Lewes council reluctantly endorses garden plan

Lewes Mayor and City Council reluctantly endorsed Lewes in Bloom’s conceptual plan for its Garden for All Ages behind the new Lewes Public Library, amid continuing concerns about funding for the project. 

Council members say the city could be responsible for maintenance costs should the funding fall through. Councilman Dennis Reardon wanted Lewes in Bloom to present all costs associated with construction and maintenance of the project before council gave its blessing. However, Lewes in Bloom officials wanted an endorsement before moving forward with grant applications and a fleshed-out financial plan. 

“The city could be caught holding the bag,” Reardon said. “I think we’re putting the cart before the horse. There are a lot of unanswered questions.”

Reardon was the lone vote against endorsement of the plan. Council voted 3-1 and, in doing so, formed a new committee to develop a memorandum of understanding that will cover financial responsibility and evolution of the plan. The committee will consist of Reardon and Councilman Rob Morgan along with representatives from the library and Lewes in Bloom. 

Warren Golde, president of Lewes in Bloom, said the anticipated cost of construction is $250,000 to $300,000. He said it’s too early to estimate what annual maintenance costs may be, and he did not want to speculate as to how much of an endowment would be needed. Construction would likely take place in phases, beginning with a berm and tree plantings along the southwestern property line. The second phase would include the construction of a new children’s garden and a community garden. The rest of the plan, including smaller gardens and a community area, would come later. 

Lewes in Bloom board member Rosemary Budd has developed a 50-page working plan for the project. Before moving to Lewes, Budd managed a $3.5 billion business portfolio in addition to fundraising for the Fort Meade Alliance, where she helped raise more than $500,000 on the organization’s behalf. 

Budd said it was imperative to receive city council’s endorsement because it is the beginning of this year’s grant cycle. If council had delayed a vote, she said, Lewes in Bloom likely would’ve had to wait a year to get started with fundraising. To date, she said, Lewes in Bloom has identified 28 different grant opportunities. Fundraising efforts will also include a donor campaign, a sponsor campaign and events. 

Deputy Mayor Fred Beaufait has been concerned about the city’s potential financial obligation since the plan was presented in December. 

“I’ve had to raise money for entities, and it’s one thing to have a nice plan, but keep in mind that Lewes has quite a number of organizations that have fundraising efforts,” he said. “The elephant in the room is Beebe hospital trying to raise $50 million [for its expansion project].”

He said the city has also been burned in the past with maintenance of Canalfront Park, when an agreed-upon endowment fund did not fully come to fruition. In April 2011, the city agreed to maintain and enhance the park through contractual services and city staff. The Greater Lewes Foundation was to annually provide the city 5 percent of the endowment fund to supplement city costs related to park maintenance.

City Manager Paul Eckrich said the city does receive 5 percent of the endowment each year, but the amount of money in the endowment is much less than the $1 million goal. 

“I wouldn’t say we are shying away because we got stuck with bills in the past, but it certainly does raise a caution flag,” Reardon said.

The plan has received support from the library and the Historic Lewes Farmers Market. Hugh Leahy, library board president, said the garden/park would be a great addition to the community.

“There are literally thousands of kids who receive programs every year through the children’s program, all of whom will have this amenity available to them,” he said. “We think this is pretty important. It will be a beautiful facility in a very prominent location.”