I’m sure many of you have heard by now the news that the Coast Guard will continue to maintain the channel markers in Pepper and White creeks, at least for now.

Ever since the Coast Guard announced it would not maintain those navigational markers, we have received hundreds of emails and phone calls from concerned constituents about this and other key issues - such as dredging - related to our waterways.

We want to thank the more than 100 residents who attended the public meeting we hosted at the Millville Fire Department to talk about these important issues. And we’re grateful to the representatives from DNREC and others for participating in the meeting and answering a lot of questions.

We’re glad the federal government has apparently listened to these concerns and decided to continue to maintain the navigational aids, at least for the time being. Still, many questions remain about how to address the short- and long-term management of our waterways. Who will lead that effort - the state or the federal government? And how will we pay for it?

At least in this case, we’ve seen that open communication is perhaps the most important factor in getting results. As we tackle the difficult decisions ahead of us, much more communication and cooperation will be needed. As always, you can reach the two of us at Gerald.Hocker@state.de.us and Ronald.Gray@state.de.us.

Please continue to let us know of your concerns and we’ll make sure the proper officials at the state or federal levels are made aware. We all have the same goal – to make sure our state waterways are properly maintained for this and future generations.

Sen. Gerald Hocker, R-Ocean View
Rep. Ron Gray, R-Selbyville