Message From the Mayor December 16th, 2022
Dec. 16, 2022
Dear Friends,
Work on the beach replenishment project at the north end continues daily and is approaching the end of Beach Road, just past North Street. Sand-pumping operations have experienced temporary interruptions during heavy seas, but the project remains on schedule to be completed by early February. The project area is progressing northward and should reach Seaview Road by early January. Work will then proceed southward from Second Street to 14th Street. I’m grateful for our partnership with the Army Corps of Engineers and N.J. Department of Environmental Protection in protecting our coastal properties.
Work to dredge our bayside lagoons and waterways is expected to begin in mid-January and include North Point Lagoon, Snug Harbor, Glen Cove, the bayfront along Glenwood Drive, Clubhouse/Bluefish Lagoons and the adjacent channel out to the Intracoastal Waterway will be completed.
Using our citywide dredging permit, private owners in Ocean City can arrange to have their boat slips dredged by a private contractor at their own expense. The more material we can remove from our waterways, the easier it will be to maintain depths. For more information and price estimates, the following are among the permitted contractors: Scarborough Properties (609-904-5444, KatieJo@scarboroughproperties.com) and Trident Piling Co. (609-703-7466, tridentpilingcompany@gmail.com).
Mid-island road and drainage improvements are being completed now on 21st Street and will move to 13th Street and 14th Street in the new year, then to the 2600 and 2700 blocks of Haven Avenue and Sunnyside Court. The city’s flood mitigation work on West 17th Street, road and drainage improvements on Waterway Road and road and drainage improvements on West Avenue from 18th Street to 26th Street are all scheduled to begin in January or February.
Replacement of the roof at the Community Center is also expected to begin in January.
Michele and I would like to extend our deepest condolences to two families who lost loved ones last week.
Joanne Martin was a long-time employee of the Ocean City School District and member of the St. Damien Parish. Her husband, Robert, was a city employee, and her son William is a captain in the Ocean City Fire Department.
The Southard family, Michael and Allison, lost Richard Kenneth Southard, who was just one month old. It’s hard to fathom the grief of seeing a child so young pass, but our thoughts and prayers are with the family and all of those who have faced similar losses.
Today, we announced the recipients of our 2023 Martin Luther King Community Service Awards. John Loeper and Dr. Patrick Kane will be honored on Jan. 16 at our annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Ceremony at the Ocean City Music Pier. Each year, the awards recognize volunteer activity and service to the Ocean City community. As president of the Ocean City Historical Museum and chairman of U.S. Life Saving Station 30, Loeper has been indispensable in preserving our history for generations to come. As president of the Ocean City Board of Education, Kane helped guide our school district through the extreme challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, always putting the needs and interests of students first. I hope you all can attend the ceremony on Jan. 16 to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. King and to learn more about these award recipients. More information on the event is here.
Warm regards,
Jay A. Gillian
Mayor