Indian River Marina, Delaware’s largest, is a destination for boaters seeking direct access to the rich Atlantic Ocean and inland bays fishing grounds. The marina has boat slips with a floating dock system and spots for indoor dry boat storage. A monitored public boat ramp with shuttle service to parking is available in the summer. It also serves as a waterfront event space with beautiful sunset views, offers full-service bait and tackle along with fish cleaning and an on-site fresh seafood market.

The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control announced today that it has awarded a contract to operate the restaurant at Indian Marina River to Big Fish Restaurant Group as the previous 10-year contract is set to expire at the end of this month.

Following state procurement requirements, the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation released a Request for Proposals for Professional Services (RFP), which closed Nov. 30, 2022, with the goal of identifying vendor(s) and executing a new contract. The division received two responsive proposals and evaluated them utilizing criteria and scoring included in the RFP.

The new contract, which is also for a 10-year-term from March 1, 2023 to Feb. 28, 2033, stipulates that Big Fish Restaurant Group will operate the marina restaurant “with full waterfront menu fare, including but not limited to, fully prepared seafood dishes (excluding off premise raw seafood sales), entrees, appetizers, desserts, alcoholic beverages, non-alcoholic beverages, and any other refreshments necessary to carry on the business for the public.” Big Fish will also provide breakfast and delivery service to the Indian River Marina and to the park’s North Inlet Campground.

“We welcome Big Fish to the Indian River Marina and look forward to watching their progress in meeting the growing needs of our park and marina visitors. Their business has won more than 50 awards for quality of service they offer to the public,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “While it is it is never easy to change concessionaires, the state RFP process is fair and Big Fish Restaurant Group submitted the winning proposal this time. I encourage any Delaware business that wants more information on the state bidding process to visit Delaware’s contract portal, MyMarketplace.delaware.gov, which has a wealth of information about the process.”

The Indian River Marina restaurant RFP was rated using seven criteria categories, with 80% of the total score including quality and diversity of the menu; past performance; the vendor’s action plan; vendor’s financial stability; creativity in planning; and designing and delivering a successful establishment, and revenue paid to the state equating for 20% of the total score.

Big Fish will utilize DNREC’s existing restaurant space at the marina, a 1,400-square-foot building with an outside usable deck and pergola area of approximately 1,100 square feet plus a grass area extended from the deck.

The award-winning Indian River Marina is Delaware’s largest marina and a destination for boaters seeking direct access to the rich Atlantic Ocean and inland bays fishing grounds. The marina boasts 194 slips with a floating dock system, 154 spots for indoor dry boat storage, pristine maintenance, full-service bait and tackle along with fish cleaning and an on-site fresh seafood market, and two head boats and more than 30 charter boats available for fishing and sightseeing.

For more information about the Indian River Marina restaurant RFP, go to https://mmp.delaware.gov/Contracts/ and search for Contract NAT22011.

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. Enjoy the natural diversity of Delaware’s 17 state parks. The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation oversees more than 26,000 acres in 17 state parks and the Brandywine Zoo. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Shauna McVey, shauna.mcvey@delaware.gov or Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov.

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$3.4 Million in Funding Available to Improve State’s Air Quality

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control today issued a request for proposals (RFP) for investments of $3.4 million from the Environmental Mitigation Trust on projects that improve the state’s air by reducing emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). A virtual public meeting will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 15 to help organizations apply for the grants by close of business on Monday, March 21.

“The Environmental Mitigation Trust is another opportunity from DNREC to help businesses, non-profit organizations, state agencies and individual citizens in our state to improve air quality,” said DNREC Secretary Shawn M. Garvin. “I encourage Delaware organizations to submit proposals for projects that will produce tangible results in reducing air pollution and help us move closer to our goal of clean air for Delaware.”

Eligible mitigation actions include projects to reduce NOx from heavy-duty diesel sources. Eligible projects include the replacement or repowering of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, and school and transit buses. Other eligible mitigation actions include engine repower for freight switcher locomotives, ferries, tugs, forklifts and port cargo handling equipment. Or, they may also include, in a more limited capacity, charging infrastructure for light-duty zero emission passenger vehicles. Details are outlined in the RFP, published at bids.delaware.gov.

