Vol.40, No. 335

For more information contact Matt Chesser, Delaware State Parks, 302-739-9235; or Beth Shockley, Public Affairs, 302-739-9902

FEMA awards $1.6 million grant to fund
restoration at Auburn Heights Preserve

 DOVER (Sept. 30) – DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation has announced receiving a $1.6 million Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) grant to cover most of the acquisition costs remaining in a project to preserve and remediate 119 acres of land near the Auburn Heights Preserve in northern Delaware.

The project is expected to boost economic development and ecological restoration in the scenic area, and add to state parkland at the preserve located in the Red Clay Valley near the Pennsylvania state line. With the Flood Mitigation Assistance Grant, the Division has settled on the next 23 acre parcel. The grant pays about 75 percent of the cost of the parcel as well as 75 percent of the cost to demolish existing structures on the property.

“This gives us the ability to make Yorklyn even more scenic than it is now,” said Governor Jack Markell. “We can enrich the area recreationally, ecologically and economically, which is meaningful to those who live there and significant in terms of attracting visitors.”

“This recreational space and redevelopment plan will create a destination for Delaware unlike any other in the country,” said DNREC Secretary Collin O’Mara. “With the beautiful, historic setting of Yorklyn as a backdrop, we believe the synergy created by the master plan, that includes a trail, an antique car loop, and railroad will make this a uniquely Delaware destination.”

As part of the project, five separate land parcels surrounding Auburn Heights, a 315-acre preserve owned by DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation near the old mill town of Yorklyn, will be protected through a series of fee simple acquisitions, conservation easements and adaptive reuse of historic properties.

The area has been subject to severe flooding in recent years, resulting in significant economic impact. Funding from the grant will also help pay for the demolition of existing structures that are located in the 100 year floodplain and which have been subject to repeated claims against the National Flood Insurance Program in past years. Bids will be put out in late fall for the demolition work.

CCS Investors Inc. was the successful bidder, through the NVF bankruptcy proceeding, in contracting for the 119 acres owned by NVF. Agreements between CCS and DNREC have resulted in approximately 85 acres of preservation to date including the 23 acres just settled. CCS will retain ownership of 12 acres which will be redeveloped by CCS and historic structures restored to create mixed use opportunities that include commercial office space, museum space, retail shops, art studios and restaurants.

The remaining funding has come from the Delaware Open Space Program. The agreements were initiated by DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation and made possible through an unprecedented partnership among Parks, the Division of Air and Waste Management’s Site Investigation and Restoration Branch (SIRB), and the Divisions of Water Resources and Soil and Water Conservation. Partners outside DNREC include the Delaware Economic Development Office, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the court-appointed trustee for NVF, and CCS Investors Inc. The project was further bolstered by strong support from neighboring property owners, as well as conservation and recreational organizations in the Yorklyn area.

The NVF Company produced vulcanized fiber and related products in Yorklyn until declaring bankruptcy in April 2009. DNREC’s cleanup of zinc contamination at the site and stream restoration work in the surrounding community is ongoing. While zinc does not present a human health hazard, it is harmful to the aquatic life in Red Clay Creek.

The project will eventually include additional conservation easements and private contributions currently under negotiation with neighboring property owners. State officials also plan changes designed to make the area more attractive to tourism. Plans are to create a network of public trails for hikers, bicyclists, equestrians and steam car enthusiasts, by connecting the existing Auburn Heights Preserve to the nearby Oversee Farm, also owned by the state.  

The Auburn Heights Preserve, part of the Delaware State Parks system, is home to the historic Marshall estate, which is managed through a partnership between Delaware State Parks and the Friends of Auburn Heights Preserve. The Friends group owns a world-class collection of operating vintage steam cars, including 14 Stanley Steamers and the miniature Auburn Valley Railroad.