On May 10, Maria Recor obtained a temporary protective order against her husband after an incident on May 5 in Fort Meyers, Fla., where the couple was with family for their daughter’s college graduation.

In her written petition for protection from her husband of 23 years, Maria Recor wrote, “On Sunday evening, May 5, David was angry and upset at me for not paying him enough attention. We were at a vacation house and he climbed to the roof top and was threatening to jump. I told him to come back over, his daughters could hear and see. I had hold of his arm, keeping him on the railing. He said you don’t love me and I said no I don’t. He swung at my face and hit me near the eye. He then came over the railing and pushed me violently to the ground twice, my head slamming into the ground. He then arrived to our home and took my car.”

City manager since June of last year, David Recor issued a statement this week after the court records were made public.

“This is a very difficult time for myself and my family.  I thank everyone in advance for respecting my privacy during this very painful and personal matter,” Recor’s statement read.

In the meantime, it was business as usual for Recor this week, but he did have a noticeable black eye. On Monday, he was present at the Police Commission and Tourism Commission meetings. On Tuesday afternoon, he was in attendance at the Mayor and Council work session and then later participated in the Recreation and Parks Commission meeting.

The Mayor and Council did not discuss the allegations publicly at Tuesday’s meeting, and there have reportedly been no discussions on action being taken against Recor or talks about his future with the city.

The temporary protective order maintains Recor cannot contact his wife or enter her residence in Ocean City. David Recor’s address is listed as Onancock, Va., while Maria Recor’s address is Ocean City. A final protective order hearing is set for May 17 at 10 a.m. in Snow Hill.

Mayor Rick Meehan on Wednesday said he and David Recor took part in a conference call together that morning and the city manager is continuing with his work obligations.

“He is moving forward with his duties and I think he will continue to do so. I have confidence in David and I have confidence in his abilities to lead our city,” Meehan said. “David’s a quiet man. He has a good presence at City Hall and everybody at City Hall supports him and enjoys working with him. I think they all want to continue with business as usual.”

“That’s a personal matter, and I don’t think it’s all been resolved. I think we need to wait and let that all play out and see what happens. I think it’s best to not comment and give them the opportunity to work this out and move forward,” Meehan said.

In her handwritten order, Maria Recor spells out a history of domestic issues. She wrote there has been, “numerous occasions of physical violence over past 23 years against both myself and two oldest daughters.”

Maria Recor’s comments about her husband are not the first heard about a volatile-at-times David Recor, who came to Ocean City last year from Fort Pierce, Fla., where he served as city manager from 2008 to 2012.

In an interview last May with The Dispatch after Recor was selected to be Ocean City’s top appointed official, at a salary of approximately $147,000 a year, Fort Pierce Commissioner Reggie Sessions, one of his former bosses, called Recor an intelligent leader, but said he does have a temper.

“David’s young. When you are young, you tend to have a stronger pride … and he has some characteristics about him in terms of his nature and response and temper sometimes with individuals in the political field. They realize that he’s volatile and will react … that will sometimes cause problems for him.” 
During an interview with The Dispatch the next week in May 2012, Recor addressed Sessions’ claims about his temper.

“Commissioner Sessions has offered some very good advice that I have taken to heart. That is to be meek and humble and not react to the political criticisms. Meek and humble has been great advice. Knowing when to hit the pause button has been another piece of good advice. Not every criticism or point, whether it’s accurate or just wrong, is worthy of a response, in other words. Not everything merits a response,” he said. “I think what Reggie was really referring to was some of the folks here knew how to push my buttons. There were attacks on my family by some, and there’s no being meek and humble about those sorts of things. That’s just uncalled for, no matter who you are. I have taken constructive criticism over the years and I have learned from it, and I have never been afraid to admit when I made a mistake. What I believe is that’s important to acknowledge when a mistake has been made because that’s the only way you learn from it.”

Last month the Recreation and Parks Commission agreed to not have the wooden playground structures, referred to as beach toys, return to the beach off the Boardwalk this summer once staff brought to their attention how the structures have become safety hazards as well as a nuisance with late-night shenanigans.

Once that decision was finalized, many residents and visitors voiced concerns over not having the playgrounds on the beach as they have become a tradition for Boardwalk and beach goers in the summer time. The complaints began to roll in the commission immediately tasked city staff to come up with replacements as soon as possible.

During this week’s Recreation and Parks Commission meeting, Recreation and Parks Director Tom Shuster presented a list of 13 replacement options ranging in the price from $5,900 to $50,000.

Shuster had a preliminary meeting with City Engineer Terry McGean and Public Works Director Hal Adkins to narrow down the list in what would meet state requirements, and what they thought would be practical to move off and on the beach for maintenance and storage, as well as the best for sanitary conditions.

Additionally, Shuster has met with Bill Gibbs, owner of the Dough Roller in Ocean City with a location on 3rd Street and the Boardwalk, who is concerned over the beach toys not returning to the beach this summer and offered his time to help find replacements.

The choices that stood out to the commission were different brands of playground climbing equipment built to represent boulders. Other options included a large pirate ship weighing over 22,000 pounds and a playground shaped into a turtle that were both partially enclosed.

“The whole key to the rocks is they can be transported and dropped on the beach, and they are completely contained so you can’t crawl inside of them, and they look like a natural feature, so they wouldn’t look foreign on the beach,” Shuster said.

Three companies that Shuster presented that provide the boulder shaped commercial playground equipment are Playcore Company’s Everlast Climbing NatureROCKS Sandstone Set, Playworld System’s Origins Boulders and Ropes and Little Tikes Fun Rocks.

For example, the NatureROCKS Sandstone Set is designed and hand painted to resemble real sandstone. The set includes a small, medium and large boulder, each offering a variety of climbing options that will engage children of all ages. Nature Rocks are constructed of Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete for durability and longevity.

“At least there will be less splinters, and you can’t go inside of them and hang out,” Commission Chair/Councilman Joe Mitrecic said.

The question remains how exactly the replacement beach toys will be funded. The town just went through a stringent budget process with little to no wiggle room, and new beach toys were not included in the proposed budget that is now balanced heading into hearings starting this week.

The beach toys that stood on the beach previously were all purchased and donated by local businesses. Shuster said Gibbs has pointed out several boardwalk businesses that stand out has potential donors but still questioned the Town’s contribution.

According to Shuster, Mayor Rick Meehan felt there is some way for the town to match the money raised by donors to serve as some sort of leverage for property owner’s interest in bringing beach toys back to the beach.

“We didn’t match anything before,” Councilman Dennis Dare said. “We don’t have any money left over in this budget … we are going to keep them clean and repair damage, and we are going to remove them in the off-season so they are not damaged, and then we are going to put them back out, so that is our in-kind donation.”

Four out of the five prior beach toys sold on govdeals.com for a total of $3,750, which will most likely go towards the purchase of new beach toys as part of the town’s contribution. The town gave previous donors the option to sell or keep the old beach toys themselves, and the fifth beach toy was taken home by Fishers Popcorn.

The first new beach toy will most likely be placed at 3rd Street because of Gibbs’ interest and participation so far.

“We will start there and work with other donors from there,” Shuster said. “Each of the individual locations will be based on the boardwalk merchants desire to have them.”

The commission directed staff to cut down the list to potential boulder playground equipment to present to the Mayor and City Council, along with a list of interested donors, and costs and turnaround time of the different products.

Once council approves, the town will go through a process to solicit donors to hopefully have the new beach toys out on the beach during the summer.

The County Commissioners and staff on Tuesday met for several hours to begin to balance the proposed fiscal year 2014 budget. Initial requested expenditures came in at around $174 million, while anticipated revenues are estimated at just under $167 million, leaving a gap of over $7 million that must be reconciled through cuts to various departments and programs or an increase in revenue in the form of a tax increase, or both. However, the commissioners have said from the beginning a tax increase is off the table, leaving further cuts to an already bare-bones budget the only solution.

The commissioners began a meticulous review of the budget department-by department and line-by-line on Tuesday and virtually no stone was left unturned. By the end of the day, some departments and programs saw their fiscal year 2014 funding cut while others survived. The following is a quick look at some of the highlights from Tuesday:

The county’s volunteer fire companies have seen their county funding levels decline over the last few years as the recession has dragged on. For example, in fiscal year 2012, the county’s volunteer fire companies received $2.3 million from Worcester, but the figure is expected to dip to just over $1.96 million in the current budget. Commissioner Virgil Shockley said the downward trend had to be reversed for the volunteer companies.

“We need to put a bottom line on this,” he said. “It can’t drop below a certain point. There has to be a floor underneath this thing. We have five small companies working their tails off with fundraising and you see the ladies’ auxiliary handing over checks for $4,000 and $5,000. This is our community, this is our family.”

Commissioner Jimmy Bunting said the declining volunteer fire company funding was necessitated by a drop in property tax assessments, but agreed the county had to hold the line on the funding.

“We want to establish a floor, but the revenue is all based on the assessments,” said Bunting. “While the assessments go down, it doesn’t make it any cheaper to run a fire company.”

After the town of Berlin passed a graduated stormwater management fee for residential and commercial properties this year, it became apparent Worcester County would have to pay the fees for the properties it operated within the municipalities, which is reflected in the fiscal year 2014 budget. County officials aren’t happy about the new expenditure and vowed to revisit the issue with Berlin officials.

“We have five buildings so we’re going to have to come up with a lot of money” said Bunting. “I think we need to have a talk with the town and see why we’re not exempt. We’re not a business and we’re not a residence. We’re providing services.”

Since its inception decades ago, Worcester County has been a partner in Atlantic General Hospital and provides grants of various amounts in each budget cycle. Last year, AGH asked for and received $50,000 from the county, but the request has jumped to $100,000 this year. Some commissioners questioned the increase, pointing out the hospital’s thriving economic condition, citing the facility’s own publicized bottom line.

“I know they need more money and I know what it’s for, but it’s not for expansion,” said Shockley. “I don’t have a problem with the $50,000 we gave them last year. I just don’t know why they keep coming back for more.”

However, Commissioner Louise Gulyas said the county had a fiscal responsibility to support the hospital and her colleagues approved the $100,000 expenditure.

“It’s a community hospital,” said Gulyas. “We said from the get-go we would support this and they really need this money.”

There was come discussion about pushing back a planned study of Showell Elementary School another year to save $100,000 in the current budget. Showell Elementary is the next county public school in line for replacement or rehabilitation and a top to bottom study is the next step in that process but it comes with a $100,000 price tag. With Snow Hill High School renovations set to get underway, some wondered if Showell should be put on the back burner this year.

“The thinking is Snow Hill High School won’t start until summer of 2014 and it’s a three-year project, so there is no way to start Showell until Snow Hill is substantially done,” said County Administrator Gerry Mason.

