Canal dock in Rehoboth Beach reopens
Rehoboth Beach officials announced July 9 that the Grove Park Canal Dock is now open. It had been closed since January due to concerns about the structural integrity of its retaining wall along the embankment.
“Good news! The Grove Park Canal Dock has been reopened,” reads a post from the city’s official Facebook page. “The dock is open from sunrise to sunset; private boats are permitted to utilize the two slips at the dock for a maximum of 30 minutes to load and unload passengers and supplies.”
The city restricted access to the dock earlier this year due to evidence of settling of the retaining wall. During a commissioner workshop July 7, City Manager Taylour Tedder said the city’s consultant conducted an in-person review of the wall and area around the dock the previous week. Other than a few items, the contractor said the dock can be used.
The three items that needed to be repaired were some landscaping, a rubber mat that helped with the transition from concrete to boards and a new locking mechanism for the gate.
In May, a consultant presented city officials with options for the next step, ranging in price from $350,000 for immediate maintenance and monitoring to $1.9 million for removal and replacement. Part of the immediate maintenance includes tons of riprap at the base of the bank to provide support. There has also been talk of the city conducting a constructibility study, which determines if the methods and materials used during construction were appropriate, and possible lawsuits to recover costs.
No decisions have been made on those subjects, but the city’s July 9 post said conditions will continue to be monitored, and the city will also continue to explore potential permanent solutions.
Chris Flood has been working for the Cape Gazette since early 2014. He currently covers Rehoboth Beach and Henlopen Acres, but has also covered Dewey Beach and the state government. He covers environmental stories, business stories and random stories on subjects he finds interesting, and he also writes a column called Choppin’ Wood that runs every other week. He’s a graduate of the University of Maine and the Landing School of Boat Building & Design.
