Lewes council debates beach rental concession

Matt Carter of Quest Adventures wants to put a shack on the beach at Roosevelt Inlet in Lewes to rent beach chairs, umbrellas, kayaks, games and other accessories.

Carter, who has a stand on Savannah Road in front of the Beacon Motel, said a third of his business is in the vicinity of Roosevelt Inlet, and a shed for storage would improve efficiency, saving him time and money. 

He said it could also help the traffic and parking woes at Lewes Beach, encouraging people to carpool with fewer beach items, or walk or ride bicycles to the beach.

“I believe this is an integral part of recreation in Lewes,” he said. “Quest has provided recreation for Lewes for a very long time, whether fitness or beach classes or beach parties.”

Carter already has an agreement with Cape Henlopen State Park to provide rentals at the Fishing Pier. He’s recently extended the relationship five more years. In that arrangement, Carter pays the state park an annual fee and a small percentage of proceeds.

Carter said he’d be open to a similar agreement with the City of Lewes.

Some members of the public warned mayor and city council of unforeseen problems.

“When we start bringing in concessions and umbrellas and chairs and floats, we are losing part of what Lewes has been all about and attracted us here in the first place,” said resident Gail Van Gilder. “Once we bring in one business, what’s to stop us from bringing in another and another?”

She added that it could attract more people and cars instead of alleviating traffic and parking woes.

“We already have so many problems with visitors abusing Lewes Beach,” she said. “Let’s solve those problems first before we take on more.”

Resident Barry Dunkin countered by saying Quest is already providing the service.

“Matt is asking for a place to put his equipment,” he said. “The question is, do we want to provide a space for him to continue to serve the community?”

Carter is seeking to put a small shack on the beach adjacent to the dune crossover. Kayaks would be neatly stored outside the shack with all other supplies inside. He expects one to two employees to be on site from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. most of the summer.

Resident Tim Rizert said he supports the idea because it aims to reduce traffic. He urged city council to approve the request and add more bicycle racks at Roosevelt Inlet to encourage alternative modes of transportation.

“Anything we can do to encourage pedestrians to get around town by bicycle or foot, we need to support that,” he said. “I think this is a no-brainer.”

One resident asked whether people will start to reserve space on the beach. Councilman Dennis Reardon, who lives on the beach, said it’s already a problem.

Carter said he would only rent chairs to groups if they are all present.

Council deferred action on the request until its February meeting.