By Brian Gilliland

BETHANY BEACH — Ostensibly it was a meeting to gather public comment on the landing site for underground utility cables for a US Wind project, including the visual and recreational impact of eight, 3-foot wide manhole covers in a parking lot adjacent to 3Rs Beach, but because the utility is proposed wind turbines, organizers ended up with a little more input than they may have bargained for.

“We’re getting public input on what the vaults look like, how the cable comes in 60 feet — as tall as Tower 3 in the park — underground, and how this project adheres to the very strict Land and Water Conservation Fund 6(f) protections,” said Ray Bivens, state director of Parks and Recreation at Bethany Beach Town Hall on Tuesday.

Outside Town Hall and lining the intersection were about 100 protesters holding their own information sessions, both for and against the installation of offshore turbines.

Inside, about 20 DNREC officials and about half as many informational placards stood fast and answered questions to a steady stream of interested parties.

Visitors were asked to complete a six-question survey related to recreational impacts, whose results will be compiled and used internally as the process continues, Mr. Bivens said. He did not know if the gathered comments would be made public.

Five of the six questions require numeric answers, another is multiple choice, and the last one asks for comments on recreational impacts.

Construction is proposed to be limited to a single, off-peak season, where the beach would remain open but pedestrian and vehicle access would be limited and fishing prohibited. The proposed date for future construction is Sept. 15 until May 15.

The plan is for underground transmission lines buried 60 feet below the beach and dunes to surface in one of four concrete vaults buried in the 3Rs Beach parking lot. The cables will junction to other cables installed 41 feet under the highway below the wetlands into the Indian River Bay, according to DNREC.

To install the vaults, an area 233 feet long, 60 feet wide and 15 feet deep will be excavated from the parking lot. The four vaults are each 47 feet long, 12 feet wide and 11 feet deep, and are expected to be buried 3 to 4 feet underground.

The vaults will contain cable, fiber optic lines and joints, according to DNREC. Each vault is serviced by two manhole covers measuring 3 feet wide, and are expected to be the only visual evidence left after this project is complete. The parking lot is to be restored to original grade, elevation and material after construction, according to the agency.

According to a release by Gov. John Carney in December, the state would get $350,000 per year, with annual increases, to lease the property at 3Rs Beach, though a final deal has not been reached.

With the specifics out of the way, Mr. Bivens did want to address the project’s 6(f) credentials, which he said had been misused in some discourse.

In 2012, the park used Land and Water Conservation Fund investments to update the bath house at the Southern Day Use area, which carries the stipulation it must remain open for public recreation in perpetuity. However, as long as the ground above the cables and vaults is restored to its preexisting condition within 12 months, the project will be compliant with 6(f) protections, Mr. Bivens said.

DNREC hasn’t scheduled additional sessions in the area, Mr. Bivens confirmed.

Similarly, the US Wind project is undergoing a federal review process, but hasn’t scheduled public meetings yet.