REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. — Before work on a new Beach Patrol Building in Rehoboth Beach can begin, the city has to demolish the old building. The demolition project started Jan. 29. Crews began dismantling the old structure located on Baltimore Avenue around 10 a.m. Monday morning.
This demolition paves the way for a modern replacement: A two-story, 5,500 square foot facility. The new building is expected to feature public facilities on the first level and beach patrol facilities on the second level. This represents a substantial upgrade from the building that's now being torn down.
Even though the old building was run down and due for replacement, there will be some, like Beach Patrol Captain Jeff Giles, who are going to look back on the old facility through a nostalgic lens.
"This was sort of our family house, per se, where the guards met in the morning and when the guards leave at the end of the day. We have on the top of the door - that the finest lifeguards pass through this doorway. But at the end of the day and at the beginning of the day, and that will carry on in the new building," Giles remarked.
The new structure is designed for longevity, with pre-finished fiber cement siding and other durable materials set to be installed on the exterior of the building.
Until the new building is completed and opened, the Beach Patrol will operate out of a trailer in downtown Rehoboth Beach.