Milton council to hear report on shoreline project
Milton Town Council is expected to hear a report from town engineer Pennoni Associates on a possible shoreline restoration project around Memorial Park.
The report, to be given during council’s 6:30 p.m., Monday, Oct. 7 meeting at Milton library, will include the project and cost estimates.
The town has wanted to do something about the shoreline around the park for nearly two years, aiming to turn that area into a destination for visitors. Among the ideas that have been discussed are a waterfront walking trail and improvements to the town’s marina.
The first step in the process would be to replace or find a way to better maintain the riprap that surrounds the park, as the rocks have begun tumbling into the water, exposing the black fabric underneath. The riprap was originally put in around 2008; the deterioration is due to factors including tides, flooding and people throwing the rocks into the water.
To plan for the project, in 2023, the town sought and received a $45,000 planning grant from Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. Town Manager Kristy Rogers said preliminary designs have been sent to DNREC and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for review.
The town’s Parks and Recreation Committee has also discussed improvements to the marina area, but those plans are on hold until the shoreline stabilization project moves forward. Town officials have viewed the waterfront and the park as part of a broader effort to make the area an ecotourism destination. Discussions have included the idea of adding a walking trail along the Broadkill River once the wastewater treatment plant on Front Street is demolished and the land is given back to the town. In August, Delaware Sea Grant presented plans to develop a park that would include a boat launch, a trail connection to Milton Memorial Park and reusing portions of the plant building and its underground water pipes as part of a multi-use building with a public lookout.
Tagline project
Town council will also discuss the two choices presented by the economic development committee for a new tagline: “Walkable. Livable. Unforgettable.” and “Charming. Welcoming. Thriving.”
Given it had a busy agenda with approving the fiscal year 2025 budget, council elected to table the tagline project at its September meeting.
The $5,000 tagline project started in early 2023 as a way of creating a shorthand to describe what is special about Milton. One of the models for what the committee is looking for is Berlin, Md., which uses the tagline, “Artistically Alive, Eternally Young.” Lewes-based Hook PR was selected for the job after a call for proposals in early 2023.
Hook conducted surveys of town residents and held in-person interviews as part of its work. Six taglines were eventually presented, which the committee narrowed down to the two that were presented for council’s consideration in August.
