LOCAL

New bathrooms, pavilion coming to Wyoming Park

Construction expected after Labor Day, park will remain open

Dover Post

Kenny Fernandez and his son Kian fish at Wyoming Park Aug. 7.

Tucked in a serene corner in a small town southwest of Dover, families come to fish by the lake or unleash some pent up energy on the playgrounds of Wyoming Park.

After Labor Day, the community will start to see some changes at this popular spot because the town has two major projects in the works.

In the first, contractors will tear down and rebuild the old bathrooms, which likely date to at least the 1970s. In the second project, they will be planting more trees and constructing a new pavilion.

The bathroom project is estimated to cost $125,000. Town Clerk Audrey Lindale secured a grant from the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, which will cover 50% of the cost.

The old restrooms at Wyoming Park will be torn down and rebuilt after Labor Day. A new pavilion will go in the open space behind this building.

A big change is the entrance to the bathrooms will now be on the side of the building facing the playgrounds. Lindale explained that this will allow families to watch their children as they go to use the restrooms. “It’s a safety thing,” she said.

Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act, a new concrete pathway will make it more accessible for people to travel from the handicap parking spaces to the restrooms.

The contractor is lined up, and construction is expected to begin in early September. The park will remain open with only the construction area sectioned off.

A scene at Wyoming Park on West Third Street in Wyoming, Delaware.

Trees and a new pavilion

When talking about the projects, Lindale said she thought about her nieces and nephews who use the park. “I want to make it better for them, as well as the residents of this town,” she said.

The combined tree and pavilion project is estimated at $17,000. The town will share 25% of the cost, but the rest is covered by a DNREC grant under the Community Environmental Project Fund.

The plan is to plant at least 10 more trees to replace ones that have fallen down or any that need to be removed. That will start in September or early October.

The new rectangular pavilion will be 20-feet by 30-feet and is slated for the open area behind the playgrounds. The town expects it to be ready in the next month.