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Dewey pushing for fall beach replenishment

Army Corps of Engineers: Restoration project not likely before Labor Day
July 25, 2016

Story Location:
1 Dagsworthy Ave.
Dewey Beach, DE
United States

As with most of Delaware’s ocean coastline, two large storms this past winter washed away significant amounts of sand along Dewey’s mile-long stretch of beach.

Marc Appelbaum, Dewey Beach town manager, said during a July 8 town council meeting he’s been told the beach will be replenished this year. The question, he said, is when.

Applebaum said he’s been told replenishment could happen as early as late July or early August, but he said, he was trying to get it pushed back until at least after Labor Day in September.

Appelbaum said there were logistical questions still to be determined, such as in which direction will the replenishment happen, and where the contractor doing the replenishment would put staging equipment. He said Rehoboth Beach is scheduled to have its beach replenished also, and he’s not sure if the replenishment is going to start or end in Dewey.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is the lead organization in charge of replenishment. Steve Rochette, corps spokesman, said in an email July 18, the replenishment project is not likely to start before Labor Day.

Rochette said the project’s contract was awarded July 15 to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company. Shortly afterward, he said, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will issue Great Lakes a Notice to Proceed, which enables them to begin moving forward on pre-construction requirements. Then the project team will hold a pre-construction meeting to discuss the project schedule, he said.

“At this point, we don't yet know exactly when work will start, but it's not likely to begin before Labor Day,” Rochette said.

Appelbaum said the 4,500 feet of dune fencing installed last summer, and then uprooted during the storms, will be replaced following the completion of the replenishment.

Employee bonus modified

Spurred by questions raised by the town’s independent auditor, Dewey town council voted unanimously in favor of modifying the town employee bonus program.

Resolution 138, created in October 2009, had three tiers of bonuses available for nonseasonal employees. First, there was a $250 appreciation bonus given Dec. 1 of each year. Second, an additional $250 was given when the town’s budget was met. Third, an equal share of a 5 percent bonus for every $100,000 over the amount by which the town's audited financial performance exceeds its budget goal.

Appelbaum said the auditor questioned the third bonus. He said he did not believe the bonus was serving the purpose it was intended to when it was created, and that he would like to modify sections two and three to reward people based on community needs and specific contributions.

As approved, town employees will still get the automatic $250 appreciation bonus, but instead of an additional $250 bonus if the budget is met, it will be $100. Finally, the town manager will have the authority to recommend a portion of the town’s surplus for an employee bonus pool, which will be allocated by the town manager.

Marijuana code changed

Last year, Delaware legislators voted to decriminalize small amounts of marijuana and the personal-use paraphernalia associated with it. During the July 8 meeting, council voted to do the same.

Fred Townsend, town attorney, said towns with an Alderman's Court, like Dewey, can have more strict interpretation of laws than the state. The problem, he said, is defendants have the right to transfer the case to the Court of Common Pleas because of the penalties associated with that.

If a defendant does transfer a case, the state prosecutors are not going to prosecute, Townsend said of marijuana-related felonies.

“If we do this instead, the presumption is the people who are not as concerned about their criminal record now, because these are civil violations, will pay their assessments and carry on,” he said.

Appelbaum said the issue was brought to him by the town’s police force, and, he said, he saw it as a housekeeping issue. Dewey’s code now calls for a civil fine of $200 each for the marijuana and the paraphernalia. The state calls for a civil fine of $100 for each.

Commissioner Dale Cooke said he was totally against the state’s law change, but, he said, he was going to vote in favor of the town’s law change because the two had to be in line.

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