Five Things to Know About Thursday's Council Agenda

At its public meeting 7 p.m. Thursday at the Ocean City Free Public Library, City Council will consider taking property rights from beachfront homeowners to allow a beach replenishment project to move forward. But here are five other things that might be of interest:

• Retaining Walls and Corner Lots in Boardwalk Zone: A proposed revision of zoning requirements would allow higher retaining walls (but no higher than 30 inches) and eliminate the requirement that corner residential lots that front the boardwalk be 10 feet wider than interior lots. (See attached PDF for full text of the ordinance and supporting documentation.)
• Elevations in X Zones: The new FEMA preliminary work maps for flood elevations put some areas of Ocean City in 'X Zones' — with no recommended elevations yet assigned. City Council will consider the second reading of an ordinance that would apply the highest base flood elevation from any neighboring zone to the X Zone. By being conservative, the ordinance can "provide some certainty for builders," Planner Randy Scheule told City Council in September.
  
• Aquatics and Fitness Center Maintenance: City Council will vote to approve an $18,581 contract with Gym Source Inc. of Sewell for supply, maintenance and repair of fitness equipment. A separate $31,351 contract would go to Mainline Commercial Pools Inc. of King of Prussia, Pa., for maintenance of the UV water sanitation system that helps manage the chlorine content in the 25-meter pool.
• Poles for Holiday Decorations: City Council will vote to approve a $23,113 contract with Kline Construction of Galloway Township for the installation of concrete foundations to support holiday decorations on the 600, 700, 900 and 1000 blocks of Asbury Avenue. Previous work was done on the 800 block.
• Tennis Court Repair Grant: Council will vote to add a $20,000 grant for tennis court repairs to the annual budget.