Rehoboth’s new playground at Lake Gerar nearly complete

After years in development, Rehoboth Beach’s new playground at Lake Gerar should be open soon.

During a budget meeting Feb. 7, City Manager Sharon Lynn said the new playground equipment and a fence surrounding the play area had recently been installed.

The new playground, featuring equipment designed for kids of all mobility types, is replacing a 30-year-old one that had been the first such installation by the city. The project was introduced a couple of budget cycles ago as part of the city’s capital improvement plan because rust was making the equipment structurally unsafe. Commissioners earmarked $100,000 toward the playground in 2020, but then COVID hit. About this time last year, again during budget talks, commissioners agreed to spend $275,000 on the playground. It was demolished a few months later. Shipping delays and supply chain issues pushed installation into early 2022.

The equipment and fence have been installed, but the playground is not open for use yet.

Currently, there’s a layer of gravel surrounding the equipment. During the recent budget meeting, City Arborist Liz Lingo said the playing surface will be installed in the near future, but the work requires a few days in a row of temperatures above 45 degrees.

In an email roughly a week later, Lingo said the surfacing portion of the project takes a couple days of work, but it could take a little longer because there’s still prep work to do for the walkway leading to the playground. Fingers crossed, it will be warm enough in March, she said.

Lingo said once the playing surface has been installed, there will be a final inspection to make sure all safety and installation requirements have been met.

“After that, we should be all set – hopefully just in time for the warm temperatures,” said Lingo, adding there’s a plan in the works for a grand opening, but the date has not been finalized.