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Donald Wittkowski

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Senate, Assembly Candidates Trade Barbs in Debate

With just one week remaining before the election, Democratic state Sen. Bob Andrzejczak and his Republican challenger, Michael Testa, engaged in some heated exchanges during a debate Monday night involving all of the candidates in the battle for the First Legislative District. While the Democratic and Republican candidates for state Assembly were largely civil toward each other, Andrzejczak and Testa repeatedly clashed over Testa’s attempts to paint Andrzejczak as a puppet of Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy and South Jersey Democratic political powerbroker George Norcross. Andrzejczak responded by criticizing Testa for immediately engaging in negative attacks. He also blasted Testa for “his ignorance” while arguing that Testa has tried to distort his political record.

Council Approves Millions in Capital Projects

City Council on Thursday awarded a total of $6.8 million in construction contracts for dozens of road maintenance projects and also introduced a bond ordinance to help pay for beach replenishment and the expansion of the Ocean City Sports & Civic Center. The road projects will largely consist of milling and paving work, sidewalk and gutter improvements and drainage upgrades. They will be concentrated in the 12th Street neighborhood, in the city’s midtown section from 25th to 34th streets and in the south end of town from 48th to 54th streets. Streets in the surrounding blocks in each of those areas will be improved. In a separate vote, Council introduced a $6.5 million bond ordinance to finance two big-ticket projects, beach replacement and the expansion of the aging Sports & Civic Center.

Ocean City Prepares Funding for Beach Replenishment

Ocean City is expected to introduce a funding ordinance Thursday to pay for its share of a beach replenishment project that may include extra sand to help restore the shoreline following a coastal storm that pounded the resort with unusually high tides. City spokesman Doug Bergen said beaches along the entire length of the barrier island experienced erosion from the storm, which lingered about 200 miles offshore from Oct. 9 to the morning of Oct. 12.

Ocean City Unveils Flooding, Dredging Plans

Ocean City intends to combine some old strategies, some new tricks and some serious money to try to tame two of the greatest problems on the barrier island: persistent flooding and sediment-choked lagoons. City officials pledged Saturday to spend millions of dollars in coming years on an ambitious flood-mitigation program as well as a series of dredging projects to clear out the shallow lagoons that have become virtual mudflats in some places. “The whole idea is quality of life,” Mayor Jay Gillian said. “We’re going to look at everything we can.” Gillian spoke during back-to-back town hall meetings that focused on the city’s flood-control efforts and a five-year, $20 million dredging program that is methodically removing huge amounts of sediment from lagoons and channels along the bayfront.

Some Sleek (and Expensive) Porsches Roll Into Town

Forget about investing in stocks, bonds or even gold coins. If you really want to make some serious money, perhaps you should follow Rogerio Santos’ strategy: Go out and buy an old Porsche and then let it accumulate in value over the years. There’s one caveat, though. Acquire the only Porsche of its kind in the entire world. Santos says he has such a car, a 1952 Porsche 356 1500 Super prototype. He believes it's worth in the millions. His tiny black sports car was drawing some admiring looks Saturday from legions of car buffs during a display of vintage and contemporary Porsches lining the Ocean City Boardwalk.

Ocean City is Banking on a New Development Project

The chain-link construction fence surrounding two empty buildings at the corner of Ninth Street and West Avenue is a not-too-subtle sign that the property is about to undergo a dramatic transformation. Once the old buildings are demolished, the high-profile intersection that serves as the gateway to Ocean City’s downtown business district will become the home of a new Republic Bank, officials say.

34th Street to Shine With Decorative Lights

Just in time for the holidays, Ocean City’s second-busiest gateway is expected to sparkle with brand new decorative lights that will brighten up an area of town in need of a makeover. City Council on Thursday night approved a long-awaited contract for the electrical system for what will become a permanent display of white lights greeting visitors and residents as they drive over the 34th Street Bridge and make their way along Roosevelt Boulevard. Fourth Ward Councilman Bob Barr, who represents the south end of town, has made the decorative lights one of his top priorities since entering office in 2016. He noted that the permanent decorations will replace the current patchwork of lights that hang haphazardly from poles and don’t always work.

Housing Project Approved for Site Coveted by Ocean City

The Ocean City Planning Board granted final approval Wednesday night for a housing project proposed on a large tract of land that the city has been trying to acquire for the past year to preserve as open space. Brothers Harry and Jerry Klause of Klause Enterprises plan to develop 21 single-family homes on nearly an entire block bordered by Simpson and Haven avenues between 16th and 17th streets. The property was formerly occupied by a now-closed Chevrolet dealership. The Klauses sat quietly in the back row of the room at City Hall while their representatives discussed the project with the planning board members. They declined to comment afterward, leaving their attorney, Avery Teitler, to speak for them about their plans. Teitler said the Klauses are serious about developing the project, but did not rule out the possibility of negotiating a deal for the property’s sale to the city.

City Council Awards Contracts for Dredging Projects

In the past three years, Ocean City has been spending millions of dollars to methodically clear out channels and lagoons clogged with mud and silt. The ambitious program will resume this fall following City Council’s approval Thursday night of two dredging contracts for a series of shallow lagoons along the back bays. City Business Administrator George Savastano said the dredging projects will boost the local economy by making Ocean City more attractive to boaters and by helping the bayfront marinas.

As Hurricane Season Continues, Ocean City Remains Ready

Names like Dorian and Humberto have been dominating the news in recent weeks – and with good reason. Dorian’s devastation in the Bahamas and parts of the Outer Banks in North Carolina and Humberto’s glancing blow to Bermuda show that hurricane season is far from over. Ocean City, pummeled by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, along with the rest of the Jersey Shore, is not letting down its guard, the city's emergency management coordinator says.