By MADDY VITALE
From a fire at an iconic Boardwalk amusement park to a banner plane landing on the Route 52 Causeway bridge, to the construction of a new affordable housing complex for seniors to a city ban on marijuana sales, Ocean City had its share of news in 2021.
Fire Strikes Playland’s Castaway Cove
At 7:40 a.m. on Jan. 30, a fire broke out at Playland’s Castaway Cove arcade on the Boardwalk and caused extensive damage to the building and left thick black clouds of smoke in its wake. There were no injuries.
The signature outdoor amusements that tower over the Boardwalk such as the Gale Force roller-coaster and Double Shot thrill ride were untouched by flames, but the arcade was destroyed.
An investigation concluded the fire was accidental. The owners began rebuilding this summer. By the summer of 2022 the hope is that visitors will enjoy a new arcade and a new pirate ship will overlook the Boardwalk entrance to replace the one charred in the blaze.
Banner Plane Lands on Bridge
Banner plane pilot Landon Lucas skillfully landed a single-engine Piper J3C-65 on the Route 52 Causeway bridge on July 19.
Lucas, who was flying the plane for Paramount Air Service, had reported engine trouble as he was flying near Steel Pier in Atlantic City.
The 18-year-old pilot told authorities that he dropped his advertising banner into the ocean and tried to reach the Ocean City Municipal Airport. He spotted a gap in traffic around 12:38 p.m. on the causeway and landed. He did so without injuring himself or any drivers. By the afternoon, Lucas and others helped lift up the Piper to secure it to a pickup truck to tow it away.
Rowdy Teens Disrupt the Peace
Ocean City, like other shore towns this past summer, dealt with its share of teens causing trouble on the Boardwalk and streets, riding in groups and being just plain rude.
It led to community outrage and remarks from Police Chief Jay Prettyman at a City Council meetings. With the juvenile justice reform regulations that went into effect in New Jersey in 2021, police were limited in how they could respond to the teenage rowdiness.
City spokesman Doug Bergen said this at the time of the July article, “There definitely have been incidents involving a small number of obnoxious teens and police are doing a good job keeping everything under control within the constraints of juvenile justice reform.”
Residents Move into Speitel Commons
Speitel Commons was completed and residents moved in in August. The 32-unit affordable housing complex for senior citizens in the heart of downtown, at the corner of Sixth Street and West Avenue, replaced the flood-prone Pecks Beach Village complex on Fourth Street.
In July 2019, the Ocean City Housing Authority awarded a $6.9 million contract to Gary F. Gardner Inc. of Medford, N.J., to build Speitel Commons. The building is named in honor of the late housing authority commissioner Edmond C. Speitel Sr., who was influential in the project’s development.
The city contributed more than $2 million toward the Speitel Commons project, while the New Jersey Housing Mortgage and Finance Agency provided $4.5 million in funding.
Nor’easter Packs a Punch
On Feb. 1 the city saw floodwaters rise and wind gusts of up to 55 mph. There was flooding throughout Ocean City from an overflowing bay. There were downed power lines and outages and about six cars stuck in high stormwater.
Streets such as West and Haven Avenues, Battersea Road, Victoria Lane and Asbury Avenue were just some of the water-soaked roadways. Water lapped over the bulkhead at the Ocean City Yacht Club. Floodwaters pooled in the roadways, making travel tricky and unsafe in some areas.
The high tide and flooding weren’t the worst of the storm either. The night’s high tide and strong winds caused even more flooding.
City Purchases Car Lot
In March, Ocean City completed its acquisition of a block of land that will be preserved as open space.
The city fought for over two years to purchase privately owned land that once served as the location for a car dealership, with the goal of preserving and protecting it from a proposed densely packed housing development.
“This is a monumental win for the Ocean City taxpayers,” Mayor Jay Gillian said. “It’s an extremely rare opportunity to be able to protect that much open space. I’m looking forward to the next steps.”
With the acquisition of that parcel, a five-block area from 15th Street to 20th Street will now be dedicated to public use. It will stretch from Emil Palmer Park to the Ocean City Community Center, to the tennis and pickleball courts, to the Ocean City Intermediate School, the mayor explained.
The lot was cleaned up and is temporarily being used for parking.
Marijuana Sales Banned
On April 9, Ocean City’s governing body gave final approval to an ordinance that prohibits businesses that cultivate, manufacture, test or sell marijuana.
Looking to preserve its family-friendly image, the city banned the sale of marijuana in the aftermath of New Jersey’s legalization of cannabis in February.
Approved by City Council in a 6-0 vote, the ordinance bans marijuana facilities within one-quarter mile of a school, church, recreational or sports facility, the Boardwalk and any residential area. It would effectively outlaw businesses from selling marijuana, hashish or pot paraphernalia in all parts of town.
Wind Farm: Hot Debate
For over two years, an offshore wind project proposed for 15 miles off the South Jersey coast, has evoked concern by Ocean City residents. Some have supported it, others are adamantly against it.
The project would include 99 wind turbines, each about 900 feet tall, stretching down the coast from Atlantic City to Stone Harbor, passing by Ocean City in the process.
Concerns over how the project could affect tourism, the visual impact of the massive wind turbines offshore, and what it would do to marine life, migratory birds and the commercial fishing industry have been the main issues.
The project, dubbed Ocean Wind 1, is proposed to be an 1,100-megawatt project that would create thousands of construction jobs and power over a half a million homes.
Orsted representatives have spoken with Ocean City about the possibility of running underground electric cables through town to connect the offshore turbines to a substation next to the decommissioned B.L. England Generating Station in Marmora.
Currently, the project, which has federal approval, is slated for completion by 2024.
Ocean City Loses a Hero
On Feb. 5, World War II hero Joseph Caserta died at age 98. Caserta fought in Europe while serving as a tank commander with the U.S. Army’s 3rd Armored Division.
Those who knew him said he was a larger-than-life hero who fought valiantly for his country. He was a decorated soldier awarded the Purple Heart, Bronze Star and scores of other commendations.
In addition to the Purple Heart and Bronze Star, Caserta earned the American Campaign Medal, World War II Medal and European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. He was appointed as Chevalier of the Legion of Honor by the President of the French Republic for his contributions to France’s liberation.
Ocean Aire Condos Elevated
Residents at the Ocean Aire condos will have a much better view of the bay and won’t have the worries about the chronic flooding that has plagued the complex for years. The 52-unit Ocean Aire condominium complex is being raised above flood levels in a $3 million project.
The project, which began in November, is being done by W.A. Building Movers & Contractors Inc., to elevate the seven-building complex eight and a half feet off the ground and above the floodwaters that rise in coastal storms and heavy rains.
The project at the flood-prone complex at 43rd Street and West Avenue in the south end of town is slated to be completed by April, weather permitting.
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.
