By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Members of the public are being invited to what may very well be a once-in-a-lifetime event in Sea Isle City.
Mayor Leonard Desiderio announced Tuesday that the city will break ground May 4 on its $21 million community recreation center – what he called a “truly historic and important project” expected to be a centerpiece of Sea Isle for decades to come.
“It’s going to be a building that will tie the community together. It’s going to be great,” Desiderio said in an interview.
Stressing the communal nature of the project, Desiderio said members of the public will have an opportunity to participate in the groundbreaking ceremony, not just watch it.
They will be able to pick up shovels and toss some dirt to symbolically kick off construction of the project after about five years of planning, designs and community forums.
“They will all have the opportunity to throw some dirt, take some pictures with their family and be able to say that they were part of the groundbreaking of the community center project,” Desiderio said.
The groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. as part of the city’s annual Community Day celebration on Saturday, May 4.
Desiderio also announced during a City Council meeting Tuesday that the Community Day events may also include a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of Sea Isle’s nearly $1 million dog park.
Some final touches are still being put on the dog park between Sixth and Eighth streets on Landis Avenue, so it is possible the project may not be ready for a ribbon-cutting on May 4. Even if it’s not, the dog park is expected to be fully ready by Memorial Day weekend, Desiderio said.
Meantime, to make room for construction of the community center, the city demolished the old Sea Isle City Public School at 4501 Park Road last year. The community center will occupy the same footprint of the old school on the block bordered by Park Road, Central Avenue, 45th Street and 46th Street.
The city’s construction contractor, Ernest Bock & Sons Inc. of Philadelphia, is expected to complete the project by fall 2025.
“In the fall of 2025, we’ll have a ribbon-cutting for the new building,” city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said.
Family-owned Bock & Sons has built a diversified portfolio of public and private projects in the Philadelphia area, New Jersey and Mid-Atlantic region during its 75-year history.
Some of its notable projects include the $40 million Atlantic County criminal courthouse complex in Mays Landing, the second phase of the Montgomery County (Pa.) Justice Center and a $70 million, 19-story building at 101 Walnut Street in Philadelphia.
It also built the 227-foot-tall Ferris wheel-like attraction at the Steel Pier in Atlantic City and the Philadelphia Flyers practice facility in Voorhees, N.J.
Sea Isle’s community center went through a number of iterations before the final concept was created. The design reflects the facility’s 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 may use for meetings, events and other activities.
The facility will not include a swimming pool. During a 2019 referendum, local property owners voted overwhelmingly against including an indoor pool in the community center. The fear at that time was that a pool would make the project much more expensive for Sea Isle taxpayers.
Architectural renderings of the community center 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.
