City Council on Thursday gave final approval to a $1-a-year lease of a city-owned building to the Ocean City Theatre Company, but here a few other items of interest from the public meeting:
- Boardwalk Project: Business Administrator Mike Dattilo reported that work to replace the substructure and decking of the boardwalk between Sixth Street and Plaza Place is going well. Pilings and stringers are in place across much of the span and sections of decking could start to be installed before the end of the year.
- South End Beach Replenishment Project: Dattilo said the administration knows little more than what has already been reported on the spring start for a beach renourishing project between 34th and 59th streets. He said a pre-construction meeting is tentatively scheduled for early January.
- 29th Street Firehouse: Dattilo said Council can soon expect more information on a “new concept” for the last city-owned building to sustain substantial Superstorm Sandy damage to be addressed. He said the city has gone “around and around” with the Federal Emergency Management Agency on what FEMA would approve, and that they can expect $400,000 to $450,000 in reimbursements.
- Merion Park: In response to questions from a Merion Park resident, Dattilo said new pumping stations were not activated until after last week’s nor’easter. He confirmed that at the height of tidal flooding (with outfall pipes covered by tidal waters), the pumping stations will not be of much use. “We cannot eliminate flooding in certain areas of Ocean City,” he said. But the pumps and bigger drainage pipes will help eliminate nuisance flooding and help drain tidal flooding much more quickly. During big storms and tidal events, “Our best advice is to move vehicles from low-lying areas, and that advice will not change.”
- Martin Luther King Day Events: For the 45th year, Ocean City will celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at a public event at Ocean City High School on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2015. The annual event was initiated a few years after King’s death by the late Rozelia Cobb, a beloved teacher at the Ocean City Intermediate School. Councilman Keith Hartzell and Councilman Antwan McClellan are preparing efforts to reach out to encourage participation from Ocean City churches, community organizations and schools. The annual Day of Service that encourages volunteerism takes place on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015.