Mason said the $100,000 study would include a systematic check of the entire school to see whether it could be restored and rehabilitated, or if it had to be completely replaced.

“They’ll look at the school from top to bottom and look at all of the systems from heating and air to plumbing and wiring and see if it needs to be scrapped like OCES, or if it can be remodeled,” he said.

After some debate, a consensus was reached to keep the $100,000 Showell Elementary study in the budget.

“I feel strongly they need a new school” said Commissioner Judy Boggs. “It’s a lot like OCES. Children that age don’t adjust well to change. My understanding is there is enough acreage to build a new school while the old school stays open.”

Earlier this month, the County Commissioners heard a plea from the town of Snow Hill for a $200,000 grant to help stabilize and restore the old Mason’s Opera House, which has been re-christened the Arts and Education Center in Snow Hill. The project calls for restoring the historic structure and creating an arts and entertainment hub in the county seat, but the Commissioners were not ready to make the entire $200,000 investment this year.

“I think it’s an admirable project, but they need to go out and get some donations to sustain it,” said Bunting.

“I’m in favor of giving Snow Hill a chance,” said Boggs. “We’ve supported Ocean City and the Art League, and we’ve supported the Marva Theater in Pocomoke.”

Boggs made a motion to include $200,000 for the project, but the motion failed. Shockley then made a motion to include $100,000 for the Snow Hill Opera House with the stipulation the money would be used to stabilize the structure until a long-term solution could be found and that motion passed.

During budget deliberations on Tuesday, the County Commissioners began a line-by-line inspection of the fiscal year 2014 to close the estimated $7 million gap between requested expenditures and anticipated revenue and naturally the conversation eventually came around to salary increases for county employees, teachers and school bus drivers.

On the table was an across-the-board 2.5-percent salary increase for all county employees including teachers, but after considerable debate, the commissioners voted for the two-percent increase option.

Setting the county employees’ salary increase and Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) increase at 2 percent would make the entire salary package come at around $1.7 million, or nearly $400,000 less than the 2.5-percent increase. While some commissioners were in favor of the two-percent increase option, others wanted to hike county employee salaries by the requested 2.5 percent.

“We’re supposed to have the best school system in the state, and the state has the best school system in the country,” said Commission President Bud Church. “And yet we’ve dropped from sixth or seventh in the state in terms of salaries to 15th. I’m not sure that’s fair.”

County Administrative Director Gerry Mason pointed out the 2-percent increase for county employees last year actually resulted in a net deficit. For example, an employee making $30,000 saw an increase of $600 per year with the 2-percent increase, but with taxes and insurance increases, that same employee spent about $647 more in fiscal year 2013, representing a loss of $47 despite the raise.

Commissioner Judy Boggs said despite the savings realized by dropping from 2.5 percent to 2 percent, the requested salary increase should be fully funded.

“We’re saving almost $400,000 by reducing the increase to 2 percent,” she said. “I think we should keep it at 2.5 percent. If we can do it, then we should.”

However, Commissioner Jimmy Bunting said the only likely way to fund the entire 2.5-percent increase was to make up the difference from the county’s budget stabilization fund created to offset unexpected shortfalls.

“We’re going to have to rob and steal from that budget stabilization fund in order to do this,” he said. “We can’t spend money we don’t have.”

After a motion to set the salary hike at the requested 2.5 percent failed by a 4-3 vote, a second motion was made to set the increase at 2 percent. That motion passed by a vote of 4-3 with Church, Boggs and Commissioners Virgil Shockley and Jim Purnell in favor.

However, the commissioners still had the issue of salary increases for school bus drivers to consider and that debate touched off some fireworks.

Shockley and Purnell recused themselves because they are school bus contractors, leaving only five commissioners to debate the bus driver salary increase. A first motion to set the school bus salary increase at 1 percent passed by a 3-2 vote, but the measure failed because a majority vote of four was needed for it to pass. A second attempt at a 2-percent increase for bus drivers met the same fate when the vote was 3-2 but four votes were needed.

The remaining commissioners then compromised and voted to approve a 1.5-percent increase for bus drivers, touching off a rant from Purnell, who listened to the debate from a hallway behind the dais.

“You showed me today what you think of us bus drivers,” he said. “You sat up here and voted for a 2-percent increase for county employees and the Board of Education and then you turned around and stabbed us in the back. That is a total insult.”

The first resolution to come before the City Council on Monday evening was to authorize Mayor Jim Ireton to sign the grant agreement and accept a grant of $13,750 from the Maryland Department of Transportation’s Maryland Bikeways Program for the provision of the initial two miles of pavement marking and signage necessary to create a bike path “Spine” route from downtown Salisbury to Salisbury University. The total cost of the project is $25,000.

According to the resolution, the Maryland Department of Transportation and the City of Salisbury have been working together to improve bicycle connectivity between the Downtown Central Business District and Salisbury University.

The bicycle facilities improvements to be constructed include the creation of a bike route, which will run from the intersection of Camden Ave. and West College Ave. to North Division St. near the Government Office Building, providing dedicated bicycle-only lanes and shared bicycle and motorized vehicle lanes, lane striping for dedicated lanes, shared lane markings for shared lanes, bicycle markings on the pavement, and bike route signage along the route.

The city is agreeing to provide 45 percent of the project costs in matching funds, including private contribution and/or services of actual project costs, in amount not to exceed $11,250 for the pedestrian-and-bicycle facilities improvements.

The project will enhance bicycle safety and access to the Maryland Blue Crab Scenic Byway and will improve bicycle circulation in downtown Salisbury and the vicinity of Salisbury University.

Matt Drew of bike-SBY, which has been an organization involved throughout the entire process, explained this started out as small personal project of his own and had grown to involve many others.

“The basic concept is to connect people from where they live to where they either work or go to school, and where that commonality in pattern of travel to start creating bike lanes so we can promote cycling,” Drew said. “What popped out of that initial study was 18 miles of a network within the urbanized part of Salisbury that we didn’t have connectivity with bike lanes, and there is actually over 6500 people that live within a core area of Salisbury that live less than 2 miles from where they either go to school or work, so by creating this bike lane network we can in essence connect this blatant demand for bike with people who could use it.”

Drew furthered the initial “spine” route is a north/south connector that runs through the center of the network, and there are hopes to break out east and west from the route to create other north/south routes.

“Thank you all for your patience,” Councilwoman Terry Cohen said. “We have been waiting patiently here at the City. The State has a process of approval on these plans, and I know Public Works went through a lot going through the plan with the State…so I am very, very happy that we have come to this day in time for the beautiful weather.”

The next resolution on the table was to accept a donation of $2,500 from Salisbury University, a donation of $2,500 from the Seagull Century Foundation, and a donation of $1,250 from bike-SBY that was all included into the city’s contribution of $11,250 for the pedestrian-and-bicycle facilities improvements.

“Thank you to those who are making the donations to help make this possible,” Cohen said.

An ordinance approached the City Council in first reading Monday appropriating the necessary funds for the operation of the government and administration of Salisbury for the period of July 1, 2013 to June 30, 2014, also known as the Fiscal Year 2014 budget. The ordinance established the levy for the same fiscal period and marked the appropriation for the water and sewer, parking authority and city marina funds.

The total for the General Fund is set at about $35.6 million, which covers the costs of the City Council and the City Clerk, development service, the Mayor’s Office, promotions, internal services, the city attorney, information technology, planning and zoning, municipal buildings, police, public works, traffic control, fire, building permits, neighborhood serves, dent service and other uses.

The next ordinance on the table regarding the FY14 Budget is to amend water and sewer rates, to decrease sewer rates by 6.5 percent effective as of Oct. 1 and thereafter. The water and sewer rates are being revised to be in accordance with the proposed FY14 Budget and the appropriations made for the purposed of the Water and Sewer Departments.

“Right now the proposal from the mayor does not exceed the constant yield tax rate, it equals it, and if my understanding of state law is correct that we only have to hold the hearing in the event that we exceed it,” Councilwoman Terry Cohen said. “However, since the council hasn’t yet established what the tax rate is, whether it will come under or goes over, but if it goes over the hearing will need to be held, so to be on the safe side it is being scheduled.”

Currently, Salisbury’s tax rate is set at 81.9 cents. The proposed tax rate calls for over a 6 cent increase.

The council voted unanimously to approve both ordinances in first reading. A public hearing on the proposed budget ordinances will be held on May 28 at 6 p.m. at the Government Office Building.

Owners of the Galaxy 66 and its associated Skye Bar, a posh rooftop bar on the fourth floor of the popular restaurant at 66th Street, came before the BLC on Wednesday to address repeated official citations and grievances filed by neighbors in the area last summer over the loud music and other ambient noise emanating from the popular nightspot. For years, a smaller version of the Skye Bar existed on the roof of the Galaxy 66 Bar and Grille, but with the blessing of the BLC, owners Roger and Tammy Cebula last year undertook a major renovation of the rooftop space, creating a much larger version of the Skye Bar complete with more dining, live music and disc jockeys.

Last summer, the Ocean City police issued five official noise violation citations and handled scores of complaints from residents in the area about the late night music and loud conversation.

The issue came to a head on Wednesday when the owners appeared before the BLC to address the noise issues. Attorney Joe Moore said the owners were not there to deny the noise and associated complaints, but merely wanted to make some efforts to mitigate the problem. Moore said the owners have been in negotiations with the town’s Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) to allow for a more enclosed rooftop space, but the town was holding the Cebulas’ feet to the fire over parking issues related to the formula for enclosed space for restaurants and bars and that there was hope the impasse could be relieved.

However, the BLC said it was not concerned with the restaurant’s BZA issues and wanted only to deal with the noise issues on their surface. To that end, Moore asked the BLC to consider allowing the Skye Bar to cut off its nightly music at 10 p.m. rather than 2 a.m. in an attempt to placate the disgruntled neighbors.

Attorney John Robins, a long-time resident in the 66th Street area, who was speaking on behalf of his family and about 35 other families in the area, told the BLC the advent of the new and improved Skye Bar had changed summer life in the roughly three-block area around the facility dramatically last year.

“From my own experience, it has been a problem,” he said. “The concept of running a nightclub from the rooftop is inconsistent with the neighborhood. Frankly, it was a miserable summer. We want Skye Bar to be an asset to the community, but not a nuisance.”

After listening to the testimony and weighing the evidence, BLC members cleared the room for private deliberations and returned a short time later after reaching their decision.

When they returned, Roger Cebula formally apologized and vowed to make the necessary changes to avoid a similar repeat in 2013.

However, BLC Chairman William Esham, Jr. pointed out the first citation was issued last May and the last was issued in October.

“It doesn’t appear to me that you were paying too much attention,” he said. “You have let us down. You were given an opportunity that nobody else in Ocean City ever got before and probably never will again.”

