May 1

The Dispatch May 1, 2020

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Ocean City Extends Critical Closures

See Page 2 • Photo by Chris Parypa

Resort Eyes Optimistic Timetable

Southern Exposure: Ocean City’s downtown area is pictured from Assateague Island on Tuesday.

Photo by Jim Halvorsen

See Page 6 • Photo by Chris Parypa

Wind Farm Testimony Submitted

See Page 18 • Image courtesy Town of OC

New Hotel Seeks Funding Reprieve

Evening Reflection: The Carousel and Fountainhead buildings are pictured reflected on a canal in north

Ocean City Tuesday.

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See Page 20 • Rendering by Fisher Architecture

Resort Extends Beach, Boardwalk, Inlet, Hotel Closures

Page 2

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – Despite some glimmers of hope for reopening the resort and jumpstarting its economy, restrictions set to expire this week, including the closure of the beach and Boardwalk and a prohibition on short-term rentals, have been extended.

Several weeks ago, as the COVID19 health crisis escalated, Mayor Rick Meehan announced a mayoral declaration closing the beach, Boardwalk and Inlet parking lot with few exceptions in place for local residents through April 30. About a week later, Meehan announced a second declaration prohibiting short-term rentals in Ocean City, including hotels, motels and other accommodations, again with certain exceptions, also through

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

April 30.

With that expiration date rapidly approaching this week, Meehan amended the two mayoral declarations aimed at combating the spread of COVID19 during Tuesday’s council meeting.

The declaration closing the beach, Boardwalk and Inlet lot was extended until May 15, while the declaration prohibiting short-term rentals was extended to May 22.

It’s important to note the mayor’s extended declarations include “or sooner” provisions based on Governor Larry Hogan’s economic recovery plan released late last week. If the state reaches stage one of the recovery plan, which includes reopening many outdoor recreation areas and lifting the stay at home order, among other things, prior to the new expiration dates for Meehan’s amended declarations, the mayor could

amend them again to reflect the earlier dates.

“Gov. Hogan’s Maryland Strong: Roadmap to Recovery laid out a path to gradually and responsibly reopen the economy, while also protecting the health and safety of our residents,” he said. “The plan intends to move rapidly, but not recklessly. It is important that Ocean City mirror these actions to help avoid a setback in the progress we have made in our community and across the state.”

From the beginning, allowing nonresident property owners to access their summer homes and second homes in Ocean City while stay-athome orders are in place in Maryland and neighboring states has been the subject of much debate. Some nonresident property owners exercised their constitutional right to visit beach

May 1, 2020

homes they own and on which they pay taxes, while most have adhered to the strict stay-at-home guidelines.

Meehan this week urged more of the latter and less of the former with the curve apparently flattening and a roadmap to recovery in place.

“Our entire community continues to make sacrifices during this health crisis, but this has been especially difficult for our non-resident property owners, who are anxious to visit their beach homes,” he said. “Although it has not been easy, we believe these restrictions have been successfully slowing the spread of the virus. If we all continue to work together over the next few weeks, hopefully we will be welcoming everyone back sooner rather than later.”

Relaxing the stay-at-home order is an essential element to stage one in the governor’s roadmap to recovery plan. Until that order is lifted and stage one is implemented, Meehan said the town’s message remains consistent to visitors and non-resident property owners.

“The stay-at-home order remains in effect,” he said. “We’ve not yet moved to stage one. Now is still not the time to visit Ocean City.”

Meehan amended the two declarations on Tuesday during a larger discussion of the town’s reopening outline at the Mayor and Council work session. It’s important to note the mayoral declarations were made by Meehan under his powers described in the town’s charter and do not require a majority vote by the City Council as has been suggested by some.

The declarations do include some punitive provisions including potential fines and even jail time in some extreme cases, but Meehan said those actions are measures of last resort.

“Voluntary compliance is the goal,” he said. “To date, we have seen the majority complying voluntarily.”

Again, extending the beach and Boardwalk closure to May 15 and the prohibition on short-term rentals to May 22 are ostensibly just place-holders and could be changed if the first stage of the governor’s recovery plan is implemented sooner. When questioned, Meehan said the governor’s stay-at-home order would be the trigger.

“This is tied to the governor’s stayat-home order,” he said. “I hope we’re in the governor’s 14-day timeline and I hope we’re talking about early May and mid-May. This gives us a roadmap to follow. We want to do the right thing. When the governor lifts the stayat-home order, we can get Ocean City open sooner rather than later. We all want to do the right thing.”

Meehan said he, like everyone else, hoped that would be the case.

“We’re being realistic,” he said.

“Delaware doesn’t believe it will have its beaches open until after Memorial Day. We’re trying to be a little more aggressive than that.”

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city manager’s memo outlines season preparations

Page 4

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – A reopening and resumption of services memorandum prepared by the city manager early this week raised eyebrows with some of its predicted phased dates.

Prior to Tuesday’s Mayor and Council work session, a memorandum outlining some key reopening dates based loosely on the state’s roadmap to recovery released last week was included in the agenda packet and was quickly circulated publicly. City Manager Doug Miller’s memorandum follows Gov. Larry Hogan’s three-phased economic recovery plan. Perhaps the most ominous statement in the memo suggests the hope is July 4 could be the new Memorial Day and July, Au-

town is currently in the pre-stage with the state’s stay-at-home order still in place. Under the “low risk” stage one, small shops and businesses can reopen and recreational boating, fishing, golf and tennis can resume. The memorandum suggests the town’s hope is to be at stage one in late May or early June.

Under the medium-risk stage two, indoor gyms and fitness classes can begin, churches can have services and restaurants and bars can open with restrictions. According to the memo, the town hopes to be a stage two by late June or early July.

Under high-risk stage three, larger social gatherings will be allowed, high capacity bars and restaurants will be allowed to open and entertainment venues and some private and public

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When the memo was presented to the Mayor and Council on Tuesday, the majority of the elected officials agreed with the plan’s contents, but not necessarily with the timeline.

“With COVID-19 we are forced many times to make decisions based on incomplete information, speculative information or no information at all,” Miller’s memo reads. “Such is true when trying to schedule the resumption of our typical summer services. Based on what we know and admittedly based on what we hope for, there will be a season in 2020 even if different from what we have known in the past.”

Miller’s memo outlines the three stages in Hogan’s recovery plan released last week. The memo said the

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planned events will be allowed to go on. However, Miller’s memo suggests Ocean City won’t likely reach that stage this summer.

“To get to this stage, there must be a COVID-19 vaccine or treatment,” he said. “That is a long way off, so we don’t see us at stage three this season. Until we get to stage three, large social gatherings will not be allowed, high capacity bars and restaurants will not be allowed to open and entertainment venues will not be allowed to operate. For the summer of 2020, some of the private and public planned events will have to be altered or cancelled.”

Whether the state’s stage three relies on finding a vaccine or treatment of the virus was later disputed. However, all of the assumptions about COVID-19 being part of any plan for a summer season are true, including continued social distancing and limited capacity restrictions on bars and restaurants and other places groups gather.

Much has been made about the thousands of non-resident property owners and when they can or should safely return to their summer or second homes. Of course, many already have at different points during the crisis, but the memo suggests they will come back in droves when the restrictions are relaxed.

“Our non-resident property owners will enthusiastically return to Ocean City once the state travel restrictions are lifted,” the memo reads. “They will not be dissuaded by the reduced availability of restaurant services and will be able to bring their own food or use the carryout services of the restaurants that offer such services. We predict that most will visit Ocean City for Memorial Day as they traditionally do.”

The memo also predicts far less than typical early summer rentals regardless of where Ocean City and the state are in the recovery phase.

“May and June hotel reservations will be less than typical years because the restaurants will only offer partial services,” the memo reads. “Hopefully in July, August and September, the restaurants will operate at near normal levels. We will have no conventions until July …”

The city manager’s reopening timeline memo includes a plan to begin ramping up essential town services by Memorial Day. “We do intend to offer our normal summer services even if some are altered,” the memo reads. “To do that, we must make plans to bring them on board and also hire the needed staff to provide these services. We know that we will not be able to precisely match service need to staff as we traditionally do because we do not know when we will see the number of visitors that we are accustomed to.”

For example, the plan is for the beach patrol to start on Memorial Day weekend and is expected to have a complement of lifeguards available as Memorial Day weekend last year.

May 1, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 5

Page 6

OC Officials Optimistic About Phased Reopening Starting Soon

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

May 1, 2020

City Manager’s Timeline Discussed

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – Optimism tempered with reality was essentially the Mayor and Council’s reaction to the city manager’s memorandum outlining a potential reopening timeline this week with the majority favoring an expedited schedule.

Prior to Tuesday’s work session, a framework for reopening the resort and preparing for some semblance of a summer season prepared by City Manager Doug Miller and staff was included in the agenda packet. Miller’s outline was prepared with the best current data surrounding the COVID19 situation available and was built largely around Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan’s roadmap to recovery plan announced late last week.

Miller’s plan, for lack of a better phrase, takes into consideration the three basic stages in the governor’s recovery plan including low-risk, medium-risk and high-risk phases spaced out over a speriod of weeks and even months in some cases. It also provides a framework for ramping up city services in preparation for the summer season from lifeguard coverage to police deployments to public works efforts and practically everything in between.

Hogan said last week Maryland could be in a position to begin phase one of his roadmap to recovery in early May if certain key indicators, such as hospitalizations and deaths, continue to trend in the right direction.

Miller’s plan released in the form of a memorandum to the Mayor and Council on Tuesday follows the same basic assumptions, but appears to err on the side of caution with a timeline for the three stages far less aggressive than most desire, including the majority of the Mayor and City Council.

The plan calls for a gradual reopening of Ocean City following the governor’s plan with the first stage including the lifting of the stay-at-home order.

While Miller’s plan does include a loosening of sorts on some of the restrictions in May, it does suggest most of the month and a good portion of June will likely remain under tight social distancing restrictions. With an eye on erring on the side of caution and not making false promises and predictions based on COVID-19 data that changes almost daily, Miller’s outline suggests a true start to the summer season far less palatable than most hope.

“Our hope is that July 4th will be the new Memorial Day and that the July,

August, and September portion of the season will resemble typical seasons,” the memo reads.

After Miller presented his plan, councilmembers praised him for the thoroughness in terms of preparing for a season that will come at some point, but many questioned some of the dates in the timeline.

“It’s well thought-out, but I don’t support your timeline,” said Councilman Tony DeLuca. “It doesn’t match up to the governor’s timeline. To me, with the governor’s timeline, we’re probably getting close to stage one.”

Miller said less emphasis should be placed on the actual dates in the outline and more on the preparation aspects and the boxes that need to be checked as the town ramps up toward an eventual season. Those efforts include being prepared from a staff and resource standpoint as if Memorial Day will be somewhat normal.

“We are going to be ready for Memorial Day weekend,” he said. “If you look at my proposed start dates, I want to be firmly ready for Memorial Day.” Councilman John Gehrig also questioned some of the relatively dire dates in the outline.

“That is a major difference,” he said. “It’s not going to provide much guidance when we have all of these different sets of data. The governor said we were days into plateauing, so we’re clearly further down the line. I understand we don’t know what’s coming and things can change, but if he said 14 days, we might be seven days down that line.”

Miller’s outline suggests Ocean City could reach stage one under the governor’s plan in late May or early June and stage two in late June or early July. The outline suggests Ocean City likely will not reach stage three, which includes larger gatherings such as special events, and high capacity restaurants and bars and entertainment venues will not operate at all this summer because of the belief stage three relies on finding a vaccine or treatment for COVID-19.

However, Gehrig pointed out Hogan’s roadmap for recovery did not tie reaching stage three to a vaccine or cure for the virus.

“It’s an ‘if this, then that’ situation,” he said. “We can expect to be at stage one in early May and then stage two by mid-May. Between stage two and stage three will clearly be a longer time, but the governor never said stage three required a vaccine or treatment.”

Instead, Gehrig suggested a more SEE PAGE 31

May 1, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 7

Officials Explain Why Ocean Pines Needs $1.1M PPP Aid

Page 8

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

OCEAN PINES – More than $1.1 million in federal aid is expected to ensure that the Ocean Pines Association remains able to pay its employees.

Ocean Pines Association (OPA) officials announced last week that the association received $1.143 million in assistance through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) tied to COVID19 relief.

“The intent of the loan was to make sure we could meet the financial obligations to our employees,” Ocean Pines Association President Doug Parks said.

According to General Manager John Viola, OPA was one of the first local organizations to apply for assistance through the program, which was created in March as part of the Coron-

avirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. “When the Paycheck Protection Program was announced, we immediately formed a task force to research the funding, and we were one of the first in the queue to apply through our local lender, the Bank of Ocean City,” Viola said.

The task force was made up of OPA Director of Finance and Operational Logistics Steve Phillips, Senior Executive Secretary Michelle Bennett and Director of Public Relations and Marketing Josh Davis.

“The team was instructed to be relentless in their research and they studied the issues, made the necessary calls and attended multiple virtual seminars and meetings to make sure that Ocean Pines was timely and prepared when we applied for the funding,” Viola said.

Phillips credited the Bank of Ocean City staff for help in the process to get a PPP loan to be used for full-time internal payroll expenses. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration’s website, the PPP was created as an incentive for small businesses to keep their employees on the payroll. Any small business can apply and the loan will be forgiven if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest or utilities.

“Ocean Pines will continue to monitor the rapidly changing situation and review any government programs that are available,” Viola said. “Josh Davis will continue to interact and attend conferences and review government communications, to help us apply for any funding/deferral opportunities that would benefit the association finan-

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cially in this volatile environment.”

While OPA receives much of its annual funding from assessments—the $986 paid annually by each homeowner—the association’s board of directors voted April 1 to extend the due date for those assessments to Aug. 1. In addition, OPA amenities remain closed as social distancing remains in effect to fight the spread of COVID-19.

Parks stressed that the PPP funding would ensure that OPA employees were able to be paid. He said the association applied for the loan as soon as information became available because no one knew how long the amenities would be closed.

In the wake of numerous critical comments on social media regarding OPA’s pursuit of a small business loan, Viola and the board of directors issued a joint statement addressing the need for the loan.

“COVID-19 closures have affected all of Ocean Pines operations and amenities, with significant lost revenue especially in Golf, Recreation and Parks, Aquatics and General Administration,” the statement reads. “Those and all other departments are still fully staffed, however, and the PPP loan will help us keep that workforce intact.

Many think assessments cover all of our expenses, but the truth is assessments only make up about 60 percent of Ocean Pines' income, and the impact of COVID-19 will likely be felt for many more months.”

According to the statement, without the loan some of OPA’s roughly 80 yearround employees would have been impacted.

“The bottom line is, without the loan our workforce would have likely suffered furloughs or layoffs, and that would have hurt our people,” the statement reads.

“The Ocean Pines Association is essentially a grouping of several small businesses and, by helping us keep those jobs, we believe that also helps boost the local economy, because those who held onto their jobs continue to invest in the local economy by buying groceries, and patronizing the local restaurants and other businesses that were able to remain open.”

Parks said a workgroup had been formed since the loan had been received to monitor the situation.

“The workgroup in conjunction with the board of directors will continue its due diligence in monitoring this fluid situation as things develop over the next several weeks,” Parks said. “While no changes in the status are anticipated, we will be prepared to make any adjustments should conditions warrant.”

Parks added that OPA would continue to operate.

“We are hoping that our amenities and other services affected by the COVID-19 pandemic will open in the next several weeks and we can return to some level of normalcy,” he said. “In the meantime, we ask all OPA members to abide by the government mandates, and hope everyone stays safe and healthy during this time.”

Coastal Del. Businesses Seek Answers At Recovery Town Hall

May 1, 2020

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

BERLIN – Questions and comments surrounding Delaware’s efforts to restart its economy highlighted a virtual town hall meeting this week with members of the eastern Sussex County business community.

