Officials, students make mark on Rehoboth’s new City Hall

Young and old came together in Rehoboth Beach Sept. 22 to make a lasting mark on the resort’s new City Hall.

City officials, residents and fifth-graders from Rehoboth Elementary School signed a steel beam that will form part of the structure of the new building, scheduled for completion in summer 2017.

Mayor Sam Cooper and the city commissioners were the first to sign the beam, followed by students and then the assembled public. Everyone who signed kept the Sharpie they used to mark the beam.

“This building truly belongs to everybody in this community,” Cooper said.

He said the beam-signing is a memory fifth-graders will have for the rest of their lives.

“Every time they pass this building they can think about this day and being a part of it,” Cooper said.

City Manager Sharon Lynn said the project is on schedule, with the steel structure almost completed. She said interior work installing electrical and plumbing systems will come next, and the outer shell of the building and roof should be up by the end of the year. Lynn said the remaining interior work will be done over the winter.

“You can see it starting to take shape,” Lynn said. “We’re making progress.”

The city began planning the $18 million project four years ago, with construction starting late last year. It replaces a City Hall that stood for more than 50 years. The new two-story building will offer an attic space to be used for police training and storage. All city government functions will be under the same roof. The first phase of the project - a new building for the parking and communications departments at Lake Avenue and City Hall Drive - was completed in time to open for the summer season.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do yet,” Cooper said.