Middletown May Turn Port Monmouth School Into Rec Center

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Last Friday, the Middletown school district announced in this public notice that plans are currently underway to convert the closed Port Monmouth Elementary School into an indoor sports and recreation center.

If it happens, the Port Monmouth rec center would be open to all Middletown children, teens and adults to use, sort of like a town gym. It remains unknown if there will be a fee, or how much.

All of that will be determined by an outside company, Pinnacle Indoor Sports, which the Township hired to create an economic feasibility study on the rec center.

The Township hired Pinnacle, not the school district. Middletown Twp. is paying Pinnacle $32,500 to do the feasibility study.

"(Port Monmouth School) has been vacant for the last two years," said BOE president Frank Capone, who is spearheading this idea. "We are proud to be partnering with the Township to work toward creating a much-needed indoor sports and recreation complex for the residents of Middletown, rather than selling the property to the highest bidder where it may end up being overdeveloped."

Capone said he's gotten "great feedback" from the community so far. He cautioned the idea was still "in its infancy. But I'm very excited about it. I hope it does pan out."

In March of 2020, the Middletown school board took the controversial vote to close Port Monmouth Elementary. The school district said enrollment had dwindled to less than 200 students (195 to be exact) and also that the aging building needed $4 million in repairs, or it would be unsafe to continue to hold classes there. The students were moved to New Monmouth Elementary and the teachers — those who were able to keep their jobs — were placed throughout the Middletown school district.

It remains unclear how the Port Monmouth school building — two years ago deemed unsafe — would now be safe enough to be a rec center for indoor sports.

The Port Monmouth School building is 94 years old. It opened in 1928 and is a 25,750-square-foot building located on Rt. 36, with two full stories and a partial basement.

All parts of the building would be used for the rec center, said the town.

Pinnacle will begin their study this January and will seek community input. Middletown sports leagues, coaches and families will be asked to give their input as to what they want to see at the rec center.

Pinnacle will come up with an economic report and financial model on how to make the rec center sustainable and present it to the Middletown Township Committee and school board.

Capone said he expects to get that report back from Pinnacle by March.

Pinnacle said it wants to know which sports — both nationally and in Middletown — are the most popular, as well as if any Middletown residents or children would like to play a sport that is not currently being offered in town.

Also, an online gaming component will likely be added to the rec center, as online gaming has surged in popularity among kids and teens.

Middletown also envisions the rec center being used for summer camps and partnerships with other area recreational organizations.

“Our intention is to obtain input from our residents, local sports organizations, leagues and clubs to ensure we use this property to best meet the community’s needs," said Middletown Mayor Tony Perry. "The goal is to develop a facility that can be self-sustaining financially."

Middletown says it hired Pinnacle because that company recently completed several large indoor sports centers in the Northeast: Schafer Sports Center, a 38,000-square-foot facility in Ewing Township; XL Sports, a 78,000-square-foot sports center in Hatfield, PA and House of Sports, a 120,000-square-foot indoor sports complex in what used to be a manufacturing warehouse in Westchester County, NY.

Related: Tears And Anger: Middletown BOE Votes To Close Port Monmouth School (March 12, 2020)

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