Dear Friends,
I want to clarify some misinformation that has been circulating this week.
The local Fairness in Taxes group ran ads that appeared in the Sentinel and Gazette. The ads compare per-square-foot construction costs for new public safety buildings in other towns to Ocean City’s – with the apparent intent of suggesting that we are being wasteful. There’s just one problem: Ocean City has no comparable construction costs. The building does not exist. It’s just a line item on a long-term budget plan.
Under any circumstance, such a project would be costly and would not be undertaken lightly. Before any potential project would move forward, plans would be scrutinized and shared with the public for feedback to make sure they’re the most cost-effective. The city shares the same mission as FIT in protecting the interests of taxpayers.
The organizers of the Bike MS: City to Shore Ride have suggested that Ocean City is unwilling to work with them on their annual fundraiser that brings thousands of cyclists to our town.
Ocean City is fully supportive of the ride and its important mission in supporting MS research. The city has enjoyed a long and mutually beneficial relationship with the annual event. Like so many others, my family has been affected by MS, and I’ve always been offended when it’s suggested that I don’t care.
A proposed change in this year’s route would essentially shut down the Ninth Street gateway for a large part of a peak Saturday in September. The idea of moving the ride onto the busy Route 52 causeway and effectively managing a Ninth Street crossing without causing complete gridlock is just not feasible. It would create a public safety concern with emergency response times certain to be impacted. It also would be potentially devastating to many businesses and unfair to residents, property owners and visitors who rely on the causeway and Ninth Street.
But Ocean City has offered alternative routes, and, of course, made available the same route that has worked for more than three decades. I look forward to seeing the Bike MS riders back in town this fall and to continuing this important tradition.
Finally, I want to ask all residents to closely monitor weather conditions tonight. Heavy rain is expected, and if it coincides with high tide, we could experience street flooding. See more information here. And I look forward to improving weather over the weekend and a sunny week coming up.
Warm regards,
Jay A. Gillian
Mayor
