DEWEY BEACH, DE -- Demolition crews brought down the old code enforcement building in Dewey Beach Monday morning. The building's removal is making way for a new town hall and public safety building planned for the site.
Commissioner Elisabeth Gibbings visited the site this morning as the old building was being torn down.
"It's so exciting," Gibbings said. "The new place is going to have the police department, our administrative offices, Sussex EMS, our courthouse, everything is going to be in this new building. It won't have mold, and we'll have enough space for everything."
Dewey Beach town manager Bill Zolper told WBOC that mold issues and limited space in the current town hall, which is roughly thirty years old, were two big reasons for the upgrade.
"We really do need to move into a new building," Zolper said. "And it's not costing property owners. They're not paying one dime for this."
The finished building is planned to be three stories tall. Town leaders said the Sussex EMS being located in the building will help improve their response times in the area.
Lt. Clifford Dempsey with the Dewey Beach Police Department said the upgrade will also help modernize their department.
"Communications center is gonna be state of the art. We're bringing in a brand new CAD system, along with a brand new radio system, so our dispatchers are gonna be well-equipped with all the technology that they need," Dempsey said.
As a longtime employee, Dempsey said seeing the code enforcement building go was bittersweet.
"There's so much history with it. Our staff have lived in there, it was a restaurant at one time, it's a pretty cool building but it's time to say goodbye."
Construction on the new town hall and public safety building is expected to begin in mid-April, according to town leaders. The construction is expected to be a 400-day project.