Seaford Council updated on proposed U.S. 250th anniversary celebration, including float-in

Last week’s Seaford Council meeting highlighted a range of community events, including a United States “250” Celebration, a renewed Riverfest committee, a five-year strategic police plan, and a dedication ceremony.

The director of the Minority Engineering Regional Incentive Training (MERIT) program, Wendy Gutkin, shared updates on its continued impact on students. Former Director John Hollis, whose health has declined in recent years, remains involved while Gutkin has stepped up to lead. In 2024, Hollis received the Order of the First State, which is the highest honor a citizen can receive from the state. The funding associated with the honor helped support a commemorative sign project in Seaford. Along with the assistance of the city and the Boys and Girls Club, the sign will be installed at the Western Sussex Boys’ and Girls’ Club, a place that Hollis was instrumental in bringing to fruition.

A dedication ceremony is scheduled for May 2 at 3 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club. The event will recognize Hollis’ contributions and celebrate the many students who have participated in MERIT over the years. Gutkin said all are invited to attend the ceremony. Additionally, the MERIT program hopes to increase enrollment to 40 students and encourages the school teachers and leaders to reach out for information on any student who may benefit from the program.

250th celebration- Downtown Seaford Association (DSA) President Alice Adkins presented a proposal for a community-wide celebration marking the 250th anniversary of the United States. Adkins said that, in planning is a morning float-in event on the Nanticoke River, live music, family-style activities, and evening festivities. The association presented the theme “Stars and Stripes on the Nanticoke” and hopes to host the event on a lot located behind City Hall. The organization requested the support of the city in the amount of $4,500, which would cover live entertainment and stage production costs. The council members voiced their concern that the event would take place in three months, with limited time to organize all the necessary people and services to have a float in. Additionally, the lot behind the city hall may not be large enough for the event as they are presenting. Council agreed to provide the funding; however, the organization was asked to return in one month with updated information and progress.

Police plan- The Seaford Police Department introduced its first formal five-year strategic plan (2026–2030), outlining a roadmap for addressing increasing demands and strengthening community trust. Included in the presentation was reducing violent crime and gang activity by 15 percent by 2028, improving traffic safety and reducing accidents by 15 percent by 2028, and goal three is to expand community outreach and non-enforcement services such as education, outreach, and prevention. Craft noted that the goal is to find a facility within an ideal location to provide the services. The next two goals are focus and sustainability with collaboration.

“We’re strengthening our department enforcement efforts through what’s called the proactive criminal enforcement unit. We started within the last year. It’s called the PACE team. We’re expanding our intelligence capabilities, improving our interagency coordination with partners like the Department of Justice and the US Attorney’s Office,” Craft said. “We’ve also recently had a member of our criminal investigative unit that’s became a part-time task force member with the FBI Violent Crime Task Force, that’s extremely important. We’re also implementing tools like real-time crime dashboards you’ll be seeing that come out before the end of the fiscal year, where community members can go out and look at hot spots or heat maps to show different types of crime.”

Craft emphasized that the plan was developed using community feedback, staff input, and data analysis. It also includes performance metrics and annual reporting to ensure transparency and accountability.

Craft noted that Seaford’s population has grown significantly in recent years, which is increasing demands on law enforcement, requiring the officers to service a broader range of services such as mental health and community outreach. Craft also said there are efforts to address staffing shortages, with new officers expected to join the force in June.

“We should be at full staffing later this year, and that’s going to help us with our increasing workloads,” he said.

Craft said the department is growing with the times with technology modernizations, “These include things like body-worn cameras or automated license plate readers or real-time crime tools that we’re using, or a new drone team that we’re using. All those things are force multipliers for us, and we’re looking forward to really getting those implemented fully this year.”

Craft said the department will provide yearly updates on the progress of the strategy plan.

Chief Craft also requested the permission of council to submit for grant funding through the Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant FY2025 which is a federal grant allocation of approximately $19,800 for police equipment or training. The monies, if received, will be used for equipment needs.

Collective bargaining- Director of Human Resources June Merritt presented the collective bargaining agreement with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 126. The agreement had already been ratified by the department and was brought before council for approval. Key provisions include adjustments to compensation, with a 12 percent increase in 2027, followed by three percent in 2028 and 2029, along with updates related to union steward provisions. The council approved the contract which is on the city web site for full review.

Other business- The owners of land located on the East side of Atlanta Road near the Governor’s Grant Development requested city annexation for the purpose of utilities and policing. The annexation request was for a residential parcel near the Governor’s Grant development. The council appointed a committee to evaluate the annexation which will be presented at a later date.

Council also approved a bid for a demolition contract for a vacant property at a cost of $27,200.

The council approved the second reading to adopt the 2021 edition of the International Plumbing Code with amendments. Additionally, the revisions to Chapter 4, Article 1, of the Municipal Code were adopted to the current edition of the International Energy Conservation Code.

Mayor Matt MacCoy moved forward with the plan to bring back a “Riverfest” type committee and recommended the following to serve through December 31, 2027; Dave Crimmins, LaAngela Todd, Debbie Hall, Jim Bowden, Maria Brooke, David Baugh, Gigi Hastings, Alice Adkins, and Jack Chambers. The request was approved by council.