Rehoboth seeks funds for bicycle plan

Rehoboth Beach officials are seeking state help to develop a pedestrian and bicycle master plan and replace the Rehoboth Avenue streetlights with energy-efficient lighting.
City officials submitted a $214,000 grant request to the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) for a pedestrian and bicycle project under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant Program. The project has five vital elements:

• Create a bicycle and pedestrian master plan by conducting counts of pedestrian, bicycle and vehicle traffic in 2011 and 2012

• Create a complete streets policy to make sure all pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders can be safely accommodated

• Develop a three-phase replacement lighting plan

• Install 105 replacement light-emitting diode (LED) lights on Rehoboth Avenue and

• conduct public outreach and education.

Of the five phases, the development of the bicycle and pedestrian master plan is the most expensive and time-consuming. Budgeted at $85,000 over 12 months, the plan would. among other things, identify the goals and objectives of the city’s pedestrian and bicycle policy, identify the need for additional facilities, identify safety measures, map existing facilities and identify improvements to current facilities.

Based on the master plan, the city would develop a complete streets policy, budgeted at $30,000 over six months. The policy would establish best practices to encourage redesign and safety of sidewalks, crosswalks, curb ramps and bicycle facilities and would encourage safe access for all users of public streets.

The grant would also feature the development of a three-phase LED replacement lighting plan, which would feature the installation of 247 replacement lights in high-traffic pedestrian areas.

“The bulbs last longer, and it’s more fuel-efficient,” said City Manager Greg Ferrese. The first project is to install 105 new lights along the sidewalks of Rehoboth Avenue. The new lighting would take three months to install at a budgeted cost of $68,000.

Ferrese will serve as project manager, responsible for overseeing the successful completion of the project and reporting to DNREC. Helping lead the project will be commissioners Pat Coluzzi, Dennis Barbour and Lorraine Zellers. The grant award date is Monday, Nov. 15.

Additional grants

The city has been awarded a $500,000 grant from the state’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant Program. Ferrese said the city has a list of projects it can choose from, including new lighting, heat pumps, window replacement and insulation at City Hall, the Cape Henlopen Senior Center, the public works facility and the wastewater treatment plant administrative building. The city leveraged an additional 10 percent of the grant, bringing the total project budget to $550,000.

Another green energy project the city is undertaking is installing solar panels at the Building and Licensing Office at 306 Rehoboth Ave. The city received a $35,000 grant to install the panels, which will go on the back of the building. The city awarded the bid for the project to Clean Energy USA of Rehoboth. Clean Energy USA submitted a $49,115 bid.

The city has also submitted a $29,605 grant application to DNREC to purchase three fuel-efficient vehicles. One, Ferrese said, will be a 2011 Ford Fusion hybrid to be used by building inspector Terri Sullivan for inspections.

“She’s running a 2001 vehicle right now; it’s 10 years old. If we bought her a Ford Fusion, we’re talking $18,000. But if we bought her a Ford Fusion hybrid, we’re talking $28,000. So they’ll pay for the $10,000 difference. And in return, we can save money. The grant will pay the difference between the purchase of a standard vehicle and a hybrid,” Ferrese said.

The grant also includes converting two new vehicles to propane fuel systems, including a van and a truck used by the parking meter department. The grant award date is Monday, Nov. 15.