By MADDY VITALE
From a major victory for offshore wind farm opponents, to a backpack ban and curfew to quell teen rowdiness, to a new police chief, new interim superintendent and a grisly murder, there is no question 2023 was filled with news in Ocean City.
Here is a list of the Top 10 stories for 2023, according to OCNJDaily.com.
Cape May County Declares Victory Against Wind Farms
In November, after four years of battling against an offshore wind farm project, Cape May County officials celebrated the decision by Danish energy giant Orsted to scrap plans for two wind energy farms off the South Jersey coast.
They also expressed caution about the possibility that the projects could be resurrected later.
Orsted’s announcement at the end of October that it was halting its Ocean Wind 1 and Ocean Wind 2 projects was greeted with relief by opponents and comes amid a bruising legal battle initiated by Cape May County, Ocean City and other groups to stop construction from getting started.
Orsted’s Ocean Wind 1 project called for building 98 towering wind turbines 15 miles off the coast from Atlantic City to Stone Harbor, passing by Ocean City, Sea Isle City and other shore towns in the process. Designs for Ocean Wind 2 were not yet released by Orsted.
Elected officials representing Cape May County and its beach communities asserted that Ocean Wind 1 would have caused devastating economic and environmental damage to the tourism industry, commercial fishing, migratory birds and marine life such as whales and dolphins.
Gov. Phil Murphy, a high-profile political supporter of wind energy, had hoped that Orsted’s projects would position New Jersey as a national leader in green energy to help counter the global impacts of climate change.
Ocean City Approves New Curfew, Backpack Ban to Curb Rowdy Teens
Council approved a curfew and backpack ban on June 15 in response to an outburst of underage drinking, vandalism, shoplifting and assaults by unruly teens over Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the busy summer tourism season. Some teens became so inebriated that they fell unconscious and had to be revived by EMTs.
The curfew meant juveniles must be off the streets and Boardwalk by 11 p.m. unless they are accompanied by an adult or have a legitimate reason for staying out later, such as summer jobs or participating in organized activities. Previously, the juvenile curfew had been set at 1 a.m.
At the same time, the city started to close down the beaches at 8 p.m. as part of the crackdown on unruly behavior. In addition, Boardwalk bathrooms were closed at 10 p.m., also in response to incidents of unruly behavior.
Ocean City Man Charged in Mother’s Killing
Jeffrey Surgent, 46, of Ocean City, was charged with killing his mother on Dec. 8 at Speitel Commons senior citizen housing complex.
Surgent, of Ocean City, called police the day of the killing and said he “suffers from mental illness, and he just killed his mother,” authorities said.
When officers arrived at the apartment complex at the corner of Sixth Street and West Avenue, they discovered Surgent and his 74-year-old mother, Alexandria Surgent, in the hallway. She was decapitated.
Surgent was charged with murder and weapons offenses. He was in court for detention hearing on Dec. 20.
However, the defense argued that the hearing could not take place until Surgent has a mental health evaluation. The judge agreed. The case is back in court on Jan. 11.
Ocean City Swears in New Police Chief
Bill Campbell took the oath of office to become Ocean City’s new police chief.
Former Police Chief Jay Prettyman retired after serving in that capacity since 2019.
His wife, Jill, and his 22-year-old son, Brett, were with him for the swearing-in ceremony Nov. 9 in the City Council Chambers.
There were also a lot of blue uniforms in the Council Chambers to show support for Campbell. The room was partly filled with about 20 law enforcement officials, including Cape May County Prosecutor Jeffrey Sutherland, police chiefs from neighboring towns and members of the Ocean City Police Department.
“It means everything to me,” Campbell said after the ceremony while expressing his thanks to his fellow law enforcement officers. “The camaraderie that this profession has is always phenomenal. To have this many members of law enforcement here means the world to me. My extended family is how I refer to it.”
He climbed the ranks over the years, winning promotion to sergeant, lieutenant, captain and then deputy chief before his selection as chief following the retirement in October of Prettyman.
Ocean City Welcomes New Councilman, Says Goodbye to Another
City Council said goodbye to former Fourth Ward Councilman Bob Barr on Aug. 10 and appointed a new member to fill the vacancy on Ocean City’s governing body until the November election.
Voting 6-0, Council selected former Board of Education member and longtime Ocean City resident Dave Winslow to temporarily succeed Barr. Winslow was endorsed by Barr for the Fourth Ward seat and was the only candidate considered by Council.
