Mayor's Update August 4th

Dear Friends, Representatives of South Jersey Gas and the state Board of Public Utilities were in town on Monday to celebrate the conversion of our gas mains to a high-pressure system that can withstand the impact of severe weather even as strong as Superstorm Sandy. The work was part of $2.4 billion in upgrades throughout New Jersey. Infrastructure improvements have been my No. 1 priority since I took office, and I’m deeply appreciative that South Jersey Gas is making similar investments in Ocean City. The long-term benefits for our residents and property owners far outweigh the inconveniences of the construction work. I look forward to the completion of the project with the restoration of a few final roadways in September. Work on the Fourth Ward drainage project is scheduled to resume immediately after Labor Day. After last week’s flooding, many people urged the city to start work immediately. Aside from the property owners in the neighborhood, nobody wants to see this project completed more than me. But for public safety concerns and many other reasons, it is just not feasible to do work of this magnitude during the height of summer. When it begins, the work will require deep open trenches, big sections of new pipeline and lots of equipment. Once completed, the new drainage system will help drain streets much more quickly and avoid the prolonged flooding that everybody endured in that part of Ocean City. Ocean City’s oldest traditional event – the 108^th annual Baby Parade – goes off at 5 p.m. on Thursday (Aug. 10) on the boardwalk between Sixth Street and 12^th Street. The parade is open to anybody under age 10 (see ocnj.us/babyparade for more info), and the event caps off a week dedicated to our youngest guests.  The “Pamper Scamper” baby crawling races are at 9 a.m. Tuesday (Aug. 8) on the beach at Sixth Street, and a show by Disney Junior’s Choo Choo Soul (this year’s grand marshals for the Baby Parade) is set for 10:30 a.m. Thursday (see ticket information ). I also want to tell you about that the Philadelphia Flyers Community Caravan will visit Ocean City 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday at the basketball courts on the beach block of Sixth Street. The event is free and open to fans of all ages. It’s a chance for anybody to learn more about ice hockey. Former Flyers Brad Marsh, Todd Fedoruk and Doug Crossman will run clinics and shoot-arounds in an inflatable rink. The event also will include inflatable games and activities, a bungee run and more. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. Warm regards, Jay A. Gillian Mayor