Castle and Army Corps of Engineers Hold Second Set of Public Workshops for C & D Canal Recreation Trail
December 7 , 2005
Castle and Army Corps of Engineers Hold Second Set of Public Workshops for C & D Canal Recreation Trail
Delaware City -- Delaware Congressman Mike Castle, along with the Army Corps of Engineers conducted public workshops this past Monday and Tuesday night in Delaware City and Chesapeake City respectively, for community organizations and the general public to view conceptual designs of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal Recreation Trail. Other project partners including, DNREC, DelDOT, New Castle County, Delaware City, St. Georges, Delaware Greenways, and their Maryland counterparts joined Congressman Castle and the Army Corps. The public workshops were well attended and provided an open forum for the public to view the conceptual designs and speak with the project partners about the plans.
"Almost two years ago I began pushing the idea of expanding the C & D Canal to include more user-friendly recreation. From federal funding for the study, generously matched by DNREC, DelDOT, and New Castle County , working to get the Army Corps the authorization it needs to enhance recreation, securing funding for pre-design work in the coming year, we are well on our way to making this vision a reality. We are increasingly aware of just how critical this project is to the quickly growing communities of southern New Castle and Cecil Counties and we are committed to transforming the canal into a recreational area for all to enjoy," Castle said at the beginning of the presentation.
During the first set of public workshops last April, Castle and the Army Corps heard from many Delawareans and Marylanders about how they currently use the canal and their vision for the area in the future. Based on those meetings, they collaborated with a landscape architecture firm to develop conceptual designs for the trail. The conceptual designs incorporate plans for a trail to accommodate a mix of activities like walking, running, biking, or rollerblading, with designated trail heads, rest room facilities, improved fishing piers and access points, and parking areas. And as always, a continued goal is to ensure that current uses, such as observing wildlife, hunting, fishing, dog-training, and horseback riding, continue.
To view the conceptual designs online, go to:
http://www.nap.usace.army.mil/Projects/CD/index.htm
ftp://ftp.nap.usace.army.mil/cd/3035%20CONCEPT%20DIAGRAM_half-scale.pdf
http://www.house.gov/castle/pr_05_cdwrapup.html