Dear Friends,
Cape May County has agreed to install a new crosswalk at 20th Street and Bay Avenue near the Intermediate School. The crosswalk will include vinyl reflective striping and flashing lights on the road shoulders. The lights will be timed to operate when students are going to school and coming home. They also will be user-activated.
Our police chief has been working with the county to make this crossing safer, and I’d like to thank the county for their continued partnership in making improvements throughout town that benefit all of our citizens.
Ocean Wind will hold its Open House at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday, Nov. 5) at the Ocean City Music Pier. I asked the company to hear all the public’s questions about the offshore wind project, and they will have representatives on hand to answer.
The city will make video of the meeting available over the weekend, and the company plans to allow people to participate remotely. Please be aware that if you plan to attend, the inbound lanes of the Ninth Street causeway will be closed for the Trail of Two Cities 5K run until about 10 a.m. If you’re coming from off the island and arriving early, plan an alternate route.
We are planning a neighborhood meeting to update residents on plans for a flood mitigation project for West 17th Street. The work is being coordinated with utility company upgrades, and representatives of New Jersey American Water and South Jersey Gas also will be part of the presentation.
The meeting will be held in the Senior Center within the Ocean City Community Center (1735 Simpson Avenue) at 11 a.m. Nov. 13. All the public is invited to attend in person. Residents also will be able to participate remotely via Zoom. Details on how to participate are available here.
I want to encourage everybody to attend our annual Veterans Day ceremony. It will be 11 a.m. Thursday outdoors at Veterans Memorial Park. It’s always great to see so many people come out to support our veterans.
Work has begun to elevate the Ocean Aire Condominiums along the 4300 block of West Avenue. It’s exciting to see this project come together, and it will be interesting to follow the progress of lifting the 52 units in seven buildings. The city was able to secure a $3 million FEMA grant on behalf of the unit owners, and the elevation of these flood-prone properties will help the city earn Community Rating System (CRS) points, which brings down flood insurance rates for owners throughout town.
I want to remind everybody that Daylight Savings Time ends at 2 a.m. Sunday. Please remember to set your clocks back on Saturday night.
The naming of the press box at the city’s Carey Stadium in honor of Tom Williams will now take place during halftime at tonight’s 6 p.m. home playoff game of the Ocean City High School football team. Williams has served Ocean City and all of southern New Jersey for more than six decades as a sportswriter, broadcaster, webmaster, statistician, event organizer, and the ultimate fan of high school sports. I hope you join me in congratulating Tom and in wishing good luck to the undefeated Ocean City High School Red Raiders team.
Warm regards,
Mayor Jay A. Gillian
