This is the 13th post in the “The Privatization of Public Land” series by Jack Guerin, concerning the saga of the Fort DuPont Redevelopment and Preservation Corporation (FDRPC). Jack Guerin is an anti-corruption advocate with FightDECorruption.com.
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Before we begin, please note that this article was shared by email with Raymond Bivens, Director of Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation prior to publication. In response, we received some critical comments and denials from Media Relations Manager, Michael Globetti. On Monday we will share Mr. Globetti’s comments along with our response.
The sixth post in this series recounts how the 140-acre Grassdale parcel, which was sold for the campground, was a former horse farm acquired by the State of Delaware in 1994. This land was incorporated into Fort DuPont State Park boosting total park acreage to 322.
The enabling legislation titled “The Fort DuPont Redevelopment and Preservation Act.” which passed in June 2014 designated all of Fort DuPont State Park along with additional state land as the “Fort DuPont Complex” which totaled approximately 400 acres. The definition of this “Fort DuPont Complex” is stated below:
4) “Fort DuPont Complex” or “Fort DuPont” means such real property, as well as such facilities, personal property, buildings, and fixtures located thereon, owned by the State along the Delaware River bounded by the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal on the south, and a branch canal, currently separating it from Delaware City, on the north, which includes the Fort DuPont State Park, the Governor Bacon Health Center, and surrounding lands…
Another provision of the enabling legislation enumerating the powers of FDRPC stated:
(2) Act generally in a planning and development capacity, and in connection therewith, to hold, own, preserve, develop, improve, construct, rent, lease, sell, or otherwise acquire or dispose of any real property, including without limitation any real property comprising the Fort DuPont Complex…
This July 2014 House Bill 310 was the end for Fort DuPont State Park which ceased to exist on that date.
A Counterfeit Website
Nevertheless, our State Parks Department still maintains a website for Fort DuPont State Park. Below is information about the hours and location of the Park Office. However, there is no Park Office. The land where the Park Office is “located” was sold to the campground developers almost three years ago and the gates remain locked. The building may have been gutted.
This phantom park also has a phone number. Conveniently, the number is the same as Fort Delaware State Park, and when you call, they answer “Fort Delaware State Park.”
The Fort DuPont State Park website also announces two events this spring: A Walking Tour and a Battery Hike. These walks can be scheduled at the number above. Fort DuPont State Park events are being scheduled a decade after the park ceased to exist.
The “2021 Annual Report Delaware State Parks” seems to be the most recent annual report. The heading on page 59 reads: “Fort Delaware and Fort DuPont State Parks”. Brief information is provided about both parks. There is no indication that Fort DuPont State Park was erased from Delaware’s park system.
The webpage for the DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation states that Delaware has 17 state parks.
The DNREC Division of Parks and Recreation oversees more than 20,000 acres in 17 state parks, manages state nature preserves, and monitors conservation easements protecting more than 4,000 acres of land.
The list of all 17 parks, including Fort Dupont State Park, is included here. The Division of Parks and Recreation has never published a more accurate list with only 16 state parks.
Deceitful Signage Displayed
Although this park no longer exists, deceitful signage is still displayed (see below). Most of this signage dates to when the real park was operating and is extremely dilapidated. The “Entrance Fee in Effect” sign is a good example. That has to be a head scratcher for visitors. There are no fees posted and no envelopes for payment.
Misleading Signage at the Former Fort DuPont State Park
Misleading Park Signage Continued
Strangely, some of these signs appear to be new. Not only has the old signage been left in place, but new signs are being placed in an area which long ago ceased to be a state park.
FDRPC Staff Claimed Park Still Exists
Peggy Thomas was second in command at FDRPC reporting to Mr. Randol. Her title was Site Manager. On August 31, 2020, she published a long Facebook post, the beginning of which is copied below. The entire post is linked here.
The previous month, the News Journal had published a story documenting that the campground site was acquired with funds from the Delaware Land Protection Act and remained protected Open Space land. See Post #6.
Max Walton had issued his memorandum putting the Board on red alert. This was a sensitive time for FDRPC. This is not a casual social post. Communicating with the public was part of Ms. Thomas’ job description.
In this post, Ms. Thomas states that she is confronting “much misinformation.” Using all caps for emphasis, she states, “Fort DuPont State Park is NOT going away.” For additional emphasis she states that the park “was still there when I left this evening and it will be there tomorrow and it will be there five years from now.” This is posted six years after Fort DuPont State Park was eliminated by the Delaware General Assembly.
The post claims that the park now comprises 80 acres. It also states, “In 1992, 80 acres was dedicated to create the state park area thanks to the efforts of Leah Rodel. However, after the 140-acre Grassdale parcel was added in 1994, the total acreage of Fort DuPont State Park was 322. (See Wikipedia post below)
The original 1992 version of the park included more than 180 acres. There was never a miniature 80-acre version of Fort DuPont State Park—not in 1992 nor in 2020 when the park had ceased to exist.
Ms. Thomas’ post also claims that FDRPC “will improve the trail system, stabilize the shoreline, add recreational amenities, restrooms and picnic pavilions, a dog park and more. We will remove invasive plant species and replace them with native species. The park stays. Period.”
She offers no explanation for FDRPC’s failure to make any of these improvements during the first six years of operations. Four years following her post, none of these improvements have begun.
A Private-Public Partnership
Jeff Randol was forced to resign more than two years ago, but the bogus signage and website continue to mask the reality that Fort DuPont State Park no longer exists. This park has been privatized, but clumsy efforts continue to paper over the loss of a state park.
The title of this section reverses the hyphenated phrase to put “Private” first because that reversal reflects FDRPC priorities. The enabling legislation quoted above empowered FDRPC to develop, construct, rent, lease, sell, or dispose of property comprising the former park.
In practice, FDRPC functions as a real estate organization. The FDRPC Board has sometimes discussed park like amenities, and the General Assembly has appropriated funds for a bike path and other amenities, but these projects have not begun. You can’t cash in a dog park, an improved shoreline, or flood mitigation, so those aren’t FDRPC priorities.
FDRPC Has Violated Several Environmental Statutes
FDRPC has not been a good steward of public land. The campground mess is the worst example, but there are others. An April 29, 2021 letter was sent by Certified Mail from DNREC’s Division of Watershed Management to Jeff Randol, who was Executive Director of FDRPC at that time. This letter listed nine specific dates when compliance visits were conducted between December 8, 2020 and April 8, 2021. The letter stated:
On the basis of the information gathered during the compliance visits, and the non-responsiveness of Fort DuPont Redevelopment to implement corrective actions and respond to the requests for timely compliant documentation, Fort DuPont Redevelopment is notified that it is found in violation of the statutory and regulatory requirements” of several statutes, regulations, systems, and permits as well as FDRPC’s approved sediment and stormwater management plan (SSMP).
Exhibit A presents selected reviews posted on the Fort DuPont State Park website. The reviews selected are within the past year, and focus on a failure to maintain trails, shores, and the natural landscape. Fort DuPont State Park, offering more than 300 acres of open land, was Delaware City’s greatest resource. Unfortunately, the park is now gone.
Exhibit A
Visitor Reviews
Jack Guerin is an anti-corruption advocate with FightDECorruption.com. He is plaintiff in a lawsuit to stop the development of the campground. Click to send an email to legislative leaders asking them to pass the Joint Resolution and return this protected land to the State Parks Department.
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