I hope you were able to join us during our Community Center’s Grand Opening Ceremony on Saturday, because it truly was a memorable and historic day for Sea Isle City! Before everyone entered the building, approximately 1000 people gathered with us near the front steps during the ceremony – and then, as the day progressed, many other folks arrived to see the reasons why our new Community Center will be a hub of activity for generations to come.
It was such a thrill to hear so much positive feedback from people as they toured the Community Center – and I am very grateful for the kind words we received from everyone who was there.
As an additional indication of precisely how excited everyone is about the new Community Center, as of 3:00 PM yesterday over 3700 property owners have registered for membership in our new facility – and that number keeps rising.
Ten years ago, when we began this important journey together, we all wanted what was best for Sea Isle City – and I think we achieved that goal (and then some). I would be hard-pressed to say exactly what part of the Community Center is my favorite (simply because the building has so many outstanding features), but one thing I know for sure is that we have many reasons to be thankful overall, and I am extremely happy that we were able to construct such an important building.
I want to once again express my thanks to everyone who helped us plan and construct our new Community Center, including Henry Hengchua, our architect; Roger Rinck, our Project Manager; Ernest Bock & Sons General Contractors; and all of our municipal employees, who worked very hard to bring this project to fruition. I also want to thank the neighbors living in the properties surrounding the Community Center, who had to endure a variety of annoyances during the construction process; and my thanks also go to the people of Sea Isle City who attended town hall meetings, completed surveys, shared their opinions, and helped us design and execute the plans that led us here today.
Additionally, I want to thank the six young individuals who helped us officially open our new gymnasium on Saturday by performing “ceremonial first layups” into the gym’s six basketball nets: Connor Capone, Vincent Farina, Rachel Grace, Gavin Oliver, Landon Oliver and Liza Pellini.
To learn more about our new Community Center (including how to obtain membership), please go to https://visitsicnj.com/community-center or phone the Recreation Office at 609-263-0050.
Because we don’t like to waste time, the Community Center’s first special event took place on Sunday (one day after our grand opening), when members of our local business community hosted a “Bargains by the Bay” blow-out sale featuring deeply discounted merchandise. I had the pleasure of being in the Community Center during this event, and it was wonderful to see so many people enjoying themselves at the vendors booth – and all around the building in general. My congratulations go to the business owners who hosted that successful event, and I hope everyone looks forward to many more special gatherings taking place in the Community Center in the months and years ahead!
And speaking of special gatherings, I will be hosting the first in a series of meet-and-greet sessions called “Chat with Mayor Desiderio” on Saturday, April 4, from 10:00 AM to 12 noon in the Community Center’s lobby, where property owners can ask me questions about any topic. I plan to host these “chats” periodically through the coming year, and I hope you will stop-by on Saturday morning if there are any concerns or suggestions you would like to discuss with me one-on-one.
Also on Saturday, the city’s Tourism Office will host their annual Spring Fling Family Fun Day from 1:00 to 3:00 PM at Excursion Park, where families can pose for photos with the Easter Bunny, and kids can enjoy a variety of seasonal games and activities. This free event is a great way to celebrate springtime’s arrival, so why not “Bunny Hop” your way to Excursion Park with your family on Saturday afternoon – and tell the Easter Bunny Mayor Len says hello!
Looking further ahead, the Sea Isle City Environmental Commission will host their 2026 Spring Beach Clean-up on Saturday, April 11, at 10:00 AM. I hope everyone will consider donating an hour or two to show Mother Nature that you care. Cleaning our beaches and dunes is easy to do, and our friends at the Environmental Commission will give you trash bags, gloves and other supplies to make it a care-free and enjoyable process. For more information about the Beach Clean-up, please see the special section in this week’s E-Newsletter or go to the “calendar” page at www.VisitSICNJ.com.
This week’s “Shout Out” goes to all the people who braved the chilly winds and attended our Vietnam War Veterans Day Ceremony at Veterans Park on Saturday morning. Even though the weather was a bit of a challenge, I was very happy to see so many enthusiastic patriots in attendance as we thanked and honored the men and women who served our nation honorably during the Vietnam War. Our veterans greatly deserve our respect and gratitude, and I appreciate everyone who was there!
Have a Happy Passover and Easter!
Smile…You’re in Sea Isle!
Mayor Leonard C. Desiderio
During the March 24 City Council meeting, two ordinances were introduced with First reading…
• Ordinance 1735, which was written to amend the existing ordinance related to Planning and Zoning Fees, thus increasing the fees by developers to ensure that escrow accounts have sufficient funds.
• Ordinance 1736, which was written to amend the existing Zoning Maps, so they are consistent with Sea Isle City’s Master Plan.
Ordinances 1735 and 1736 will each have Second Reading and Public Hearing (and possible adoption) during the April 28 City Council meeting.
Each of the resolutions on the March 24 Consent Agenda was approved, including…
• Resolution 032, which approved the Finance Department’s most recent vouchers. Please note: Vouchers are part of the city’s Purchase Order System, which is how our municipality pays for goods and services.
• Resolution 034, which authorized the award of a Public Bid Contract to My Beach Mobile, of Haddonfield, NJ, for a Mobile App used for the sale of Beach Tags.
• Resolution 035, which certified Sea Isle City’s annual Audit. Please note: Once again, our audit resulted in “no findings” and “no comments” – which is a very good indication of our sound financial management.
• Resolution 036, which authorized a Raffle Application for the Women’s Civic Club of Sea Isle City.
• Resolution 038, which authorized Support of Congressman Van Drew’s H.R. 7459 Coastal Trust Fund Act, which was written to help secure federal funding for the implementation of stable beach replenishment projects that will protect and secure our coastline.
• Resolution 039, which supports the NJ State Senate’s Concurrent Resolution No. 106, which would determine that the NJPACT REAL Rules are inconsistent with legislative intent (thus urging the State of New Jersey to take an incremental and targeted approach rather than drastically expanding New Jersey’s “Flood Hazard Area”).
• Resolution 040, which authorized Contracts between Sea Isle City’s Division of Recreation and private vendors for various summer programs.
• Resolution 041, which authorized a local Co-Op Contract in the amount of $34,272, with TGG Floors, of Dayton, NJ, for the installation of tile flooring in the Community Center. The funds used to pay for this contract were previously budgeted as part of the overall Community Center construction project.
During the “Pending Business” portion of the March 24 meeting, Council President Tighe mentioned the presentation that was made by Municipal Engineer Andy Previti during the March 10 City Council meeting regarding possible options to add shade structures at the JFK Boulevard playground. During the discussion that followed, several council members expressed their opinions (which included concerns over the costs).
During the “Citizen Comment” portion of the March 24 meeting, several residents stepped to the microphone to share opinions and ask questions on different topics, including…
• Questioning if the city plans to hold the Community Center’s general contractor to their signed contract, specifically regarding the contractor not meeting the construction completion date, at which time Council President Tighe assured the resident that the city will indeed follow the wording in the construction contract.
• Requesting the city purchase a large parcel of land in downtown Sea Isle City to be used for public parking.
• Requesting a moratorium on the construction of new “side-by-side” homes in Sea Isle City.
• Offering to help water the city’s trees.
• Showing support for the addition of shade structures to Sea Isle City’s playgrounds.
Our next City Council meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 14, at 10:00 AM on the third floor of City Hall – and we hope to see you there!
Best regards from the members of City Council,
Council President Mary Tighe
Ian Ciseck
Frank Edwardi
Michael Jargowski
William Kehner
