The city of New Castle is finding out what it can do to help its residents and neighbors live healthier lives, thanks to a $30,000 federal grant and a research effort guided by Delaware Greenways.
“It’s not another ‘eat your veggies’ campaign,” said Andrea Trabelsi, urban and community planner for Delaware Greenways, who is coordinating the project known as the New Castle Community Wellness Initiative.
But it does tie in with the Penn Farm project, Delaware Greenways’ collaboration with the Trustees of New Castle Common to revitalize the 112-acre farm on Route 273 and transform it into a primary source of fresh produce for area residents.
The Community Wellness Initiative, Trabelsi explained, is an examination of community attitudes and organizations, including schools, government, nonprofits, churches and workplaces, to determine whether there’s a sufficient infrastructure in place to ensure healthy lifestyles.
“We’re looking at what we need to do to increase wellness among our residents,” said Cathryn Thomas, New Castle City administrator.
The federal grant, from the Centers for Disease Control, comes through the state Division of Public Health. The city government, the Trustees of New Castle Common and the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration have partnered with Delaware Greenways in the research effort.
The study extends beyond the city limits, including the area north to Interstate 295, west to U.S. 13/40 and south to Delaware 273 and the Dobbinsville community just south of the city limits.
Research already conducted includes focus group meetings, surveys of area residents, businesses and community organizations, and an analysis of pedestrian and bicycle pathways in the area.
Although a final report to the Division of Public Health isn’t due until August, some needs have been identified and Penn Farm may eventually become part of some solutions, Trabelsi and Thomas said.
One example they provided shows the importance of developing links between transportation infrastructure and essential services to promote wellness.
They pointed out, for example, that while it is easy to walk through old New Castle, and the only deterrent to bicycling is some narrow streets, most of the roads outside the downtown area are friendly to neither pedestrians nor bicyclists.
“Downtown is very walkable,” Trabelsi said. “However, when you get outside of it, it’s good luck walking, good luck biking.”
Trabelsi and Claire Beck, a researcher from the University of Delaware’s Institute for Public Administration, noted that this shortcoming takes on added significance because few “utilitarian destinations,” like pharmacies and grocery stores, are within walking distance for New Castle area residents who don’t own cars. Better pedestrian and bicycle paths are especially important for less affluent residents, who are less likely to have access to a car, Trabelsi said.
Two recent developments, although not directly related to the wellness assessment, demonstrate awareness of community needs.
New Castle City Council, Thomas said, has granted a permit to Toby Hagerott of Bayberry Farm, near Middletown, to sell fresh produce on Saturdays on Market Street. And the Delaware General Assembly, in the recently passed bond bill, included funds to complete the final link of a six-mile bicycle trail along abandoned Pennsylvania Railroad tracks from Route 273 to the Wilmington Riverfront, bringing the possibility of a safe Wilmington-New Castle bicycle commute one pedal push closer to reality.
The assessment’s final report, Trabelsi said, will likely recommend additional pedestrian and bicycle trail improvements, including crosswalks, marked bicycle lanes and additional sidewalks on Routes 9 and 273. Better links between existing trails and better signage directing potential users to them are also needed, she said.
Improvements like these, Trabelsi said, will improve access to Penn Farm, whose Tract 6 Produce stand is selling fresh fruits and vegetables to area residents and where wellness workshops will be offered after a barn is renovated to include space for community meetings.
Dr. Joanne Viola, a retired family physician who had worked for Christiana Care at its New Castle Senior Center Clinic, volunteered to assist with the wellness assessment and is enthused about the direction the program is taking.
“The surveys asked people about their diet and exercise habits. They’re getting people to start thinking about what they do,” she said. “I treated chronic diseases for years. I know the consequences of not focusing on healthy lifestyles.”
When the assessment is complete, Thomas said, the city won’t be imposing new rules and regulations (although the city council may consider a proposal to ban smoking in city parks) but it will look for ways to provide residents with more information about living well.
“We’ll be more like cheerleaders,” she said, “giving residents the data and knowledge they need to make healthy choices.”