Gordons Pond trail plan rolls ahead

Public comments are overwhelmingly positive in favor of a proposed trail extension connecting Gordons Pond with Cape Henlopen State Park.

At a cost of about $2 million, trail improvements would include a 1.1-mile currently undeveloped section linking the pond with Herring Point in the state park.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control presented the proposed plans at Dec. 15 public forum at the Lewes Public Library. The Division of Parks and Recreation is handling the project’s next phases.

The project is an important component in Gov. Jack Markell’s First State Trails and Pathways Plan.  When completed, the trail will complete a 15.5-mile loop through Lewes and Rehoboth Beach that includes the Junction and Breakwater Trail in the western section of the park.

The public has commented on a section of trail that passes through an environmentally sensitive area containing rare plant and animal species as well as archaeological sites.

The section must be protected from wayward hikers and bikers who wander off trying to use the primitive and mostly unmarked trail.

A public comment period closed Dec. 31.

“We received 57 responses and overall, most people who came to the public forum and those who commented responded favorably,” said Susan Moerschel, parks division planning chief.

“Out of the 57 responses, there were just a few that didn’t support the plan,” she said. Moerschel said the department thinks the number of responses is good.

There are 31 responses from people living in the Lewes area zip code; 10 from Rehoboth Beach and 5 from Newark. The remainder are single responses, each from different areas.

Moerschel said the comment form asked people how they use the trail now, what features are used, what would encourage increased use, and how trails would be used to navigate through the community to get to businesses, parks, schools, beaches and so on.

Commenting about primary trail use, 29 said they would use it for bicycling; 11 said walking or hiking, and 9 said running or jogging.

Asked about secondary use, 17 said nature observation, 16 said walking or hiking, and 14 said bicycling.

“There were about eight people who had something to say that we interpreted as not supporting the trail, or who had environmental concerns,” she said. Moerschel said someone indicating environmental concerns doesn’t mean they do not support the trail.

Steps ahead

The next steps are to select a design and engineering consultant to determine how sound the existing trail is in the area that wraps around the west side of Gordons Pond, and to design a structure to span the wetland.

Park trail designers would prefer to use screw-like piles that are screwed into the wetland as structural supports. In wetlands, helical piles are considered environmentally nondisturbing, Moerschel said.

She said parks representatives have visited the site with engineers from McCormick Taylor Engineers & Planners, a Philadelphia-based company.

“Their next steps are to do further evaluation and provide us with a quote for what their services would cost,” Moerschel said.

She said after receiving a quote, the department would know how long design and engineering would take.

“We would like design and engineering to be complete this summer,” she said. Moerschel said she does not have a timeframe for the following step, which would be to seek construction bids.

For additional information on the Gordons Pond project, go to www.destateparks.com/gordonspond.