Henlopen Acres inching closer to marina dredging

It appears users of Henlopen Acres Marina will have a little more room to navigate when the 2022 boating season begins.

The town has been trying for years to get necessary permits to dredge the 58-slip marina on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal. The last time the marina was dredged was in 2012.

Town Manager Tom Roth said commissioners approved the hiring of Droney Marine Construction during a meeting Dec. 10. At a cost of $170,000, the Millville-based company was the only bidder for the contract.

The town has all its permits and is working on pre-construction requirements, said Roth.

A study done in 2019 showed the marina’s sedimentation rate has nearly tripled since the 1990s – about 360 cubic yards of sediment per year entered the marina basin from 1990 to 2003; 444 cubic yards per year from 2003 to 2012; and more than 900 cubic yards per year from 2012 to 2019. The study showed the marina lost one foot of depth from 2018 to 2019 and concluded that the town would need to dredge 6,505 cubic yards of sediment to achieve four feet of clearance at low tide. 

Commissioners reach consensus on zoning definitions

During a meeting in October, commissioners approved a number of amendments to the town’s zoning code, including several definitions.

There were two definitions the town commissioners delayed action on in favor of continued wordsmithing – family and group rental.

The board has reached a consensus on the definitions and will vote on them at the Friday, Jan. 14 meeting, said Roth. A vote wasn’t taken during the December meeting because edits and the definitions have yet to be put in formal language for approval, said Roth.

Parking permits coming in 2022

Looking to address parking issues in the town’s cul-de-sacs, commissioners decided to proceed with a new parking permit process in 2022. Each property owner will receive two numbered permit hang tags, and each rental property will receive two numbered hang tags, said Roth.

For more information on Henlopen Acres issues, call town hall at 302-227-6411.