Join Us for a Downtown Holiday Meet & Greet!

You are invited! Learn how creativity and the arts are helping to transform our Downtown commercial district! 

On Monday, December 11th, 2017 join us from 5:30- 7:00 PM at The Mill located within the Nemours building at 1007 North Orange Street along with Downtown Visions for an evening of conversation with Mark Fields - Executive Director of The Grand Opera House and The Playhouse on Rodney Square and Robert Herrera - Founder of the creative co-working space The Mill.
Light refreshments will be served. 

The Facebook event can be found here.

This event is proudly sponsored by Downtown Visions.

City of Wilmington Announces FREE Youth Recreational Programs for the Fall and Winter Seasons

Post provided by The City of Wilmington

Free recreational, educational and cultural activities are being offered
at nine locations around the City for youths aged 8 to 17 through next April
 
Mayor Mike Purzycki and Department of Parks and Recreation Director Kevin F. Kelly, Sr., today encouraged Wilmington’s younger people between the ages of 8 and 17 to partake of free recreational, educational and cultural activities being offered during the fall and winter at nine sites around the City. Activities include tutoring, homework assistance, aerobics, basketball, tennis and board games among others. Programming at the nine locations will be offered from now through next April.

“Our younger citizens need positive activities to help them mature and learn how to deal with various life circumstances,” said Mayor Purzycki. “Our Parks and Recreation staff engages with youths and teens to provide positive alternatives in a safe and nurturing environment. We want to offer as many programs as possible and to keep those programs going throughout the year. We know that Wilmington’s young people and their families appreciate these opportunities.”

Mayor Purzycki and Director Kelly today thanked the schools and other agencies that have worked with the City to provide sites for the fall and winter programming. They include:

Bancroft Elementary School
700 Lombard Street
Tuesday and Thursday
5:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
 
Bayard Middle School
200 South DuPont Street
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
5:45 p.m. to 9:15 p.m.
 
Elbert-Palmer Elementary School
1210 Lobdell Street
Monday and Wednesday
5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
 
Kingswood Community Center
2300 Bowers DuPont Street
Monday through Thursday
5:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
 
Police Athletic League of Wilmington (PAL Center)
3707 North Market Street
Monday through Thursday
 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
 
P.S. DuPont Middle School
701 West 34th Street
Monday, Tuesday and Thursday
5:45 p.m. to 8:45 p.m.
 
Sarah Pyle Academy
501 North Lombard Street
Monday and Wednesday
5:45 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
 
Southbridge Neighborhood House
1218 B Street
Monday through Thursday
5:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
 
Warner Elementary School  
801 West 18th Street
Monday through Thursday
5:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

Just Three Meetings Left! Join Us & Make an Impact on Your City!

Mayor Mike Purzycki and City Planning Director Herb Inden announced that Wilmington is moving into the second phase of its year-long, community-driven process to develop a new citywide comprehensive plan. The new comp plan, which is entitled “Wilmington 2028,” will guide growth and development across the City for the next decade. The next phase involves a series of five public meetings throughout the City at which citizens are invited to drop by and offer additional comments and ideas about the comp plan. There are only three meetings left, so be sure to join in to make an impact on your city!

• Where: Woodlawn Library, 2020 West 9th Street

When: Tuesday, November 14, between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

• Where: Southbridge Neighborhood House, 1218 B Street

When: Tuesday, November 21, between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

• Where: Mt. Carmel United Church, 800 North Walnut Street

When: Thursday, November 30, between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Martin Hageman, Executive Director of Downtown Visions Sees Progress and Hope in The City of Wilmington

Curious what "The Vision" is in Downtown Visions? Downtown Visions is proud to devote an overwhelming share of its resources to highly visible and effective on-street programs such as the following:

• Business Marketing and Education
• Historic Building Preservation
• The Wilmington Farmer's Market
• Signage and Facade Improvement Programs 
• Security Gate Removal
• Cleaning Ambassadors
• Safety Ambassadors
• Small Business Saturday
• & Much More! 

