Kuhn Construction Awarded Contract

The bid to construct a permanent berth for Lewes’ historic Lightship Overfalls will be awarded to Kuhn Construction, a firm based in Hockessin.

Lewes city council voted Thursday, Feb. 18, to award the project to Kuhn, the low bidder recommended by the Delaware Department of Transportation (DelDOT). Kuhn has handled a number of projects in Sussex County, including approaches to the Indian River Inlet bridge, renovations at the Indian River Inlet marina and an expansion of the Georgetown wastewater treatment plant.

Because the project is largely funded by the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act, DelDOT handled bidding and contract writing. The contract sets forth a 90-day construction period, but Councilman Ted Becker said he was concerned it did not include a penalty for not missing the three-month deadline. Pres Lee, project manager, said he shared the councilman’s concerns.

“Several things about this contract are unusual,” he said. “But it’s DelDOT’s lead.”

After council’s unanimous vote, Overfalls Maritime Museum Foundation (OMMF) President Dave Bernheisel thanked council and said he looks forward to working with Canalfront Park to complete the project.

“This is a happy day for the Overfalls,” he said. Bernheisel’s wife, Mary, said the foundation hopes Kuhn will begin construction in early March. The sooner the project starts, she said, the sooner the lightship can open for summer visitors.

“They’re anxious to start,” she said. “And we’re more than anxious to see them start.”

George Elliott, recently retired from the OMMF board of directors, said Kuhn will drive sheet metal into the mud where the Overfalls now rests on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal, creating a u-shaped slip. A solid berth will help visitors move on and off the ship, he said, as well as improve the site aesthetically.

Before the Overfalls was towed to Norfolk in 2008, Elliott said, the ship’s hull had sunk 7 feet deep in mud. When it returned to Lewes, the banks quickly collapsed around the Overfalls once more. A sturdy berth will carve out a place for the ship to float, Elliot said.

“The banks will be stabilized,” he said. “There will be no more erosion around the slip.”

The $400,000 contributed by the federal government will foot most of the bill, but Elliott said the foundation raised $150,000 to cover additional costs. He said the foundation will work closely with Canalfront Park and the Lewes Historical Society to ensure the slip blends harmoniously with its surroundings.