The three-member BLC ruled the Skye Bar will now be forced to shut down music at 8:30 p.m. and will not be allowed to have a disc jockey of any kind. The BLC also fined the Skye Bar $1,000 for each of the five official noise citations.

Between April 26 and Tuesday, May 14, Berlin Police received several reports of burglaries and thefts from residences in the town. Through the course of the investigation, Berlin Police were able to develop several suspects. On Tuesday, Berlin Police, with the assistance of the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI), were able to secure a search and seizure warrant for a residence on Baker Street and arrested James Hughlett, 61, of Berlin.

Through further investigation, officers were able to obtain an arrest warrant for Kate Hughlett, 23, of Berlin, who was located on Wednesday and arrested.

James Hughlett has been charged with two counts of first-degree burglary and three counts of theft. Kate Hughlett was charged with two counts of first-degree burglary and four counts of theft.

The two suspects were taken before a District Court Commissioner and each was ordered held on a $10,000 bond. On Wednesday, James Hughett posted bond and was released. As of yesterday, Kate Hughlett had not been bonded out and remained in custody. James Hughlett has a preliminary hearing set for June 11, while Kate Hughlett’s preliminary hearing has been set for June 14.

The investigation is ongoing and it remains likely additional charges could be forthcoming against the Hughletts. According to a source, personal property stolen from residences during a weeks-long burglary spree dating back to last spring was recovered at the suspects’ residence during the execution of the search and seizure warrant on Tuesday.

The rash of residential burglaries last spring included at least four in the span of eight days and had local residents on edge while the cases went unsolved. One of the burglaries on Washington Street was particularly troublesome because of the extensive amount of senseless damage the suspect or suspects caused on the property.

The first in the spree last spring occurred on Pitts Street on March 22, followed by a second on Kenwood Court on March 23. A third burglary occurred on Broad Street last March 26, followed by the Washington Street incident.

In a letter dated May 9, OCHMRA President Chris Trimper broached the relocation issue with the Mayor and Council and requested formal communication with the city on the need for the association to move its offices out of the convention center.

“While we’ve known we’ve been on a month-to-month lease for some time, we find it a little surprising that our office space was not considered in the planning phases,” the letter reads. “We understand from the Convention Center Director and our Executive Director that we will need to find new office space, however, we wish to hear directly from the city leaders on this matter.”

In his letter, which was also signed by 16 OCHMRA Board members, Trimper requested confirmation from the city on three specific issues -- whether the OCHMRA will continue to be responsible for the lodging extension of the resort’s tourism phone line, if it will continue to operate the help desk at the visitor center inside the Roland E. Powell Convention Center and whether it can continue to hold meetings in the convention center board room. The OCHMRA has reportedly been promised nothing will change on either of those fronts.

The OCHMRA has leased space at the convention center since 1984. Currently, the space, which consists of three offices and some storage area, is leased for $834 a month, plus telephone expenses.

Mayor Rick Meehan said the OCHMRA was made aware of the likelihood of its space being needed over a year ago. Meehan said the OCHMRA has been permitted to stay through August, but it’s planning to move sooner than that.

“I believe their executive director has been aware of this for at least a year,” the mayor said. “They are our partner, and at this point in time that’s a city building and it worked out for a long period of time and things have changed and we are moving forward. There was plenty of notice given, and I guess now this is going to be another battle. It’s unfortunate.”

Meehan said he was surprised to see the letter from Trimper because he believes the OCHMRA already has a site in mind to move into and has been planning to relocate for some time.

City Engineer Terry McGean said the association offices on the mezzanine will be needed to replace lost storage space and office areas associated with the addition of the performing arts auditorium at the convention center.

OCHMRA Executive Director Susan Jones confirmed her group has known about the need to move, but she said the Board of Directors wanted to hear from the Mayor and Council rather than just through her and city staff.

“We are not trying to be controversial. We have had a mutually beneficial relationship with the city tourism dating back to the ‘70s. Our point in sending that letter was the Board wanted direct clarification from the city leaders as to the next step,” Jones said. “The Board wanted to hear from the Mayor and Council on this decision.”

Jones plans to move the association office within the month to a new 650-square-foot office in mid-town Ocean City. She said the rent is a little bit higher than the current space, but she does not expect it to cause a financial hardship for the OCHMRA.

“We have a tentative agreement on a space that should become our home by the end of June,” Jones said. “It’s not as cheap but it’s close. We are not too concerned about that at this point, and we really think this will be a great move for us and help us further brand ourselves in a unique way.”

For years, the town of Ocean City and Worcester officials have wrestled over an acceptable formula for grants and other funding from the county to the town and have typically come away at odds over the final appropriation. At the heart of the issue for years has been tax differential, or basically the cost of duplicated services such as police and fire protection, which Ocean City provides for itself, yet is often taxed the same rate the other municipalities in the county.

To that end, several years ago, the county began providing the same basic funding formula applied to the other municipalities including Berlin, Snow Hill, Pocomoke and recently Ocean Pines. In addition, while stopping short of honoring Ocean City’s tax differential request, the county in recent years has provided the resort with an unrestricted grant to offset the perceived differences.

If the county reverted back to the fiscal year 2009 unrestricted grant to Ocean City, that figure was $1.95 million. However, the proposed spending plan for fiscal year 2014 includes a $2.5 million grant to Ocean City. Some County Commissioners on Tuesday questioned why the county was considering more funding.

“I don’t mind giving back, I just want to give them back what they asked for,” said Commissioner Virgil Shockley. “That’s exactly what they asked for. They stood here and said please take us back to 2009 levels and we agreed, so I’m not sure why we’re considering bumping that up by another half a million dollars.”

Commission President Bud Church said the town would likely continue to push the tax differential issue if the county did not sweeten the pot somewhat.

“If we don’t give them a little bit back, we’re going to have to deal with differential and that is going to cost us a lot more money,” he said.

Commissioner Louise Gulyas said Ocean City’s situation is unique in terms of restricted police and fire grants.

“I know it’s formula driven, but they don’t always see it that way,” she said.

However, Shockley countered each of the other municipalities in the county adheres to the same formula but Ocean City.

Each of the other three municipalities will see their annual grant from the county increase from $400,000 to $450,000 this year, while Ocean City will receive the large unrestricted grant. Gulyas said the resort’s importance to the county’s overall economy warrants the difference.

“We’re just being benevolent,” she said. “That’s the largest tax base area in the county.”

At Monday’s Mayor and Council meeting, Police Chief Arnold Downing discussed with Berlin’s elected officials the need for more advance notice with special events. Downing used a new three-day special event at remodeled Henry Park on Memorial Day weekend as an example.

“I’d like to ask the Mayor and Council to consider a 45-day notice for special events,” he said. “The month of May is event-laden and we have four more to go this month and we’re almost halfway through. Short notice, especially with a new event, creates problems.”

Downing said the police department often has to juggle manpower and hours to ensure the town’s many special events are safely covered. He said the town’s aggressive special events calendar puts many other departments in the same situation.

“A two-week window is not always enough time to plan,” he said. “I’m not only speaking for our benefit, but all of the other departments, especially with first-time events.”

Out of that discussion was borne a concern about the traditional Memorial Day ceremony at the monument on the corner of Main and West Streets. For years, Berlin long-time resident Sonny Adkins has organized the event, but health issues have kept him from planning it for the most part this year. Downing said the town is looking for somebody to step up and fill the void.

“The Memorial Day event needs a leader,” he said. “Several people including myself have been asked to take it over and have had to turn it down for a variety of reasons. We really just need somebody to step up and sign the paperwork. I’ll fill it out for them.”

Mayor Gee Williams said Adkins had volunteered to plan and organize the Memorial Day ceremony for years and called on the town’s spirit of volunteerism to maintain the treasured event.

“Volunteers aren’t paid, but they are some of the most valuable people in this town,” he said. “This is a classic example of that. Mr. Adkins has done a wonderful job with this for so long and now we need some help with it. … This is an event I feel really close to and I’ll do whatever I can to keep it going without a break,” he said. “We just need somebody to step up to the plate.”

Maryland Office of Tourism Development (OTD) Director Margot Amelia began by explaining OTD serves as the state’s official travel marketing agency, promoting Maryland’s attractions, accommodations and services to increase visitor spending in the state. It additionally provides residents and out-of-state visitors with information and services to ensure a positive trip experience and positions Maryland as a competitive destination.

The Maryland Tourism Development Board (MTDB) has oversight of the Maryland Tourism Development Fund, which is a separate fund dedicated to tourism marketing that includes $2.5 million in mandated grants to 25 destination marketing organizations. The board can generate revenue and accept federal monies, and review legislation, fees and taxes to assess the impact on the economic viability of the tourism industry.

The MTDB participated in five-year strategic planning process, reviews and approves the Office of Tourism’s marketing and development plan and cooperate with other organizations that aids in the development and promotion of tourism.

The five-year strategic plan, 2010-2015, process began in September of 2008 with the final document being approved in November 2009. It includes dramatic changes in economic climate and tourism budgets that have impacted some strategies and tactics, but the plan has been an excellent road map for success during challenging times. The board revisits the plan annually with the same facilitator.

The strategic plan’s vision by 2015 is Maryland’s tourism industry, and the efforts of the OTD, shall be recognized as a vital economic engine for the State of Maryland, generating revenues, sustaining jobs, improving the State’s image and leveraging investments in Maryland’s tourism assets. OTD will pursue its mission- increasing tourism expenditures- with a focus on accountability and results.

In 2011, Maryland welcomed 34.4 million visitors, which is a 6.8 percent increase from 32.3 million visits in 2010. Visitation to Maryland has increased 26.3 percent since 2007 with an additional 7.2 million visitors outperforming the 8.1 percent growth of the United States. Market share has increased 16.9 percent since 2007 so far outperforming regional and national trends.

Leisure travel in Maryland is on the upswing while the state saw growth in all segments, business and leisure as well as both day trips and overnight stays. Leisure travel grew 8 percent in 2011, 30 percent since 2007. Overnight stays grew 8 percent in 2011, 27 percent since 2007.

In 2011, Maryland reached record breaking revenue of $14.3 billion economic impact, and visitor spending surpassed the State’s pre-recession high.

Maryland’s tourism supports 131,000 direct jobs with a payroll of $4 billion. Tourism is the 10th largest private sector employer in Maryland. One out of 17 jobs in Maryland is a tourism job.

The $14.3 billion in visitor spending generated $2 billion in State and local taxes. Without the revenue generated by visitors, Maryland households would have paid $920 more in taxes in 2011.

Maryland’s tourism business continues to grow significant revenue. In FY12, the Comptroller reported $377.5 million in sales tax revenues attributable to tourism for the Tourism Promotion Act, which is an increase of 5 percent from FY11, after adjusting for the increase on the sales of alcohol. An additional $18 million in tourism tax revenue was collected in FY12, qualifying the MTDB for an additional $3.573 million in FY14.

