MILL CREEK, Del. – New Castle County Executive Thomas P. Gordon, Council President Chris Bullock, County Councilman Timothy Sheldon, and the Friends of Brandywine Springs Park are scheduled to hold a ribbon cutting for the new pavilion at Brandywine Springs Park, a county facility in Mill Creek Hundred, at 10 a.m. Thursday, October 15.
The new pavilion is a 40-foot by 64-foot, pre-engineered, steel structure manufactured by Coverworx that accommodates 125 guests. It was installed by one of the county’s local playground vendors, Liberty Park & Recreation from Clayton, Del. The total price tag for the new pavilion was $147,861.40 which also included a concrete pad and approximately 85 feet of sidewalk to make the structure ADA accessible.
It replaced an existing structure that was installed back in 1956. The county will officially start renting it next season and it will be outfitted with new grills, tables, and security lighting to deter loitering after dark.
In 1953, State Senator Wilmer F. (Rudy) Williams sponsored a bill in the Delaware Legislature that set aside $67,510 for the development of Brandywine Springs Park. At the time, it became the State of Delaware’s first State Park purchased and developed as a park. The state later made the property a county park.
“On behalf of New Castle County, Council President Bullock, Councilman Sheldon and I thank Senator Williams and the General Assembly as a whole for their wisdom in creating Brandywine Springs Park, a wonderful asset in the county parks system today,” County Executive Gordon said. “I thank Acting Special Services General Manager Wayne Merritt and his staff for creating a pavilion worthy of this special park in consultation with the Friends of Brandywine Springs Park.”
When selecting the design and layout, Special Services Property Manager Paul Johnson worked very closely with the Friends of Brandywine Springs, including President Mike Ciosek, to make sure everyone was happy with the finished product. They are one of the oldest and most active Friends groups in NCC and have been a great partner with New Castle County over the years.
In his latter years, Senator Williams was a member of Friends of Brandywine Springs and could always be counted on to be supportive of improvements at the Park.
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