New Castle DIGEST - Sept. 1, 2024
Monthly 'News, Views & Stuff to Do' for the City of New Castle, Delaware
I. August News Round-Up 📰
City creates Eugene Petty Police Advisory Board
NCPD Chief Richard McCabe announced this month that his department, in collaboration with city leaders and interested parties, has established a Police Advisory Board, to be comprised mainly of citizens.
McCabe credited councilman Brian Mattaway - for whom the establishment of a citizen oversight panel had been a campaign promise, and one of his first inquiries as a council member - for his assistance. The body is being set up under the recently-passed state laws HB 205, which updated the Law Enforcement Officers’ Bill of Rights, and HB 206, which revised guidelines for officer standards, training and oversight.
All provisional members at the group’s first meeting agreed to name the board in honor of long-serving NCPD chief Eugene Petty, the chief noted. Petty served for years as the only black officer on the city force before becoming its chief, at a time when few African Americans held senior police roles anywhere in the state. Chief Petty passed away in 2021. His daughter, Consuela Petty, will chair the new board.
The state offers resources, McCabe said, for members of Advisory Boards to train and get acclimated to their work. “We’re looking at other agencies,” he noted. “The first meeting will be to establish the makeup of the committee.”
The Policing Project describes Advisory Boards as “groups of community representatives who meet with a policing agency to discuss public safety in a jurisdiction. Sometimes called "police-community advisory boards," "citizen advisory commissions," or "civilian advisory groups," these boards can be found across the country—from small townships to major metropolitan areas. CABs are one of the most common ways U.S. policing agencies engage the public.”
While the structure and process of the board are established, McCabe said there was an ample amount of training material from the state to go over. He hopes for the new board’s members to meet monthly at first, before eventually settling into a quarterly schedule.
Writing - no, Shooting the Newest Book on Historic New Castle
Frank Moriarty’s Within Walking Distance: Historic New Castle, a hefty collection of his great photos of myriad subjects from around town, debuted to much delight last Friday at the Mercury Cafe & Teahouse.
In the tea room at the front of the Mercury, Moriarty held court from behind the counter, entertaining guests and signing copies of the new book for a stream of folks steady enough that there was a short line at times.
City Topics recently sat down with Moriarty about his newest book. Here’s some of what he had to say:
… A lot of my music photography and actually a lot of the photography I've done for other books in the past, like on automotive development or so on, that was all done with film cameras. And of course, now we've all migrated to digital.
I had the opportunity to cover the last space shuttle flight. I was down at Kennedy Space Center that whole summer and I shot it on film. And I would say I was the only photographer using film down there. I mean, everybody had migrated over to digital at that point. But, you know, I thought it was appropriate because the space shuttle program had obviously begun in the film era. And I thought, if this is the last flight, why not document it the way the first flight was documented?
So, that was an interesting challenge. And of course, in music photography, you're dealing with the lights and stage lighting and a lot of motion and everything. Whereas if I'm shooting a town hall, it's not going anywhere. So that's an advantage.
City Topics: … Of the many ways to break things up for presentation, how did you choose your topics? Were there some that you knew would have to be included, maybe some that emerged as you were reviewing your photographs?
FM: Yeah, absolutely. It was a case of, of course, you know you want the pictures of the Court House and the Arsenal and all the historic buildings that are here in New Castle. But I didn't want it to just be this like historic photography book. I wanted it to really kind of have a momentum of its own.
So, we start with a sunrise chapter. Then in between each chapter, there's a few pages of random pictures. And from that, we go into historic sites/sights - both spellings of sites. And that was where I wanted to really get the expected historic buildings done fairly quickly right at the beginning of the book, so that we could move away from that and get into life in New Castle.
This week, Moriarty could again be heard talking about the book, on WDEL’s Del-AWARE Podcast with Peter MacArthur. (As of this writing, the episode was not yet available on WDEL.com.)
The official publication date for Within Walking Distance is September 13. You can check out the website for the book, here. You can also read (or listen to!) the rest of our conversation with the artist in our post from last week: “Frank Moriarty’s New Views on New Castle.”
On a Mission to Establish a Center for Local Teens
In comments before City Council this month, Anita Bruce, a youth leader at the First Baptist Church of Delaware (FBCDE), spoke of a calling she’d had, and asked for input and assistance to help establish a youth center for teens and young adults in the city of New Castle.
Reminding attendees that a community’s youth represents its future, Ms. Bruce spoke of how difficult the years since Covid have been for young people, and referenced an alarmingly high rate of kids up to 17 who have already been arrested. She said that a youth center offering young people connections and (legal) activities to enjoy could be a promising way to help.
