New Lifeguard Headquarters - Sea Isle

New lifeguard headquarters planned for Sea Isle City
By BRIAN IANIERI Staff Writer, (609) 463-6713
Published: Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Updated: Wednesday, December 14, 2005SEA ISLE CITY-The city expects to build a $2 million lifeguard headquarters throughout the summer and open it by 2007.Sea Isle City will use temporary trailers next year as makeshift headquarters, Sea Isle City Mayor Leonard Desiderio said.The plans for the beachfront building, which will replace existing headquarters on 44th Street, include a three-port garage, meeting rooms, locker rooms, offices and public restrooms.Desiderio said the plans would go to the city's Planning Board early next year. The city must also receive state environmental permits.The city will demolish the headquarters, built in the 1960s, once it receives the approvals, Desiderio said.Desiderio said original plans called for a storage facility for the Sea Isle City Beach Patrol but were too expensive for just that purpose. The beach patrol needed a new facility to replace its aging building, he said.The new headquarters will be larger, will include public restrooms and offer a separate office for the beach patrol captain.Beach patrol Capt Renny Steele's desk is located near the entrance door of the building. As a result, he's being asked questions from the public about general information, such as beach tags, Desiderio said."He's more or less spending a lot of his time answering questions when he could be doing his other duties," he said.Steele could not be reached Tuesday.The public restrooms would be similar to a 40th Street facility Sea Isle City built in 1998-99 that includes stations for changing diapers, Desiderio said.Sea Isle City will borrow about $1.4 million for the project.While the city has intended to replace the headquarters, an October storm that brought the effects of Hurricane Wilma may have sealed the deal. The storm peeled off portions of the roof.The city will not repair the roof because the building will not be used again, Desiderio said.Desiderio said the temporary trailers would likely be located near the existing 44th Street facility or near JFK Boulevard, which serves as the main artery into the city. He said beach patrol officials are comfortable with the temporary arrangement."The bottom line is we're not going to jeopardize the safety of our visitors or our residents just to build this building," he said. "They're going to be as safe as they've ever been."

To e-mail Brian Ianieri at The Press:BIanieri@pressofac.com