Lisa McHugh, Lums Pond State Park; Scott Borino, Delaware Seashore State Park; Alana Delaney, Bellevue and Fox Point state parks; and Patrick Thompson, Alapocas Run and Wilmington state parks. /DNREC photos

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control is pleased to announce four new superintendents at Delaware State Parks. Lisa McHugh is now the superintendent at Lums Pond State Park, Scott Borino is the superintendent at Delaware Seashore State Park, Alana Delaney has been named superintendent of Bellevue and Fox Point state parks, and Patrick Thompson is the superintendent of Alapocas Run and Wilmington state parks.

Lisa McHugh was previously the assistant park superintendent at Alapocas Run and Wilmington state parks from March 2020 to December 2022. McHugh started her career with the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation as a conservation technician at Wilmington parks in November 2006 and held that position until she was promoted to assistant park superintendent.

Scott Borino was promoted from his assistant superintendent position at Delaware Seashore State Park. He was first hired by the division in 2013 as the assistant superintendent at the Indian River Marina. He previously held positions as the community services manager and then executive director of the Edgemoor Community Center in Wilmington. Borino also served in the AmeriCorps VISTA program with the American Red Cross in Delaware and Maryland.

Alana Delaney transferred to Bellevue and Fox Point state parks after serving as the superintendent of Alapocas Run and Wilmington State Parks since 2018. She previously served as the assistant superintendent of Alapocas Run and assistant superintendent of Bellevue State Park. Prior to those roles with the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation, she worked in several others with the division including as naturalist and park patrol officer at White Clay Creek State Park, and volunteer coordinator for the northern and inland ponds regions of the Delaware State Parks system.

Pat Thompson moved from his position at the helm of Auburn Valley State Park to take Delaney’s place as superintendent of Alapocas Run and Wilmington Run state parks. Thompson started his DNREC career in 2004 at Bellevue State Park as a park patrol officer and assistant superintendent before becoming a conservation technician. He briefly left Delaware in 2009 to work for the Parks and Recreation Department of the City of Bellingham, Wash., and returned to work in Delaware State Parks in 2010 as a conservation tech at Alapocas Run and Wilmington state parks. Thompson worked at Brandywine Creek State Park from 2015 to 2017, when he was promoted to assistant superintendent of Bellevue. Thompson then became the assistant park superintendent for Alapocas Run and Wilmington state parks before his promotion to superintendent of Auburn Valley State Park in 2020.

McHugh, Borino, Delaney and Thompson are responsible for all daily operations at their respective state parks, including supervision, scheduling and evaluation of staff; coordination of maintenance and visitor service programs; development and continuation of relationships with partners, adjacent landowners and community groups; and fiscal, programmatic and infrastructure planning.

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 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, Instagram, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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

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Due to extensive damage from flooding during the remnant of Hurricane Ida, the Bancroft Bridge in Alapocas Run State Park will be closed indefinitely and will need to be substantially repaired or possibly replaced. The bridge is a popular connector that crosses the Brandywine Creek between Rockford Park and Alapocas Run State Park, which is known for its cliffs made of blue rock gneiss.

The Bancroft Bridge in Alapocas Run State Park sustained extensive damage from flooding during the remnant of Hurricane Ida and will need to be substantially repaired or possibly replaced, meaning it will be closed indefinitely.

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC)’s Division of Parks and Recreation closed the popular walking bridge after an initial inspection following the Sept. 2 flooding. This week a structural engineer further assessed the bridge and confirmed significant damage. The bridge was damaged from debris as floodwaters elevated to its lower structure. The bridge itself has bowed and shifted on its support beams and foundation, which has cracked.

Repairing the bridge would require a piece-by-piece evaluation and structural rebuild. Depending on the severity of the damage, the bridge may need to be demolished and a new bridge fabricated.

At this point, no timeframe can be given for finishing the assessment, the planning and design of whichever option is chosen, or funding and construction, but the bridge will be closed for an extended period of time.

Updates about the bridge’s repair or replacement progress will be shared on the DNREC’s Alapocas Run and Wilmington State Parks Facebook page.

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 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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Delaware Natural Resources Police and Wilmington Department of Police are investigating a vehicle accident with serious injuries that occurred Friday afternoon at the Abessinio Stadium, located within Wilmington State Parks.

A 16-year-old Wilmington boy failed to maintain control of his 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee while reversing from a parking space. The Jeep, traveling in reverse, first struck two parked vehicles, a 2012 Hyundai Accent and a 2009 Cadillac Escalade. The Jeep then continued in reverse striking two individuals that were sitting on chairs behind the Escalade trapping a 65-year-old Dover woman under the Jeep.

The female victim had to be extricated from beneath the Jeep by Wilmington Fire Department personnel that arrived on scene. She was then flown to Christiana Hospital by Delaware State Police’s aviation unit. At this time, she is listed in serious but stable condition with multiple, non-life-threatening injuries.

The second victim seated in the parking lot is a 63-year-old Middletown man who was transported to Christiana Hospital by ambulance for leg injuries. He has since been treated and released.

The driver of the Hyundai, a 51-year-old Smyrna man, who was seated in his parked car was transported to Christiana Hospital for injuries to his leg and back. He has since been treated and released. A passenger in the Hyundai, a 68-year-old Smyrna man, was uninjured in the accident.

The driver of the Jeep was uninjured in this accident.

This accident remains under investigation and no charges have been filed at this time. Anyone with information regarding this incident should contact Cpl. David Redgraves at david.redgraves@delaware.gov.

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. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Nikki Lavoie, nikki.lavoie@delaware.gov; Cpt. John McDerby, john.mcderby@delaware.gov

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WILMINGTON – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation announced today that the park office for Wilmington State Parks will be temporarily relocated on April 1 from Baynard Stadium to the Blue Ball Barn, part of Alapocas Run State Park in Wilmington. All maintenance and administrative functions of Wilmington State Parks will operate out of Blue Ball Barn and Alapocas Run State Park as of April 1.

The temporary move is in preparation for the reconstruction of Baynard Stadium, which will be renamed Abessinio Stadium when a new facility is built on the site. Construction is expected to be complete in the fall of 2020. Once construction is complete, the park office for Wilmington State Parks will return to the stadium and be a part of the new complex. The rehabilitation of the stadium is a partnership between the Salesianum School and the City of Wilmington.

As of April 1, Wilmington and Alapocas Run state parks visitors can get maps and information, apply for picnic and event permits, reserve athletic fields, register for camps and programs, and purchase annual passes at Blue Ball Barn, located at 1914 West Park Drive, Wilmington, DE 19803. The phone number is 302-577-1164.

Contact: Beth Shockley, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

Vol. 49, No. 59

WILMINGTON – DNREC’s Division of Parks & Recreation’s Brandywine Zoo will be closed on Tuesday, June 26, while a tree that fell Sunday night is removed. The falling tree damaged the porcupine exhibit (no animals were harmed) and minor damage was reported to the roof of the animal hospital.

The zoo will re-open Wednesday, June 27, at its usual time of 10 a.m.