Donald Wittkowski

It’s not the blockbuster $9 million deal that Ocean City has been hoping to make for a major piece of property owned by local businessmen and brothers Harry and Jerry Klause. Instead, City Council approved a $9,000 agreement Thursday night with Klause Enterprises to lease the land, once the site of a now-closed car dealership, for public parking over the summer. Encompassing nearly an entire block, the property on Simpson and Haven avenues, between 16th and 17th streets, will be used by the city through Sept. 9 for free public parking.

About 700 people took part Sunday in the Walk to End Lupus Now fundraiser on the Ocean City Boardwalk. Now in its 11th year in Ocean City, the walk was expected to raise about $60,000. Altogether, the event has raised an estimated $400,000 to $450,000 for lupus-related research and education during its 11-year run, an organizer said.

Cape May County’s tourism industry is a $6.6 billion colossus that draws nearly 10 million visitors annually to an area that has diversified its attractions well beyond the ever-popular beaches and boardwalks, state and county officials said Friday. Freeholder E. Marie Hayes described Cape May County as a “top” vacation destination that includes gourmet restaurants, fishing, historic and cultural sites, wineries, craft breweries and eco-tourism, along with family-friendly beaches and boardwalks. “It’s like a puzzle with so many pieces,” she said in opening remarks during the 2019 Cape May County Tourism Conference in Cape May Court House.

As usual, he will wear his tailor-made black suit, a tie and dress shoes. He will also be carrying his trademark leather briefcase. Ocean City real estate broker John Walton will look very much the part of a serious businessman who is ready to close a big deal on Friday, May 24. But don’t expect to see him huddled in his office on that day. Instead, he will be out on the beach. The nattily attired Walton will march straight into the ocean during a wacky local tradition known as the Business Persons Plunge. The well-dressed masses from the local business community will join Walton. Now in its 16th year, the Business Persons Plunge is a widely anticipated spectacle that serves to officially “open” the ocean during Memorial Day weekend for the summer tourism season.

A new sound system that will improve the acoustics for concerts and other shows at Ocean City’s historic Music Pier was approved Thursday night by City Council. The $402,000 sound system is one of the main components of a series of upgrades planned this year for the landmark building, which serves as the city’s main venue for entertainment and cultural arts.

The grounds of Ocean City’s historic Bayside Center are about to be given a lush new carpet of green sod as well as an irrigation system to make sure the grass remains healthy even during scorching summer days. But there will be something missing from the grass. There will be no fertilizer or pesticides put on it. Mayor Jay Gillian has decided to use the grounds of the Bayside Center as a test area that is free of pesticides and fertilizer. The “experiment” is in response to suggestions from local residents for the city to consider using environmentally friendly measures to take care of the grass, shrubbery and flowers on public property.

A large tract of land that Ocean City had hoped to buy and preserve as open space will instead be redeveloped for 21 single-family homes, under the latest plan by the property owners. Voting 6-0, the Ocean City Planning Board gave preliminary site plan approval Wednesday night to the housing project proposed by brothers Harry and Jerry Klause of Klause Enterprises. Encompassing nearly an entire block, the land is bordered by Simpson and Haven avenues between 16th and 17th streets and was formerly occupied by a now-closed Chevrolet dealership.

Ocean City Fourth Ward Councilman Bob Barr calls it the “large fix.” As the city continues to search for ways to fight flooding, one massive project under consideration would involve transforming an abandoned railroad bed into a barrier to block stormwater rushing in from the bay. “This is the large fix,” Barr told local residents Saturday during a Fourth Ward community meeting held at the Ocean City Free Public Library.

Boardwalk performers, listen up: You’ll have to tone it down going forward. Hoping to put a damper on excessively loud singing or music on Ocean City’s signature attraction, City Council approved a new ordinance Thursday night that prohibits Boardwalk entertainers from using amplifiers. City officials said the ordinance strikes a balance between the performers’ constitutional right to free expression and the rights of everyone else to enjoy the family-friendly ambiance on the oceanfront promenade.

Construction will begin this week on an all-suites boutique hotel that its developers plan to have ready for Ocean City’s 2020 summer tourism season. Called the North Island Inn, the project will be built in a prime location at the corner of 10th Street and Ocean Avenue only a block from the beach and Boardwalk. Christopher Glancey, a Sea Isle City developer who has expanded into Ocean City with his business partner Bob Morris, said the all-suites lodging will cater to families wanting to be close to the beach and Boardwalk shops, eateries and amusement rides during their extended summer vacations.