The Delaware Department of Natural Resources (DNREC) hosted a community workshop Wednesday to gauge input on Cape Henlopen State Park capital projects.
The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation showcased 10 projects at the public engagement event, revealing construction plans that are already underway or could begin in the coming years.
Parks and Recreation Director Ray Bivens says within the state parks system, Cape Henlopen has the greatest need with some of the oldest existing infrastructure.
“There's some that we don't have the planning money or the money for at all, we just know it's a need. We do a capital plan for our whole state, and it ranks projects — you'll see Cape’s are high up there, and there's real basic needs here at this park that aren't being met," Bivens said.
The Biden Environmental Center is wrapping up construction this summer, and the McBride Beach Bathhouse project secured $1 million from the fiscal year 2025 Bond Bill, but $8-9 million is still needed to fully fund the project.
Bivens says the park office is another great example of something that is in dire need of an expansion but has not yet secured funding for construction.
“It's too small for the volume of people coming through it, and it's also really hard to get into the park, buy a pass or ask a question and then get back out of the park. Just about every board tonight is trying to address some of the known problems we have and make the user experience."
DNREC requested Century Engineering complete a traffic study of the existing conditions at Cape Henlopen State Park to support the re-configuration of the park entrance, collecting traffic data during the peak summer season of 2023.
Under existing conditions, on July 4 — the park's biggest day of the year — the vehicle queue length exceeded 3,185 feet. Under a new design concept, the maximum expected queue length measures only 110 feet.
Reworking the park entrance is also expected to increase park security, provide a separate access route for campground users and improve wayfinding within the park.
The division is also proposes expanding and improving the Point Trail — anticipating construction to start in late 2025 — and creating an entirely new path named the Wolfe Neck Trail, which they anticipate to be six miles long with up to 11 boardwalks and a bridge.
DNREC has already secured $1 million from the Federal Recreational Trail Program, and DNREC's Brooks Cahall says the majority of the remaining funding has already been secured.
The new Bond Bill also allocated $250,000 to look into the feasibility of building a new fishing pier, as the structure has already endured $2.1 million worth of repairs, and based on the latest inspection, close to $1 million would be needed to make the pier usable again.
DNREC was awarded a federal grant close to $3.2 million through the Economic Development Administration for statewide planning of campground improvements, but Cahall says roughly $40-50 million will be needed to actually implement the projects.
Finally, Battery 519 within the Fort Miles Museum is receiving a fully-funded addition of new World War II and Cold War exhibits.
All of the proposed projects can be found on DNREC’s website and will be up for public comment for the next two weeks.