OCEAN CITY – Officials in Ocean City this week agreed to generate discussion with the town’s Play It Safe committee after receiving reports on this year’s events.
In a Transportation Committee meeting Tuesday, Public Works Director Hal Adkins presented committee members with final numbers from this year’s Play It Safe events.
Play It Safe is a yearly event that offers safe activities for high school students visiting Ocean City during May and June. Participants that choose to purchase a $5 voucher can redeem it at Play It Safe events for a wristband that gives them unlimited use of the bus system for the week’s events.
“We just wanted to give you a snapshot on the actual revenue versus projected revenue,” he said.
The data collected from the Play It Safe committee show a decrease in both participation and revenue this year.
While officials projected the events to raise $20,000 in revenue this year, the committee reported that the event brought in $18,815.
Of the 6,198 participants in this year’s event, 3,763 purchased a $5 voucher and more than 3,100 redeemed these vouchers for an unlimited bus ride wristband.
Mayor Rick Meehan, chair of the Transportation Committee, said the report warranted a conversation with the event’s committee to further define some of the categories and identify what impact the events had on the town. He explained that many young adults who utilized free bus transportation during the events ended up riding the bus throughout the night.
“It becomes a social event more than a transportation event,” he said. “It’s putting a tremendous burden on the transportation system.”
Councilman Dennis Dare explained he has been against the idea for several years and said that behavior on the buses was unacceptable.
“I think having a voucher to some degree promotes it,” he said. “I think it’s lived its life.”
Since implementing a $5 fee for wristbands in 2015, Councilman Lloyd Martin said participation has decreased. An event that once had 11,550 participants in its earlier years, he explained, now has 6,198, half of which utilize the wristbands.
“It’s a big difference, a big difference,” he said. “Before it would have been 11,550 wristbands.”
Meehan said, “I think the $5 fee was the right thing to do and it has generated revenue to cover some of the other expenses.”
He did, however, suggest a meeting with Play It Safe committee members to look at the events.
“I think this warrants a discussion at some point with the Play It Safe committee,” he said.
