Archives

Council To Decide North OC Traffic Light's Fate

OCEAN CITY - The flashing signal at 131st Street may be removed, a decision that will be decided at the next City Council meeting due to a 3-2 vote at Tuesdays work session. The State Highway Administration (SHA) came before the Mayor and Council Tuesday to address the issue of the 131st Street light, recommending that the signal be removed completely. Gene Cofiell, SHA representative and Ocean City resident, informed the Mayor and Council that he observed the traffic on 131st Street this...READ MORE

Moratorium Clause Removed From Berlin Sewer Amendment

SNOW HILL - Berlin will not face an automatic building moratorium if the wastewater system expansion fails to meet benchmarks by the end of 10 years, the Worcester County Planning Commission agreed last week. The town and its private partner, Berlin Properties North (BPN), argued successfully before the Planning Commission last week that it would be difficult to get financing if the moratorium language remained in the county water and sewer plan amendment under discussion. The moratorium clause...READ MORE

Ocean City Stresses Parking Garage Importance

OCEAN CITY - The current status of the proposed downtown parking garage was presented to the Mayor and Council at a work session Tuesday, resulting in the majority consensus it was a necessity that cannot be achieved without the partnership of the county. City Engineer Terry McGean presented the current status of the parking garage, noting that it was more of a refresher than an update. According to McGean, the design work for the garage has been completed and conceptual designs, including...READ MORE

School Officials Mulling Graduation Tied To Exams

BERLIN - Dozens of Worcester County high school juniors were getting a second chance, or a third chance in some cases, this week to retake rigorous Maryland High School Assessment (HSA) exams, the passage of which is supposed to be a requirement for their graduation next year, but the debate continues about success on the tests tied to receiving a diploma. Many in Worcester County's Class of 2009 plugged away on HSA exams this week, just like their counterparts across Maryland. For some, it was...READ MORE

Cruisers Find Rough Road In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY - The 10th annual Endless Summer Cruisin' event rolled into town last week, but the custom cars and hot rods faced an unusual challenge this year as they attempted to traverse the roads between 26th and 60th streets that have recently been affected by the resurfacing project. The State Highway Administration (SHA) began the resurfacing project two weeks ago, with the intention to resurface the northbound and southbound lanes of Coastal Highway between 26th and 60th streets. As a...READ MORE

Impact Debated Five Years After Critical Areas Law OK'd

BERLIN - It's been five years since Worcester County adopted its controversial Critical Areas law and the legislation has become the cornerstone of how the county has developed in the years since and will develop in the future, but the jury is still out on whether the planning doctrine has or will achieve the desired results. Striking a balance between sensible growth and development and protecting and preserving the fragile environment had been a big issue in Worcester County for several years,...READ MORE

OC Hears Route 50 Bridge Closure Plan

OCEAN CITY - The State Highway Administration (SHA) appeared before the Mayor and Council Tuesday to present them with plans to close the Route 50 Bridge for repairs this winter. 'We need to take a look at the old Route 50 Bridge and do some work on it,' said SHA District Engineer Donnie Drewer, explaining there were inevitable repairs that had to be done in the near future. According to Drewer, there are two major repairs that need attention, the grid deck and gears, and the latex overlay of...READ MORE

Opinions Heard On Outdoor Display Regs

OCEAN CITY - Several local business owners gathered at a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission Tuesday night to weigh in on the review of existing regulations and procedures for outdoor displays. Outdoor displays of merchandise are commonplace in Ocean City, particularly along the Boardwalk, where merchandise and signs are displayed, sometimes in excess, in an attempt to attract customers. Although the displays are considered harmless advertising, regulation has become...READ MORE

Attempted Murderer Could Get 25 Years

SNOW HILL - A Salisbury man arrested on attempted murder and other charges last May after holding his long-time girlfriend against her will for several hours and strangling her several times to the point she lost consciousness was convicted of first-degree assault last week in Worcester County Circuit Court and now faces as many as 25 years in jail. On May 21, Howard Caltrider, 45, of Salisbury, was arrested for attempted second-degree murder and numerous other charges after a domestic incident...READ MORE

Berlin Council Looks To Tackle Noise Complaints

BERLIN - Live music outside the Atlantic Hotel and continuously running refrigeration units at the icehouse have prompted the town of Berlin to think about buying a decibel meter and getting more specific with the town noise ordinance. Councilwoman Ellen Lang reported to the council this week that she has had several citizen complaints over recurring noise issues. The live bands playing outside the Atlantic Hotel are so loud, Lang said, that one 26-year resident of Jefferson St. has put her...READ MORE

