By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City plans to award a $21 million construction contract next month for its proposed community recreation center, representing a major step forward for a project that has spent the last two years in the planning and design phase.
Mayor Leonard Desiderio said in a statement Tuesday that the contract will be formally awarded to Ernest Bock & Sons of Philadelphia at the City Council meeting on Jan. 23.
“This will be an exciting undertaking for our city, and I want to thank City Council, city staff, and the public for all of their efforts to get us to this point. This is the latest example of how we accomplish outstanding results when we work together,” Desiderio said.
In a round of competitive bidding on Dec. 21, Ernest Bock & Sons submitted the lowest price to beat out four other construction companies that sought the community center contract.
Bock’s $21 million bid is $1 million higher than the $20 million price tag that Sea Isle had originally estimated for the project almost three years ago.
Desiderio noted that inflation and supply-chain disruptions – which have sent the cost of many construction projects skyrocketing nationwide recently – could have possibly pushed the bids significantly higher.
Sea Isle approved a $20 million bond ordinance in 2022 to finance the community center. The city demolished the old public school on Park Road to make room for construction of the project. The entire site is bordered by Park Road, Central Avenue, 45th Street and 46th Street.
The city’s new five-year capital plan includes $2 million in contingency funding to cover any extra expenses above the $20 million bond ordinance.
Additional costs will include the construction contract, architectural fees, construction management services and special inspections for the community center while it is being built, City Business Administrator George Savastano said in an interview Tuesday.
Council is expected to approve the capital plan at its meeting Jan. 9, setting the stage for the city to award the community center’s construction contract on Jan. 23, Desiderio said in his statement.
“We believe this is the right thing to do,” he said. “We’ve all worked long and hard to put together a project that will serve our city now and for generations to come. The proposed Community Center has benefited from a tremendous amount of public input, and we’ve gone through multiple designs to get this right. It’s time to move forward.”
Barring any last-minute delays in awarding the contract, construction is expected to begin in early 2024. There is no firm timetable yet for completing the project.
During the bid openings on Dec. 21, Desiderio estimated that the project may take 2-2½ years to complete, which would push the grand opening into 2026. He said the city anticipates that there may be some delays caused by ongoing supply-chain shortages in the construction industry.
“We’ve got to look for delays. We’ve got to look for supply-chain shortages,” he said. “But once we get going, we’ll want to move straight ahead as fast as we can and get it done in a reasonable time. But we want everything to be right.”
The building’s design reflects its dual role as a community center and recreation facility. 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.
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.
Following the opening of the bids, Desiderio expressed confidence that Ernest Bock & Sons has the experience to build the community center as quickly as possible.
On its website, the company says it has built a diversified portfolio of sports, entertainment, housing, government and healthcare projects.
Some of its notable projects include the Salem County Criminal Courthouse, the second phase of the Montgomery County (Pa.) Justice Center and a $70 million, 19-story building at 101 Walnut Street in Philadelphia.
It 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.
