Lewes sand-moving operation completed ahead of schedule

The large dump trucks are gone, and so is a lot of sand from the Savannah Beach and Johnnie Walker Beach parking lots in Lewes.

But, city officials say there is still work to be done to get the Savannah lot ready for the start of meter season Friday, May 1.

Assistant City Manager Janet Reeves delivered the monthly manager’s report at the April 13 mayor and city council meeting. She declared that the sand-moving part of the project had been completed March 28, two weeks ahead of schedule.

Reeves said city maintenance department staff had moved 230 dump truck loads of sand that had built up in the parking lots to residential areas that had lost sand in recent storms.

She said the project should not be called beach replenishment, because no state or federal funds were involved. The city paid $100,000 to rent the heavy equipment.

“We cut back the parking lots, with DNREC’s approval, anywhere from 5 to 10 feet. We uncovered additional parking spaces that had just gotten buried in the sand,” Reeves said.

But, as of April 16, the Savannah Beach lot still had not been fully restored. Sand covers parts of the lot, parking curbs are piled by the lifeguard headquarters and a light pole at the south end had been knocked down.

Reeves acknowledged the damaged pole in response to a question from Councilperson Tim Ritzert.

“A pedestrian decided to come in and see what was going on, [and] in trying to avoid the pedestrian, the light pole was hit,” she said.

After the meeting, City Manager Ellen Lorraine McCabe called the damaged pole a casualty and said all the light poles in the lot are due for replacement.

She did not know how much it might cost to replace the single damaged pole. Council did not appropriate any money in the Fiscal Year 2027 budget for light pole replacement.

The Cape Gazette showed McCabe a photo of road signs piled up in the middle of the Savannah Beach lot. Some signs appeared to be damaged. She said maintenance staff placed them there, and the signs would be reinstalled.

A bulldozer and some smaller equipment remained in the lot as of April 16. It did not appear the unfinished restoration was having any impact on parking.

The work at Johnnie Walker Beach was completed in time for the April 11 community bonfire.