OCEAN CITY – Despite weighty issues such as the allegedly fraudulent taxi medallion sale, the Mayor and Council did have a considerable amount of the town’s business to conduct this week. The following are some of the highlights from the council meeting as well as Tuesday’s Planning and Zoning Commission meeting:
Airport Bond Approved
The Mayor and Council voted 6-0 to approve an ordinance allowing the town to sell a $725,000 general obligation installment bond to pay for the construction of new hangars at the Ocean City Municipal Airport.
Town Building Needs New Roof
The Mayor and Council approved a nearly $14,000 bid to replace the roof on a town-owned building on Dorchester Street that for years housed the District Court and the town’s jail.
In recent years, the police department has used the first floor of the building for bicycle storage and repair, while the Ocean City Beach Patrol has used the second floor for office space and meetings.
The roof of the building has leaked for years, but the damage has reached a point where it can no longer be patched and needs to be replaced, according to City Engineer Terry McGean.
“It has some very serious leaks now, especially after this winter, and we need to replace it or consider abandoning the building,” he said. “We found it would be more expensive to tear it down than replace the roof, but we have to act quickly to get it done by summer.”
With that said, the council voted to approve the low bid for the roof replacement and associated carpet and tile replacement submitted by RRH Associates at $13,800 for the entire project.
Fire House Bunks Added
The Mayor and Council on Monday approved bid openings for a project to increase bunk space and provide live-in areas at the fire department’s headquarters on 15th Street. Bids for the project are expected to be open at the council’s next work session on April 13.
New Tenant For Caroline Street
A new non-profit group will get the chance to utilize a city-owned pad adjacent to the Boardwalk at Caroline Street for fundraising efforts after the old tenant abandoned plans to use it this summer. The town owns several concrete pads along the Boardwalk, which it provides to various non-profit groups for fundraising efforts such as boat or car raffles.
A waiting list of potential candidates for the space is maintained for occasions when the existing tenant now longer wants to use the space. When St. Mary’s Star of the Sea Catholic Church informed the town it did not want to use the pad at Caroline Street this year, the next potential candidate, Ocean City Lions Charities Inc., informed the town it would like to stay where it is for 2011. The next candidate, VFW Post 8296, said they would to take the pad for the 2010 season.
Ocean City University Graduates
At the outset of the meeting on Monday, the Mayor and Council awarded dozens of diplomas to the Ocean City University Class of 2010. The brainchild of Assistant to the City Manager Kathy Mathias, who also serves as chancellor, Ocean City University was started in 2004 to provide a civic education program for local residents.
On Monday, 56 diplomas were awarded to the class of 2010. Tanya M. Sas earned the first-ever doctorate degree awarded by program. To date, 190 diplomas have been awarded.
Boardwalk Wedding Approved
The Mayor and Council approved the use of the south end of the Boardwalk in the area adjacent to the Lifesaving Museum for a wedding ceremony next October for two local residents.
Chairs will be added to the existing benches in the area during the brief ceremony on Oct. 23. Both the bride and groom were raised in Ocean City and both are members of the Ocean City Fire Department.
Amusement Overlay Granted
Perhaps in efforts to solidify the estate and certainly to help ensure the legacy left by Granville Trimper, the local amusement park legend, the Planning and Zoning Commission approved a request from the Trimper family to have a portion of Worcester Street re-zoned to an Amusement Overlay district so that the family could consider installing rides on the site at a later date.
“We really just want to get the zoning in place for the future as we hope that something will present itself that will be perfect for that site,” said Brooks Trimper, who helps run Trimper Family Amusements. “We wanted to make sure that we have control over this site no matter what the corporation decides to do with the other properties.”
The Windsor Corporation also owns portions of the Trimper family holdings, which has stake in some of the most recognizable pieces of property in the downtown area of Ocean City.
This block of land on Worcester Street, which sits across from the H20 niteclub abutting the Playland Amusements, which the Trimper family also owns, would essentially allow for rides to be installed seasonally.
“Anything we can do to allow or help the Trimper family maintain what they have created in Ocean City, we should take very seriously,” said Planning and Zoning Chairperson Pam Buckley.