In the City

THE CITY

WILMINGTON BALLET ACADEMY

Mayor Purzycki visited the Wilmington Ballet Academy studios last month to congratulate Lamar “LJ” Marshall (front row, 2nd from right) – the self-taught dancer whose online dance videos earned him a one-year scholarship, a role in last year’s production of “The Nutcracker,” and national media attention in addition to being named one Delaware’s Most Influentual People of 2022 by Delaware Online. The Mayor also praised WBA’s Dance Executive and Artistic Director Benjamin Sterling Cannon (back row, far right) who in 2020 became the first African American leader of the organization in its 64-year history, for his efforts to make the ballet company more inclusive.

Injury concerns for sanitation employees prompted a change in City trash collection policy in April. Now the City is only collecting trash placed in a Cityissued, industrial-strength trash container (pictured right). The City will NOT collect privately purchased trash bins with lift bars (sometimes called Toters or Toter Carts). The non-regulation carts aren’t as sturdy and can be dangerous, having caused more than a dozen injuries to Sanitation Dept. workers so far.

Public Works Dir. Kelly Williams urges any resident who still needs a Cityissued trash cart to call 311 or visit www.WilmingtonDE.gov/311 to get a free cart delivered ASAP. The City has carts as large as 95-gallons.

The Public Works Dept. distributed the gray-colored “SMART” trash bins to 21,000 residential properties throughout the City in early 2020 as part of Mayor Purzycki’ s Beautiful City Campaign. The new bins have helped produce a cleaner City by reminding residents to follow the law and place trash in the bins — not on City streets.

WILMINGTON COLLECTING CITY-ISSUED TRASH BINS ONLY

Free City-issued trash container

Kids enjoying the new Cool Spring Playground at North Van Buren and West 10th streets.

WILMINGTON & WEST SIDE GROWS OPEN NEW PLAYGROUND

PLANTING FRIENDSHIPS

In April, Mayor Purzycki led a Wilmington delegation to Doha, Qatar, to discuss issues of common interest and explore potential avenues of cooperation between the two cities. During the visit a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between Doha and Wilmington aimed at exchanging experiences in various fields was signed. Mayor Purzycki also helped plant a “friendship tree” while celebrating the opening of Rawdat Al Khail Park.

Mayor Mike Purzycki and Dir. of Parks & Recreation Ian Smith in April joined West Side Grows Together, Friends of Cool Spring Group, City and State officials, students and staff from Lewis Elementary School, and local residents for a ceremony to mark the completion of improvements to Cool Spring Park Playground. Located at N. Van Buren and W. 10th Sts., this state-of-the-art playground is the latest in a series of park renovations on the City’s West Side.

“I continue to be impressed and encouraged by the outpouring of support and participation by the community for projects like this one,” said the Mayor. “The need for upgrades to this park’s stormwater management system and playground equipment goes back decades, but through a lot of hard work, persistence, and cooperation among numerous partners and stakeholders, the end result is a spectacular new open space that will further strengthen the surrounding neighborhoods and improve the lives of residents — especially those of the hundreds of elementary school students who use this playground for outdoor recess throughout the school year. This new playground is just one more example of what can be achieved when communities and government work together to address a pressing need.”

Mayor Purzycki meets with PM and Minister of the Interior Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani in Doha in April. Photo courtesy of Gulf Times Mayor Purzycki congratulates President Jean Dahlgren on the 25th anniversary of the Delaware College of Art and Design during DCAD’s celebration last month.