By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City finally knows how much it will cost to build its community recreation center – a little more than $21 million.
Competitive bids for the project were opened on Thursday and the lowest one came in at $21,093,000 among five companies that sought the construction contract. Ernest Bock & Sons, a Philadelphia construction company, submitted the lowest bid.
At this point, it is considered the “apparent low bid” because it still must be scrutinized to make sure it meets all of the conditions required by Sea Isle before the contract is formally awarded by City Council.
Mayor Leonard Desiderio was relieved Bock’s bid was only $1 million higher than the $20 million estimated price tag that the city originally came up with almost three years ago while the project was moving through the planning and design phases.
He called it an “early Christmas present” for Sea Isle.
“If that’s the winning bid, then that’s very, very good. We’re very happy with it, and satisfied with it,” he said in an interview.
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.
City Council President J.B. Feeley, who was also at the bid opening, said the governing body will work closely with the mayor to get the community center contract awarded in January.
“This is very important. It’s a two-way street. He’ll work with us and we’ll work with him,” Feeley said.
Barring any delays in awarding the contract, construction is expected to begin in early 2024. There is no firm timetable yet for completing the project.
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.”
To make room for construction of the community center, the city demolished the old Sea Isle City Public School at 4501 Park Road last spring. 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.
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.
Toms River architect Henry Hengchua, who designed the project, said the building’s contemporary look will also incorporate traditional materials such as brick, wood and glass to enhance the appearance. Decorative pavers will also be added to make the building more attractive.
Hengchua noted that he walked around the surrounding neighborhood many times for inspiration during the design process.
“It’s designed with the community in mind,” he said.
Hengchua collaborated with city officials while the design went through a number of iterations before the final concept was finished.
“It didn’t happen overnight, that’s for sure,” city spokeswoman Katherine Custer said.
The building’s design reflects its dual role as a community center and recreation facility. Hengchua called the design “flexible.”
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.
“It’s very, very important. There are so many ways we could have used this facility over the past couple of years, even during this holiday season,” Desiderio said of the role the community center will play in the city.
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.
“We’re looking forward to it. We are really excited. We’re very happy, and let’s move on,” he said.
On its website, Ernest Bock & Sons says it has a diversified portfolio of sports, entertainment, housing, government and healthcare projects it has built.
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.
Before construction gets underway on the community center, a massive pile of soil, also known as fill, was placed at the site in June and is undergoing a process known as “surcharging” for several months.
Surcharging will allow the soil to become compact enough for the community center’s foundation to be built on top of it without settling.
