Lewes to allow beach rentals at Roosevelt Inlet

Beach chairs, umbrellas, kayaks and other supplies will be available for rent at Roosevelt Inlet in Lewes this summer.

Lewes Mayor and City Council voted 3-2 Feb. 10 to allow Quest Adventures to move ahead with a five-month trial. 

Matt Carter, owner of Quest, initially approached the city in fall 2018 about adding rental concessions at Lewes’ secondary public beach on Cape Henlopen Drive. When officials opposed that idea, he focused his efforts on Roosevelt Inlet, where he said he delivers several times a day in summer.

“I wouldn’t be proposing this if it made my business harder,” he said. “We drive 40 miles to Roosevelt Inlet per day.”

Carter’s current base of operations is a shack next to the Beacon Motel on Savannah Road. He and his employees deliver beach supplies throughout Lewes. He also has a contract with the state to operate a shack in Cape Henlopen State Park.

Voting against the proposal were council members Bonnie Osler and Dennis Reardon. Reardon, who lives on Lewes Beach, said he’s received many phone calls and messages from his neighbors who are concerned about the impact it will have on the beach, specifically added clutter.

“The threshold question is if this is something we want on the beach,” Reardon said. “It’s not that it’s a bad idea, but I’m just not sure we want concessions on the beach. Once we do, it just opens the door. I don’t know that we want to commercialize our beach in that way.”

Osler shared similar concerns.

“One of the things that makes our beaches special and not like other beaches in Delaware is that they aren’t cluttered with commercial establishments,” she said. “I have no doubt [Quest] will do a good job, but [they] are just the first. There will be a second. After that, a third.”

Despite skepticism, Deputy Mayor Fred Beaufait voted in favor. However, he said, if it’s clearly not working this summer, he wants the city to pull the plug.

“You must be aware that you’ll be watched,” Beaufait told Carter. “There are a lot of questions, and there are a lot of people who don’t want this. I hope we’re not opening a can of worms.”

Beaufait said what swayed him was Carter’s intention to provide accessibility for people who would not normally be able to go to the beach. Through Mason’s Mobility Mission, a nonprofit started by Carter and his wife in honor of their son, Carter was able to purchase a beach access chair that will be used at Roosevelt Inlet.

In voting in favor of the proposal, Mayor Ted Becker said a trial period makes the most sense.

“I don’t think we could ever say whether this would be a success if we don’t give it a try,” he said.

To move forward, he said, the city and Carter will have to work out a contract that includes a payment to the city. The contract would also prohibit Carter from selling food, sunscreen, towels and other smaller items. The intent, Becker said, is to offer bulky items for rent so people can travel lighter to the beach, perhaps walking or riding a bicycle.

During the summer, he said, streets department staff will monitor the impact on the beach during regular rounds emptying trash cans, and the police officers will keep an eye on traffic and parking at Roosevelt Inlet. Each will provide weekly reports to city officials. After the summer, a comprehensive review will take place before the city considers allowing concessions to continue.