On Monday, the Delaware Division of Small Business and the Delaware Prosperity Partnership joined with state and local representatives and local chambers of commerce to host the first of several recovery town hall meetings using the video conferencing platform Zoom.

These recovery town halls – focused on several regions within Delaware’s three counties – kicked off this week by collecting feedback from eastern Sussex County businesses and employers that will inform the state’s recovery efforts.

“Having a healthy community is really important first before we can have a fully healthy economy …,” Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long said. “We are all working for a recovery that is smooth.”

By and large, most of the business community’s comments this week surrounded Gov. John Carney’s phases for restarting the economy. The proposed phases will be implemented as the number of positive COVID-19 cases decline for 14 consecutive days and as the ability to treat COVID-19 patients in hospitals without crisis care improves.

“Think of this as the platform we are working from,” said Kurt Foreman, president and CEO of Delaware Prosperity Partnership. “If this is sort of the dance we have to do, how would you all feel and how would you be able to operate within those parameters?”

Several participants highlighted their efforts to keep employees and patrons safe as their businesses reopen. Those measures included installing ultraviolet lighting in gyms, improving sanitation practices and transitioning to touchless and cashless procedures, among other things.

For some small business owners and organizations, many highlighted the challenges of reopening businesses in the expected phases.

“At our location down at the beach, we rely heavily on tourists,” said Gina Hall of Energy Gym in Selbyville. “I’m sure there are a lot of businesses on here that would attest that if this goes into June and July, our summer is basically ruined financially.”

Grotto Pizza’s Jeff Gosnear questioned if there would be specific guidelines on dining room occupancy and bar operations. He said restaurants needed to prepare now for any reopening.

“Are our dining rooms going to have to be 50% occupancy? Are we going to have any way of doing any type of bar business? Are we going to have to put things like dividers in between all of our tables or booths?” he asked. “Right now, we have a lot of people we could be using to prepare for this … It’s not something we can do overnight.”

Kaisy’s Delights owner Thierry Langer said restaurants could practice so-

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

cial distancing guidelines and continue to serve the public by closing roads, creating pedestrian streets and increasing outdoor seating.

“A major problem is how to practice social distancing and run our business where we can still make a profit …,” he said. “I think that’s a way to have local industries survive and make it even more attractive.”

Lyn Shoop of Dewey Beach Rentals questioned if limitations and restrictions would differ between short-term rentals and hotels as bans are lifted.

“Opening a single-family home would be different than opening a hotel …,” she said.

Damian DeStefano, director of the Delaware Division of Small Business, said officials would take those concerns into consideration.

“I think we are mindful, whenever

Page 9

we do anything, of creating competitive inequities in the system between business owners in a particular sector …,” he said. “It’s an unintended consequence we would like to avoid whenever possible.”

While the governor’s proposed phases highlight the state’s path to economic recovery, some pointed out that it did not include a timeline for opening its beaches.

“I’m also wondering, at a macro level, how the state of Delaware is looking at the summer tourist season and if you are doing that in coordination with the state administrations from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia,” said Mariah Calagione of Dogfish Head.

Foreman said Delaware and other surrounding states had established a dialogue group to discuss the coming summer season.

“We want to make sure we don’t cause trouble for each other or surprise each other and cause problems,” he said, “but to talk about the summer in aggregate form and the pieces that involves.”

Monday’s town hall meeting included more than 300 participants and generated hundreds of online comments from the coastal business community. As officials continue to hold virtual town hall meetings, people are encouraged to submit their ideas for reopening the economy by visiting de.gov/economy.

“I think the more input we have from the business community as we put these things together, the better our plans are going to be, the higher the level of compliance and the more buyin there will be from the business community,” DeStefano said.

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County To Hold Virtual Hearing On Proposed Budget

Page 10

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

SNOW HILL – Citizens will have a chance to provide input on Worcester County’s proposed budget during an online public hearing next week.

On Tuesday, May 5, the Worcester County Commissioners will host a public hearing on the requested fiscal year 2021 operating budget. The hearing will be live-streamed at 7 p.m.

“I hope people partake Tuesday,” said Commissioner Joe Mitrecic, president of the board. “This is the most important thing the county commis-

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Speakers Required To Register Online In Advance Before May 5

sioners do as a whole.”

In March, the commissioners advised staff to revise the $221.3 million proposed budget as it became clear that the COVID-19 outbreak would have a financial impact on the county.

Revenues in the proposed fiscal year 2021 budget were revised from $209,-

931,786 to $205,694,286. More than $15 million in spending cuts were made to bring proposed expenditures down to $205,966,790.

Mitrecic said the cuts would buffer against the potential financial impact of the ongoing health crisis.

“The revised budget includes no property tax increase at all,” he said.

“We have made necessary, albeit some painful, cuts based on a better understanding of potential impacts to county revenues. But the revised budget still reflects FY21 expenditures that are based on needs, not numbers.”

Harold Higgins, the county’s chief administrative officer, said staff made an aggressive round of cuts knowing that COVID-19 would have an impact on finances.

“We recognized early on that the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a significant impact on county revenues, so we adjusted spending accordingly,” he said. “Because many of the capital expenditures that were cut from the FY21 budget are needsbased items held over from prior-year budgets, we will continue to monitor

May 1, 2020

and evaluate revenues and may reconsider whether to reinstitute certain projects later this year based on the availability of surplus funds from the current budget.”

The public is invited to comment on any aspect of the proposed budget, which is available on the county’s website, at Tuesday’s public hearing.

Mitrecic acknowledged that the teleconference might not be ideal but said that it would give people the chance to voice their concerns regarding the budget.

“It’s a new situation,” he said. “We have to move forward in the best way that we can.”

Those planning to speak must register in advance at https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_R7VZcb CZRwqWickNDZKfVw. Speakers will receive an invitation via email to join the video/audio conference and will be enabled to speak during the hearing by the meeting chair. Oral comments will be limited to two minutes to assure that all participants have an opportunity to speak. Written comments may be sent by email to wchearing@co.worcester.md.us or by hardcopy to the County Commissioners Office, Worcester County Government Center, One West Market Street, Room 1103, Snow Hill, Md. 21863. Written comments must be received on or before 4 p.m. Monday, May 4, to be read into the record at the public hearing.

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Page 12

Rate Increases Help Improve Berlin Enterprise Fund Outlook

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

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STAFF WRITER

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BERLIN – Town officials reviewed Berlin’s enterprise fund budgets at a work session this week.

The Berlin Town Council on Monday met to review proposed utility fund budgets for the coming fiscal year.

Town Administrator Jeff Fleetwood said the 5% and 20% increases for water and sewer rates approved last year were serving their purpose.

“Both funds, the trend is in the right way with the rate increases that were done,” he said.

Fleetwood said in an overview of the various utility funds that employee wages were being increased by 2% while health insurance rates would increase close to 4%. Liability insurance is expected to increase 5%.

“I wish to remind everyone that the utility funds operate as a quasi-business so they can operate with a profit with the exception of the electric utility because they are regulated,” he said.

Fleetwood said the electric budget was expected to increase 3% and would have a contingency of $13,000.

May 1, 2020

He said that was less of a rainy day fund than in the past because of the increase in the cost of purchasing renewable energy credits.

“Those costs have gone up significantly,” he said.

Fleetwood said the stormwater budget was projected to be down 16% in the coming year because the town wasn’t anticipating receiving any grants. He said the water fund budget was up 3% but that revenues had increased by $43,000 thanks to the rate increase the council approved last year.

Fleetwood said the sewer fund revenues were up 32% because of the 20% rate increase approved last year.

He said that EDU (equivalent dwelling unit) sales were down, however. In the current fiscal year, the town expected to receive $466,000 in EDU fees. Instead, the town has received $126,000.

“If you look at the annual debt, it requires the sale of 59 EDUs to pay the debt,” Fleetwood said, adding the town would experience a shortfall this year.

“We are estimating the sale of 37 EDUs in the coming year.”

Mayor Gee Williams said that in the past, EDUs had come in lower than projected some years and higher than projected other years and usually balanced out.

“At this point we’re trying to take a conservative approach,” he said.

Fleetwood said the sewer fund was projected to transfer $50,000 to the general fund at the end of fiscal year 2021 to begin to repay the longstanding debt that existed, depending on its year-end balance.

“If nothing happens, everything goes well, we can make the transfer of $50,000 to the general fund,” said Finance Director Natalie Saleh. “But that’s in a perfect scenario.”

Councilman Zack Tyndall said he thought the $50,000 could be better used on capital projects.

“I think it would be better served going toward capital projects than attempting to try and repay this debt service that in my opinion we’ve not been making any effort to repay and should almost be looked at as bad debt that is uncollectable,” he said.

Saleh said writing it off as bad debt would hurt the general fund. She added that the town had only just increased water and sewer rates. Councilman Dean Burrell said he thought in light of the newly increased rates it was too early to make a decision regarding the debt.

“Writing off the debt is premature,” he said. “This is the first year of the increased rates.”

Town officials are expected to introduce the fiscal year 2021 budget at a meeting in May. A public hearing will be held soon after.

Berlin Not Nixing 4th Fireworks Yet

May 1, 2020

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

BERLIN – Town officials will wait to make a decision regarding the potential postponement of Berlin’s July 3 fireworks show.

As some municipalities have begun canceling Independence Day events as a result of the ongoing health crisis, Berlin officials said Monday they would make no decision yet regarding the annual event. Mayor Gee Williams said that if state guidelines for gatherings prevented the event from being held July 3, he’d recommend postponing the fireworks to a later date.

“We’ll take it a month at a time,” Williams said during Monday’s council meeting. “I suspect that some of the decisions the governor has to make, and his advisors, they won’t know until we get closer to that time.”

Williams launched Monday’s meeting, which was broadcast live via Facebook, with his estimates regarding the timeline for a return to normal operations in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Planning the operation of the Town of Berlin, we currently are hopeful the first phase in reopening will begin around mid-May, the second phase by early to mid-June and the third and final phase of the plan—to begin permitting larger events and further lessening restrictions—by July,” Williams said. “These are all estimates but they’re based on the best information we currently have.”

When Town Administrator Jeff Fleetwood advised officials that some regional municipalities had already canceled their July 4 events, Williams said he suggested the town make no changes to its scheduled July 3 fireworks display yet.

“We’re waiting to hear from the governor’s office as to what orders, guidelines, whatever, that would be in effect for the first week of July or anytime in July,” Williams said. “Canceling the fireworks takes one phone call.”

He added that if the fireworks couldn’t be held July 3, he recommended postponing the show to coincide with the town’s reopening celebration.

“We are hoping to have a reopening celebration of some sort this year,” he said. “When that will be, whether it will be late July, sometime in August , early September, I don’t know but I would suggest as part of it we might want to consider having the fireworks then. All of this is subject to so many factors that are not within our control.”

Williams stressed that the town would rely on state guidance regarding COVID-19 and a phased-in return to normal operations.

“Our governor, and our leadership in the state, has been very reasonable and very responsible in the way they have responded to this health crisis so far Williams said. “I think if we continue to follow their guidelines we’ll be doing the right thing.”

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 13

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BERLIN – Town officials agreed to lease storage and parking space at Heron Park to Burley Oak Brewing Co. this week.

On Monday, the Berlin Town Council voted 4-0 to approve the lease of 7,000 square feet of warehouse space and parking area at Heron Park. Burley Oak will pay the town $1,900 a month for the space.

“This is something we’ve discussed informally off and on but this is the first actual taker in trying to generate revenue from those buildings until a permanent use is found or until they are leveled,” Mayor Gee Williams said.

Town Administrator Jeff Fleetwood said Burley Oak’s Bryan Brushmiller had approached the town a couple months ago about leasing storage space at Heron Park. Fleetwood said Brushmiller wanted to rent 7,000 square feet of storage space in the old processing building on the site as well as 15 parking spaces.

“On the north side of the processing building there’s a section of that building that has five bay doors that are nonfunctional as we speak,” Fleetwood said. “In my discussions with Bryan, what we think would be in the best interest of all — this is all at his expense — he would install a functional garage door in the middle bay and then the

May 1, 2020

7,000-square-foot space that is immediately beyond that bay door is what he would utilize.”

In a letter to the council, Brushmiller outlined his plans for the space.

“We decided as a company that it would benefit us and the Town of Berlin to lease space across the street at Berlin Falls as warehousing space,” Brushmiller wrote. “We love the idea of renovating this part of the building and hope to bring a bit of fresh life to the property. The use of this space will include dry storage and storage of our product waiting to be sent out to distribution all over the world.”

Fleetwood said the town and Brushmiller had agreed to a lease of $1,500 a month for the building space and $400 a month for the parking space.

The council voted 4-0, with Councilman Elroy Brittingham absent, to approve the lease. They went on to approve a similar agreement with Dr. Christopher Galuardi for parking space at the water tower on Route 346 for $400 a month. The space would allow Galuardi, who’s operated an office on Old Ocean City Boulevard for 14 years, to recruit another physician to his practice.

“My largest impediment right now to having him join the practice is the inadequate size of my parking lot,” Galuardi wrote in a letter to the council. “I only have 10 spaces and eight employees.”

May 1, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 15

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NEWARK 9502 CROPPERS ISLAND ROAD $550,000 • MLS #MDWO105772 WATER FRONT 1.08 Wooded Acre 6 bed, 6 ½ bt, 4,755 sqft, built 1978 Country, No HOA fee, RE Tax $334/m 4-Bay Garage Detached with Full Loft

BAY FRONT ~ OC EMERSON TOWERS #304 on Wicomico Street $625,000 • MLS #1001953136 3 bed, 3 bt, 1,785 sqft, built 2006 Condo Fee $398/m, RE Tax $535/m Gated Parking, 545 Sqft Wrap Balcony, 2 Deep Water Slips - 35’ & 50’ with Lifts

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BAY BLOCK ~ OC OCEAN SIDE ~ OC OCEAN FRONT ~ OC SILVER MOON #501 at 127th Street ENGLISH TOWERS #608 at 100th Street OUR PLACE AT BEACH #302H at 104th Street $220,000 • MLS #MDWO112916 $575,000 • MLS #MDWO110846 $550,000 • MLS #MDWO112046 2 bed, 2 bt, 974 sqft, built 1983 3 bed, 2 bt, 1,535 sqft, built 1986 3 bed, 2 bt, 1,386 sqft, built 1974 Condo Fee $322/m, RE Tax $191/m Condo Fee $837/m, RE Tax $455/m Condo Fee $495/m, RE Tax $355/m Top Floor, Large Screened Porch, Pool, Elevator, Beach & Ocean Views, North Corner, Pool, Elevators, Mgmt., Pool, Quiet Wooded Courtyard View Renovated, Den/4th Bed, 4 Pkg Spaces New Kitchen and Baths, Grand View

OCEAN BLOCK ~ OC SEA NYMPH #3B at 17th Street $140,000 • MLS #MDWO113198 1 bed, 1 bt, 450 sqft, built 1960 Condo Fee $236/m, RE Tax $116/m 1st Floor, Private Porch, 1 Parking Sp., Pool, Cable & Hot Water Included

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NEWARK ~ WATER FRONT LOT CROPPERS ISLAND RD via #113S $90,000 • MLS #1001558864 #7-1.04 Acres, 100’ +/- on Porter Creek Wooded, County Road Access, South of Berlin Country Lifestyle, Estate Sale with Current Survey

Page 16

Donations Helping Local Families

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

WEST OCEAN CITY – A local family’s effort to collect food and baby supplies for those in need gained the attention and support of community members this week.

Since Monday, Justin and Brittney Acita – proprietors of Pickles Pub and Sello’s Italian Oven & Bar – have been busy collecting donations for local families in need.

After learning that four families with young children and babies had fallen on hard times, the Acitas said they had to do something to help.

“We are doing carryout at Sello’s and one of our employees brought them to our attention on Saturday night, so we made her food to take home to them,” Brittney said. “But we were lying in bed that night and we said, ‘We are closed Monday through Thursday afternoon, who’s going to feed them then?’”

