Jason Richter, Delray Beach Ocean Rescue, climbs a temporary lifeguard tower recently. The tower is a replacement
for N-1, the defunct tower pictured at rear. The city wants to replace all of the lifeguard towers,
ut the timing depends on the availability of money.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Jane Smith
As the city begins its $3.1 million upgrade to the promenade along the beach, the sorry state of its eight lifeguard towers is even more noticeable. Especially to Delray Beach residents such as Chris Heffernan, who runs on the beach each day and has befriended the lifeguards.
The investment adviser has become an advocate for new lifeguard towers. One tower, just north of Atlantic Avenue, has a shattered and partially boarded front window. It can’t be used. The city posted a large “No Trespassing” at the base of the stairs leading to the tower.
That forces lifeguards to sit in a portable fiberglass tower nearby. The lifeguards rotate tower positions so that no one is assigned permanently to one of the four portable towers. The fiberglass towers hold the heat and must be abandoned when a lightning storm approaches, according to the city’s Fire-Rescue Department. The lifeguards are part of the Fire-Rescue Department.
On a chilly mid-March morning when the temperature dipped below 50 degrees, new lifeguard Jason Richter was happy to climb into the portable tower, wearing “city-issued pajama pants.” With only two months on the job, he has yet to spend time in the fiberglass tower during the summer.
Heffernan began his lifeguard-tower quest in July when the city’s Environmental Services Department held an open house with its designer for the beach promenade work. At the time, Don Cooper was the city manager. Cooper said the plan was to replace one lifeguard tower a year, according to Heffernan.
Capt. Kevin Saxton, the fire-rescue spokesman, said the eight towers have impact glass and “most of the windows can’t be locked due to corrosion.” The oldest tower is 13 years old and the newest one is 10 years old.
Five of the eight towers have cracked front windows and seven are still in use, Saxton said. The cracks are the result of vandalism. The new towers will have lockable shutters.
The towers will need permits from the state because of their location on the beach, said Vanessa Dornisch, environmental specialist with the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The current plan calls for two towers to be replaced annually starting in October, Saxton said. “Whether or not they stay in the budget is up to the city,” he said.
“It’s hard to say we have a world-class beach without first-rate facilities,” said Mayor Cary Glickstein, who supports replacing all the towers at one time. “However, as mayor, I am just one of five members on the commission.”
Last year, the fire chief recommended that all lifeguard towers be replaced during the current budget year until the need for new fire-fighting equipment became apparent because of the aging fleet, the mayor said.
The lifeguard towers, estimated to cost $77,400 for two, will be discussed in May as part of the city’s capital improvement budget process, Glickstein said.
Then, the commission will determine priorities and what can be done in the next budget year.
Even so, the mayor — who is a surfer and lives on the barrier island — likely will support replacing all of the towers in next year’s budget.
“Nearly 2 million people visit our beaches every year,” he said.
“We have wisely invested in sidewalk, landscape and pavilion improvements, dune restoration and beach renourishment.
“We will soon replace our rescue towers to ensure all beach visitors enjoy a great experience from their arrival to hitting the water.”
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