REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - Commissioners are considering what to include in the city's $27,682,385 million budget for FY 2022. Up to $350,000 could be used to replace the Lake Gerar Tot Lot. Mayor Stan Mills says the playground has been there for about 15 years and that engineers have deemed it to be at the end of its useful life. It’s also not handicap accessible, but its replacement will be bigger and ADA compliant.
"ADA compliant playgrounds, or Tot Lots, have kind of a hard, rubber, permeable surface, rather than mulch, for ease of wheelchair use and walking on it," Mills says. "A lot of the metal is starting to deteriorate, so it needs to be replaced."
"There's a big population now of young families with children and I see parks as the future of activities for young families that are moving into the area," says Marian Casarella of Rehoboth Beach.
People in Rehoboth say the city needs to invest in its children.
"It's a beach area, a place to have fun," says Ray Sweeney of Rehoboth Beach. "I think they should do that, so whatever it takes to make it better.
"It's just a place to walk with the kids or ride their bikes," says Martha Sweeney.
The Trees and Green Infrastructure Committee will discuss the playground’s impact on surrounding trees in its meeting on Wednesday. Mayor Mills says the size of a new Tot Lot’s footprint depends on how much money it gets from the budget, but that committee recommendations will be considered.
"As you can imagine, the Tot Lot is nestled in a grove of trees and if the footprint was to be enlarged, then some of the trees might succumb to that," Mills says.
Patti Watson of Rehoboth Beach has many memories bringing her kids here. She's now making more with her dog.
"I like coming here with my dog just because we like to walk around and look at the ducks and geese and sit on the bench and just relax and not be sitting on the boardwalk with all of the noise and hustle and bustle of all the people," Watson says.
Watson says Tot Lot is a landmark and needs to be maintained, but she says it could afford to wait for a future budget if the city needed to use money elsewhere in this one.
"It couldn't hurt to wait another summer to see what goes on this year as far as people coming and mingling," Watson says.
The playground is closed due to COVID-19 restrictions, which gives the city time to consider its fate. Mills says it will likely make it into the upcoming budget.
The city’s fiscal year runs from April 1st to March 31st, so the budget and Tot Lot’s future have to be approved in March.