The Sussex County Land Trust (SCLT) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Nanticoke Crossing Park last Thursday. Among those in attendance included Seaford Mayor Matt MacCoy, District 39 Representative Danny Short, District 40 Representative Tim Dukes, and Sussex County Council President Mike Vincent. The ceremony included some updates on the work for the park and some future plans to enhance the area.
The Nanticoke Crossing Park is an area of land comprised of 41 acres and includes 29 acres of forest, 12 acres of open area, and 1,900 feet of shoreline. Originally being the site of a mobile home, the land was purchased in 2021 from Absher Farms LLC. Working with the Dept. of the Navy Atlantic Ranges and Targets Department, the Chesapeake Conservancy, the Mt. Cuba Center, and numerous other partners, the SCLT has worked to help clean up the land and create hiking trails while preserving the natural wildlife of the area. Last year, the park’s master plan was created, which outlined a number of proposed changes and improvements to be made to the surrounding area and setting out the project goals. After the master plan had been designed, the SCLT began seeking funding for the continued development of the area. During the ceremony, SCLT Executive Director Mark Chura thanked District 39 Representative Short for the allocation of $90,000 which has helped to begin those planned improvements.
GROUNDBREAKING- Shown (l to r) during the groundbreaking for the Nanticoke Crossing Park are: Chesapeake Conservancy Senior Vice President of Development Matthew Provost, SCLT Chairman Ring Lardner, Rep. Tim Dukes, Rep. Danny Short, Seaford Mayor Matt MacCoy, Sussex County Council President Mike Vincent, Sussex County Councilman John Rieley, SCLT Executive Director Mark Chura, and Sussex County Administrator Todd Lawson. Photo by Carson Williamson
Currently there are a number of goals set in place by the master plan that range from creating activities for the public and focusing on the natural wildlife of the area. Some of these goals mentioned during the ceremony included the training of new captains for the Woodland Ferry and the construction of a new captain’s house, the further construction of hiking trails through the forest areas of the park, the construction of water access to allow both scenic views, a launch site for kayaks to travel the Nanticoke riverfront, and event space for larger public events. Ring Lardner, the chairman of the SCLT, also mentioned that there are efforts underway to construct picnic and pavilion areas in addition to initial parking spaces at the park. The master plan also included further goals supporting local insect life which is comprised of bees, hoverflies, and tiger beetles in addition to countless others, and the support and replanting of native shoreline flora.
Lardner stated that the SCLT is not pursuing aggressive growth in this project and will continue to work as funding is approved and received with several of the mentioned plans likely to be completed over the next several years. For more information about the SCLT and their efforts with not only the Nanticoke Crossing Park but other areas in Sussex County, check out their website at www.sclandtrust.org.
