SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Commissioners delayed approval of updated boat ramp regulations this week after hearing from several citizens on the issue.
The commissioners voted 4-2 to deliberate further on a bill that would have updated regulations at the county’s boat ramps. Several commissioners voiced concerns with the proposal, which would allow commercial use of county ramps with certain conditions.
“I think this is target legislation,” Commissioner Joe Mitrecic said. “It has been from the beginning. I don’t support that.”
County officials have been considering changes to boat ramp regulations since the beginning of 2023. While a commercial use permit was considered in March, officials deemed it too restrictive. Staff returned with more general updated boat ramp regulations in June. Those regulations, introduced as Bill 23-06, address commercial activity at ramps. The primary change in the bill is that it would allow limited commercial activity at boat ramps. Commercial uses would be permitted as long as they don’t create a conflict with recreational boaters or damage county property but they’re prohibited from using more than one parking space in the boat landing lot.
During Tuesday’s public hearing on the proposed changes, attorney Mark Cropper, representing Marc Spagnola of Dusk to Dawn Fishing Charters, was the first speaker to address the commissioners. Spagnola uses the county’s ramp in the South Point area to launch his fishing boat. Residents there have objected to his use of the ramp for years.
Cropper, pointing out that the South Point Association didn’t own the ramp there, said commercial entities had used the county’s boat ramps for years despite the commercial use prohibition. He said almost all of those entities needed more than one parking spot. Because the proposed bill only provided for one space, Cropper suggested not changing the regulations at all, modifying them to allow for two parking spaces, or allowing commercial uses altogether.
“The reality is it’s been happening since you’ve had county boat ramps,” he said.
Cropper said whatever regulations the county decided on had to be enforced equally.
Michael LeCompte, president of the South Point Association, said the influx of people to Worcester County in the summer meant local citizens had trouble accessing the county’s boat ramps.
“That is pretty much the summary I’ve heard from 40 to 50 local people that live anywhere in the region of South Point, from Buck’s store south,” LeCompte said.
He said that years ago, the county commissioners agreed that the boat ramps were for recreational use.
“The signs stating no commercial use have been posted at the boat ramps for as long as I can remember…,” he said. “Unfortunately our South Point last commissioner, we know who it is, broke that longstanding promise when he urged the commissioners to support the special exception that set a precedent for allowing ongoing commercial use.”
LeCompte said that because commercial use was allowed, South Point residents didn’t have a place to park when they went to the ramp.
“That’s why I’m here,” he said. “We do appreciate the efforts of our new Commissioner Eric Fiori for bringing this to your attention. We’ve endured for too long the flagrant violations of one commercial operator who refuses to abide by the existing rules that were established by the county.”
Diane Stelzner, secretary of the South Point Association, said residents there were overwhelmingly opposed to commercial use of the boat ramp. She said there were about 300 residences in South Point, which is accessed by a very narrow road.
“What’s happening is, people are coming in from Delaware, from other ramps, because there’s no parking places….they’re coming down to our ramp,” she said. “It’s unbelievable on weekends.”
She said they’d like to see regulations specific to the South Point ramp prohibiting commercial use.
“We believe one size does not fit all,” she said.
South Point resident Stephen Katsanos said Spagnola had built his entire business model on the use of the county’s recreational boat ramps.
“He has said time and time again his model is to fish from the Verrazzano Bridge down to the Public Landing area or the Virginia line and it’s essential for him to use the South Point ramp,” Katsanos said. “We just don’t see it that way. He has other options. He has two boats that look like fast boats to me. I think he could make it down to his fishing ground in no time whatsoever.”
South Point resident Alex Shandrowsky said the code was written to prohibit commercial use at the boat ramps because the commissioners at the time wanted to make sure there were places for recreation.
Commissioner Jim Bunting said parking was an issue at multiple boat ramps. He said he’d visited the South Point ramp on June 24 and the lot had been overflowing with vehicles.
“We’ve got to get a handle on this somehow,” he said, adding that the Shell Mill boat ramp was about to get striped so parking could be better regulated.
Commissioner Diana Purnell said the South Point residents’ concerns about narrow roads were applicable throughout Worcester County. She said large trucks traveled down her road but that she chose to live there. She also spoke in support of small business.
“The whole idea of starting a business is to grow,” she said. “We should not put people under condemnation for that.”
Mitrecic compared Tuesday’s discussion to an issue he’d experienced as an Ocean City councilman years ago. He said the 94th Street boat ramp became a problem for residents who’d built their houses around it.
“But when we went to shut it down and built the new ramp at 60th Street …they all petitioned the city to keep it open for just them,” he said. “You can’t do that.”
He said boat ramps were funded with state and federal money and should be for everyone or no one.
“I have no interest in limiting any of our boat ramps that boat haulers, marine contractors or any other commercial entity cannot use,” he said. What we do for one we do for all. It sounds to me like the roads are so narrow in South Point we ought to just pull the boat ramp out. That wouldn’t fly very well would it? I mean, then next what are we going to do? Ban FedEx and UPS from making deliveries because the roads are too narrow?”
He said the boat ramp issue needed to be looked at across the whole county and added that he didn’t see why there should be a parking limit on commercial users when recreational users often took up more parking spaces.
The commissioners voted 4-2 to deliberate further on the boat ramp bill. Mitrecic and Bunting were opposed while Commissioner Eric Fiori, who owns a boat dealership, recused himself from the vote.