NewsJournal - 8/06/05

"Coming Soon" the signs at the northeast corner of U .S. 40 and Del. 896 promise: "300-Acre Glasgow Park."

But Bear- and Glasgow-area residents who have eagerly awaited the park's completion say "soon" cannot come soon enough. The signs have been posted more than two years.

The finished park is planned to include interactive water features, a family picnic area, playground, amphitheater, camping area and skate park.

When county officials announced last August that the $12 million park was open to the public, they said most of the amenities wouldn't be available until this fall. A nearly three-mile trail system for hikers opened last year, with a small, temporary parking lot. A sledding hill was also completed.

But the rest of the features have been pushed off for at least another year, county officials said Friday

Part of the reason is the change in administrations. New Castle County Executive Chris Coons signed an order in May requiring a review and revision of the county's $200 million capital plan. The plan had not been reviewed in more than 10 years and included projects that had not even begun, he said.

The review is to be completed by Sept. 15. After that, Coons will decide what projects to fund and when. He said he's committed to finishing the park.

Coons blamed former County Executive Tom Gordon for not making a "reasonable promise" to the public regarding a timeline for the project.

Gordon blamed Coons for the project's delay.

Gordon announced the timeline before officials had a final, detailed plan, Coons said; Coons said his administration has developed one.

"We are moving forward as quickly as we can to get it done," Coons said.

Councilwoman Karen Venezky said issues surrounding a road through the property from US. 40 and a property 1ocated behind the park slowed the process.

"Once that was done, we were supposed to move ahead," she said. "I'm disappointed with the progress. We fast-tracked this project because 90,000 people live in the [US. 40] corridor. We promised it to the public."

Several residents said they are unhappy with the condition of the park. The walking trail has been poorly maintained, especially after a rain, they said, and the parking lot cannot handle the volume.

Signs posted at the base of a 50-foot sledding hill read: "Caution, do not enter sledding hill. Area under construction. Danger."

But the signs haven't deterred park-goers from walking or biking on the hill.

County officials said they have not received complaints about the problems, but would look into them.

"I think if you're going to start something, you need to complete it for the satisfaction of the users," David Nichols, 43,of Newark, said Thursday, sweating through his shirt after finishing a run on the trail. "The trail still poses a hazard. The gravel is uneven with a bunch of rocks. Sections of the trail need to be paved."

Richard Przywara, general manager of special services under Coons, said he hopes to ask for bids on the amenities after the project review is completed this fall.

"Everyone seems to have been given the impression that all the planning and work on the park has stopped," he said. "That's not accurate."

The county has been waiting to complete the historical review process and get state Department of Transportation approval on the entrance road. The design of the stormwater basin for the park is also taking longer than anticipated, Przywara said.

He agreed with Coons that the former administration may have rushed the timeline for the project.

"I don't know why they gave the date that they did," he said. "My approach to deadlines is to be conservative and realistic."

Located in one of the fastest-growing areas of the state, the park's master plan was based on input from the public after a series of community meetings led by Cordon and Venezky.

"There's no excuse that the park isn't done a year later," Gordon said Friday. "Coons is trying to delay it to save money That thing was on a good track, and it's being unnecessarily held up. That was the community's project."

By MICHELE BESSO
The News Journal

Contact Michele Besso at 324-2386 or mbesso@delawareonline.com.

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