Latest News

NARROWSBURG – The Upper Delaware Council (UDC) approved the payment of $12,822 to two member municipalities for successful completion of their Fiscal Year 2024 Technical Assistance Grants (TAG) program projects by the August 16, 2024 deadline.

Since 1988, the UDC has awarded $943,096 to fund 264 projects that support the objectives of the River Management Plan for the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River in New York and Pennsylvania.

The Town of Tusten kicked off Phase 1 of creating an Open Space and Recreation Plan with its $10,000 TAG, which was a recommended action in the 2020 Comprehensive Plan.
The goal is to first develop a Natural Resources Inventory to identify key environmental and open space resources within the town such as wetlands, wildlife habitats, flood zones, and forests, then to list in the planning document town-wide priorities for their protection and future implementation of conservation projects.

After retaining the services of consultants MJ Engineering & Land Surveying, P.C. and Peter Manning, they formed a Conservation Advisory Council chaired by Deputy Supervisor Jane Luchsinger; developed a project website at www.tustenopenspacerecreation.com; held the first public meeting on Aug. 1 to share preliminary mapping and solicit feedback; and sent a Town of Tusten Community Visioning survey to residents and taxpayers to return by Sept. 15.

The Town of Tusten spent $31,560 on this phase of the project, which is expected to take at least two years to complete. The final Open Space and Recreation Plan can serve as a model for other Upper Delaware River Valley communities.

Damascus Township received a $2,822 TAG toward its $3,077.78 project to create and distribute an “Emergency Natural Disaster Preparedness Guide to Information and Online Resources.”

The Board of Supervisors (Joe Canfield, Scott Rutledge, and Steve Adams) worked with the Wayne County Emergency Management Agency, Damascus Emergency Management Coordinator Ed Lagarenne, Township Planning Commission Chairperson Alex Tucciarone, Township Secretary Melissa Haviland, and sub-contractor Bailey Design & Advertising of Honesdale, PA to research and design an updated brochure.

The four-page 8.5” x 11” guide offers valuable resources on where, when, and how to get information about numerous types of emergencies, as well as how to prepare in the event of any disasters that could cause harm to people and properties.

It includes a scannable QR code to direct individuals to river information through the National Park Service (NPS) Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River. Copies were mailed to all property owners in Damascus Township. They are also available for visitors at the municipal building and at the NPS and UDC offices.

For more information on the UDC’s Technical Assistance Grants, please visit https://upperdelawarecouncil.org/grant-program/ or contact UDC Resources and Land Use Specialist Kerry Engelhardt at (845) 252-3022 or kerry@upperdelawarecouncil.org.