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Rehoboth Beach’s Boardwalk is just about ready to get a facelift and unlike one of those Michael Jackson transformations, this one might be very recognizable.
The Rehoboth Boardwalk Committee has narrowed its selection of decking materials to three choices: southern yellow pine, as it is now; or one of two composite woods: Trex or Tamko Evergrain.
At its Monday, June 30 meeting, the committee visited a test-section of the Boardwalk, between Laurel and Philadelphia streets, where different decking has been laid down. Among the different styles were black locust, Moisture Shield composite, Trimax or fiber-reinforced plastic, Trex, Evergrain and the yellow pine.
The committee ruled out black locust, Moisture Shield and Trimax as too expensive both to install and to maintain. Also ruled out was Ipe, a South American wood that comes from rainforests. Despite being long-lasting, Ipe is also very expensive and hard to come by, plus, it comes with potential protests from environmental groups, said Commissioner Stan Mills.
“We listened to our engineer who analyzed these and said, ‘What are the best ones that would work in a commercial application with vehicles and the exposure we have to the ocean,’” Mills said. “So we eliminated a lot of products that are out there that you would use at your home.”
The committee did not select a decking material. Jack Dolan, engineer for the project, said southern yellow pine is the most economical choice based on initial construction costs. Although it is affordable and readily available, the downside to using pine is that it does not last as long and costs more to maintain than other choices. Yellow pine would cost $195,000 to install but $670,000 to maintain, based on Dolan’s 20-year maintenance estimates.
Evergrain would cost $863,000, with installation costing $425,000 and maintenance costing $438,000. Dolan estimated Trex to cost $1.2 million – $395,000 to install and $808,000 to maintain, although Dolan acknowledged that estimate is probably a little too high. Decking replacement for the pine would be needed in seven years, Dolan said, while the composites would need replacing in 10 to 20 years. One downside to using a composite is that it heats up about five degrees higher than the temperature outside, Dolan said.
The committee is divided as to what material to select. Mills said, “Part of it for me comes down to cost. The other thing is, I’m a wood lover and I tend toward the solid wood, provided we have a good maintenance program. I’m leaning toward the Boardwalk being real boards and using southern yellow pine with a good maintenance program.”
Mayor Sam Cooper said he is concerned about having to do continual maintenance on the Boardwalk and the inconvenience and associated costs of changing the decking, such as taking down the light poles.
“The longer-lasting deck we can put on it the better because the downside is it being torn up from time to time,” he said.
Commissioner Kathy McGuiness said while southern yellow pine would be nice, the maintenance costs may be too much in the long term.
Committee member Matt Henschke said he prefers using wood but he also liked the longevity the composites offer.
Committee member Bill Bahan said, “I’m a purist. I feel very strongly that it should be wood.”
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