June 5, 2026

Dear Friends,

The Army Corps of Engineers announced this week that it has awarded a $19.5 million contract to Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company to rebuild our north-end beaches with 1.6 million cubic yards of sand. The project area will extend from Seaspray Beach to 12th Street, and work is expected to begin in July.

As always, we’re grateful to our partners for assisting in this important work. More than 91 percent of our beach replenishment program is funded by the federal Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Environmental Protection, and we have to work with their schedule.

Since the beginning of our 50-year agreement with the Army Corps in the 1990s, the beach replenishment program has proven to be an overwhelming success across almost all of our eight miles of beach.

Once the contractor holds a preconstruction meeting, we will be able to post a projected timeline and daily updates to ocnj.us/beachupdate. 

New Jersey American Water’s contractor will be completing milling and paving work next week as part of the final phase of sanitary sewer line upgrades for Merion Park, including parts of Bartram Lane and Waterview Boulevard. The contractor has notified all homes that will be affected. Residents are asked not to park in the street between the hours of 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. from Tuesday (June 9) through Friday (June 12). Driveways will not be accessible during the same hours on Thursday and Friday during final paving. Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

Our twice-a-week trash and recycling pickup schedule will begin on Saturday, June 13. We’re anticipating another busy summer with many residents and guests in town. It’s important to remember that all trash and recycling must be placed in containers. Do not place loose bags out for pickup. Also remember that recyclables cannot be left in plastic bags within containers. Dump bottles, cans, boxes and other recyclables in a recycling container, then throw away any plastic bag with the trash. Starting on Monday, we will have inspectors traveling our pickup routes and placing door hangers as a reminder to anybody who is in violation of these important guidelines. As always, you can call 609-399-6111, ext. 9710 to report any issues with your regularly scheduled trash and recycling pickup. 

I’m sad to report on the passing of Gary Griffith, our Ocean City Planning Board solicitor. Gary served the board with distinction for many years, and we’re all grateful for his guidance and expertise. He was a former member of the Ocean City Board of Education, an elder at the First Presbyterian Church in town, a Miss Ocean City Pageant judge, and a former lifeguard at the Flanders, among a lifetime of service to our community. Please join Michele and me in extending deepest condolences to all of Gary’s family, friends and colleagues. He will be missed.

The weekend forecast looks beautiful. I hope you get a chance to get out and enjoy all that Ocean City has to offer. You can check our calendar of special events here. 

This week's edition of the "Inside City Hall" video series includes the return of the Boardwalk falcons, weekend events, and a look at generations of the same family completing a cross-country bicycle ride ending in Ocean City. Check it out below.

Warm regards,

Jay A. Gillian
Mayor 

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