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Lewes grading itself on 2022 progress

Low-performing areas could get attention during budget season
September 28, 2022

Categorized into three sections and divided into two timelines are the 2022 priorities of Lewes Mayor and City Council. Topics about transportation, economic development and facilities have been identified as needing attention. Following a December 2021 meeting with the Institute for Public Administration, city officials began working to address the various areas of need. Officials discussed progress during an Aug. 30 workshop.

Transportation

City Manager Ann Marie Townshend has said the success of the Lewes Line program, which has been requested to serve more residential areas, has helped them to make progress with their shuttle priority. The program ends Sept. 30, giving staff and council a chance to review strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and any way to improve for the 2023 season. 

The Lewes Line was created to alleviate parking concerns. An attempt at creating a Lewes Beach parking permit system in early 2022 failed, resulting in interim measures like Roosevelt Inlet parking lot improvements and a dedicated on-street parking application program. A few residents were able to successfully obtain dedicated on-street parking, but after it was revealed that no extenuating circumstances needed to exist for approval, the program was suspended. Councilwoman Candace Vessella is holistically studying the parking situation and will provide a comprehensive analysis of the situation in the spring. Mayor and city council will use the information she gathers to decide the best path forward.

George, Miles, and Buhr recently completed a sidewalk survey and developed a five-year sidewalk improvement plan. Officials say many old sidewalks with driveway aprons do not meet ADA standards and must be replaced, along with other areas that are badly damaged. The city’s charter says property owners are responsible for sidewalk repairs and replacements along the frontage of their property. Owners will be notified before the work is bid, which is expected to happen this fall with construction in early spring.

Chip Davis, a member of the bicycle and pedestrian advisory committee, noted one long-term priority that should be short-term is the bike and pedestrian crossing over the canal. Davis feared that the long-term designation would place the priority on the back burner and it would be forgotten. He said the issue is pressing and a solution is needed as soon as possible. Signs advise cyclists to dismount and join pedestrians in walking across the bridge, but those signs are ignored frequently. Davis believes a prime spot for a crossing is the former railroad bridge near the Lewes trailheads of both the Lewes-to-Georgetown Trail and the Junction and Breakwater Trail. 

Economic Development

Beebe Medical Group and its network of providers play a major role in the job sector of Lewes. Programs centered around the hospital can create jobs and increase the quality of care for residents. The city is forming a partnership with Beebe, and while it is an ongoing priority and officials say there is potential, no specific progress has been made. 

Councilman Khalil Saliba said Beebe’s President and CEO Dr. David Tam previously oversaw start-up biomedical programs at a hospital in Santa Monica, Calif. One ended up being lucrative and Saliba used that as an example, along with the recently launched family residency program at Beebe Hospital, of Dr. Tam’s quality leadership. Dr. Tam also reportedly met with New Castle County Executive Matt Meyer about opening a medical school in the State of Delaware. 

Beebe is one of several employers calling for action related to affordable housing in Lewes and the surrounding areas. The city has affordable housing as a long-term priority, and cites the Dutchman’s Harvest development as an example of progress made. The Lewes Planning Commission addressed affordable housing in its review of the 2015 comprehensive plan as an area of concern. Preston Schell, the developer behind the workforce housing project, is selling 42 of the 140 units to the Milford Housing Development Corporation. MHDC will sell them at a reduced cost to households at or below 80% of the area median income. Lewes allocated $200,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to help with subsidies. 

On the radar

Lewes officials would like to move the municipal campus to the vacated U.S. Army Reserve Center on Savannah Road. The city would need the property to be transferred to it following a vetting and application process. Officials said options for relocation are limited if they cannot acquire the building and surrounding area. Should the time come to purchase more land, mayor and city council have discussed new ways to do so, but concluded more strategic planning on the city’s needs is required. Officials have advocated for a new city hall, but do not have prioritized, established needs beyond that.

The Lewes Police Department HVAC system is still in need of replacement, but cosmetic improvements have been completed. A proposal from a mechanical engineer to correct HVAC issues at LPD and city hall is being reviewed.

Mayor and city council, along with staff members, agreed they still have work to do in both short- and long-term priorities. They will review progress and determine what areas need attention as they craft the FY 2024 budget. The list of priorities is available in the mayor and city council workshop agenda at lewes.civicweb.net.

 

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