By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
City Council approved two bond ordinances Tuesday to help finance a multitude of projects, including Sea Isle City’s proposed community recreation center and new stormwater pumping stations to protect the low-lying island from flooding.
One bond ordinance includes $11.6 million in funding for upgrades to public restrooms, renovations to the city’s emergency services building, flood-mitigation projects and road construction.
The funding will also go toward the purchase of new vehicles and important equipment for the police, fire and public works departments and the Sea Isle Beach Patrol, Mayor Leonard Desiderio said.
Mainly, the funding package focuses on the city’s efforts to reduce flooding in vulnerable neighborhoods by building a combination of new stormwater pumping stations and road improvements.
Pumping stations intercept floodwater and channel it back into the bay much faster than it would normally take to drain off the streets after a coastal storm. They have proved effective in Ocean City, Avalon and other shore communities exposed to flooding.
Tidal flooding unleashed by Tuesday’s storm once again underscored the importance of Sea Isle’s strategy to protect low-lying neighborhoods from stormwater.
The city's first stormwater pumping station, largely hidden underground, helps to protect a flood-prone area at the bay end of 38th Street.
City Business Administrator George Savastano said in an earlier interview that the first new pumping station in 2024 is planned in the area of 46th Street and Landis Avenue to the bay at an estimated cost of $3 million.
The city also has plans for another pumping station in 2024 at 43rd Street and Landis to the bay at an estimated cost of $2 million, Savastano said.
To help defray the cost of both of those pumping stations, the city is seeking grant money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Savastano, though, said Sea Isle plans to move forward with the projects even if it is unsuccessful in getting funding from FEMA.
Sea Isle and Cape May County have been discussing the possibility of building new pumping stations in a partnership to share the cost of the projects. Those pumping stations would be in drainage areas controlled by the county.
In the longer term, as many as eight pumping stations are being considered along the Landis Avenue artery from 30th Street to 57th Street, Savastano said.
Meanwhile, the second bond ordinance approved by Council on Tuesday includes $2.2 million in funding to help pay for the city’s proposed $21 million community recreation center on Park Road. The city demolished the old public school last year to make room for the community center’s construction.
In 2022, Council approved a $20 million bond ordinance to cover what was then the estimated cost of the community center while the project was still in the design and planning stages.
An excavator demolishes the old public school in April 2023 to make room for construction of Sea Isle's new community recreation center.
On Dec. 21, the city opened competitive bids for the project and the lowest bid came in at $21 million. The new $2.2 million bond ordinance will cover any extra construction and ancillary costs for the community center.
Desiderio said the city plans to award the $21 million construction contract on Feb. 27 to Ernest Bock & Sons of Philadelphia. Bock submitted the lowest competitive bid among five companies that sought the contract.
Barring any last-minute delays, Bock is expected to get the go-ahead from the city to begin construction in March. Desiderio has estimated that it may take 2-2½ years to complete the community center, which would push the grand opening into 2026.
“This new community center was several years in the making – with a tremendous amount of planning, design, re-design, multiple reviews, and comprehensive public participation. It is truly a project that we all own and can be proud of, and that will be an integral part of the fabric of our city in the near future,” Desiderio said in a statement that he read at the Council meeting.
In another vote, Council also awarded professional service contracts to DeBlasio & Associates and architect Henry Hengchua for key aspects of the community center’s development.
DeBlasio & Associates will serve as construction manager of the project and Hengchua will provide architectural and engineering review services as well as administrative services necessary to build the facility, Desiderio said.
“These are important services that are required for the proper construction of a project of this magnitude, and both of these firms have been involved with the project through the entire planning and design process,” Desiderio said in his statement.
From left, architect Henry Hengchua, City Council President J.B. Feeley and Mayor Leonard Desiderio stand next to a rendering of the community center project.
