Thank you, Governor Markell

The Honorable Jack Markell
Governor of Delaware
Tatnall Building
William Penn St., 2nd Floor
Dover, Delaware 19901

April 10, 2014

Dear Governor Markell,

On behalf of the American Heart Association, Bike Delaware, Delaware Greenways, the Delaware Bicycle Council, the Delaware Nature Society, the Historic New Castle Alliance, the Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Riverfront Development Corporation, thank you for your support for finishing the Wilmington-New Castle Greenway.

As you well know, the Wilmington-New Castle Greenway is a great project that will pay dividends to Delawareans for decades to come. Finishing the remaining mile will not only increase safety for walkers and cyclists but will also boost tourism, economic activity and outdoor recreation. The Wilmington Riverfront and Market Street, with its many businesses, restaurants, residences, train station, movie theater, minor league baseball stadium and art scene will become safely and easily accessible for bicycle commuters and visitors from the suburban communities to the south of Wilmington and from New Castle. Going in the other direction, the historic colonial capitol of Delaware, now the headquarters of Delaware’s only national monument, will become similarly accessible to visitors from Wilmington.

Finishing this great bicycle route between Wilmington and New Castle is one of the 10 “To Dos” identified in our Bicycle Friendly State ranking “Report Card” last year. By supporting the needed funding, you are helping to make sure that we will tenaciously defend Delaware’s status as the most bicycle friendly state east of the Mississippi River. In fact, we think Minnesota, Oregon, Colorado and Washington had better watch out. (We are coming after them next.)

Thank you so very much for everything you have done and continue to do to make Delaware the most bicycle and pedestrian friendly state in the country. Your vision inspires us and many thousands of other Delawareans.

Yours very sincerely,
Theresa Buchanan Gormley, President, Historic New Castle Alliance
David Hunt, Executive Director, Delaware Greenways
Jonathan Kirch, Government Relations Director, American Heart Association
Megan McGlinchey, Director of Operations, Riverfront Development Corporation
Amy Wilburn, Chair, Delaware Bicycle Council
Sarah Willoughby, Executive Director, Greater Wilmington Convention & Visitors Bureau
James Wilson, Executive Director, Bike Delaware
Brian Winslow, Executive Director, Delaware Nature Society