Government

Seaside Park Briefs: New Proposal to Purchase School Building Coming; Parking Revenue Drops

by
Daniel Nee
October 1, 2025

Seaside Park Elementary School, June 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Seaside Park officials are hoping to be able to consider a revised formal offer to purchase the Seaside Park Elementary School building from the Board of Education by the end of the year. Meanwhile, in other news, parking revenue declined slightly during the 2025 summer season thanks to some weekends with foul weather.

School Purchase Still on the Table

Councilwoman Gina Condos said she met with board members recently and it appears a new proposal will be on the way soon.

“We had multiple meetings with them, then they had to go back and have their meeting to discuss it,” said Condos. “I think it was a very productive and cooperative session with them. I think some of the feedback we have given, they heard, and the next step is for their attorney to send our legal counsel a revised proposal.”

In January 2025, the school board made a proposal to the municipality to purchase the building for $1. The shuttered Seaside Park Elementary School building, which has been closed to students since 2009, has gone lightly used for many years, with some aspects of the property falling into disrepair. The board, as well as its superintendent, oversee a small number of administrative functions for the non-operating district. The board retains ownership of the building that once housed the school, located on SW Central Avenue near 4th Avenue.

School board member June Korzeneski said early last year the building has deteriorated into an “unsatisfactory” condition, as confirmed by an engineering firm the district hired to evaluate the school. The school board, she said, previously approached the borough council about purchasing the building, but no plans materialized. Ultimately, at the Dec. 16, 2024 meeting, the board voted to offer the building to the borough for $1. For the past year, the council has been considering the request.

“Our hope is we get that soon and we can move forward so we can plan accordingly for 2026,” said Condos.

The school building has been used for a number of purposes since it was shut down due to low enrollment before the 2009-10 school year. Superintendent Lisa Gleason said it has been used for board meetings, PTA functions and student activities. It has also been home to the borough’s code office since Superstorm Sandy struck in 2012, as well as a weight room for the police department. Numerous community activities, including pickleball, Zumba, mahjong, canasta, a marine science summer camp and some other exercise classes are held there. The school also contains a small community library.

“Due to the natural aging of the building, as well as other impact issues following Superstorm Sandy, the board conducted an architectural analysis of the building in June 2023,” Gleason said. “It has become apparent that the cost of repairs, maintenance and monthly upkeep of the building exceeds the purpose of a non-operating school district.”

The playground area of the Seaside Park Elementary School property, Oct. 2022. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

Gleason said the district has reached out to numerous organizations to gauge interest in a leasing deal, including the YMCA, Ocean County Vocational school district, Ocean County College and the Montessori Public Works, without getting a bite. In the event the borough were to take the district’s offer, the board pledged to provide up to $350,000 for the development of outdoor community park space, she said. The board would ask, in return, that one office be maintained and that the BOE would be able to utilize the building for its meetings.

Municipal officials said they understand something must be done to improve the site before it deteriorates further, but hesitated to accept an offer without performing significant due diligence and soliciting opinions from residents. Mayor John Peterson said previously that the location of the school – west of Central Avenue – may disqualify it from receiving state grant funding due to its designation as a flood zone. State officials previously denied the borough’s application to use up to $500,000 in pledged grant funding for clean energy at the nearby Park Central Condominium site for the same reason.

Parking Revenue Declines

A Seaside Park parking kiosk, March 2024. (Photo: Shorebeat)

Parking revenue in Seaside Park took a small dip in 2026, consistent with many local communities that experienced some declined in both parking and beach badge revenue due to a series of rainy weekends during the height of the summer season.

The borough council reported that parking revenue slipped by $58,661 as compared to 2024, or 6.16 percent. Last year’s parking revenue totaled $952,289.