Community Meetings to Be Held on Claymont and Eden Park Studies June 22 and 23 to Help Determine Path Forward for Improving Air Quality

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control has released final reports on two community air quality-monitoring projects for the Eden Park and Claymont communities in New Castle County. Drawing on the results from the two reports, DNREC will work with these communities to help them become less susceptible to air pollution and thus improve the quality of life for their residents.

“These types of studies support DNREC’s efforts to improve air quality in communities that may be disproportionately affected by sources of air pollution,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “Our adoption of targeted mitigation measures to reduce these emissions – which the air quality monitoring projects will help determine – will improve the quality of life for these impacted communities in Delaware.”

The DNREC Division of Air Quality launched the multi-year and multi-pollutant Eden Park study to investigate air quality based on community concerns of high levels of dust and other pollutants. DNREC found the amount of most types of air pollution at low levels and that air quality in Eden Park comparable to air quality found at other state monitoring locations in New Castle County and in Wilmington. However, while localized to the community, the amount of dust in Eden Park was confirmed to be higher.

Further analyzing the dust composition, DNREC concluded there were three main types of dust identified: concrete dust, soil dust, and dust from tire/brake wear. The concrete dust was the largest component when dust levels were highest. Using this information, the Department has been actively working with local industry to develop and implement mitigation measures to reduce dust in the Eden Park community.study

The Claymont study was conducted to investigate citizen concerns focused on volatile organic compounds (VOC) that could originate from the nearby Claymont/Marcus Hook, Pa. border where several industrial facilities are located.

The study shows that VOC concentrations in Claymont were very low and similar in both specific compounds and amounts as measured by the monitoring station in Wilmington.

DNREC will hold virtual community information meetings later this month to discuss the results of the Eden Park and Claymont studies. The Claymont community meeting is scheduled for June 22 at 6 p.m. The Eden Park meeting will begin at 6 p.m. Wednesday, June 23. For more information about the meetings, including how to sign up for and attend them virtually, please visit the DNREC Events Calendar. More information about the studies and air quality reports can be found on the DNREC website at https://de.gov/airstudies.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Air Quality monitors and regulates all emissions to the air. For more information, visit the website and connect with DNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov; Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov

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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 10^th 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.