The Wildwood budget suffered a bit of a setback when the city settled Morey’s tax appeal by arbitration. It seems that Morey’s, Inc. felt that the $90 million assessment for their several amusement piers and other holdings was a bit much, so it was miraculously reduced to $15 million. Seems to me that one of them bragged, not too long ago, that the one roller coaster cost more than that, and they have three of those big boys. The new cars for the Great Nor’easter cost several million. I also know that your standard water park doesn’t come cheap, and they have a couple of those that rank way above standard. Fortunately, I don’t have to pay for them, living just north of the city line.
Anyway, the city now faces refunding a massive amount of overpaid taxes, and this has the citizens up in arms, although they were already up there over a number of other things. Not to worry, though, some crafty thinkers in the audience suggested charging a fee to go on the boardwalk. This is one of those flashes of genius we don’t often see. Let’s see, one of the biggest selling points of The Wildwoods is that the island remains as one of the last resorts to not charge a beach tag fee, so why not become the first place in the world to charge people to walk on the boardwalk? That will pack ‘em in! This is what we call myopic thinking, which seems to be very common around here. Whoever suggested that should run for mayor.
A tactic such as this would probably succeed in driving overnight visitors to Stone Harbor, Avalon, and Sea Isle City. They can go to the beach for free in the Wildwoods, then head north to Ocean City for some free boardwalk. Every town has its own identity, and Wildwood seems determined to shed the one it’s had for so long. So far, all we see are many visitors looking for their pasts and expecting to find them pretty much intact, but with a few changes. The ones looking for Avalon go to Avalon.
One of the commissioners, along with the city clerk, announced the possibility of a 21-cent tax hike for next year. The mayor says he thinks it’s closer to 3 to 5 cents. Whatever it is, it seems strange to buy giant beach balls for the end of Rio Grande Avenue when the city can’t even pay for its essential services. Does no one in city government notice that the streets are worse than they were 40 years ago? At least they mostly took care of Rio Grande Avenue, so vacationers can cruise into town and go straight to the beach balls without replacing their shock absorbers.
The Greater Wildwood Chamber of Commerce (GWCC) met and discussed efforts of the Greater Wildwoods Tourism Improvement & Development Authority (GWTIDA) to promote tourism to the island. They pretty much said that the slogan, “Those Wildwood Days,” only succeeded in bringing old fogies (baby boomers) to town, rather than the younger generation. Seems like a problem to me. Why would you only want to attract the best-behaved people with most of the money? Maybe they think college kids want to spend their summers in $200.00/night 27-story high rises that the mayor keeps pushing and nobody wants.
The massive condo conversion worked out well. Most of the motels that converted to condos are operating, well, like motels. Only difference is that each unit is owned privately by others. That is, for the motels that succeeded in selling most of their units. Those sage investors who bought condos and expected to get a few thousand a week are finding the market much tighter than expected. Wildwood visitors simply don’t want to spend $400.00 per night, but maybe that will change when they succeed in attracting the younger crowd. Speaking of which, who exactly do they expect will attend all of the oldies concerts they hold several times each year?
The sun is on its way north so it can get back to it’s rightful location, in the west. In the fall it heads south, following the laughing gulls, I suppose, and by December it appears almost due south. It starts its journey back north before the gulls, but they’ll be winging it back in a couple of months. Most of the herring gulls do the snow bird thing, too, but a few hang around for the entire winter. Yesterday I noticed a gull perched atop an osprey’s nest, abandoned during the off season. He or she is not likely to win the dispute upon the osprey’s return.
Of course, we all know that the sun actually doesn’t move, right? It’s that silly 23.5 degree tilt of the Earth’s axis that makes the sun appear to move, and causes the four seasons. If you don’t like it, move to the equator, where it’s always the same. The people there never rake leaves or shovel snow.
Nor do I. We have no trees, and in the unlikely, but sometimes possible case of significant snowfall, a snow blower sits in the garage, feeling quite neglected, but always ready to go. And so am I, although I don’t feel the least bit neglected.