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MORNING STAR • JUly 9 - 15, 2009
‘Heart and Soul’ seeks to capture Sussex’s charm By Carol Kinsley
How can Sussex County grow and develop without losing the essence of what makes it special to current residents? About a year ago, an effort was made to identify the “Heart and Soul of Sussex County.” Comments were collected and discussions held by the University of Delaware Coastal Community Enhancement Initiative, led by University of Delaware Cooperative Extension Agent Bill McGowan. On June 22 and 23, McGowan invited Sussex Countians to a second forum, this one aimed at figuring out “Where do we go from here?” The first session started with a picnic in “the Grove” next to the Elbert N. and Ann V. Carvel Research and Education Center on Route 9 in Georgetown where, until recent years, farmers and friends traditionally gathered for a picnic after Farm and Home Field Day. After a barbecue dinner served by the Georgia House Restaurant, some 35 participants gathered to watch a promotional-CD-in-the-making and hold a “kitchen table discussion,” as McGowan termed it, “an open exchange of ideas” about the county’s future. The themes evident in more than 1,000 comments offered last year — some of which, along with photographs, can be seen at www.heartandsoulofsussex.org — indicate the county is seen, among other things, as: • Agriculture and small towns, coastal resort and natural areas deeply and seamlessly connected by history, place and people. • An ever-changing landscape of working agriculture with the sights, sounds and smells of a thriving industry back-dropped by big sky and forest. • Small towns with rich history, architecture, character and characters, places and events that make community. • A community of sincere, down-toearth, resourceful, “take care of each other” people of different cultures, come here’s, brung here’s and born here’s. “We’ve figured out what is important to us — we think,” McGowan said, challenging attendees at the session to help figure out how to use the information gathered.
“Do we ensure our economic growth is aligned with Heart & Soul? ... Do we use Heart and Soul to explore how we break down barriers and strengthen our communities? ... Do we use Heart & Soul to guide how we grow and develop?” He directed the discussion to three approaches: economic development, building communities and growth and development. Attendees were forthright in their comments, pointing out some of the problems Sussex County faces, including the lack of an urban center — things to do — particularly for young professionals. Affordable housing is another problem, particularly in areas where people are needed for service jobs, such as the beach. According to Joe Conway, whose family has been here since 1735, a major problem is the out-migration of 18- to 25-year-olds. “You can’t buy a house on $12 an hour,” he said. An engineer countered: the challenge in opening a business with higher paying jobs is finding young professionals who want to move here and raise their children here. There was consensus that the schools could be improved. There are plenty of people who want to retire here, one participant noted, but the problem is the middle part of life. Transportation is another problem. Residents on the east side of the county complain about summer traffic bringing tourists and their dollars, but a large percentage of those tourists are only passing through. No conclusions were reached the first night, except that the draft Heart and Soul presentation needed more work. At the next session, McGowan presented charts showing potential changes in land use assuming “grow out” at current zoning densities. The state has 938 square miles, or about 600,000 acres. Of those, 108,000 acres are tied up in public lands, state wetlands and ag easements and cannot be developed, leaving half a million acres. Currently, 442,000 acres are “rural.” As dwelling units continue to be built, rising from the existing 123,170 dwellings that now consume 25,000 acres of residential suburban use and 16,000 acres “mixed use” to a potential 854,000 units permitted at current zoning, the rural areas will shrink to as little as 15,000 acres.
Picnics in “the Grove” on Cooperative Extension’s farm in Georgetown were once a traditional part of Farm and Field Day, an enjoyable part of life in Sussex County, recalled Bill McGowan. Participants in the Heart and Soul discussion held June 22, including Sussex County Councilworman Joan Deaver, left, and Chris Weeks of Becker Morgan, enjoyed a barbecue dinner there prepared by the Georgia House Restaurant.
McGowan asks: “How many acres do we need for a viable agriculture?” Other questions to ponder include: “How do you delineate towns so they look and feel like towns?” And, “If we want to move development to more urban areas, then how do you address the equity issue?” Land use change is inevitable, McGow-
an said. “The principles of the Heart & Soul project state that we know who we are and we know what is important to us. They can help guide planning, public investment, development, design, budgeting and management at the local, county and state levels.” The time to begin that planning is now.
From Farming to Finance
We’re all business. msbusinessreport.com | 302.629.9788 | sales@mspublications.com Bill McGowan moderated discussions of what the “Heart and Soul” of Sussex County is, and once it’s defined or described, what should be done with the information. Photos by Carol Kinsley