New Music Pier Sign Could Be In Ocean City’s Future

OCEAN CITY, NJ — The old-fashioned sign at Ocean City's Music Pier may be getting a new look.

The sign on the Boardwalk at Eighth Street boasts the charm of an earlier era. A worker must climb up a ladder and change the letters one by one to advertise any upcoming events.

City Council President Bob Barr recalled seeing someone run out of letters as they were changing the sign's message and had to climb back down just to fetch more.

“I remember thinking to myself then ‘There has to be a better way to do this'" Barr said.

During last week’s council meeting, Ocean City officials discussed implementing modern technology to increase the city’s advertising of events and concerts.

“There’s a lot of new ways of doing things,” Councilwoman Karen Bergman said. “It’s worth taking a look at and working with boardwalk merchants to move us forward.”

Bergman noted that families walking the boardwalk one day may not be aware of events happening the next weekend due to the limited space available on the Music Pier sign.

Councilman Jody Levchuk said an updated sign outside the Music Pier capable of showcasing multiple upcoming events could be a “great asset” to Ocean City.

“There's a lot of great technology out there. There’s a lot of ways to create things that weren’t possible 10 or 15 years ago,” Levchuk said.

“As far as the Music Pier is concerned, I adore that building,” Levchuk said. “I love the historical value of it, but I also feel, and this is my personal opinion and just from hearing a lot of comments from tourists who come to town [and] people who live here, it really seems there are a lot of opinions out there about modernizing that building.”

Levchuk, whose family owns Jilly’s Stores on the Boardwalk, said he would consult with fellow merchants and present a consensus about the sign at the next council meeting.

“We’ve talked about change to that," said City Business Administrator George Savastano. "What I’m interested in is what the Boardwalk merchants would want to do. We’re willing to entertain that."

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