Pier at Rehoboth’s Lake Gerar staying rectangular

Looking to keep construction costs under the $200,000 limit that an anonymous donor is willing to cover, Rehoboth Beach officials have reached a consensus to keep the Children’s Fishing Pier at Lake Gerar essentially the same, but move the structure away from the bridge a bit so both sides of the pier can be used.

The Village Improvement Association built the pier after the Storm of ‘62, using large pieces of timber left in the storm’s wake. The city has been exploring potential rebuilding plans since December 2023, when VIA representatives approached commissioners about an anonymous donor who was willing to put $250,000 toward the pier’s replacement – $200,000 for construction and $50,000 for future maintenance. The city also conducted a structural analysis that shows that if the pier is improved, it should be replaced.

There have been multiple designs proposed, but commissioners have landed on keeping the pier on the same footprint and connecting to the shore at the same location, but having the fishing platform moved a little farther west from the bridge across the lake that connects the north side of town with downtown. This option keeps construction costs just under the $200,000 limit and maintains the structure at about the same scale.

Beacon Engineering senior engineer Bob Palmer has been working with the VIA and the city on this project since the beginning. During an April 7 meeting, he presented commissioners with projected costs for three options – $210,000 for an octagonal shape that measures 1,425 square feet, $206,000 for an octagonal shape at 852 square feet, and $199,000 for a rectangle the size of the existing dock at 895 square feet.

Mayor Stan Mills said he was against the one octagonal option because the footprint would be too big. It wouldn’t even fit in this room, he said, referencing the commissioners’ chambers.

 Mills reminded everyone that the city would be on the hook for all the costs of replacing the pier if it weren’t for the anonymous donor. Making a decision to remove or replace it is a necessity, he said.

During a past discussion, representatives from Save Our Lakes Alliance3, a local nonprofit volunteer organization that monitors the health of the city’s three lakes, also expressed concerns about making the fishing pier’s footprint larger.

Rick Hardy, SOLA3 president, said there are still concerns about having a structure in the narrowest part of the lake, but he also appreciated the redesign. If it were much larger, when people are walking or driving by, the pier would be the focus, not the beauty of the surrounding area, he said.

Commissioner Patrick Gossett also reminded everyone that the pier wasn’t always so close to the bridge. The original bridge, built in 1920, was replaced in 2008 and enlarged, which put it closer to the fishing pier.

Gossett said he’s confident the VIA will hold up its end of the bargain moving forward. The VIA has a history of doing things around Rehoboth for 100 years, he said.

Following the discussion, Mills said he expected to bring the topic back for a formal vote at a commissioner meeting in April or May.

Palmer presented an updated timeline for the project, which has the state permitting process beginning this summer and construction tentatively beginning in fall 2026.