Articles

OC Rescue Boat Called A Major Need

OCEAN CITY – In need of a fire rescue boat, the Ocean City Fire Department (OCFD) received approval from the Mayor and Council to move forward this week with acquisition of the vessel. According to OCFD Chief Chris Larmore, Ocean City contains 688 boat slips, 475 boat racks and 2,051 waterfront addresses. Within those addresses, 98 percent are residential, and 22 percent were built before the 1989 sprinkler legislation. West Ocean City contains 328 waterfront homes that are built in...READ MORE

Ocean City Inlet Lot System Upgrade Okayed

OCEAN CITY – The Inlet Parking Lot’s pay-to-park system is facing a makeover as it has become worn down over the years. The discussion during this week’s Mayor and Council meeting centered on which direction the Public Works Department should go in upgrading the current system or changing it all together. According to Assistant Public Works Director Richard Malone, the Inlet Parking Lot is a $2.5 million revenue generator for Ocean City each year. Malone presented the council...READ MORE

Council Inks Two-Year Contract For Visitors Guide

OCEAN CITY – The Mayor and City Council changed direction and compromised on a two-year contract with the Chamber of Commerce in producing the Sea for Yourself Visitor Guide. The 2011 Sea For Yourself Visitor Guide has been completed and is available. In the past, the guide has been a combined effort between the Town of Ocean City and the Ocean City of Commerce. The contract presented asked the city for financial support only. John Gehrig, past president of the Chamber of Commerce,...READ MORE

Height To Decide If Kids Ride Free In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY – The Mayor and City Council clarified the town’s policy this week on whether children below a certain height should be allowed to ride for free on municipal buses. According to the Superintendent of Transportation, George Thornes, in the past the department has allowed children under the height of 42 inches to ride for free on the buses and tram. A couple of years ago, that rule was discontinued and a fee was placed for children to ride. In the past year, the department...READ MORE

County Planning Commission Examines Water Resources Plan

SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Planning Commission examined last week two of the four sections of the newly proposed Water Resources Element. While the commissioners were quick to praise the team responsible for drafting the element, many questioned exactly what making the document official would mean for the county. “There’s a big concern that we have to put these numbers down…,” said Planning Commission President Brooks Clayville. The Water Resources Element is...READ MORE

Scam Nearly Costs Area Business Owner Thousands

BERLIN – A prominent local businessman with deep roots in the community was nearly bilked out of hundreds of thousands of dollars this week when a suspect or suspects hacked into his email account and instructed his brokerage firm to wire the money to an unidentified account. On Tuesday, the victim, who prefers to remain anonymous to avoid risking further exposure, learned an Internet scheme carried out through his America On-Line (AOL) email account nearly cost him roughly $350,000. Only...READ MORE

Local Recognized Among Sportswear Line’s Featured Athletes

OCEAN CITY – Local surfer Michelle Sommers has been chosen as one of Athleta’s 2011 Featured Athletes. Athleta is a women’s sportswear line. According to Athleta’s Chi Blog website, the message is “connecting women to the energy of inspiration.” The site provides tutorials, training plans and nutrition and health tips. Sommers applied to the sponsorship program through the brand’s website. After she filled out a lengthy questionnaire, which was followed...READ MORE

Legislative Session Underway In Annapolis

BERLIN – The Maryland General Assembly convened this week for its 428th time with the representation for the local district considerably different than when the session closed last April. Conspicuously absent this week in Annapolis was former Senator Lowell Stoltzfus, who represented District 38 for the better part of two decades. In his place is Senator James Mathias, the former delegate from the district who won the seat in a close race in November. On the House side, Delegate Norman...READ MORE

Berlin Mayor, Historic District Squabble Revisited

BERLIN – A discussion of possible reform to the Berlin Historic District Commission (HDC) regulations sparked a multi-sided debate at Wednesday’s Planning Commission meeting. Opinions were expressed across the board, with some members of the commission and public in favor of reviewing the standards, others believing the current regulations were adequate, and at least a few questioning why HDC business was being discussed at a Planning Commission meeting. Planning Commission Chair...READ MORE