On Monday, she posted a Facebook message seeking donations of canned, frozen and baby foods, diapers, formula, dry goods and more.

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members, lifelong friends, out-of-state residents and even complete strangers responded. On Monday alone, the Acitas collected several food products and baby supplies and roughly $2,000 on Venmo – a digital wallet app – to purchase more.

“I did not expect to get nearly the amount we have gotten,” she said.

“We are blown away.”

Brittney noted that people continue to donate each day.

As of Wednesday, the Acitas have collected enough donations to help 10 local families in need.

“It really gives you hope,” she said.

“Everyone is down on their luck right now, us included, but it’s touching to see the number of people who have donated.”

Brittney said the community’s generosity has also taught their children the importance of giving back.

“It’s cool because my kids get excited each day when they see these donations,” she said. “My five-year-old and four-year-old are really pumped up about it and want to keep doing it because they know where it’s going.”

Brittney said she and her husband will continue to collect supplies and monetary contributions for as long as people are willing to donate. The Acitas will also distribute some of the donations to the food bank, as well as local food pantries.

“I always say we live in the best community in the world …,” she said.

“It never ceases to amaze me when people, time and time again, give what they have to help others.”

Brittney encouraged people to visit her Facebook page for more information and updates.

Needed items include formula, baby food and cereal, diapers (sizes 2-6), baby wipes, canned and dry goods, frozen foods, and Tylenol or Motrin for children and babies. Donations can be dropped off at the front porch of Sello’s during business hours Thursday through Sunday.

“These families are so appreciative,” Brittney said. “We have had someone in contact with them and they are delivering these donations for us. This is just something positive happening in the community right now.”

Hardwire Earns $50M Fed Contract

May 1, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Company To Produce 5M Face Shields

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

POCOMOKE – Hardwire LLC has agreed to manufacture five million face shields for those battling COVID19 through a contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Rep. Andy Harris announced the award of up to $50 million in federal contracts to Pocomoke’s Hardwire LLC last week. The contract comes just a month after Hardwire, known for its design and manufacture of armor for military vehicles, worked with medical professionals at Atlantic General Hospital to develop a face shield to help health care workers during the coronavirus pandemic.

“It’s work our company’s built for — crisis,” said George Tunis, Hardwire’s CEO. Harris announced last Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was awarding millions in federal contracts to Hardwire for the company’s reusable face shields.

“I am glad that FEMA made the decision to source some of the production of face shields to use during this crisis to Hardwire LLC, here in Worcester County in the First District of Maryland,” Harris said in a statement. “My office has been working with FEMA to make this happen, since high quality PPE (personal protection equipment) is essential in this crisis, and bringing back PPE production on-shore is important.

With this contract, Hardwire is providing much-needed local jobs. Hopefully, in their future purchases, the state of Maryland will also turn to Hardwire as a supplier of face shields as well.”

The first piece of the contract has Hardwire sending 800,000 shields to New Jersey by the end of next week.

“We’ll be producing the majority of the need for the state of New Jersey, which is an honor and a crushing responsibility,” Tunis said.

According to Tunis, Hardwire’s acquisition of the federal contracts will put 100 people—including laid-off restaurant industry employees and college students—back to work. His company is now making 500,000 face shields a week.

“What started as a few for AGH has turned into 500,000 a week,” Tunis said.

In March, Hardwire worked with doctors and nurses at the Berlin hospital to design and test face shields.

Tunis didn’t want to sit idle while medical professionals were lacking equipment to protect them from COVID-19.

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” he said. “This was needed for AGH and PRMC.” Tunis said that with the input from AGH medical personnel, his company was able to improve its initial prototype. The face shield Hardwire is manufacturing today is reusable, weighs only two ounces, is compatible with

other PPE and does not fog up.

“Michael Franklin’s team (at AGH) was instrumental in helping us design this,” Tunis said.

Since Hardwire started producing face shields, Tunis estimates that the company has provided 100,000 each to the states of Maryland and Delaware.

He said Hardwire had distributed 150,000 others to various other local agencies, including nursing homes. The company is receiving website orders for the face shields every day.

“We’ve got everybody from nursing homes to beauty parlors in south Florida,” he said.

He’s thrilled that the shields are helping “human beings out doing their jobs.”

The shields have proven popular because, while they can be worn with other PPE, they themselves meet CDC guidelines.

“I wear one every day,” Tunis said.

“You can see everybody’s face and you can breathe easy. You don’t feel claustrophobic.”

Working in the manufacturing industry, he’s spent years wearing a mask at work.

“We’ve always said the time under the mask is when you’re earning your money,” he said. “I wish I’d had one of these years ago.”

At Hardwire, employees are wearing face shields as they manufacture face shields. For the first time, the company’s workers are part of the fight they’re outfitting clients for.

“That’s the first time this has happened to us,” Tunis said, adding that the virus could attack anyone. “It’s sort of a scary adversary.”

Nevertheless, with enhanced cleaning practices and careful procedures, Tunis is hiring people every day to ensure the company can manufacture enough shields to meet demand. He’s added work stations and assembly points by converting space previously used for the manufacture of transportation armor.

“The parking lot is 100% full,” he said, adding that a local school was letting the company use some of its parking space. “I didn’t think we’d run out of parking. In the middle of a pandemic it was the furthest thing from my mind.”

Tunis says that aside from global health concerns, he’s enjoying the challenge of creating a valuable product.

He’s thrilled that the risk he took in developing something new and adding $1 million in equipment to produce it has paid off.

“It was one of the largest financial risks I’ve ever taken so the FEMA contract is important to us,” he said.

Tunis praised Harris and his staff for helping Hardwire through the federal contract process.

“He was able to help us navigate those waters,” Tunis said.

Page 17

Offshore Wind Farm Testimony Officially Submitted

Page 18

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – There was some movement this month in the development of offshore wind energy farms off the coast including an announcement by one of the approved companies to move its target completion date back to the end of 2023 and the submission of the first direct testimony on turbine height.

When the PSC approved the Orsted’s Skipjack project in 2017, the approval somewhat left open the potential height of the proposed individual wind turbines as the “best technology available,” which, at the time, were the four-megawatt turbines. In the years since, technology has advanced to the point the 12-megawatt turbines are now considered the largest and most efficient available.

The target completion date for Orsted’s Skipjack project was originally set for the end of 2022, but the goal has been moved back by a year because of sluggish progress in the federal approval process.

“As the federal permitting timeline evolves, Orsted is now receiving its federal Notice of Intent for the Skipjack wind farm later than originally anticipated,” the statement reads. “As a result, Orsted has determined that moving Skipjack’s anticipated completion date from late 2022 to the new target of the end of 2023 puts us in the strongest position to deliver a successful project. Orsted remains firmly committed to working with our federal partners to complete Skipjack and pro-

vide clean, reliable offshore wind energy to 35,000 homes in the Delmarva region.”

When Orsted announced it intended to switch to the significantly larger 12-megawatt turbines for the Skipjack project, the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) and the Town of Ocean City petitioned for renewed evidentiary hearings on the original PSC approvals because the change represented a substantial departure from what was envisioned when the project was approved in 2017.

In January, the PSC held a spirited, five-hour-plus public hearing in Ocean City on the proposed change in the turbine height for the Skipjack project.

In February, the PSC issued an order finding it was appropriate to hold renewed evidentiary hearings and laid out a timeline for the process.

Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan on April 17 submitted direct written testimony to the PSC, reiterating the town’s concerns about the potential impact of the massive 12-megawatt turbines.

“As I have previously and repeatedly stated, Ocean City is supportive of renewable energy and the Skipjack project,” he wrote. “Ocean City supports the new jobs and economic benefit that it knows will come from the project moving forward. However, Ocean City’s concern is that if the wind turbines are built within Ocean City’s viewshed, this will have a significantly damaging effect on Ocean City’s tourism and economy. Tourism in Ocean City is the town’s lifeblood.

Ocean City prides itself on its pristine

May 1, 2020

views, which will no longer be pristine if the turbines are visible from shore. … The effect the larger turbines will have on property values was not considered by the Commission in 2017, but needs to be considered now. Overwhelmingly, property is purchased in Ocean City for a view of the beach, but if there are larger, more visible turbines, this will have a negative effect on property value. If the appraised value of properties decrease, this will adversely affect the tax revenue collected by Ocean City.”

Visual resource scientist and Town of Ocean City consultant Robert Sullivan also submitted written testimony to the PSC last Friday. Sullivan’s testimony, based largely on years of experience and the direct findings of offshore wind energy projects in the U.S. and abroad, suggested the increased height in the turbines would almost certainly make the Skipjack project visible from the Ocean City coast.

“I am certain that on many day, the project will be easily visible from many oceanside locations in Ocean City, particularly from the northern sections of Ocean City and especially so from the upper floors of buildings in Ocean City,” he wrote. “It will sometimes be visible from the southern portions of Ocean City. … Regardless of viewer location, the times of greatest visibility would be early morning, when the rising sun would cause the turbines to be silhouetted against the bright morning sky, and later afternoon, when the setting sun would directly illuminate the white turbines against the darkening sky. The turbines would also be more

conspicuous in the afternoon when sunlit against darker clouds.”

MEA Energy Program Manager Samuel Beirne submitted neutral, thirdparty testimony on the proposed turbine change. Beirne addressed several issues, but had this to say about the potential viewshed impacts of the 12megawatt turbines.

“The use of the GE-Haliade 12megawatt turbine for the Skipjack wind farm could reduce overall project visibility, as selecting this turbine could lead to a decrease in the total number of turbines to 12 or fewer,” he said.

“While each turbine will be taller, the Delmarva Peninsula’s average summer weather conditions would likely further reduce visibility of the Skipjack wind farm. Weather characteristics such as humidity, air temperature and pressure, wind speed and direction, cloud cover and type and the amount of precipitation and haze may impact the visibility of the project.”

Orsted North America Mid-Atlantic Program Development Director Jens Gravaard in his written testimony pointed out the benefits of switching to the much-taller 12-megawatt turbines.

“Skipjack’s turbine selection will reduce the project’s viewshed impacts in two ways,” he wrote. “First, Skipjack’s selection of the 12-megawatt turbine reduces the number of turbines from 15 to no more than 12. Second, the Skipjack project is now expected to be located, at its closest, 22.7 miles from the Maryland coast rather than 19.5 miles as in the 8-megawatt turbine layout. This means the Skipjack project would be located over three miles further from the Maryland coast.”

Gravaard wrote by reducing the number of turbines, the impact on Ocean City’s viewshed would be reduced significantly.

“While the 12-megawatt turbine is taller than the 8-megawatt turbine used as the design basis proxy, that height difference should be evaluated in the context of the Skipjack project’s offshore location,” he wrote. “Further, with fewer turbines required to produce the ORECs approved, the Skipjack project will comprise a smaller portion of the visible horizon.”

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The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 19

Page 20

Hotel Developer Seeks More Time For Bayside Boardwalk Funding

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – A downtown hotel developer’s plea to defer a $165,000 contribution to Ocean City for the cost of constructing a bayside boardwalk along the waterfront was not approved this week, but the request did not fall on deaf ears.

For the last four years, the new Cambria Hotel along the waterfront at 1st Street has steadily risen from the ground on the site of the old Cropper concrete plant and is nearing completion and a certificate of occupancy for the coming season. However, as a condition of a zoning amendment that allowed for the development of a hotel on an old industrially-zoned parcel and as a condition of site plan approval for the new hotel, the developer agreed to convey a 10-foot wide public access easement along the bayside of the property and contribute $165,000 toward the development of a bayside boardwalk.

In short, the developer, Ocean Hospitality I, would pay $165,000 toward the bayside boardwalk, long a desire of the town of Ocean City to connect commercial properties along the waterfront in that area. The town of Ocean City has designed the boardwalk and will build and maintain it when finished. However,

May 1, 2020

with the hotel nearing completion and nearly ready for its Certificate of Occupancy (CO) in time for the summer season, whatever that looks like and when it begins, the deed of easement for the public access right of way and the $165,000 for the bayside boardwalk has not been conveyed to the town.

During Tuesday’s work session, Planning and Community Development Director Bill Neville explained the situation to the Mayor and Council and laid out a couple of options. The developer has agreed to convey the deed of easement to the town, which is a condition of the original approvals for the project, but has asked to defer the $165,000 contribution for the bayside boardwalk until the fall after the new hotel has at least some semblance of a summer season under its belt.

“The easement agreement is the missing piece and the finishing touches were put on it recently,” he said. “They are hoping to get open and start that economic engine so they can make the $165,000 contribution for the bayside boardwalk in September. Basically, the developer has asked to forego making that payment right now.”

City Solicitor Heather Stansbury and attorney Mark Cropper have reviewed the proposed deed of easement including the developer’s request to defer the $165,000 payment. Cropper was asked for his recommendation during Tuesday’s virtual meeting.

“It’s drafted to require the $165,000 be paid at the time of the signing of the easement,” he said. “I have recommended not to defer the payment for a number of reasons.”

Ocean Hospitality I representative Tauhid Islam then made an impassioned plea to the Mayor and Council to allow the deferral of the $165,000 for the bayside boardwalk until September, pointing out the uncertainty of the times and the challenges in finishing the project during COVID-19.

Islam pointed out the 137-room waterfront hotel will contribute $17 million to the town’s property tax base.

“We’ve made a significant contribution to Ocean City and Worcester County with our hotel projects,” he said.

“Everything was different then. Life has thrown us a curve ball. Things are very different from where we were just a couple of months ago.”

Islam said the $165,000 was not included as part of the loan from its lender for the hotel project and would have to come from another source.

“The bayside boardwalk was something that was required by the town and it was never to come from the money from the bank,” he said. “Because of all we are doing for the local economy and the people we employ locally, we are asking to defer that payment for the boardwalk until the fall after we are open and have a few months of income. We are in unchartered territory SEE NEXT PAGE

… New Cambria Hotel Expected To Open This Summer

May 1, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

and we are asking the Mayor and Council to consider the shoes we’re in.”

Islam asked the Mayor and Council to consider accepting the deed of easement conveying the waterfront right of way to the town now, while allowing them to pay the $165,000 for the bayside boardwalk later. The CO is tied to the transfer of the property to the town as a condition of the original approvals.

“This project has taken four years to develop and we’re right at the finish line,” he said. “I’m asking to give us an opportunity to open. If the city starts the boardwalk in September, we’ll be ready to make that payment. Give us a little time to open the hotel and establish ourselves. We all need each other’s help in these times.”

Islam was asked if the developer had considered securing a bond, essentially a guarantee from a lender to provide the $165,000 payment to the town in September, but he said those efforts have not been fruitful in the current economic climate.

“No bond companies are willing to do that in this current environment,” he said. “None of these companies are issuing bonds because of the situation we’re all in. They are not looking positively at hotels in this environment.”

Councilman Mark Paddack said he supported the developer’s request to defer the payment for the bayside boardwalk and to convey the deed of

easement to the town in the meantime.

“I remember what that property was when it was the concrete plant compared to what it is now,” he said. “It’s a beautiful project and it’s going to contribute $17 million to our tax base. I want to place our trust in you and defer the $165,000 contribution and allow the certificate of occupancy to go through.”

However, Council Secretary Mary Knight said while she understood the developer’s situation, she was uncertain about simply taking a leap of faith.

“My concern is there’s no guarantee,” she said. “I trust the developer and I also know the times we’re all in right now. As a representative of the taxpayers, I just want some guarantee.”

Councilman Matt James said there was no guarantee the new Cambria would have a successful first season and the developer would have the funds available in September.

“This summer is not going to be good for Ocean City hotels,” he said.

“It would be very tough to come out of this summer with extra money for a bayside boardwalk.”

Islam said the he and his partners would sign any kind of promissory note or other document guaranteeing the payment in September if the town would give them a chance to get open.

