By MADDY VITALE
Residents of Ocean Aire Condominiums in Ocean City’s south end dealt with flooding for years.
An elevation project underway since November to raise the 52 units in the seven-building complex anywhere from 6.5 feet to 7.5 feet off the ground will put the condos well above the floodwaters that rise during coastal storms and heavy rains.
Steve Sinibaldi, vice president of the Ocean Aire Homeowners Association, who led the charge to have the condos lifted, said Saturday that the months away from his year-round retreat, during the construction, will be worth it.
Sinibaldi and his wife, Eileen, purchased their first-floor unit in 2014. The Havertown, Pa., couple come down throughout the year to enjoy their shore home.
“We will be there every weekend as soon as they open the gates and say come on in,” Sinibaldi said. “It has been a long time coming. We have been talking about this since 2015. We are relieved that it has come to this point, and I am anxious to see people come back in.”
W.A. Building Movers & Contractors Inc. is a New Jersey-based company hired by Ocean Aire to do the project. The Sinibaldis stayed in Ocean City at a friend’s home over the weekend. They stopped in Saturday and saw what has been typical throughout the project, work being done.
Wayne Yarusi, the owner of W.A. Building Movers & Contractors, and his crew were working throughout the day.
In November, at the start of the project, Yarusi told OCNJDaily.com that weather-permitting, the project would be done by April.
So far, the team is right on target. All seven buildings have now been elevated. The final finishes must be done, though, before the Ocean Aire residents may move back into their condos at 43rd Street and West Avenue.
Eileen Sinibaldi said she is hopeful that they may return by April.
“We miss the neighbors. We have a lot of good times together,” she said, adding that the couple spends holidays there with family. “It is not the same. The contractors said April we should be back in and we are definitely encouraged by what we see.”
City officials have been supportive of the project to elevate the flood-prone units.
The city was awarded a $3 million federal grant to elevate the condo complex to protect it from floodwaters that seep out of the surrounding marshlands and back bay. The Federal Emergency Management Agency agreed to fund the entire project and will reimburse the city for the cost. The city approved the funding upfront to enable the project to get started.
Mayor Jay Gillian said in a statement Friday, “All 52 units of the seven-building condominium complex have now been elevated. This project was grant-funded, and owners should be back in their units by summer.”
Painting the foundations and installing stairs will be two of a few final projects to be completed before residents could return to the complex.
Steve Sinibaldi said he and his wife are enjoying creating their new living space.
“We are excited because we picked a foundation paint color yesterday,” Sinibaldi said. “Everything is on time. There are just a few last items to be done before we get the go-ahead to get back in.”
The Sinibaldis set up a Facebook page, Ocean Aire OCNJ, at the start of the project.
Residents go on and post photos and chat about the latest developments with the project.
Eileen Sinibaldi cautioned in a post on March 17 that while everyone is eager to return, they have to be patient.
“We are all excited to see the progress and get back into our units,” she said in her post. “But for our own safety and best interest of the association, we need to stay out of the construction zone.”
But soon, the Sinibaldis and the other residents of the complex will be able to not only return to their units, but feel a bit more comfortable about doing so because a coastal storm or heavy rains will no longer mean an automatic flooding event.
“Everyone is dying to see their place. We want to see our place,” Eileen Sinibaldi said. “It won’t be much longer and we are excited.”
