Rehoboth exploring temporary options for beach patrol in 2024

While the former Rehoboth Beach Patrol building on Baltimore Avenue awaits demolition, city officials are in the early stages of planning what to do next summer when there is no building.

Interim City Manager Evan Miller said city officials are exploring the idea of temporarily housing the beach patrol at the Delaware Avenue comfort station and in the parking lot located at the end of Lake Avenue, immediately south of the Village Improvement Association.

The Delaware Avenue comfort station, located immediately north of Funland, recently underwent an expansion of its restroom facilities and has office space because it also serves as an information center.

The parking lot at the end of Lake Avenue is unpaved and sits behind a protected piece of beach dune. There’s a wooden walkway from the parking lot to the Boardwalk. While it’s a metered lot, the city has also leased a few parking spaces for the businesses on the Boardwalk level of the One Virginia condominium complex.

Lynne Coan, city spokesperson, said the city doesn’t have any more details to share at this time.

“We’re still in the planning stages related to how [and] where [Rehoboth Beach Patrol] operations will be managed next year,” she said.

With the new year approaching, the city will soon begin planning for next year’s budget, which runs April 1 to March 31. Over the course of the last few meetings, commissioners have stressed that city departments and organizations looking for donations have to get expected expenditures in place when the budgeting process begins. Commissioners are expected to begin budget discussions Friday, Jan. 19.

Coan said city staff is aware of the commissioners’ request, but they still don’t have any additional information related to when the beach patrol plan will be figured out and how much it will cost.

As for the existing beach patrol structure, Miller said demolition is expected to begin at the end of January.

After years of planning, commissioners awarded a $4.9 million contract for a new beach patrol/restroom facility in August to Delmarva Veteran Builders. The approved design keeps the same function for the new building, but makes it a two-story structure with public restrooms and family changing stations on the first level and beach patrol headquarters on the second.

The city had expected to begin work soon after Labor Day, but procedural issues led to delays. Right now, the timeline has the project being completed by the beginning of the 2025 summer season.