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Beach replenishment underway in Rehoboth

City plans to begin work on five more projects in the coming months
October 28, 2019

Story Location:
Deauville Beach
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
United States

With equipment being stored in the Deauville Beach parking lot and mobilized offshore, the beaches at the north end of Rehoboth Beach are set to get a lot of attention over the coming weeks – but that work is just one of half a dozen infrastructure projects slated to begin soon in the city.

During a commissioner meeting Oct. 18, Rehoboth Beach City Manager Sharon Lynn announced Great Lakes Dredge and Dock Company LLC, contractor for the Army Corps of Engineers, was mobilizing in the Deauville Beach parking lot and would actively begin beach replenishment Oct. 21. She said they will be working 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The corps awarded the contract in September. The contract calls for dredging 409,000 cubic yards of sand from an offshore borrow site and placing it on the shoreline – 190,000 cubic yards in Rehoboth, 219,000 cubic yards in Dewey. 

In Rehoboth Beach, sand will be placed on the beach in the northern portion of the community, from North Surf Avenue south to the Bandstand area. In Dewey Beach, sand will be placed on the beach from Swedes Street to Beach Avenue.

Lynn said it is expected to take roughly 45 days to complete Rehoboth and Dewey.

Water meter replacement

Over the coming years, Rehoboth is going to systematically replace aging water meters in its water district, beginning with North Shores.

During the commissioner meeting, Lynn announced it had received one bid from Millsboro-based Harry Caswell Plumbing in the amount of $631,000 to replace the North Shores meters.

However, the city budgeted only $400,000 this year for water meter replacement. Lynn recommended awarding the contract to Caswell for about $399,000, to replace 186 meters. The city originally planned to replace 260 water meters this year.

In an email Oct. 20, Public Works Director Kevin Williams the city is evaluating why the replacement price came in above the engineering estimate. Some preliminary feedback was that the project wasn’t large enough to attract specialty contractors, but it was too large for some of the smaller local contractors, he said.

Williams said the water system has approximately 6,000 meters, most of them installed in the mid-1990s. Most manufacturers would say a meter should last 15-20 years, he said.

“As meters age, they typically slow down. If that happens, the user is under-charged for the actual amount of water they are using,” said Williams.

Lynn said work on this project is expected to begin in November, after commissioners vote to approve the contract during the special meeting Monday, Oct. 28.

Delaware Avenue stormwater

Lynn also announced Maryland-based SAK Construction is starting work Oct. 21 to replace the Delaware Avenue stormwater pipe. She said SAK will clean and video the stormwater lines prior to replacement, with replacement beginning mid-November.

In September, commissioners awarded SAK Construction a $456,000 contract to replace the corrugated metal pipe that runs under the ocean block of Delaware Avenue and a section that runs under the dune, from Wilmington Avenue south to Brooklyn Avenue.

According to the city website, during the project, the work area will be closed to traffic 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Mail delivery and trash pick up will not be interrupted.

Philadelphia Street water main replacement

Lynn said the city has begun replacing the water main on Philadelphia Street between Scarborough and Bayard avenues. She said the project is expected to be completed by the end of November.

According to the city’s website, vehicles should not be parked on either side of the street during construction, between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. Mail delivery and trash pick up will not be interrupted.

Access to driveways will be maintained during construction, except when the water main is being placed across the width of the driveways and when the concrete sidewalk is being replaced. It is expected that closure of driveways should not take more than half a day.

The city website says, after the new water main has been installed and tested, it will have to be connected to the existing water system. During this work, the water to Philadelphia Street will have to be shut off. Affected property owners will be given 24 hours notice.

Annual street paving

During a commissioner workshop early in the month, Lynn announced Newark-based A-Del Construction was the low bidder for the annual Rehoboth Beach street repaving. She said the company bid approximately $429,000, well under the city’s budgeted amount of $450,000.

At the Oct. 18 meeting, Lynn said work is anticipated to begin in November, after commissioners vote on the staff’s recommendation during a special meeting Monday, Oct. 28.

According to the city website, the streets being paved this year are Philadelphia Street, from Scarborough Avenue to King Charles Avenue; Third Street, from Lake Avenue to Columbia Avenue; and Stockley Street, from Hickman Street to Scarborough Avenue.

Phase II of wastewater treatment plant improvements

Lynn said the pre-bid meeting and site visit to the Rehoboth Beach Wastewater Treatment Plant was held last week, and the bid opening is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 14.

In July 2018, commissioners voted to take Sussex County up on an offer to fund approximately $6 million in electrical improvements to the city's wastewater treatment plant. The city and county are splitting those costs 50/50. The county is funding the city's portion of the project through a 10-year loan with zero percent interest.

More information on these projects is available at cityofrehoboth.com/government/current-city-projects.

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