 |
| |
|
In 2001, through a series of land swaps and inspired political intervention, New Castle County obtained one of the last large undeveloped parcels in Brandywine Hundred. The property, formerly used by DelDOT and at one time intended for a shopping center, is now a County park and will become the home of the Brandywine Little League. The park will include four baseball fields for various age groups, batting cages, practice facilities, a club house, a playground, and a 160-space parking lot.
VanDemark & Lynch (V&L) became involved with the project at its inception and provided the expert design and consulting services needed to make the project a success. V&L developed several schemes for the park and presented the schemes to the Little League, the County Parks Department, and to the local neighbors. Once a design was selected, V&L provided property and topographic surveys of the site and then designed the new fields and parking lot, sidewalks, infrastructure, and drainage facilities needed to support the project. V&L also prepared the required record plans and construction plans in order to obtain County and State approvals.
Because of the nature of the project, VanDemark & Lynch had to balance the needs of the Little League with the goals of New Castle County and the concerns of the adjacent residents. V&L conducted meetings with all affected parties to develop a scheme that not only met the goals of the Little League but was also sensitive to the neighbors’ concerns about noise and stormwater runoff. In addition, because a significant amount of the labor and materials was to be donated, we carefully designed the project to be cost-sensitive. Of significant note is the fact that one of the fields will be used by handicapped individuals. V&L designed this field and the accompanying facilities to be handicapped accessible in accordance with State and Federal regulations.
VanDemark & Lynch was selected to provide the planning, surveying, and civil engineering services for the renovation project. Because of the location of the mill within a floodplain, on steep slopes, within mature forests, and because of its history, the site design and County approval process was complex. In addition to obtaining variances to allow the proposed use within the multiple protected resources, with minimal parking, the facility also needed a new water service which was hung from the bottom of the Rising Sun Lane Bridge, Delaware Bridge #1, which is itself a historic structure. The site design also included providing drainage around the building to eliminate the flooding of the critical areas, improved access roads, and new sewer connections, all while maintaining minimal disturbance to the site and preserving the historic context of the building along the river.
Back to Projects
|
|
|
|
|
|
| VANDEMARK & LYNCH, INC. |
| Engineers Planners Surveyors |
|
4305 Miller Road
Wilmington, DE 19802
302.764.7635 |
|
 |
|
