October-November District 8 News

Dear Constituents,

Here's my latest update to keep you informed on neighborhood news as we head into the fall.

 If I can help you with anything, please give me a call or email at any time.

Sincerely,

Nathan Field 8th District Councilman

Nrfield@wilmingtonde.gov    Cell phone: 530-6626 Instagram/Facebook: Fielddistrict8  PS - If you would like to be added to the mailing list to receive future newsletters, please let me know. Wilmington's 1st "Porchfest" a Smashing Success Congrats to 8th District resident Pete Romano, the driving force behind the first of a kind neighborhood music-fest on Saturday October 11th. 500+ people checked out dozens of bands playing throughout the day on the porches of Gilpin Avenue and Rodney St. Trying to create a new cultural event from scratch takes a ton of courage and hard work, so thank you Pete for this major contribution to the Wilmington social scene:

With such a great debut, a strong foundation is in place to build on with future events.

.....

And speaking of fun neighborhood events, the 3rd annual Happy Hour at the Tower (click to buy your ticket) to celebrate the beginning of the Rockford Tower Winter lights, will take place on Saturday November 8th.

A Historic Month for Wilmington Parks That's not an exaggeration. Three major upgrades to 8th District parks in less than one month. The big hit is the grand opening of the Rodney Reservoir Park. This is a $4 million Public Works project to turn a long-abandoned reservoir into a city park that residents can use. Watch NBC's coverage below:

Personally, I absolutely love how it's intentionally meant to be "not just another city park." It has a rustic feel, with lots of naturalistic nooks and crannies to relax and meet friends with a panoramic view of the city from above. Thank you to the many people involved in making this happen.

Stapler Park's new playground is nearly complete.  

The equipment has been installed but according to the Parks Department Director it will take through the end of October to complete the final asphalt path work, tree pruning and installing mulch under the swings.

And finally, the new Bancroft Bridge is Reopened. I love the craftsmanship and how the new bridge maintains the historic feel of the 160 year old structure it replaced (hard to tell it's new):

What an amazing development for the neighborhood and city living that will be with us for the next 150 years. Thank you to all those who played a role in getting it reopened and for those who are interested the official dedication ceremony will take place on October 24th:

Wilmington 250 Committee - Bringing Back Old Town Hall

2026 marks America's 250th birthday. I'm excited to be a part of the committee helping plan Wilmington's celebrations. My big idea is to revive the trend of using Old Town Hall, the perfectly preserved site of all city government meetings from the 1790s through the 1920s, for at least one official City function per year.

That was a regular occurrence from the 1960s through about 2010 and then stopped. Let's start doing that again. It's living history and the kind of promotional event that will attract significant new interest to downtown and to Wilmington history during the 250th celebrations.

Trolley Square Shopping Center News Appeal withdrawn to challenge Cease and Desist at 1404 N. Dupont St

In August the City issued a Cease and Desist order to stop construction at 1404 Dupont St after intent was indicated to set up a retail marijuana shop. An appeal was made and a hearing to challenge the City's order was scheduled for September 25th Zoning Board. The appeal was withdrawn and the store can proceed with Medical marijuana only. The City has hired outside lawyers and is prepared to fight in court any future attempts to set up retail marijuana at this location. Sikar Club and Lounge has applied for License - Hearing to follow

Reassessment News - The City is Listening

I am following this process closely to make sure the final outcome is as fair as possible. Clearly, some of the older homes on certain blocks do seem to have been improperly valued without any rhyme or reason. For example, a home assessed by Tyler at $620,000 even though it was purchased for much lower and that there has never been a comparable sale of that amount. As described in this press release, the City is taking significant steps to obtain more nuanced assessments of these types of properties, which includes passing this ordinance at tonight's City Council meeting:

PS - If you would like to be added to the mailing list to receive future newsletters, please let me know.