By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
First comes the fence. Next, comes the wrecking ball.
A 6-foot-high chain link fence was erected Tuesday around the former Sea Isle City Public School at 4501 Park Road to seal off access to the site in preparation for the building’s demolition.
Workmen Ramuel Rosario and Ricardo Davila of United Site Services of Sewell, N.J., spent the day assembling 800 feet of safety fencing that now surrounds the building on the block of Park Road, Central Avenue, 45th Street and 46th Street.
Built in 1971, the old school closed in 2012 due to Sea Isle’s declining student population. Culminating years of planning and discussion, the city is going to use the site to build a $20 million community recreation center tentatively scheduled to open in early 2025.
“They’re going to give us a beautiful community center. It provides us with a nice place with attractions that the entire community will be able to enjoy,” Sea Isle resident Debbi Pasceri said while passing by the school during a walk with her dog, Boo.
Although she welcomes the idea of redeveloping the site for a community center, Pasceri felt a tinge of nostalgia while recalling that her youngest daughter, Samantha, now 17, attended preschool at the school in 2008 and 2009.
“I loved it. It was an idyllic, little public school,” Pasceri said.
Soon, the school will be history. Demolition crews are scheduled to begin tearing down the building early this month and will finish the job in March.
In its final months, the building had become deteriorated while it stood empty. The words “Sea Isle City Public School” are no longer visible on the front of the building.
At the same time the safety fence was being erected, a handicap-accessible ramp that had led to the school’s front entrance was torn down and thrown into a pile of wood rubble.
Sea Isle has awarded R.E. Pierson Construction Co. Inc., of Pilesgrove, N.J., a $354,900 contract to do the demolition work. The company has experience demolishing much larger landmarks, including the Sands Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, Virtua Hospital in Voorhees, N.J., and the Goethals Bridge in Elizabeth, N.J.
Once the old school is razed, Sea Isle will begin the two-stage process of building the community center.
First, mounds of dirt will be piled on the site for a few months to go through a process known as “surcharging,” which will allow the soil to become compact enough for the community center to be built on top of it without settling.
The second phase will consist of constructing the community center itself. City Business Administrator George Savastano anticipates construction will begin by late spring or early summer. Competitive bids will be sought by the city from construction companies vying for the contract.
Savastano said construction is expected to take about 20 months to complete, a schedule that would put the grand opening in early 2025.
Architectural renderings of the community center unveiled earlier by the city show a two-story building featuring a glossy facade overlooking Central Avenue. Sea Isle officials say the building will include attractive architecture to blend in with the rest of the neighborhood.
The building’s proposed design reflects its dual role as a community center and recreation facility. There will be a large gymnasium, indoor walkway and workout space for recreation. The building will also include space that local community groups could use for meetings, events and other activities.
