Seaside Park To Formally Take Ownership of Former School Building

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

Seaside Park will formally take possession of the long-closed Seaside Park Elementary School building, representing the culmination of more than a year of preparations for the exchange of property.

Located at 313 SW Central Avenue, the school closed to students before the 2009-10 school year due to low enrollment figures. Since then, it has been used for board meetings, PTA functions and student activities. Though the Seaside Park school district no longer operates any schools, it continues to exist in order to facilitate the financial agreements that enable students from the borough to attend classes elsewhere. But it also maintained ownership of the physical building for the past decade-and-a-half.

Ultimately, the school will be transferred to borough ownership pursuant to an ordinance that was introduced last week. After the ordinance is subject to a public hearing and second vote, a closing date will be set on which the building will be conveyed from the board to the borough for a sum of $1. The transfer, however, wasn’t without its hiccups.

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When the school board first proposed the transfer in 2025, board members endorsed a plan under which the board would provide up to $350,000 for roof repairs in exchange for the ability to maintain one office for the use of the non-operating district. That money would have come from an account that was, in effect, “left over” from the days of when the board operated the school. It was later determined that under state law, there was no legal mechanism for the board to transfer this money to the borough, so a revised agreement called for the district to expend the funds to shore up the roof and improve certain aspects of the property before transferring it for the nominal price.

The roof work has now largely been completed, said Councilman Marty Wilk.

“We went up on the roof, and I was satisfied,” Wilk said. “The entire roof of the gym was replaced and the flashings around the perimeter was replaced. A portion of the roof over the school was also replaced.”

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

The Seaside Park Elementary School playground site, Jan. 2023. (Photo: Daniel Nee)

One portion of the original roof does remain, and will need to be replaced at some point in the future, he said. The contractor will also have to install waterproofing between the new and old sections of roofing, as well as a few other minor details that will be taken care of in the coming weeks.

“I’m excited, because now we’ll be able to use it, and it can be another venue for events,” said Councilwoman Gina Condos. “I think it’s a great opportunity.”

Borough officials have said in the past that they will eventually look to replacing macadam surfacing that has fallen into disrepair, which currently prevents portions of the outdoor property from being utilized due to safety concerns. Mayor John Peterson said, for now, the building will continue to be used as it has since the school shut down, hosting various community groups and activities. Long-term plans will likely focus on adding opportunities for recreation and civic meeting space.

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

“There are a lot of thoughts and discussions being given as to how to utilize the building more fully,” the mayor said.

Currently, the building is used for meetings of the non-operating district, plus pickleball, Zumba, mahjong, canasta, and a marine science summer camp during the summer. The school also contains a small community library.