Sea Isle City to celebrate grand opening of Community Center

Sea Isle City will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony Saturday to celebrate the grand opening of its $21 million Community Center, giving the public the first glimpse inside of the multipurpose building.

The ceremony is scheduled for noon on the front steps of the building overlooking Central Avenue between 45th and 46th streets.

Mayor Leonard Desiderio will cut the ceremonial ribbon after the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, a blessing and the reading of a poem. Then he will invite the public inside to explore the interior of the two-story building.

All members of the public will be able to tour the building during the grand opening. They do not have to be Community Center members.

"It's a beautiful building. They will be amazed by what they see," Desiderio said in an interview Tuesday.

Altogether, it has taken about 10 years for the planning, design and construction of the project, Desiderio noted.

"The opening marks a significant milestone for our community, and we would be honored to have you join us in celebrating this memorable occasion," Sea Isle said in a statement inviting the public to the ceremony.

The ribbon-cutting will culminate nearly two years of construction on the building, which will serve the dual purpose as a recreation facility and community center.

    The expansive gymnasium includes an NBA-size basketball court. (Photo courtesy of Sea Isle City)
  

The festivities will also include Desiderio welcoming guests inside the center's gymnasium for a "Ceremonial First Layup." Several members of the local basketball community will each shoot a ball in one of the six basketball nets to officially open the gym for public use.

"Yes, we are ready to open, and I'm looking forward to welcoming everyone to the building and I'm especially looking forward to all the opportunities for recreation and leisure that the facility will offer to our citizens going forward from now on," Desiderio said in a statement.

The Community Center includes the following amenities:  

• Large gymnasium with a modern floor system that is stripped with an NBA-size basketball court, three pickleball courts, and a volleyball court.  The gym also has bleachers for 200 spectators, two scoreboards and other state-of-the-art features.
• Elevated walking-running track
• Fitness classroom (for exercise classes)
• Arts-and-crafts room
• Quiet Room (for reading, assembling jigsaw puzzles and other quiet activities)
• Community Meeting Room with a stage and kitchen
• Conference room
• Golf simulator
• Multi-Ball Game Room
• Exercise equipment for self-led workouts
• A "Green Room"
• Expansive atrium/lobby, with plenty of seating.

    An arts and crafts room is one of the amenities. (Photo courtesy of Sea Isle City)
  

As part of Saturday's celebration, Sea Isle will sell 2026 commemorative "Community Center" beach tags. They will serve as regular seasonal beach passes for the upcoming summer season. The beach tags will be on sale at the pre-season rate of $25 each, while supplies last.

Grand Opening Parking: 

During the grand opening, there will be a limited amount of parking available in the building's exterior parking lot on the Central Avenue side. Additional parking spaces will be available in the parking garage underneath the building off 46th Street and along the curbs surrounding the Community Center. As motorists approach the Community Center, they will be asked to follow the directions of Sea Isle police officers. 

For more information about the grand opening ceremony, call (609) 263-8687, ext. 3.