Neighbors: Less is more at Great Marsh Park

Francine Balinskas has lived in Canary Creek for 13 years, right next to Great Marsh Park.

She and some of her neighbors attended a public meeting Oct. 27, to see the final conceptual master plan for the park. After seeing the design, Balinskas said she is mad.

“My house backs up to it. I have no curtains on my back windows and I paid for a wooded lot. Now, I’m going to have a birdwatching area in my backyard,” she said.

Citizens had the opportunity to see the final version of the plan laid out on a series of boards around the Bonnie Osler Meeting Room.

Officials from the city and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control were there to answer questions.

The city leases the 66-acre Great Marsh Park from the state. The lease expires at the end of 2026. The city is required to present a master plan to the state before the lease is renewed.

“DNREC’s position is we want the relationship to continue,” said Brooks Cahill, DNREC section administrator.

“This gets us to the finish line of getting a concept plan approved by DNREC,” said Lewes Assistant City Manager Janet Reeves.

Right now, the park is home to the Lewes Unleashed Dog Park, the Lewes Community Garden and a former cross country trail.

The conceptual master plan proposes a series of walking paths, gathering areas, constructed wetlands, meadows along both sides of Park Road and additional parking.

Images on one of the boards showed possible wildlife observation areas, benches and shelters.

Eric Wahl, a landscape architect who helped create the plan, stressed that none of the features are set in stone; they’re a foundation for future design and planning.

The plan is a composite of ideas that citizens proposed at three previous public meetings and in written comments to the city, going back to 2022.

But the message from the neighbors who spoke at this meeting was clear: less is more.

“Every property doesn’t need a human touch,” said Elizabeth Grove, whose house backs up to the forest. “There should be nothing but the trails; sitting places disrupt wildlife and plant life. We don’t need to be takers all the time; let’s give nature a chance.” 

Phil Fields was one of the Canary Creek residents who went from board to board to look at the details.

“I’m OK with the trails; I don’t want parking,” he said. “I just want to leave this as natural as possible.”

Some people at the meeting were frustrated the format did not allow them to address officials.

Mayor Amy Marasco said the conceptual plan is now on a fast track, but there will still be plenty of opportunities for citizen input.

“As soon as this finishes, the ball is in [DNREC’s] court to approve the plan. Then the hard work begins. There will be lots of meetings with more traditional back-and-forth,” she said.