Politics & Government
Five Things to Know From City Council's Meeting on Thursday
Superstorm Sandy repairs, appointments, the Bellevue Hotel and new FEMA guidelines among items discussed.
At a public meeting Thursday afternoon at the Ocean City Free Public Library, City Council approved $2.4 million in spending for Superstorm Sandy repairs. But here are five other things that might be of special interest:
- Council voted unanimously to authorize contracts for the repair of the Ocean City Music Pier ($34,000 to replace 20 windows and the solarium floor damaged by Superstorm Sandy) and the 46th Street firehouse ($55,000 to repair living quarters, bathroom and kitchen).
- Council voted to extend a concession contract to sell ice cream at street ends near the beach for two years. Buster's Custard of Williamstown gets the extension. (See attached PDF for bids.)
- Council voted to approve the reappointment of Sharon Russell and Michael Petrozza to the Zoning Board of Adjustment and the appointment of Patricia Miles-Jackson to the Ocean City Housing Authority.
- Council voted to put a lien on the vacant property where the Bellevue Hotel stood at Eighth Street and Ocean Avenue. The city hopes to recover the $328,000 it spent to demolish and dispose of the condemned century-old hotel. The city will seek reimbursement for the costs of fighting a major fire there in a separate insurance claim.
- Business Administrator Mike Dattilo reported that the city is still analyzing new base flood elevation maps and "gathering facts." The city administration hopes to be able to advise residents on the implications of the new Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) guidelines. He also said the city is still studying how the new maps may affect a proposed ordinance that would require homes to be built two feet above base flood elevation. The ordinance is scheduled for a second reading in February.
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