“We could draft something that holds us responsible,” he said. “We know it’s not going to be a great summer and

neW COnstRUCtiOn The Latitudes Townhomes Bayfront 25th Street

we’re not sure when we’ll ever have a great summer again. We will personally sign something and assure you that in September when you’re ready to start the bayside boardwalk, the money will be there. You have to believe in the future. You have to believe Ocean City will come out of this. We certainly do.”

City Manager Doug Miller said he could work with the town’s legal team and the developer on some kind of formal guarantee for the payment. Mayor Rick Meehan said it appeared something could be worked out.

“I support the idea,” he said. “The

Page 21

developer has stated his position and they have made a significant investment with a first-class building. I believe we can work something out and have the city manager work with the developer to come up with something we can all abide by.

After considerable debate, it was decided to accept the deed of easement in concept form as presented in order to allow the discussion to move forward and have Miller and the town’s legal team work with Islam and the developer on some sort of guarantee the funds will be in place in September.

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Page 22

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Wicomico Loosens Park Restrictions

May 1, 2020

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

SALISBURY – Officials in Wicomico County announced plans last week to reopen trails and day use areas in county parks.

Last week, officials announced trails and day use areas within county parks would reopen to the public. Visitors, however, are still expected to follow social distancing guidelines.

“Public cooperation with social distancing guidelines at county parks is critical,” said Steve Miller, director of Wicomico Recreation, Parks and Tourism. “Failure to adhere to these guidelines could result in reverting back to complete park closures.”

On March 30, Wicomico County Recreation, Parks and Tourism announced the closure of park property – including day use areas, trails, playgrounds, pavilions, sports courts and the like – in response to Gov. Larry Hogan’s stay-at-home order.

And while playgrounds, pavilions, tennis courts, basketball courts and pickle ball courts remain closed at this time, officials said trails and day use areas will be open for visitors to use, so long as they maintain a safe distance from others. Park restrooms will also remain closed, and visitors are advised to prepare accordingly.

Decisions made by county officials are fluid and can be changed at any time, according to a press release issued last week. The Wicomico Recreation, Parks, Tourism and Civic Center department will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation through regular updates from the Wicomico County Health Department and the Department of Emergency Services.

In Worcester County, parks and trails remain open for “passive recreation,” such as walking and jogging, according to a press release issued in April. Park users are strongly cautioned to continue to practice social distancing.

County playgrounds and the Homer Gudelsky Park will remain closed until Hogan’s stay-at-home order is lifted.

“This latest action is part of ongoing special preparedness measures being taken by the Worcester County Commissioners to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and minimize the threat to public safety and the lives of all Worcester County residents and visitors,” Commission President Joe Mitrecic said. “This closure follows suit with the closing of Ocean City beaches and Assateague in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus and practice social distancing. We appreciate your support and patience as we work together to keep everyone safe.”

For more information on social distancing guidelines, visit cdc.gov or health.maryland.gov.

May 1, 2020

John T. Cossentino WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – John “Jack” T. Cossentino passed away on April 11, 2020 at his home in West Palm Beach, Fla., while surrounded by his loving family.

Born in Washington, DC on Aug. 21, 1936 to Mary and Anthony Cossentino, he spent his formative years in Little Italy and the Baltimore area.

He began his work career at the Matricciani Company, a Baltimore based underground utility company. It was there that Jack learned the business working alongside his father. In 1968 he founded Cossentino Contracting Co., Inc. which has been a great success for over 52 years, specializing in underground utility construction. For many years Jack was involved in JOHN T. various business assoCOSSENTINO ciations, such as Associated Utility Contractors of Maryland, National Utility Contractors Association, the Utility Contractors Association of Anne Arundel County, and the Je M’en Fous Society. Jack always loved the business, loved his employees and cherished the relationships and friendships made along the way. In 2013, Jack and his son Kris formed Cosda Investments, LLC., a real estate based investment company. Jack will rest easy knowing his legacy will continue for many years with his son Kris Davis, the team at Cossentino Contracting and Cosda Investments, leading the companies into the future.

Upon retirement and before, he divided his time between his homes in Maryland and Florida. He was a 23year member at the Preserve Golf Club in the community of Ironhorse, a place he dearly loved. Jack also enjoyed traveling and cruising, especially the many trips to Italy, his favorite.

Jack was predeceased by his daughter, Jacqueline Cossentino, and brother, Thomas Cossentino. He is survived by his wife, Donna; son Kris Davis and wife Noel Davis; grandchildren Jake and Ella Davis; daughter Tracey Collins and husband John Collins; grandchildren Mike Collins, April Winterson and husband Nate Winterson; great-granddaughter Mila Winterson and son-in-law Keith Whitescarver; and grandson Jack Whitescarver. Surviving siblings include brother Albert Cossentino, sisters Gloria

Obituaries

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Owen and Patricia Cossentino and several nieces and nephews.

Jack loved life and was a genuine “Good Guy,” as many have described him. His charming personality and winning smile endeared him to all. He will always be remembered and in our hearts.

Services and a “Celebration of Life” will be held at a later date.

Ann C. Sherman NEW OXFORD, Pa. – Ann C. Sherman, 95, of New Oxford, Pa., entered into God’s eternal care on Saturday, April 25, 2020 at Crosskeys VillageThe Brethren Community.

Born on Thursday, Dec. 25, 1924, in Emmitsburg, Md., she was the wife of the late Harold Sherman, who died in 2005. She is also preceded in death by two sons, Dr. Richard Sherman and Steven Sherman, Sr. Ann enjoyed Bingo, crafts and spending time with her family.

Survivors include two children, Randy SherANN C. man and his wife, Linda, SHERMAN of Ocean City and Kathy Bradburn and her husband, Rick, of Hanover, Pa.; a daughter-in-law, Dr. Jane E. Sherman of Milford, Del.; six grandchildren, Steven Sherman, Jr., Kay Cooke, Gregory, Dustin and Kimberly Sherman and Richard Bradburn; and nine great-grandchildren.

In compliance with health and public safety directives during this time, the services for Ann will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, please make any memorial contributions in Ann’s name to Loving Eyes Puppy Club, c/o K. Cooke 356 Woodland View Drive, York, Pa. 17406.

Stephanie Jeanette Fisher BERLIN – Stephanie Jeanette Fisher, age 31, passed away after a long struggle with diabetes, depression and addiction. She was the daughter of Elizabeth “Beth” Quillin Fisher of Ocean City and Donald Ross Fisher. Jr. of Berlin. In addition to her parents, she is survived by her paternal grandmother Calvina Fisher of Ocean City, step-mother Rebecca Fisher and half siblings Hannah, Court-

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ney and Ross Fisher of Berlin. There are numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.

She was predeceased by her maternal grandparents, John and Louisa Quillin, and paternal grandfather Donald R. Fisher, Sr. Stephanie was a 2006 graduate of Ocean City Christian School. Multiple health issues, including a traumatic brain injury suffered in 2007, prevented her from pursuing future career opportunities. She found solace in STEPHANIE her many pets which in- JEANETTE FISHER cluded dogs, cats, reptiles, and birds, most of which were rescues.

A graveside service will be held at a future date and will be private. A donation in her memory may be made to 3 Palms Zoo, 1060 Vandyke Greenspring Rd., Townsend, Del., 19734.

This is a rescue zoo and education center which was very dear to her heart. Letters of condolence may be sent via: www.burbagefuneralhome.com. Arrangements are in the care of the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin.

William “Larry” Bloxom NEWARK – William “Larry” Bloxom, age 70, died Monday, April 20, 2020 at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin.

Born in Lewes, Del., he was the son of the late Greer and Colleen Bloxom He is survived by his wife, Bonnie Sue Bloxom, and children, Sean G.A. Odegaard and his wife Debbie, Shane L Odegaard and companion WILLIAM “LARRY” Kelly, Michele C. ShafBLOXOM fer and her husband Bryan, Skye A. Odegaard, daughter-inlaw Meghan Odegaard, and brother David Bloxom and his wife Sharon and brother-in-law David Tull. There are eight grandchildren, Zoe, Jason, Samuel, Nathan, Brianna, Trevor, Wyatt, and Manuel, and several nieces and nephews, close friends, including special friends, Robert “Fish” Fisher and Douglas Gibbons. Preceding him in

Page 23 death was a brother, Roger Bloxom, and a sister, Donna Tull.

Larry was a graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and received his associate’s degree from Delaware Tech Community College. He had worked as a police officer for the Town of Berlin. An avid hunter and fisherman, he was president of the West Ocean City Hunt Club, proud 30-year member of the Berlin Fire Company, and charter member of Berlin FOP Lodge 136. Larry was a loving husband, father, grandfather and brother and will be missed greatly.

A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. A donation in his memory may be made to the Berlin Fire Company, 214 N. Main St., Berlin, Md. 21811. Letters of condolence may be sent via: www.burbagefuneralhome.com . Arrangements are in the care of the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin.

Richard J. Dalton OCEAN PINES – Richard J. Dalton, age 73, died Saturday, April 25, 2020 at Stansell House Hospice Center in Ocean Pines.

Born in New York, he was the son of the late Martin Dalton and Nora Keogh Dalton. He was preceded in death by his wife, Maureen Malone, in 2019. He is survived by Lauren Grillo and Christopher Grillo, Kim Golley, Liz Dalton Kelly and Caitlin Malone.

Mr. Dalton was an Army veteran and had been a facilities manager with Paine Webber. A member of St. John Neumann Cath- RICHARD J. DALTON olic Church in Ocean Pines, he was very active in the Ocean City/Berlin Optimist. A naturalist even down to the food he ate, he loved to golf, kayak, fish and swim.

Also a sports fan, he was a fan of the New York Mets, New York Giants and the Shorebirds – Silver Sluggers.

Internment at Arlington National Cemetery with his late wife, Maureen, will be scheduled at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ocean City/Berlin Optimist Scholarship Endowment Fund at PO 1403, Berlin, Md. 21843. Arrangements are in care of the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin. Letters of condolence may be sent to the family via www.burbagefuneralhome.com.

SEE PAGE 24

... Obituaries

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FROM PAGE 23

Eric T. LaMade

OCEAN PINES – Eric T. LaMade, 61, died Sunday, April 26, 2020 at his home in Ocean Pines.

Eric is preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Margaret LaMade; his brother Brian LaMade; and mother in law, Myrna Cottle.

Eric is survived by his wife of 32 years, Jennifer LaMade. He is also survived by his brother, Wayne LaMade; sisters Rene’ Graney, Paula Nelms, Kelli LaMade-Meagher and Donna Everhart; and dear friends Jude and Gary Beidenkapp.

He also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews.

Eric was a graduate of The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, ERIC T. LAMADE N.Y., and subsequently executive chef at many prestigious restaurants in the Baltimore/Washington DC area. Eric had a passion for music and especially enjoyed playing percussion instruments. He possessed a love for animals particularly Abilene, Gracie and his white German Shepherds. Eric touched many lives with his infectious sense of humor, kind soul, big heart and strong hugs.

There will be a celebration of life which will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch made in Eric’s name to World Central Kitchens at 202-844-6330 or donate.wck.org.

Arrangements are in the care of Eastern Shore Cremation and Funeral Service a division of Holloway Funeral Home, P.A., 504 Franklin Avenue, Berlin, Md. 21811. Please visit www.easternshorecremation.com to express condolences to the family.

Anna M. Ebaugh OCEAN CITY – Anna M. Ebaugh, age 83, died on Sunday, April 26, 2020 after a brief illness.

Born in Uniontown, Md., she was the daughter of the late Jesse Franklin Baker and Marie Houck Baker. She was preceded in death by her husband, William Martin Ebaugh, in 2010. Surviving, are her daughANNA M. EBAUGH ters, Linda Sturgill and Virginia Case of Ocean City, Bonnie Mann and her husband Daniel of Crawfordsville, Ind., and Vickie Whittaker of Ocean City. She was an adored grandmother to Tyler Sturgill (Rachel), Cory Sturgill, Elizabeth Mann, Fletcher Case, Beau Mann and Emily Case and two great-grandchildren. Also surviving are her siblings, Edna Stephan and Thelma Carr (Scott), Raymond Baker (June), and David Baker, many nieces and nephews and a host of friends. She was preceded in death by a brother, Jesse “Junior” Baker.

Anna dedicated much of her life to

being a homemaker. After moving to Ocean City in 1985, she and her husband owned and operated A&B Tile Works for 20 years. She enjoyed traveling and was extremely active in the lives of her children and grandchildren.

She was also an experienced quilter, a talent shared by her mother and sisters.

Interment will be private for the family. A donation in her memory may be made to: Ocean City Volunteer Fire Department 1409 Philadelphia Ave., Ocean City, Md. 21842. Letters of condolence may be sent via: www.burbagefuneralhome.com. Arrangements are in the care of the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin.

Patricia Dennis Pylypczuk BERLIN – Patricia Dennis Pylypczuk, “Pat”, age 81, died Saturday, April 25, 2020 at her home.

Born in Berlin, she was the daughter of the late Aubrey C. “Tooky” Dennis, and Virginia Lee Brittingham Den- PATRICIA DENNIS nis. She is survived by her husband, Joe Py- PYLYPCZUK lypczuk, and children, Cecil Tull and his wife Dana of Berlin, Denise Tull of Jacksonville, Fla., Christy Giroux and her husband Eric of Damascus, Md., and Jason Pylypczuk and his wife Aubree of Berlin. There are 10 grandchildren, Cameron Tull, Aubrey Tull, Brittany Wheaton, Claire Wheaton, Mallory Rayne, Noelle Rayne, Ally Rayne, Matthew Giroux, Adley Py-

May 1, 2020 lypczuk and Eva Pylypczuk, and two great-grandchildren, Amara and Carter.

A 1957 graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and earning associate’s degree from Wesley College, Pat had worked for 35 years with ABC Printers, and had been a Deacon at Buckingham Presbyterian Church in Berlin. She enjoyed cooking and delivering printed materials to her family’s many customers.

A graveside service in Sunset Memorial Park will be private for the family. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the Berlin Volunteer Fire Company 214 N. Main St., Berlin, Md. 21811 or to Women Supporting Women, 1320 Belmont Ave, Suite 402, Salisbury, Md. 21804. Letters of condolence may be sent via: www.burbagefuneralhome.com. Arrangements are in the care of the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin.

Obituaries cost $50 to appear in The Dispatch and photos are no extra charge.

Direct all inquiries to editor@mdcoastdispatch.com, fax to 410-641-0966 or mail to P.O. Box 467, Berlin, Md. 21811.

May 1, 2020

Woman Arrested Again OCEAN CITY – An Ocean City woman was arrested on burglary and trespassing charges last week, marking her third arrest in about two weeks.

Around 8 p.m. last Monday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a reported burglary in progress at a residence on Caroline Street. The caller advised Tatiana Foreman, 33, of Ocean City, was attempting to enter his residence.

OCPD officers were familiar with Foreman, who had been arrested twice in the span of a couple of days, once for causing a scene at an uptown shopping center parking lot and a second time for running naked on the Boardwalk.

According to police reports, the caller told Ocean City Communications Foreman attempted to open a window at his unit multiple times and every time he closed it, she opened it again. When OCPD officers arrived on scene, they observed Foreman on the balcony of the residence on Caroline Street and ordered her to walk down the steps. Foreman complied and came down to meet with the officers and was detained in handcuffs.

When asked what she was doing on the property, Foreman told the officers she had been released from jail that day and had given the Caroline Street residence to the judge as the address at which she would be staying, according to police reports. Foreman reportedly told police because the judge signed off on her release, she must be allowed to stay at that address. Officers attempted to explain just because she gave the court an address did not give her the right to enter a residence through a window, to which she continually rolled her eyes and said, “but the judge signed off on it,” according to police reports.

Foreman was arrested for burglary and trespassing. Records indicate she had been officially trespassed from the Caroline Street residence in late March and again in early April before last week’s incident. Since Foreman has returned to Ocean City from Baltimore, she has had seven encounters with the OCPD and three total arrests.

Assault Arrest After Incident OCEAN CITY – A local woman was arrested on assault charges last week after allegedly slamming a door on a male victim during a domestic dispute.

