Memorial Day is behind us, summer is unofficially upon us and things are starting to happen. The Memorial Day weekend weather was marvelously cooperative for the first time in recent memory. The locals were out in force and the ferries were bursting with visitors. Sgt. Eric Kirchner of the OBPD said it was a record-breaking weekend with unprecedented numbers of calls for service, summonses and arrests.
The OBFD was seeing red at their annual blood drive to benefit the NY Blood Center. Assistant Chief Glen Roesch, who has run the drive for the last four years reports, “We held it at the Community House for the first time and it went a lot smoother than past years at the fire house.” Thanks to all who participated.
The next weekend, the OB Community Fund hosted the first annual (sold out) Taste of Ocean Beach. Twelve restaurants and over 300 parched and famished revelers participated. It was a tremendously successful social event. An informal poll ranked Mathew’s shrimp dipped Bloody Mary as the top adult beverage and Rachel’s took top honors in the desert drink category.
Congrats to our new Trustees Ian Levine and Jennifer Moritz.
Kevin Schelling, superintendent of Public Works, also told us about a new initiative to tidy up the downtown streets and the public restrooms. All take-out restaurants will be provided with garbage cans right outside their front doors and a professional cleaning service has been hired by the Village on an experimental basis to clean the restrooms. The DPW will monitor both programs. Cleanliness and litter are among the top issues on the minds and lips of our villagers. Hopefully these efforts will prove fruitful.
Here are a few dates you may want to note. Our ferry friends will be moving to their late spring schedule June 23, giving us more options for comings and goings. Lifeguards are currently on duty Saturdays and Sundays only. Beginning June 24, they will expand coverage to seven days a week. Remember to swim between the flags and only when lifeguards are present. Last year was an active shark season on the East Coast. In response, according to Chief Lifeguard Jillian Weinstein, OB guards have all new radios, a new Sea-Doo jet ski for daily patrols and the PD has a drone they use to survey the water daily. The OB Community Fund, for lifeguard safety, also sponsored the purchase of 10 Sharkbanz, which are electromagnetic bracelets meant to interfere with sharks’ electroreception. We applaud these brave young citizens for their courageous service.
And here’s the BIG news. Trustee Dawn Hargraves announced movie nights are coming back to OB at the Community House! Details to follow.
