SNOW HILL – In a split vote this week county officials approved a capital improvement plan that includes a sports complex and a new public safety facility.
The Worcester County Commissioners voted 4-3 Tuesday to approve a capital improvement plan (CIP) that includes a $15 million sports complex and a $32 million public safety building. Those projects drew criticism from commissioners who voted in opposition to the CIP.
“We’ve got a lot of unfunded mandates coming our way,” Commissioner Jim Bunting said. “We’ve got costs going up, we’ve got the sheriff needing things, more employees, we’ve got a big problem coming. I don’t think these items should be part of the CIP therefore I would not vote for this plan.”
The county hosted a public hearing Tuesday for the fiscal year 2023-2027 CIP, which totals $201,391,677 and includes numerous projects. Staff said that bond rating agencies looked at the CIP as a financial planning tool for the county.
“This document is not a guarantee of funding for any specific project,” said Kim Reynolds, the county’s senior budget accountant. “The plan is a working document.”
Ocean City resident Vince Gisriel, the lone member of the public to comment on the CIP, said he was concerned about the inclusion of a sports complex. He referenced studies from 2017 as well as a 2020 study commissioned by Ocean City that was just released last week.
“It raises a lot of red flags,” he said.
Gisriel said usage numbers included in the more recent study had dropped and that it appeared as if any sports facility would require a subsidy. He urged the commissioners to be cautious moving forward.
“There are certain forces in this community, in this county and my town, that are driving this,” he said. “It’s very disturbing to me.”
Commissioner Chip Bertino, who asked staff to provide the most recent study, said he also had concerns about whether Program Open Space money could be used on the sports complex or not. Chief Administrative Officer Weston Young said funding was available for land acquisition but he wasn’t sure how much. He added that there were typically strings attached.
“You could have a lot of strings for a little amount of money depending on what the property value is and what Program Open Space is willing to pay,” he said.
Bertino, referencing figures put forth by former county staff, asked if the county really could get a $12 million facility for $1.2 million.
“We would have to confirm,” Young said. “I don’t think the money we thought was there for Program Open Space was there.”
Bertino also asked if the county had the expertise needed to run a sports complex. Young said that would depend on what sort of uses were on the property.
“We haven’t officially settled on a property,” he said. “The property’s going to determine what we do.”
Bertino noted that the commissioners were set to meet in closed session after Tuesday’s regular meeting.
“A part of that question that you just asked could possibly be answered with regard to the property,” he said.
He added that if the county really was moving forward with one of the largest economic development projects it has ever undertaken, the southern part of the county should be considered.
“I think that we have been myopic in our approach to just seeking the northern part of the county,” he said. “Recognizing that Ocean City feels that this is a very important project and I don’t discount that, why do they need us? Why can’t they just do it themselves? I still think there are a lot of unanswered questions.”
Bunting said that as he indicated last month, he didn’t want to see the sports complex or the public safety building in the plan. he pointed out that there was a popular Delaware sports complex just 22 minutes away from his home in Bishopville.
“I think it would be foolish for us to construct anything when they’ll have a sports complex that close,” he said.
Though Bertino made a motion to remove the two controversial projects from the plan, it failed with just three votes — from Bertino, Bunting and Commissioner Ted Elder — in support. A motion from Commissioner Josh Nordstrom to approve the plan as presented passed 4-3, with Bunting, Bertino and Elder opposed.
“I cannot leave this alone,” Commissioner Joe Mitrecic said. “I noticed the sports complex is a little over $15 million which is what the addition to Stephen Decatur Middle School is costing us as opposed to the million it would have cost us back when we built that building. I do have to bring that forward.”