“Very critical, and one of the first things we did when I came on board was both quantitative and qualitative research,” Amelia said. “We did an image awareness study to determine what consumers thought of Maryland and its competitors, and to determine what motivates consumers…and we did qualitative research on focus groups to allow consumer insight and direction for our advertising, our publications and our web design.”

OTC refocused marketing efforts on key feeder markets and communicated with those markets year-round. The focus is on the top three markets of D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia, which make up 55 percent of Maryland travelers.

The MTDB commissioned an effectiveness study on 2011 advertising that reported only incremental business was generated by ads, not travel planned prior to viewing the advertising. Advertising generated $182 million in visitor spending from 211,000 trips that supported more than 1,800 new tourism jobs. Every $1 spent on OTD ads generated $220 in incremental visits spending, $31 in State and local taxes and $6 in State sales tax revenue.

“So while we were doing all that new research, all the branding work we still had to do all the core promotional work and outreach efforts,” Amelia said. “We are out there all the time doing travel trade sales, international marketing, public relations…it’s all about content development, and you need to continuously update your content on the web, social media and publications. Also, social and digital media and marketing, and we do a lot of product development.”

OTD has an alliance with Washington D.C. and Virginia, and while they compete aggressively against each other, they still work together, which has resulted in a successful Maryland investment in promotion to Western Europe and emerging markets of Brazil and China where every $1 put in is matched $8 in FY12.

“And we have returned to the consumer market in Canada through a lot of Discover America programs,” Amelia said. “Canada is a great market for Ocean City.”

OTDs future strategies for success recognize the State must go beyond the strategic regional promotional efforts, and it is necessary to target larger, and more distant metropolitan areas, such as New York City.

“We have done a great job with our strategic regional promotional efforts but in order to grow we really need to be talking to that big market up in New York…another area we will see significant efforts is in the international market,” Amelia said.

"I resigned. My letter of resignation is on file in Town Hall," Ward said in a statement Thursday.

While Ward refused to go into detail over what transpired that led to him stepping down, Mayor Gee Williams was specific in an interview this week. He outlined the council’s reasons for seeking Ward’s resignation on Wednesday.

At the Mayor and Council meeting on Monday, concerned merchants converged on town hall to protest what they believed was a pending crackdown on sidewalk clutter, such as sandwich-style signs and tables and chairs. At an April Historic District Commission meeting, the topic of sidewalk accessibility was broached, and Ward was asked to evaluate the code and issue suggestions. The mere possibility of a crackdown on these items sparked concerns throughout the business community, and the Mayor and Council decided at Monday’s meeting to work toward amending the existing code and clarify exactly what is allowed and what is not.

The morning after the meeting, on Tuesday, Administrator Tony Carson met briefly with Ward to inform him the Mayor and Council was asking for his immediate resignation or he would be fired. Ward chose to resign.

“This was not the result of any one action, but this latest brouhaha over the sidewalk issues was an example where both the Planning Commission and Historic District Commission in the eyes of the Mayor and Council were not well served and being properly advised on this particular issue, and it’s one of many such instances over the last few years,” Williams said. “Quite frankly, while Chuck had many fine attributes, his lack of communicating with the town administrator and the Mayor and Council and giving an opportunity to address or get information back to these commissions on these issues was basically not well serving them or the community at large.”

The mayor said it was disheartening to learn of the pending sidewalk recommendations from the local media, rather than the head of the town’s planning department.

“Any information I found out about this was in the local newspapers and this issue led to the highest number of phone calls on any one issue since I have been mayor,” he said. “It was either related to the sidewalk signs or the rumor that the tables and chairs outside were going to be completely outlawed. All of this could have been avoided by simply having the zoning director have basic conversations with the town administrator and gathering information from the town attorney. Our primary concern is making sure any objects meet current pedestrian accessibility standards. It’s ironic that this issue in Berlin, which has one of the best records of any small town in this state of becoming ADA compliant.”

Williams believes all of the current controversy could have been avoided had Ward appropriately addressed the HDC members’ concerns on the spot at last month’s meeting.

“There was lots of information that should have been shared with the Historic District Commission because they had every right to ask questions with accessibility, and I have no problem with that. A responsible response by the staff person assigned to the commission should have happened,” Williams said. “This was just one incident. If it was just one, this wouldn’t have happened. This was not personal in any way.”

Williams said he hopes to have the planning director position filled prior to Carson leaving the city at the end of June for a post in Ohio.

In the wake of the school shooting tragedy in Connecticut last December, local law enforcement and the Worcester County Board of Education formed a school security committee that produced several recommendations for safety improvements to help ensure a similar incident does not occur here. Out of those meetings came three basic recommendations, including a plan to hire 13 new full-time Worcester County sheriff’s deputies, essentially one for each of the county’s 13 public schools.

The proposal comes with an estimated price tag of $1.6 million in the first year alone and at least $1 million in each year thereafter. A second proposal would include hiring 13 part-time sheriff’s deputies to man the county’s public schools throughout the school day and that proposal would cost an estimated $604,000.

The third proposal would include using municipal police officers from the three towns in the county in which public schools are located along with two new full-time sheriff’s deputies to cover schools in the county at-large including, for example, Ocean City Elementary and the Worcester County Technical High School.

Under that plan, the officers would only man the schools during arrival and dismissal times and the schools would be on lockdown during regular school hours. That proposal would be the least expensive of the three on the table and would cost an estimated $350,000.

During budget deliberations on Tuesday, the County Commissioners weighed each of the proposals, although they did not reach a final decision. After considerable debate, the commissioners decided to leave in the budget the $604,000 for the second option for the time being, although that is not an indication that plan is the favored one.

County Administrator Gerry Mason said he had identified a grant that would provide 75 percent of the cost of hiring and outfitting new sheriff’s deputies, but that the funding would only apply to the hiring of full-time deputies. According to Mason, the deadline for applying for the grant is set for May 22, however.

Regardless of the final plan chosen, the commissioners said funding should be included to improve the lock-down capabilities of the schools.

“The biggest concern I’ve heard is about the lack of protection from inside,” said Commissioner Merrill Lockfaw. “The kids I’ve talked to are more concerned about the threat coming from the inside, not the outside.”

After considerable debate, the commissioners decided to hold the $604,000 already listed in the budget and adjust the figure when the final plan is decided upon.

Approximately $1.4 million in large black bags and 20,000 cartons of cigarettes were recovered Wednesday from the West Ocean City home and other properties belonging to Basel Ramadan 42, who is being called the “ring-leader” and “boss of the enterprise” in a vast cigarette smuggling conspiracy. His younger brother, Samir Ramadan, 40, was referred to as the “enterprise treasurer” in a press release from the New York Attorney General’s Office.

At a press conference yesterday, New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman and New York Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly announced the indictments of 16 members of a criminal ring that brought approximately one million cartons of untaxed cigarettes from Virginia to the New York City area.

Law enforcements suspects the proceeds of this illegal operation could be ending up in the hands of terrorist groups, but at this point it’s not a certainty.

“The association of some of the suspects in this case to the Ari Halbestram’s killer, the Blind Sheik and a top Hamas official concerns us,” said Kelly. “While it hasn’t been established yet where the illicit proceeds ended up, we’re concerned because similar schemes have been used in the past to help fund terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah.”

On Wednesday morning, Homeland Security officials and New York authorities stormed a condominium above the Subway on Sunset Drive and Coastal Highway and were seen confiscating items and seemed to be working a crime scene. In West Ocean City, in the Oyster Harbor community, a similar scene played out with the two brothers arrested. Personal property was seized and vehicles were stripped during searches.

Witnesses in the Oyster Harbor community reported to The Dispatch 15 police vehicles from Maryland, New York and New Jersey surrounded the home at 12648 Whisper Trace and two suspects were reportedly handcuffed and seen face down on the lawn. Additionally, at one point, a suburban rolled into the community and six armed agents ran into the house. Four flatbed trucks were also spotted on site and towed all of the vehicles at the home.

The Ramadan family is the owner of several local businesses, including area convenience stores, the Village Market shopping center in Ocean City and the Subway on Sunset Drive where the raid took place (but not other Subways in Ocean City, Berlin and Ocean Pines).

Both Basel and Samir Ramadan were being held yesterday in Worcester County on the charge of fugitive from justice -- New York.

At yesterday’s press conference, authorities outlined the long-term investigation and specifically discussed the Ramadan brothers.

“This joint investigation by the Attorney General's Organized Crime Task Force and the New York City Police Department, and with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations, uncovered the trafficking ring and its connections to Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx, Albany, Schenectady and multiple other states, including Maryland, Delaware, Virginia and New Jersey.

Through the use of electronic surveillance, physical surveillance and the review and analysis of financial records in conjunction with other investigative tools, the Attorney General’s investigation revealed that the head of the enterprise, Basel Ramadan, and his brother, Samir Ramadan, obtained cigarettes from a wholesaler, Cooper Booth Wholesale, Inc., in Virginia and stored them in a public storage facility in Delaware,” the Attorney General press release said. “Several times a week, co-conspirator Adel Abuzahrieh, of Brooklyn, drove with tens of thousands of dollars in cash from New York to Delaware where he gave the Ramadans the cash in exchange for cigarettes. Beyond the $55 million in purchases to cigarettes, the Ramadans have generated more than $10 million in profits from their illegal activities.”

Once the distributors were given the cigarettes, totaling approximately 20,000 cartons per week, they were provided to resellers, who then sold the untaxed smokes to Arab markets and grocery stores in the New York area. In total, the estimated sales tax revenue lost to New York State was estimated at more than $80 million.

“The Ramadan brothers furthered the criminal enterprise by depositing more than $55 million from their untaxed cigarette sales into small local financial institutions in and around Ocean City, Md., and used that money to purchase additional cigarettes for illegal sale,” the press release states.

Basel Ramadan and Samir Ramadan, along with 14 other New York and New Jersey residents, face anywhere from eight to 25 years in prison.

Although the brothers’ exact business ownership in the Ocean City is murky at best, due to another Ramadan family also being local proprietors, tax records confirm Basel Ramadan, through BSM Ocean City Properties LLC and Phoenix Property Investment LLC, owns several units in the Village Market shopping center on 18th Street and Philadelphia Avenue. The brothers own the Subway on Sunset Drive and the condominiums above it that served as their main office, but sources confirm they do not own the Subways on 12th Street, 3rd Street, inside the Walmart, Ocean Pines as well as Berlin.

Last fall, an ambitious program was undertaken to rehabilitate the dilapidated basketball courts and other amenities at Henry Park in Berlin along the east side of Route 113. That project is now nearing completion and the town has been seeking a signature event with which to christen the new facilities. The Mayor and Council got the event they were looking for this week with the approval of the first-ever Berlin Day in the Park event set for Memorial Day weekend.

