Pinetown works to reinvent itself

Quietly and without a lot of fanfare, a dedicated group of housing officials and residents have taken the first steps to make Pinetown a safer community.

Over the past year, the Sussex Housing Group and the Pinetown Civic Association have combined forces in a pilot project for the small community of 27 homes and 100 residents off Sweetbriar Road near Lewes.

Many of the residents are great-grandchildren of the original residents of the neighborhood, which dates back at least 100 years. The majority of residents are low-income and own their homes; more than 25 percent are elderly or disabled.

Two years ago, the housing group decided to combine resources and focus on one community said Patricia Kelleher, executive director of Delaware Housing Coalition. “We had not done community development work in the past,” she said.

She said the group was looking for a community to partner with that had strong leadership in place. Through a request for proposals, the Pinetown Civic Association, headed by Prentice Perry, rose to the top.

While the project was completed at the end of August, Kelleher said the group is not walking away from the community and will continue to provide assistance.

“One of the goals of the association was to get streetlights to discourage illegal drug activity,” Kelleher said.

And on April 27, the lights were literally turned on. Residents voted to create a Sussex County lighting district and pay an annual fee of $60 to $70 to keep the street lights on. “Residents feel the lights are having an impact,” Kelleher said.

Perry, who is a retired corrections officers, said drug activity is a problem in the community. “There were no streetlights, no regular police patrol and no anti-drug programs or active re-entry programs for recently released prisoners within the community,” he said. But, he added, a negative stigma about drug dealing has been unfairly placed on Pinetown.

Kelleher said residents have also worked toward a much improved relationship with Delaware State Police at Troop 7. “This is a big step forward,” she said. “We are working on more police presence there.”

Perry said streetlighting is a first step in reclaiming the streets, but deterrence alone is not enough. “The young people of Pinetown need real opportunities for education and employment. While these problems extend beyond Pinetown, the community believes there are steps that can be taken in helping our youth,” he said.

Perry said the focal point of those steps could be programs at the underutilized community center near the entrance to the community, used for an after-school program three days a week. He said programs could include GED and adult education classes, work training programs, public health classes and exercise programs to help residents make personal changes that can lead to a better future.

Kelleher said the 27-member housing group is committed to establishing partnerships to bring more programs to the community. In addition, the group is looking for funding sources to complete much-needed rehabilitation work at the center. She said Sposato Landscape will landscape around the center to improve the gateway to Pinetown.

A key component of the project was rehabilitating 11 homes. Eight homes were completed by Sussex County Community Development and Housing Department with the remainder by Sussex Habitat for Humanity and the Milford Housing Development Corporation.

In addition, work has been done to restore the association's nonprofit status and assist homeowners with legal work to clear up title issues. “There is not a lot of clear ownership on several properties because they have just been passed down by family members,” Kelleher said. “Without clear titles, residents are not eligible for some programs.”

“It's been an incredible experience, and a learning experience for all involved,” Kelleher said.

The group is looking forward to selecting another community and getting back to work in January 2017.