Town manager: new town hall move delayed by elevator inspections; Dickens Street flood work to start

Town Manager Zulpert told the Dewey Beach Town Council that the town's planned move into the new town hall is delayed because both elevators require final balancing and inspection. "The only thing that is keeping us from occupying that building today are the elevators," Zulpert said, and he reported the council has moved the next meeting to Oct. 9 and expects the town to be in the building by then if inspections finish.

Zulpert described logistics for the transition: a moving company was selected after three bids, Delmarva Power & Light will shut power at the old building Oct. 6–7 to begin demolition work, and abandoned wires on a front pole will be removed. He also previewed a Dickens Street/Bayside flood‑mitigation project scheduled to start Monday; Beacon Engineering will oversee the two‑week work to replace a storm drain, install a removable check valve and clean the drainage pipe to the bay.

On emergency preparedness, the town manager said FEMA completed a Community Assistance Visit and requested a floodplain management SOP that has now been posted on the town website (the manager described it as roughly 160 pages tailored to Dewey Beach). He also reported grant and donation updates: a $433,000 federal award is pending DOJ review, the county will disburse $750,000 of a $1.5 million EMS facility commitment once phase milestones are met, and donors raised $16,000 for upgraded police antennas.

Zulpert asked residents to expect the town's moving schedule to Oct. 9 and to watch the town website and agenda packet for more details about vendor contracts and project timelines.