Event organizer Terran Wright told the Council on Monday the three-day event would include a youth basketball tournament and an adult tournament for players in grade 10 and up, along with a free festival for kids and adults of all ages in conjunction with the Sonrise Church. In addition to the basketball tournaments, the Berlin Day in the Park event will include food and music, inflatable amusements for kids, horseshoes and several other events geared to all of the residents in the community.

“We were aiming for something for kids to look forward to and we came up with an idea for the basketball tournament,” said Wright. “That idea led to several others and we decided to try to make it a weekend-long event over Memorial Day. The long-term goal is to make this an annual event every Memorial Day.”

Wright said the event will afford kids in the community with wholesome activities and provide other entertainment for people of all ages in the community.

“I’ve been coaching youth football for a number of years and I’ve seen a lot of the problems with kids,” he said. “It’s nothing that can’t be fixed.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Councilwoman Lisa Hall. “He’s done a lot of work on this and it sounds like a wonderful event.”

Deputy Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said Berlin was looking for a special event to celebrate the renovation of Henry Park and Wright’s basketball tournaments and associated events fit the bill.

“We were hoping for somebody to step up and execute a basketball tournament to celebrate the opening of Henry Park,” she said.

Along with the Mayor and City Council’s decision to implement paid parking on 146th Street from Coastal Highway to the beach, 49th Street from Coastal Highway to the beach, 131st Street from Coastal Highway to Sinepuxent Ave. and on the west side of Philadelphia Avenue from South 1st to North Division streets, the city is also planning to begin charging for parking in a portion of the municipal lot at the Public Safety Building on 65th Street. All moves are designed to increase revenue and help close a budget gap in the FY14 Financial Operating Plan.

City Engineer Terry McGean updated the Mayor and City Council on the plan to initiate paid parking in the eastern half of the Public Safety Building parking lot, while the other half closest to the building itself will be dedicated to public safety and district court employees and visitors. The parking lot is currently divided into two halves with a drive aisle running north/south.

Paid parking will only be enforced during “off hours”, which are 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. Monday through Friday, and all day on Saturday, Sunday and on holidays.

The west half of the lot will be posted as “Parking for Public Safety Building and District Court Employees and Visitors Only” and those spaces will striped with yellow paint. Employees will be issued a parking pass and enforcement will performed by the police department.

The paid parking half of the lot includes 101 parking spaces, excluding the spaces used by the MVA Mobile Office. Staff has estimates $20,000 in additional revenue per year from the lot, which is already included in the balanced FY14 proposed budget.

“It is a good idea and something we need to move forward with … make sure we sign it and let people know it’s available for beach parking as well on Saturday and Sunday,” Council President Lloyd Martin said.

Paid parking in Ocean City is currently in affect now on the weekends and will become enforced daily starting the Friday before Memorial Day weekend.

Ocean City tourism officials have been discussing how to come up with a more reliable way in measuring the amount of tourism passing through Ocean City, besides relying on Demoflush figures, which are estimations on the population in Ocean City based on wastewater flow from Ocean City provided by the Ocean City Wastewater Division and calculated by the OC Tourism Department.

At that time, the discussion concluded with several options left to be further explored, such as the State of Maryland’s tourism metric, looking into local resources to conduct a study, such as the Business, Economic and Community Outreach Network (BEACON) at Salisbury University, or hiring an independent entity to conduct a study.

Andy Malis of MGH, the town’s advertising agency, had suggested contacting Nobi in coming up with a way to measure Ocean City’s tourism. Nobi is a group of scientists that specialize in using complex mathematical modeling techniques and applied statistics in the form of experimental design to help clients achieve their objectives, but hiring the independent entity was a costly option.

During a commission meeting in April, Commission Chair/Councilwoman Mary Knight recommended the development of a subcommittee to analyze already available tourism data.

“The next step is developing a subcommittee to explore this a little bit further,” Tourism Director Donna Abbott said at that time. “There are a whole bunch of different things we could put on a dashboard like trash collection, bus revenue, parking lot revenue and all those different things we have that we can put into a report to have a better picture of what’s going on.”

At this week’s Tourism Commission meeting, Maryland Office of Tourism Development Director Margot Amelia shared the state’s monthly reports and the metrics used.

The Maryland Tourism Monitor is a monthly recap of Maryland’s travel and tourism trends monitored by the Amelia’s office. The monitor tracks the offices’ website visitation, the number of newsletter subscribers, social media traffic, requests for travel information, the number of welcome center visitors, kiosk usage, hotel occupancy reported by Smith Travel Research, Inc., airport arrivals, Amtrak train system ridership leisure and hospitality employment and tourism taxes.

“I know you guys have some really great metrics that you can look for because at the end of the day visitors are important but what’s really important is revenue,” Amelia said. “We can all do a really great job in guiding a lot of daytrippers into Ocean City to use the restrooms and generate some Demoflush but what we are interested in hearing is your hotel revenue is up and amusement and admissions tax is up and restaurant tax is up because that is how we can really tell if tourism is up.”

“We made great progress in coming up with some metrics that we already have, and that we will hopefully be able to start with sometime this summer,” Knight said.

Abbott said like the Maryland Tourism Monitor, Ocean City has a lot of the same data available. It is just the matter of collecting the information and organizing it, such as bus ridership, Inlet parking revenue, solid waste collection, Demoflush and Smith Travel Report hotel occupancy.

According to City Clerk Kelly Allmond, during the 2013 budget hearings the council requested a review of the municipal election process.

The Ocean City Municipal and Presidential Elections were held concurrently at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center on Nov. 6, 2012.  The two elections were held in separate rooms of the building. There were 3,064 voters for the municipal election and 3,144 voters for the presidential election. The total cost for the election was $9,060.

“At the end of the day, voters expressed one common concern about the municipal election -- long lines,” Allmond said. “I attribute the delays to high voter turnout coupled with one disabled voting machine.”

Allmond furthered Ocean City’s voting system has become outdated as the Shoupe machines are now obsolete. The last vendor on the East Coast stopped servicing the machines in 2010, and the Mayor and City Council will be faced with added costs of replacing or renting additional voting equipment. The latest quote on leasing eight electronic poll books is $9,900 plus programming fees.

Allmond estimated $20,000 to conduct another separate municipal election, or a one-time cost of up to $15,000 to program the county system to incorporate the municipal election.

When City Solicitor Guy Ayres first looked into the idea of adding the local municipal election to the county’s program almost a year ago, the Worcester County Board of Elections advised him it could not be done without the State of Maryland’s Board of Elections approval.

For Ocean City’s election to be held by the county as part of the general election, legislation must be passed by the General Assembly.

“I have gone through the state election code and quite frankly I don’t agree with this,” Ayres said. “There is nothing in the state election code that requires them to do anything to add a municipal election date, in fact to the best of my knowledge they do it for Cumberland.”

Ayres suggested for Mayor Rick Meehan to write a letter to Senator Jim Mathias pointing out the issue with the state board and ask the senator to have the attorney general’s office to look at it.

Councilman Joe Mitrecic made a motion to move forward with having Ocean City’s municipal elections handled by the county and have the mayor write a letter to Mathias. The council vote was unanimous.

The Casino at Ocean Downs last week gained approval from the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency for its new hours of operation. Maryland voters in November approved through a referendum a gaming bill that, among other things, allows casinos in the state to operate 24 hours a day if they chose. The Casino at Ocean Downs earlier this year applied to the state gaming agency for a 24/7 operation and the application was approved.

Other casinos already operating in Maryland, including Maryland Live in Anne Arundel County, are already open 24 hours a day, but because of the seasonal nature of the resort area, the Berlin casino has only operated on a 24-hour basis on weekends thus far. However, in an attempt to take advantage of the summer season, the Casino at Ocean Downs applied for and received permission to operate 24 hours a day through the end of September.

As a result, the Berlin casino will open at 8 a.m. on Friday, May 17 and will remain open around the clock until 4 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 30.

After that, the Casino at Ocean Downs will return to an off-season schedule. Beginning Sept. 30, the Ocean Downs casino will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. on Monday through Thursday and will resume 24-hour operations from Friday to 4 a.m. on Monday mornings, General Manager Joe Cavilla said this week.

In another significant change expected to take place this summer, the Casino at Ocean Downs will be allowed to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. each day after the Maryland General Assembly passed compromise legislation during the 2013 session that also included an earlier sunset provision on the requirement for restaurants and bars in Worcester County to purchase liquor exclusively from the county’s Department of Liquor Control (DLC).

In March, feathers were ruffled when it was learned an amendment could be attached to a bill in the General Assembly addressing other issues related to Worcester County’s liquor laws that would have allowed the Casino at Ocean Downs to serve alcohol 24 hours a day.

The proposed change rankled the liquor license holders in Worcester, most of which are concentrated in and around Ocean City, because of the perception it would create an uneven playing field for the bars and restaurants that would still be held to the firm 2 a.m. closing time.

As a result, the license holders pushed for a concession on their behalf in the form of an earlier disconnect date from the county’s DLC wholesale operation. As part of the legislation that dissolved the old Liquor Control Board (LCB) and created the county-run DLC, the licensees were required to continue to purchase wholesale liquor from the county until July 1, 2016, at which point they would be able to opt out and purchase spirits on the open market if they so desired.

When the dust settled, the amendment was changed to allow the Casino at Ocean Downs to continue to serve alcohol until 4 a.m., not 24 hours as they originally hoped for, and the sunset date for the license holders to opt out of the DLC and test the wholesale open market was moved to July 1, 2014.

The legislation created a new class of liquor license in Worcester County exclusive to the Casino at Ocean Downs, allowing the facility to serve alcohol until 4 a.m. However, the earliest the extended hours for liquor sales at the casino could take effect is July 1, pending the issuance of the new class of license by the county, according to Cavilla.

During a Police Commission meeting Monday morning, Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) Captain Gregory Guiton presented the opportunity to acquire military Humvees.

“It’s free but we all know that free is never free, there is always associated costs,” Guiton said, explaining the costs will begin with transporting the vehicle to Ocean City and whatever work to be done to the vehicle afterwards, such as paint and equipment.

Guiton furthered the department is looking to receive a vehicle from the closest military base of Ft. Meade or Dover. The vehicle does not have to be limited to police use only, but could be used across city public safety departments, such as fire and beach patrol.

With two major hurricanes impacting Ocean City in the past two years, the town has relied on military assistance and their vehicles to rescue Ocean City residents from high waters. Guiton pointed out military procedure is to have two drivers and a spotter in the vehicle, and once Ocean City’s own personnel joins the rescue it leaves little room for others.

“By acquiring one and making it a city vehicle … we would have the ability to have the vehicle for these types of scenarios that seem to be happening more frequently,” he said. “It doesn’t take a lot of water for our standard vehicles to not be able to go through [high water] and a vehicle such as the military Humvees would be a bonus force to have to provide service to the town specifically during these types of weather events.”

