Delaware
Legislative Hall ‘moving forward’ with renovation, expansion plans, despite opposition
Gov.-elect Matt Meyer stresses education in school visit after election win
Matt Meyer visited Glasgow High School the day after winning the race to be Delaware’s next governor. 11/6/24
Delaware’s Legislative Hall may soon look a little different.
Plans to expand and revamp the Statehouse are “moving forward,” beginning with a new parking garage, said Richard Puffer, who chairs the legislative committee overseeing the project.
The $150 million project has raised renewed concerns over the expense and need for the renovations.
Here’s what Delaware needs to know.
When has Legislative Hall last changed?
Legislative Hall has been Delaware’s state capitol building since 1933.
In addition to House and Senate chambers, the building houses offices belonging to members of the state General Assembly and is home to several committee rooms and the formal office of the state governor. It also has many murals, portraits and exhibits.
Plans to renovate and expand Legislative Hall began in November 2021. The last time Legislative Hall was renovated and expanded was in the 1990s.
There is “a great need” for more meeting and office space, both for employees and the public, said Puffer, who also serves as the chief clerk of the state House of Representatives.
What is included in the project?
A costly part of the project will be the new parking garage.
The current design will include approximately 350 parking spaces, including 240 for public access and 97 for state legislators and employees.
Once the garage is finished, construction will then begin on an underground tunnel connecting the garage to the capitol, Puffer said.
Additional work will include building up to four new large meeting rooms and moving the entrance from the west to the east side of the building across the street from the new parking garage.
How long will this project take?
The budget for the project should be finalized in June 2025, Puffer said.
If all goes smoothly, construction for the garage will begin in July 2025 and conclude by the end of December 2026 – with additional work set to begin in the summer or fall of 2026 and be completed by late 2028.
How much will this project cost?
As of now, roughly $40 million has already been invested into the project, with an additional $10 million from the FY 2025 Bond Bill, which was passed in June.
Puffer also said an additional $110 million has been requested for renovations and expansions.
Cost of the project questioned
John Flaherty, Delaware Coalition for Open Government board member, recently told the Office of Management and Budget, the project is “self-serving” and does not serve the public.
“How busy is the General Assembly” to warrant such an expensive change, given that the state legislature will convene for nearly 42 days out of the year this upcoming session, Flaherty said.
Other individuals who oppose this project, including Delaware Black Commission founder Jakim Mohammed, also call this a “wasted, taxpayer-funded” expenditure.
Mohammed also feels that attention should instead be focused on pressing issues facing the state, including education, infrastructure and housing.
Former state senator Karen Peterson recalled how parking and meeting space at Legislative Hall had “never been an issue” before, and how these renovations will be “taking money away.”
“We should be funding the needs, not the wants,” Peterson said.
While Puffer said he understands these concerns, he also mentioned how these expansions will help allow people “to participate in the legislative process.”
The Legislative Hall Committee is scheduled to hold its next meeting on Dec. 10 at 12:30 p.m.
For more information on how to attend or tune in virtually, visit the state General Assembly website.
Olivia Montes covers state government and community impact for Delaware Online/The News Journal. You can reach her at omontes@delawareonline.com.
A massive crane at a construction site along I-295 in New Castle County, Delaware, tipped backward.
SkyForce10 was over the scene on Wednesday, April 29, where a massive crane could be seen leaning backward with all its wheels in the air:
It is unclear at this time if anyone was injured and how the crane tipped backward.
FOLCROFT, Pa. (WPVI) — The FBI is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the disappearance of a Delaware County, Pennsylvania man.
Isiah Jenifer, 29, has been missing since last summer.
Jenifer’s sister reported him missing to police on Aug. 28 after she said she had been unable to reach him and learned that no one else had heard from him.
“It’s not like my brother not to be at my house, and we received a few phone calls that nobody had heard or talked to him, and I checked his location – his location wouldn’t update,” Kayla Jenifer said.
Police said Isiah Jenifer was last seen on the 1500 block of Chester Pike in Folcroft. His family said that location was a Wawa.
According to Delaware County District Attorney Tanner Rouse, investigators were able to track Jenifer’s phone after he disappeared.
“We were able to track his phone down to the city of Chester. That’s the last time his whereabouts were known,” Rouse said.
Sources said a car Jenifer was believed to have been in was later found in Chester, with blood matching his DNA discovered under one of the seats.
