McDonald’s in Milton opens with a mocha frappe

After watching the new McDonald’s in Milton get built from the ground up, I was interested to see who the first customers would be when it opened Dec. 11. The day before, owner/operator Mike Meoli let me know that final inspections had been passed and doors would be opening at 7 a.m.

It ended up being three-way tie – Catherine Scott, Chris Lovenguth and Frank Goehringer.

I’ve interviewed Scott before. She walks around town and picks up other people’s trash. She was there because she’s a woman of the people and was out walking, despite the rain.

Lovenguth and Goehringer said they were friends of Meoli and were there to show support.

As the clock neared opening hour, Meoli, who owns more than two dozen McDonald’s across Delmarva, could be seen inside milling about.

General Manager Becky Bryan was the employee who opened the door to the public. She had that here-we-go look. She said she was a little nervous. She also said the new business is employing 55 people.

Meoli greeted customers as they walked in. He said he was happy with how things turned out.

Not wasting any time, Scott, Lovenguth and Goehringer made their way to the counter. Ever the gentlemen, I’m sure, Lovenguth and Goehringer let Scott make the first order. It was a mocha frappe.

My, what big rocks you have

As it should, the fortification of the northbound side of Route 1 immediately north of the Indian River Inlet has been getting a lot of attention lately.

However, there’s another project taking place at the inlet too – fixing the north bulkhead and south jetty. A section of the popular fishing location at the mouth of Indian River within Delaware Seashore State Park has been closed since 2018 because a 110-foot-deep scour hole formed and caused the collapse of a section of the walkway. The Army Corps of Engineers began working to fill the hole and fix the walkway this past spring.

I’ve checked on this project a few times. One time, I noticed the operator of the hydraulic lift crane on site picking up huge boulders sitting just inside of the construction zone fence. Each boulder had a single-digit number on it in bright spray paint. I watched briefly while the operator of a huge crane picked one up and dropped it into the water of the inlet at the base of the walkway.

I asked Steve Rochette, spokesperson for the Army Corps’ Philadelphia office, what the numbers were about. He said they are 5-ton capstones from the Vulcan Quarry in Havre de Grace, Md., and the spray-painted numbers are how many tons each boulder weighs.

Rochette didn’t know exactly how many of these boulders were being used, but he said about 1,900 tons of them were being placed. They’re sized to be consistent with existing capstone in the repair area and are designed to withstand direct wave impact that can occur during extreme storm events, he said.

As for the project as a whole, which has a spring completion date, Rochette said the main phases of the project have been completed. The contractor is working on grading the site and installing the sidewalk and handrails, he said.

Joke of the Week

My next column won’t be until after Christmas, so here’s a Christmas joke submitted by reader Jane Harrah. As always, send jokes to cflood@capegazette.com.

Q: What did Santa pay for his sleigh?

A: Nothing, it was on the house.