Politics & Government
Council Approves $2.4 Million in Storm Repairs
The city will borrow money for capital improvements while it seeks FEMA and flood insurance reimbursements.
City Council on Thursday afternoon unanimously approved the final reading of an ordinance authorizing $2.4 million in spending and $2.3 million in borrowing for repairs and improvements related to Superstorm Sandy damage.
The spending includes boardwalk repairs and public building repairs (Ocean City Music Pier, 46th Street Fire House, Ocean City Beach Patrol zone headquarters and the Ocean City Community Center among them).
The spending on the beaches includes outfall pipe repairs. In a separate vote earlier this year, City Council approved an appropriation for Ocean City's share (8.75 percent) of a $10 million federal beach replenishment project scheduled to start in March. The approved project will widen beaches and replace dunes from the north end of the island to about 14th Street.
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On Thursday, Business Administrator Mike Dattilo reported that the city is still awaiting word on a potential expansion of that federal project to include beaches south of 14th Street and on a separate application for beach replenishment between 36th and 59th streets. Dattilo said the city is also exploring the possibility of a project expansion funded jointly by the city and the state.
The spending approved Thursday includes bulkhead repairs at Glen Cove (10th Street) and at Third Street. It includes parking lot booths and parking meters.
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The spending does not include repairs to City Hall or the 29th Street firehouse. The city is still estimating the costs for those improvements.
The city will seek reimbursements for the repairs through flood insurance claims and from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The following is a breakdown of the appropriations (see attached PDF for more detail):
Improvement Cost Borrowing Useful Life Beaches $190,000 $180,500 10 Bulkheads $245,000 $232,750 10 Boardwalk $200,000 $190,000 10 Public Buildings $500,000 $475,000 10 Public Facilities $75,000 $71,250 5 Traffic/Communications $160,000 $152,000 5 Parking Facilities $40,000 $38,000 5 Airport Facilities $170,000 $161,500 5 Building Contents $840,000 $798,000 5 Totals $2,420,000 $2,299,000Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
