DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation to host open house July 30 on White Clay Creek State Park draft master plan

The Pomeroy Bridge within White Clay Creek State Park

DOVER – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation has created a draft master plan for White Clay Creek State Park, and will host an open house for the public to provide comments and ask questions. The open house will be held from 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, July 30, at Deerfield, 507 Thompson Station Road, Newark, DE 19711.

DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin announced in May 2018 that the Division of Parks & Recreation would create a master plan for the future of the park. The Division of Parks & Recreation previously held four open houses and also provided an online survey in 2018 to gather public input. More than 1,300 participants have provided feedback to date.

The draft master plan is available online at www.destateparks.com/whiteclaymasterplan. This webpage will be updated as the process moves forward.

More than 60 items are proposed in the draft master plan. Focus areas include:

  • The Nature Center and programming complex: Facility improvements, interpretive locations, and sustainable access are needed.
  • Park office move: The draft master plan calls for the park office to be moved to an existing building in the Carpenter Recreation Area, creating easier access for most park users.
  • Judge Morris area: A new partnership, with a special events business, is expected to revitalize the Judge Morris Estate.
  • Potential partnerships: The Division of Parks & Recreation will explore partnerships for the adaptive reuse of some buildings, and limited areas.
  • Natural and cultural stewardship: Actions are necessary to protect and enhance the native ecology and cultural history of the park.
  • Parking and vehicular ingress/egress: Among others, this recommendation includes the proposed closure of three segments of road to vehicle traffic, where it is currently restricted.
  • Signage and programming: This includes efforts to improve signage and information on natural and historic features, as well as trail etiquette.
  • Trail projects: An updated trail planning effort is incorporated into the draft master plan.
  • Camping: Camping opportunities are proposed to enhance visitors’ park experiences. More evaluation is needed to determine amenities to be offered and their scope.

Now that a draft master plan has been created, the Division of Parks & Recreation will again provide the opportunity for public involvement and will clarify next steps. These include:

  • 5-7 p.m., Tuesday, July 30 – The Division of Parks & Recreation will host the open house to take comments and answer questions from the public on the draft master plan.
  • 9:30 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 1 – The draft master plan will be presented to the Parks & Recreation Council, an 11-member board appointed by the Governor, that advises the Division of Parks & Recreation.
  • August 2019 – The Division of Parks & Recreation will make any necessary revisions to the draft, and the revised version will serve as the final draft master plan, which will be posted online on the DNREC website.
  • Late summer-early autumn 2019 – The Division of Parks & Recreation will host a public meeting on the final draft master plan, to provide the opportunity for any remaining public comments or questions to be heard and addressed.
  • Autumn 2019 – The director of the Division of Parks & Recreation will determine if the final draft master plan should be adopted.

The public is encouraged to submit comments or questions on the draft master plan, whether or not they can attend the open house. Comments can be emailed to DNREC_WCCmasterplan@delaware.gov, or sent by US Mail to: DNREC Division of Parks & Recreation, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901, Attn: WCCSP Master Plan.

Media contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 186

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DPH Invites Public Comment on Delaware Statewide Health Assessment

DOVER — The Delaware Division of Public Health (DPH) is seeking input from Delawareans on a draft version of a statewide assessment identifying the primary health needs of First State residents. DPH worked with a broad range of non-profit and medical partners, and community-based and government agencies to create the draft Statewide Health Assessment (SHA) document.

The SHA is an examination of the health of our population. Data gathering for a needs assessment to develop this document began in 2016. The data, pulled from a variety of sources including focus groups, were used to identify local and statewide trends for the identification and prioritization of strategies. The ultimate goal of a SHA is to develop strategies to address critical health needs and identify challenges and assets in the state in a comprehensive way.

All results were compiled and analyzed collectively to paint a collective picture of Delaware’s health. This comprehensive process yielded the following four top-level priority areas of focus:

1. Chronic Disease: specifically -heart disease, diabetes, and asthma
2. Maternal and Child Health: specifically – teen pregnancy, premature births, and low birth weight
3. Substance Use/Misuse: specifically -the opioid epidemic, accidental overdose, and smoking/e-cigarette use
4. Mental Health: specifically – mental health diagnoses (especially in youth), suicide/suicidal ideations, and impact of trauma.

