Schools
Belmar Elementary Kicks Off School Year With New Basketball Court
The project was a group effort that included members of the community, the school's board of education, and the PTO.
BELMAR, NJ – For students at the Belmar Elementary School, the wait is finally over as the PTO cut the ribbon on the new outdoor basketball court during the first day of classes on Sept. 13.
According to David Hallman, superintendent of schools, the school’s PTO wanted to fundraise for something the students wanted, which was a new outdoor basketball court.
The PTO was able to raise about $35,000 for the project before COVID hit, according to Michael Bardsley, secretary for the Belmar Board of Education.
Find out what's happening in Manasquan-Belmarfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
The board's budget committee decided to use available funds to get the rest of the money to pay for the new court, which will be used during gym class, recess, and after-school activities.
Due to the growing price of materials during the pandemic, the project's expected cost nearly doubled from $70,000 to $140,000. Thankfully, Hermilo Nicolas, a local contractor and parent at the school, and E&H Fencing donated their time and labor plus materials to keep the cost low.
Find out what's happening in Manasquan-Belmarfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
“Without the donations, we would have gone over budget,’ Bardsley said.
And now, thanks to a considerable effort, the kids of Belmar Elementary have a new basketball court to play on.
‘It was such a pleasure to seeing the children playing there,” Hallman said.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
