Dear Friends,

We hosted a pre-construction meeting on Thursday for the upcoming beachfill project, and crews began surveying the beaches today to determine exactly what is needed. The tentative plan is for Ocean City to receive approximately 1.2 million cubic yards of sand to rebuild beaches from the north end to the area around the 14th Street Pier. Sand-pumping operations are anticipated to begin about November 11 with completion of the entire project expected by early January. 

This will be the 10th replenishment project for the north end of Ocean City since our 50-year agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers began in the early 1990s. We expect to exercise an option to receive four stockpiles of additional sand to be available for use after the completion of the project. Equipment will begin to arrive before the end of the month, so please use caution in the project area. 

The city team is working to update our five-year capital plan, and we expect to make a presentation to City Council in the coming weeks. This document anticipates the road, flood mitigation, building and other infrastructure projects we could complete over the next five years and helps us plan to maintain responsible budgets. We are completing our due diligence and expect to present options for a new public safety building as part of the plan.

I’m proud to report that Sustainable Jersey has re-certified Ocean City at the Silver Level, and we may soon become one of the few towns in New Jersey to reach Gold Certification. Certified towns excel in areas such as improving energy efficiency, reducing waste, sustaining local economies, and protecting natural resources. I will update you with any news about Gold Certification. 

The Ocean City Board of Realtors is holding its Warmth for the Winter Drive and will be collecting coats, sweaters, scarves, hats and other cold-weather items through November 23. Donations can be dropped off (inside a plastic bag) at the OCBOR office at 405 22^nd Street. Blankets, sheets and comforters are needed as well. This is a good opportunity to clean out a closet at home and help others in the process.

Our Utility Advisory Commission will hold an information session at 7 p.m. Monday on the elimination of 3G wireless services and the impact on older cell phones and other wireless devices. More information on how to participate is here.

Michele and I would like to offer deepest condolences to the Roth family. Bob and Marge Roth were married for 61 years and passed away within two weeks of each other. The Roths were involved in our community in many ways – including St. Peter’s United Methodist Church, the Ocean City Ecumenical Council Food Cupboard, the Ocean City Fishing Pier, the Friends of the Ocean City Library, the Colony Club and Garden Club. I knew their children from working at Wonderland Pier, and I hope they can take comfort in knowing that their parents moved on to heaven together.

Tomorrow is Dog Day and the Howl-O-Ween Parade on the Boardwalk. If you can’t make it to the 3 p.m. parade, the Humane Society is planning to live-stream parts of the event on their Facebook page. Halloween events will continue with our House Decorating Contest, the Halloween Parade at 7:15 p.m. Thursday (Oct. 27), the Halloween Costume Skate on Saturday (Oct. 29) and trick-or-treating 5 to 8 p.m. on Monday (Oct. 31).

Warm regards,

Jay A. Gillian

Mayor