Around 7 p.m. last Friday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a residence on Tunnel Avenue for a reported domestic incident involving a woman slamming a door on a man who was injured. The officer arrived and met with the suspect, identified as Annette Ferrell, 56, of Ocean City, and the male victim.

The victim reportedly told police Ferrell was angry at him because of a dispute they had the night before and that she asked him to leave. The victim told police Ferrell told him to leave and to remove his tools from her vehicle.

When the victim walked back to the unit while still on the phone with 911, Ferrell reportedly blocked him from entering the unit and slammed the door with the victim’s hands and foot still in the doorway, according to police reports. The victim reportedly had a cut on his right

Cops & Courts The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

hand with peeling flesh and a bruise on his left hand near his knuckles.

The victim also complained of pain in his toes and foot. Based on the evidence and testimony, Ferrell was arrested and charged with second-degree assault.

Domestic Assault Charge OCEAN CITY – An Ocean City man was arrested on assault charges last

week after allegedly hitting his girlfriend during a dispute over being cooped up in the house during the current health crisis.

Around 3:30 p.m. last Monday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a residence on Seaweed Lane for a reported domestic incident. A female victim had called 911 to report her boyfriend, later identified

Page 25 as Oludare Decou, 32, of Ocean City, was trashing her house.

OCPD officers arrived and met with the victim, who told police Decou had already left the area. According to police reports, the couple had been in a verbal argument that had turned physical. The victim’s lower lip was reportedly swollen and red and had been bleeding and she also had abrasions on the left side of her neck, according to police reports.

While officers were speaking with the victim, Decou reportedly drove by in a vehicle and the victim identified him. OCPD officers followed Decou and pulled him over a short time later.

When asked what caused the argument, Decou reportedly told police the couple was having difficulty getting along while being trapped in the house because of the health crisis and that the victim knew how to push his buttons. OCPD officers determined Decou was the primary aggressor in the altercation and he was arrested and charged with second-degree assault.

What Does National Stimulus Relief Mean For You?

Page 26

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

May 1, 2020

Wealth Of Knowledge

BY KRISTIN COANE

SPECIAL TO THE DISPATCH

BERLIN – On March 27, President Donald Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, a historic $2 trillion stimulus package designed to provide economic relief to Americans affected by the coronavirus pandemic, which by now includes every single person in the world.

While everyone has been impacted in some way by the presence of this virus, there are those who may not benefit from this legislative relief.

We’re happy to help you work with your current household income and expenses to establish a financial strategy designed to give you confidence in your financial future. Please contact us to schedule a consultation.

The CARES Act is scheduled to pay out stimulus income for eligible Americans. The amount will be based on several factors, much of which is determined by your most recent tax return.

If you’ve already submitted a 2019 return, that will be the basis of the payment; if not, the government will determine your benefit from your 2018 tax return. Note that the CARES Act has scheduled only one stimulus KRISTIN COANE payment per person, although the debate over future payments continues in Congress.

The amount will be based on tax filing status and reported adjusted gross income (AGI): Single filers with an AGI of $75,000 or less will receive $1,200; the amount will be reduced for those who earn more, phased out at $99,000.

Married joint filers with an AGI of $150,000 or less will receive $2,400; phased out at $198,000.

Heads of households with an AGI of $112,500 or less will receive $1,200.

Qualifying children under age 17 will receive $500 each.

Anyone claimed as a dependent by

another taxpayer will not receive any stimulus money. Unfortunately, this criteria means young adults age 16 and up who have not earned enough money to file their own tax return in the past two years will not receive a stimulus payout. Also, anyone who earned more than the thresholds on their last return but have since lost their job are not eligible for an immediate payout.

If you’ve previously provided the IRS your bank information for direct deposit, you don’t need to do anything to apply for the payout; payments are scheduled to be automatically deposited.

The CARES Act also enhanced unemployment insurance eligibility and payouts to include part-time and selfemployed workers. The new legislation provides an extra $600 weekly payment, in addition to the weekly benefit amount eligible employees already receive under state law and increases the maximum number of weeks individuals may receive benefits.

The supplementary benefit is also available to people who were already

receiving unemployment benefits. Qualified applicants include those who can’t work because of quarantine restrictions, whether voluntary or imposed.

Federal student loan payments are automatically suspended for six months until September 2020 (private loans and FFEL loans excluded), although borrowers may continue making principal payments if they want.

To give individuals the opportunity to recover from market losses, required minimum distributions from IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s and other non-pension retirement plans are suspended for all of 2020.

The new legislation established a charitable deduction of up to $300 for people who don’t itemize. The law also bans landlords who have a governmentbacked mortgage (e.g., Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac) from charging penalties or evicting tenants unable to pay rent during this period.

(The writer has been part of the Key Financial Services team for the past 14 years.)

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May 1, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 27

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

SALISBURY – An emergency encampment for homeless individuals is now open in Salisbury.

Late last month, the City of Salisbury – in partnership with several agencies – opened Camp Hope, an emergency encampment for homeless individuals in the community.

As residents shelter at home during the COVID-19 outbreak, officials said Camp Hope will offer temporary accommodations for those in the homeless population.

“These guys don’t have a place to shelter in place,” said Christine Chestnutt, the city’s housing and homelessness manager, “so that’s what we are trying to provide.”

Located at the Lake Street Playground, Camp Hope features 24 tents stocked with cots, sleeping bags and hygiene kits, two quarantine tents, and bathrooms.

Mayor Jake Day said the encampment is open to single adults over the age of 18. Families are being redirected

Tents are pictured set up in an emergency shelter in Salisbury.

Photo courtesy of Housing First Salisbury

to other housing options.

“We are now seeing an increase in unsheltered persons …,” he said. “The fear that I have and the fear that we have collectively is that if COVID-19 gets into the homeless population, it will spread due to limited access to sanitation, due to clustering around food options and food delivery sites.

Day said Salisbury reported a decline in the number of homeless individuals living in the city last year. But as the global health crisis continues – and as shelters close to slow the spread of

COVID-19 – he said that progress has been disrupted.

“For those who cannot stay indoors and do not have an option while our local shelters are closed to new persons coming in, this is an option to them,” he said.

Officials said Camp Hope can accommodate up to 26 individuals. Within days of opening, the encampment had reached its capacity.

Day said the city has partnered with several agencies, businesses and community members to make Camp Hope

a reality. For example, Beyond Your Walls is providing shower trailers, First Baptist Church is providing WiFi, and the Maryland National Guard is preparing meals using food and paper produced providing by the Maryland Food Bank and Holt Paper.

“We are incredibly grateful to each of them for their partnership,” Day said.

Chestnutt said individuals will receive a medical assessment each time they enter the camp. The city is also providing security at the site.

“They will have to fill out basic paperwork so we know who’s here, we will check to make sure no one that comes in is a sex offender and we will assign tents accordingly …,” she said.

Chestnutt said the city continues to seek nonperishable foods and drink donations, as well as volunteers who can help in three-hour shifts during the day.

For more information, email cchestnutt@salisbury.md. For daily updates and requests, visit the “Housing First Salisbury, Maryland” Facebook page.

“We are in a time when public health has to be protected,” Day said, “and if we can help we are going to.”

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Business

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

May 1, 2020

And Real Estate News OCEAN CITY – The Art League of Ocean City is providing a series of free online art classes specially designed for youth who are learning from home.

The free classes are funded in part by an emergency grant from the Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore.

“It is vitally important that we keep area students engaged in creative learning while schools are closed and classes go online,” Rina Thaler, executive director of the Art League, said. “We thank the Community Foundation for their vision in helping us fund free online art classes so these students can continue to learn from home.

“While this grant funds our free classes for now, every bit of support we receive would help us continue to offer art classes at no charge,” Thaler continued.

“Please consider donating to our COVID-19 Emergency Operating Fund on our website.”

Every week starts off with a free “Monday Storytime” where a member of the community reads a children’s story on the Art League’s Facebook page. Each story will be accompanied by a craft project that relates to it using commonly found objects. Storytime premieres at 10 a.m. every Monday and is available on Facebook all day.

Grant Funds Art Classes

SALISBURY – Principal Chris Davis recently brokered the lease of 60,000 square feet within 2305 Northwood Drive in Salisbury.

The completion of this deal marks the entrance of another national tenant into the Salisbury real estate market. Canada Dry Distribution Company of Wilmington is a beverage distributer based out of New Jersey and will occupy the space on Northwood Drive beginning in spring of 2020.

“We are happy to have played a role in bringing another large business to Salisbury,” said landlord Jeff Wade. “I’ve worked with Chris for a long time and his knowledge of the real estate market on a local and regional level always proves to be a huge resource in navigating transactions. He and his NAI Coastal team played an essential role in leasing a large portion of our building.”

National Tenant Signed

BERLIN – Worcester Youth and Family Counseling in Berlin has announced the addition of a new therapist to its clinical team.

Courtney Herring is a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor, who has experience working with diverse populations. She has worked with children, adolescents and adults in group and individual settings.

Herring holds a Masters of Clinical

Therapist Added

Psychology with a specialization in Clinical Counseling from Capella University.

She has a history of doing Applied Behavior Analysis with developmentally delayed children as well as working with teens and adults who have co-occurring mental health and substance abuse issues. Her other areas of expertise include Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), depression, anxiety, trauma, and attachment disorders.

During this time of crisis, Herring is accepting new referrals and therapy services are grant-funded, therefore there is no charge to clients. Worcester Youth has also formed a partnership with the Jesse Klump Memorial Fund and the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association to support therapy services for those in this industry. If you are with this association and want therapy, please call to see if Courtney would be a good fit for your needs. The agency has been conducting teletherapy throughout the Covid-19 crisis and is currently accepting clients.

SALISBURY – First Shore Federal is contributing $10,000 to help the nonprofit organizations on the Lower Eastern Shore that are impacted by COVID-19. Funds will be split, with $5,000 going to United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore’s LIVE UNITED Response Fund and the remaining $5,000 to Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore’s COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund.

“The negative impact of COVID 19, from both a health and economic standpoint, has been severe. First Shore Federal believes that United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore and Community Foundation of the Eastern Shore are outstanding organizations which will serve the needs of our local non-profit community during this crisis. We are honored and obligated to join in that effort,” said Marty Neat, President & CEO of First Shore Federal.

With many people facing limited personal resources due to situations like unemployment caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofit services are in greater demand, which will quickly deplete funding and resources.

Contributions provided through these funds will help to keep local nonprofits operating.

“First Shore Federal was one of the original organizations to help establish what is now UWLES, and we are eternally grateful for their continued dedication and support of our community,” said Pam Gregory, President and CEO of UWLES. “Through partnerships like this, we are able to continue to meet the needs of the most vulnerable in our community.”

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May 1, 2020

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The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

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BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

SALISBURY – Officials in Wicomico County approved the acquisition of a conservation easement last week in an effort to preserve more than 100 acres of land within the Quantico Creek watershed.

Last week, the Wicomico County Council voted 5-0 to approve a resolution authorizing the county to acquire a 114.37-acre easement within the Quantico Creek Rural Legacy Area from Cherrywalk Farm, LLC. In a memo to the county council, Frank McKenzie, the county’s technical services chief, said $484,143 in funding from the Rural Legacy Program would be used to purchase the conservation easement, located on Cherry Walk Road.

For this project, McKenzie said the county partnered with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Lower Shore Land Trust, The Chesapeake Conservancy and the Department of the Navy, which contributes to the purchase of conservation easements that fall under its flight paths.

He explained the conservation easement would be used to protect land located within the Quantico Creek watershed.

“It has been county policy that we not spend money to protect lands that did not have development potential.

This acquisition contains two parcels of land …,” he wrote. “In summary, based on the Wicomico County Zoning Code, subdivision regulations, septic bill and soil analysis, the property has development potential and a maximum of six lots would be allowed under the restrictions as noted above.”

With no discussion, the council voted 5-0, with Councilman Ernie Davis absent and Councilman Josh Hastings abstaining, to acquire the conservation easement.

Hastings said he abstained because he is an employee of Lower Shore Land Trust.

In a work session last week, the council also considered two requests to relocate forest conservation easements within Wicomico County.

The two requests, submitted by Parker and Associates, call for the off-site relocation of .39 acres of forest conservation easement located on Rockawalkin Road and the onsite relocation of .34 acres of forest conservation easement on Song Sparrow Circle.

Tyler Walston, environmental planner with the Wicomico County Department of Planning and Zoning, said staff forwarded the two requests to the council with a favorable recommendation.

“Plans submitted to this office for the proposed relocation meet all current FCA requirements,” he said. “Staff recommends approval.”

The council will hold a public hearing on the two relocation requests May 19 at 10 a.m.

Page 29

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W

The Adventures Of Fatherhood

By STEVE GREEN

ith lots of time to think these days, I am wondering if pre-virus life with my children will ever return. It’s going to be tough to embrace after all this isolation and simplicity.

Of course, there may be no choice here, as it’s going to be sometime before life begins to take on whatever this new normal will be for all of us.

Throughout the last seven weeks, I have been reminded daily of what I would normally be doing if life had not come to a screeching halt in midMarch. To stay organized, I live by my Outlook calendar through reminders throughout the day.

For example, I realized one Friday recently how different life is now. After dropping the kids off at school, according to my Outlook calendar, I would have attended back-to-back meetings for a volunteer position, followed by a lunch meeting, after-school pickups and then a trip to Pennsylvania for a weekend soccer tournament. Because of the shutdown, I dismissed all those reminders on my phone while stumbling through homeschooling my boys.

I manage Fridays at home to give Pam a little break from her four straight days. It’s the least I can do.

There was another day when I had a day full of work with appointments mixed in for a haircut, speech therapy and soccer practice. There was also a reminder to “pay bills,” which I decided to snooze for a day.

I do not miss the running around constantly to meetings, before- and after-school pickups, therapies, sports and work and volunteer commitments.

In some ways, life amid the COVID-19 shutdown has been embraced for its simplicity. The focus is on family and work as well as finances. The same physical disruptions and distractions are paused, but there has been a whole new level of stress during this

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time of our lives.

The anxiety and pressure have everything to do with the uncertainty of life. I think my kids realize it and maybe even understand it. We shield them from our main concerns about continuing to make a living amid this dark time of economic turmoil. They don’t need to be informed on those worries. They also don’t need to hear from us about how much homeschooling is the pits and the pressure we feel to keep them on a productive track throughout this ordeal. Nonetheless, it would be foolish of us not to realize the kids’ lives have been turned completely upside down.

For the first couple weeks, homeschool was cool, but lately it has turned to an attitude of toleration.

I think it still is embraced by Carson because school is difficult for him.

Home is his safe zone and his comfort level is high. However, we know major problems will lie ahead whenever we go back to school. We are assuming, like most, there will be no school this spring. If school is called back into session for a couple weeks in June, we have serious concerns what they will look like for our fourth grader. It’s going to be an incredible challenge to readjust and it might be best for him to start fresh in September.

For Beckett, the workload is real. At this point, he is missing the social aspects of school. The curriculum and assignments have continued for him without interruption. The big difference for him is the social distancing aspect of not being able to see his friends at school and at sports practices. We can see it’s taking a toll on him, but he clearly still enjoys being able to sleep in and not wear a uniform each day.

If normalcy ever returns, I am looking to continuing the simplicity that has come from staying at home. I have no interest in jumping back into the rat race of bouncing from one meeting to the next and running all

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over the place toting one kid to this and another to that. I will seek a middle ground. Fortunately, I think that’s going to be the case for some time as we all gradually adjust to whatever the new normal in our lives will be.

n a recent Saturday morning, I woke up wanting to go for a family walk.

Cabin fever was setting in and I realized thanks to the weather and homeschooling the kids hadn’t left the property in over a week.

About 20 steps into the walk, I realized I should have just gotten some exercise alone while everyone was still asleep.

