MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, 2005
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
REHOBOTH REINOS PROVIDE FREE PARKING
The best kept secret this Memorial Day Weekend was perhaps the abundance of free parking available in Rehoboth Beach. These four multi-space Reino parking meters serving 30 public parking spaces on Grenoble Place (the street south of the Henlopen Hotel) were out of service and covered with blue bags throughout the weekend. The irony is that this was the same block the city used to pilot-test the Reinos.
When a Reino goes down, it is able to display the ominous warning, "TIME LIMITS ENFORCED - CITATIONS WILL BE ISSUED." This appeared on Reino I-111 which is on the center island in the second block of Rehoboth Avenue. When it failed Sunday morning, the meter technician said he had replaced the battery. When the Reino failed again hours later, the technician placed it out of service because he was unable to service the unit.
The faulty machine provided free parking to 10 spaces while displaying the out-of-service message (below, right). Parking enforcers reported Reino failures on a regular basis all weekend, that included at least 10 Reinos during the period of 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday.
The multi-space machine in the city hall parking lot was covered (black-bagged) Memorial Day Weekend as well, providing more free parking to visitors.
The Standard change machines (not shown) started off the weekend with few complaints. But by Sunday evening and on Memorial Day, techs had responded several times to investigate complaints.
They're baaaaaaaack!
There's nothing like spending Memorial Day Weekend at the beach -- with the cry of the seagulls, waves pounding the surf, the plume of smoke, grinding diesel engines, and a lifeguard nudging you to move before a massive outfall pipe makes landfall.
The pipeline made landfall at 1:36 p.m. on Saturday in front of the Henlopen Hotel. It was later covered with snow fence and spray-painted with this KEEP-OFF warning. Although originally targeted for completion by now, the beach replenishment project has yet to pump sand to the Rehoboth shore.
One benefit of replenishing the beach during the season is the entertainment value for visitors.
LIFE INSIDE THE NO-MOW ZONE
Aren't they cute? These four Canada goslings somehow eluded the egg addlers, and are now munching away at the no-mow zone being established around Lake Gerar. The city had received permission to abort their eggs had they been located earlier this spring.
What is the no-mow zone? It is a 10-foot riparian buffer around the lake where vegetation and shrubs are being cultivated under the guidance of an environmental contractor. The zone promises to offer numerous benefits to improve the lake's ailing health.
"Goose-exclusion fencing" (more like heavy-duty fishing or weed-wacker line) is tied to wooden stakes at multiple levels to confuse and discourage the birds, and perhaps humans too, from entering the area until the buffer has matured. The Canada geese shown below appear to cross through the exclusion fencing and into the no-mow zone with little effort.
