Donald Wittkowski

With a team of trained falcons, hawks and even an owl hot on their tail, Ocean City’s pesky seagulls appear to be fleeing town, including the popular tourist areas such as the beach and Boardwalk. An experimental program using birds of prey to chase away the gulls has been showing promise since it began last Saturday, according to initial reports. “As of today, reports about the effectiveness of the program are encouraging,” City Business Administrator George Savastano told members of City Council during their meeting Thursday night.

Jackie McLeer joked that the seagulls “must have gotten the text message or memo.” The Ocean City resident looked around with amusement at the unusual sight of only a small number of the pesky, squawking birds hanging around the Boardwalk in front of the Music Pier at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday. Then it became apparent why so many gulls were missing. The purported text or memo conjured up by McLeer was about two intimidating falcons held by representatives of the company East Coast Falcons. The arrival of the falcons in Ocean City is part of Mayor Jay Gillian’s plan to rid the beaches, Boardwalk and other parts of town of the swarms of hungry gulls that have been menacing residents and tourists alike.

Ocean City’s landmark Music Pier will undergo a facelift to transform its open-air loggia into an enclosed space containing a lobby, reception area, multipurpose rooms and new restrooms. The proposed renovations would preserve the historic and iconic building while adding some of the amenities of a modern performing arts center and meeting place, city spokesman Doug Bergen said.

For many beachgoers, the trips across the sand are a relative breeze, a short trek while heading for a favorite spot near the water’s edge. For others, though, the deep, powdery beach sand is like trudging through a desert, one challenging step after another. It is especially difficult for senior citizens, people with disabilities and families with young children or baby strollers. But at the 34th Street beach, a 200-foot-long blue mat made of hard plastic creates a pathway that allows everyone to walk on top of the sand instead of getting bogged down in it. The mat also makes it much easier for people in wheelchairs to gain access across the beach. In what is Ocean City’s latest project to improve access to its beaches, the long mat at 34th Street extends all the way to the high tide line and is part of a test program this summer. It offers an amenity for some, and to others, it provides the only way to easily access the beach.

In a big boost for a project that has languished on the drawing board for the past year, the Ocean City Housing Authority has awarded a nearly $7 million construction contract for a new senior citizens housing project. Two construction companies submitted bids for the contract. Gary F. Gardner Inc. of Medford, N.J., came in at $6.9 million, while Fabbri Builders of Vineland, N.J., submitted a $7.3 million bid. The housing authority awarded the contract to Gary F. Gardner. Bob Barr, a city councilman who also serves as the housing authority chairman, said negotiations will begin with Gary F. Gardner to see if changes could be made with the project to reduce the cost.

City Council approved $9 million in funding Thursday night for a series of road, drainage and dredging projects that will get underway in the fall. The bond ordinance includes $4.2 million to rebuild roads and alleys, $1.8 million for drainage improvements and $3 million for dredging. The projects are part of an ongoing strategy to protect the island from flooding, replace aging drainage pipes and clear out lagoons along the bay backs that are choked with sediment, said Frank Donato, the city’s chief financial officer.

Ocean City is lining up the funding for a series of road, drainage and dredging projects that will get underway in the fall. City Council introduced a $9 million bond ordinance Thursday night that includes $4.2 million to rebuild roads and alleys, $1.8 million for drainage improvements and $3 million for dredging. The projects are part of an ongoing strategy to protect the island from flooding, replace aging drainage pipes and clear out lagoons along the bay backs that are choked with sediment, said Frank Donato, the city’s chief financial officer.

The stepfather of a vacationer who was struck and killed while crossing the street over the Memorial Day weekend made an impassioned plea Thursday night for Ocean City to overhaul what he called an unusually dangerous intersection. “In the military, we call it the ‘kill zone,”’ Dr. John Albert told City Council while describing the intersection of Eighth Street and Bay Avenue. Albert’s stepson, Thomas F. Gibbons Jr., died after being struck May 25 while crossing the intersection with his wife, Stephanie, who was also hit by the same motorist. Stephanie Gibbons was taken to a hospital but survived her injuries.

Inspired by his wife Pam’s 26-year battle with multiple sclerosis, Jeff Craighead participates in the Bike MS City to Shore Ride every year to help raise money in the fight against an incurable disease that often disrupts the central nervous system. When the 75-mile Bike MS trek from Cherry Hill to Ocean City unfolds during the weekend of Sept. 21-22, Craighead will have plenty of company. As many as 6,000 to 7,000 cyclists are expected to ride in this year’s event, which serves as the second-largest fundraiser in the country for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Around $5 million is expected to be raised this year. Jeff and Pam Craighead, who are volunteers with the Greater Delaware Valley chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, appeared in Ocean City on Thursday night during a City Council meeting to promote Bike MS, now in its 39th year.

Sea Isle City is consumed with the quality of its restaurants. This is a small town that boasts of having a big-city-style culinary scene comparable to anything found at the Jersey Shore – all 127 miles of it. “I honestly think that Sea Isle has some of the finest restaurants at the Jersey Shore,” said Mike Monichetti, owner of Mike’s Seafood & Dock Restaurant on Park Road. Starting Monday, the local restaurants will get a chance to prove it. Sea Isle will showcase its array of eateries during Restaurant Week on June 3-9.