Clean Water State Revolving Fund RODNEY DORMITORY SITE STORMWATER MANAGEMENT PARK STATE PROGRAM: Delaware Department of Natural Resources arid Environmental Control ASSISTANCE RECIPIENT City of Newark ASSISTANCE AMOUNT: $9M PROJECT DESCRIPTION The City of Newark has faced recurring flooding during wet weather events. Climate change creates rain events that often exceed the capacity of the City's stormwater management system. When the University of Delaware closed the Caesar Rodney Dormitory Complex in May 2014, the City identified an opportunity to acquire the 7.24-acre property and repurpose it as a multiuse site, providing the community with a state-of-the-art stormwater management facility along with recreational and educational components. The City demonstrated its commitment to public involvement and input from the early stages of project development, hosting three separate community workshops in 2017 to collaborate on the design and amenities of the new site. The City implemented a robust public participation program to re-imagine the site and make the final product something Newark residents and visitors will proudly utilize for years to come. The final conceptual design was presented to City Council in December 2017 and approved for CWSRF loan funding in early 2018. A $9 million CWSRF loan supported several phases of construction to bring the project to fruition - from building demolition, to the construction of a stormwater management pond, to soil management. The City combined their CWSRF loan with Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) support from a Community Environmental Project Fund grant, a Brownfield Development grant, and a surface water stormwater planning grant. Together, these funds helped pay for the design and installation of educational signage at the park facility. To read more about this case study, please visit https://www.epa.gov/system/files/documents/2024-04/cwsrf- pisces-2023-recognition-program.pdf. CWSRF Case Study &EPA https://www.epa.gov/cwsrf ------- |