The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is handing out a record amount of funding for local parks.<\/p>\n
DNREC announced on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, a total of $2.2 million through 18 matching grants as part of the Outdoor Recreation Parks and Trails program, formerly known as the Delaware Land and Water Conservation Trust.<\/p>\n
The funds are to assist local governments in acquiring parkland, and designing and constructing parks, trails and outdoor recreation facilities.<\/p>\n
“The grants paid for by this trust enable towns, cities and counties to preserve land and create recreational opportunities in our communities,” said DNREC Secretary Greg Patterson in a prepared release. “It is a great investment in the future of Delaware, and we value the work local governments do to make enjoyable green spaces for their constituents and ours.”<\/p>\n
Below is a list of the awardees:<\/p>\n
New Castle County<\/p>\n
\u2022 Village of Ardentown, $8,000 for a double bay swing set in the playground<\/p>\n
\u2022 City of Delaware City, $25,000 for ADA-compliant playground equipment at the Community Center and 7th Street Park (including teen-focused amenities)<\/p>\n
\u2022 City of New Castle, $190,000 to design a bike path along the Delaware River from Lukens Drive Industrial Park to Twin Spans Industrial Park and the Bull Hill Historic area<\/p>\n
\u2022 Town of Townsend, $25,000 for new age-appropriate play structures and fencing, and to plan for a splash pad and\/or community dog park at the South and Commerce Street playground<\/p>\n
\u2022 City of Wilmington, $190,000 for new ADA-complaint, accessible play features, a basketball court and picnic tables at Eastlake Park<\/p>\n
\u2022 New Castle County, $190,000 for a new inclusive playground, including surfacing and shade structures, at Glasgow Park<\/p>\n
Kent County<\/p>\n
\u2022 City of Harrington, $125,000 for an outdoor pavilion with picnic tables, trash receptacles and restrooms that meet the standards of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA); lighting and electric for paths and green spaces; and the extension of the trail at the Parks and Recreation Park<\/p>\n
\u2022 Town of Little Creek, $90,000 for construction and installation of a bathroom at the Town Park<\/p>\n
Sussex County<\/p>\n
\u2022 Town of Bethany Beach, $150,000 for an ADA-compliant playground with rubber surfacing, curbs and a sidewalk at the Municipal Children\u2019s Playground<\/p>\n
\u2022 Town of Georgetown, $190,000 for a trailhead\/parking area with bicycle racks, trash receptacle, benches, a bike repair station, outdoor hydration solution, an informational kiosk and lighting at Parsons Lane<\/p>\n
\u2022 Town of Laurel, $28,125 for a parking area and trailhead at Tidewater Park<\/p>\n
\u2022 City of Lewes, $150,000 for ADA-complaint pathways to connect playgrounds, restrooms, courts and the marina at Canalfront Park<\/p>\n
\u2022 City of Milford, $190,000 for an entrance road, parking lot, trail construction, fencing and a gate at Deep Branch Park<\/p>\n
\u2022 Town of Millville, $150,000 for planning, design and engineering of a parking lot at Evans Park<\/p>\n
\u2022 Town of Milton, $83,250 to redesign the rail-to-trail roadway crossing with perpendicular alignments, wider ramps and warning signs at Federal Street<\/p>\n
\u2022 City of Seaford, $190,000 to resurface six tennis courts and replace fencing at Seaford High School<\/p>\n
\u2022 Town of Selbyville, $101,250 to install fitness equipment on the walking trail; add fencing to the ball field and park perimeter; and complete site work for a new ballfield at the Town Park<\/p>\n
\u2022 Sussex County, $100,000 to construct a park entrance along Gravel Hill Road, stabilize the access road, install stormwater control, create interpretive and wayfinding signs, and develop an ADA-compliant parking area at the Forest of the Broadkill Preserve<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) is handing out a record amount of funding…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":405983,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[129272,2831,44238,44240,190817,195540,192,195539,44232,44241,44235,70542,195536,152794,17234,44230,18064,44231,36030,44236,166863,195541,44064,36676,195537,195535,7221,195542,12325,6107,148020,128977,26829,26936,1903,195534,19753,79,44233,44239,44234,166866,44237,166860,195538,4198,5662,195543,21,104119],"class_list":["post-405982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-contiguous-united-states","tag-delaware","tag-delaware-department-of-natural-resources-and-environmental-control","tag-delaware-law","tag-dnrec","tag-earth-sciences-organizations","tag-environment","tag-environment-of-north-america","tag-environment-of-the-united-states","tag-environmental-agencies","tag-environmental-issues","tag-environmental-law","tag-environmental-organizations","tag-environmental-policy","tag-environmental-protection","tag-environmental-protection-agencies","tag-geopolitics","tag-government-of-delaware","tag-grants","tag-law-enforcement-agencies-of-delaware","tag-law-enforcement-agencies-of-the-united-states","tag-mid-atlantic-states","tag-natural-environment","tag-natural-resources","tag-natural-resources-agencies","tag-natural-resources-organizations","tag-nature","tag-new-castle","tag-organization","tag-parks","tag-playground","tag-playgrounds","tag-politics-of-the-united-states","tag-public-policy","tag-public-services","tag-recreational-faclities","tag-resources","tag-science","tag-state-agencies-of-delaware","tag-state-agencies-of-the-united-states","tag-state-environmental-protection-agencies-of-the-united-states","tag-state-governments-of-the-united-states","tag-state-law-enforcement-agencies-of-delaware","tag-state-law-enforcement-agencies-of-the-united-states","tag-states-of-the-east-coast-of-the-united-states","tag-trail","tag-trails","tag-transport-infrastructure","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-law"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=405982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/405982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/405983"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=405982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=405982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=405982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}