Dear Friends, At last night’s City Council meeting, City Solicitor Dottie McCrosson reported that negotiations for the possible purchase of the former car dealership lot adjacent to the Community Center are ongoing. Council is expected at the next meeting to consider a bond ordinance that could fund any potential acquisition. At a partnering meeting this week with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the N.J. Department of Environmental Protection and the contractor Great Lakes Dredge and Dock, it was confirmed that the renourishment project for Ocean City’s north end beaches remains on schedule to begin approximately May 1. New surveys indicate that the beaches between Seaview Road and 13th Street will need at least 1.4 million cubic yards of sand – up from an original estimate of 800,000 cubic yards. The estimated project duration is now 64 days. There’s a good chance, based on recent production rates, that the work could be completed more quickly. But we all should be prepared for the possibility that operations could continue into early July. The work will proceed from north to south with about two blocks of beach closed at a time. I want again to thank our partners in this important work to protect property in Ocean City. The additional benefit of this schedule is that the beaches and dunes will be rebuilt after the worst of this year’s winter and spring storms have passed.
We also learned this week that the Army Corps will begin dredging the Intracoastal Waterway on or about January 21. One area of focus will be the shallow channels between the 34th Street and 9th Street bridges. This is another example of the successful partnerships forged with the agencies responsible for maintaining our back bays and waterways. The Cape May County Municipal Utilities Authority project to replace the wastewater main underneath Bay Avenue has reached the Ocean City Intermediate School. A revised traffic plan for dropoff and pickup of students is available here.Council last night also paid tribute to Assemblyman-elect Antwan McClellan, who will step down from Council to serve in the state Legislature. Antwan will be sworn in on Tuesday, and we wish him the best of luck in his new role. We’re honored to have an Ocean City native representing us at the state level.Warm regards, Mayor Jay A. Gillian
