Rehoboth Beach Patrol project about $550,000 over budget

Months into construction, the Rehoboth Beach Patrol project is about $550,000 over budget. 

However, there are no proposed design changes at this time and the project is still on schedule for completion in spring 2025.

J.D. Bartlett, project manager for the city’s construction management firm EDiS, gave an update during a commissioner workshop July 8. Subsurface challenges have been the primary source of issues, he said, pointing to underground debris and soil that was harder than expected.

“No one could have predicted what was found at the site,” said Bartlett. “The large area of risk should be behind us.”

The majority of the budget excess is related to two issues. Just under $160,000 is related to sea wall work because the Boardwalk foundation is closer than expected. More than $192,000 went toward additional piling installation. The contract called for 90 piles to be driven, but in the end, it was 131, said Bartlett.

The changes were approved because city code required all the pile driving to be done by May 15, said Bartlett. If it hadn’t been done, there would be more significant delays, he said.

The other additional costs are related to the temporary bathrooms at the north end of the Boardwalk and changes to electrical needs at the construction site.

Bartlett said the contracted total for the project was $4.9 million. It now sits at $5.5 million, he said.

The contract calls for the project to be completed by mid-May 2025, with a three-month contingency built in, which means the project is actually expected to be done by mid-February, said Bartlett. However, he said, the contingency window is now down to two months because of the delays.

Bartlett said the goal isn’t to try to make up time, but to stay on schedule.

Local hotelier Chad Moore, who owns the Admiral on Baltimore, located immediately south of the construction site, said the city and construction staff have been great to work with, but there have been problems. Specifically, he said, business is down about 11.5% compared to his other hotels in Rehoboth, Lewes and Georgetown, which are all up over double digits.

Moore said his biggest concern was that delays would push the project into next summer, so he was glad to hear it was still on schedule.