Color along the New Hope PA towpath...

New Hope towpath and Delaware Canal (Photo: Charlie Sahner)

"Grand Reopening" Celebration for Delaware Canal Overlooks New Hope Problems

By Charlie Sahner

The public was invited to the party today in Easton, PA celebrating the "grand reopening" of the Delaware Canal and adjacent towpath following repairs necessitated by three devastating floods on the nearby Delaware River from 2004-2006. The organizers, a mixture of private groups and state bigwigs, mention in their publicity efforts that it's really the towpath part that's open from Easton to Bristol, PA...they'll fill it all up with water later.

But what exactly is a towpath without a canal? If it's smack in the middle of the #1 tourist destination in Bucks County, one might call it a fiasco for the residents, visitors, merchants and wildlife of New Hope.

Of course, the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) confirmed on July 9 that they will not have the the New Hope portion of the Delaware Canal repaired and refilled this summer. A spokesperson for the DCNR said the problem was funding. "It won't be until at least the fall until we can start," she said. "The money is not in place at this point."

But interviews with several individuals familiar with the DCNR and construction say bureaucratic indecision and a lack of a cohesive, strategic approach to the entire New Hope canal section is to blame. "They just don't know what to do in Harrisburg," said one individual who asked not to be identified. "They can't make a decision, they're over their heads and don't know what to do."

Another person familiar with masonry and plumbing who asked to remain anonymous said that the biggest problem areas could be lined with dark green plastic, which would be virtually unnoticeable once the canal is refilled with water.

But could a plastic liner last a year or two to allow time for more enduring restoration work during the off season?

"Hell," said another individual familar with the situation who asked not to be identified. "It could last three, four years, or more."

So, if the state doesn't have funding in place to repair one of the busiest sections of the Delaware Canal and truly complete the project, why not? Is the DCNR official in charge unable to get the job done, or is New Hope just a low priority for the Harrisburg department?

We may never know.

Meanwhile, sporadic work continues almost daily at different points along the aging canal walls, mostly repointing the masonry and moving dirt around. The activity has a distinctly piecemeal appearance to the casual observer. Ducks and geese sit in hot, caked mud waiting for relief; the giant lock at the southern end looks frozen and forlorn.

There will be "no joy in Mudville" today, and no celebration anytime soon in New Hope for a water filled, functioning canal.

Lambertville Canal Creep Still at Large

By Charlie Sahner

Law enforcement officials continue to search for an unknown man that severely beat a Lambertville, N.J. woman 11 days ago as she jogged alongside the Delaware and Raritan Canal. She apparently fought back fiercely enough to send the attacker scurrying away down the towpath.

The July 1 attack took place just beyond Lambertville's border with West Amwell Township, and the motive remains unknown.

With police continuing to actively seek the assistance of the public and the suspect remaining at large, we asked the Hunterdon County Prosecutor's office whether the investigation was getting bogged down. Said spokesman Dan Hurley, "The investigation has not stalled. We continue to receive and track down numerous leads. The investigation remains active and being investigated on a daily basis.

"The New Jersey Park Police have stepped up patrols in the area," he added, "There is still considerable investigative work to complete and we continue to seek the assistance of the public as it is likely more than one person saw the suspect either prior to or after the crime."

Meanwhile, local towpath joggers seem to be taking extra precautions. Said one Lambertville woman, "I used to run early in the morning on the towpath, and I haven't been lately."

New Hope, P.A. Police Chief Mike Cummings confirmed that his department's increased foot patrols along the Delaware Canal towpath will continue indefinitely. While acknowledging that New Hope is fundamentally a "safe" town, Chief Cummings said the Department is staying vigilant and leaving no stone unturned in protecting the Borough's citizens. "Criminals don't have borders," he explained.

As if to underscore that point, Solebury Township, P.A. police on July 3 arrested Javier Aliel Lopez Marroquin, 26, of Hamilton, N.J., and charged him with indecent exposure and open lewdness.

Marroquin was observed exposing himself along the banks of the Delaware River near Route 32 and Aquetong Road at approximately 4:00 pm on July 3. Solebury Police had issued a warning just the day before that "over the past week incidents involving indecent exposure on the Pennsylvania side of the Towpath" had occurred. At least one of those incidents may have taken place well north of the arrest area, past the Bridge at Rabbit Run on Route 32 in Solebury, according to sources.

Said Dan Hurley of the jogger investigation, "We responded to the recent arrest on the PA side of the river and are looking at all past incidents looking for similarities. We have not ruled out anybody at this point in time as it relates to the potential suspects in this attack."

Readers with any information or tips on the jogger case can contact the Hunterdon County Prosecutor’s office at 908-788-1129.