New Airport Terminal Tops Capital Plan in Ocean City for 2025

A new terminal building at the airport, a multimillion-dollar facelift for a popular recreation complex and the continuation of road reconstruction projects throughout town top the list of major improvements in 2025 proposed in Ocean City’s new five-year capital plan unveiled Thursday.

Overall, the city plans to spend $67.6 million over the next five years for an array of infrastructure improvements, ranging from road and drainage projects to ease flooding, the dredging of the shallow lagoons along the back bays and the overhaul of some of the heavily used recreation facilities, among other things. 2025-2029 Capital Budget Plan.xlsx

“This is one of the key things government does to keep the town in good shape,” City Business Administrator George Savastano explained while giving a presentation on the capital plan at a City Council meeting.

Although the capital plan is for five years, Savastano concentrated on the nearly $14.4 million in projects planned in 2025, saying they would give the “clearest and firmest ideas of what we want to accomplish” in the immediate future.

Heading the list of big-ticket items planned in 2025 is a new terminal building at the municipal airport. The city plans to spend $3 million for the project and will combine its funding with a $3 million donation from Leon Grisbaum, the owner of Berger Realty in Ocean City.

The building will be named the Leon and Elizabeth Grisbaum Terminal Building, also in honor of Grisbaum’s late wife. Leon Grisbaum, now in his 90s, was an avid pilot for about 70 years before retiring from flying.

City officials say the terminal will include the operations center for the airport, a pro shop for the adjacent municipal golf course and a restaurant on the top floor offering sweeping views of the bay and marshlands next to the runway.

Savastano explained that the airport project is currently in the design phase. He estimated that construction would begin in the fall.

“That project is taking shape,” he told the Council members.

    City Business Administrator George Savastano gives a presentation on the capital plan to City Council.
  

The airport’s current terminal building, a small and modest structure dating to the 1950s, will be demolished to make way for the new project.

Built in 1935, the airport’s claim to fame is that it is the only one in New Jersey located on a barrier island. It is among just a few airports located on a barrier island on the entire East Coast.

The airport’s location on Bay Avenue at 26th Street is just a few blocks from the beach. It is not uncommon in summer to see people get out of their planes holding beach chairs and umbrellas.

Another major capital project planned for 2025 is a makeover of the outdated 34th Street recreation and playground area between West and Asbury avenues.

The project will include a new playground, tennis courts, pickleball courts and restrooms.

Savastano said the city plans to spend about $3.5 million on the recreation and playground improvements, but will seek an additional $2.5 million in funding from the Cape May County Open Space Board to help finance construction. He expressed confidence that the city will make a strong case for county funding.

Other recreation-related projects planned for 2025 include $750,000 in upgrades for the Little League field at 35th Street, a $200,000 scoreboard at Ocean City High School’s Carey Stadium and $180,000 for a new pavilion at the municipal dog park at 45th Street and Haven Avenue.

    The 34th Street playground and recreation complex is in line for a major makeover.
  

As it has been doing in recent years, the city will once again place a major emphasis in 2025 on road reconstruction and drainage projects to protect the low-lying island from chronic flooding. Altogether, $2 million in paving and drainage improvements are planned this year.

Savastano noted that the city is preparing for even bigger flood-mitigation projects in the future, including $4 million in 2026 for Haven Avenue between 20th and 26th streets and $5 million in 2027 for the Ocean City Homes neighborhood.

The capital plan also reflects a continuation of the city’s multi-year program to dredge the lagoons of sediment. Ocean City’s dredging program has been touted as a model for all New Jersey shore towns dealing with the dangerous problem of sediment-choked waterways.

Mayor Jay Gillian has repeatedly said that dredging will preserve property values of waterfront homes, improve public safety, help the boat owners and marinas and protect the environment.

City Council, meanwhile, is expected to vote on the five-year capital plan in March. Savastano emphasized the cooperation between the Gillian administration, Council and the public in crafting a plan that works for the entire city.

“No project happens unless we work together,” Savastano said.

However, Councilman Keith Hartzell objected to the absence of any sort of family activities or entertainment he would like to see built on the beach between Fifth and Sixth streets.

“I believe a capital plan without it is a huge mistake,” Hartzell said.

City officials have been discussing the possibility of transforming that area of the beach to create a new family-friendly attraction to fill the void created by the closing last year of the Wonderland Pier amusement park at Sixth Street and the Boardwalk.

“We’ve got to get moving and get something done,” Hartzell said of his desire for family-style recreation or entertainment at the Sixth Street beach.

Savastano, though, said the city doesn’t necessarily need to construct a new project at the Sixth Street beach. He believes that the city can enliven the area through new programs and planning by the Department of Community Services.

    Road construction projects will be a big part of the capital plan to help protect neighborhoods from flooding.