SEAFORD, Del. — The city of Seaford, the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, and the Chesapeake Conservancy have partnered to purchase a property along the Nanticoke River, creating a new home for the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance while paving the way for future park expansion and infrastructure improvements.
The collaboration will preserve land adjacent to Oyster House Park and support projects aimed at improving public access to the river and restoring its shoreline.
The property, located along the Nanticoke River in downtown Seaford, includes a house that will serve as the watershed alliance’s new office. The waterfront portion will be retained by the city for future sewer upgrades and additional park amenities connected to Oyster House Park.
Randall Larrimore, Chair Emeritus of the Chesapeake Conservancy's Board of Directors, has been pushing the Oyster House Park project since its conception.
"I thought the downtown needed to be revitalized," Larrimore said. "I thought that if we could put access to that river so that people would go downtown to enjoy the river and then go use the restaurants and shop downtown, that it would bring economic prosperity to the city of Seaford."
Lisa Wool, executive director of the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, said the space will allow the organization to expand its community engagement.
"It's not only going to be our offices, but it's also going to, possibly, be exhibition gardens for using native plants and different things people can do to support the environment," Wool said. "We also hope to partner with the city and maybe do some programs or events along the river."
City officials say the project fits into a broader effort to revitalize Seaford’s waterfront and improve public access to the river.
"People who live here actually have sometimes never even been on the river. And having this open space where people can come and enjoy nature is huge, right? To be able to give them some access, to be able to get out there with a kayak and do some things they might not otherwise do," Trisha Newcomer, Seaford's Economic Development Director, said.
The purchase also supports planned sewer improvements beneath parts of the park. Those are upgrades city leaders say are necessary before expanding the River Walk and constructing additional amenities such as a natural amphitheater.
Wool said the infrastructure work and shoreline stabilization will benefit the health of the river and the species that depend on it.
"That's really important to the health of the river and the fish and the aquatic life," Wool said. "The Nanticoke provides so much, you know, between, you know, all the different resources."
Funding for the property purchase was shared roughly equally among the three partners, with additional support from the Longwood Foundation. Local philanthropist Randall Larrimore, a Seaford native and former board chair of the Chesapeake Conservancy, helped coordinate the effort with the property owners through the Seiler Family Trust.
The partners say once sewer upgrades are completed, the city plans to move forward with additional park features to enhance Oyster House Park and the surrounding River Walk.