Dear Friends,

Yesterday was the last day of the season for our flag-raising ceremony on the Boardwalk. The ritual has taken place every day from Memorial Day Weekend to Sept. 11 for the past 24 years. I want to thank Jack Hagan and Mike Allegretto, the American Legion and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the city team, and all the other volunteers who help keep this important tradition alive.

It was great to see a group of children standing side by side with veterans and first responders as they raised the flag on Thursday. The scene reminded me of the themes of the 9/11 ceremony later that day: That we should thank and honor our firefighters, police officers, lifeguards, veterans, and city team members, but also use the somber occasion of 9/11 to teach our kids about how Americans became unified in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Especially after everything that occurred this week, it’s especially important to come together as a community no matter what the situation is and to treat everybody with respect. I would like to continue what I started when I first became mayor: Unity in the community.

I also want to thank our keynote speaker from the 9/11 ceremony. Jerry Lynch was part of a fire team that responded on 9/11 and he’s an ambassador for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. More information on how to help the foundation is here.

City Council this morning awarded a contract for reconstruction of the Boardwalk from St. Charles Place to Fifth Street. Work will begin later this fall and should be complete early in the spring. The work will include replacement of the foundation pilings, boardwalk decking and ramps, along with replacement of existing Atlantic City Electric lights with decorative pole lighting that will now be maintained by the city.

Drainage work at the 16^th Street open space is complete, and work on sidewalks and curbs will begin next week.

New Jersey American Water work to replace the sewer main and lateral service lines in Merion Park is on schedule and will continue throughout the month with final paving before Thanksgiving. The water company also will start work at the north end in early October.

Michele and I would like to extend deepest condolences to the family and friends of Janice Engle. Janice was raised in Ocean City and helped run her family business, Stubbs’ Dress Shoppe on Asbury Avenue. Small family businesses like Stubbs’ have always been an important part of the fabric of Ocean City, and Janice will be greatly missed. 

The county landfill will be open tomorrow morning for dropoff of household hazardous waste. More information is available here. 

The weekend weather forecast looks great, and I hope you all get a chance to check out our air shows. The Airport Festival is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Municipal Airport. The Parachute Pyrotechnic Show will go off at 8 p.m. Saturday over the Boardwalk. The Boardwalk Aerobatic Airshow starts at 1 p.m. Sunday over the beach and Boardwalk from Fifth Street to 14^th Street.

Warm regards,

Jay A. Gillian
Mayor