For nearly 10 months, the 144-foot-tall Ferris wheel at the former Gillian’s Wonderland Pier, once visible from the Ninth Street Bridge, has stood dark and lifeless.
But not anymore.
On Monday, July 28, Bill Merritt, and another member of the civic group Ocean City 2050, installed rotating laser lights at the base of the Ferris wheel. The lighting effort follows a proposal Merritt presented at the Thursday, July 17 City Council meeting.
In his remarks, Merritt outlined a plan to illuminate the structure using simple, low-cost laser lights, commonly seen in home holiday displays, for the remainder of the summer.
“Electricity is going to cost $12 for about two months because it’s LEDs. They’re really cheap,” said Merritt, a founding member of Ocean City 2050.
While he requested support from the governing body, the council did not comment on the proposal during the session.
Despite the lack of formal feedback, Merritt talked to Eustace Mita himself, the owner of the property and hotel developer who wants to turn the site into a 252-room luxury resort hotel. Mita told Merritt he could try to do it, although it wouldn’t have the same effect as before, so he did.
The installation involved mounting five lasers on four wooden, 2-by-6-foot boards, which were then laid beneath the Ferris wheel and angled upward.
The lasers, which emit red, green and blue beams, are aimed to reflect off the wheel’s spokes and cars, Merritt said.
The project is not intended to bring the Ferris wheel back into operation as a ride. The goal is entirely aesthetic: to reintegrate the once-beloved attraction into the Boardwalk’s nighttime experience, if only visually. The Ferris wheel itself remains non-functional.
The lights are clearly visible from nearby locations such as the Boardwalk ramp at Sixth Street, though visibility decreases with distance due to ambient lighting throughout Ocean City.
Merritt said he will continue to experiment with laser positioning and rotation speed to enhance the effect. Adjustments are ongoing to improve brightness and reflection angles, especially to make the lights more noticeable from farther away.
Mita told the Press of Atlantic City that the Ferris wheel has its own lights and the ride could be programmed to display different images for different times of year such as a rotating pumpkin for Halloween, or green trees or candy canes for Christmas. However, he said that those lights are not currently functioning and it would cost about $700,000 to make them operational.
Ocean City 2050 launched on March 3, and was formed in response to growing concerns over governance, planning and development. The group aims to be a voice for the community, especially with the future of the defunct Gillian’s Wonderland Pier.
“At the end of the day, this is not about bringing back Wonderland in its old form,” Merritt said. “We know we have to move the town forward, but it is about the kids. They need a place to go.”
Julia is a recent Rider University graduate, where she studied multiplatform journalism and social media strategies. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, trying new coffee shops, photography and the beach. She can be reached at juliatrainmedia@gmail.com or connect with her on Instagram @juliatrain
