Take an Early Look at Sea Isle City’s $21 Million Community Center

Wow, this is a lot of concrete.

Anyone who has been watching the early stages of construction on Sea Isle City’s $21 million community recreation center can finally get a sense of just how big the building will be when finished next year.

A massive concrete structure is taking shape on the property on Park Road and Central Avenue between 45th Street and 46th Street.

The community center’s steel superstructure will be built on top of the concrete structure. At street level, there will be a covered parking area with 40 spots underneath the building.

Mayor Leonard Desiderio said the project remains on schedule to be completed by the fall of 2025.

The next major phase of construction will be on the steel superstructure, essentially the building’s skeleton. Steel work is expected to begin in October, Desiderio said.

“The contractor has provided us with a detailed schedule that indicates all components of the building construction, which allows us to monitor their progress,” he said while giving an update on the project during a City Council meeting Tuesday.

Desiderio added that the construction schedule literally provides hundreds of details for every aspect of the project.

“We receive daily reports and photographic documentation of all building progress; and so far, we’ve been very pleased with the professionalism and performance of the contractor, Ernest Bock and Sons,” he said.

Family-owned Bock & Sons has built a diversified portfolio of more than $3 billion worth 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 $100 million Camden High School, the $40 million Atlantic County criminal courthouse complex in Mays Landing, a $233 million addition to the Montgomery County Justice Center in Norristown, Pa., and a $100 million, 10-story luxury condominium in Philadelphia.

Bock & Sons 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.

    A chain-link construction fence surrounds the site for safety.
  

At this point, the construction site for the community center is jam-packed with Bock’s heavy machinery, stacks of concrete blocks and an army of workers in hard hats. All of the activity is taking place behind a chain-link fence surrounding the site.

The building’s roof is scheduled to be installed this winter, which will allow the contractor to work on the interior next spring and summer while pushing toward the fall 2025 completion date, Desiderio said.

It was last May that the mayor and other officials held a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction following about five years of planning, designing and community discussions for the project.

The 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.

Among the amenities, 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.

    An architectural rendering depicts Sea Isle City's future community recreation center. (Courtesy of Sea Isle City)
  

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.

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.

One amenity that the community center will not have is 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.

    Construction machinery lifts some of the stacks of concrete blocks.
  

    A parking garage with 40 spaces will be tucked underneath the building.
  

    Pipes are installed on 46th Street next to the community center.
  

    A worker walks by a piece of equipment.
  

    Ernest Bock & Sons is the construction contractor.