Rehoboth Beach canal dock still has not been reopened

Rehoboth Beach closed its canal dock indefinitely in January due to the discovery of settling and cracks along the walkway and retaining wall leading down to the dock.

Last month, 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. That same consultant said the city could reopen the dock for public use. Now, it appears the dock might not open until July 4 at the earliest.

Located immediately west of the Rehoboth Beach Museum on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal, the dock took a decade to come to fruition, but opened to the public in May 2021.

The ongoing closure was discussed during the commissioner workshop June 9. It wasn’t on the agenda as a specific item, but was brought up during the city manager’s report.

City Manager Taylour Tedder said Wallace Montomery, the city’s engineering contractor, conducted a survey in May, with nine points on the embankment. There will be an additional survey in June before any consideration is given to the reopening of the dock, he said.

“Unfortunately, it’s going to be a little more time than anticipated,” said Tedder.

At a previous meeting, Stable Ground In-Situ engineer Fernando Garcia said no matter what the city decides to do, there is a need for riprap to stabilize the slope.

Commissioner Mark Saunders asked if the city is getting estimates on what it would cost to install the rocks. If it’s determined the slope is still moving, that may prevent it from moving, he said.

Tedder said that’s still an option being considered.

Commissioner Suzanne Goode said she would like the city to pursue a lawsuit against the insurance company of the builder, because the builder is no longer in business. The specs don’t mention how important it is to preserve the embankment because there are two important pipes that run parallel to it, she said.

“We have a big problem,” said Goode. “Money was on the table, and there was not a lot of due diligence given to whether this was an appropriate location for a canal boat dock.”

Commissioner Craig Thier wanted to know the status of a constructability study, which determines if the methods and materials used during construction were appropriate.

Public Works Director Henry Matlosz said he’s talked to a number of firms about conducting that study, and it would cost $50,000 to $100,000. There would be additional borings, including under existing sidewalks, he said.

“It would be a very deep dive,” he said.

Thier said he isn’t in favor of spending another dime on the canal dock until the study is completed. It’s frustrating to hear from staff that it might be brought back, he said.

“If we find out there’s a problem, either the methods or the materials weren’t appropriate, I’m with Commissioner Goode. We need to be pursuing litigation against whoever is out there, that we can,” said Thier.

Thier said the recent survey seems to indicate there has been more slippage of the wall.

Following the meeting, Lynne Coan, city spokesperson, said it appears the wall may have moved more, but the city is not able to say for sure at this point. Earlier surveys used three points, and since Wallace Montgomery is being asked to assess whether the dock continues to slip and if it is safe to be opened, they prefer using the May 27 nine-point survey as the baseline, she said.

“We’ll be using the May 27 evaluation as a baseline and will have a better sense of what is happening – whether the wall has slipped and stabilized or is still slipping – after the late June assessment,” said Coan, in an email June 10.

Citing the fact that the topic wasn’t on the agenda, Mayor Stan Mills ended the conversation before it went much further. If commissioners want continued discussion, it can be put on an agenda, he said.