Dear Friends,
I want to invite you all to a town hall meeting from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Feb. 22 at the Ocean City Tabernacle (550 Wesley Avenue).
The city team is in the process of creating our municipal budget for the year and our plan for capital projects over the next five years. We’re working hard to make improvements to the city, while tightening our belt and being responsible to taxpayers.
I think it’s important to share information on this important process. The meeting also will include time for questions and comment on any issue. I look forward to seeing you all on the 22nd.
I also want to invite you to a ceremony at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26 at the Ocean City Tabernacle, where select members of the Ocean City Police Department, Ocean City Fire Department and Ocean City Beach Patrol will be recognized for heroic actions in the line of duty in the past year. We started this event last year, and the stories of each particular incident were truly inspiring. We’re all fortunate to be in such good hands.
City-sponsored programming at the Senior Center opened on Feb. 1, 2024, and Friday everybody celebrated a happy first birthday with cake, a slide-show presentation, and lots of gratitude for the camaraderie and community that has been established at the facility in the past year. I want to thank all of our seniors for their patience as we worked to make improvements there, and I want to congratulate the Senior Center team for a job well done.
Work on the new police substation at Eighth Street and Boardwalk continues to make good progress and remains on target to be complete by the end of summer.
Rebuilding of the tennis courts at Fifth Street is still on target to be done sometime in March.
Expansion of the stormwater outfall pipe at Fifth Street has cleared the area under the Boardwalk and work continues on the beach.
Our dredging contractor will work to clear the mouth of the outfall pipe under the Ninth Street Bridge, and hopefully that will address some of the issues with flooding near Ninth and Bay.
Final concrete and paving work for West Avenue from Ninth Street to 18th Street is underway and will be complete before Memorial Day. We’re going out to bid shortly for two more projects that we expect to complete before the summer: expansion and improvement of the Boardwalk ramps at Moorlyn Terrace and another round of road and alley paving (see list here).
Ocean City Human Resources Director Liz Woods was recently honored by our local Municipal Joint Insurance Fund for her two years of exceptional service as the fund commissioner. The JIF brings together multiple communities to pool resources and provide insurance against lawsuits and various legal claims. I want to thank and congratulate Liz on her good work.
Michele and I would like to extend deepest condolences to Bill McGinnity and his extended family. Bill recently lost his mom, Margaret “Peggy” McGinnity. Peggy lived a good life to the age of 91, including more than 45 years in Ocean City. Our thoughts and prayers are with the McGinnity family.
Warm regards,
Mayor Jay A. Gillian