THE CITY RELIEF AVAILABLE TO HELP PAY DELINQUENT WATER BILLS
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s of last month, the City’s Utility Payment Assistance Program, which had been a program for residents 65 years and older since launching in December, is available to all eligible City residents 18 years and older. The program, funded through the federal CARES Act, has income restrictions, though any qualified Wilmington resident who is 18 years or older can now request up to $3,000 to pay their delinquent water/sewer bills. Funding for the program will be available through December 31, 2021, but will end sooner if funds are exhausted before then. Grants will be distributed
on a first come, first-served basis. Follow this link to complete and submit the online application: WilmingtonDE.gov/utilitypaymentassistanceprogram.com. For more information, call 3-1-1 and request utility payment assistance or ask to speak to an Account Services representative. “We are pleased to be able to expand this assistance program to more residents, recognizing that more and more people, regardless of age, are having trouble paying their utility bills,” said Mayor Mike Purzycki. “The pandemic has placed additional stress on individuals and families, so additional financial assistance was certainly warranted, and we hope will help our residents cope as we move toward recovery.”
CITY TO AGAIN CELEBRATE EARTH DAY/ARBOR DAY VIRTUALLY
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ayor Mike Purzycki, Public Works Commissioner Kelly Williams, and Kathy Klein, Executive Director of the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary invite you to attend Wilmington’s 16th annual Earth Day and Arbor Day Celebration, which will be marked with a series of online events from Monday, April 19 to Friday, April 23, 2021. The celebration, traditionally the largest of its kind in Delaware, will once again be virtual due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The official dates for Earth Day and Arbor Day are April 22 and April 30, respectively. To learn more, go to delawareestuary.org/earthandarbor/. “Concern for our wonderful yet increasingly fragile natural environment is something that we all share,” said Mayor Purzycki, “and this past year serves as a stark warning of what can result when nature’s delicate balance is disturbed. We come together each year to celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day — a valuable reminder that it’s in our mutual best interest to properly care for and protect the Earth so that it — and we — can look forward to a long, healthy future. As we gather virtually on this Earth Day 2021 out of an abundance of caution, let us reflect on how our common home can and should unite us behind the goal of being the best stewards we can be. Please stay safe, and I look forward to seeing everyone in person again this time next year.”
50 APRIL 2021 | OUTANDABOUTNOW.COM
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