Sussex County Council focuses on open space

At its Oct. 1 meeting, Sussex County Council unanimously agreed to apply for a $125,000 state grant for a Lewes-area park to be used as a trailhead.

The Stephen P. Hudson Park near the intersection of Route 9 and Cool Spring Road is part of a 17-mile bike/pedestrian trail along a former railway bed.

A previous state grant paid for a paved parking lot and reforestation along the property line. With new money from a Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control grant, Sussex County Land Trust Executive Director Mark Chura said the plan is to add a bike station and picnic tables. A Can-Do playground and restroom are planned for 2025, he said.

“We’ve been pleasantly surprised. You may see three to five cars there on the weekends,” he told Sussex County Council members.

Council also unanimously approved a property management agreement with the land trust for the Forest of the Broadkill Preserve. At about 300 acres, Chura said the preserve is the biggest site managed by the trust. A trail system is in the works for the site, which lies near Shingle Point Road and Gravel Hill Road near Milton. County council has given $14.2 million for the project, and about $5 million has been raised from local families and businesses, Chura said.

More funds are needed to preserve an 89-tract off New Road along the City of Lewes border known as Ard na Greine, Chura said. About $2 million more is needed to purchase the $8.5 million tract.

“It’s either us or the next subdivision on New Road,” Chura said, adding the land trust is now eligible for a Natural Resources Conservation Service program that will allow the trust to hold agricultural easements throughout the county.

Council also approved the $2.65 million purchase of a 165-acre tract known as the Layfield property that lies along the northwest edge of Dagsboro off Route 20.

“This is a meaningful investment in Sussex County’s future by protecting a piece of its natural and agricultural past,” said Councilman Doug Hudson, whose district includes the parcel. “Constituents repeatedly tell us how much they want to see green and open spaces protected. This purchase certainly helps to satisfy that public priority now, but more importantly, it will ensure we leave something for our children and grandchildren.”

County Administrator Todd Lawson said the sales price was reduced by about $500,000. Funding for the acquisition comes through the county’s portion of realty transfer tax revenue, officials said.

Lawson said the land trust will manage the property and develop a future master plan. In the interim, he said, the property – most of it currently in agricultural production – will remain farmland, though some wooded areas may be augmented in the years ahead with a partial reforestation effort.

In other business, council members gave money to repair a wall at a West Rehoboth Beach community center, which was damaged over the summer.

Councilman Mark Schaeffer gave $1,000 out of the District 3 fund, and Councilwoman Cindy Green gave $1,000 out of the District 2 fund.