City Topics reached out to Ms. Bruce for a few more details of her plan. She clarified that the center she envisions would ultimately be its own non-profit, not a part of FBCDE, and would be a non-denominational resource for all local teens.
As referenced in her remarks to Council, Ms. Bruce’s faith community is providing somewhere to get started. The group will begin as “more of a Youth Circle than Center,” to be held at FBCDE for ease of logistics. However, Bruce is looking into finding a more dedicated home for her project.
To that end, the youth leader and other community members are holding an interest meeting at 10am on Wednesday, September 11, to assess interest, make plans for future meetings, and discuss possible incorporation so the group can fundraise. This meeting will be held in the ground floor community space at River House Apartments.
Bruce has also organized a 2K Walk for early October to raise awareness and funds for the project’s goals of “supporting youth mental health and preventing violence.”
While she seeks to create something apart from the church, Ms. Bruce cast the impetus behind this work as very spiritual. “It’s a calling,” she said, “something that the Lord showed me in a vision… First I started working with the youth, then all of a sudden I got a vision to actually open up a youth center.” In speaking with her pastor, Ms. Bruce decided it should be “open to everyone. It’s not a part of First Baptist Church, [but] for the public.”
Starting small, as a “Youth Circle,” the group will begin meeting soon, after school on Thursdays from 2pm-6pm, “held in the gym at FBCDE - that’s how we’re gonna start it out,” she said. “As it grows and gets bigger, my ultimate goal is to make it a Youth Center… we’re looking at a piece of property on Chestnut Street.” Ms. Bruce’s excitement and passion as she spoke about building community around developing programs for local youth was palpable and infectious.
Gubernatorial Debate Focuses on Housing & Education, drawing Contrasts & Comity
City Topics was invited to attend the 8/14 gubernatorial debate hosted by the Delaware Journalism Collaborative at Dover Public Library. While our coverage is usually strictly local, here are a few (non-partisan) take-aways. The primary election is on Tuesday, September 10; the general election is, of course, in November.
First, despite some technical difficulties and delays, the event was broadly well-run, and DJC and Spotlight Delaware did a real public service by putting it together. The format - with candidates from both parties sharing the stage - made for some very interesting exchanges.
Much of the debate focused on two topics: Delaware's alarming housing shortage, and its equally alarming poor educational outcomes for too many students. While proposed solutions differed, there was broad agreement that these issues must be priorities for the next state government.
The Democratic candidates (from which the next governor of this perennially 'blue' state is expected to come) included Bethany Hall-Long, Matt Meyer, and Collin O'Mara. On the GOP side were Mike Ramone, Jerry Price and Bobby Williamson.
Hall-Long leaned heavily on her background as a nurse and professor, while repeatedly referencing groups that have endorsed her and prominent people she's worked with as Lt. Governor. While the campaign finance issues that have dogged her bid for governor largely did not come up, Hall-Long did seem to prevaricate on where, from 1-10, she would rate her campaign's truthfulness, before finally saying '10' like the rest.
Meyer frequently spoke using lessons learned as a public school teacher, touted his accomplishments as New Castle County Exec in housing, open space and quality of life, and suggested the state needed his bolder vision. And O'Mara - a "girl-dad," as he said twice - staked out the left lane, calling for more progressive policies to match those being implemented in other 'blue' states and asking why Delaware was lagging behind on things like paid leave and early childhood education.
Businessman and state Rep. Ramone was affable and spoke repeatedly of a need for balance in state government, and his ability to work across the aisle productively as a leader of the GOP in the state house. Former NYPD officer and 20-year DE resident Price offered a pragmatic approach to many topics. Neither came across as a culture warrior.
Not so much Williamson, the bombast of the bunch, who went well over-time several times. He announced during his opening statement that he was a one-issue candidate, concerned mainly about the "indoctrination" of children in schools. He also suggested that gangs of Haitian immigrants have overrun his town of Seaford.
Video of the debate is available on the DJC’s YouTube channel.
Again, the Primary Election for this and other races is on Tuesday, September 10. You can find polling stations and additional info on the state elections website.
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Links to more DE Gubernatorial Election and Candidate info:
Wikipedia Election Page (nicely condenses lots of info, including polls)
Candidate websites (alpha order): Bethany Hall-Long (D), Matt Meyer (D), Colin O’Mara (D), Jerry Price (R), Mike Ramone (R), Bobby Williamson (R)
August Updates from City Council
Meeting on Tuesday, August 13, with all members present except for Mr. Zubaca, Council members quickly adjusted to a new reality in the Senior Center’s River Room: amplification.
