OCEAN CITY – The Mayor and City Council covered several agenda items during this week’s regular meeting on Monday evening and the following is a recap.
29th Annual Community
Health Fair Date Set
Dr. Melvin Friedman came before the Mayor and City Council to extend an invitation to the annual health fair.
The 29th Annual Ocean City Community Health Fair will be held on Tuesday, May 5, at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The event is co-sponsored by the Town of Ocean City, Atlantic General Hospital, Ocean City AARP Chapter #1917 and Blood Bank of Delmarva.
The event is free and open to the public providing free screenings of carotid, skin, respiratory, bone density, foot checks, hearing, blood pressure and lab draws as well as a blood drive by Blood Bank of Delmarva. A special appearance will be made by Sherman the Shorebird.
According to the Blood Bank of Delmarva, as of Monday 80 donors have signed up not including walk-ins.
“Thank you for your service to the community. This is a great event and certainly helpful for all of our residents, and those in the surrounding areas to get these types of services free of charge and on a walk-in basis. It is very valuable,” Mayor Rick Meehan said. “We talk about Ocean City being a year-round community and this is one of those things that exemplify that.”
Mid-Town Alleys
To Public Hearing
Attorney Joseph Moore, representing OC Land Holdings LLC, came before the Mayor and City Council to request a public hearing considering the city closing and conveying the remaining portions of two unimproved alleys located on the bayside between 63rd and 64th streets.
Both alleys are surrounded completely by parcels owned by OC Land Holdings and each alley has previously had a portion of it closed and sold to the previous owners.
According to Moore, on Jan. 17, 1983 the Mayor and City Council granted the request of a property owner to close certain portions of the alleys in the block. The purpose of this request is to have the Mayor and City Council consider that the remaining alleys in the block do not have a public purpose and, for the Mayor and City Council hold a public hearing to close the alleys, have the square footage of the closed alleys appraised, as to the areas of the alleys that are not under water, and convey those areas to OC Land Holdings.
City Engineer Terry McGean, Public Works Director Hal Adkins, and Recreation and Parks Director Susan Petito reviewed the proposed closure.
“We know of no current or future public use of these alleys and have no objection to the closure and conveyance of the property,” McGean said.
Staff recommended moving forward with the closure and conveyance of the subject alleys by holding a public hearing and then having the property appraised and negotiating a sale price with the applicant. The council voted 6-0 with Council President Lloyd Martin to approve the request.
Resort To Apply For
Sustainable Certification
A resolution came before the Mayor and City Council authorizing a Sustainable Maryland Certified application.
According to City Manager David Recor, the town has the opportunity to participate in a state program called Sustainable Maryland Certified. This certification program is for municipalities in Maryland who strive to go green, control costs, save money and take steps to sustain its quality of life over the long term.
Recor furthered, registering the town is the first step toward achieving this certification. To register, the city will be required to adopt a resolution stating the town’s intent to pursue Sustainable Maryland Certified certification. The planner and environmental engineer will serve jointly as the town’s agents and contact.
A benefit of the program is the potential for financial and technical assistance opportunities now available for SMC communities.
The council voted 6-0 to approve the resolution.
Annual Cleanup
Collection Increases
The annual spring cleanup was held on April 11-12, and, according to Recor 216 tons of material was collected, which is an increase over the 193 tons that was collected last year.
“Although the volume increased, the metal collection was actually down. Everyone knew it was community-wide cleanup because there was a lot of metal hunters on the road with trailers picking up the material before the town were able to collect it, so even with metal collectors on the road our eCycle numbers were up, including the collection of over 215 televisions,” Recor said.
Recor furthered there were 79 employees involved and over 55 pieces of equipment was used.
“It was very successful,” he said.
65 Tesla Owners
Participate In Event
According to Councilman Wayne Hartman, 65 Tesla vehicles participated in this past weekend’s Tesla Road Trip event.
The event included a photo taken of all participating vehicles, an information session, Boardwalk recreation for participants and a Boardwalk parade.
Tesla Motors, Inc. is an American company that designs, manufactures, and sells electric cars and electric vehicle powertrain components. The nearest Tesla Super Charges are located in Salisbury.
“In talking to some of the folks, Tesla will provide the equipment for charging stations if we install it. If we are getting four new Tesla dealerships in Maryland, then we will be seeing more of these cars. The unfortunate side is some of those car owners were staying in Salisbury because there is a charging station there…if we could provide charging stations perhaps at the convention center…it is an inexpensive way to attract a new group of tourists to our town,” Hartman said. “I think it is something that we should seriously consider doing especially if they are providing the equipment. “
The council was in consensus and is waiting to receive information from Tesla.