By DONALD WITTKOWSKI
Sea Isle City’s former public school has been smashed to smithereens.
Giant excavators have finished demolishing the building, leaving only mountainous piles of concrete, brick and wood rubble that must be removed.
As demolition crews continue the job of cleaning up the rubble, City Council took a major step Tuesday in the transformation of the former school site into a proposed community recreation center.
Voting 5-0, Council granted approval for the city to advertise for construction bids for the estimated $20 million project.
The city expects to receive competitive bids in July from construction companies seeking the contract, Mayor Leonard Desiderio said.
“Due to the magnitude of the building project, the city requires approval from the state comptroller before bidding, which we’re in the process of obtaining. We expect to go out to bid in May or June and receive bids in July,” he said.
City officials say the project will be done in two phases. First, mounds of dirt will be piled on the site for a few months to go through a process known as “surcharging,” which will allow the soil to become compact enough for the community center to be built on top of it without settling.
“Following demolition, we will surcharge the eastern portion of the property with fill to assure a proper foundation for the (community center’s) future parking area,” Desiderio told the Council members.
The second phase of the project will consist of constructing the community center itself. It is expected to take about 20 months to complete construction, a schedule that would put the grand opening in early 2025, city officials say.
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 unveiled earlier by the city 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.
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 could use for meetings, events and other activities.
To make room for the community center, demolition crews began tearing down the old school in late March and had virtually the entire building down by the first week of April.
The school opened in 1971 as a centerpiece of the community. But student enrollment plummeted in later years, culminating in the school’s closure in 2012.
After years of discussion and planning, Sea Isle officials decided to demolish the building to create space for a new community center.
Desiderio expressed his thanks to the residents living near the old school for their patience during the noisy demolition work.
“I know the demolition activity can be aggravating; and we’ve tried to minimize disruptions as much as possible,” he said. “In the end, we can all look forward to an outstanding addition to our city and a community center facility that we all can enjoy.”
Although the old school is now gone, city officials told the demolition contractor to save the building’s cornerstone and the mature trees surrounding the site. The trees will be incorporated in the community center’s landscaping design.
The school’s old flagpole that still remains standing at the site will also be saved. It will be relocated to Sea Isle’s VFW Post 1963 headquarters on John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
“Now, it will go to good use at the VFW,” Desiderio said.
