By Andrew DeCredico
On Wednesday February 15th Ocean City opened up the full length of the boardwalk for the first time since October 15th. The long awaited opening is actually ahead of schedule, with business owners praising the speed at which work was completed.
As many in Ocean City know, the boardwalk has been under construction to rebuild the stretch between 8th and 10th Streets. On October 15th Ocean City began construction of this portion of the boardwalk as part of its multiyear project to rebuild the total length between 5th Street and 12th Street. As many business owner’s had hoped, the project was completed ahead of schedule. Denise Callahan, owner of Ocean Treasures, was very happy with the completion ahead of schedule saying “its great that they got [the boardwalk] done early.
Other business were also glad to resume every day operations. The manager of The Fudge Kitchen, Ahmed, said that they were “excited to be able to open the front doors [for business]” While many businesses needed to close down during construction, The Fudge Kitchen was able to stay open, however they needed to use their small side door. “We are glad to be back to normal operation,” said Ahmed.
While the project was completed ahead of schedule, a few business owners were worried that people would not realize this section of the boardwalk has been opened. Don Milora, owner of By The Sea, was one of the concerned business owners, saying he “wasn’t sure if the word was out. But it’s out!”
With sunny skies above, many patrons were on the boardwalk, both locals and tourists alike. Noting the beautiful day, Brent Hanley, owner of Shirt Shack, was quick to praise the work that has been done saying, “The boardwalk looks great, nobody’s tripping, and it really makes a good impression for the town and the stores. Everything looks new.”
The first weekend of the new boardwalk has so far been a huge success, with everyone giving praise to all aspects of the project. The city will continue to move forward with this multiyear project, but they are going to leave the rest of the project for next winter. Lets all hope the rest of the job is as successful as this portion.