Winslow ran unopposed and won in the November election to fill Barr’s unexpired term through June 30, 2024.
Barr, who was first elected to Council in 2016, resigned in August to fill an opening on the Cape May County Board of Commissioners, the elected body that oversees county government.
Cape May County Republicans selected Barr to fill the vacancy on the board created when former Commissioner E. Marie Hayes resigned to become the new county surrogate in July.
Ocean City Investor Closes Bankruptcy Deal For Crown Bank Building
The sale of the landmark Crown Bank building in downtown Ocean City closed in February, making it official that two local brothers would take control of the nearly 100-year-old property, saving it from public auction.
A federal bankruptcy court judge approved the sale of the building and its adjacent parking lots for $6.675 million to Raj Khatiwala and his brother, Yogi, of Crown Holdings LLC.
“We closed on the sale of 801 Asbury Avenue on Feb. 15,” said attorney Raymond Patella who represented Brian Thomas, the property’s bankruptcy trustee, at the time of the sale.
Patella said that with the sale, Thomas was able “to immediately distribute over $6 million to the debtors’ secured creditors, judgment holders, and other creditors.”
The building, at 801 Asbury Ave., opened in May as Shoppes at The Asbury, featuring retail and office space.
Flanders Hotel Turns Back Clock to Celebrate 100 Years
The historic Flanders Hotel staged a centennial gala Nov. 18 every bit as glamorous as the Roaring Twenties style that marked the landmark building’s grand opening in 1923 on the Ocean City Boardwalk.
The sold-out party of 500 revelers celebrated the hotel’s 100th anniversary, as well as its survival amid decades-long economic upheaval and ownership turmoil that culminated in its temporary closure in 1995.
“This architectural marvel has withstood a lot of adversity and hardship to still be standing after 100 years,” Peter Voudouris, president of the Flanders condominium association board, said in remarks to the crowd in the hotel ballroom.
Ocean City Hires New Interim School Superintendent
Come January, the Ocean City school district will undergo a dramatic transformation that will include three new Board of Education members and a new interim superintendent.
At the same time the district welcomes new leadership, the school board said farewell Dec. 7 to three of its members and the interim superintendent who led the district for six months.
It was the last meeting for longtime board members Joe Clark and Cecilia Gallelli-Keyes, along with Robin Shaffer, who served an unexpired one-year term.
Clark chose not to seek re-election. Gallelli-Keyes and Shaffer lost their election bids in November. The new members, Michael Allegretto, Jocelyn Palaganas and Corey Niemiec, will take their seats on the board at the reorganization meeting on Jan. 4.
The new interim superintendent will be Terrence Crowley. He is replacing interim superintendent Dr. Scott McCartney, whose short-term contract runs from July to Dec. 31.
Crowley, who lives in Ocean City, joins the nearly 2,000-student school district on Jan. 1.
Demolition of Chapel By The Sea Church
In December, Chapel By The Sea at 55th Street and Asbury Avenue was demolished.
The congregation of the nondenominational church relocated to Marmora earlier this year after the property was sold.
The building dated back to the 1930s. The property was sold to Ocean City Development Group LLC for an undisclosed price. Patrick Halliday, of the development group, said, “The site is planned for a residential development with mixed use commercial and residential on the corner lots.”
Over the past year, the church congregation and its pastor, Timothy Bromhead, kept the public apprised of the situation with the church and its future and posted messages on two signs on the church.
“The idea of moving has not been an easy decision, the sign read in part. “We have seen a change in the south end, as more and more investment properties have emerged.”
The reasons for the decision to relocate were also explained on the sign.
“The summer residents, the vacationers and the year-round residents are not coming to church here. It has been a challenge to grow year-round fellowship in the deep south of Ocean City,” the sign read.
City Bonds 10M. for Klause Property
A long saga over a large piece of property will soon be over. On Dec. 21, City Council introduced a nearly $10 million funding package to pay the remaining balance for the property, adjacent to the Ocean City Community Center.
A public hearing and final Council vote on the bond ordinance are scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 11.
The city acquired the land in 2021 from brothers Jerry and Harry Klause through its power of eminent domain.
But the case went to court over the value of the land. In October, a jury decided that the city should pay Klause Enterprises nearly $17.9 million for the property.
“The bond ordinance is for the balance of the funds needed to satisfy the judgment for the acquisition of the Klause Enterprises piece,” City Solicitor Dorothy McCrosson explained during Dec. 21 Council meeting.
