LEWES, Del. - The Lewes Parks and Recreation Commission is gathering public input through a survey about the future of Great Marsh Park. The surveys are accepted until Sept. 30.
The park is 66 acres of land that the city leases from the state of Delaware. It serves as the home to the dog park managed by the non-profit organization Lewes Unleashed and is the location of the Lewes Community Garden.
The Parks and Recreation Commission encourages the public to review the Great Marsh Park Conceptual Plan from Oct. 2022 before filling out the survey. The form asks participators to rank importance on active recreation, passive recreation, open space and natural area protection. The survey also asks the public to rank amenities such as:
- Community gardening
- Gathering places
- Outdoor amphitheater
- Exercise trail with stations
- Paved walking or jogging trails
- Cross-country running trails
- Rollerblading/roller-skating
- Nature walking trails
- Bird watching stations
Maria Cordonnier is ready for more recreation in the area.
"More things for people to get out of their developments or their neighborhoods and use the parks and then meet people outside of their local community," said Cordonnier. "So, as it is, I think the area has some wonderful parks, but expanding would just be great."
Other locals, like Perrin Smith, are focused more on preservation.
"We're losing a lot of land to development on the edge of marshes, and marshes have a really big ecological role."