Downtown Visions is a private, non-profit organization that manages the Business Improvement District in Wilmington. Our Main Street® program not only saves historic buildings, but also focuses on small business recruitment, business marketing and promotion, all of which work towards the greater effort of creating new jobs.

To support Downtown Visions fiscally or through volunteering, click here. 

 Video Directed and Produced by www.mosaiceaststudios.com

Post by Julia Mason of Enthusiasm Lab

City of Wilmington, Delaware State University and the University of Delaware Enter into a Public Policy Partnership

The pact pledges mutual assistance and cooperation on projects that will benefit Wilmington and its citizens as well as the universities. 

The City of Wilmington, Delaware State University and the University of Delaware today signed an unprecedented pact that pledges mutual cooperation and assistance on various projects to benefit Wilmington and the residents and businesses which inhabit Delaware’s largest City. The agreement will also provide university students and faculty with new opportunities to participate in applied and practical research and service leading to immediate improvements in the operations of City government.
 
The mutual support agreement was signed today in the Mayor’s office in Wilmington by Mayor Mike Purzycki, City Council President Hanifa Shabazz, Delaware State University President Harry Lee Williams and University of Delaware President Dennis Assanis.
 
The agreement includes a number of ways the City and the two universities can work together, including:

• Partnering on projects such as fellowships, internships, research projects, studies, and grant applications
• Assisting the City with data collection and analysis to improve government efficiency and service delivery
• Utilizing the wide variety of experts from numerous fields that are available at each university to work with the City on a specific project 
• Expanding the assignment of students as university fellows to the City for specific government projects which allow the students to gain real world government experience
• Establishing student internship opportunities which will teach young people about Wilmington’s government and foster affection and appreciation for Wilmington among those who will become the leaders of tomorrow.

“We began talking about the potential of this collaborative arrangement earlier this year and it just made sense to many of us that we should harness the talent and resources of these two wonderful universities to work hand-in-hand with the City,” said Mayor Purzycki. “We need to bring about greater government efficiencies and to improve Wilmington’s service delivery to citizens. We have to be more creative and open to new ways of conducting the business of government, and to learn how to operate the government with fewer dollars. The University of Delaware and Delaware State University will help us achieve many of our goals and well as theirs, which includes expanding the educational opportunities available to students.”
 
City Council President Hanifa Shabazz expressed support for the partnership by noting that City Council hosted one of the first Urban Policy Fellows from the University of Delaware, and has continued to work closely with graduate students over the past five years, engaging them in various legislative and policy projects. “If our past collaborations with the University of Delaware and Delaware State University are any indication, I am confident this partnership will bring tremendous value to Wilmington and its residents, businesses and visitors. Delaware is too small for its largest city not to collaborate with its two premier public research universities. I look forward to exploring the many ways we can work with these institutions and others in the future.”
 
UD President Dennis Assanis said the University is committed to partnering with the City and Delaware State University to help address Wilmington’s challenges and expand its opportunities. “The University of Delaware has a long and rich history of applying its knowledge and creativity to local communities across the state,” he said. “This expanded collaboration with Wilmington will bring together talented and dedicated people to develop and implement innovative ways to enhance the physical, social, economic and cultural vitality of the city and its neighborhoods.” Assanis said he is particularly pleased that this partnership will involve students from both universities who will work in the Wilmington city government under the guidance of city officials and university faculty and staff. “The students will add capacity to Wilmington city government and acquire the knowledge and practical experience needed to become future community leaders,” he said.
 
"I'm delighted that two natural partners like Delaware State University and University of Delaware will be working together on a continuous basis to tackle the economic and social challenges of Delaware's largest city,” said Delaware State University President Williams. “The strengths that each partner brings to the table are both complementary and necessary and we expect will be of significant value to the City of Wilmington as well as staff, faculty and students at both institutions."
 
Mayor Purzycki said while there will be a cost to the City for some of the collaborative efforts among the three entities, the agreement will save the City money in the long run. The Mayor said university resources will be available at less expense than what the City pays for contracting with private firms. He said the agreement has the potential to benefit the City and universities well into the future.