This side of the community center overlooking Central Avenue will be the front entrance. (Photo courtesy of Sea Isle City)
Major parts of Sea Isle City’s $21 million community recreation center have been completed and others are underway as the project heads toward a grand opening this fall, Mayor Leonard Desiderio said Thursday while giving a construction update.
“If you have driven past our future Community Center recently, you know that the building’s exterior walls are quickly taking shape, and you can plainly see where windows will soon be installed,” Desiderio said in a statement to the public.
Among key aspects of the project, the build’s flooring structural support system has been installed and the garage’s concrete flooring under the building has been poured.
Also, the cement block elevator shaft and stairwells have been constructed and the installation of one of the building’s interior stairwells continues.
Desiderio said the steel beams for the building’s superstructure have also been installed. Masonry work and rough-out work for the building’s utilities and fire suppression system continues.
The installation of insulation also continues. The roof is being prepped for the next phase of roofing materials. Brick work, the installation of the stud walls for the building’s exterior, and installation of ductwork for the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system, HVAC, continue.
Roof-top units for the HVAC system have been delivered and will be installed soon, according to Desiderio’s update.
An architectural rendering depicts the community center when completed. (Courtesy of Ernest Bock & Sons Inc.)The construction contractor, Ernest Bock & Sons Inc., is on schedule while heading for completion this fall, the mayor said.
“The excitement around this very important project is growing with each passing week – and I, for one, can’t wait until the fall, when we host a grand opening celebration and welcome people into what I am certain will be a very important gathering space for many decades to come,” Desiderio said.
Desiderio thanked the community members for their patience as construction continues, especially the nearby neighbors who he said have been “very understanding” while trucks have delivered materials and contractors have made noise.
Architectural renderings of the community center show a glossy facade overlooking Central Avenue. A material resembling red brick will also cloak the front of the building as part of the attractive architecture to blend in with the surrounding neighborhood.
To make room for construction of the community center, the city demolished the old Sea Isle City Public School at 4501 Park Road. 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.
Sea Isle had the demolition contractor save the mature trees that surrounded the old school. The plan is to incorporate the trees in the new landscaping designs for the community center.
The building takes shape on the Park Road side. (Photo courtesy of Sea Isle City)
