Dear Friends,
As we reach Memorial Day Weekend, the Fourth Ward drainage project is still not complete and roads that have been excavated to install a new storm drain system are still not paved. I can assure you that – aside from the neighbors who have put up with this major construction project for more than a year now – nobody is more frustrated with this failure to meet deadlines than I am.
The city team is using every available tool to make sure the construction company meets its contractual obligation to finish this job quickly and properly. It’s been reported to me that workers on the job are telling residents that work will not resume until after Labor Day. That is not the case. The project will continue until the job is done and done right.
Paving work on Tennessee Avenue ended today, and the public boat ramp there is back open. Wesley Avenue between Battersea Road and First Street is repaved and open in time for the holiday weekend. Final paving of E. Atlantic Boulevard and other nearby streets will be completed next week.
Representatives of the city and the Ocean City Beach Patrol “unlocked the ocean” this afternoon and local groups took the first official swim of the summer in the always-chilly Business Persons Plunge. The events kicked off Memorial Day Weekend and what we all hope will be another sunny and successful summer in Ocean City.
But I want to remind everybody that Memorial Day is more than just a holiday and a day off work. It’s a time to remember and to reflect on the ultimate sacrifices made by so many service members and their families. They gave their lives so all of us might live in freedom.
I encourage you all to attend our annual Memorial Day Service at 11 a.m. Monday (May 28). The ceremony has been moved to the Ocean City Tabernacle (550 Wesley Avenue). Our community has always respected the men and women of our military, and the event is well-attended. This year’s keynote speaker will be Army Lt. Col. Eric J. Duckworth, a veteran of the Iraq War and Pentagon strategist whose family has deep ties to Ocean City.
I hope to see you all there on Monday. At 3 p.m. Monday, Ocean City will participate in the National Moment of Remembrance. A bugler will play “Taps” in front of the Ocean City Music Pier, and it will be broadcast on the boardwalk speaker system during a moment of silence.
Warm regards,
Jay A. Gillian
Mayor