The plan is posted at http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/shna.pdf. Comments can be submitted at http://www.dhss.delaware.gov/dhss/dph/files/shaform.pdf. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, July 31, 2018.

Residents are encouraged to provide feedback about the information presented in the draft SHA. After receiving public comments, DPH will organize partners again to develop strategies and goals to address Delaware’s major health needs.

“It’s important to hear from residents about our draft plan for the health and well-being of Delawareans,” said DPH Associate Deputy Director, Cassandra Codes-Johnson. “We want to know what’s important to you. All residents should have the opportunity to provide input on the issues that are closest to their hearts.”

A person who is deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind or speech-disabled can call the DPH phone number above by using TTY services. Dial 7-1-1 or 800-232-5460 to type your conversation to a relay operator, who reads your conversation to a hearing person at DPH. The relay operator types the hearing person’s spoken words back to the TTY user. To learn more about TTY availability in Delaware, visit http://delawarerelay.com.

Delaware Health and Social Services is committed to improving the quality of the lives of Delaware’s citizens by promoting health and well-being, fostering self-sufficiency, and protecting vulnerable populations. DPH, a division of DHSS, urges Delawareans to make healthier choices with the 5-2-1 Almost None campaign: eat 5 or more fruits and vegetables each day, have no more than 2 hours of recreational screen time each day (includes TV, computer, gaming), get 1 or more hours of physical activity each day, and drink almost no sugary beverages.


State to host community meetings on early learning

The Delaware Department of Education will host community meetings across the state in preparation for redesigning the state’s quality rating and improvement system for early childhood education providers.

 

The meetings aim to gather input from early learning center administrators, owners and teachers as well as families and community members.

 

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the state’s quality rating and improvement system, Delaware Stars for Early Success, commonly referred to as Delaware Stars. Delaware Stars serves more than 450 early learning centers and family child care homes, helping to improve the quality of care for Delaware’s youngest learners.

 

“We are proud of the work that these programs do every day and to support early learning professionals in their efforts to provide high-quality early learning services for children and families,” said Kimberly Krzanowski, executive director of the department’s Office of Early Learning. “As we think about the next phase of support, we want to redesign Delaware Stars as a part of our own continuous quality improvement efforts.”

 

The first step of this process is this series of listening sessions across the state.  These sessions, tailored to specific audiences, will allow an opportunity for participants to share their experiences participating in Delaware Stars. 

 

In addition to these public meetings, an online survey will launch soon. Information collected from the surveys and listening sessions will help shape recommendations that the department will share for feedback in the fall. 

 

The upcoming sessions are listed below.

 

Early learning center administrators

·         1 to 2:30 p.m., June 18, Milford Public Library, 11 S.E. Front St., Milford

·         1 to 2:30 p.m., June 19, Carvel State Building, 820 N French St., Wilmington

·         1 to 2:30 p.m., June 25, Dover Public Library, 35 E. Loockerman St., Dover

 

Early learning center teachers

·         3 to 4:30 p.m., June 18, Milford Public Library, 11 S.E. Front St., Milford

·         5:30 to 6:45 p.m., June 19, Carvel State Building, 820 N French St., Wilmington

·         5:30 to 6:45 p.m., June 25, Dover Public Library, 35 E Loockerman St, Dover

 

Family child care owners/staff

·         5 to 6:30 p.m., June 18, Milford Public Library, 11 S.E. Front St., Milford

·         5:30 to 7 p.m., June 19, Carvel State Building, 820 N. French St., Wilmington

·         5:30 to 7 p.m., June 25, Dover Public Library, 35 E. Loockerman St, Dover

 

Families/guardians

·         6:30 to 7:45 p.m., June 18, Milford Public Library,  11 S.E. Front St., Milford

·         6:45 to 8 p.m., June 19, Carvel State Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington

·         6:45 to 8 p.m., June 25, Dover Public Library, 35 E. Loockerman St, Dover

 

All stakeholders

·         1:30 to 3:30 p.m., June 25, Dover Public Library,  35 E Loockerman St., Dover

 

Media Contact: Alison May, alison.may@doe.k12.de.us, 302-735-4006.