Big Weekend Helps Coastal Bays Near Goal

BERLIN - The combination of the Coastal Bays' triathlon on Saturday, Fager's Island charity cookout on Sunday and incredible local generosity has put Coastal Bays closer to their goal of raising $250,000 by Dec. 15. In January an anonymous donor gave the Coastal Bays Program $500,000 with a pledge to give another $500,000 if the program could raise $250,000 by Dec. 15. The donor is matching every dollar raised with an additional $2 into the program's endowment fund at the Community...READ MORE

Local Participants Advance In NFL's Annual Contest

OCEAN CITY - The Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department had another successful turnout this year at the annual NFL Pepsi Punt, Pass & Kick Contest. On Sept. 24, nearly 20 children lined up at Northside Park to see who had what it takes to guarantee their participation in the sectional competitions at Preston Elementary School, in Preston. There was a winner chosen from each division. Leading the 8- and 9-year-old division was Jason Whaley, from Ocean View, Del., who had a 62-yard punt, a...READ MORE

National Retailer Granted Sign Exception

SNOW HILL - Despite a site plan approval from last winter requiring uniform signs at White Marlin Mall, shopping center management asked Worcester County for an exception to that condition last week's Planning Commission meeting. A new anchor tenant, home goods store Bed Bath and Beyond, would like to use its nationally recognized logo instead of the generic red signs required under the site plan approval given last January for the redevelopment of the mall. According to Joe Moore, the attorney...READ MORE

OC Drug Dealer Sentenced To 15 Years

SNOW HILL - A Princess Anne man with a known history of drug dealing in the resort got the book thrown at him this week in Worcester County Circuit Court when he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, including the first 10 without the possibility of parole, following an arrest in Ocean City last March. In January of last year, the Ocean City Police Narcotics Unit began an investigation into the drug activities of Emanuel Lawson, 39, of Princess Anne in Somerset County. The investigation included...READ MORE

Ocean City Hoops Court Specifics Questioned

OCEAN CITY - Discussion surrounding the basketball courts at the proposed Downtown Recreation Complex continued at a Recreation and Parks meeting this week as complaints over the compromised court length were heard. Pete Wimbrow III came before the Recreation and Parks Committee in July to voice concerns over the length of the new basketball courts at the proposed Downtown Recreation Complex, to be located on the bayside between 3rd and 4th streets. At that time, the plans were calling for a...READ MORE

Old Downtown Bar Torn Down

OCEAN CITY - The Cork Bar was torn down this week after over a half a century in the same spot in a building dating back to the 1920s, but few tears were shed because the popular bar in the very heart of old town Ocean City will be back in a few months with a new physical shell but the same familiar faces, atmosphere and attitude. For generations, the Cork Bar on Wicomico Street in the shadow of the Pier building and its towering Ferris wheel has remained relatively unchanged, while much of...READ MORE

Residents Win Early Battle In West OC Zoning Case

SNOW HILL - A West Ocean City community got the Worcester County Planning Commission on its side last week with the appointed officials refusing to endorse a change in a zoning deal that would allow nearly any kind of business on a parcel of land in their neighborhood. Developer Jack Burbage went before the planning commission last week seeking a favorable recommendation on eliminating a condition of the 2004 rezoning, which permits an office building only on that site, to allow a...READ MORE

Revised Restaurant Plan OK'd

OCEAN CITY - The Rivendell project came before the Planning and Zoning Commission again this week with a revised site plan that deals more specifically with a future restaurant. The Hobbit, which is to be located on the first floor of the condominium project located between 80th and 81st streets, was presented to the Planning and Zoning Commission with a revised site plan Tuesday night.  Many of the site plan revisions centered around the on-going concerns and negotiations between the...READ MORE

Students Salute Firefighters With Poems

OCEAN CITY - Students in Miss Kelly Seitzer's fourth grade class at Ocean City Elementary School wrote and typed poems in honor of our Ocean City firefighters. They made them into a book to be given to the firefighters. When the smoke detector goes off The fire bell rings Out comes the big red truck With a hard hat and a hose People stand back to watch the firemen go The flames go out they're so brave Now people lives are saved By: Hailey Beswick Firemen are smart The siren blows Out they...READ MORE

Sunfest Numbers Prove Event Was One Of OC's Best

OCEAN CITY - Many people have speculated this year's Sunfest was one of the busiest on record, but that rumor was officially confirmed Tuesday with Special Events Coordinator John Sullivan's report to the Recreation and Parks Committee about the success of this year's event. According to Sullivan, this year was the second best year for attendance, reaching an estimated total of 183,377 people, 'which is something we should be really proud of,' he said. The 2002 edition narrowly marks the highest...READ MORE