$1M fed grant now available for Dewey
A $1 million federal grant for a flood mitigation project in Dewey Beach that was withheld for several months has been released and is now available to the town to proceed with the project.
“I don’t think the money would have been released unless Sen. [Chris] Coons and his staff took a personal interest in this,” Dewey Beach Town Manager Bill Zolper said.
The grant is for the installation of a small pump station on Read Avenue, one of the most frequently and severely flooded streets in town, to help improve drainage and reduce flooding. Zolper began working with Coons’ office in 2023 to obtain the grant, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved it in 2024.
But in December, Zolper was notified by Peter Gori of the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District that the funds were being withheld. Gori said he could not provide further details and declined to provide a written statement to the town.
For the next month and a half, Coons’ office coordinated with the Army Corps to get the funds released.
In the meantime, the town launched a letter campaign, encouraging residents to reach out to their elected state officials, including Coons, Sen. Lisa Blunt Rochester and Congresswoman Sarah McBride, to urge them to take action to free up the money.
“I’d like to thank the public for their direct support and input to our two senators and U.S. congressperson,” Zolper said.
Zolper got a call from Coons’ office Jan. 30, asking him to put together chronological information about the grant process and signed documents from the town and Army Corps. Coons’ office staff met with the Army Corps in the first week of February and presented the information and documents from Zolper, advocating for the release of the funds.
Finally, the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District notified Zolper Feb. 3, that the grant is no longer being withheld and that the town can proceed with the project.
Zolper was not told why the funds were withheld in the first place.
He received an email a couple days later with next steps for the town. He filled out some more documents and contracts, including one reiterating the town may be responsible for 25% of the total cost of the project.
Now, he is waiting for the Army Corps to review the documents before the town can move forward and start drafting a pump station.
Ellen McIntyre is a reporter covering education and all things Dewey Beach. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State - Schreyer Honors College in May 2024, then completed an internship writing for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. In 2023, she covered the Women’s World Cup in New Zealand as a freelancer for the Associated Press and saw her work published by outlets including The Washington Post and Fox Sports. Her variety of reporting experience covers crime and courts, investigations, politics and the arts. As a Hockessin, Delaware native, Ellen is happy to be back in her home state, though she enjoys traveling and learning about new cultures. She also loves live music, reading, hiking and spending time in nature.
