REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - Grove Park in Rehoboth Beach will remain closed until further notice after a Delaware Forest Service assessment identified five trees for immediate removal, according to the city. The closure prompted the weekly farmers' market to be canceled the night before its Aug. 11 market, leaving some vendors with thousands of dollars worth of products to sell.
Old World Breads Owner, Keith Irwin, said it takes days to prepare certain products, like sourdough loafs. Irwin said in 14 years of selling at the market, he's never experienced something go down like this.
"This is the first time I've ever seen it canceled the night before at 7:00 with no notice," said Irwin. "I'm a little surprised at what happened and how this transpired."
Irwin said he had roughly $5,000 worth of products prepared for the market.
Irwin invited some other local businesses that usually attend the farmers' market to sell products at the bakery's Lewes location Tuesday morning.
Lenore Brady, who owns Stag Run Farm, said it's already been a very difficult year for farming.
"Losing a market like Rehoboth in August is devastating," said Brady. "We will not be able to recoup that money."
Following the cancellation, Irwin joined Stag Run Farm for a pop-up market at the bakery's Lewes location Tuesday morning.
Brady said the unexpected closure has been very hurtful to her bottom line.
"We have to be able to sell retail, and my retail is the farmers markets: the Lewes Farmers' Market, the Rehoboth Farmers' Market," said Brady Tuesday morning. "And those people depend on us, especially Rehoboth. There's no where to buy fresh produce in Rehoboth. They come out every Tuesday. They're loyal. I'm sure if you went over to the park, there's tons of people standing there going, what's going on?
On Monday afternoon, the Delaware Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s urban coordinator, an urban forester outreach coordinator and Department of Agriculture representatives visited Grove Park at the request of representatives from the Environmental Advisory Committee to assess the park’s trees.
SavATree, a professional tree-care company hired to assess Grove Park, had concluded that years of heavy foot traffic and vehicle activity had caused significant soil and root compaction, contributing to canopy decline and branch dieback. The company recommended that the farmers’ market permanently relocate.
The team identified five trees for immediate removal and the findings prompted the Rehoboth Beach Farmers’ Market to cancel its Tuesday market while organizers considered other options for the remainder of the season.
The city said it did not learn about the findings until Monday night and spent Tuesday seeking additional information. After learning about the concerns, the city decided to close Grove Park as a precaution.
"We could not in good conscience keep the park open, even if there was no imminent danger. It took a bit of time to coordinate the closure, but now Grove Park has been closed, and we asked people to respect this rule and not use the park," said the city.
According to the city, the latest findings differ from previous reports on the park’s tree canopy.
"Were as surprised as anyone else. We understand the disappointment it has caused, not only for the Farmers’ Market vendors and attendees, but for parkgoers," said the city.
Tuesday afternoon, the City of Rehoboth Beach and the Rehoboth Beach Farmers’ Market agreed to hold the market in the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center parking lot for the next three weeks while the trees in Grove Park continue to be assessed.
City Arborist Mike Lilly is expected to meet with representatives from SavATree and the Delaware Forest Service for a Level 2 Tree Assessment of the affected trees as soon as possible, according to the city.
Grove Park will remain closed until the city receives a report from that assessment.
