By Allison Perrine
MIDDLETOWN – Two years after the school district closed the doors to its nearly century-old Port Monmouth Elementary School, officials are planning to repurpose it as an indoor sports facility.
Announced Jan. 14 by the township committee and school board, officials retained Kentucky-based Pinnacle Indoor Sports to conduct a feasibility study to determine if the Route 36 property could work as an indoor sports and recreation center for the community. The company has conducted similar studies in 41 states, according to a press release.
“The Township and Board of Education know that there is a growing demand for additional sports facilities in town. Because sports are becoming a year-round activity and aren’t restricted to ‘traditional’ seasons, we believe this study will provide us with a better understanding of unmet needs for our athletes and our community,” Mayor Tony Perry wrote to The Two River Times.
He explained that there are no options for indoor competitive swimming, for example.
“Local schools must travel out of town for practices and competition. Part of this study will include a survey of community members, sports leagues, and athletes to consider all options,” Perry added.
There are no similar centers in the area at this time, he and township administrator Tony Mercantante confirmed. There are, however, comparable facilities that exist but “none that are easily accessible” to the Middletown community, they said.
In the coming months, Pinnacle will present its findings to the township and school board along with its recommendations. After reviewing the materials, the Middletown entities will determine the project’s feasibility.
“If a facility and conceptual design are agreed upon, the Township and Board of Education will then look at the best funding options,” Mercantante wrote. “It is too early at this point to know precisely how this will be funded or what the business model will look like.”
The proper ty is available for consideration after the 94-year-old school was closed at the start of the 2020-2021 school year and students merged with those at the New Monmouth Elementary School two miles away. At the time, then-superintendent of schools William O. George III cited “declining enrollment and a reduction in state aid” as driving forces to shutter the 25,750-square-foot, two-story building with a partial basement – as well as over $3.7 million in needed maintenance.
“Ideally we would like to be able to maintain some aspect of Port Monmouth School history in this project,” said Perry. “Our intention is to obtain input from our residents, local sports organizations, leagues and clubs to ensure we utilize this property to best meet the community’s needs.”
Middletown Township Board of Education President Frank Capone added that the board is “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 proper ty to the highest bidder where it may end up being over-developed.”
This is not Middletown’s only attempt to upgrade recreational opportunities in the township. In 2021, Middletown voters approved an increase in the township’s Open Space Trust Fund collection rate which allows officials to acquire more open space and upgrade over 60 parks across Middletown.
“Thanks to the voters of Middletown, the Township is able to embark on an aggressive campaign to not only preserve open space and historic farmland across town, but also make the necessary upgrades to our recreational facilities,” said Perry in the township’s newsletter last year. “Over the course of the next several years, Middletown is set to make significant improvements and upgrades to 10 of our parks and playgrounds all across the township.”
Additionally, in 2019 the township approved a nearly $5.15 million 15-year bond ordinance for recreation upgrades at Normandy Park. That included plans for two multiuse turf fields striped for soccer, lacrosse and field hockey.
This article originally appeared in the Jan. 27-Feb. 2, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
