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2010 Event List

Community Meeting Held to Review Boardwalk Options

Ocean City, New Jersey – Over 60 people attended a Community Meeting on Monday, September 28, 2009 to discuss the Boardwalk Structure and Decking Master Plan.  The meeting will be held in the Solarium at the Ocean City Music Pier.

The City has retained the structural engineering firm of Remington,Vernick and Walberg to evaluate options for structural improvements and decking in order to develop a long term plan for the Ocean City Boardwalk. 

$15 M Beach Nourishment Effort Planned for 2010

Ocean City, New Jersey – Ocean City was voted the #1 beaches in New Jersey in 2009 and the City is taking steps to insure that its beaches continue to be well maintained.

A $15M beach nourishment effort is planned for the winter of 2010 that will extend from the terminal groin on the north end of the island to around 18th Street. 

Funding for this project has come from a variety of federal, state and local sources. 

President Obama’s budget includes $6.5 Million for beach replenishment in Ocean City from Great Egg Harbor to Peck’s Beach.  This was the largest project in the nation to be included in the original budget.  The Federal Budget included $55 Million for beach replenishment.

Mayor Sal Perillo stated, “We are pleased that the Federal Government has included Ocean City in the 2010 budget.  Senators Lautenberg and Menendez and Congressman LoBiondo understand the needs of Ocean City and continue to work to insure that funding is available.  These funds, coupled with other Federal and State funds, should result in a significant beach replenishment project for Ocean City before the 2010 season”.

Over the past 15 years federal funding for beach projects in the coastal states have gradually been eliminated from the Federal Budget.  New Jersey’s legislative team, have been particularly effective in persuading Congress to include money for beach replenishment projects as special allocations.

Perillo also thanked the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the US Army Corps of Engineers.  “The City has established a wonderful partnership with the NJDEP and Corps and these professionals continue to work in the interest of Ocean City – we certainly appreciate their hard work and dedication.”   

In addition to the $6.5M from the Federal Budget, $2.8 Million was allocated for Ocean City beaches in 2008 and $3 Million that was allocated in 2009.

Tourism Recognition for OCNJ

Ocean City was voted the #1 Beach in New Jersey in 2009.
Ocean City was voted the #1 Beach in New Jersey for Day Trippers in 2009.
Ocean City was voted the #1 Beach in New Jersey for Ecotourism in 2009.

Travel Channel selected as one of the “Best Family Beaches in America” in 2007 and “Best Beaches in America” in 2009.

One of the Top Ten American Surf Towns by Surfer Magazine.

The Ocean City area was ranked on the 2009 Forbes’ list of Best Small Places for Business and Careers.

The 2009 Nielsen Claritas Restaurant Growth Index ranked Ocean City in the top five Cities to open new restaurants.

The Press of Atlantic City honored Ocean City in 2008 with its Readers Choice Award for the “Best Family Attraction” in 2008.

Ocean City was ranked the #1 vacation spot in the region by readers of the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2008. The Inquirer described vacationing in Ocean City as, “Colorful umbrellas. Dolphins. Long walks together. Boardwalk. Music Pier. Family & Friends. The week that could go on for ever.”

Frommer’s highlighted Ocean City in its 13 “top destinations” for 2008 picked by its editorial staff, spotlighting Ocean City as a “charming boardwalk town”.

Fine Living Magazine rated our Boardwalk # 4 in the Nation. Noting “Ocean City more in touch with its 19th century roots, The Ocean City Boardwalk provides a glimpse of the elegant Victorian seaside resorts that once dotted the mid-Atlantic coast”.

Ocean City beaches ranked among the top three in the region in 2008 by two separate surveys announced by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium and the myfoxphilly’s hotlist.

Yahoo Travel Guide spotlighted Ocean City in its list of “Movers & Shakers” which had the largest increase in web traffic on the Yahoo Travel Guide Web Site. Ocean City catapulted from 117 in 2006 to #2 in 2007.

USA Today honored Ocean City as one of the “15 Most Unforgettable Vacations” in 2007.

The Weather Channel listed Ocean City in the “Top Ten American Boardwalks” noting that “you’ll want to remember your time here for years to come.”

OCNJ was honored by the National League of Cities for winning the 2008 Innovation in governance Award in the category of Innovative Local Use of Clean and Sustainable Energy.

American Heart Association named Ocean City one of the few Fit Friendly communities in the country. OCNJ was prominently mentioned in Forbes Magazine in October 2008 for receiving this honor.

