The Daily Times from Salisbury, Maryland • A1

can be a scary word in the world of environmental conservation sheets of vinyl siding growing up new condominiums, yards of pavement eating away rural pasture. But Steve Miller said sometimes it come that way. Wharf, a western Wicomico County property with a rich history reaching back to the 1600s, has been mostly farm and state-designated critical wetlands for the 20- plus years the county has owned it. Now, as the period of public comment came to a close in early November, the county is plans to transform the undeveloped area, closed to the public for decades, into a large-scale park. The goal? Accentuate and preserve natural elements coating the 340 acres.

a line said Mil- ler, director of Wicomico Recreation, Parks Tourism. provide public ac- cess, by nature, going to have to develop something. But we were very, very aware (that) people want it overdeveloped, so we tried to walk that line. think hit that hit that What to expect at the Wharf A majority of the property is reported- ly slated to go untouched, continuing to provide a system of hiking trails snaking through the forested area northwest of Whitehaven Road. Crossing that road, you meet the riv- erside area of the acreage.

Miller said meadows will take the place of longstanding with trails to gently guide visitors through the park. He also said the county intends to plant more trees in the area, diversifying habi- tats people can explore on the grounds. Venturing farther within the park, visitors will soon see a large pavilion for events and parking. Deeper yet on the riverside property, there will be observa- Wharf, off Whitehaven Road near Quantico, will soon be converted to a large park in Wicomico County. PHOTOS BY KELLY DAILY TIMES Wharf park to feature trails, more Wicomico will harness nature to transform 340-acre property Kelly Powers Salisbury Daily Times USA TODAY NETWORK DELMARVA Wicomico County Recreation, Parks Tourism Director Steve Miller points to the water access and boat ramp set to take shape at Pirate's Wharf, as he shares the project's plans in his office in Salisbury.

See PARK, Page 2A a quality of life component to all this, where it Steve Miller Director of Wicomico Recreation, Parks Tourism THE DAILY TIMES TUESDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2019 DELMARVANOW.COM PART OF THE USA TODAY NETWORK EIGHT-TIME WINNER NEWS ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR NFL playoff picture shakes up Five teams clinch spots in postseason during Week 15 action. Sports, 1B Volume 97 No. 15 Home delivery pricing inside Subscribe 877-424-0148 $2.00 Weather High Low Drizzle. Forecast, 8A QEAJAB-52801s (410) 840-7058 A construction has been completed on Wal- lops Island. Rocket Lab, a global leader in small satellite launch, and Virginia Space at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport have completed construction of a launch platform at Rocket sec- ond launch site.

This comes ahead of the Elec- tron launch from U.S. according to a Virginia Space press release. Launch Complex 2, as dubbed, marks one of the steps in the or- construction of a new pad. Work on the launch site started in February, with more than 1,400 cubic yards of concrete poured since then to create the pad. The 66-ton launch platform was in- stalled into its position this month, according to the release, ready for the 44-foot, 7.6-ton strongback to be mounted to the platform in coming weeks, restraining a rocket prior to launch.

Both the launch platform and strongback were built by Steel Amer- ica in Norfolk, Virginia. Once fully operational, Launch Complex 2 is expected to employ up to 30 people in engineering, launch safe- ty and administrative positions. The step in the completion of the site is integration and test activ- ities, which is expected to be complete by December 2019. Once the site is complete, work begins on testing, commissioning and integration at the launch site in preparation for the Electron launch from U.S. soil in early 2020.

is actively advancing all as- pects of small spacecraft missions to the greatest national and Rocket progress on Launch Com- plex 2 over the past several months has been nothing short of said David Pierce, director at NASA Goddard Space Flight Wallops Flight Facility. Elec- tron rocket helps a key national need for providing more and more frequent launch opportunities for small Launch Complex 2 is Rocket second launch site and will supple- ment launch availability out of Rocket existing site, Launch Complex 1 on New Mahia Peninsula, according to the release. Launch Complex 2 can reportedly support up to 12 launches per year and is tailored for The release stated the launch customer for the Electron mission from Rocket Lab Launch Com- plex 2 will be announced in late 2019. Launch platform marks milestone Rocket Lab takes steps for second site Kelly Powers Salisbury Daily Times USA TODAY NETWORK DELMARVA House lays out case Impeachment vote set for Wednesday; judiciary report says Trump betrayed nation USA TODAY, 7A.