Waterfront Concept Plan Proposal Path Forward/Timeline

Waterfront Concept Timeline

DOC, MSC aid City with beach cleanup

Riverfront beach cleanup efforts took place in mid-December, with the City coordinating with the Department Of Corrections (DOC)/New Castle Community Correction Centers and the Municipal Services Commission (MSC). The City is always grateful when our Public Works crews can team up with MSC personnel on projects to benefit the public. Added special thanks to Lt. McLellan, Cpl. Stokes, Cpl. Ewasko and of course all the hard working crew members. It is estimated as many as 75 dump truck loads of material were removed off the beach — much of it wood washed ashore with the tide, and some of it in huge pieces of whole trees and trunks. And a final thank you on this project goes to Rep. J.J. Johnson, who helped arrange for the City to dispose of all the wood collected free of charge, in cooperation with the Peninsula Compost Group. Plans are to have the crews […]

The Old Library Museum

The Old Library Museum is just one of many museums and historical buildings found in Historic New Castle. Photo courtesy of the New Castle Historical Society. The Old Library was built by the New Castle Library Company in 1892 on land purchased by the Company from the Janvier family, who lived in Harmony House – adjacent to the library lot on its north side.  The Library is currently not open to the public. The Company, chartered in 1812, had housed its collection of classics and law books in the Academy (built in 1799) across the street. Originally, the Company was private: borrowing privileges were limited to members and, it is believed, students at the Academy. By the late 1860s, the schoolroom was no longer large enough to house the growing number of books.  Still, it was more than 20 years before a new library was constructed. The subscription-based library was […]

Beautiful fall foliage in the VanDyke Village neighborhood

City Public Works crews are now performing leaf collection operations. There is no set schedule for when leaves will be picked up on various streets. Residents are asked to rake leaves to the edge of their lawn or sidewalk or curb, to be collected by leaf vacuum trucks. Residents are asked to take special care to not rake leaves so they are in the street, blocking the sidewalk and/or storm drains.

City launches new Web site!

The City of New Castle has overhauled its Web site with a new and improved design. The site has a new look and is loaded with information for residents and visitors. The redesigned site has improved navigation and is aimed at being ultra user-friendly. Last January, the New Castle City Council reviewed a range of proposals for updating the site. These included the possibility of contracting with a private vendor for the work and paying for a prototype City site which had already been developed. Costs for those options were wide-ranging and as much as $20,000. City Council members selected the Delaware Government Information Center (GIC) to revamp the City’s site. Since this is a department of the State of Delaware, no City tax dollars were expended in development of the updated site. The GIC has helped a number of Delaware municipalities develop Web sites — either from scratch or […]

City considers riverfront revitalization proposal

Many citizens participate in design charrette Turnout was great at the New Castle School auditorium, as interested citizens attended a design charrette to help shape what a proposal might look like for redeveloping New Castle’s riverfront. Citizens were provided information on some possible components of a redevelopment plan, such as: appropriate infrastructure installed to allow vessels like the Kalmar Nyckel to dock, and which could also allow docking for small (non-car carrying) ferries; a limited amount of daytime docking to enable boaters to patronize City shops and restaurants and engage in tourist activities; development of a permanent place for the Good Will Fire Co. to access their rescue boat. It was noted that much of New Castle’s long-history, spanning more than three centuries, includes the importance of the Delaware River to the community with varying levels of utilizing the River and shoreline for commerce and other activities. It was also […]

Process begins for Banks Building rehabilitation

The City has been working on the issue of the Banks Building in need of restoration. An expert was hired to provide us with an evaluation of the current state of the building and an outline of a path forward for renovations and possible funding sources. A small team (Terry Graham, Erv Thatcher, Corky Viola and myself) met with Architectural Conservator Richard Byrne for most of one day, carefully examining the various aspects of the building and assessing the health of specific items (i.e., the foundation, floor joists, floors, walls, woodwork, stairs, siding, roofing, etc., etc.). A follow-up walk through was scheduled for the following day and it was great to see a large turnout of interested persons in attendance – including the Mayor and all Council members! We are anxiously awaiting the written report Mr. Byrne will be providing so the City can decide on the next steps on the road to eventual […]