Wilmington City Council Newsletter December 3, 2021
Upcoming Redistricting Committee Meeting will include a Draft Ordinance
On Monday, December 6, 2021, City Council’s Redistricting Committee will meet for an official map proposal and public hearing to discuss new legislative district maps that reflect how local populations have changed over the past 10 years, based on U.S. Census data. For the first time, prisoners are being counted according to their last known addresses, rather than their prison address. A redistricting draft ordinance will be discussed at the meeting and forwarded to Council for review and consideration. The next step in the process will include a 1st and 2nd reading of the ordinance that will be presented on December 9, 2021, during the regular meeting of city council. Council must prepare a report by February 2022 that contains a recommended plan for adjusting the councilmanic district boundaries of districts one through eight. For a complete guide on projected deadlines, the public can view updated information on our website here. Council is committed to remaining transparent during this process and we encourage the public to get involved. You can attend our next Redistricting Committee meeting online or in-person on Thursday, December 16th, for an opportunity to share your comments before Council votes to have the ordinance come out of committee.
End of Year Council Meetings
Join us for our last City Council and Committee meetings in 2021. You can participate in several ways: on our Facebook page here, on WITN22 YouTube page here, online at WITN22.org, on TV by tuning in to Comcast Channel 22, in-person in Council Chambers and Council Committee Room at 800 North French Street, or via Zoom. Citizens wishing to be heard on issues are encouraged to voice their concerns at the appropriate meeting. To view the agenda, agenda items, and instructions on how you can join the meeting via Zoom, visit our Events Calendar here and click on the meeting you’re interested in joining.
City Council accepts roughly $780,000 in gifts to improve Tilton Park
Tilton Park has always played an instrumental role in the West Side of Wilmington. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of using Tilton Park heightened as residents, members of the public, local schools, and community organizations searched for an outdoor area where they can have a safe place to play, gather, exercise, practice mental health habits, and more. But for those who visit Tilton Park, there’s been a constant problem. The playground consistently floods after rainstorms. In an effort to improve the outdoor green space and playground area, 5th District Council Member Bregetta Fields sponsored and presented a resolution to City Council to authorize the City to accept funding that will assist the City’s Department of Parks and Recreation’s efforts to improving Tilton Park.
Council voted 11-0 (2 absent) to pass the resolution during their regular city council meeting on Thursday, November 18, 2021. You can read the complete Resolution 21-050 here, and you can view the meeting here.
Resolution 21-050 authorizes the city to accept the following gifts to assist the Department of Parks and Recreation’s efforts to improve Tilton Park: (1) $134,627.45 of new playground equipment and up to $500,000.00 in funding from Cornerstone West Community Development Corporation and (2) $145,000.00 in funding from the New Castle County Conservation District.
Council Member Fields and members of the Tilton Park neighborhood area are very excited to see construction underway in the near future for the much needed improvements. Investing in upgrades comes in a time where social distancing is required and opportunities outside the home are necessary.
Tilton Park covers approximately three acres and features a wide variety of beautiful shade trees which are complimented by flowering trees. The park is located at the 700 Block of N. Broom Street in Wilmington’s Cool Spring/Tilton Park City Historic District and is named after Dr. James Tilton. Dr. Tilton served as Surgeon General of the U.S. Army from June 11, 1813 – June 15, 1815. You can read more about him here.
Wilmington City Council has a new Community Organizations Web Page
City Council President Ernest “Trippi” Congo believes that it is extremely important that Council is unified with different organizations throughout our city. President Congo is happy to announce that our WilmingtonCityCouncil.com website has launched a new resource page for community organizations that allows members of the public to search for organizations by category or by specific information. The website aims to continually improve access to community organizations, and to provide citizens with an updated and modern space that makes it quicker and easier to find information on resources available to them right here in our city. The new, service-focused web page serves as a resource hub for everything that is happening with nonprofits, churches, and organizations in our community. You can visit the web page here. If your organization is located in the City of Wilmington but isn’t listed, the web page also has a place for you to add your organization’s information here. The web page will be updated periodically as new information and resources become available, and it’s directly connected to Wilmington City Council’s website and social media pages. While visiting the site, President Congo is encouraging members of the public to sign-up for Council’s weekly newsletter for an opportunity to receive updates on news and information directly from our Council office.
The Wilmington Learning Collaborative will host meetings in December 2021
The Wilmington Learning Collaborative is a voluntary network of schools in Wilmington across multiple school districts. The Collaborative’s goal is to create consistency for students, empower educators, school leaders, and communities, and improve outcomes for students in City of Wilmington school.
Learn more & join the conversation
Join Governor John Carney at an upcoming info session and learn more about the Wilmington Learning Collaborative.
6:00 p.m. – December 14 – Pulaski Elementary, 1300 Cedar St, Wilmington, DE 19805
6:00 p.m. – December 16 – Warner Elementary, 801 W 18th St, Wilmington, DE 19802
6:00 p.m. – December 20 – Harlan Elementary, 3601 N Jefferson St, Wilmington, DE 19802
6:00 p.m. – December 21 – The Bancroft School, 700 N Lombard St, Wilmington, DE 19801
Share your ideas at https://governor.delaware.gov/wlc/
Wilmington Art Loop Returns Today
The Wilmington Art Loop, now in its 33rd year, returns on Friday, December 3, 2021. The free event has been essential to Wilmington’s creative community since its inception in 1988, but stopped in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
During the first Friday of each month, the self-guided public event brings together art lovers and the community to the ever-evolving downtown and greater Wilmington areas. Art galleries, studios, museums, and alternative art spaces offer an opportunity to meet featured artists while enjoying refreshments and periodic entertainment.
In this month’s event beginning Friday, December 3rd, the city, nonprofits, Out & About Magazine, and 16 venues collaborated to feature work from a variety of artists. Members of the public can enjoy the Art Loop in various neighborhoods such as Downtown, Riverfront, and West End/West Side. There are even a few venues outside of the city that are participating in the art loop. You can see a complete list of venues, locations, exhibits, and artists here.
The annual lighting of the Rodney Square Christmas Tree
The annual lighting of the Rodney Square Christmas Tree will take place on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, at 6:30pm. Members of the public are welcomed to witness the annual ceremony in person. There will be a featured performance by cast members from Candlelight Dinner Theatre’s “A Christmas Carol by Candlelight.” If you can’t attend the ceremony, you can see the Christmas Tree at Rodney Square throughout the remainder of the year.
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Media Contact:
Yesenia Taveras, Director of Communications
302-576-2585 | ytaveras@wilmingtonde.gov
City Council Website: www.wilmingtoncitycouncil.com