He also contributed to The News Journal. Originally from Boyertown, Pa., Nick attended Shippensburg University in central Pennsylvania, graduating in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He’s won several MDDC awards during his career for both writing and photography. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, going to the beach with his family and cheering for Philadelphia sports teams.
