Prime Hook Beach property owner questions dune crossing
A Prime Hook Beach property owner is questioning the state about why a public notice asking for comments on the retroactive approval of a concrete dune crossing in Prime Hook Beach was issued in the middle of December.
Most PHB homeowners live outside of the reach of local news outlets, said Gregory Nielson. As a result, most are not aware of the concrete ramp issue and may not have submitted comments before the deadline passed, he said.
“All homeowners with whom I have discussed the ramp are strongly opposed to it, not just for the damage to the dune and ecosystem, but the precedent it could set not just for Prime Hook, but for all of Sussex County's coastal communities,” said Nielson in an email Jan. 9.
It’s not exactly clear when the 10-foot-wide, 118-foot-long concrete dune crossing was built. Previously, the state said it wasn’t on their radar until a member of the public asked if this type of structure was allowed by the regulations.
According to documents on the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control website, the application was submitted Nov. 14 by property owner David Heffernan. The state’s Division of Watershed Stewardship issued a public notice Dec. 10. Comments were due no later than Christmas Day, Thursday, Dec. 25.
Michael Globetti, DNREC spokesperson, said the state received 28 responses to the public notice, but declined to say what side of the decision the responses favored. The application is still pending, so that question cannot be answered at this time, he said.
The state also declined to answer a question about publishing a notice of this nature during the winter months, when a majority of the Prime Hook Beach property owners aren’t in touch with what’s happening locally.
Because the application is still pending, that question cannot be answered at this time, said Globetti.
Nielson has been going to PHB since the 1970s, when his parents built a summer home there, and he has been a homeowner himself since 2020. He was one of the 28 people who submitted a public comment and is adamantly against the crossing.
“We object to the concrete ramp and strongly recommend that it be removed,” said Nielson in his comments to the state.
The Prime Hook Beach Organization, DNREC and the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge have taken the initiative to educate homeowners and vacationers on how to coexist with the natural habitat of Prime Hook, said Nielson.
“A concrete boat ramp destroys the natural habitat,” said Nielson. “What signal does that send to Prime Hookers and their guests? What's next: Street lights, sidewalks, a concrete shoreline? Why follow the permitting process if DNREC will not enforce their regulations?”
When asked why DNREC didn’t require removal as soon as it found out, Globetti reiterated what was said when the issue was first raised in December.
DNREC is allowing the applicant to have their due process, said Globetti. If the application is denied, removal of the structure and restoration of the dune will be required, and fines could also be charged, he said.
It’s unknown when DNREC will rule on the dune crossing.
Other than rules saying a decision cannot be made by DNREC any sooner than 20 days after the application appeared in a DNREC public notice, there is no timeline for permitting decisions, said Globetti.
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.
