State Road pump station project underway in Rehoboth
The reconstruction of the Rehoboth Beach pump station off State Road has begun.
During a commissioner meeting April 21, City Manager Laurence Christian said demolition of the 80-year-old structure would begin around May 1. The city’s contractor is setting up bypass pumps, which will be operational for about six months while work is taking place, he said.
In August 2021, the city said the concrete for the building was original to the structure and had been damaged by exposure to sulfuric acid as part of operations.
Over the course of a number of meetings, Public Works Director Kevin Williams described this pump station as critical because all of the city’s wastewater flow, as well as the flow from Henlopen Acres and North Shores, goes through it. The city budgeted $2.5 million this fiscal year for the project.
Grove Street sidewalk
A new sidewalk is being installed on Grove Street at a cost of about $45,000, said Christian. Historically, there has been a sidewalk on the western edge of Grove Street coming out of the south end of the Rehoboth Avenue circle that ended at Sixth Street. This new project will finish the sidewalk all the way to State Road.
The new sidewalk is an add-on to the pedestrian improvement project for State Road at the intersection of Grove and Munson streets. That project included a crosswalk across Munson Street, a crosswalk across State Road, and the installation of bump outs on all four corners of the intersection to make the crosswalks shorter. That project is completed, except for flashing pedestrian beacons, similar to ones installed on Rehoboth Avenue a couple of years ago. The beacons are expected to be installed at some point in the future.
Employee parking in city hall lot this summer
Looking to make it a little easier for its summer staff to find parking, the city will convert a row of spaces in the city hall lot to employee parking.
Christian said the city has more employees than parking spots available. To alleviate the issue, a section near Rehoboth Beach Volunteer Fire Company will be designated for employees from 7 a.m to 5 p.m., weekdays only, he said.
“Staff will continue to evaluate and review parking to make sure we have adequate parking to handle city business. If any changes happen, we will make sure everybody knows,” said Christian.
