Rehoboth exploring historic designation for Boardwalk

From the Rehoboth Avenue traffic circle to the beach, there are several markers signifying Rehoboth Beach’s historical past. None of those markers recognize the city’s 150-year-old Boardwalk, but a city committee is exploring what it would take to change that.

During a Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk and Beach Committee meeting March 31, committee member Howard Menaker said it’s an oversight that the Boardwalk hasn’t been recognized for its historical significance. It was first built in 1873 and many of the structures along the Boardwalk now are more than 50 years old, which is the minimum threshold for a structure to be considered, he said.

The committee began talking about this topic recently in the context of proposed wind farms off the coast of Delaware and how those farms – specifically the turbines that could be taller than 800 feet – could affect the city’s viewshed of the ocean from the Boardwalk.

Menaker explained there are three different types of recognition possible – a historic marker from Delaware Public Archives, recognition at the federal level as a supporting structure or as a national historic landmark.

The first two would be possible without too much effort and be a source of pride, said Menaker. Getting the Boardwalk designated as a national historic landmark could take years and thousands of pages of documents, he said.

Commissioner Jay Lagree, committee chair and liaison to city commissioners, said Rehoboth is the Nation’s Summer Capital and a cultural spot that’s a historic place. It’s complicated, but there is a section of the federal designation that would force the wind farms to take its historic value into consideration, he said.

In the end, the group agreed to continue to look into the process of getting the Boardwalk’s historical significance recognized.

Committee against rule changes for dogs

In response to a growing population of dog owners, the city’s animal issues committee is exploring the possibility of loosening a rule for dogs on the beach and Boardwalk during the summer months.

City code prohibits dogs on the beach or Boardwalk from May 1 through Sept. 30. However, dogs are allowed Oct. 1 through April 30, as long as they are leashed, well-behaved and under direct supervision.

The animal issues committee has suggested allowing dogs on the Boardwalk until 10 a.m. during the summer, like bicycles, and designating a specific beach area for dogs to run unleashed. The animal issues committee would also like to see the city install dog waste bag dispensers in certain areas around the city, including somewhere near the Boardwalk.

Generally speaking, members of the beach and boardwalk committee are against any changes to existing rules.

Committee member Frank Cole said the city’s rules already go unenforced. It’s a problem, and these changes will open the doors for a free-for-all and exacerbate the issue, he said.

Committee member Kathleen Fisher said she thinks allowing dogs on the Boardwalk until 10 a.m. could be a disaster. It’s already hard enough to avoid bikes, she said.

Menaker said allowing a dog to run on the beach would make an already-hard-to-enforce situation harder. The consensus seems to be that it’s not a good idea and not enforceable, he said.

The one area where committee members thought a change could be made would be to align seasons with other seasonal restrictions that take place May 15 through Sept. 15.

Resident David Diefenderfer said he would like to walk his dog on the Boardwalk during the summer, especially first thing in the morning. As a tax-paying citizen, it’s not fair he is being penalized for the behavior of other people’s dogs, he said.

Ultimately, the committee agreed to continue to explore what other municipalities do and to continue discussing the issue in the future.