Dear Friends,

There will never be anything more important in Ocean City than public safety, and I was honored to participate in a ceremony on Wednesday recognizing members of the Police Department, Fire Department and Ocean City Beach Patrol for bravery, teamwork and saving lives in the past year.

These men and women come to work every day prepared to sacrifice everything to keep us safe. In Ocean City, we’re lucky to have one of the best teams of first responders in the state. Without them, we would never be “America’s Greatest Family Resort.” I want thank all of our public safety team members and congratulate those who were honored on Wednesday.

Video of the ceremony is available here, and will be aired on OCTV-97 (Comcast Channel 97) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 8:30 a.m. Saturday, 12:00 p.m. Sunday, and 7:30 p.m. Monday. 

With spring just around the corner, we’re starting to ramp up our road and infrastructure improvements, so we can finish in time for the summer.

The elevation and paving of West Avenue from Ninth Street to 18^th Street continues on schedule to be completed this spring. When this work is done, West Avenue will be brand new from North Street to 34^th Street. This project was partially funded by two municipal aid grants.

Starting on Monday, work will resume on a major paving project that includes a variety of roads east of West Avenue from 18th Street to 33^rd Street. 

Two projects will focus largely on repaving alleys. One is underway, and the other will begin sometime in March. A list of the roads and alleys that will be completed is available on our project updates page.

A replacement and expansion of the stormwater outfall pipe on the beach at Fifth Street is nearly complete. We’re waiting for fair winds and low tides to finish the portion that reaches into the ocean. A separate project later this spring will complete all connections to this new pipeline.

Masonry work on the new police substation at Eighth Street and Boardwalk is expected to be complete next week, and then the steel will be placed. Framing of the building is expected to begin before the end of March. It’s exciting to see this new facility take shape.

In Merion Park, New Jersey American Water’s installation of a new sewer main will continue on Bartram Avenue next week. The city’s flood mitigation project is substantially complete, but the contractor will return to pave portions of Little Roosevelt Boulevard and Waterview Boulevard. We’re still waiting on Atlantic City Electric to activate the final pumping stations for this project, and we expect that within the next few weeks. Cape May County will go out to bid this summer and begin work in the fall to elevate Roosevelt Boulevard and make aesthetic improvements to the gateway from the bridge to Asbury Avenue.

The Ocean City Police Department invites all parents to a free child safety care seat check 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Thursday, March 6, in the area adjacent to the Ocean City Skate Park and Ocean City Fire Department near Fifth Street and West Avenue. The event is timed to be convenient for parents dropping off children at the Ocean City Primary School, but it is open to anybody.

I want to congratulate Mark and Linda Videtto (pictured at left) on their retirement after more than 50 years as owners of Spinning Wheel Florist at 9^th Street and Asbury Avenue. I was proud to present the Videttos with a “Piece of the ’Walk” today in recognition of their service to our downtown and entire community. They will be greatly missed. Please join me in extending best wishes to them for a happy and healthy retirement.

Tickets went on sale today for this summer’s Broadway show featuring the talents of the Ocean City Theatre Company and the Ocean City Pops. This year’s show is “Footloose,” and it will run August 5 to 14 at the Bill and Nancy Hughes Performing Arts Center. For tickets and information, visit ocnj.us/boxoffice. 

Tickets ($10 adults and $5 for children) will be available at the door for the Ocean City High School Drama Guild’s “Broadway by the Beach” show at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 2, at the Hughes Performing Arts Center at the school. The show features performances by OCHS drama students.

It’s still a week away, but I hope everybody’s planning to support our local merchants at the Market Madness event 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 8 and 9 at the Ocean City Civic Center. It will be a great opportunity to take advantage of discounts and specials on all your favorite local merchandise. More information is available here.

I hope you all have a great weekend.

Warm regards,

Jay A. Gillian
Mayor