Guiton provided research conducted on other agencies who had taken on military vehicles and their choices in customization, such as having it painted in town colors and branded and adding emergency lights or different types of caps, which would all be additional expenses.

Guiton cautioned against picking available vehicles out on the Internet and if this was a direction the Mayor and City Council wanted to move in he recommended having staff travel to the location to inspect the condition of the available vehicle to avoid repair costs.

“If you thought this is something the town would be interested in, this might be the time to at least acquire it and then put it on the back burner as far as how much you really want to invest in the vehicle itself,” he said. “The availability of the Humvees is getting less and less because people are taking advantage of getting these and it is hit or miss.”

Captain Michael Colbert added during Hurricane Sandy Ocean City asked the state for three Humvees and two deuce and a half vehicle. Due to the ongoing devastation caused by the hurricane to the north, the state was in need of those vehicles in other locations.

“In this instance, we could release them sooner … it would help us reduce our needs from outside of the area,” he said.

Mayor Rick Meehan was in favor of moving forward in acquiring a military vehicle to be used strictly for emergency purposes but added in Ocean City’s case the vehicle should be equipped with a snorkel kit to ride in high waters.

“To have one, I am not as interested in it for a parade or anything else, or to paint, I would rather spend money on a snorkel and have it has an emergency operations vehicle,” he said.

Captain Kevin Kirstein pointed out the vehicle would also have to have the right tires to get through high waters not knowing what lies underneath in flooded streets, such as during Hurricane Gloria when an excess of nails were left among the debris.

Council President Lloyd Martin was hesitant over the expenses associated with maintaining the vehicle and asked for further evaluation on the associated costs before bringing the idea before the council.

The mayor recommended the police department keep a look out for a vehicle that would suit Ocean City’s needs, and at that time bring the opportunity before the Mayor and City Council to approve staff to travel to the location and inspect the vehicle to be acquired and go from there.

Last year, 32,000 museums in 129 countries participated in International Museum Day. The theme for 2013 is “Museums: memory + creativity = social change.”

The Ocean City Lifesaving Station Museum at the Inlet will be open from 10 a.m.-5. Admission is free.
Choo Choo Blue, the B&O Railroad Museum’s children’s mascot, will be joining the festivities by making a special appearance at the Boardwalk tram station, just north of the museum from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Costen House Museum, located in Pocomoke City, is planning to be open 1-4 p.m. and offering free admission.

Also located in Pocomoke City, the Delmarva Discovery Center will be open 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free admission will be extended for Armed Forces members.

The Furnace Town Living Heritage Museum in Snow Hill will be open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. An archeology dig is planned from 1 to 4 p.m. Call 410-632-2032 to pre-register.

The St. Martin’s Church, an 18th Century Flemish Bond Church, will be hosting a. tour by candlelight from 5-8 p.m. The Maryland Wine Bar will be sponsoring the event. Regional appetizers will be on-hand and Deborah and Mike Everett will be pouring the wine samplings.

The Board of Directors will feature the architectural design plans of David Quillin, AIA, for the future comfort station, gift shop, interpretive space and amphitheater on the St. Martin’s property.

Later, on May 27, the season opening of St. Martin's is planned with complimentary public tours from 1-4 p.m. every Monday through October. Donations are always kindly accepted. Private tours available by appointment.

The Diamondback Terrapin may be Maryland’s state reptile and the mascot for the University of Maryland, but its current population status in the coastal bays, as well as in the state of Maryland, is poorly understood. The annual terrapin head count survey is held in the Chesapeake Bay and the Coastal Bays to better understand its status in the state. Counting terrapin heads in the water as they congregate for breeding or other purposes is considered to be an effective way of monitoring population numbers. The turtles do not need to be captured, just observed and counted. The thought is to continue these observations over a period of time and departures from average numbers could point to areas of concern.

The coastal bays count will consist of surveys in all five bays including tidal creeks and marsh guts. Surveys can be conducted by crews in either motorized boats or canoes and kayaks.

Organizers are looking for boat owners who can provide the transport, experienced water people who are able to identify turtles in the water (the terrapin is typically the turtle occupying brackish/salt water, but other turtles, such as snapping turtles, may venture into those waters as well) and a person who can accurately fill out survey forms in the field, including GPS coordinates.

MCBP will provide a brief training through its website and paperwork to those interested in participating.

Locations of surveys will depend on the number of crews that are available. If you have an interest in participating in the survey, contact the Maryland Coastal Bays Program’s Sandi Smith at sandis@mdcoastalbays.org or 410-641-2297 ext. 107.

The Mayor and Council on Monday approved an application for a state-issued Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) totaling around $800,000 for fiscal year to begin an ambitious stormwater management plan that could be a test case of sorts for other municipalities across Maryland. The application, if accepted, will be the third leg in a series of CDBG requests totaling over $1.9 million.

The other portions of Berlin’s latest series of CDBG grants have been used on other important projects throughout the town including the construction of a wastewater holding pond, or lagoon, at the Five Mile Branch spray irrigation site and the complete remodeling of the public restrooms in Town Hall in the center of Berlin.

The third phase in the latest series of state grants will be used, if approved, for the beginning of the town’s multi-year, multi-faceted stormwater management plan. The first leg of that ambitious plan would improve the flow of stormwater in the area of Hudson’s Branch in general, and more specifically install a new culvert under Flower Street in an area prone to heavy flooding in even a modest weather event.

“I think we’re all keenly aware of Berlin’s flooding problems,” said Deputy Town Administrator Mary Bohlen. “This would address all areas affected by Hudson’s Branch. The culvert at Flower Street is currently undersized and this would be a first step in the process to alleviate the flooding problems.”

Among the areas that could see initial relief from flooding by replacing the undersized culvert at Flower Street include Franklin Ave., Cedar Ave. and Maple Ave., for example. Stormwater engineer Darryl Cole explained the project needed to begin somewhere and the Flower Street culvert represented a good jumping off point.

“The improvements at that location will improve the flow further upstream,” he said. “There is a bottleneck there, and everything that happens further upstream is affected by it. There is a lot of water trying to go through a very small area.”

Mayor Gee Williams assured all of the residents of the town that starting a town-wide stormwater management plan at the known trouble spot at Flower Street made the most sense.

“This is going to be a three-year project and we have to start somewhere,” he said. “Showell Street is also at the top of the list. This is what the engineers have told us will do the most good for the least amount of money. This is not a one-time thing. We’re systematically going to fix all of the trouble areas in the town.”

Williams said Berlin has the opportunity, or the misfortune perhaps, of being one of the first to aggressively fix its stormwater management problems.

“This problem is so big all over the country and everybody is a little intimidated because they want to fix everything all at once,” he said. “We’re going to be at the front of the line. It’s not like we’re going to be able to go to other towns and ask how they did it. Other towns are going to be looking to us for advice for the next 20 years.”

The stormwater management plan is just a portion of the town’s most recent CDBG grant package. Creating the holding lagoon at the Five Mile Branch spray irrigation site was a $5 million project paid for in part by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) at $3 million, the CDBG at $600,000 and the town at $182,000. The storage lagoon covers about eight acres and is expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The other portion of the CDBG funds is being used to completely restore the dilapidated old public restrooms at Town Hall on William Street. Of the estimated $114,328 total cost of the project, the CDBG grant is covering $65,500.

“They weren’t the most pleasant of places to send the visitors to our special events,” said Bohlen. “They were outdated, hard to keep clean and a constant problem with maintenance.”

Bohlen explained the old fixtures were torn out and completely replaced with state-of-the-art fixtures. The old facilities were essentially demolished completely and the undersized and outdated plumbing and drainage systems were completely replaced.

“They are much, much better,” said Williams. “They are no longer a place you’d be ashamed to send your family and friends.”

One resident in attendance asked the council to install new signage at different locations around Berlin to direct visitors to the new and improved public restrooms. Williams said they would take it under consideration, but said many of the special event programs include maps of where restrooms and other town amenities are located. He also said most visitors these days are armed with smart phones that direct people where to go for public services.

Officially kicking off yesterday, the nationally recognized event attracts more than 3,200 customs, hot rods, street machines, classics and more from over 20 states plus Canada.

Cruisin will have more than 10,000 event participants taking part in various car shows at the Convention Center on 40th Street, the downtown Inlet parking lot and various citywide locations.

Scheduled to appear at this year's Cruisin will be “Mountain Man” from the hit TV show Duck Dynasty. He will be at Cruisin on Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18 signing autographs, posing for pictures and talking about all the fun they have on Duck Dynasty.

Also joining in on the excitement from Speed Channel’s hit television show will be the host of Two Guys Garage, Kevin Byrd. He will be at the show Saturday and Sunday for meet and greets, photo opportunities and autographs. Additional entertainment includes live music by the Justin Myles Experience & Mook Jones, celebrity Stars Deejay, Cruisin Gold Deejay and more.

Another great feature activity held as part of Cruisin is the Express Auctioneers’ Hot Rod and Custom Car Auction. This year it is a two-day event with auctions yesterday Thursday, May 16 and again on Friday, May 17 inside the Convention Center. The preview will begin at 9 a.m. and the live auction begins at noon both days. For more information on the auction, or if you are interested in being a seller or a buyer, visit www.occollectorcars.com or call 443-807-8883.

In addition to the Collector Car Auction, there will be a Special Charity Banner Auction on Saturday, May 18, starting at 11 a.m., inside the Convention Center Ballroom.   

Due to the overwhelming success of last year, returning this year on Saturday night at Hooper's Crab House in West Ocean City will be the Golden Touch Band. The concert starts at 7 p.m. and is free to everyone. Golden Touch plays a variety of 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and Motown and is sure to have you dancing the night away.

At the Convention Center, attendees will find many other vendors selling automotive merchandise along with arts, crafts, jewelry, T-shirts plus lots of other specialty items both inside and outside.

Cruisin Ocean City is open to spectators from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 17-18 at the Convention Center and Inlet Parking Lot. On Sunday, May 19, the show is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Inlet Parking Lot with the awards ceremony beginning at 3 p.m. and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Convention Center. General spectator admission is $10, good at all locations, children under 14 are free with an adult.

Around 2:15 a.m. on Monday, an Ocean City Police vehicle was stopped at a traffic signal in the southbound lane of Coastal Highway at 41st Street when it was struck by a motor scooter. The scooter’s operator, identified as Edward Thomas Johnson, 25, of Salisbury, ran into the back of the police vehicle, causing him to be ejected.

The officer involved immediately began to render aid to Johnson, who was wearing a helmet. However, the helmet became dislodged during the collision and failed to fully protect him.

As of late Monday afternoon, Johnson’s medical status had not been updated. The OCPD officer involved was also treated at Atlantic General Hospital for minor injuries and was released.

