Stockton plans to purchase the Atlantic City Boathouse in exchange for the Atlantic City school district taking over the Carnegie Center.
GALLOWAY TOWNSHIP - Stockton University and the Atlantic City Board of Education plan to trade buildings following the passage of a resolution May 1 authorizing the agreement.
Stockton plans to negotiate the exchange of its Carnegie Center for the Atlantic City Boathouse, which is owned by the school district, according to a release issued Wednesday evening.
The Stockton trustees approved a resolution at their May 1 meeting authorizing the president or his designee to negotiate the sale of the Carnegie Center at 35 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., in exchange for the Boathouse at 3401 Fairmount Ave.
This is a mutually beneficial arrangement that will benefit Stockton's rapidly growing rowing program and enhance Stockton's presence in Atlantic City's University District, Stockton President Harvey Kesselman said.
Stockton's rowing teams have been using the boathouse as part of an agreement with the school district. Under the proposed property exchange, the Atlantic City High School rowing team will continue to use the boathouse.
The new Stockton Atlantic City Academic Center, which opened in September 2018, has provided adequate space for programs that were held at the Carnegie Center, the release stated.
The social work master's degree program has already moved to the Academic Center, and the Work First program will also be moved. An agreement with Thomas Jefferson University's physician assistant program expires in June, and they plan to relocate.
Stockton, in collaboration with the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, began operating the Carnegie Center in 2004 as a first step in re-establishing its presence in Atlantic City. The university took ownership of the site, which includes the neighboring Civil Rights Garden, in 2009.
The stately Carnegie Center building, which opened in 1904, served as the city's library for more than 80 years.
The release did not outline the school district's plans for the building.
Carnegie Center.
