Dear Friends,
A representative of the wind energy company Ørsted made a presentation to City Council last night to provide an update on plans for an offshore wind farm 15 miles from Ocean City and the nearby coastline. I want to clarify a few things.
First, Ocean City has no authority whatsoever over federal waters in the Atlantic Ocean or this proposed project.
Second, our governor and president-elect are both openly committed to this type of energy and the process is already well underway.
Third, the city team is doing its due diligence by working with Ørsted, federal and state regulators to get all the facts and determine our options. I will continue to communicate with all local stakeholders as the process moves forward.
I will represent the interests of the people of Ocean City, but if this work is destined to move forward, I will also see how it can help us. Because the company needs an easement from a coastal town to bring transmission lines to the mainland, this could be a major source of funding for improvement projects in the city.
Our town hall meeting on flood mitigation plans for all of Ocean City will be held virtually at 10 a.m. tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 5).
We will show a presentation and then invite the public to participate in an online Q&A session. I want to encourage everybody to join in to learn more about these very important measures.
By now, many of you are familiar with online meetings. If not, please get the app on your computer or smartphone by following this link:
https://global.gotomeeting.com/install/977921045 .
Once you do, you can just click on this link —
https://global.gotomeeting.com/join/977921045 — to join the meeting. We do anticipate a lot of public participation, so please be aware of your screen name and how to mute and unmute yourself. Follow instructions from the presenters on how to comment.
You can also dial in using your phone. Call toll-free to 1-877-309-2073 and use access code 977-921-045.
The presentation will remain online at
www.ocnj.us as a resource for anybody to see at any time. It will also air on OCTV-97 at 10 a.m. Sunday (Dec. 6), 9:30 p.m. Monday (Dec. 7) and 7 p.m. Tuesday (Dec. 8).
Have a great weekend.
Warm regards,
Mayor Jay A. Gillian
