The grand opening of a new park in Milton brings Sussex County one step closer to finishing the Georgetown-Lewes trail.
The Sussex County Land Trust and Sussex County cut the ribbon on Hudson Park Tuesday afternoon.
Sussex County 5th District Councilman and Land Trust Board Member John Rieley says the park will serve as a trailhead for a 17-mile bike and pedestrian trail between Georgetown and Lewes.
“There will be restrooms there and a place where people can picnic or take a break as they’re riding," Rieley says. "Probably about this time next year, we’ll have a playground, that will be a nice amenity for the younger kids. And we’ll have walking paths there and a nice meadow-like open space that will consist of five or six acres.”
The Land Trust is a nonprofit working to preserve open space in Sussex County – partnering with the county on many projects. Riley says the Hudson Park land was purchased about three years ago with funding help from the Delaware Open Space Council, Sussex County Council, and the Delaware Division of Parks.
Rieley says open space recreation beyond the beaches contributes to the quality of life in Sussex County, and several more projects are in the works, such as the Forest of the Broadkill Preserve, a 294-acre property the Trust will transform into a public recreation space featuring an accessible trail system.
Rieley says the Trust is close to finishing several other recreational projects such as a hiking and biking spot at Hopkins Preserve in Lewes and river access at Nanticoke Crossing in Seaford.
“And we are very much into preserving open space," Rieley says of Sussex County Council. 'We’ve had such a rapid buildout of housing projects for the county that we want to make sure that we are also incorporating some preserved land along with that.”
Hudson Park is located at Route 9 and Coolspring Road near Milton and is now open for public use.