BERLIN – The town council voted unanimously to pursue a grant that would fund the demolition of the old processing building at Heron Park.
On Monday, the council approved plans to apply for a $100,000 grant to fund façade improvements and streetlights as well as a $500,000 strategic demolition grant. The demolition grant would allow the town to pursue demolishing structures at Heron Park, notably the former processing building.
“We’ve had our eye on this grant for quite some time,” said Ivy Wells, the town’s economic and community development director.
The future of Heron Park has been an issue much discussed in recent years, as a number of residents feel it should be sold to bolster the town’s finances while others maintain that it could be a source of recreation and revenue for the town for years to come. Candidates in both the mayoral race as well as those seeking council seats weighed in on the issue during virtual town hall sessions last month.
Mayor Gee Williams said residents needed to remember that the main reason the town bought the property was to ensure an end to the “environmental nightmare” it had been when it was a chicken processing plant. He added that redevelopment of the property would take time and that the first step was getting rid of the dilapidated building.
“When we did this we made it very clear this was not going to happen overnight,” he said.
Mayoral candidate Jennifer Allen said that according to the studies the town had done, it would take millions to fix up the park. She suggested keeping the natural portion of the park and selling the section closer to the road.
“That way we could put the money toward paying off the loan that was taken out for this property,” she said.
Candidate Zack Tyndall also stressed the need to find a way to cover the $200,000 in annual debt service associated with the purchase of the property.
“We need to bring in some economic driver that can cover that debt service or we need to explore selling portions of the park,” he said.
Candidate Ron Bireley was blunt in his assessment that the town had nice parks and didn’t need the tract on Old Ocean City Boulevard.
“We didn’t need this area,” he said. “I think it was a total boondoggle and if anything we ought to get rid of it. If are going to keep it, we need to develop it.”
Mayoral candidate Bill Todd, however, said he thought the property was full of opportunity for the town. He said he could picture an amphitheater there as well as murals and art installations.
“I love Heron Park,” he said, adding that he nonetheless questioned the initial purchase. “The way it was all done is extremely fishy. I don’t think there’s a person in this town, outside those who were involved in the deal, that would say that this was an above-the-board deal. I don’t believe that for a second. That property is a tremendous opportunity for Berlin.”
Views on the park vary among council candidates as well. Like Todd, at-large candidate Tony Weeg has hopes for an amphitheater. He believes it could be done inexpensively, as could a pump track for skaters and bikers.
“That could be a first step toward a world class skatepark because that’s a thing I really think we could have at Heron Park,” he said. “There’s plenty of room. I know that costs money. I know that we have to be aggressive with grants, I know we have to be aggressive with donations. But it’s something we can do if we do it in small steps.”
Jay Knerr, the other at-large candidate, stressed the need for demolition of the building and potentially selling pieces of the property.
“So we need to get those grant monies, tear down the building, and then market that property, that section where the building is, for sale,” Knerr said. “We could market it in such a way that we get a desirable building, something that we want to see happen in the town. The other large section of land sits behind the Croppers auto repair place, there’s a huge tract of land back there right before the ponds. To me that could be used as an entertainment venue.”
District 3 candidate Daniel Packey offered a similar opinion of the parcel.
“I think the first half of it, the north half, you stabilize the ponds, make sure we don’t have any health threats there, but keep it as a park because it is beautiful and a birding area,” he said. “Then you need to revamp or scale back the southern half that has the structure on it which is not usable right now and either tear it down or sell it off.”
Shaneka Nichols, also seeking the District 3 seat and member of the park advisory committee, said she wanted the town to think outside the box regarding the park. She suggested using a section of it for affordable single-family homes.
“With 60 acres we could walk through and find a feasible space to do a 10- or 15-acre pocket community…,” she said. “We’re growing our community within our community and at the same time we’re buying back the debt that this park has acquired.”
Berlin purchased the property in 2015 for about $2.5 million from Berlin Properties North, which was owned in part by Councilman Troy Purnell. The buy was financed through the bond market. The property for decades was home to a poultry processing plant operated by Hudson Foods and then Tyson Foods.
