Rehoboth Beach celebrated the opening of the new beach patrol and public restroom facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 22. Surrounded by current lifeguards, former lifeguards, local elected officials and members of the public, Mayor Stan Mills has a big smile after cutting the ribbon. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTOS
Rehoboth Beach Patrol Capt. Jeff Giles is entering his fifth year at the helm of the beach patrol. He thanked everyone for their support.
The day before the ribbon cutting ,the flagpole was installed in the wind and rain.
The rain was coming down, but the hand rails still had to be installed the day before the ribbon cutting.
The new beach patrol building stands tall from the beach two days before the ribbon cutting.
A couple of days before the building opened, a few of the lifeguards were able to start putting stuff in the building.
The building’s new water stations look a lot like the red crosses painted on the building.
Wheel barrows and mulch mean landscaping is being completed.
As it was intended, the bright red paint of the new building stands out among all the other buildings along the north end of the Boardwalk.
The weekend before the ribbon cutting was spent making the building look open for business.
Blue tape marks out the big red cross that will eventually be painted on the south side of the building.
The paint crew works on the red cross on the north side of the building the weekend before it opened.
The Friday before the ribbon cutting the masons were hand laying the bricks facing Baltimore Avenue.
The leftovers from cutting bricks to fit.
This doesn’t look like much, but gone is the fence facing Baltimore Avenue.
The screen door of the old beach patrol building was saved.
RBP Lt. Rawley Florax stands with grandfather Bruce Wright. Florax is about to enter his fifth year. Wright was a RBP rookie 67 years ago.
Before the big group photo, city officials cut a ribbon too. Pictured are (l-r) Commissioner Francis “Bunky” Markert, Public Works Director Henry Matlosz, Commissioner Patrick Gossett, Commissioner Mark Saunders, Mayor Stan Mills, RBP Capt. Jeff Giles, Commissioner Suzanne Goode, City Manager Taylour Tedder.
Rep. Claire Snyder Hall, D-Rehoboth, Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Carol Everhart and Commissioner Patrick Gossett take a look at the new building before the ceremony.
The women’s locker room.
More than 100 people showed up for the public unveiling of the new builiding.
Mayor Stan Mills says a few words before the ribbon cutting. 
City Manager Taylour Tedder thanks the construction crew for their hard work. 
Former RBP lifeguard Woody Marderwald enjoys the view from the second floor observation floor.
RBP Capt. Jeff Giles, Mayor Stan Mills and City Manager Taylour Tedder do a ceremonial wringing of the bell.
Cookies with the date on them were a hot ticket.
All of the beach patrol’s coverage area can be seen from the second floor observation deck.
The old assignment board also made the trip to the new home.
The old plaques of Frank Coveleski and Tommy Coveleski have been installed facing the Boardwalk to watch over the public and the lifeguards.
Rehoboth Beach celebrated the opening of the new beach patrol and public restroom facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 22. Surrounded by current lifeguards, former lifeguards, local elected officials and members of the public, Mayor Stan Mills has a big smile after cutting the ribbon. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTOS
Rehoboth Beach Patrol Capt. Jeff Giles is entering his fifth year at the helm of the beach patrol. He thanked everyone for their support.
The day before the ribbon cutting ,the flagpole was installed in the wind and rain.
The rain was coming down, but the hand rails still had to be installed the day before the ribbon cutting.
The new beach patrol building stands tall from the beach two days before the ribbon cutting.
A couple of days before the building opened, a few of the lifeguards were able to start putting stuff in the building.
The building’s new water stations look a lot like the red crosses painted on the building.
Wheel barrows and mulch mean landscaping is being completed.
As it was intended, the bright red paint of the new building stands out among all the other buildings along the north end of the Boardwalk.
The weekend before the ribbon cutting was spent making the building look open for business.
Blue tape marks out the big red cross that will eventually be painted on the south side of the building.
The paint crew works on the red cross on the north side of the building the weekend before it opened.
The Friday before the ribbon cutting the masons were hand laying the bricks facing Baltimore Avenue.
The leftovers from cutting bricks to fit.
This doesn’t look like much, but gone is the fence facing Baltimore Avenue.
The screen door of the old beach patrol building was saved.
RBP Lt. Rawley Florax stands with grandfather Bruce Wright. Florax is about to enter his fifth year. Wright was a RBP rookie 67 years ago.
Before the big group photo, city officials cut a ribbon too. Pictured are (l-r) Commissioner Francis “Bunky” Markert, Public Works Director Henry Matlosz, Commissioner Patrick Gossett, Commissioner Mark Saunders, Mayor Stan Mills, RBP Capt. Jeff Giles, Commissioner Suzanne Goode, City Manager Taylour Tedder.
Rep. Claire Snyder Hall, D-Rehoboth, Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Carol Everhart and Commissioner Patrick Gossett take a look at the new building before the ceremony.
The women’s locker room.
More than 100 people showed up for the public unveiling of the new builiding.
Mayor Stan Mills says a few words before the ribbon cutting.
City Manager Taylour Tedder thanks the construction crew for their hard work.
Former RBP lifeguard Woody Marderwald enjoys the view from the second floor observation floor.
RBP Capt. Jeff Giles, Mayor Stan Mills and City Manager Taylour Tedder do a ceremonial wringing of the bell.
Cookies with the date on them were a hot ticket.
All of the beach patrol’s coverage area can be seen from the second floor observation deck.
The old assignment board also made the trip to the new home.
The old plaques of Frank Coveleski and Tommy Coveleski have been installed facing the Boardwalk to watch over the public and the lifeguards.
