‘Safest City’ Recognition
BERLIN — The Ocean Pines Association General Manager’s Office announced that Ocean Pines, while technically a homeowner’s association, was recently named as the “safest city” in Maryland by website Safewise.
Safewise uses FBI crime statistics and U.S. Census data to determine its rankings. According to the site, the violent crime rate in Ocean Pines has dropped in each of the last three years, from 1.7 per 1,000 people in 2019, to 1.1 per 1,000 in 2020, and 0.7 per 1,000 in 2021.
Ocean Pines moved up one spot in the Safewise ranking from last year, when Taneytown was named the safest community in Maryland.
The only other local city on the top-10 list was Berlin, at number six. Other Eastern Shore communities ranked included Easton (#17), Fruitland (#26), Salisbury (#34) and Ocean City (#38).
“I am glad to have Ocean Pines back in the number-one slot,” Police Chief Leo Ehrisman said. “We would like to thank the homeowners for being so involved in reporting suspicious activity early and assisting with activity information recorded on their home surveillance systems. The community can only remain at this level of safety with the help of the public. We thank the public for the involvement and the support they bring to the police, which again keeps the officers connected to the public, and the public connected to the Police.”
General Manager John Viola credited the challenging and tireless work by Ehrisman and his entire department.
“Our police department continues to make our community one of the safest in the region, and their new state-of-the-art facility, opened last year, should serve Ocean Pines for many years to come,” he said.
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Bank Commits To Sponsorship
The Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce and local elected officials joined with representatives of the Bank of Delmarva last week to celebrate the opening of the company’s newest branch on 26th Street in Ocean City. Photo by Jeanette Deskiewicz
Taylor Bank recently committed to be the lead sponsor of the Eastern Shore Community College’s 50th Anniversary celebration. Pictured, from left, at the donation presentation were Patty Kellam, Dr. Patrick Tompkins, John Custis, Ray Thompson, Dr. Jim Shaeffer, Adam James and David Landsberger. Submitted Photo
BERLIN — Eastern Shore Community College announced Taylor Bank as lead sponsor of its 50th
Representatives of Taylor Bank recently visited Eastern Shore Community College and presented President Jim Shaeffer with a check for $20,000. Taylor Bank President and CEO Ray Thompson was joined by Taylor Bank Vice President Adam James and Taylor Bank Board member John Custis. Welcoming the group was ESCC Foundation Executive Director Patty Kellam and Foundation Board member David Landsberger, along with Shaeffer and Vice President Patrick Tompkins.
“Taylor Bank is delighted to be part of the Eastern Shore of Virginia business community, and proud to support the Eastern Shore Community College in its fundraising for this important milestone,” said Thompson. “For five decades, ESCC has provided education, training, and programs for thousands of residents and businesses located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and has positioned itself as a valuable community resource. We look forward to partnering with the Eastern Shore Community College in financial literacy programs and other needs as they may arise in the years ahead.”
Following the check presentation, the group toured the new ESCC Academic Building which opened in January 2020. Shaeffer and Tompkins detailed the many educational resources and shared a number of student success stories and examples of perseverance through the pandemic.
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Building Wins Award
BETHANY BEACH, Del. – Every spring the Regal Awards are presented by the Builders and Remodelers Association of Delaware to highlight excellence in the Delaware home building industry. Though the COVID-19 pandemic caused the event to be held virtually last year, this year the 29th Annual Regal Awards ceremony was held in-person at Lighthouse Cove Event Center in Dewey Beach.
Sea Light Design-Build won the coveted Regal Award for Delaware Remodeler of the Year for the second consecutive time. They also took home seven more Regals for Best Owner’s Suite Design for a Remodeler, Best Kitchen Design for a Remodeler, Best Renovation under $15,000, Best Renovation over $50,000, Best Residential Addition/Alteration under $50,000, Best Website for an Associate building less than 20 homes per year, and Sussex County Remodeling Excellence of the Year.
“Everyday our team continues to provide unsurpassed customer service, innovative designs, and unique solutions to customer requests,” said Chuck Coleman, owner of Sea Light Design-Build. “We are honored, and humbled, that our efforts won us 8 Regal Awards this year. It was truly a team effort”.
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Firm’s Design Recognized
SALISBURY – The American Council of Engineering Companies-Delaware Chapter has honored Becker Morgan Group with its “2021 Engineering Excellence Award” for the design of Delaware Technical Community College’s (DTCC) new 13,500-square-foot Automotive Center of Excellence (ACOE) Owens Campus in Georgetown, Del. The award recognizes engineering achievements that demonstrate the highest degree of skill and ingenuity while providing a significant benefit to the public welfare and the practice of consulting engineering.
Becker Morgan Group provided full design services for the project including surveying, civil engineering, landscape architecture, architecture, structural engineering, and interior design.
“There were a number of unique challenges on this project, such as the handling of storm water management,” said Greg Moore, a principal with the firm. “We designed a system that effectively managed runoff off below the parking field using a PaveDrain system. This approach to sustainable water resource management was one of many solutions that allowed us to make the most of the two-and-a-half-acre site.”