Sunset Park improvements planned in Dewey

A shoreline stabilization project has kicked off in Dewey Beach, with plans to create a marsh and kayak launch, improve drainage and remove impervious surfaces, and enhance the area around Sunset Park with native plantings.

Center for the Inland Bays Estuary Science and Restoration Director Meghan Noe Fellows told commissioners at their April 21 meeting that designs for the project location at the end of Dagsworthy Avenue bayside will take up to four months to develop.

With permitting likely to take up to a year, she said, construction should begin in October 2024.

Engineering costs are estimated at $175,000 to $210,000, she said, with construction costs ranging from $480,000 to $760,000, and project management costs about $100,000.

Not all living shoreline restorations are so expensive, Fellow said by email April 27. Given the length of the project and the incorporation of some stormwater retrofits, the site has unique considerations, she said.

Costs are difficult to predict right now due to odd construction material shortages and supply chain issues, Fellows said, and the concept plan was created in 2016.

“But, yes, conceivably, this project could be over $1 million,” she said. “However, the center is lucky enough to have a lot of dedicated volunteers who provide labor for plantings and other work that doesn’t require heavy machinery, and designers who can provide alternatives so we can select a cost-effective budget from the possible design solutions.”

CIB has secured funding for planning and implementation as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding, also known as the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, Fellows said, and CIB will use some of the grant to designate it as a National Estuary Program to design the project.

“We will also use some to build the project, but we anticipate asking the state for a clean water quality improvement grant and other state grant programs that support the nature-based solutions we’ll be implementing,” she said. “The town is also considering how they may contribute to the effort.”