Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard Desiderio
The month of March has arrived – and with it comes the usual excitement about the year ahead.
However, this year, in addition to the many wonderful seasonal events and activities we have planned, we also have a very important project developing that will make 2025 extremely memorable – and, quite frankly, historic.
Of course, I am speaking about Sea Isle City’s future Community Center, which you are no doubt aware is currently under construction in the 4500 block of Central Avenue.
If you regularly read our “Project Updates,” you probably know that the construction of our Community Center is overall on schedule – even though there have been some minor delays in recent weeks due to the weather.
Also, if you have driven by the site lately, you know that the building’s steel frame has been assembled, and a great deal of other work has taken place as well. One important phase of construction happened earlier this week, when a fleet of trucks delivered the cement for the foundation of the sub-flooring on the building’s main and upper levels.
Now that the floors are basically in place, it won’t be too long before we see the exterior walls and windows installed; and afterwards many of the building’s interior components will be installed as well.
It will come as no surprise to many of you that we plan to host a festive Grand Opening Ceremony after the building is completed in the fall of 2025, and we will certainly give everyone as much advance notice as possible, so we can have a large crowd of people in attendance as we open this important facility and begin a new era for our community. So please be on the lookout for information about the grand opening ceremony later this year.
Sea Isle City's $21 million community center is scheduled to open in fall 2025.Before I change gears, there is one more comment I want to make regarding the Community Center, and that is to express my sincerest thanks to all of the neighbors who live adjacent to or near the construction site, because I am fully aware that there have been some disturbances to the usual peace and tranquility in that neighborhood during the construction process.
With that in mind, please know that I am very grateful for everyone’s patience as we complete what I feel will be one of the most important buildings ever constructed in our town. Thank you all for your understanding!
The month of March can hold different meanings for different people. For many, it’s all about the arrival of spring and the beautiful weather that’s coming our way. For others, this month involves the start of Lent, which is a very holy time of year for Christians around the world.
However, March also gives us the opportunity to once again thank and honor the men and women who served in the Vietnam War – and that is precisely what we plan to do at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 29, at Veterans Park, as our community celebrates National Vietnam War Veterans Day.
I ask everyone to mark your calendars now and plan to join us on March 29 as we say “thank you” to those who served in that war (and sadly were often criticized or taunted when they returned home from the battlefield).
Also happening this month, I will present Sea Isle City’s proposed 2025 Municipal Budget to our local legislators and deliver my annual “State of the City” address during the March 11 City Council meeting, which takes place at 10 a.m. on the third floor of City Hall.
I hope you will be able to join us that day. However, if you can’t be there, we will email my address to everyone who is on our E-Newsletter mailing list so as many folks as possible can read my update regarding how we are doing as a municipality. (Spoiler Alert: I am happy to tell you that the state of our city is excellent, and our town is in great shape).
Don’t forget to “Spring Forward” and turn your clocks ahead this weekend as Daylight Saving Time begins!
Smile … You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