Story Location
Rehoboth Beach Patrol
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
United States
It took the construction crew working in the pouring rain the day before, but Rehoboth Beach officials celebrated the grand opening of the city’s beach patrol and public restroom facility with a ribbon cutting and ceremonial ringing of the bell May 22.
Now, the beach patrol has a place it can call home, said Rehoboth Beach Patrol Capt. Jeff Giles, who has been captain since 2021 and was also a Rehoboth Beach lifeguard in the 1980s. It’s a place where alumni will be able to come and share their wisdom, he said.
Giles said the lifeguards have a practice called horizon swims – getting in the water and swimming out for a half-hour or so, while always keeping an eye on a specific focal point.
The Henlopen Hotel has always been the marker he used, and now that’s not needed anymore. This building is the landmark of the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk and will be the center of everything, he said.
Mayor Stan Mills celebrated the longevity and evolution of the beach patrol, from a two-person operation more than 100 years ago to the 80 staff members of today.
It’s a shining day for the city, said Mills. The threatening rain and poor weather doesn’t dampen the spirit at all, he said.
Located at the eastern terminus of Baltimore Avenue, this project is years in the making. The design keeps the same function as the old one-story, cinder block building, but turns it into a two-story structure with public restrooms and family changing stations on the first level, and the beach patrol headquarters on the second.
Construction began with demolition of the old structure in early 2024. The city had expected to begin demolition soon after Labor Day 2023, but self-inflicted procedural delays pushed everything back nearly two months.
There were more delays when the contractor had trouble driving piles to desired depths a few months after the demolition was complete. However, construction has been steady for about a year now.
Last summer, during construction, lifeguards were stationed in a dirt parking lot immediately south of the Village Improvement Association’s home along the north Boardwalk.
The project was originally budgeted at a cost of $4.9 million, but as of a meeting in late April, the costs were coming in at about $5.7 million.
Lifeguards officially take their stands Saturday, May 24, and will be on duty until three weeks following Labor Day. Lifeguards are on duty 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the week, and 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on weekends and holidays. There will be a second bell-ringing ceremony at 9:30 a.m., Saturday, May 24.
Beach patrol/comfort station by the numbers:
In advance of the ribbon cutting, the city provided the nuts-and-bolts statistics for the new beach patrol and comfort station:
• At Boardwalk level, the two-story building is 37 feet tall
• The building is 5,468 square feet and, if exterior and covered areas are included, it’s 7,935 square feet
• The building is fully ADA-accessible
• There are four changing rooms with built-in benches
• There are 96 lockers for staff, two ATV garages, space for 32 bikes and a 28-foot-tall flagpole on the second floor that faces the beach
• There are 15 toilets, seven urinals, seven lavatories in public restrooms and two family restrooms for the public
• There are four toilets, one urinal, three lavatories and three showers for staff
• The city has hired 80 full- and part-time seasonal staff.
Rehoboth Beach celebrated the opening of the new beach patrol and public restroom facility with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 22. Surrounded by current lifeguards, former lifeguards, local elected officials and members of the public, Mayor Stan Mills has a big smile after cutting the ribbon. CHRIS FLOOD PHOTOS
Rehoboth Beach Patrol Capt. Jeff Giles is entering his fifth year at the helm of the beach patrol. He thanked everyone for their support.
The day before the ribbon cutting ,the flagpole was installed in the wind and rain.
The rain was coming down, but the hand rails still had to be installed the day before the ribbon cutting.
The new beach patrol building stands tall from the beach two days before the ribbon cutting.
A couple of days before the building opened, a few of the lifeguards were able to start putting stuff in the building.
The building’s new water stations look a lot like the red crosses painted on the building.
Wheel barrows and mulch mean landscaping is being completed.
As it was intended, the bright red paint of the new building stands out among all the other buildings along the north end of the Boardwalk.
The weekend before the ribbon cutting was spent making the building look open for business.
Blue tape marks out the big red cross that will eventually be painted on the south side of the building.
The paint crew works on the red cross on the north side of the building the weekend before it opened.
The Friday before the ribbon cutting the masons were hand laying the bricks facing Baltimore Avenue.
The leftovers from cutting bricks to fit.
This doesn’t look like much, but gone is the fence facing Baltimore Avenue.
The screen door of the old beach patrol building was saved.
RBP Lt. Rawley Florax stands with grandfather Bruce Wright. Florax is about to enter his fifth year. Wright was a RBP rookie 67 years ago.
Before the big group photo, city officials cut a ribbon too. Pictured are (l-r) Commissioner Francis “Bunky” Markert, Public Works Director Henry Matlosz, Commissioner Patrick Gossett, Commissioner Mark Saunders, Mayor Stan Mills, RBP Capt. Jeff Giles, Commissioner Suzanne Goode, City Manager Taylour Tedder.
Rep. Claire Snyder Hall, D-Rehoboth, Rehoboth Beach-Dewey Beach Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Carol Everhart and Commissioner Patrick Gossett take a look at the new building before the ceremony.
The women’s locker room.
More than 100 people showed up for the public unveiling of the new builiding.
Mayor Stan Mills says a few words before the ribbon cutting.
City Manager Taylour Tedder thanks the construction crew for their hard work.
Former RBP lifeguard Woody Marderwald enjoys the view from the second floor observation floor.
RBP Capt. Jeff Giles, Mayor Stan Mills and City Manager Taylour Tedder do a ceremonial wringing of the bell.
Cookies with the date on them were a hot ticket.
All of the beach patrol’s coverage area can be seen from the second floor observation deck.
The old assignment board also made the trip to the new home.
The old plaques of Frank Coveleski and Tommy Coveleski have been installed facing the Boardwalk to watch over the public and the lifeguards.Event Details :
Rehoboth Beach Patrol
Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971
United States
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