After months of research, procurement and, finally, installation led by Councilman Joe Day, this was the debut meeting for the Audio-Visual system Council voted for last year to enhance meetings’ accessibility to the public for as long as they continue taking place in the River Room. The system includes microphones for Council members and other speakers, and a projector-and-screen for displaying the visual elements of whatever presentations council might receive.
Later in the evening, the proposed site plan for a Trailhead on the Jack A. Markell Trail where it intersects with Route 273 became the first project to be displayed on the new screen. Forsyth Assoc. design consultant Drew Hayes and Count Land Use general manager Charuni Patibanda presented the proposal, explaining the trailhead’s nearly $1M cost would be funded entirely by the County thanks to a federal grant designed to promote outdoor recreation and tourism.
The project would include redesign of the parking area between the trail and New Castle Elementary School to create 61 standard spaces, including three ADA-accessible ones, and would incorporate new public art installations both at the trailhead and along the trail. There would be an area for a bike rack, fixing station, and an information kiosk. All maintenance and upkeep would be managed and paid for by New Castle County, with county contact info posted on site.
Lighting was not addressed by the design, but Mr. Forsyth noted in response to a question by Mr. Mattaway that infrastructure would be built into the area so that things like lights, security cameras (as requested by NCPD), and an EV charging station (as queried by Mr. Day) could be installed at a later date. If remaining approvals go smoothly, they hope to begin construction some time in 2025. Council gave its unanimous approval to the design.
In other city tech news, Administrator Antonina Tantillo announced that the city website’s zoning portal, developed with help from a class at University of Delaware, has gone live. Though still under construction, the ‘Zoning Projects’ page does have one significant entry: links to every document related to The Flats at River’s Edge project. When starting from the city homepage, Zoning Projects can be found under the ‘Government’ tab at the top.
Other Highlights from Council’s August Meeting included:
City Administrator Tantillo reported that:
Test pylons for the floating pier near the Wharf were driven on August 2 & 5. DNREC and engineers are currently evaluating the data collected and should have updated construction plans for the city next month.
The city has put street and curb work funded by the state bond bill out to bid.
She is working with city planner and AECOM engineer Chris Rodgers to develop information and policy suggestions in regard to ‘Accessory Dwelling Units’ in New Castle, at the request of the Planning Commission.
City tax bills were mailed out in July. Bills paid by August 30 will receive a 2% discount; the final due date is September 30.
Residents affected by the Delmarva gas line project will receive letters in the next month or so with info about the sidewalk meter screens that will be available.
Police chief Richard McCabe noted that:
The department’s monthly report was on the NCPD website.
Several vehicle thefts - including four actual vehicles stolen, and others that had items removed - presented a trend the city hasn’t seen in ‘awhile.’ He noted that good data is essential to solving such cases and that with resident help including exterior video, NCPD apprehended a lone subject who appeared to be responsible for the rash of thefts.
The department is working with DNREC and UD on a program to help people with Autism Spectrum Disorder to understand what normal police traffic interactions are like as they consider applying for drivers’ licenses.
Project Alert is a new program where NCPD is partnering with the Community Collaboration of DE. It will be an 11-week program for 7th graders, held at New Castle Public Library, which McCabe described as a successor to the DARE program.
Treasurer Jim Whisman reported $10.73M in city accounts, of which $8.6M is unrestricted funds. He noted that the city is not far enough into the FY2025 budget for the YTD breakdown to be representative of any trends yet.
Council gave its approval to the Comprehensive Plan Annual Report prepared by the Planning Commission, which will now be sent to the state body that monitors municipalities’ adherence to their Comp Plans. An excerpt follows, and the entire report can be found starting on page 75 of ‘Council’s Meeting Packet,’ linked below.
“Over the last approximately 2-year period, the City has received four (4) development
applications totaling 1,023 units with the vast majority comprised of multi-family apartment units (844 units). The projects are in various stages of the development review and approval process, ranging from final site plan approval to concept plan review stage. The 1,023 units represents a 40% increase in the number of existing housing units within the City (2,612 housing units based on 2020 Census). The 5-year Comprehensive Plan review is to occur in 2025. As part of the 5-year review, the City Planning Commission will be considering the number of proposed dwelling units…”
Mayor Valarie Leary read two Proclamations on behalf of the city:
Recognizing the Centennial Procession of Saint Anthony through New Castle in June, and the St. Peter’s parish, St. Anthony’s Society, and local Italian-American community that keeps the tradition going, and
Recognizing September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and giving support to the “Turn the Towns Teal” awareness campaign. (You may already have seen the teal ribbons that went up on 8/28. More info about the campaign, and links to many resources on Ovarian Cancer, can be found at TurnTheTownsTeal.org.
