Rehoboth mayor feeling good about summer 2019, connecting communities

Rehoboth Beach Mayor Paul Kuhns is keeping his fingers crossed. “I’m just hoping the second half of the summer is as good as the first half has been. So far it’s been pretty spectacular. The weather has been great. We’ve had good forecasts, and the rain has been staying away from the weekends. Memorial Day weekend is a good example. We had a great forecast and we had great weather. That doesn’t happen very often.”

Since then, he said, the beaches are filled during the day, people are on the Boardwalk walking in the mornings, and they return to the Boardwalk in the evening to make their way to Funland and the restaurants. “Meter and parking permit revenues are up too,” said Kuhns. “We raised rates from $2 to $3 per hour in the main commercial areas of Rehoboth Avenue, Wilmington and Baltimore, thinking that would move some of the day-trippers farther away from the commercial district – toward streets like Olive, Virginia and Delaware – so shoppers could have more places to park. But it doesn’t look like it’s working. People are coming to the beach and taking advantage of what the city provides.”

Kuhns recalled a tough spot early in the summer on the Boardwalk. “There were a couple groups of young fellows with lots of testosterone. Somebody said something that someone else didn’t like, and it ended up with a stabbing. Fortunately, it was taken care of in a couple of days and there hasn’t been trouble like that since.”

Talking about the incident put us on the subject of cameras. “You know, with everyone taking photos and videos these days, it’s a dangerous time to be a criminal,” said Kuhns. “Several people were taking videos, and the police were able to get an identity and make an arrest.” 

Kuhns noted that Rehoboth Beach, like many cities around the country, has cameras mounted in areas the police feel need monitoring. “Chief Banks is working on grants to get more cameras, and chamber of commerce officials have contacted us saying they would like to partner with the city to help raise funds to get more cameras. In our emergency dispatch center in city hall, there is a bank of several screens that are monitored 24 hours a day. But we need more. Police can’t be everywhere all the time.”

He said Chief Banks added an additional eight summer police officers this year. “They walk the beaches and Boardwalk, ride their bikes through all parts of town. I’ve heard lots of positive comments about their presence.

“We have more regulations, new regulations. With a ban against smoking and canopies on the beach – and with drinking always being a problem – the police walking the beach serves as a reminder that we do have regulations.”

This is Kuhns’ second summer as mayor of Rehoboth Beach. “A pleasant surprise for me in my new role has been getting to know the staff and the management, and to see how they do all that they do. It’s heartwarming to see how the staff feels about the city and the people they are working for.”

Management by walking around

Kuhns does a lot of walking around Rehoboth Beach. “The Boardwalk, the neighborhoods, I stop in and talk with business people, pop in places and have a cup of coffee and see how things are going. I talk to as many people as possible. It’s a small town. You can do that here. It’s amazing what goes on in a one-mile-square area.”  

That’s why it takes a $16 million annual budget to keep it all working smoothly.

Kuhns said he has also been riding the local trails in recent weeks. “I rode them a lot last year as well. But this year vs. last year? It seems like there are two times as many people using the trails this year. People are bringing their bicycles and renting bicycles. I think we need more signage, and we’re working on that. We want to keep people off Rehoboth Avenue as much as possible. It’s the most dangerous part of town. So we’re thinking about more decals on the streets and getting people more familiar with alternate and safer routes through town. But everybody is realizing the bicycles are here, and we want to make riding in Rehoboth more enjoyable for residents and visitors alike.

“Connecting these communities with these trails is very important. People like to get off the trails and go into Lewes and Rehoboth Beach to get something to drink or eat. “

Kuhns said he’s also feeling good about the new town dock planned canalside behind the Rehoboth Beach Museum. “Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf was able to get us $200,000 in the state’s bond bill this year. That’s a real positive. I think we’ll be going to bid by mid- to late fall. By late 2020, I think we’ll be up and running with the dock. That’s another way to connect our communities.”