Donald Wittkowski
Ocean City Raises Parking Fees
Ocean City’s parking fees will be going up this summer at the meters and the municipal lots.
Voting 7-0, City Council approved an ordinance Thursday night to raise parking fees for the first time since 2015.
Proposed 60-Unit Housing Project Advances in Ocean City
Ocean City Housing Authority officials Wednesday unveiled architectural renderings for a proposed 60-unit affordable housing complex that is expected to blend in with the surrounding neighborhoods in the north end of town.
The design of the estimated $22 million to $23 million project will feature 15 duplex-style buildings containing four units each for the families living there, according to a presentation made before the Ocean City Planning Board.
Ocean City Homeowners Oppose Plan for Cellphone Antennas
Emotions are running high among Ocean City homeowners in the neighborhood of 33rd Street and 34th Street along Haven and Simpson avenues.
They fear that a proposal by Verizon Wireless to install new cellphone antennas on the roof of a commercial building close to their homes will disrupt their neighborhood.
The controversy may come to a head when Verizon’s application to install the antennas at 3337-39 Haven Ave. will be considered for approval by Ocean City’s Planning Board at its meeting 6 p.m. Wednesday at City Hall.
Dead Whale Found on Ocean City Beach
The badly decomposed remains of a pygmy sperm whale, possibly dead for months, washed ashore Friday on the 49th Street beach in Ocean City.
The nearly 9-foot whale was a little more than “a skeleton with some skin on it,” said Sheila Dean, executive director of the Marine Mammal Stranding Center in Brigantine.
Ocean City Parking Fees to Increase in 2023 Municipal Budget
Parking fees would go up this summer as part of Ocean City’s proposed $98.9 million municipal budget unveiled Thursday night at a City Council meeting.
In a related development with the budget, about 40 police officers stood in the back of the Council chambers in a show of unity amid their contract negotiations with the city. The officers did not speak during the meeting and quietly filed out of the room after the budget presentation.
Van Drew Seeks Halt on Wind Farm Projects After Dolphin Deaths
U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew is renewing his demand for a moratorium on offshore wind energy projects following the deaths of eight dolphins that washed up on the beach Tuesday in Sea Isle City.
Van Drew, whose congressional district includes the shore communities in Atlantic and Cape May counties, wants the federal government to halt activity on the wind farms until an investigation is done to determine if the projects are causing a series of whale and dolphin deaths along the East Coast.
Eight Dolphins Die in Mass Stranding on Sea Isle Beach
Police officers and other first responders used buckets and fire hoses to pour seawater on a group of dolphins in a frantic effort to save the creatures after they became stranded on the beach Tuesday morning in Sea Isle City.
Ultimately, the rescue attempt proved futile. The heartbreaking scene took a tragic turn when a veterinarian from the Marine Mammal Stranding Center decided to euthanize the dolphins after their condition deteriorated.
Four Congressmen Strongly Criticize Plans for Offshore Wind Projects
Four congressmen and a panel of expert witnesses denounced plans for a series of offshore wind energy projects as a mass “industrialization” of the ocean that will cause environmental harm and could seriously damage the Jersey Shore’s tourism industry.
The congressional hearing Thursday at the Wildwoods Convention Center was packed with an overflow crowd of about 450 people, while dozens of others were not allowed to enter the auditorium because of crowd restrictions.
Tolls Increase on Cape May County Bridges
Motorists will see tolls going up 50 cents on the five Ocean Drive bridges connecting the Cape May County beach communities from Ocean City to Cape May.
The toll increase officially goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, raising the bridge fare to $2.50.
New Agents at Ocean City’s Berger Realty Are a Family Affair
Gray Haenn, Tom Melchionni and Donna Brown are family members who are in the real estate business.
Now, they are part of a real estate firm that they consider to be their extended family.
They have joined Berger Realty, a household name in Ocean City that they say treats their employees and clients like, you guessed it, family.
