REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. - Demolition began Thursday morning on the Lake Gerar Tot Lot in Rehoboth Beach. The city plans to build a safer, more accessible playground in it's place.
People in Rehoboth are frustrated they can't play with their kids at the Tot Lot this summer, but the city said safety gave them no other choice.
Gwen Carayiannis and her family came to play at the Tot Lot earlier in the week, but when they showed up today, construction crews were already tearing the playground down.
Gwen said, "Yeah we were trying to go play, but it's under construction so now we can't!"
She was hoping to get in some more play time before they leave Rehoboth, "We only have two more days until we leave, because we're leaving this Saturday."
Her grandmother Debbie says they should have waited to start the project.
She said, "It's just unfortunate that they're doing it right now. It would be nice if they had waited until the end of the season, so it would be all ready for next year when everybody comes back"
City Arborist Liz Lingo is in charge of Rehoboth's parks, and she says the Lake Gerar Tot Lot had to be demolished because it was unsafe.
Lingo said, "We had structural rust, we had concrete footers sticking out of the ground, it wasn't ADA compliant or accessible, and of course we want to do the best we can in this city for everybody to be able to enjoy our amenities."
She says the timing of the project may be frustrating, but it's better safe than sorry.
"We all thought it was in the best interest of the community just to eliminate that temptation, and we have two other wonderful playgrounds in the city in one square mile, so they can definitely get to them, so hopefully everybody can make due for a couple of months without," Lingo said.
The city is working on building a new Tot Lot, one that is both safer and more accessible for children with disabilities.
That new playground is already approved and equipment orders are being placed.
The City of Rehoboth says the new, more accessible playground should be completed by the beginning of September.