Between our differing ideas of what pace a walk should have, Carson wanting to pick flowers for his mom at every stop sign and Beckett practicing jump 360s in intersections in front of vehicles, there was a lot of correcting (criticizing).

The whole point was to get outside, enjoy the fresh air and get some exercise together. All that was accomplished, but I wouldn’t call it an enjoyable mile-plus walk.

At one point, we decided to divide and conquer. I took Carson and we walked on the railroad tracks while Beckett and Pam took a more direct route home.

Carson was intent on grabbing some keepsakes from our stroll in the form of large rocks along the tracks. For a week or so, I used them to weigh down our recycling bins.

One day I came home from work to learn homeschool teacher Pam and Carson painted them as part of a creative art project. They are keepsakes from a walk to forget.

(The writer is the publisher and editor of The Dispatch. He and his wife, Pamela, are proud parents of two boys. This weekly column examines their transition into parenthood and all that goes along with it. E-mail any thoughts to editor@mdcoastdispatch.com.)

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… James: ‘Economic Damage … Will Outlive The Virus

May 1, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

FROM PAGE 6 ambitious timeline for Ocean City’s recovery plan based on the milestones in the state’s plan.

“We can feel confident we can be looking at early May,” he said. “The residents, the visitors and the businesses all need guidance. We may be open for business on a limited capacity by mid-May and would almost be back to normal by Memorial Day.” Councilman Matt James agreed the proposed reopening timeline was less ambitious than what it could possibly be and pushed for setting some firm dates for planning purposes even if they were moving targets.

“I’m much more optimistic than the dates in this,” he said. “I’d like to see this group give the public a date. MidMay would be great. If we have to push that date if things change, we can do that.”

Whatever timeline the state and town reopening plans follow, the coronavirus is not going to suddenly go away and there will likely be social distancing and capacity restrictions in place throughout the summer. James said it was critical to begin planning to reopen before the collateral damage to local businesses and the economy intensify.

“The economic damage that has been done will outlive the virus,” he

said. “If we don’t get back to where we need to be, Ocean City can be in bad shape for a long time. It’s time to prepare to reopen and get things up and running sooner rather than later.”

Mayor Rick Meehan agreed some of the dates in city manager’s timeline could be expedited if the virus situation improves as it appears, but tempered the enthusiasm suggested by some on the council.

“We’re doing everything we can to move this forward,” he said. “You gave us an outline, but it’s just that. We need to fill in the points under that basic outline. It needs a lot more roman numerals and numbers. I’m more optimistic than this, but maybe less than some of my colleagues.”

Councilman Dennis Dare urged resisting a rush to reopen despite everyone’s obvious desire to do so, pointing out the potential problems with suddenly flooding the resort area with thousands of visitors. He said Ocean City’s reopening plan needed to be tailored to the uniqueness of a seaside resort and major tourist destination.

For example, he pointed out area schools haven’t reopened and likely won’t, yet some plans are suggesting welcoming hundreds of thousands of visitors.

“I have a number of concerns,” he said. “It seems like we’re fixated on

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Maryland and Hogan. There are so many ramifications from this when we start to bring people to town. I’m just concerned because this seems a little optimistic.” .

Councilman Mark Paddack said some of the data associated with COVID-19 suggested it was time to begin preparing to reopen.

“I want to thank Doug Miller for preparing this basic outline,” he said.

“When this began, the model showed us losing 2.5 million people, but the models are now showing fewer and

Page 31

fewer deaths and hospitalizations. We need to move forward with the future.

We know the numbers are declining.”

After considerable debate, it was decided to use Miller’s plan as a basic framework for recovery and make adjustments and expedite certain dates as the situation improves.

“I think we need to drill down a little deeper on this plan,” said Council President Lloyd Martin. “If we’re in recovery and the numbers are right, we’re doing the right thing and need to get reopened.”

Page 32

The Dispatch

Forever In Memory Of Our Founder, Dick Lohmeyer (May 25, 1927-May 5, 2005) The Dispatch, Serving Greater Ocean City Since 1984, Is Published By Maryland Coast Dispatch Inc. Weekly On Friday Mornings MAILING ADDRESS: P.O. Box 467, Berlin, Md. 21811 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 10012 Old Ocean City Blvd.

Berlin, Md. 21811 PHONE: 410-641-4561 FAX: 410-641-0966 WEBSITES: www.mdcoastdispatch.com www.facebook.com/thedispatchoc J. STEVEN GREEN Publisher/Editor editor@mdcoastdispatch.com

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The Challenge Of Balancing Optimism, Reality The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

May 1, 2020

HOW WE SEE IT

A summer season with consumer restrictions is most likely ahead for the Ocean City area. There seems to be an acceptance this summer will dramatically underachieve from previous seasons, as business operators balance optimism with realism for 2020.

City Manager Doug Miller’s memo to the Mayor and Council this week set off a firestorm. Miller’s memo painted a worst-case scenario based on current events, intentionally or not.

It could be argued it was more on the realistic side of things for the most part, while the Mayor and Council were trending toward the optimism expressed by Gov. Larry Hogan last week.

A major problem we had with Miller’s memo was his thoughts on the third phase of the recovery plan, which would allow for large social gatherings at concerts, bars and restaurants, among other things.

“To get to this stage, there must be a COVID-19 vaccine or treatment,” Miller’s memo said. “That is a long way off, so we don’t see us at stage three this season. Until we get to stage three,

large social gatherings will not be allowed, high capacity bars and restaurants will not be allowed to open and entertainment venues will not be allowed to operate. For the summer of 2020, some of the private and public planned events will have to be altered or cancelled.”

This was shocking to many, especially the erroneous part of the need for a vaccine or treatment before the stage can be entered. We believe high-capacity bars and restaurants will open this summer, but it will come with serious restrictions on occupancy. It’s realistic that many large restaurants and bars may be operating at half their allowable occupancy throughout the summer.

The Mayor and Council’s biggest beef with Miller’s memo was the timing outlined. All phases seemed to be about a month later than the governor outlined. It’s important Ocean City get the timing right here, but it’s clear as of now Ocean City could very well begin welcoming visitors around May 15 with decent crowds expect in mid to late June.

The reality here is it’s going to take months for life to return to normal and for the economy to recover. How the recovery appears will vary by region.

The attitude for this summer here should be make the best of it, pivot as needed and salvage whatever is possible. The year 2020 will always have an asterisk on spreadsheets for businesses. At this point, we are hopeful for the best for this season, but it’s going to be an off year as people come to grips with their comfort level for re-entering society, being in crowds and get their finances back on track.

It’s going to take time and patience. It’s not going to be easy, but through adaptation, entrepreneurial ingenuity and balancing the realities against hope we will all survive.

Time is needed to determine if the cure will be worse than the disease.

It’s currently a matter of personal opinion and that may always be the case. Ocean City Councilman Matt James said it well this week when he maintained, “The economic damage will outlive the virus.”

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR An Anti-Business Governor Editor: (The following letter was addressed to Gov. Larry Hogan with a copy forwarded for publication.)

The purpose of this letter is to outline questions and comments regarding the press conference on April 24. Assertions that small business has been a top priority are called into question by your actions. If equal weight had been placed on the physical, mental and economic health of all the citizens, a balanced approach would have been pursued. Evidence of such an approach would have been the creation of a task force on day one that represented the viewpoints of not only epidemiologists and the medical community but also business, banking and mental health.

Instead a lopsided, reactionary strategy based on faulty “science” was implemented leaving immeasurable human and financial destruction in its wake.

This single focused strategy also gave rise to government gods recklessly choosing who lives and dies, who gets a paycheck and who doesn’t.

Home Depot is safe but hundreds of other businesses that could manage six-foot spacing are unsafe? A hair salon can provide services to an essential person with papers but no one else?

Are essential people and businesses somehow immune from COVID-19?

Why are all state employees still receiving paychecks when the state’s income

has been decimated?

Missing from the press conference was any discussion of real data. I presume the team is familiar with the studies emerging that suggest infection is far more widespread resulting in a death rate under 1%? Or does the team focus more on the attacks leveled at these studies instead of the possibilities they suggest? Has an attempt been made to estimate the actual death rate considering asymptomatic case rates may be 50% or greater? Let’s assume the death rate is around 0.6% as some suggest. Would you have supported a complete destruction of demand if we knew this on March 1? Doubtful.

But what is done is done. How do we move forward and protect the vulnerable from the very infectious COVID-19 and the rest of us from the government gods? I am very happy to hear that business minds have now been added to the team because I fear that if it were left to the medical professionals, stay at home orders would be in place until a vaccine was available. Can commonsense steps be taken to open many businesses now? Yes. A simple approach would focus on the existing demographic data for deaths and ICU admissions. As of today, there are 929 total deaths in Maryland and 551 patients in ICU. (For perspective please note that that 50,668 Marylanders died in 2018 from all causes.) In the press conference we

learned a high percentage of these numbers represent nursing home patients. While these lives are as valuable as any other life, people in nursing homes are not the ones shopping and operating businesses. What about the workforce? How many of the deaths were people under 65 without underlying health conditions? Using percentages from various studies this number is probably between 17 and 42 people out of a population of 6,043,000.

This data suggests government should stop playing god and immediately allow any business to reopen that can adjust to physical distance guidelines. Protect the vulnerable and allow everyone else to go back to work. Each individual chooses. Anyone uncomfortable leaving the house can remain there. Open public spaces with physical distance guidelines. Phase in the remaining businesses and events as soon as possible based on real data. Would infections spike? Probably. But once again, what is the hospitalization rate for those under 65 without underlying conditions? Balance this threat against the devastating impact of staying closed another two weeks.

Every day matters. Each minute we remain closed, the consequences will pile up exponentially. All lives matter.

Waiting is disaster. It is absurd to rely on continued federal bailouts. It’s time to save ourselves both from the virus SEE NEXT PAGE

May 1, 2020

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR and the government’s reaction to it. If we start the process now, we will be one day closer to the oft discussed herd immunity and one day further from toxic herd fear.

During the press conference, the lack of any attempt to dispel fear was disturbing. Some would suggest that a healthy level of fear aids the government gods in their ability to control people. How do I know fear levels are sky high and people’s brains paralyzed?

Simply observe how many people wear a mask when engaged in solitary activities. The fear will subside, however, as the damage mounts. There will be serious questions. Even now folks wonder why you listen to federal guidelines when they don’t make sense. And if commonsense is absent from Maryland’s strategy, it won’t be long before we wonder why we should listen to you.

Sue Seboda Annapolis

Response To Letter Editor: Hello Mr. Chismar. Longtime since I heard from you. I would first like to respond to your October 26, 2018 letter in which you attack Mayor Rick Meehan.

At least the 2018 letter relates to one of my long-standing positions, the pension funds lack of funds, may I explain why?

In your earlier letter you say the mayor is “uninformed and disingenuous,” regarding his opposition to “binding arbitration for Firefighters/Paramedics.” You go on “I have a ton of respect for him ... the mayor has decided to use false scare tactics and town resources to fight the binding arbitration referendum.”

You fail to point out that the arbitrator in binding arbitration is not elected by the people therefore he is not accountable to the people. Not very democratic, Mr. Chismar. To allow him/her to make a decision that could so greatly affect the lives of the people, gives the people no recourse.

Chicago just asked for a bailout for problems that directly relate to their reliance on binding arbitrators. Chicago has had over 20 years of binding arbitrators and look at the mess they have?

Others with binding arbitrators are certain to follow. Unelected arbitrators were a bad decision for Chicago. Even the Chicago police, fire and rescue will have a bad consequence from the reliance on binding arbitrators, who overpromised and now can’t deliver.

The mayor was perfectly right to warn the people. It was Rick Meehan’s responsibility to inform the voters that they would be granting decision making to someone who is not accountable to the voters. Just because the police do it doesn’t mean it’s right or will lead to a different outcome than Chicago.

I have a long history with the council on the town employee’s pension funds.

I did not believe the town should make promises to its employees that it couldn’t afford to keep. However, after the promises were made and as recent as four months ago, I have consistently warned the town on underfunding its

Between The Lines

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

generous promises. I was a keen advocate of reducing the annual assumption of how much the funds would grow from 7.5% a year to 7%. Particularly since in recent years they only have grown at 4.5% annually. The higher the guesstimate at growth the lower the amount of the council’s annual contribution to the funds. I didn’t think they went far enough and steadfastly recommended 5%.

They weren’t willing to. Time will tell.

The issue you blame me for is not my issue. You just show your ignorance.

On April 17, 2020 I penned an opinion piece titled “The Kitchen Sink” that compared presidential responses to two depressions the 1920 depression, and the 1929 depression. Compared to our present-day response to the COVID-19 outbreak. The 1920 depression was similarly due to an Influenza (the Spanish Influenza). In your response titled “Arguments Need Facts” you didn’t respond to these.

Like the attack on the mayor you attacked me. In my article the “Kitchen Sink” I contrasted Harding and Coolidge’s policies during their presidencies with FDR’s. Admittedly Harding and Coolidge are barely remembered however they dealt with both the Spanish Flu (which killed 1.5 million in today’s terms) followed by the 1920 depression, which was resolved in two years. While FDR instituted expensive program after program for near a decade dragging the depression on for over 10 years.

Trump seems to be following FDR’s path, in his dealing with the Wuhan Flu today. Incidentally both houses of Congress are on board with Trump. Your letter did not respond to any of these issues.

It was interesting to me, and I thought might be to the readers, that during Harding and Coolidge crisis, the 1920 depression, every bit as severe as ‘29, these two presidents did barely anything, allowing the economy to rebound in two years, 24 months. While FDR repeatedly threw the ‘kitchen sink’ at the ‘29 depression, and it went on and on for a decade or more. He was unable to bring it to an end. Although it is true that FDR was the most popular president in American History serving four consecutive terms from 1933 till his death in April of 1945. However, it was WWII in late 1941 upon our entrance, 12 years later that brought an end to the so-called Great Depression, not FDR. Mr. Chismar, your letter is titled “Arguments Need Facts.” FDR was against binding arbitration. Moreover, FDR was against all unions in government, although he supported the Davis Bacon Act and Unions outside of government.

FDR famously said, “no union shall be in my government. … my government employees will only have one boss, the people.” There is a fact for you. In 1962 Kennedy through an executive order allowed unions in governments.

“Facts,” Mr. Chismar. Rather than vituperative attacks on Mayor Meehan and myself don’t you think you should practice what you preach?

Tony Christ Falls Church, Va.

Page 33

By Publisher/Editor Steve Green

Though unknowns remain, there appears to be some clarity developing on when the economic shutdown will begin to end. It’s not a definite, but closure mandates should be lifted within the next two weeks. It’s going to be a long and winding journey to normalcy, but matters are finally trending in a positive direction.

Under Gov. Larry Hogan’s plan outlined last Friday, it was made clear the two-week countdown to phase one of his COVID-19 “roadmap to recovery” was underway at that time. When asked Wednesday by a reporter if the couple days this week when hospitalizations and deaths jumped derailed the countdown, Hogan said he has not been swayed from his hopes of easing the restrictions, including lifting the stay-at-home order and allowing most retail stores to open, with limitations, the first week of May. “The plan we laid out last Friday did not call for a 14-day straight decline. That’s what the president called for, but most people are ignoring that and opening up anyway,” Hogan said. “Our plan called for 14 days of a pattern of plateauing out or flattening. We were starting to see that and now we’ve had a couple days of it going up. If it comes back down, we are not going to restart the clock. If we don’t continue to see a spike up, we are going to be in a good position to continue to make progress. It doesn’t have to be 14 consecutive days of going down. It’s not on the cases, it’s the hospitalizations, ICUs … we have had some slight upticks but it’s not shooting up. We are still hopeful we can level off and we can still move forward. Last Friday I said I was hopeful we could start to take a look at this in early May if the numbers were looking encouraging. Next week is early May so we will back talking with you all then once we have a chance to watch those numbers.”