Police continue to investigate the incident. According to the preliminary investigation, Johnson was believed to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time of the collision.

Residents and visitors may see beach patrol activities around town before Memorial Day weekend, but this is the OCBP’s Surf Rescue Academy, which is when rookie personnel are trained.

The first training academy begins Sunday, May 19, with an enrollment of 35 new employees, with a second academy beginning Sunday, June 16. The OCBP will be conducting one additional pre-employment physical skill evaluation, on Saturday, June 8, for appointment to the second training academy.

The OCBP is specifically looking for individuals who are available to work till the end of the season, Sunday, Sept. 22. To register for this opportunity, visit the beach patrol website at www.ococean.com/ocbp

Although the OCBP does not require any experience or previous certifications, all rookie surf rescue technicians have successfully completed the pre-employment physical skill evaluation. This pre-employment physical skill evaluation is a 12-phase, six-hour process, concluding with an interview and the offer of an appointment to one of the two Surf Rescue Academies.

During the 65-hour Surf Rescue Academy, all participants will be drug tested, participate in physical skills training and practice, attend classroom instruction, have guest presenters from other agencies and re-qualify in swimming and running. Once Surf Rescue Academy is completed, the Surf Rescue Technician (lifeguard) will have all the training and certification necessary to take a stand on one of Ocean City’s beaches.

Starting May 25, the beach patrol will be on duty every day from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.  At 5:25 p.m., you will see the lifeguards signaling everyone out of the ocean. This is their way of letting the beach-goers know they are going off duty and they should cease all water-related activities until 10 a.m. the next day when lifeguards are back on duty.  

The OCBP continues its efforts to educate the public, warning of the dangers of swimming on unguarded beaches, and that the OCBP does whatever it takes to make sure people leave the ocean before making that last turn to the west, leaving the beaches for the night.

In the wake of mandates handed down to the states under the guise of ObamaCare, Maryland lawmakers this winter passed the state’s Affordable Care Act (ACT). Out of that legislation was borne the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange, a public corporation and unit of the state government charged with the implementation of the state-based insurance exchange program.

The Worcester County Health Department announced this week it had been chosen to facilitate the state’s health care program and provide consumer assistance for health insurance to uninsured residents across the region. An anticipated $1.2 million grant will fund the new program, which includes staff who will provide face-to-face assistance with navigating the Maryland Health Connection.

ACT requires all Americans to acquire healthcare insurance from one of a variety of sources by January 2014. Some will be able to find affordable health insurance on their own, while others will likely need state assistance. The program for which the county health department will be a facilitator will help connect uninsured residents with the appropriate state programs if necessary.

The state-based health insurance marketplace will serve residents in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties. The Lower Shore program operated by the Worcester County Health Department will employ 17 new positions.

“We are honored to be selected as the connector program for the Lower Eastern Shore,” said Worcester County Health Officer Debbie Goeller this week. “We look forward to working with our state and local partners to help people select plans offered through Maryland Health Connection.”

Education and outreach about the Maryland Health Connection will begin this summer, with open enrollment for the health benefit plans expected to take place from October 2013 to March 2014. Details about office hours, enrollment services, call center and other operations will be announced later this summer.

During the State Highway Administration’s (SHA) annual spring meeting with the Mayor and City Council on Tuesday afternoon, SHA Assistant District Engineer Ken Cimino gave an update on the pedestrian safety campaign in Ocean City.

“As of last September, we had a long list of things we were hoping to do here in Ocean City geared towards our pedestrian safety efforts, and we have managed to complete a good portion of them,” Cimino said.

SHA has implemented “side road split phasing”, which is the assignment of right-of-way of vehicular traffic, on Coastal Highway and Robin Drive, Coastal Highway and 94th Street and Coastal Hwy and 130th Street.

“Side road split phasing will eliminate pedestrian conflicts at these large intersections where we have multiple concurrent double left turns and other movements that were happening at the same time,” Cimino said.

Starting on March 15, the SHA added pedestrian recall at 13 intersections between 59th and 17th streets between the hours of 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. In the future, this program will run from May 1 through Sept. 30.

“The pedestrian recall feature will allow a signal control, called Ped Signal, when a vehicle is at the side street, so even when the pedestrian neglects to push the button they will automatically have walk icon as they cross the roadway,” Cimino said. “We are keeping an eye on this. We are hoping it is a successful safety feature …”

“What this means is when the Ped Signal comes up, pedestrians will give an exclusive, about seven seconds, to start walking across the roadway before the side road green indicator comes up for vehicular traffic,” Cimino said.

Last year there were 41 accidents on Coastal Highway and out of those accidents six occurred in the area between 52nd and 59th streets.

In that area, SHA has placed pavement marking on the curbs every 40 feet that are yellow with black lettering that state “No Pedestrian Crossing.” Also, on each side street approaching Coastal Highway in that area, signs have been installed stating “No Pedestrian Crossing” with the universal symbol for no pedestrian crossing and arrows directing pedestrians to the marked intersections stating “Use Crosswalk.”

SHA has a list of ongoing efforts currently being studied and researched, such as eliminating right-hand-turn-on-red movements at larger and busier intersections. Accident data is currently being studied regarding this action with results to be brought forward later in the summer season.

If the study shows the action to be warranted, right hand turns on red would be eliminated in six locations; Robin Drive, 33rd Street, 94th Street, 123rd Street, 127th Street and 130th Street.

Another ongoing effort is the idea of a “Road Diet” on Coastal Hwy. SHA has limited it down to two options.

One concept would have the current third vehicle traffic lane become shared between vehicles and buses and have the current bus lane become a bike lane with wider sidewalks for pedestrians. The other would have only two vehicle traffic lanes, the third lane dedicated to buses only, and the current bus lane become a bike lane with wider sidewalks for traffic.

“Right now, that project is with our Office of Highway Development that is currently going through the project’s impact review stage, to look at the feasibility of these two projects,” Cimino said. “We are hoping we will be getting that report sometime mid-summer to see what is the best way to go. They are also looking at any kind of median barriers.”

SHA’s Office of Traffic and Safety is currently working on right-of-way issues regarding the installation of a pedestrian crossing signal on 54th Street.

“Once they get cleared up. I expect the design of the pedestrian signal at 54th St., to move forward later this summer or early fall,” Cimino said.

SHA has picked a weekend in each month of May through September this summer to collect data on the initiatives being taken to improve pedestrian safety in Ocean City,

“We have gotten a lot of things done, but we have a long way to go,” Cimino said. “We will see how the summer goes. Hopefully, it will be successful and if it is, we will build off the success, and if it isn’t as successful, we will reevaluate and see what other measures to implement.”

Last fall, an ambitious program was undertaken to rehabilitate the dilapidated basketball courts and other amenities at Henry Park in Berlin along the east side of Route 113. That project is now nearing completion and the town has been seeking a signature event with which to christen the new facilities. The Mayor and Council got the event they were looking for this week with the approval of the first-ever Berlin Day in the Park event set for Memorial Day weekend.

Event organizer Terran Wright told the Council on Monday the three-day event would include a youth basketball tournament and an adult tournament for players in grade 10 and up, along with a free festival for kids and adults of all ages in conjunction with the Sonrise Church. In addition to the basketball tournaments, the Berlin Day in the Park event will include food and music, inflatable amusements for kids, horseshoes and several other events geared to all of the residents in the community.

“We were aiming for something for kids to look forward to and we came up with an idea for the basketball tournament,” said Wright. “That idea led to several others and we decided to try to make it a weekend-long event over Memorial Day. The long-term goal is to make this an annual event every Memorial Day.”

Wright said the event will afford kids in the community with wholesome activities and provide other entertainment for people of all ages in the community.

“I’ve been coaching youth football for a number of years and I’ve seen a lot of the problems with kids,” he said. “It’s nothing that can’t be fixed.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Councilwoman Lisa Hall. “He’s done a lot of work on this and it sounds like a wonderful event.”

Deputy Town Administrator Mary Bohlen said Berlin was looking for a special event to celebrate the renovation of Henry Park and Wright’s basketball tournaments and associated events fit the bill.

“We were hoping for somebody to step up and execute a basketball tournament to celebrate the opening of Henry Park,” she said.

Around 2 a.m. on Sunday, Ocean City Police responded to the area of Coastal Highway and 49th Street for a reported motor vehicle collision involving a pedestrian. Officers arrived on the scene and met with the driver, who, along with several witnesses, told police an unidentified male attempted to cross the highway from west to east when he was struck by the southbound vehicle.

The pedestrian, who was crossing against the traffic signal, rolled onto the windshield, causing damage to the vehicle, before getting up and fleeing the scene. Ocean City Police were unable to locate the pedestrian immediately. However, later the same morning, Ocean City Police and EMS responded to the Quality Inn on 54th Street for a report of an injured male, later identified as Samuel Louis Cribbs, 24, of Murraysville, Pa., who was bleeding. Once on the scene, Ocean City Police were able to determine Cribbs was allegedly the pedestrian struck while crossing Coastal Highway at 49th Street hours earlier.

Cribbs was transported to PRMC for treatment of undisclosed injuries. Based on the information provided by the driver and witnesses, Cribbs was charged as a pedestrian unsafely crossing the roadway. The driver, whose name has not been released, was determined to have been sober and was released at the scene.

Sunday morning’s pedestrian-vehicle collision was the first of the early season and came after a town of Ocean City and State Highway Administration (SHA) partnership to increase awareness and improve pedestrian safety on Coastal Highway, including the installation of markings at certain traditionally troublesome intersections including 49th Street.

In front of a full house, including residents and downtown merchants on Monday, the Mayor and Council agreed to come up with an ordinance that will address the issue of temporary signs and restaurant tables and chairs in the public walkways throughout Berlin. The issue came to a head in April when the town’s Historic District Commission (HDC) heard several complaints about the proliferation of temporary structures along Berlin’s sidewalks and could find little clarity in the existing code to address the concerns. The Mayor and Council picked up the issue this week and promised to revisit the sections of the code regarding sidewalks and temporary signs and other structures.

“We need to codify all of this and make sure we’re all on the same page,” said Mayor Gee Williams. “We need to set the record straight on this before everything gets more wild.”

Williams said there have been sections in the code addressing temporary structures, but the downtown area has changed dramatically in recent years with the proliferation of new businesses and some of those sections might have to be revisited as a result.

“There has been an ordinance on the books for years,” he said. “It covers scales, newspaper boxes, even stone flower pots. Most of the things are there for aesthetic purposes and they’ve added to the town.”

Councilwoman Lisa Hall said during the HDC meeting in April sidewalk obstructions in the form of signs, tables and chairs had become an issue of public safety. She welcomed the concept of revising the code.

“I think it’s a great idea,” she said. “We need to let everybody know exactly what the policy is for sidewalks.”

