Seaside Park Finalizes Acquisition of Former Elementary School Building

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

Seaside Park officials have voted unanimously to acquire the former Seaside Park Elementary School building, more than a decade-and-a-half after the last students passed through its doors.

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.

The action at the borough council’s July 2 meeting formally conveys the building and its property to the borough from the school board for a token price of $1.

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“Our thanks go to all of the members of the committee from the school board and the council who worked on this,” said Mayor John Peterson.

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, however, 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. Those improvements have now largely been completed.

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

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

“We have been doing this for over ten years and we are very happy that, finally, we are finished,” said Board of Education President June Korzeneski. “I know while people have lots of warm memories and thoughts about the school, unfortunately that building will never meet code and become an active school again. But it can still be an important part of the town.”

Korzeneski said the building will still host Zumba, pickleball, basketball, and its 600 book library, as well as games and events for seniors and other groups in town. Borough officials say they hope to expand the recreational uses of the property in the future. They have said in the past that they will eventually look to replace the macadam surfacing that has fallen into disrepair, which currently prevents portions of the outdoor property from being utilized due to safety concerns. Long-term plans will likely focus on adding opportunities for recreation and civic meeting space.

The measure passed unanimously with no opposition, nor public comment besides that of Korzeneski.