Milford, Del. saw a 25.9 percent increase in population between 2020 and 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. And residents are concerned about the effects of growth on infrastructure.
Milford’s economic development and community engagement administrator Lauren Swain said growth is top of mind for city officials, who have plans in place to continue improving sewers, traffic flow and local parks.
“We're ensuring it reflects the priorities and values of our residents, and we value the engagement,” Swain said. “People can come to our meetings, provide public comment. They can talk to our department heads. They can talk to our public safety. Our doors are always open.”
Swain said the city collaborates with the Milford School District and is looking forward to opening the Milford Middle School this fall, which will help ease capacity constraints throughout the district.
“We continue to collaborate closely with the Milford School District and other community partners to help ensure that our educational system remains strong, well resourced and positioned for long term excellence,” a press release from the city said.
Other plans, including enhancing grid reliability, are also in place and have been in the works for 15 to 20 years.
Planning for the future is happening simultaneously, Swain added. That includes expanding the public works facility.
“It was actually in our [Capital Improvement Plan],” Swain said. “They are looking to put a pole building up to help house some of the equipment. And then they're also looking to enhance the front of the public works building to make it more customer efficient.”
The CIP runs through Fiscal Year 30. Construction on the public works building doesn’t have a set date yet.
Swain added projects to better traffic flow will continue to lower travel times, especially when beachgoers pass through. That includes a partnership with DelDOT to further develop the southeast Milford Transportation Improvement District.
“[That] will guide and implement road improvements in the southeast neighborhood of the city,” Swain said. “... A lot of people, when they're waiting for games or whatever, they come to Milford and they eat at our restaurants. They shop at our shops. They enjoy our town. So naturally, safety on our roads is very important. So yes, Milford officials are always looking at keeping our roads the safest that we can.”
She invited residents to come to City Council meetings every other week and share their comments with city officials.
