Since 2004, I have written many letters to the City of Rehoboth and to the Cape Gazette. I have also met with the city manager and Todd Fritchman, president of Envirotech, and attended city meetings about Lake Gerar, to no avail.
Save Our Lakes Alliance 3, founded by Sallie Forman and others living near Silver Lake and Lake Comegys, saved those two lakes, which are pretty with rocks around the edge, wildlife allowed, water fountains, etc. Years have gone by and Lake Gerar is still surrounded by overgrown weeds and a buffer zone wider than the 10 feet voted on in 2013 by the commissioners of Rehoboth. Algae and scum are consuming the complete west end. The end of Second Street near Bad Hair Day is an unhealthy sight and has looked this way through Mayors Sam Cooper, Paul Kuhns and Stan Mills. Three years ago, I met with the city manager and she showed me a booklet of projects that included the dredging and cleaning of Lake Gerar. Now, I was recently told by her that it was delayed because the commissioners decided to redo the triangle at the end of Second Street for more parking.
I have lived on Olive Avenue for 75 years overlooking Cranberry Park and Lake Gerar. Ever since the city, SOLA3 and Todd Fritchman decided to eliminate non-native geese (as they called Canada geese) with more than the 10-foot buffer, I have had snakes regularly in my basement cellar (my neighbor has a picture of a 5-foot snake in my yard), rats, and a fox at my front door. Silver Lake has none of these problems.
Why can’t Lake Gerar be like Silver Lake? Allow wildlife, and dredge and clean up all of the area. I had never seen a snake, rat or fox before the decision by SOLA3 and the city in 2004. They are multiplying in the overgrown buffer zone of the weeds in back of my house. I feel very uncomfortable.
Silver Lake has none of these problems. Why the difference?
The lake is now full of snapping turtles that these geese probably kept at a minimum. I have lived in Rehoboth Beach for 85 years. My children and grandchildren enjoyed playing by Lake Gerar, feeding the ducks and climbing the weeping willow tree, which is now gone. They used their rowboat along with their friends across the lake, who also had a boat. I have pictures of Lake Gerar before SOLA3. It was very pretty and well kept by a man named John Brown, known as Mr. Rehoboth. He worked for the city and took care of almost everything. He loved Rehoboth and kept the parks very neat. He even fed the ducks. We need another John Brown.
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