Authorities said the investigation stalled after that discovery, and no arrests have been made in the case.
Rouse said the FBI’s involvement and reward offer reflect the urgency of the investigation.
“It’s all hands on deck when someone is missing, and I appreciate our federal partners offering us this reward. We want help,” he said.
Jenifer’s family said the past eight months have been filled with uncertainty as they wait for answers. They also noted that Jenifer was on parole for a drug-related crime in 2019 and said it was unlike him to miss reporting to his parole officer.
His sister, Rhea Jenifer, emphasized that regardless of his past, he remains deeply loved.
“No matter what he was then, he was someone that we loved. He was a little brother. He was a big brother. He was an uncle, he was a son, he was a nephew,” she said.
Rouse said investigators are hoping someone with information will come forward, whether to help reunite Jenifer with his family or to provide them with closure.
“We’re hoping for a happy ending to this. And obviously if the happy ending isn’t available, we’re hoping to bring justice to his family,” he said.
The FBI said Jenifer has ties to multiple communities. In addition to Folcroft and Chester, he has connections in Philadelphia and Wilmington, Delaware.
Investigators said they are hopeful someone, somewhere, can help bring him home.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI’s Philadelphia Field Office at (215) 418-4000 or at tips.fbi.gov.
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Krell’s textured abstract works invite viewers to slow down and reflect on the enduring presence of the natural world.
Wilmington, Del. (April 28, 2026) – The Delaware Division of the Arts’ Mezzanine Gallery is pleased to present Stone Formations, a solo exhibition of new work by Kira Krell, on view May 1-29, 2026. An opening reception will be held Friday, May 1, from 5-7pm, in the Mezzanine Gallery, located in the Carvel State Office Building at 820 N. French Street, Wilmington. Admission is free and open to the public.
“Stone Formations” guides viewers from volcanic deserts to coastal shorelines through a series of layered, relief-like paintings that trace geological time and place. Krell builds her surfaces by combining sand, plaster, and earth pigments, adding, subtracting, and distressing these materials to achieve textures that appear weathered and time-worn. Intricate details emerge through dry brushing and mark-making with acrylics and pencils, revealing the inner structures of the geological forms she studies. Fascinated by the permanence and strength conveyed by natural landscapes, Krell offers an impression of steadiness and belonging – a counterpoint to the pace and instability of contemporary life. The exhibition invites viewers to pause, breathe, and reflect on the enduring presence of the physical world.
The Mezzanine Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m. Admission is free.
About the Artist
Kira Krell is an abstract artist based in Townsend, Delaware, whose practice centers on multi-layered surfaces and material exploration. Born in 1973 in Bad Oeynhausen, Germany, Krell grew up in a creative family that valued hands-on making, and spent more than a decade traveling internationally as a missionary, experiences that continue to shape her connection to physical environments and place.
Krell began painting during the COVID-19 pandemic, after challenging herself to try drawing. Working with watered-down craft paint, a pen, and an empty CD sleeve, she created her first line-and-wash work. That experimental process led her to canvas and to her current abstract style. Since formally developing her practice in 2021, Krell has refined her work through specialized workshops and ongoing research into historic materials, including plaster and earth pigments.
In 2024, she presented her first solo exhibition, Beauty in Brokenness, at the Newark Arts Alliance Gallery in Newark, Delaware. Her work has also been shown at the Bethany Beach Arts Festival and in group exhibitions at the Newark Arts Alliance. Krell is the recipient of a 2024 Artist Opportunity Grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts and the Delaware State Arts Council. Her paintings are held in private collections in Europe and across the United States.
About the Mezzanine Gallery
The Mezzanine Gallery, located on the second floor of the Carvel State Office Building (820 N. French Street, Wilmington, DE), is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The gallery highlights the work of Delaware’s Individual Artist Fellows, showcasing a diverse range of artistic talent throughout the year. For more information, visit https://arts.delaware.gov/mezzanine-gallery.
Images in the banner: “Rockport Shore” (2026), plaster, pigment on canvas, 18”x24”.
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Contact: Andrew Truscott, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications
302-577-8280, andrew.truscott@delaware.gov
About the Delaware Division of the Arts
The Delaware Division of the Arts is an agency of the State of Delaware. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. Funding for Division programs is provided by annual appropriations from the Delaware General Assembly and grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.
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