Recognized by the Cape May County Chamber of Commerce for Environmental Leadership in 2008.

Community Center Contruction Update....

The Ocean City Community Center construction is underway. The construction will include the expansion and renovations of the Ocean City Library, the construction of a new Senior Center, expansion of the Aquatic & Fitness Center and a new central lobby that will join all of the uses in the wonderful building.

Mayor Sal Perillo noted, “The Community Center was originally built by a cross section of volunteers who wanted to improve the quality of life in Ocean City. This expansion project is the next step in realizing their dream to provide a high level of service to our youth, families, seniors and visitors.”

The new addition to the Library, approximately 10,000 square feet, and renovations to its existing library are an integral part of the library’s Five Year-Long Range Plan, which was presented to the Library Board in 2005 and adopted in 2006. The Long Range Plan was developed by consultants, Library Development Solutions, utilizing a planning committee made up of professional and lay people from the Ocean City community. The Long Range Planning process included a community needs assessment, with focus groups and a space analysis of the current building.

The Long Range Plan, recommended reconfiguring space within the existing Library, to better accommodate the Library’s rapid growth, which to some extent has already been completed with the enclosure of the seldom-used, rear, second floor porch area, providing some much needed office space and additional space for employees, to improve work flow efficiency. Another recommendation of the Long Range Plan was the addition of 15,000 square feet to the existing building. This recommendation was based on the findings of the space analysis and needs assessment by the planning committee.

The Library Board recognized however, that an interior reconfiguration would not be enough to meet the future needs of their Long Range Plan. The Board undertook a search for a possible satellite off-campus branch, but available space and prohibitive costs, soon made that proposal not feasible.

In 2007 Garrison Architects was retained, to complete designs and plans for an addition, renovation, review of site landscaping and traffic flow for the Library and the entire Community Center which also includes the Ocean City Arts Center, the Ocean City Historical Museum and the Aquatic and Fitness Center.

This project represents a true partnership of the City of Ocean City, Cape May County, the Library Board. Freeholder Director Dan Beyel expressed his pleasure in the county’s role in the project with the funding of $3.9 million for the new Senior Center. Beyel said, “This project will be an exceptional attraction to the residents and visitors of Ocean City and the county. The coordinated effort of Ocean City, the Ocean City Library and the County also represents the best example of a shared service partnership that offers taxpayers the most economical approach in obtaining such a substantial benefit.”

According to Library Board President Edward Price, the original Library project morphed into a much more comprehensive one, making it “not only a much better resource center, but more importantly, a community gathering place, where people will feel comfortable, socialize and interact with one another.”  

The Center will feather a new Senior Center, a totally enclosed walkway, which will enable people to travel from once facility to another, without having to go outside when the weather is inclement. The new senior center is approximately 8,800 square feet which is double the size the current center at 33rd and Bay Avenue. Beyel said, “The County has been looking at building a new Ocean City Senior Center for several years. With the growing senior population in the county, we recognize the need for a larger center in Ocean City. Since the center cannot be expanded at the current site, a new facility is the only way we can accommodate the growing demands and expectations of our seniors.”

A 2,500 square foot expansion of the Aquatic and Fitness Center is also included in the plans for the Community Center, along with a café and additional open space. The Senior Center will include a cafeteria that can seat 200 and the Library section will include a lecture hall that will seat 80.

Not only is this expansion going to provide great usable space for the residents and visitors of our community but the Ocean City Community Center will also be Ocean City’s first green building. Many steps are being taken to reduce waste, provide for energy efficiency and limit the operating cost of the Center.

Inside the ceiling tiles are being removed to retrofit the building with a fire suppression system. All the ceiling tiles are being recycled by Armstrong Ceilings. One tons of ceiling tiles recycled will save:

• 456kg CO2 equivalents of greenhouse gas emitted, the global impact of not driving a car 3,675 miles
• 11 tons of virgin raw material, which saves 1,892 gallons of potable water
• 1,390 kWh of electricity – the monthly energy to power a home for 1.4months

Solar panels have already been installed on the roof to reduce the electric consumption of the building.

The carpet that is being removed will be recycled and the new carpet is manufactured by Interact and includes 29 percent recycled content.

Low flow faucets and waterless urinals are being employed to reduce water consumption. Energy efficient lighting will be installed throughout the building and daylighting will be employeed in the new areas to provide for natural lighting.

The construction project is expected to take 18 months and has been designed to cause as little disruption in services as possible. Ground breaking took place on September 10 th.