When we purchased our lot in 2010 and constructed the first house on Jefferson Court in 2011, we were charmed by the railroad tracks next to our new home, and the occasional passing of the freight train that ran (slowly, at 5 mph) toward Cape Henlopen.
In 2016, when the bike path was constructed adjacent to the tracks, we were happy to support it and delighted to see the way it has drawn bikers and walkers every day, in good and bad weather. We are proud that our town was committed to this important project.
Delight has now turned to horror as we've watched the ill-defined and poorly planned removal of the historic railroad tracks rip an open wound through the middle of Lewes.
If you haven't seen it for yourself, please stop by for a visit.
The hundreds of walkers and cyclists must be as confused as we are. Though they don't have to live with it 24/7, they very well might wonder, as we do, what in the world the City of Lewes and DelDOT were thinking.
We love Lewes and we love our home. Many of us have invested in the home that we believe will be our last. Now we're looking at a muddy mess, a gash stretching close to a mile, piled high with malodorous creosote-coated railroad ties.
We have so many questions. Our main ones are: if Mayor Ted Becker and the Lewes Council owned a home adjacent to the railroad tracks, would they have so hastily voted to have the tracks removed by DelDOT, with no vision or budget for beautifying the resulting mud pit? Did they imagine themselves in our place for even a moment before making what appears to be a misguided decision?
Don't effective leaders let their decisions be guided by empathy toward the people who will be most affected?
We choose to live in Lewes for many reasons - its beauty and historical charm among them. There is much work to do to fix the mess that's been left behind by the track removal, and create a new public space that Lewes residents and visitors deserve. Can someone just let us know what the plan is, or admit that you have no plan...just an eyesore.
Jerry and Jean Whiddon
Lewes
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