Concerns raised over fixing Lake Gerar’s fishing pier
Rehoboth Beach officials resumed discussions on rebuilding the children’s fishing pier on Lake Gerar during a meeting Jan. 17, and while no one is against replacing the 60-year-old structure, there were some concerns raised about spending more money than needed, the possible encouragement of more activities than fishing and the environmental impact on the lake.
The Village Improvement Association built the pier after the Storm of ‘62 using large pieces of timber left in the storm’s wake.
Replacement of the pier was first discussed by commissioners, VIA President Kate McKenzie and Beacon Engineering senior engineer Bob Palmer during a workshop in December 2023. At that workshop, McKenzie said an anonymous donor has expressed a desire to fund a significant portion of rebuilding the pier because the donor has fond memories of using it as a child.
In March 2024, Palmer said the donor was willing to put $200,000 toward the construction, with another $50,000 to be put in escrow for future maintenance. The meeting also included a discussion about size and shape of a new pier, but ultimately commissioners indicated they didn’t want to be on the hook for much more than the donated amount and didn’t want to change the footprint of the pier any more than necessary.
Palmer presented an updated breakdown of the costs during the Jan. 17 meeting. As proposed, the estimated cost for the pier is about $292,000 – $44,000 for design and permitting; $23,000 for bidding and construction; $16,000 for inspection and testing; $210,000 toward construction.
Commissioner Mark Saunders, who was not a commissioner when the issue was first discussed, asked why there’s a change in the design of the pier. He said he’s concerned it might be too nice and attract unwanted use. He has friends with gazebos on Silver Lake, and sometimes they have to shoo away trespassers, he said.
Commissioner Suzanne Goode, who also was not a commissioner the first time around, said she would like to see the design of the pier fit within the financial allowances of the donation. The city is bearing some risk if the donor backs out, she said.
Save Our Alliance 3 President Rick Hardy said he has concerns about the environmental impact to the lake because of the increased size of the footprint and proposed location. Moving it farther from the bridge would reduce air flow over the surface of the lake, and a carpet of algae already forms between the pier and the bridge, he said.
Ultimately, none of the concerns were important enough to prevent the project from moving forward. At the end of the discussion, Mayor Stan Mills tasked city staff and Palmer with working on the details for a memorandum of understanding with the donor and the VIA, and then bringing it back to commissioners for further discussion. He also tasked them with providing a design that can be funded exclusively by the donation, to see what it would look like.
Looking further out, Palmer presented a schedule that includes design finalization, wetlands permitting, advertisement for bids and construction beginning tentatively in October.