Town Attorney Dave Gaskill said the code had specific language relating to the placement of temporary signs, but the rules for restaurant tables and chairs were somewhat vague. Gaskill confirmed temporary signs had to be just that.

“The ordinance provides that they have to be moved after the close of business,” said Gaskill. “Tables and chairs are not covered in the code.”

Williams said there would likely be some changes to the code regarding the placement of temporary signs, but those with existing signs might not be affected.

“Basically, signs already approved are fine,” he said. “If you’re getting a new sign, there might be some new requirements. They would have to be taken down at the close of business, for example.”

The mayor suggested downtown merchants exercise common sense when placing temporary signs until the code changes are in place.

“The one thing I would never advise is putting them right in the middle of the sidewalk. I don’t think there is any intention to block mobility, especially for those with disabilities,” he said.

“We need to have an open discussion and let people know what is acceptable,” he said. “We need one set of requirements for movable things, and they should probably be slightly more lenient than those for more permanent things.”

In terms of the restaurant tables and chairs issue, Williams said the town’s elected officials will likely continue to hold the authority on permission.

“If you wish to put out tables and chairs, you’re going to have to come before the Mayor and Council and make sure they don’t infringe on Maryland accessibility requirements,” he said.

In 2011, the Lower Shore Land Trust, along with residents, town agencies and other stakeholders first floated the idea of creating a more pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly Berlin and connecting the town to a network of existing and future trails and other hiking and biking infrastructure in the area. In the months since, the cooperating agencies and individuals have been working on a master plan for a Walkable-Bikable Berlin, and the Mayor and Council on Monday approved the document, which could accelerate the program.

While the plan is largely conceptual at this point, the long-term goal is to create a network of safe hiking and biking areas throughout the town, allowing residents and visitors to safely access shopping, restaurants, galleries and town services without getting in their cars and searching for parking. The benefits are at least two-fold in that it will encourage healthy alternatives for travel in and around Berlin while reducing emissions and improving the overall environment.

The plan calls for the creation of a “green belt” of sorts around the town’s perimeter to allow hiking and biking residents to easily access the downtown areas and other destinations. The plan also calls for connecting to existing and future local, state and federal trail systems, creating a larger transportation network.

For example, one of the first legs of the plan calls for connecting Berlin to Assateague Island along Route 611 to Route 346 and ultimately into the town. Mayor Gee Williams said the plan has enormous potential but the problem will likely always be how to get across Route 113. In the meantime, the plan calls for creating sidewalks or bike lanes when possible to fill in the gaps for safe biking and hiking.

“We’ve discussed this for well over a year, and I haven’t heard anybody against this idea,” he said. “This seems to have universal appeal.”

Williams said there are plenty examples of successful hiking and biking trails, most notably in Europe where bicycles are a primary mode of transportation.

“I hope we’re all around long enough to see this because this has the potential to be a huge benefit for Berlin,” he said. “We have an obligation to make that happen here.”

According to WPS Assistant Director of Development Betsy Hornung, the multipurpose room has become cramped as the school’s population has grown. The renovations will serve to make the area larger and more inclusive and more modern.

“So we’re raising money to kind of push it out and expand it. We’ve got more kids now and it’s getting crowded so we’re going to add some features to it, and this is the final push to finish the fundraising for it,” she said. “We’re at the point where the construction for it is going to start this summer so it’s going to be completed in time for the kids to come back in September.”

Dedicated fundraising for the renovations began with the first Race for Excellence last year, though WPS has had other events and programs contribute money to the project. This year’s Race for Excellence has raised more than $30,000 alone, according to WPS Director of Development Marion Connolly.

This year’s event included the added bonus of a friendly rivalry between the lower and middle schools.

“So we had a friendly competition between the lower school and the middle school just based on participation,” said Hornung. “It really doesn’t have to do with the money raised.”

Because there was greater participation from the middle school at WPS, Celeste Bunting, lower school head, had to wash the car of Mike Grosso, the middle school head, in front of students and faculty. Bunting, who had never washed a car before, received a hand when WPS Headmaster Dr. Barry Tull volunteered to share the duty. The long-awaited renovations for the multipurpose room, said Tull, were worth the work.

“It’s very necessary and our multipurpose room, which serves mainly as our dining hall, has been overcrowded for several years, and this new addition will enable us to put in professional grade serving areas, expand the table space, additional spaces for lockers, things that I think will really improve the life of our students on a day-by-day basis,” he said.

After the public car washing on Friday morning, the actual “race” portion of Race for Excellence was held in the early afternoon on the WPS campus. Both the lower and middle school participated with an added competitive factor for older students. The three students in middle school to complete the most laps during the event were recognized and awarded trophies. But just like the car washing, Hornung said that any rivalry was all in good fun with everyone’s main objective was the completion of the new project.

Community support both years has been fantastic, noted Tull, with parents, alumni and others involved with WPS understanding how important it is for the school’s infrastructure to grow with its students.

“Everyone recognizes the need in our school community and has stepped forward,” he said. “It’s been a very successful project and this Race for Excellence has just been icing on the cake.”

Besides the primary goal of raising funds for renovations, Hornung also commented on how Race for Excellence is a “multidimensional fundraiser” since it encourages students to play an active role not just running during the event in the afternoon but also having a hand in community outreach and teamwork while raising donations.

Founder and largest shareholder Warren Rosenfeld is a retired lawyer, real estate developer and corporate CEO from the Washington D.C. area. He and his wife moved to their vacation home in Ocean Pines when he was still a CEO for a technology company in northern New Jersey.

“I moved here with my wife five years ago when we became empty nesters,” he said. “We had vacationed here our whole lives, even as kids.”

“I had a half way decent couple of months walking in the morning, working out in the afternoon, but I don’t play golf, I don’t play cards and I don’t fish. What I have done my whole life is create and grow businesses, and that’s what I really enjoy,” he said.

Rosenfeld’s grandparents and father immigrated from Germany in 1940, and his grandfather immediately opened a bakery in the Eastern Market of Washington D.C that he co-owned with his brother. In 1986, his father and mother purchased a diner two blocks from the White House and operated it for 18 years and Rosenfeld and his siblings helped at the restaurant in their spare time.

“Even when I became a lawyer at 25, I still went in to help,” he said. “That kind of stuff gets in your blood, as a family we have wonderful memories of the diner.”

Having vacationed in Ocean City his entire life, Rosenfeld always noticed the absence of a traditional Jewish deli and upon retirement he decided it was time to make it happen.

After studying the menus of several well-known Jewish delis across the country, by Sept. 1, 2012, Rosenfeld’s Jewish Delicatessen’s extensive menu was complete, and Rosenfeld focused on finding the perfect location. Eventually, his brother recommended looking into hiring a local restaurant consultant, and with a quick research Rosenfeld quickly came across SoDel Concepts, which under Matt Haley operates nine successful restaurants in the resort area.

“SoDel Concepts and I set out to find a space … and then the old Sunshine House location here opened up in the middle of November and I immediately hopped on it,” Rosenfeld said.

The location on 63rd Street and Coastal Highway is Rosenfeld’s dream location with a front wrap-around porch that seats 50, plus a small amount of inside seating and an uncovered picnic area.

“I didn’t want a carry-out business, I wanted a sit-down business, and from the beginning I wanted to build a large porch in the front and on the side … I also realized that sooner rather than later I wanted the porch enclosed so it could be a year-round destination,” Rosenfeld said.

Starting today, Rosenfeld’s Jewish Delicatessen will be open seven days a week from 7:30 a.m. until 7 p.m., and beginning Saturday, June 15, it will be open all week until 9 p.m.

“The whole goal here is to be a full service restaurant -- breakfast, lunch and dinner,” Rosenfeld said.

Rosenfeld’s will offer sit-down wait staff service, take out service, platters, catering, deliveries and a grocery-like menu of bagels, whole challah and rye bread loaves, and lox, sliced meats, cheeses, smoked fish, and deli salads sold by the pound for enjoyment at home.  All bagels will be baked on the premises, and the pickle barrels, smoked fish, knishes and bagel dough are brought in from New York. All of the deli meats are supplied by Saval Foods of Baltimore.

“We cook our own corn beef and brisket on premises,” Rosenfeld said. “We try to make whatever we can on site ourselves, so we make our own Matzo ball, we make our own noodle kugel, we make our own chopped liver, which is a big deal, and we make all of our own salads.”

The delicatessen will be as authentic as possible, although it will not be strictly kosher. Traditional Jewish fare along with popular diner meals will be served. Bagels, lox, challah, matzo brei, whitefish, herring, knishes, latkes, blintzes, chopped liver, a full array of deli meats and cheeses, chicken in the pot, matzo ball soup, and many over-the-top desserts will be served, among other choices. Large portions and huge deli sandwiches will be the delicatessen’s trademark.

A huge variety of desserts are commissioned from four different bakeries from Salisbury to New York. The signature drink is, of course, the New York Chocolate Egg Cream and is made with one type of chocolate syrup, U-Bet Syrup. Also, six different varieties of Dr. Brown soda are chilled in a 1948 G&E refrigerator on the front porch ready to be served.

“I get fantastic pleasure out of bringing this type of food to the Maryland-Delaware resorts,” Rosenfeld said. “We have received tremendous feedback…people I don’t even know hugging and kissing me as they leave, thanking me…”

Competitors qualified for this event through their local ESA districts over the past year and were competing for a coveted slot at the ESA’s premier event, the 46th Annual Eastern Surfing Association Championships (Easterns), scheduled for Sept. 15-21 at Nags Head, N.C. The ESA’s three regional events are also qualifiers for the Surfing America Prime Series and the Surfing America USA Championships.

There was a live webcast by UnScene Productions during all four days of competition on the ESA website (www.surfesa.org).

“It was wonderful to be able to allow people who couldn’t attend the event in person to view it live online while it was happening,” said Sommers.

Ocean City’s local ESA Delmarva District’s members surfed well. Ocean City’s own, and ESA All-Star Team member, Simon Hetrick won the Junior Iron Man Award for competing in multiple divisions and had the highest placings in those divisions during the event. Hetrick also placed first in Menehune Bodyboard, third in Open Bodyboard, fourth in Menehune Longboard and fifth in Boys.

Local Tyler Clazey placed fourth in the Under Armour Junior Men’s division, while his father, Delmarva District co-director Dave Clazey placed sixth in the Masters Longboard.

Teddy Smith took first in the Masters division while Delmarva District co-director Chris Makibbin placed second in Masters. Makibbin also took second in Mens Longboard and second in Open Bodyboard. Travis Knight came in second for the Mens division and Danton Boulanger took sixth in Boys.

Longtime OC surfers Bill Helmuth, who placed fifth in the Legends division, and Dave Hartman, who won first place in Grand Legends, also competed well. The only Delmarva female competitor, Laurel Harrington, swept the Womens division to win first place.