The Rehoboth Beach Fourth of July fireworks were a huge success! Tens of thousands of people came to Rehoboth Beach to enjoy a spectacular show, produced and funded by Rehoboth Beach Main Street, as they have been for many years. Main Street is to be commended for this annual display of pyrotechnics that brings so much happiness to so many.

But unseen by most of the citizens and visitors who enjoyed the show, another amazing effort was carried out through the night. The Rehoboth Beach Public Works Department worked before, during and after the fireworks to pick up trash, clean our streets, beach and Boardwalk, and keep our city beautiful. By the next day, our city looked as sparkling and neat as it does every other day. By early morning on July 5, you would never know by looking around that thousands of people had left behind mounds of trash only hours before.

But our public works employees do not just do this one day a year. This team does all this and more every day of the year. In addition to keeping trash picked up, beach and streets clean, they keep our parks, streetscape plantings, and other public lands watered, pruned and mulched. They perform amazing work every day to be sure we all enjoy a safe and sanitary city 365 days a year.

So my thanks go to the public works department, led by Director Mel Craig. Mel and his incredible staff work behind the scenes to make Rehoboth Beach a wonderful place to live, work and play. They, like our police, lifeguards, and other city employees, are doing an outstanding job working for you. You may not notice them often, but the next time you do see a city employee working hard to keep the city safe and beautiful, stop for a moment and thank them for their work. They deserve all the thanks we can give them.

Patrick Gossett
city commissioner, Rehoboth Beach