Delaware lawmakers find cash for pet projects

Delaware lawmakers, many facing re-election in November, may have groused recently about state budget cuts. But a tight budget didn't stop some from scoring state money for their favorite pet projects.

There was $300,000 tucked in Delaware's capital budget to help New Castle County buy development rights on Port Penn farmland. And $450,000 for a 40,000-square-foot Wilmington skatepark near the Riverfront, pushed by Wilmington Rep. Helene Keeley, a Democrat, at the request of Mayor Dennis P. Williams.

The budget also included another $950,000 to finance the purchase of Owens Station, the Greenwood sports-shooting facility, and to fund security upgrades there.

Lawmakers also tucked away an additional $8.3 million for themselves to fully fund their Capital Transportation Fund accounts, which they use to pave neighborhood roads, fix signs or make drainage and landscaping improvements along local streets in their districts.

Lawmakers defended the projects as worthy of state money, and, in some cases, as small potatoes compared with the millions the state spends on bigger-ticket items.

"I try to do my best based on how much available cash there is," Keeley said about securing money for the skatepark. "It's for the city I represent."

The skatepark allocation is an example of what little is known about some of the projects. There isn't much of a paper trail. Delaware's capital budget includes a line-item for the skatepark appropriation, but without any corresponding language directing state officials where to send the money.

Officials in the state's budget office, which works with General Assembly budget writers to craft the annual state budget, often are left in the dark on lawmaker-driven projects. Asked for details about some of the projects last week, Jessica Eisenbrey, a spokeswoman for the Delaware Office of Management and Budget, said, "We haven't received detailed information on these projects to date. However, we'll be working with the legislative sponsors and relevant agencies in the coming months to determine the intent of the projects prior to transferring any funds."

James Browning, regional director of state operations for Common Cause, which lobbies for transparency in government, said it's in the best of interest of lawmakers to be more open about projects funded in the state budget. At a minimum, project descriptions should be included on the front end.

"We should be able to connect the dots all the way to the end, and follow the water all the way down stream," Browning said. "It's really in their own interest to be more transparent. What happens when it turns out one of these big projects is beneficial to a big donor? They're setting themselves up for trouble by not having that disclosed at the beginning."

The Bond Bill

There is little, and sometimes conflicting, information available for many of the projects funded late in the legislative process by the state Bond Bill, Delaware's capital budget that provides bonding authority for school construction and road improvements, as well as a host of smaller projects.

While there is little state information available for the skatepark project in Wilmington, a fact sheet provided by Williams' office explains that the park will cost $1 million, with $750,000 coming from state taxpayers. It will be situated between the city's Browntown/Hedgeville neighborhoods and the Riverfront, maintained by the parks department and Riverfront Development Corporation, and is intended to "deter crime and improve health through physical activity."

There also was no explanation in the state budget for an $800,000 appropriation to build a new pier in the city of New Castle; $150,000 to mount a World War II-era gun barrel at Fort Miles inside Cape Henlopen State Park; or for $250,000 for improvements at Carousel Park & Equestrian Center, a New Castle County park.

Rep. Michael Ramone, R-Middle Run Valley, whose district includes Carousel, said the money would be used to make improvements at the park to benefit its therapeutic horseback riding program for individuals with disabilities. "That's the best we can do in this economy," Ramone said of the park allocation.

County officials, who oversee the park and potential improvements there, were less clear about how the money would be used. Antonio Prado, a spokesman for County Executive Tom Gordon, said the money was intended to help construct an outdoor arena at the park estimated to cost $1 million.

"The arena would be for the horses and could possibly benefit the therapeutic riding program," Prado said. But he said plans for the arena are on hold while the county seeks additional funding.

Spending defended

Sen. Bruce Ennis, a Smyrna-area Democrat, was one of the lawmakers behind the appropriation of $300,000 to help New Castle County pay two politically-connected Port Penn farm owners $6.6 million to prevent development of their property. The appropriation came after the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control and the state Agriculture Department backed off the deal after concerns surfaced about the cost of preserving the land as open space.

Delaware State Farm Bureau President Gary Warren owns one of the farms, 132 acres near the edge of Thousand Acre Marsh. The other is owned by Public Service Commission member Jaymes Lester. The county hopes to buy the conservation easements on the property with help from a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Sen. Colin Bonini, R-Dover South, one of the General Assembly's staunchest opponents of irresponsible government spending, used his seat on the Legislature's capital budget committee to carve $250,000 out of an economic development account to fund renovations at Wesley College's health sciences building, which houses the school's nursing program. Bonini carved out $500,000 for building renovations last year.

"That is a big economic development project that is going to help the college significantly increase the number of nursing graduates, which I think in the long run saves us money," said Bonini, a Wesley graduate. "I am 100 percent biased toward Wesley College. Wesley changed my life when I was there."

Rep. Dave Wilson, R-Greenwood, scored even more money this year for Owens Station, the Greenwood sport-shooting facility the state agreed to purchase last year, with a three-year $2.25 million commitment from the Bond Bill committee. This year's budget includes $950,000 for Owens Station – the second of three $750,000 installments to purchase the site, plus $200,000 to construct a building on site for "safety and technology needs."

This year's and last year's budget do not include details on the the state's purchase of the facility, which Wilson defends.

"For many years, the sportsmen in Kent and Sussex County have wanted a shooting facility," Wilson said , adding that the facility could be an economic development asset of the state.

Wilson points out that the state has long operated the Ommelanden Range, a public firing range near New Castle.

John Flaherty, president of the Delaware Coalition for Open Government, said funding for projects, well-intentioned or otherwise, should not be tucked away deep in the state budget.

"I think the public has the right to know what's in these pork barrel bills," Flaherty said. "If we're going to be funding a pier in New Castle or something else, there should be a vetting process by which these projects are put forth, so the merits or demerits could be discussed. As it is now, nobody wants to admit they're in there and nobody knows anything at all about them. It's not a good way to run government."

Contact Jonathan Starkey at 983-6756, on Twitter @jwstarkey or at jstarkey@delawareonline.com.

Some Pet Projects

$250,000 for improvements at Carousel Park & Equestrian Center, a New Castle County park. Details on the the planned improvements are unclear.

$150,000 to mount a World War II-era gun barrel at Fort Miles inside Cape Henlopen State Park.

$800,000 appropriation to build a new pier into the Delaware River in the city of New Castle.