With about a month to go before the city’s lifeguards return to work, the contractor in charge of overseeing the new Rehoboth Beach Patrol headquarters construction said building inspections are set to begin in the coming week.

The elevator control panel has been installed and the platform is operational, said J.D. Bartlett, project manager for the city’s construction management firm EDiS, during a project update at an April 17 commissioners meeting. Inspections on the elevator are expected to begin midweek, with all preliminary inspections done by the end of the month, he said.

It’s a really exciting time in the project, but it’s also time for the city to begin planning on moving into a new building and what that process will look like, said Bartlett. Finishing items are beginning to be installed, which is an indicator of where in the process the project is, he said.

If construction goes as planned, there are still two weeks of contingency remaining in the schedule, said Bartlett. The lifeguards should be able to begin moving things in the week of May 12, he said. 

The beach patrol is scheduled to begin providing services Saturday, May 24.

During a building tour the previous week, Public Works Director Henry Matlosz said there will be a punch list of small items to complete, but the building will be operationally functional when lifeguards start working.

In addition to inspections, the building’s geothermal unit is expected to undergo startup soon, and exterior work is beginning to wrap up, said Bartlett.

As for the budget, according to Bartlett, current construction costs are about $5.7 million, which is roughly $750,000 above the contracted amount of $4.9 million. This is the same as when he last reported in January, he said.

Bartlett went over a number of pending change orders that would add approximately $55,000 to the total, but he said the costs can fit into the contingency budget.

The one change order that caused a discussion was installing insulation in the interior walls that separate the lifeguard locker rooms from the meeting room on the second floor.

Commissioner Suzanne Goode was against the insulation because of the other cost overruns; she didn’t think it was necessary.

Mayor Stan Mills said he was in favor of it, and it probably should have been used in the new city hall. Anyone who has an office in city hall that shares a wall with a bathroom knows it needs to be done, he said.

Bartlett said the insulation has already been installed, so it would incur additional costs if the city wanted to take it out.

Ultimately, commissioners decided to keep the work as is.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated with the correct date for the start of lifeguards.