Outreach coordinator John Reaves reported on the success of the Saturday Markets and other activities he and partner Phee Price have undertaken. He noted that 300-400 visitors per weekend builds to be thousands of visitors per year and suggested the excitement around the market presented a good opportunity to leverage social media to highlight New Castle more generally. Bringing more, smaller, weekly events to town so that local businesses get more from city foot traffic than the enormous but occasional boost from major events was a deliberate strategy. Later in the evening, City Council extended Mr. Reaves’ contract through the end of September (Resolution 2024-34).
Chief David Majewski of Good Will Fire Company went over its monthly statistics and a few major response events. He also noted that GWFC worked with a scout over the summer, whose Eagle Scout project was the ID tagging of all of the benches along the Battery Park trail between Delaware Street and the boat ramp. Majewski noted that GWFC will do the rest, and the end result will enable anyone in distress along the trail to give much clearer info about where they are to first responders when calling for help.
Council gave unanimous approval to a raft of board and commission appointees. These included:
Angel Ramos to the Board of Adjustment (through 2026),
Tamara Stoner to the Planning Commission (through 2027),
Tish Gallagher and Jamielee Majewski to the Board of Health (through 2026), and
Timothy Moore and Tish Gallagher to the Flood Resiliency Committee (through 2027).
Council discussed inquiries about a speed bump for East 3rd and/or 4th Street. As no residents who had made complaints attended to clarify them, discussion focused on past reasons not to have more downtown, mainly: the difficulties presented to first responders, especially ambulances; the relatively low frequency of reported incidents; and the lack of meaningful studies on the issue locally.
Further Info: Meeting Agenda | Meeting Video | Council’s Meeting Packet (with various monthly reports, plus resolutions, proposals and previous minutes)
II. ICYMI: Local Media Spotlight 📸
In case you missed it… Summer has just flown by!
Kids are already going back to school, days are getting noticeably shorter, and the buzz has already begun for many of New Castle’s favorite Fall events.
It’s been a hot August - one of the hottest on record for the area - but that didn’t keep people from coming out to the Saturday Markets that kept growing each week, even in the rain. The Green was also visited this month by a troop of young learners as part of the annual New Castle History Summer Camp. The annual camp for kids aged 10-13 involves local institutions including the Court House, Read House and New Castle Public Library.
Other local happenings included a much celebrated police graduation, fun facts about herbs at the Senior Center, Good Will Fire Co. saving folks from tropical depression Debby, and more…
The posts above come from:
Delaware Historical & Cultural Affairs (HCA) - Facebook | Insta | YouTube
New Castle Saturday Market - Facebook
…
The kids at History Camp weren’t the only ones who got to learn some fascinating stories and local details…
The posts above come from:
Robert Biddle in ‘Delaware History/All Things Delaware’ group - Facebook
Judy Cash in ‘A Mom in Old New Castle’ group - Facebook
…
And a few other beautiful odds & ends that made us Stop Scrolling…
Arasapha finished out its Christmas in Summertime series sharing wreath-festooned buildings as they were decades ago. We learned Alice Jarvis, a woman of many talents, has given a few beautiful products of her ceramic skills to be auctioned at the upcoming New Castle Block Party benefitting the Senior Center.
Lastly, but perhaps most lovely, Tom at Fort Casimir Honey Co. caught a stunning video of a hummingbird dining on a Cardinal Flower. The screengrab below doesn’t do it justice, so check out the video if that’s your thing. (It’s on Facebook, but you shouldn’t need an account to view it.)
The posts above come from:
The Mercury Cafe & Teahouse - Facebook | Insta
…
What caught your eye around town this month?
Let us know in the comments below … or on our Socials!
III. Community Event Calendar 📅
For a farther view and to catch more events as they are added, check out and bookmark our website’s Community Calendar, where you’ll also find recurring/ongoing events like the ones below (and many more).
New Castle Saturday Market, on the Green each week from 9am to 2pm,
Bellanca Airfield Museum Open Houses on 2nd & 4th Saturdays, 11am-3pm, and
New Castle Public Library has a lot going on, on its own full calendar!
Coming up in SEPTEMBER…
9/3 - Trustees of the New Castle Common Meeting, Penn Farm House, 7pm.
The board’s first meeting back from Summer, open to residents.9/4 - Board of Adjustment Public Hearing, NCPD Community Room, 6:30pm.
