For many years, there has been an ongoing discussion about the need for an indoor facility that would better accommodate Sea Isle City’s recreation programs, civic meetings, and other community activities. These discussions have taken place all over town, including at City Council and Town Hall meetings, and even around kitchen tables during family dinners. One main reason the idea of a new indoor facility has been a big topic of discussion is because, simply put, we lack a modern gymnasium that meets the needs of our community. Plus, our existing Community Lodge, which we currently use for civic meetings, fitness classes and other community gatherings, is modestly sufficient in some ways and yet greatly lacking in other ways.

Today, after years of planning and much consideration about the needs and wants of our community, I am happy to report that on Tuesday morning City Council introduced a Bond Ordinance to fund Sea Isle City’s future Community Center, which will be constructed on the site of the former public school building on Park Road. That means we are about to embark on an exciting journey together, which will result in a new public facility that will efficiently serve our community for many years to come.

When completed, the Community Center will include a spacious gymnasium that will be used for basketball, pickleball, volleyball, tournaments, and other sporting activities – and, thanks to a large curtain that will divide the gym into two separate spaces, different athletic activities will be able to take place simultaneously. The Community Center will also have a separate room that will be devoted to fitness classes and self-led workouts, a multi-purpose space that will accommodate civic meetings and other community gatherings, an elevated track that will allow people to run, jog or walk in a climate controlled environment twelve months a year, an area that will be used for arts-and-crafts and other activities, and additional features that will be useful for decades to come.

As exciting as the prospects of a new Community Center are, please know that we are advancing this project in a careful and methodical manner, because we want to ensure that it is built with an attention to detail and yet without frivolity. That being said, we plan to break ground later this year (possibly in September) and then hold a grand opening ceremony sometime in 2024. In the meantime, as our new Community Center project unfolds and comes to fruition, we will keep everyone posted about the building process – so, please keep an eye-out for updates on this important effort.

As I mentioned in our most recent newsletter, this is the time of the year when we are busy making improvements to our infrastructure and performing road work around town. In addition to those projects – and the great amount of work that’s being performed by our Department of Public Works to ensure that we have clean streets, fresh drinking water and properly functioning facilities – the employees of Sea Isle City’s Department of Community Services are also working hard to make sure that 2022 will be enjoyable and memorable. For example, our Division of Recreation is scheduling a wide variety of athletic events, summer camps and clinics, and other fun activities that will delight people of all ages throughout the year ahead. Also, our Division of Tourism has scheduled a wonderful line-up of weekly concerts, movies, and family-friendly activities at Excursion Park – not to mention festivals and other attractions that are sure to please. Plus, there will be events and activities hosted by the Chamber of Commerce, our Beachcomber guides, and a number of charitable organizations that will enrich our community in a variety of ways – so get ready for a wonderful year ahead!

One way to stay informed about the attractions that await us all in 2022 is to go to www.VISITSICNJ.com, where you will find a calendar of events, information about our beaches, details about recreation activities, and much more. Plus, after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Tourism Office is bringing back their annual printed brochure, which we are now calling a “Reference Guide.” The Reference Guide will be mailed to every local tax payer and will also be available at the Welcome Center and elsewhere around town in the months ahead – so, please keep an eye-out for that as well!

As a reminder, Sea Isle City’s 2022 Seasonal Beach Tags are on sale at the pre-season rate of $20 each at the Welcome Center, the City’s Tax Collector’s Office, and at our Beach Tag Vending Machine in the lobby of City Hall. Memorial Day will be here in a blink, so get your beach tags early, and plan on spending as much time as possible frolicking on the sand this summer!

This week’s “Shout Out” goes to Paula Doll, Sea Isle City’s retiring Chief Financial Officer. In addition to her duties as CFO, Paula also ran our Beach Tag Program and admirably served the people of Sea Isle City in other capacities as well – and she will be greatly missed! Congratulations Paula! Enjoy your retirement!

Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!

Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio