After years of planning, reviewing survey results, hosting public meetings, and listening to the people of Sea Isle City, I am very happy to report that the construction of our future Community Center is about to begin.
To officially start the building process, on April 3 we sent a “Notice to Proceed” to our contractor, Bock & Sons, Inc., which means that all of the necessary paperwork was completed, the funds are in place, and they can start construction right away. We anticipate that the building will be completed in the autumn of 2025 – so obviously this is a very exciting time to be in Sea Isle City!
Now that we have reached this important milestone in the construction process, it won’t be long before we announce the date of a groundbreaking ceremony, which will take place on a Saturday in the near future. I hope that as many people as possible will participate in the groundbreaking, because I want everyone to have the opportunity to shovel some dirt, take photos, and say: “I helped break ground for Sea Isle City’s Community Center.”
I am also happy to report that the dredging process has begun, and our current beach replenishment project is in full swing. Earlier this week, the dredge “Liberty Island” started pumping sand along the beaches in Sea Isle’s south end, and once work is completed between 74th and 94th Streets, the dredging project will move to our downtown beaches and add sand between 29th and 52nd Streets.
I remind everyone that even though the dredging contractor will have to close 1,000-foot sections of beach at a time during this project, there are still plenty of other beachfront areas that people can enjoy along our shoreline while the replenishment process takes place. All we ask is that everyone obeys the signs that are in place and avoids the beaches and dune paths that will be temporarily closed to the public until this beach replenishment project is finished.
I want to express my sincerest thanks to everyone who attended our annual Vietnam War Veterans Day Ceremony on Friday, March 30 – especially the veterans and auxiliary members from VFW Post 1963 who were there. As I stated during the ceremony, anyone who knows me knows that I believe that veterans continually deserve our respect and our thanks. However, on that special day – and every day of the year – we must never forget our Vietnam War veterans, especially because of the way many of them were treated when they returned home after the war.
If you were in town with young children over Easter weekend, I hope you were able to attend our annual “Spring Fling Family Fun Day” on Saturday afternoon at Excursion Park, where hundreds of youngsters enjoyed photo-ops with the Easter Bunny, games, crafts, contests, and other activities – all under sunny skies. My thanks go to the employees of Sea Isle’s Tourism and Recreation Offices for hosting another successful family-friendly event for our community, and for ensuring that everyone in attendance had an enjoyable time.
Now that spring has arrived, many of us have turned our gaze toward the rapidly approaching summer season. However, before the summer begins, there are numerous events happening in Sea Isle City that I hope you can attend, including the Environmental Commission’s annual Spring Beach Clean Up on April 13; the Chamber of Commerce’s Spring Girls Weekend on April 19, 20 and 21; Sea Isle’s Arbor Day Ceremony on April 26; and our annual Community Day gathering on May 4. To learn more about these and other events taking place in Sea Isle City, please go to www.VisitSICNJ.com or call our Tourism Office at 609-263-8687.
We all know that Sea Isle City is a very popular place, and we are reminded of this whenever we see large crowds gathered on our beaches or at one of our many community events, such as our festivals, concerts, and fireworks displays.
However, our town’s popularity can also be witnessed in more subtle ways – as was the case when Sea Isle City appeared as a clue in a recent New York Times Crossword Puzzle. For those of you who love this town and saw that particular puzzle, I am certain that you quickly recognized that the answer to 20-Across (“New Jersey’s Sea ___ City”) was, indeed: “Isle.”
Smile … You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
