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Donald Wittkowski

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Flood-Prone 14th Street to Get “Attention”

Although it is only a half-mile long, 14th Street is considered one of Ocean City’s most important arteries for crosstown traffic. Starting at the bay and heading east toward the ocean, the street passes through residential neighborhoods, crosses over the downtown business district and then ends at the Boardwalk. Third Ward Councilman Jody Levchuk, who travels 14th Street every day from his home to his family-owned Jilly’s Boardwalk businesses, believes the road “definitely needs attention” because of its deteriorated condition and tendency for flooding. Soon it will get it. The city is in the design phase for an overhaul of the section of town from Ninth to 18th streets, including the flood-prone 14th Street. New drainage systems, stormwater pumping stations, pipes and road improvements are planned.

City Council Tables Resolution, Discusses Wind Farm

After lengthy debate that produced a rare split among its members, City Council voted Thursday night to table a no-bid consulting contract for the design of a flood-mitigation project in an area that is vulnerable to stormwater. By a 5-2 vote, the governing body decided to put a “two-week pause” on the proposed contract to ACT Engineers Inc. in order to discuss the project further and consider opening up the work to other consulting firms.

Ocean City Recognizes Historic Gems

Some of the homeowners in Ocean City's Historic District are receiving historic plaques from the city that recognize their efforts to preserve their houses. One couple lovingly restored a historic gem at 411 Fifth Street to bring it back to its former glory.

Snow Begins, Storm to Linger Until Tuesday

Here’s the weather forecast summed up in one word: Ugh! A nor’easter that began Sunday afternoon with snow covering the beaches and Boardwalk will bring a potpourri of poor weather before it finally ends on Tuesday evening, forecasters say. Snow, rain, sleet, strong winds and flooding are expected to take turns lashing the shore while the storm lingers. In Ocean City, emergency management officials are taking a we’re-prepared-for-anything approach to the ever-changing storm.

Ocean City Council Honors Community Leaders, Students

Three Ocean City community leaders were honored during an awards ceremony that included proclamations from Congress, the state Legislature, the Cape May County Commissioners and City Council. Also receiving proclamations were four students from the Ocean City Intermediate School who won an essay contest about the impact Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. has had on their lives.

Rec Department Copes With COVID By Livestreaming Games

Parents wanting to see their children showing off their moves on the basketball court may now watch the games on livestreaming offered by the Ocean City Recreation Department. Livestreaming of the Recreation Department’s community basketball league for kids in the third to eighth grades is yet another innovative way for parents and grandparents to share in their children and grandchildren’s lives in the COVID age. Dan Kelchner, director of Ocean City Community Services, called it a “creative solution” for coping with the challenges of the pandemic.

Ocean City Housing Project May Encounter COVID-Related Delay

Completion of the Ocean City Housing Authority’s nearly $7 million affordable housing project for senior citizens may be delayed by about a month because of “one hiccup” blamed on the COVID-19 pandemic. The company that will install the elevators in the three-story building has indicated that the pandemic is slowing down production at its factory and that could cause a delay with its work in Ocean City, the housing authority reported at its monthly board meeting Tuesday.

Deauville Inn Tempts Customers With New Menu

TJ Ricciardi has had the good fortune of having some of the country’s most acclaimed chefs as his mentors, including Luke Palladino, Stephen Kalt and Tom Harkins. By working in the kitchen with some of the luminaries of the culinary world, he cultivated his own extraordinary cooking talents and has brought them to the Jersey Shore as the new executive chef of the Deauville Inn in Strathmere. Combining flair with flavor, Ricciardi has reshaped the menu. The new menu is the latest change in the restaurant’s transformation under owner Dr. Tim Fox, who bought the Deauville in 2019 with the goal of blending the historic building’s old-fashioned charms with modern upgrades to create a more upscale experience for customers.

City Council Raises Concerns About Offshore Wind Farm

For the second time in two months, members of Ocean City’s governing body Thursday night expressed dismay about a proposed wind farm that would be powered by nearly 100 gigantic turbines anchored 15 miles off the coast. Touted as a form of clean energy, the project by the Dutch energy company Orsted is a centerpiece of Gov. Phil Murphy’s goal of having 7,500 megawatts of offshore wind capacity in New Jersey by 2035. Members of City Council, though, pointedly asked whether Orsted’s 1,100-megawatt project would make financial sense while reiterating their concerns that it might harm Ocean City’s tourism industry as well as local businesses.

Ready For Demolition, An Old House Serves One Last Purpose

Ocean City firefighters took advantage of a unique opportunity for some realistic training at an old home that is ready to be demolished. Built in 1898, the Victorian-style house at 105 Simpson Ave. will soon be torn down to make room for two new single-family homes. Large construction machinery used for demolition work is parked in the side yard. With the fate of the old house sealed, the owners allowed the Ocean City Fire Department to use the property Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday for a training exercise.