SEA ISLE CITY – Sea Isle City has awarded the $21.1 million construction contract for the long-awaited community center project. Mayor Leonard Desiderio said the new center will be a “hub for community gatherings, programs, activities, and events.”

The vote of the City Council came at its Tuesday, Feb. 27, meeting two weeks after related contracts for construction management and architectural services were awarded. The construction contract goes to Ernest Bock & Sons, a Philadelphia firm. Desiderio said the city would soon hold a groundbreaking ceremony at the site bordered by Park Road, Central Avenue, and 45th and 46th streets. The site once housed the now demolished city school.

Desiderio said the resolution to award the contract marked “the culmination of years of planning, review, public participation, architectural and engineering design, and plain old hard work.” He added that he expects the contract to be finalized within the next couple of weeks, “after which the notice to proceed will be issued.”

Contact the author, Vince Conti, at vconti@cmcherald.com.