Ship Bottom Passes A Resolution Opposing The Sale Of LBI Grade School

by Steve Moran

The Ship Bottom Borough Council recently passed a resolution urging the LBI Consolidated School District not to sell the Long Beach Island Grade School, but to keep it in operation.

In part the resolution read, “due to its unique and important role in the Borough, the governing body wishes to go on record as supporting the continued operation of the School.”

The district’s board put the school property, approximately 3.9 acres located between 19th and 20th streets, up for sale in 2011. The intention of the sale was to use the money to build an addition on its other school, the Ethel Jacobsen School in Surf City.

On Friday, Mayor William Huelsenbeck said the governing body feels the “best bet for the money” is to upgrade and put a small addition on the LBI School, rather than spend an estimated $8-$10M on building a new school in Surf City.

“We feel that is what is best for the children, and a smaller addition could accommodate all of the students,” said Huelsenbeck.

Currently the borough is looking at ways to buy back the land adjacent to the Jacobsen School they deed to the district and preserve it as open space, said the mayor.

That money could then be used for repairs and upgrades to the LBI School, he added. The district could then sell the Jacobsen School property back to Surf City to fund the addition, said Huelsenbeck.

At the last district board meeting, President Jennifer Bott read a letter from the Surf City Council offering to pay up to $2.5M for the return of the school property. Surf City deeded the property to the district with the restriction that it had the first right to purchase it back should it no longer be used for school business.

She also said the board had received the “best offer to date” for the LBI School of $8.6M. After the meeting, Administrator and Board Secretary Enrico Siano confirmed the board had received a “letter of intent” for the purchase but would not discuss the details.

Sources close to matter have reported a major national developer is the buyer and intends to build more than 30 residential units on the site.

The scope of that potential project is also of great concern to Huelsenbeck.

“We only have one water tower and one water system,” he said.

He was not sure the current system could support a development of that size, he said.

Since Superstorm Sandy, the borough has experienced water main breaks, including a recent one at the base of the tower that caused them to borrow water from Long Beach Township.

“It’s going to get harder to borrow water,” said the mayor.

Most new construction after Sandy is larger homes with more bathrooms and usage then the little homes they are replacing, he said.

Huelsenbeck said the amount any builder planning a potential development of this size will have to spend in improving the system and other borough infrastructure might not make the purchase such a good investment.

A copy of the resolution was sent to the mayors of the the other four sending municipalities, Barnegat Light, Harvey Cedars, Long Beach Township and Surf City, as well as the LBI Board of Education.