The BoA will hear public comments on a resident request to build a two-story (23’) tall “studio/garage” on 8th Street, despite the 15’ limit on ‘garages’ in the city.9/7 - Mickey Fest in Battery Park, 11am-6pm.
Kids’ rides & games, music, food and fun, in support of those living with Sanfilippo Syndrome and the search for a cure.
9/7 - Antique Truck Show at Bellanca Airfield Museum, 11am-3pm.
9/7 - Design Your Own Tote Bag at New Castle Public Library, 3pm.
Registration is required for this program, which is for teens and adults.9/10 - Primary Election Day (Statewide) - at local polling stations, 7am-8pm.
The NC Senior Center, William Penn HS, and New Castle Methodist Church will be among the polling locations for Districts 16 & 17.9/12 - Movie Magic: The Fabulous Four at NC Public Library, 6:30-9pm.
Screening of the 2024 romantic comedy starring Susan Sarandon, Megan Mullaly and Sheryl Lee Ralph, with Bette Midler. (99 minutes, Rated R. Watch the trailer.)9/14 - British Car Club of DE Fall Car Show at Bellanca Airfield, 9am-2pm.
Classic British cars competing for ‘Best in Show’ and other prizes. Free to the public.
9/17 - Regular City Council Meeting at the Senior Center, 7pm.
Moved from 9/10 due to the sate primary election being held there. Agenda to be posted.9/18 - A Little Night Music: Notes on the Beach, at NC Public Library, 6-7:30pm.
Patron favorites Notes on the Beach are back with a brand new program all about the Life and Music of Nat King Cole.9/19-22 - Spanish Tall Ship Nao Trinidad in port at The Wharf. (See image.)
The replica of Magellan’s lost flagship is a floating museum that will offer tickets for tours (no sails) while in New Castle.
9/20 - Making Waves! An Evening Fiesta on the Nao Trinidad, at the Wharf, 7pm.
An evening of ‘history, music and refreshments’ aboard the tall ship. Tickets here.
9/22 - 2nd Annual New Castle Block Party on the Green, 4-8pm.
Benefitting NC Senior Center. Featuring a cash bar, live music, auctions & more. More info and tickets at the link. (Rain Date September 29, 4-8pm.)9/26 - Charlie Zahm: Musical Traditions of America & the British Isles. 7pm.
Hosted by New Castle Historical Society at the Arsenal.9/26 - Preserving War Letters: Touchstones of Time, at NC Public Library, 6pm.
Presented by journalist Nancy E. Lynch through Delaware Humanities. Exploring how (and how not) to preserve letters, diaries, journals and other records.9/27 - Fourth Friday Art Loop on & around Delaware Street, 5-8pm.
9/28 - NC Hundred Lions’ Annual Art on the Green in Battery Park, 10am-4pm.
Featuring scores of arts, crafts, and local vendors, ‘Artist’s Alley,’ food trucks, and more.
9/28 - Library Friends’ ‘Books on the Green’ Book Sale, at Art on the Green.
Featuring Raffle prizes, free books for kids, and gently-used titles chosen for the event.9/28 - Historic New Castle Belgian Beer Fest at The Barn at Penn Farm, 1-5pm.
Named by USA Today as one of the country’s best beer festivals, now in only its 3rd year. More info and tickets at the link. (VIP tickets have already sold out.)9/29 - America the ‘Brewtiful’ Craft Beer Event, VWF Post #3420, 1-4pm.
This event is outside the City of New Castle but benefits the local Battell and Read Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. See the flyer for full details.
OCTOBER 2024
10/1 - New Castle National Night Out, 6-8pm.
**This event has been CANCELLED. The city will try again for N.N.O. in 2025.10/5 - ‘Old New Castle Town-wide Yard Sale,’ in the historic district, 8am-2pm.
A map is being prepared - email Wendy to be included. (Rain date 10/12.)10/6 - The Nation’s Guest: The Lafayette Bicentennial Tour in New Castle
Organized by the Battell & Read Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Registration is required for both events below (see links).Claret, Anyone? - A Welcome Reception at The Amstel House, 4 - 6 pm.
Dinner with Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette, at Jessop's, 6 pm.
10/11 - ‘Hauntings in History’ New Castle Ghost Tours resume from NCHS.
Fridays & Saturdays from 10/11-11/2 at 7pm, 7:30pm and 8:30pm. Tickets required.10/12 - ‘2K Walk for the Youth’ in Battery Park, 8-10am.
Fund- and awareness-raiser for FBCDE Youth Leader Anita Bruce’s project to create a local Youth Center to combat mental health issues and violence. $35 registration includes entry, t-shirt, breakfast sandwich & water. More info is on the city website’s Event page.
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