Rehoboth Beach keeps improving pedestrian pathways

Last year, as part of Rehoboth Beach’s annual street paving contract work, the city added curbs to the sidewalks along North First Street.

This year, in an effort to continue to improve pedestrian pathways, the city has redone the Bayard Avenue/Christian Street intersection and added about 150 feet of sidewalk to the north side of Christian Street.

As part of the paving, it’s not just about replacing portions, but also improving, said Public Works Director Henry Matlosz during an update on infrastructure projects at a commissioner meeting Nov. 21. The city added the First Street curbs to the contract last year, said Matlosz, who noted it has been a big win because the sidewalk is safer.

This year, the city made improvements to the Bayard Avenue/Christian Street intersection because there was no sidewalk on the north side of Christian Street, and the curb ramps were probably the worst in the city, said Matlosz. Those ramps are now fully ADA-compliant, and there’s a sidewalk running the full length of Christian Street, he said.

Like many municipalities, the city requires property owners to maintain the sidewalk in front of their property. As part of its annual paving contract, the city allows property owners in the paving area to redo their sidewalks and curbs at the unit pricing the city gets.

Last year, on Maryland Avenue and First Street, there were only a few takers, said Matlosz. This year, there were close to 10 property owners, and it looks pretty good when going down the street, he said, adding the city’s contractor is wrapping up on this year’s work.

Commissioner Mark Saunders said he would like to know the cost for the property owners when they work in conjunction with the city on redoing sidewalks. That way the city can show the potential savings and encourage more participation in the future, he said.

Matlosz provided an update on the cost of water interconnection with Tidewater near the city’s wellhead on Warrington Road. The city had budgeted $130,000, but the total cost ended up being $214,000, he said. However, it increases the reliability of the city’s system, especially during the summer, he said.

During a recent test, the flow rate was 500 gallons per minute, which is better than anticipated, said Matlosz. The goal is to have it, but not have to use it, he said.

The Tidewater connection was spurred by a spike in water usage during Fourth of July weekend two summers ago that also coincided with having to help Henlopen Acres because its system had an issue too.

Commissioner Suzanne Goode said that since the reason for the project was for water system customers outside the city’s municipal limits, the city should make sure those people are bearing the cost rather than in-town customers.

Matlosz said it doesn’t look like the city is going to use the money budgeted this year for Phase IV of improvements at the city’s wastewater treatment plant. That will be part of next year’s budget discussion, but the city is going to take some of that money and replace the roofs of the pump stations on St. Lawrence Street and by Lake Gerar, he said.

The city is responsible for overseeing the Phase IV upgrade. However, due to a cost-sharing agreement with Sussex County, city property owners are only responsible for about 35% of the total cost. County customers will be responsible for the rest.

Commissioner Craig Thier said if project money in this year’s budget is going to be pushed forward, it’s important to remember the city only really pays for one-third of the wastewater plant improvements. On some of the smaller projects, the costs are coming in a little over here or a little under there, but mainly it’s important in the city’s overall budget tracking, he said.

Matlosz touched on a couple of smaller projects.

The city spent about $100,000 to permanently fix a stormwater pipe on Stockley Street that runs into the western prong of Silver Lake. A sinkhole developed in a neighbor’s lawn last year for a second time, so a quarter-inch- to half-inch-thick lining was added to the pipe, he said.

The repair is capable of handling much higher velocity and flow rates than typically seen there, said Matlosz.

Two 10-foot fans have been installed at the city’s fleet services shop to help cool the shop during the summer and push heat down during the winter, said Matlosz. They were installed at the end of the summer, and the employees are pleased, he said.