It’s been interesting to observe Hogan through this pandemic. He has gained praise as well as criticism for his handling of the state. Many small business owners are critical of what they perceive as a blanket policy for the entire state when a more regional approach would be suitable to help stave off economic ruin for them. Unfortunately, this sort of approach would have allowed for more people movement over the last seven weeks, resulting in numbers on the shore spiking as is happening in metropolitan areas like Prince George’s County, for example. Hogan seems to know he is not beloved right now by everyone. He made some comments last Friday that seemed to be in response to criticism he has heard. Every Facebook post he makes these days is filled with comments of hate and ridicule.

“Even as we begin recovery, we can’t just flip a switch,” he said. “Life can’t go immediately back to normal. Throughout the recovery phases, we will need to continue to practice social distancing and limitations on the sizes of gatherings. … The entire focus of my administration has been growing the private sector, creating jobs, and turning Maryland’s economy around. That’s the reason I ran for governor and it breaks my heart to see so many Marylanders struggling so much right now. Our coronavirus response team has transitioned to a coronavirus recovery team. Other than keeping Marylanders safe and saving lives, absolutely nothing is more important than getting people back to work, rebooting our economy, and getting our small businesses reopened. We’re going to do everything we can to do that as quickly as possible in a safe and effective way.”

As the talks of recovery continue, many in the hospitality industry are preparing for what this “new normal” will look like for restaurants.

Aside from the many practical issues facing restaurants, such as heightened sanitary requirements and crafting spacing strategies to meet lower capacity allowances, many operators are trying to determine what exactly is the comfort level with customers about going out to eat as well as their financial wherewithal. Though they want to be open as soon as possible, they want to be responsible while also trying to determine what capacity they need to turn a profit. The question of getting their employees back to work is another unknown as many have become comfortable with weekly unemployment deposits from the state and federal governments.

Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association Executive Director Susan Jones has been working hard to keep her membership updated on industry happenings during this closure. She sent out an email this week providing reopening checklists for hotels and restaurants. It’s going to be a complicated process for these operators requiring new sanitation practices, additional training for employees on compliance practices and greater communication between management, staff and customers.

In her email she wrote, “We've been working with the MD Department of Tourism and have representatives on the State industry task forces which were tasked with developing operational guidelines for a safe reopening.

These groups submitted their notes and they are now in review by the Department of Commerce for the Governor. Obviously, we cannot flip the switch and magically you are ready to accept guests. Therefore, NOW is the time for you to plan – the official operational guidelines from the State will be coming in next couple of days and I'll send those out immediately.

We are stressing that a one size fits all approach is not going to work.”

The Dispatch Classifieds

Page 34

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

$15/Week For Minimum Of Five Lines • $2 Thereafter Per Line Display Classified Ads: $20/Week Per Column Inch (Contract Discounts Available)

HELP WANTED SOUTHSIDE GRILL WOC: Hiring Line Cooks, Kitchen Help, Dishwashers. YR, FT or PT. Ambitious, willing to work individuals only. Pay neg. based on performance. 9923 Stephen Decatur Hy. 410-2131572.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MAINTENANCE: F/T. Y/R. 32-40 hours/week. Dependable handiman with good skills. Must have transportation/tools. Send resume to Fred@paradiseoc.com.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– CLEANERS: Cleaners needed.

Male or Female. High School students welcome to apply. PT, but can lead to FT beginning in May. Call 410-422-4826.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

TECHNICIANS Peninsula Irrigation, Inc. is expanding & currently seeking exp. installation & service technicians.

Exp. pref., but will train right person.

Must be self-motivated, have drivers license & transportation.

Call 410-352-5252

TRIMPER’S RIDES OF OCEAN CITY Help Us Get The Park Ready To Open For The Season!

NOW HIRING FOR Painters, Electrician, Plumber, Roofer, Gardener, Ride Operators, Games Techs, Ticket Booth Cashiers, Money Room Cashiers, Social Media Manager, Marketing Associate

Storm Shutter & Window Installers

Local specialty contractor seeking individuals for our storm shutter division and window division. Experience in storm shutters, windows & doors, and garage doors is a plus, but training is available. Driver’s license and transportation required.

Please forward resume to: paola@masterjackwindows.com.

Applications available on site at 11935 Hammer Road, Bishopville, MD

IN D IA N RIVER MA R IN A N OW HIRING!

•RAMP ATTENDANT •CUSTODIAL/GROUNDS •FUEL DOCK •BOATYARD For additional information, please contact the Marina office at 302.227.3071 AA/EOE

Executive Director Announcement

Apply Online at -

https://www.trimperrides.com/employment $1000 SIGNING BONUS FOR PLUMBERS with POSEIDON PLUMBING HOME SERVICES! We offer paid training, vacation and personal days. We also offer a quality benefits package including health, dental, vision and life ins. Wage is BOE from $15-$30.

Based in the Berlin/OC area.

What we require: -Min. 4 years experience -Valid Driver's License -Reliable form of contact -Background Check -Ability to pass a drug test -Positive attitude and willingness to learn If you feel that you can fill this position call us to set up an interview.

We can be reached at 410-251-1096.

POSEIDON PLUMBING & HOME SERVICES

The Greater Ocean City, Maryland Chamber of Commerce is seeking candidates for the position of Executive Director. Ideal candidates will have chamber or association management experience and should hold a BS/BA in Business Administration or Management. Must possess strong financial management and computer skills, and excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing. Candidates should exhibit strong leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making abilities. Ability to effectively lead and influence others in a confident, positive, and results-oriented manner. Salary commensurate with experience. Resumes will be accepted until the position is filled.

Submit resume and cover letter to: Greater Ocean City, MD Chamber of Commerce ATTN: Executive Director Search Committee 12320 Ocean Gateway, Ocean City, MD 21842 or email Danielle@oceancity.org

Property Management. Call for any other odd jobs! Joe 443-6104644.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Currently hiring manpower for

•STUCCO & EIFS MECHANICS • CARPENTERS •CONCRETE BLOCK •COATINGS SPECIALISTS •FLAT CONCRETE •CONCRETE REPAIRS •PT WELDER •COMMERCIAL CAULKING •WINDOW & DOOR INSTALLERS Experience Preferred. Tools, transportation & a valid driver’s license are a plus.Competitive benefit package available.

Please apply in person at 11935 Hammer Rd, Bishopville, MD, or apply online: http://allstatesconst.com/delmarva-renovations-careers

PUT YOUR LOGO IN COLOR FOR JUST $10

CONTACT INFORMATION Phone: 410-641-4563 • Fax: 410-641-0966 Email: classifieds@mdcoastdispatch.com Mail: P.O. Box 467, Berlin, Md. 21811

Deadline For Insertions, Cancellations And Payment Is 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Pre-Payment Is Required. We Accept Visa & MasterCard.

SUMMER CLEANERS: Now hiring Summer cleaners for 2 condo’s. 2x wk or more, min.

Must be dependale & have own trans. 267-254-0111.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– CLEANERS: Looking for weekend help for condo cleaning. Friday-Sunday. Must have own transportation. 410-7232610/410-463-1541.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– SHORE PAINTING & RESTORATION: located in OC, MD seeking full-time restoration mechanics.

Applicants must be knowledgeable in water proof applications, int./ext. coatings and concrete stucco repairs. Exp. helpful. Compensation based on exp. Call 410289-4771 or email resume to shorepntrestoration@comcast.net –––––––––––––––––––––––––––

May 1, 2020

SERVICES

HOUSE CLEANING BY LOCAL COMPANY, EVERCLEAN: 8 years in business. Affordable rates. Reliable service. Discounts available. 443-856-5301.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– HANDYMAN SPECIALIST: General maintenance of all types, All powerwashing. Build/Stain/PWash Decks. Drywall repair. Painting.

Ceja’s Landscaping & More!

•YARD MAINTENANCE •PAINTING •POWER WASHING 410-251-3425 410-202-2545

RENTALS YR OC: 1 bedroom condo in OC. $1200 for October thru April. $1300 May Thru September. Furnished and all utilities included. Email inquiry to: OCREVENUEMGT@GMAIL.COM –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WEEKLY RENTAL: 4BR, 2 1/2BA. Fully furnished. W/D, Pool, Tennis court. Quiet community. 7 miles from the beach. $2,500 per wk. Call Mike for details. 410-877-3894.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– YEAR-ROUND WEST OCEAN CITY AND OCEAN CITY RENTALS: Efficiency, 1 Bdrm, 2 Bdrm & 3 Bdrm.

From $750 per month. Call 410-4309797.

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The Dispatch Is On Facebook, Twitter And Instagram.

Follow Us Today To Get The News As It Happens!

ROOMMATES

SUMMER ROOM FOR RENT: Summer Rental May 1-Sept 1. $3,500 per person + sec. dep. & electric. 4 spots available. 443610-4665.

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COMMERCIAL

WEST O.C. OFFICE/RETAIL SPACES AVAILABLE: 1 OfficeRetail and 1 Warehouses. Plenty of Parking. 443-497-4200.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 12X24 SHOP FOR RENT: Includes electric. $150/month. Call Steve and leave message. 410251-3412.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Dispatch

Legal Notices

LEGAL RATES Legal advertising rate is $7 per column inch. Deadline for all legal advertising is Tuesday at noon. For more information, call 410-641-4563 or fax 410-641-0966.

THIRD INSERTION

JAMES W. ALMAND ESQ. AYRES JENKINS GORDY & ALMOND, PA 6200 COASTAL HIGHWAY, SUITE 200 OCEAN CITY, MD 21842 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18249 To all persons interested in the estate of SHEILA K. ZIMMER, ESTATE NO. 18249.

Notice is given that ROBERT F. ZIMMER, 1579 BRIMFIELD CIRCLE, SYKESVILLE, MD 21784, was on, APRIL 7, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of SHEILA K. ZIMMER, who died on MARCH 19, 2020, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 7th day of OCTOBER, 2020.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent's death; or (2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of

The Dispatch

May 1, 2020

Legal Notices

LEGAL RATES Legal advertising rate is $7 per column inch. Deadline for all legal advertising is Tuesday at noon. For more information, call 410-641-4563 or fax 410-641-0966.

the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication APRIL 17, 2020 ROBERT F. ZIMMER Personal Representative True Test Copy TERRI WESTCOTT Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x, 4-17, 4-24, 5-1

THIRD INSERTION

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18252 To all persons interested in the estate of LINDA S. MATRICCIANI AKA LINDA SUSAN MATRICCIANI, ESTATE NO. 18252.

Notice is given that LAUREN CHRISTINE BUETTNER, 1218 CARROLLTON LANE, BERLIN, MD 21811, was on, APRIL 13, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of LINDA S. MATRICCIANI, who died on MARCH 18, 2020, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 13th day of OCTOBER, 2020.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent's death; or (2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other

written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication APRIL 17, 2020 LAUREN CHRISTINE BUETTNER Personal Representative True Test Copy TERRI WESTCOTT Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x, 4-17, 4-24, 5-1

SECOND INSERTION

RAYMOND D. COATES JR, ESQ. COATES, COATES, & COATES, P.A. 6200 COASTAL HIGHWAY, SUITE 300 OCEAN CITY, MD 21842 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18248 To all persons interested in the estate of CHARLES GUY COOK, ESTATE NO. 18248.

Notice is given that JOY TRACY PUERTA, 3007 SE RACCON WAY, STUART, FL 34997, was on, APRIL 14, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of CHARLES GUY COOK, who died on MARCH 18, 2020, without a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 14th day of OCTOBER, 2020.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or be-

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch fore the earlier of the following dates:

months from the date of the decedent's death; or

(1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent's death; or

(2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

(2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication APRIL 24, 2020 JOY TRACY PUERTA Personal Representative True Test Copy TERRI WESTCOTT Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x, 4-24, 5-1, 5-8

SECOND INSERTION

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication APRIL 24, 2020 RUTH ROSEMARY CALVERT LAWSON Personal Representative True Test Copy TERRI WESTCOTT Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x, 4-24, 5-1, 5-8

SECOND INSERTION

MARIANNA BATIE ESQ. LAW OFFICE OF MARIANNA BATIE 9748 STEPHEN DECATUR HIGHWAY, SUITE 112 OCEAN CITY, MD 21842 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

ESTATE NO. 18254 To all persons interested in the estate of LAWRENCE CHARLES CALVERT, ESTATE NO. 18254.

Notice is given that RUTH ROSEMARY CALVERT LAWSON, 182 EASTERN ROAD, PASADENA, MD 21122, was on, APRIL 15, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of LAWRENCE CHARLES CALVERT, who died on MARCH 20, 2020, without a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 15th day of OCTOBER, 2020.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine

ESTATE NO. 18255 To all persons interested in the estate of LINDSEY JO MYERS, ESTATE NO. 18255.

Notice is given that NORMAN L MYERS II, 2105 POINTS REACH, OCEAN PINES, MD 21811, was on, APRIL 16, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of LINDSEY JO MYERS, who died on APRIL 11, 2020, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

Page 35 (2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

(2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication APRIL 24, 2020 NORMAN L MYERS II Personal Representative

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication APRIL 24, 2020 DEBORAH CHAPMAN Personal Representative LISA ANN GAINES Personal Representative

True Test Copy TERRI WESTCOTT Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x, 4-24, 5-1, 5-8

SECOND INSERTION

MEREDITH B. MARTIN, ESQ. MEREDITH BLAKE MARTIN, P.A. 502 WASHINGTON AVE., SUITE 280 TOWSON, MD 21204 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18238 To all persons interested in the estate of ANN H. RUFFO AKA HARRIET ANN RUFFO, ESTATE NO. 18238.

Notice is given that DEBORAH CHAPMAN, 9809 HICKORYHURST ROAD, NOTTINGHAM, MD 21236, AND LISA ANN GAINES, 169 SOUTH OCEAN DRIVE, OCEAN CITY, MD 21842 were on, APRIL 21, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of ANN H. RUFFO, who died on JANUARY 7, 2020, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 16th day of OCTOBER, 2020.

All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 21st day of OCTOBER, 2020.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates:

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates:

(1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent's death; or

(1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent's death; or

True Test Copy TERRI WESTCOTT Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x, 4-24, 5-1, 5-8

FIRST INSERTION

VICTORIA L. O’NEILL, ESQ. AYRES JENKINS GORDY & ALMAND, P.A. 6200 COASTAL HIGHWAY, SUITE 200 OCEAN CITY, MD 21842 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 16845 To all persons interested in the estate of HOLDEN L. BECKER, ESTATE NO. 16845.

Notice is given that PEGGY DANIELS BECKER, 74 CAMELOT CIRCLE, BERLIN, MD 21811, was on, APRIL 22, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of HOLDEN L. BECKER, who died on FEBRUARY 10, 2017, without a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 22nd day of OCTOBER, 2020.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent's death; or (2) Two months after the

The Dispatch

Page 36

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Legal Notices LEGAL RATES

Legal advertising rate is $7 per column inch. Deadline for all legal advertising is Tuesday at noon. For more information, call 410-641-4563 or fax 410-641-0966.

personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication MAY 1, 2020 PEGGY DANIELS BECKER Personal Representative True Test Copy TERRI WESTCOTT Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x, 5-1, 5-8, 5-15

FIRST INSERTION

B. RANDALL COATES ESQ. COATES, COATES, & COATES P.O. BOX 293 SNOW HILL, MD 21863 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18261 To all persons interested in the estate of LURA GORDY ADKINS, ESTATE NO. 18261.

Notice is given that CHERYL J. ADKINS, 3821 DOGWOOD DRIVE, SNOW HILL, MD 21863, was on APRIL 28, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of LURA GORDY ADKINS, who died on MARCH 26, 2020, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 28th day of OCTOBER, 2020.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent's death; or (2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication MAY 1, 2020 CHERYL J. ADKINS Personal Representative True Test Copy TERRI WESTCOTT Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x, 5-1, 5-8, 5-15

FIRST INSERTION

JOHN B. ROBINS IV,, ESQ. ROBINS & ROBINS, P.A. 128 EAST MAIN STREET PO BOX 506 SALISBURY, MD 21803-0506 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS

KITZBUHEL ROAD, PARKTON, MD 21120 was on, APRIL 22, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of BETTY-LOU L. BOWMAN, who died on APRIL 18, 2020, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 22nd day of OCTOBER, 2020.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent's death; or (2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication MAY 1, 2020 ALAN L BOWMAN Personal Representative

ESTATE NO. 18262

WENDY B SEVIER Personal Representative

To all persons interested in the estate of BETTY-LOU L. BOWMAN, ESTATE NO. 18262.

