Delaware Governor John Carney, U.S Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, along with Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester announced that the next steps are underway in the long awaited beach replenishment projects in Bethany, South Bethany and Fenwick Island.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District has awarded Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company a $17.2 million contract and work is expected to begin after the New Year. The costs of the project will be shared by the federal government and the state of Delaware, and has been a priority of the Congressional delegation because it will help protect the homes, businesses and economy on coastal Delaware.
These beaches and dunes were damaged by strong storms, including a Nor’easter in October of 2015 and Winter Storm Joaquin in January of 2016. The project will involve dredging 1.2 million cubic yards of sand from approved offshore borrow areas. The sand is pumped through a series of pipes onto the beaches of Bethany, South Bethany and Fenwick Island and then graded into a dune and berm template designed to reduce potential damages to infrastructure, businesses and homes.
“Replenishing our beaches helps drive our economy by keeping our coastline accessible and accommodating for Delawareans and visitors. Delaware also is the lowest-lying state in the U.S., and beach replenishment helps us prepare for extreme weather events, sea level rise, and other effects of climate change,” said Governor Carney. “We are grateful to the Army Corps of Engineers for partnering with Delaware to ensure that beach replenishment for Bethany, South Bethany and Fenwick Island both bolsters our coastline and helps retain its natural beauty. I worked as Delaware’s congressman to bring attention and resources to this project, and want to thank members of our federal delegation for their continued leadership on this issue.”
“We’ve learned that by proactively building up our dunes and beaches, they can stand up protect our homes, businesses, schools and infrastructure from the nastiest storms,” said Senator Carper, top Democrat on the Environment and Public Works Committee. “Delaware’s 21 miles of oceanfront are more than just sand and surf – they generate more than $6.9 billion in coastal tourism annually and support 10 percent of Delaware’s workforce. We fought hard for this funding because beach replenishment protects not only our community but our economy as well.”
“Delaware’s most valuable natural resources are our beautiful beaches and shorelines,” said Senator Coons. “The work that will take place from Bethany Beach to Fenwick Island is vital to our state, and I would like to thank the Army Corps of Engineers and DNREC for working to mitigate future erosion that not only threatens our tourism, but our natural habitat as well.”
“Our beaches are some of Delaware’s most treasured natural resources and an important economic driver for our state’s economy,” said Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester. “I am pleased that next steps are underway in Bethany, South Bethany, and Fenwick to replenish our beaches ahead of next summer. We need to protect our shores from future superstorms and preserve our pristine coastline for generations of Delawareans to come.”
At the August 25th Town Council Meeting, Mr. Allen Hansen, a long-time visitor to Fenwick Island, presented the Town a picture that he took while on vacation a few years ago.
The Town Council would like to thank Mr. Hansen for his generous gift.
From Left-Right: Secretary Bernie Merritt, Town Manager Terry Tieman, Vice Mayor Richard Mais, Council Member Vicki Carmean, Council Member Roy Williams,
Mr. Allen Hansen, Council Member Julie Lee, Mayor Gene Langan, Treasurer Gardner Bunting.
Due to reduced staffing this week (8/28 – 9/1), there will be limited lifeguard stands/coverage but all beaches will be open.
Also, the beach assistance service will not be available until 9/2.
Additionally, weather and surf conditions this week may warrant water & beach restrictions so please check with lifeguards on conditions. There is a very high risk of rip currents this week, particularly on Tuesday and Wednesday due to the disturbance off of the coast.
For those in attendance at the Dredging Workshop this past Friday, August 18th, below is a list of the contacts (Governor, Senators, State Representatives, and the DNREC Secretary) to write letters to in regards to dredging assistance for the Town of Fenwick Island. You can also fill out the dredging petition and return to Karin Lakin (email and fax on page 2 of the petition). A copy of the petition can also be picked up at the Town Hall.
Governor John Carney
State of Delaware
Carvel Building
820 N. French Street
Wilmington, DE 19801
Contact through the web at:
http://governor.delaware.gov/email-governor-carney/
DNREC
Secretary Shawn Garvin
89 Kings Highway
Dover, DE 19901
302-739-9000
Shawn.Garvin@delaware.gov
Pete Schwartzkopf
Speaker of the House
411 Legislative Avenue
Dover, DE 19901
302-744-4351
Peter.Schwartzkopf@delaware.gov
Senator Gerald Hocker
411 Legislative Avenue
Dover, DE 19901
302-537-6016
Gerald.Hocker@delaware.gov
Senator Chris Coons
500 W. Loockerman Street
Suite 450
Dover, DE 19904
302-736-5601
Chris.Coons@delaware.gov
Senator Tom Carper
500 W. Loockerman Street
Suite 470
Dover, DE 19904
302-674-3308
Tom.Carper@delaware.gov
Representative Ronald Gray
411 Legislative Avenue
Dover, DE 19901
302-744-4171
Ronald.Gray@delaware.gov
Representative Stephen Smyk
411 Legislative Avenue
Dover, DE 19901
302-744-4171
Steve.Smyk@delaware.gov
Representative Danny Short
411 Legislative Avenue
Dover, DE 19901
302-744-4172
Daniel.Short@delaware.gov
Representative Lisa Blunt Rochester
1105 N. Market Street
Suite 400
Wilmington, DE 19801
302-830-2330
Contact through the web at:
https://bluntrochester.house.gov/contact/
With the approaching Hurricane Gert off the shore of Fenwick Island tonight through tomorrow, heavy rip currents are expected.
Below is a link to an informational video to help increase public awareness of rip currents and provide information on what to do if caught in a rip current.
Stay safe while at the beach! Fortunately, the hurricane is staying off into the Atlantic Ocean where it will not cause any damage to Fenwick Island.
The Organizational Meeting of the Town Council was held on August 15th.
Congratulations to Gene Langan, Julie Lee, Richard Mais, and Roy Williams who were sworn in for another 2-year term.
Officers for the 2017-2018 Council:
This is just a reminder that we are well into Hurricane Season and we’ve already had a number of named storms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Below are some resources to help prepare for hurricane season. With any luck we won’t need them, but it’s always better to be safe than sorry!
Red Cross Disaster Preparedness Checklist
Would you like to receive up-to-date information affecting your neighborhood, including weather alerts?
Then sign up for Nixle. To register, either click the Nixle link (lower left hand side of this page), or go to www.nixle.com. Click Sign Up, then either create an account or sign in through Facebook. Enter either your email address or cell phone # where you would like to receive the alerts, then click “I Accept. Sign me up!”.
You can even customize your alerts by adding multiple locations!
Did you know that Fenwick Island has their own library? Although small (2 bookcases), the library is located in the Town Hall lobby and is open Monday – Friday from 8:00AM – 4:30PM.
Come check it out! Borrow a book to read while on the beach or while at home avoiding the heat! Or if you have books to donate, drop them off to our little library – donations are greatly appreciated!
Check back often as books are donated frequently throughout the week.
ELECTION CANCELLED
The election that was to be held on Saturday, August 5th has been cancelled.
The 4 sitting council people whose terms were up for election have been re-elected for another 2 year term.
Congratulations to Mayor Gene Langan, Vice Mayor Richard Mais, Roy Williams, and Julie Lee!