Milford, Delaware, Mispillion Greenway project honored

By Greg Layton, Associate editor

Monday, August 14, 2000

MILFORD - A letter from the White House Millennium Council bears a simple slogan: "Honor the past - Imagine the future."

Gary L. Emory and Milford City Council are doing just that with the Mispillion Greenway project, whose progress through the 1990s saw construction of Riverwalk Park behind Milford Public Library, Memorial Park South behind Calvary United Methodist Church, and most recently the fishing bridge connecting Memorial Park with Bicentennial Park.

The Greenway honors the past, as it nears historic shipyards, and follows the Mispillion River past houses constructed in the 1700s.

Mr. Emory, the Greenway's designer, imagines the future by looking ahead to its eventual destination.

"Eventually, I think we'll take it all the way to Goat Island. The property owners down that way seem pretty Greenway-friendly, but that's a long way off. We need to take care of some other things first," he said.

Goat Island, across from the Milford Police Station, was once a park maintained by Milford Parks and Recreation. However, the island was plagued by vandalism and other illicit activities, and the city opted to close it in the 1970s. The roadway onto the island is now blocked by a chain link fence.

By the time the Mispillion Greenway reaches Goat Island, it will have already wound its way from the Mispillion River bridge on Church Avenue, beneath a new walking bridge behind Banking House Inn, past the State Service Center and eastward toward the Delaware Bay.

The White House Millennium Council, led by First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, labeled the Mispillion Greenway as one of 200 millennium trails in the United States.

In a letter to Mr. Emory, the First Lady wrote: "Millennium trails are tangible gifts to the future that represent a commitment and an investment in the kind of country we want to create in the 21st century. It is my hope that the energy that has sparked this growing national movement will be sustained and nurtured so that trails are a part of our nation's heritage for many generations to come."

Mr. Emory said the city will celebrate its Greenway next summer with a weekend-long Mispillion River Festival that will involve food, concerts and possibly fireworks.

The Mill Ponds Loop, a trail connecting Abbott's Mill Pond, Griffith Lake, Blair's Pond, and Haven Lake, was also honored by the First Lady. Eventually, Mr. Emory would like to connect the Mill Ponds Loop to the Mispillion River Greenway.