Cape Henlopen fishing pier reopens

When Julie Stevenson, of Milton, is on the Cape Henlopen Fishing Pier, she forgets her problems. It doesn't hurt that she usually catches fish off the 1,300-foot-long structure that reaches out into Delaware Bay just inside the Atlantic Ocean.

So Stevenson, who owns her own cleaning service, took a few hours off Wednesday morning to celebrate the reopening of the refurbished pier -- and to do a little fishing.

"This is my favorite place in all the world," she said. "I'm here several times a week ... I catch a lot of fish."

Stevenson is among thousands of Delaware residents who enjoy the pier and were saddened when it closed in January because of structural problems.

Speaker of the House Rep. Pete Schwartzkopf, D-Rehoboth Beach, said typically traffic issues along Del. 1 make up most of the complaints he gets from constituents.

"Route 1 took a back seat when they closed this pier down," he said.

State officials cobbled together about $1.1 million, including contributions from state lawmaker grants from the Community Transportation Fund, to complete the work on the World War II-era pier. Money came from park user fees, a $350,000 grant from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the legislative contributions.

"It is well worth the wait," Schwartzkopf said. "It is well worth the investment. ... This is the place to be."

Schwartzkopf said he was especially happy that lawmaker Tim Dukes, R-Laurel, contributed because "Laurel is about as far away in Sussex County" from the fishing pier as you could get. Schwartzkopf said it speaks to how many state residents use the pier not just in the summer but throughout the year.

"There are many folks who don't have a boat," said David Small, secretary of the state Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. The pier gives them an alternative spot to fish.

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Work to stabilize the pier has been done in two parts. First, state officials hired a marine contractor to build sleeves around 100 of the failing support pilings that support the pier. Then, last fall, the pier was closed a second time and the decking was replaced.

The repairs are a short-term fix, park officials say. Eventually a new pier will need to be built.

But it is such a huge draw for tourists and locals that state officials wanted to reopen the structure.

Raymond Bivens, state director of parks and recreation, estimated it brings in $700,000 annually in tourism revenue.

The pier was built by the Army during WWII as part of the Fort Miles Military Base. It was used as a support facility for the mine operation that protected the entrance to Delaware Bay from enemy ships. At the end of the war, a German U-boat surrendered at the pier.

When the Army began returning the land at Cape Henlopen to the state beginning in 1964, the pier was among the ready-made amenities in the then-new Cape Henlopen State Park. While the pier was built to handle heavy-duty truck traffic, over time it began to deteriorate.

The T-pier at the end was removed several years ago amid concerns it was structurally unsound. In all, 149 pilings that support the pier have been repaired in recent years to prolong the life of the aging structure.

"It has lasted a long time," Bivens said.

The decking project included 5,650 boards and 160,000 nails, Bivens said. "It is the largest investment in the fishing pier to date."

Gov. Jack Markell, who came out to fish with Millsboro Middle School students on the pier and help with the reopening Wednesday, said he is a big fan of Cape Henlopen State Park.

"Who wouldn't want to be here everyday," he said. "You talk about getting out and forgetting your troubles."

Reach Molly Murray at (302) 463-3334 or mmurray@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter @MollyMurraytnj.