Summer Visa Changes To Have Major Impact

OCEAN CITY – Significant changes to the summer work and travel program, including a provision requiring in most cases a confirmed job offer before a J-1 visa is offered, could put a serious dent in the foreign student workforce in the resort this summer. Ocean City, like many other seasonal resorts, relies heavily on a transient summer workforce made up largely of foreign students working and traveling on a J-1 visa issued by the U.S. Department of State through its embassies and...READ MORE

Councilman Fine After Missing Persons Scare

OCEAN CITY – After an early morning missing persons report was filed on his behalf last week, Ocean City Councilman Joe Hall turned up safe, although it remains uncertain just where he was at the time or what he was doing. Shortly before 2 a.m. last Wednesday, Ocean City police received a call concerning the whereabouts of Hall, who had not been seen or heard from by his wife since earlier on Tuesday. Ocean City police initiated a missing persons investigation and attempted to contact the...READ MORE

Berlin Moves Ahead With Altering Energy-Buying Process

BERLIN – After hearing recommendations from the Berlin Utilities Commission (BUC) and Dwight Davis, finance executive for Booth and Associates Inc., the Berlin Mayor and Council took the next step in securing an energy contract for the town. The current contract is due to expire within the year. The council voted unanimously to take three steps to prepare for finding electricity for next year. According to Mayor Gee Williams, the energy market is more favorable this year than two years ago...READ MORE

Council Approves Beach Photo Bids

OCEAN CITY – The Mayor and City Council decided to accept the only bid made this year for the two beach photo franchises of Ocean City. United Beach Photo owner Patrick McLaughlin possesses the current beach photo franchise in town. Last month, McLaughlin was the only bidder on the two franchises once again. The annual bids given were $220,000 and $175,000, bringing the total for the four-year contract of the franchises to $880,000 and $700,000. Besides owning the beach photo franchise,...READ MORE

Council Majority Questioned Over Lengthy Phone Talks

OCEAN CITY – Questions were raised and accusations hurled this week at the City Council majority after cell phone records revealed hundreds of minutes of communications between them outside City Hall. Councilman Doug Cymek, a private investigator by trade, recently underwent an extensive review of the cell phone records of the council majority – Brent Ashley, Jim Hall, Joe Hall and Margaret Pillas. Cymek obtained the records from a resident, who obtained the usage breakdowns from the...READ MORE

OC Wind Turbine Bill Stalls

OCEAN CITY – The option to install small wind turbines has come to a stand still again. Since 2009, the town of Ocean City has been approached on several occasions to pass an ordinance regulating the placement of small wind energy systems to be placed on waterfront properties. On April 20, 2009, the Mayor and Council passed an ordinance amending the zoning code to allow small wind turbines under conditional zoning regulations. One of the conditions requires a setback of 1.1 times the...READ MORE

Resort Unlikely To Pass Laws On Feral Cat Colonies

OCEAN CITY – The Police Commission put a stop this week to persistent rumors the city is going to pass legislation preventing the care for feral cats. Paul Toulette, founder of Delmarva Association of Animal Rescuers, recently sent a letter to the Mayor and City Council worried that an ordinance would be drafted preventing the public from feeding the town’s large stray cat population. “Restricting contact between caretakers and these colonies would create a situation where any...READ MORE

Police Chief Rails Against Pot Legalization

OCEAN CITY – You hear about it in California, but in Ocean City? Legalizing marijuana was briefly discussed during this week’s Police Commission meeting and along with it came a loud and clear message. Ocean City Police Chief Bernadette DiPino brought to the commission’s attention the legislation initiative of legalizing medical marijuana in California. “Being active with the International Association of Chiefs of Police that was one of the things we are very strongly...READ MORE

Governor Calms Teacher Pension Shift Worries

BERLIN – Worcester officials breathed a collective sigh of relief this week when Governor Martin O’Malley announced he would not pass a portion of the teacher pension costs off to the counties as expected, but some are waiting for the other shoe to drop. On the eve of the Maryland General Assembly session that got underway this week, O’Malley told a delegation of county officials from around the state the budget he is about to present does not include a proposal to shift the...READ MORE