Dear Friends,
Union Chapel held funeral services this morning for Edna Streaker May, who died last weekend at age 90. Edna was the first lady of Ocean City’s south end, and many in town were familiar with her indomitable spirit and love of the “Deep South.” Her collection of photographs and memorabilia provide in invaluable history of that part of the island. Edna was one of the many colorful characters who make our community so rich. I’d like to extend my condolences to all of Edna’s family and friends, and encourage everybody to celebrate a life well-lived. The south end won’t be the same without her.
With the passing of Labor Day, capital projects will resume across town. The city plans to go out to bid later this month on a major road and drainage project for the area between 26th Street and 34th Street. The temporary haul road to Site 83 is expected to be complete next week, and trucks should begin moving material from the site in October. That will clear space for future dredging projects on the bay side. Shortly after Columbus Day, crews will begin to demolish the boardwalk between Eighth Street and 10th Street to make way for the next phase of reconstruction. Many other roads and infrastructure projects are on tap, so I ask everybody to be patient as this essential work proceeds in so many different places. As always, you can look for updates at ocnj.us/projects.
Ocean City will mark the 15th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks at its annual ceremony 6 p.m. Sunday (Sept. 11) in front of the Ocean City Fire Department headquarters at 550 Asbury Avenue. I encourage everybody to join us in this important commemoration. The event is always well-attended. It includes moving tributes to those who lost their lives and a celebration of the community spirit forged in the aftermath of the tragedy.
Finally, I want to remind everybody that we have a full slate of special events throughout September and October. It’s a great time of year to be in Ocean City, and annual traditions such as this weekend’s Street Rod Festival (Sept. 10), next weekend’s Corvette Show (Sept. 18), and the following weekend’s Airport Festival (Sept. 24) and Boardwalk Aerobatic Airshow (Sept. 25) are always a great time. For full schedule of events, visit oceancityvacation.com.
The Ocean City Beach Patrol will guard eight beaches through Sept. 18. The ocean is much calmer this weekend than last, but I ask that swimmers use only these protected beaches (see list).
Remember that our once-a-week trash and recycling pickup schedule begins on Monday, Sept. 12. See our off-season schedule here.
Warm regards,
Jay A. Gillian Mayor
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