Cape Henlopen fishing pier will be closed all summer
Story Location:
Lewes, DE
United States
It looks like recreational fishermen will have to cross Cape Henlopen State Park fishing pier off their list of top spots this summer.
Matt Chesser, Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation environmental administrator for the Planning, Preservation and Development Section, said March 25 the fishing pier would not be open this summer.
“If we’re lucky, it’ll be open for the fall fishing season,” he said.
The Delaware Division of Parks and Recreation announced the closing of the pier in October 2014 after an engineering study showed 45 pilings needed to be replaced. The pier is made completely of wood and was built during World War II by the U.S. Army. In 2012, a large section at the end of the pier was demolished after it fell into disrepair.
Chesser said a follow-up to the October study showed all of the pier’s 125 pilings would need to be replaced at some point in the next few years. Chesser said the hope is this longer-than-anticipated closing means the pier will remain open continuously for two or three years when it is reopened.
During a March 25 coffee session at the Surf Bagel in Lewes, Sen. Ernie Lopez, R-Lewes, said he knows a lot of people enjoy using the pier. He said he appreciated taking his kids there, and that it is accessible for people with disabilities.
He said the issues are a little unsettling, but he would hate to see the pier be fixed only to have it closed again later because of more safety issues.
David Beebe owns and operates Lighthouse View Bait and Tackle, which sits on the shoreline immediately east of the pier.
Beebe said if the pier doesn’t open for the summer, he won’t operate the shop. He estimated 95 percent of his business comes from people fishing on the pier. He said he gets some business from surf fishermen, but most of them catch or make their own bait.
Beebe said the pier is extremely busy. He said he counted 200 people fishing at midnight during a count one night in July. He said the number of people who would use the pier on a holiday weekend, like the soon-to-be-happening Memorial Day, could be between 600 and 700.
Beebe said he’s been fishing the pier since he was 6 and that he’ll be fine if the shop doesn’t open.
“I do it because it’s fun,” he said. “It’s the perfect job.”
Beebe said the state will have to address where fishing licenses will be sold. He said last summer the shop sold approximately 3,000 fishing licenses. He said the next closest place to get a license will be at Anglers Marina in Lewes, which means people will have to leave the park and risk not being able to get back in on a busy day.
“It’s going to be a mess,” he said.
Chesser said the Parks and Recreation Division is working its way through the permitting process before going out to bid on the project. He said the estimated cost for the repair is $1 million, which would come out of the Bond Bill.
Ultimately, he said, the pier is going to have to be replaced, adding when it was built, the estimated lifespan for the pier was 70 years, and it’s coming up on 75.
“It doesn’t owe us anything,” he said. “The wood is just at the end of its life. At some point it would be throwing good money after bad.”
Chesser said the Parks and Recreation Division is always concerned when it’s not able to keep a popular amenity open for visitors. He said he hopes the closing of the pier is an unfortunate growing pain and that maybe some of the attention will lead to talks about a new pier.
Chesser said depending on the location of a new pier - close to the current location or maybe an ocean pier - costs could be in the $12 million to $15 million range.