Notice is given that ALAN L BOWMAN, 2975 SUMMER DRIVE, WESTMINSTER, MD 21157, AND WENDY B SEVIER, 13

True Test Copy TERRI WESTCOTT Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x, 5-1, 5-8, 5-15

May 1, 2020

FIRST INSERTION

FIRST INSERTION

FIRST INSERTION

B. RANDALL COATES ESQ. COATES, COATES, & COATES P.O. BOX 293 SNOW HILL, MD 21863

MICHAEL B MATHERS, ESQ. WEBB, CORNBROOKS, WILBER, VORHIS, DOUSE & LESLIE, LLP PO BOX 910 115 BROAD STREET SALISBURY, MD 21803-0910

B. RANDALL COATES ESQ. COATES, COATES, & COATES P.O. BOX 293 SNOW HILL, MD 21863

SMALL ESTATE NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18263 To all persons interested in the estate of DORIS ANN REW, ESTATE NO. 18263.

Notice is given that TERESA L PILCHARD, 2702 KLEJ GRANGE ROAD, POCOMOKE CITY, MD 21851, was on, APRIL 22, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the small estate of DORIS ANN REW, who died on NOVEMBER 16, 2019, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment shall file their objections with the Register of Wills within 30 days after the date of publication of this Notice.

All persons having an objection to the probate of the will shall file their objections with the Register of Wills within six months after the date of publication of this Notice.

All persons having claims against the decedent must serve their claims on the undersigned personal representative or file them with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent's death; or (2) Thirty days after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claims will be barred unless the creditor presents the claim within thirty days from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not served or filed within that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication MAY 1, 2020 TERESA L PILCHARD Personal Representative Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 1x, 5-1

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18264 To all persons interested in the estate of DONNA LEE ABBOTT, ESTATE NO. 18264.

Notice is given that RYAN MICHAEL ABBOTT, 125 CHESTER AVENUE, ANNAPOLIS, MD 21403, was on, APRIL 23, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of DONNA LEE ABBOTT, who died on APRIL 1, 2020 without a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 23rd day of OCTOBER, 2020.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent's death; or (2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication MAY 1, 2020 RYAN MICHAEL ABBOTT Personal Representative True Test Copy TERRI WESTCOTT Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x, 5-1, 5-8, 5-15

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18267 To all persons interested in the estate of CAROLYN C JONES, ESTATE NO. 18267.

Notice is given that MICHELE LINNETTE JESTER, 644 HICKORY POINT ROAD, POCOMOKE CITY, MD 21851, was on, APRIL 28, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of CAROLYN C JONES, who died on MARCH 30, 2020, with a will.

Further information can be obtained by reviewing the estate file in the office of the Register of Wills or by contacting the personal representative or the attorney.

All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 28th day of OCTOBER, 2020.

Any person having a claim against the decedent must present the claim to the undersigned personal representative or file it with the Register of Wills with a copy to the undersigned on or before the earlier of the following dates: (1) Six months from the date of the decedent's death, except if the decedent died before October 1, 1992, nine months from the date of the decedent's death; or (2) Two months after the personal representative mails or otherwise delivers to the creditor a copy of this published notice or other written notice, notifying the creditor that the claim will be barred unless the creditor presents the claims within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. A claim not presented or filed on or before that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication MAY 1, 2020 MICHELE LINNETTE JESTER Personal Representative True Test Copy TERRI WESTCOTT Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x, 5-1, 5-8, 5-15

May 1, 2020

Sports

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 37

In The News A Look At Local Sports This Week In Years Past

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

With spring high school sports seasons on indefinite hiatus, The Dispatch thought it might be interesting and fun to take a look back at what was making local sports headlines this same week in years past.

Many of the players went on to do great things in college both athletically and academically and some now even have kids of their own in local youth sports programs.

The following is a look back at the last five, 10 and 20 years.

The following is a brief glimpse of what was making headlines on the sports pages of The Dispatch this week five years ago: •Decatur’s girls’ varsity lacrosse team held off a late rally by crosstown rival Worcester Prep to beat the Mallards, 14-10, and remain unbeaten on the season. Something had to give with unbeaten Decatur taking on Worcester Prep, which had lost just one on the season, and the game lived up to the usual hype surrounding the neighborhood rivalry.

The Seahawks got out to an early 3-0 lead, but the Mallards came back and cut the lead to 4-3. Decatur then reeled off six straight goals through the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half to build a 10-3 lead.

The Seahawk scoring binge was led

by Lexie VanKirk, Payton VanKirk, Elle Barger and Blair Yesko.

Worcester then began a comeback attempt with about 15 minutes left in the game. Led by Sophie Brennan and Grace Tunis, the Mallards began to methodically chip away at the Decatur lead and got as close as 13-10 on a goal by

Leigh Lingo with three minutes remaining. However, the Seahawks scored late and held on for the 14-10 win. With the win, Decatur inched closer to a perfect season and a Bayside South championship. Worcester dropped to 11-2 on the season with the loss.

•Decatur’s varsity baseball team celebrated Senior Day with a 12-2 win over Wicomico. The win over the Indians came just days after the Seahawks suffered their first loss of the season to Parkside. Decatur and Parkside had split their two regular season games and remained tied atop the conference standings with the season winding down.

Among the eight seniors recognized on Senior Day with special presentations were Connor Woodland, Brandon McKenzie, Justin Meekins, Brooks Holloway, Austin Dundore, Grant Donohue, Sean Colgan and Ryan Bennett.

The core group of seniors came up through the Berlin Little League together and had great success at that level before reaching high school.

•Decatur’s boys’ varsity lacrosse team downed crosstown rival Worcester Prep, 11-4, behind an efficient offense and a stifling defense. Decatur led 3-1 after one quarter on a pair of goals by Jake Lathroum and another

by Shane Moore. Worcester battled back on goals by Wyatt Richins and Sam Cantello, but Corey Gwin scored just before the half and the Seahawks led 6-4 at intermission.

With bragging rights on the line, the game was decidedly chippy with several big hits that brought the big bipartisan crowd to its feet. The 6-4 score at the half was as close as Worcester

Decatur’s James Rossi delivers one of his three hits in a win over Mardela this week 10 years ago.

Photo by Shawn Soper

Worcester Prep’s Sophie Brennan moves the ball against the Decatur defense during the annual crosstown rivalry game this week five years ago. Photo by Shawn Soper

would get. Decatur scored five goals in the second half led by Jackson Mumford, Gwin and Steve Alther to pull away for the 11-4 win. Decatur goalie Will Hastings and the Seahawk defense shut down the Mallard offense and the Seahawks won most of the ground balls in the middle of the field to control the ball through the second half.

The following are some of the highlights of The Dispatch sports pages from this week 10 years ago: •Worcester Prep’s girls’ varsity lacrosse team rode a big push early in the second half to put away visiting Gunston, 17-6, in the Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference (ESIAC) tournament semifinal.

The Mallards led 8-4 at the half and settled the issue with a run early in the second half led by Molly Dickerson and Sarah Noyes. The Mallards scored nine straight goals in the second half to pull away and Gunston added a couple of late goals to close out Worcester’s 17-6 win.

•Former Stephen Decatur and Snow Hill standout Ben Tate was drafted in the second round of the NFL draft by the Houston Texans. Tate, who began his high school career at Decatur before transferring to Snow Hill for his senior season, was expected to be third- or fourth-round pick after a standout career at Auburn, but the Texans grabbed him in the second round with the 58th pick overall. Tate finished his high school career with the then-state record 5,920 yards rushing.

•Stephen Decatur’s varsity baseball team enjoyed a big week with a pair of wins over county rival Pocomoke sandwiched around a win over Mardela. In the final game of a hectic week, the Seahawks beat Pocomoke, 11-2. James Rossi and Brad Stiles led the offensive assault with three hits each, while Mike Baglieri had two hits and Josh Tyndall hit a home run.

•Worcester Prep’s boys’ varsity lacrosse team capped off another impressive week by beating St. Andrew’s, 10-6, on Senior Day. Brad Harris scored two goals, while Justin Butler scored twice and dished out two assists.

Alex Ternahan scored three goals and Andrew Ternahan scored twice.

The win was the second of the week

for the Mallards, who came from behind to beat Easton two days earlier.

Butler led Worcester with four goals, while Harris and Ryan McGuire each scored twice.

The following is a little snippet of the top sports stories in The Dispatch this week 20 years ago: •Within a span of four days this week, Worcester Prep’s girls’ varsity lacrosse team suffered its first loss of the season, then rebounded with a pair of all-important wins as the regular season wound down.

The Mallards started the week with a 15-5 loss to St. Andrew’s, which was the first loss of the season. Worcester wasted no time getting back on track, however, with a pair of big wins including a victory over old rival Saints Peter and Paul. The Mallards had lost to the Sabres at home earlier in the season, so this week’s matchup was critical for the Chesapeake Athletic Conference standings.

It turned out to be an offensive juggernaut with the Mallards coming out on top, 22-15. Worcester led, 12-4, at the half, but both teams came out firing in the second half. Liz Raskauskas led Worcester with seven goals and three assists. Keemia Khazeh scored four goals and dished out two assists, and Lacey Kenworthy scored two goals and handed out six assists. Worcester also got a lot of offensive output from Michelle Sawyer, Katherine Johnson, Natalie Shettle and Jamie Schneider.

With the win, the Mallards pulled even with Saints Peter and Paul atop the CAC standings with two games remaining. Two days later, Worcester Prep beat another CAC team in Gunston at home, 19-15, in another highscoring game. The Mallards led 9-6 at the half and pulled away for the 19-15 win. Raskauskas scored four goals, while Sawyer and Shettle scored three each. Also contributing were Kenworthy, Ashlee Reed, and Johnson with two goals each.

•Stephen Decatur’s varsity baseball team routed visiting Bennett, 10-2, to remain in the hunt for the Bayside South title. Wes Maddy scattered four hits and gave up two runs in a complete game. Brian Hazard, Blair Donahue and Josh Hay led the offense with three hits each.

Page 38

Horoscopes

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): The Lamb is usually excited about taking on a new challenge. But if that's a touch of doubt you're feeling, maybe it's you telling yourself to go slow on this until you learn more about it.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): Accepting new commitments when you haven't yet finished the batch on hand could be a bit rash. Better to ease up on the new ones until you get further along with your current lot.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): Try to be more open-minded in working toward a resolution of that standoff between yourself and a colleague or family member. A little flexibility now could work to your advantage later.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22): Some people might be anxious about your plans. So you need to take time to explain what you expect to do and how you expect do it. And don't forget to ask for suggestions.

LEO (July 23 to Aug. 22): Dealing with an unfamiliar problem can be difficult. The wisest course you can take is to ask for advice from those who have been where you are and have come through it. Good luck.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22): Tackle a frustrating job problem by considering possibilities you might have ignored before. This reassures colleagues you're serious about finding a solution, even if it's not totally yours.

LIBRA (Sept. 23 to Oct, 22): Your

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

balanced approach to life proves to be helpful this week when someone you care for needs your spiritual comfort, while someone else benefits from your tough-love practicality.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21): Once again, you're likely to be asked to keep a secret for someone. But do you really want to do so? Be honest with yourself and with your needs before you make any such commitment.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21): Taking a more direct approach from the more diplomatic one you've used before could make a difference in finally resolving a too-long-held disagreement. Try it.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 to Jan. 19): Being asked for advice is flattering to the Sea Goat, who has a habit of saying the right thing. This time, expect someone to be especially impressed and to act on that sentiment.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 to Feb. 18): With a number of pressures easing, your project could be making a lot more progress than you expected by this time. That's great news. But don't let yourself be distracted; stay with it.

PISCES (Feb. 19 to March 20): An interesting challenge looms that could be exactly what you've been looking for.

Discuss this with colleagues who might want to join with you.

BORN THIS WEEK: Your heart is always open to offer loving concern for others. And they, in turn, reach out to complete the circle. © 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.

Things I Like ...

OCEAN CITY vanishing

May 1, 2020

WITH BUNK MANN

The Town of Ocean City was incorporated by the Maryland General Assembly on April 12, 1880. It included the land between N. Division Street and S. Division Street plus property on the south side including the vicinity of today’s Inlet. The Inlet did not exist at this time; it would be created during a storm in August 1933.

Ocean City had fewer than 100 year-round residents in those days, most of whom were employees of the railroad or the U.S. Life Saving Service.

Tourism was seasonal and in its infancy.

The first permanent Boardwalk was constructed in 1885 on pilings above the beach. A temporary one had existed earlier but built in sections that lay directly on the sand. It could be picked up and stored during storms and over the winter.

In 1892, the Sinepuxent Beach Company extended the Boardwalk to a mile in length, installed electric power and dug a well for the town’s water supply.

The infrastructure was being assembled that would take Ocean City into the 20th Century.

To purchase one of Bunk Mann's books, click over to www.vanishingoc.com.

Postcard image from Bunk Mann’s collection

The Dispatch Crossword Puzzle

By Steve Green

My son’s love of a hooded sweatshirt Helping people when possible

Reliving Michael Jordan’s career

Family meals for carryout these days A new shovel

Watching the NFL Draft

Grilling out with a beer in hand

Videos from teachers to their students Looking forward to beach days Apologizing when it’s due

A game of “Horse” with my kids Answers On PAge 30

Juvenile Grey Seal Released After Putting On 30 Pounds

May 1, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 39

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

ASSATEAGUE – A juvenile grey seal rescued from the beach in Assateague State Park in late February was quietly released from the same area on Wednesday after spending two months rehabilitating at the National Aquarium.

The grey seal, known now affectionately as Huckleberry Finn, was released by a core team of National Aquarium Animal Rescue staff from Assateague Island State Park on Wednesday morning. The stranded juvenile grey seal was rescued from the same area back on Feb. 27.

With little of the fanfare typically associated with a rehabbed seal release in the area, Huckleberry Finn reluctantly crept out of his transport crate and made a mad dash across the sand to the ocean and was last seen bobbing in the waves on a sun-splashed late April morning. Each rescue season, the National Aquarium chooses a theme to name the seals and various marine creatures that come through its rehabilitation facilities.

This year’s theme is beloved children’s book characters, which is how the juvenile grey seal released from Assateague on Wednesday came to be known as Huckleberry Finn. Other seals that have been rescued and re-

Members of the animal rescue team released a juvenile seal Wednesday from Assateague State Park.

Photos courtesy of the National Aquarium

habbed from area beaches this winter include Amelia Bedelia, who was released in March, and Pippi Longstocking, who remains under the care of the aquarium.

When Huckleberry Finn was rescued and transported to the National Aquarium in February, the Animal Health and Rescue teams determined he was extremely dehydrated, underweight and had external signs of wounds and infection. During the seal’s two months of re-

habilitation, he gained more than 30 pounds.

Huckleberry Finn grew stronger each day and improved his swimming skills to the point he was ready to be safely returned to his ocean habitat.

Huckleberry Finn arrived at the aquarium around the same time as Pippi Longstocking and the two seals shared rehab areas and grew to interact like siblings. Animal Health and Rescue staff continue to provide care for

Pippi Longstocking and inch her closer to the time she can safely return to her ocean home.

Each winter, migrating seals of various species and sizes pass through the mid-Atlantic region as part of their normal migratory patterns and more than a few haul-out on the beaches in and around Ocean City and Assateague. Many are simply resting or sunning themselves along their journey, while others are ill or injured.

Page 40

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

May 1, 2020