Rehoboth will keep Surf Avenue’s wooden sidewalk

Following discussions with concerned homeowners and residents, Rehoboth Beach announced it will replace the decades-old wooden sidewalk on Surf Avenue with wood instead of concrete.

It’s not exactly clear how old the 200-foot-section of wooden sidewalk is between Pennsylvania and Lake avenues on the north side of town. The general consensus is that its current version isn’t any older than March 1962, because that’s when the Storm of ‘62 ravaged Delaware’s coastline, including Rehoboth Beach. Sidewalks, streets and cottages in that residential area of the city were left mangled in the wake of the storm.

During a commissioner workshop Oct. 6, City Manager Taylour Tedder announced plans to replace the 4-foot-wide wooden sidewalk with a 5-foot-wide concrete sidewalk that would be ADA compliant.

“Upon further reflection after listening to the residents, the City of Rehoboth Beach has agreed to retain the mini-boardwalk on Surf Avenue and rebuild it with similar wood to preserve its aesthetics, charm and historic nature,” said City Manager Taylour Tedder in a statement Oct. 16. “We understand the nostalgia that comes with this stretch of walkway, and are happy that this was a situation where we were able to reassess and act with purpose to protect what so many of us see as an asset to the charm of our city.”

Caren Euster was one of the concerned citizens who urged the city to keep the wooden sidewalk. She owns two of the three houses on Surf Avenue that have the wooden sidewalk in front of them. The land has been in her family since the late 1920s, and she can remember the wood being there since she was a kid.

That area is the first time people get the look and feel of the ocean – the wooden boards, the sounds from the beach, a picket fence and the sea roses, said Euster, after finding out the wooden sidewalk will be saved.

“I feel like it makes a beautiful seaside aesthetic,” she said. “I am so grateful the commissioners listened and were responsive to our thoughts about this special place.”

In addition to saving the walkway, the expense is also coming down. During the workshop, Tedder said it would cost the city $20,000 to install the concrete sidewalk compared to $25,000 to replace the wooden sidewalk, which needed structural repairs in addition to new boards.

The city said the cost to replace the walkway is now estimated at $18,000 because the city is planning to use the same boards that are on the Boardwalk, which has resulted in a lower-than-anticipated cost. The project should be completed by the end of the year.