SNOW HILL – County leaders agreed to turn off the lights at Newtown Park in Pocomoke to ensure public safety.
The Worcester County Commissioners agreed to disconnect the lights around the baseball fields at Newtown Park last week. They’ll remain disconnected until wiring issues are addressed.
“I don’t think any of us really want to do this, however we’re in the middle of a situation that’s out of our control so we need to do something to bring it back in,” Commissioner Joe Mitrecic said.
Though the item wasn’t on the agenda, the commissioners brought up the Newtown Park lighting issue with Tom Perlozzo, the county’s director of recreation, parks, tourism and economic development, at last week’s meeting. Commissioner Chip Bertino initially raised concerns regarding improper installation of the lights in January. He said he received an anonymous complaint regarding the wiring, which he was advised wasn’t in the ground deep enough.
When Bertino asked if disconnecting the lights was the best course of action at this point, Perlozzo said it was.
Commissioner Josh Nordstrom, who represents the southern part of the county, said turning off the lights would protect public safety.
“This is a very concerning issue because of course we want everyone to be safe when they go out to see Little League and play the games,” he said. “It’s not so much of an issue at the moment and may not be for a little while, but I understand that the county is liable, as we all do, if something were to happen because it’s county property.”
He said that if the installation wasn’t done properly the contractor responsible should redo the work. He said his decision to support disconnecting the lights had been a difficult one.
“Unfortunately, I don’t see any other choice,” he said. “I hate to do it but I think we do have to go down this road and follow proper procedures to make sure the county isn’t liable.”
The commissioners voted unanimously to disconnect the lights until the wiring situation has been corrected.
