Lewes launches resiliency commission

Resiliency has been a buzzword in Lewes for years.

Now, the city has moved the concept forward with the creation of the Lewes Economic, Environment and Resiliency Commission.

The panel’s stated mission is “to protect and enhance our community’s local economy and government’s fiscal and operational stability by promoting coastal resilience and environmental stewardship that prepares the city for future economic and environmental challenges.”

Mayor and city council unanimously approved the new commission at its Sept. 8 meeting. The panel, which is chaired by Deputy Mayor Khalil Saliba, held its first meeting less than 24 hours later.

Lewes Planning Commission Chair Rich Innes and Marylou Wellbrock-Reeves, a member of the Lewes Finance Committee, will also serve on the commission.

Brent Jett, a George Miles & Buhr environmental engineer, and Janelle Cornwell, Lewes city planner, are non-voting members.

Saliba said the panel was formed in response to the city creating a resiliency fund earlier this year.

“It is a nest egg that will help the city to bounce back quicker,” Saliba said. “If a storm like Sandy happens again, getting city government and businesses back up could become weeks instead of months.”

The resiliency fund was seeded with $1.4 million. The city is expected to increase the fund by about $500,000 per year from various sources. Council set a condition that only $850,000 can be spent in the first five years.

The new commission will identify resiliency projects that could receive money from the fund. The first two projects are the Fourth Street Preserve and the Cedar Street flood gates.

At its first meeting, the commission formed a Fourth Street Preserve subcommittee. Saliba will also chair that group. Other members are Assistant City Manager Janet Reeves; Pam Costanzi, co-chair of the Greater Lewes Foundation’s campaign to buy the preserve; Sally Boswell, who has an extensive environmental background; and Andrew Lyons, a GMB engineer.

The Greater Lewes Foundation raised $8 million over two years to buy and save the 30-acre preserve, which is the last forest in Lewes. The city made settlement on the land Sept. 15.

Planners will have one year to finalize a master plan, which will have trails, pollinator areas, native plantings and constructed wetlands among its features.

As part of its resiliency efforts, the city took part in a coastal resilience workshop Sept. 5, hosted by the University of Delaware and Delaware Sea Grant. The event was aimed at getting citizens involved in finding solutions to nuisance flooding, which occurs in low-lying areas at high tide.

The concern is that nuisance flooding could have a greater impact because of sea-level rise.

Researchers are working on a plan to incorporate nature-based solutions – for example, wetland restoration and reforestation instead of concrete seawalls and stormwater pipes – to mitigate flooding.

“The resiliency plan takes into account economics, transportation, ecosystems, human culture and history. It helps a community go to state a federal agencies and say, ‘We have these priorities, how can we apply for grants,’” said Dr. Eric Bardenhagen, associate professor of landscape architecture at UD.

Mayor Amy Marasco has led the effort to bolster the city’s resiliency and be good stewards.

“The environment and economics go hand in hand in protecting the well-being of our citizens,” she said. “We want a policy that has common sense, practical solutions based on data and the truth.”