The funding comes from federal redress against Volkswagen Corporation and its subsidiaries for installing emissions “defeat devices” on its diesel vehicles in violation of the federal Clean Air Act. Use of these devices increased NOx emissions throughout the country, up to 40 times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) limit, resulting in adverse impacts to air quality and felt particularly in Delaware, where the transportation sector is the state’s leading source of air pollution.

The $3.4 million in funding available this year to Delaware covers the fourth and final phase of the federal settlement with the automaker – and the state’s last disbursement from a total $9.6 million from the trust since 2019.

This year’s solicitation of RFPs aligns with previous project awards, going for upgrades to cleaner-fueled vehicles. These projects included:

• Phase 1 is a multi-year partnership with the Delaware Department of Education (DDoE), which leveraged the EPA Diesel Emissions Reduction Program (DERA) grants and the Environmental Mitigation Trust, to replace a total of 115 state-owned diesel school buses with buses that operate on clean diesel or propane. DDoE plans to replace additional school buses in Year 4, and exhaust all Phase 1 funds in 2022.
• Phase 2 supported grants to Waste Management of Delaware, which replaced 10 diesel solid waste refuse vehicles with trucks that operate on compressed natural gas (CNG), and to The Teen Warehouse in Wilmington, which upgraded to an electric zero-emissions school bus using the DERA grant and the Environmental Mitigation Trust.
• Phase 3 plans included the replacement of nine diesel school buses with two private transportation providers and five government-owned Class 4-7 medium diesel trucks. Replacement projects for one school bus and the five government-owned medium trucks were delayed to due COVID-19 and will be completed in the fall of 2022. DNREC also announced an RFP in the fall for installation of direct current, or DC-fast electric vehicle charging stations.

Comments and questions may be made in advance of the Feb. 15 public meeting. They will be considered for DNREC response during the meeting. Contact and login information is available on the DNREC online calendar at de.gov/dnrecmeetings. Additionally, written questions will be received by the DNREC Division of Air Quality until Feb. 22.

The solicitation can be found on the state Office of Management and Budget website. The final phase of Environmental Mitigation Trust funds are expected to be awarded during the second half of 2022. More information on the Environmental Mitigation Plan is available at de.gov/vwmitigation.

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 Division of Air Quality monitors and regulates all emissions to the air. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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

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Delaware’s Department of Insurance is pleased to announce that it is actively recruiting for a qualified independent contractor to staff and run its new Office of Value-Based Health Care Delivery. The Office will assist the Insurance Commissioner and Delaware’s Primary Care Reform Collaborative in evaluating primary care accessibility and affordability statewide.

“Reducing health care costs in Delaware is a key priority of my administration,” said Insurance Commissioner Trinidad Navarro. “The team leading our Office of Value-Based Health Care Delivery needs to possess a high level of expertise in health care transformation and innovation. Together with the Primary Care Reform Collaborative, we intend to identify quantitative tools that will help increase the availability of high quality, cost-efficient health insurance products that have stable, predictable, and affordable rates.”

Earlier this year, members of the General Assembly passed Senate Substitute 1 for Senate Bill No. 116, in order to create the Office. The Office was a recommendation of the Primary Care Reform Collaborative, which is tasked with evaluating the high costs of care in Delaware. In the months since passage, the Collaborative has been working hard to develop recommendations to strengthen Delaware’s primary care system.

“The legislature’s consideration of pro-consumer bills has allowed us to continue to foster an environment where residents are prioritized over profits,” said Leslie W. Ledogar, Esq, the Commissioner’s representative within the working group. “The Office of Value-Based Health Care Delivery epitomizes that vision, and we are grateful for everyone who spent time working on this effort.”

The Request for Proposal may be downloaded from the Office of Management and Budget website. Applicant questions should be directed to the Department’s Regulatory Specialist Leslie W. Ledogar, Esq.