REHOBOTH BEACH, Del.- Rehoboth and Dewey's beaches are set for beach replenishment later this year.
On Friday morning's Association of Coastal Towns meeting, DNREC's Shoreline and Waterway Management Program Manager Mike Powell told the group that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had the necessary funding from the state to move forward with replenishment planning.
"They have our money and are moving out on the designs and bid preparations for that project," he says. "So I would describe that project as being on schedule as well."
A fall start date is expected for the replenishment, says Dewey Mayor T.J. Redefer. While its funding is secured, after the A.C.T. meeting, the mayors, city planners, and stakeholders held an executive session to discuss future beach replenishment issues and funding, Redefer explains.
"We talked about some of the Department of Natural Resources' outreach meetings that they've had lately that talk about how we are going to fund this in the future," he says. "We are going to have to build partnerships, we are going to have to have the entire state of Delaware and the federal government understand the impact that the resort areas provide for the state."
Consultant Tony Pratt, who previously oversaw beach replenishment for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, says one very preliminary funding idea discussed with groups like the chambers of commerce and local realtors include levying a tax on internet rentals.
"There's been a lot of talk, not only in Delaware, but across the nation as to how AirBnBs and VRBOs are not following the same protocols that renters by realtors have followed as far as taxation and whether they are as publicly used as a tax base as others," he says. "So we'll see where that goes."
Pratt says Dewey and Rehoboth's replenishment schedule is great news and will help protect the coast.
An exact date for this year's beach replenishment will be determined later this year.
