May 8

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May 8, 2020

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Small business owners and employees as well as Town of Ocean City workers were out and about over the last week preparing for the summer season. In many ways, it’s business as usual for early May, but the reality is the summer of 2020 will be unlike any have seen. In the meantime, these folks are working hard with unclear heads and uncertain futures getting their operations ready to open as soon as it’s safe to do so.

Photos by Jim Halvorsen Photography

Ocean City Beach, Boardwalk, Inlet To Reopen Saturday

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BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – The beach and Boardwalk will reopen on Saturday with the same social distancing and crowd size restrictions in place after Mayor Rick Meehan on Monday amended some of the declarations in place for weeks in response to the COVID-19 virus.

Since Gov. Larry Hogan announced his phased statewide recovery plan for Maryland April 24, many have been waiting for the implementation of the first stage including relaxing the stay-athome order and opening some outdoor areas and activities and other baby steps. On Monday, Meehan somewhat circumvented the governor’s stage-one plan with the announcement Ocean Cit-

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y’s beach and Boardwalk along with the Inlet parking lot would reopen this Saturday.

It's important to note, and Meehan made it clear in a press conference on Tuesday, all of Hogan’s emergency orders including stay-at-home and social distancing requirements remain in place. When Ocean City first closed its beaches and Boardwalk, there were some exceptions in place for local residents. There is not, nor was there ever, an enforceable travel ban prohibiting people from moving about in Maryland including Ocean City although it was strongly discouraged and that message remains consistent despite Monday’s amended declaration reopening the beach and Boardwalk.

“I want to make it clear this does not supersede any of the governor’s stay-

at-home orders,” he said. “None of that has changed. This just gives individuals more opportunity to get outside and enjoy some fresh air while maintaining social distancing and the other directives in place. The non-essential businesses on the Boardwalk are not yet opening, other than a handful of restaurants that are offering carry-out service and have been since the original declarations were put in place.”

In response to a question about concerns of crowds suddenly flocking to Ocean City’s reopened beach and Boardwalk, Meehan said during a press conference Tuesday most will make decisions based on their comfort level, but that he does expect an influx of visitors with the relaxed restrictions. However, there will not be a directed law enforcement effort to restrict visitors.

May 8, 2020

“There will be no police officers patrolling for license plates,” he said. “We will have officers out on foot and on bikes and even horseback encouraging the social distancing requirements still in place. We do expect people to come from surrounding areas. Frankly, that’s happening already.”

Meehan said Monday’s amended emergency declaration merely opens the beaches and Boardwalk to the general public as a means to transition to the next phase of the governor’s threestage recovery plan.

“Is there a perfect answer to anything we do in these unprecedented times? Probably not,” he said. “Voluntary compliance is what we’re looking for and most have been doing that already. We can’t control everything and we can’t be everywhere. We believe this is the right path to take at this time.

We have to rely on people to make their own decisions and do the right thing and we believe most are doing that now and will continue to do so.”

Should visitors come to Ocean City’s reopened beaches and Boardwalk starting Saturday, most will have to be daytrippers or non-resident property owners. The town’s prohibition on hotel, motel and most other short-term rentals is in effect until May 22, although that could be amended. In effect, the May 22 expiration date on that declaration allows the hospitality industry to begin taking reservations to transition into the next phase of the overall recovery plan.

At the close of Monday’s regular Mayor and Council meeting, Meehan announced he was amending the emergency declarations he had put in place in March regarding the closure of the beach and Boardwalk with certain exceptions for local residents. As a result, the beach, Boardwalk and Inlet lot will reopen on Saturday with the same social distancing and crowd size limitations in place.

With certain key indicators in the daily COVID-19 statistics appearing to trend in the right direction, the governor could implement stage one of his recovery plan at any time. However, Meehan said on Monday Ocean City was ready to move forward with the first step in opening the beach and Boardwalk after consulting with Hogan last week. Meehan said his amended declarations do not supersede Hogan’s executive orders still in place, but the time was right for Ocean City to take a necessary first step on its own road to recovery.

“I did have the opportunity to speak with Gov. Hogan last Friday,” Meehan said on Monday. “I spoke with the governor for about 35 minutes, and that’s a long time considering everything he’s involved with, not only at the state level but at the federal level. We talked about a number of different things. He did tell that he was looking to try and coordinate the opening of Maryland with the openings in Delaware and Virginia. I related to him I was on a Zoom meeting with all the mayors of the Delaware beaches as SEE PAGE 39

May 8, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

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Governor Fine With OC’s decision To reopen Beach, Boardwalk

Page 4

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – It’s uncertain if Ocean City knew state restrictions on certain outdoor activities would be relaxed before the decision was made to reopen the beaches and Boardwalk earlier this week, but it appears to be prophetic.

On Monday, Mayor Rick Meehan amended an emergency declaration that for weeks had closed the beaches and Boardwalk in Ocean City with a few exceptions for local residents.

Meehan’s amended declaration called for reopening the beaches and Boardwalk this Saturday, May 9, to the general public as long as statemandated directives such as social distancing and maximum crowd sizes among others were observed. Meehan originally declared the beaches and Boardwalk closed to the public

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

hogan: ‘We Are A Little Concerned’

with a few exceptions for local residents back in March with an expiration date of April 30.

However, as the COVID-19 health crisis continued to drag on through April, Meehan amended the declaration with an expiration date of May 15, a date roughly in keeping with the first stage of Hogan’s roadmap to recovery plan for Maryland. On Monday, with the state’s stay-at-home order and other restrictions still firmly in place, Meehan amended the declaration again, opening the beaches to the general public on this Saturday, May 9.

Although it is his prerogative to do so, the mayor’s decision to reopen

the beaches and Boardwalk raised eyebrows in some circles because it appeared to fly in the face of some of the state-mandated restrictions still in place. However, on Thursday, Hogan announced while the state is inching closer to stage one of his COVID-19 recovery plan, the numbers weren’t quite there yet. Instead, Hogan announced certain outdoor activities such as boating, fishing and golf, for example could resume effective on Thursday. Hogan also announced beaches at state parks would be reopened.

Hogan said outdoor activities would now be allowed as long as individuals continued to observe the directives in

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place including physical distancing, avoiding crowds of 10 or more and other measures aimed at flattening the curve were observed. When questioned later in the press conference about the Ocean City’s decision earlier in the week to open the beaches and Boardwalk, Hogan essentially said he was okay with it as long as citizens continued to observe the other directives still in place.

“We are a little concerned,” he said.

“All of this is predicated on Marylanders continuing to follow the health guidelines including physical distancing, avoiding crowds of 10 or more, washing hands and continuing good hygiene practices and wearing masks when possible. Whenever you have more people outside doing most outside activities, we run the risk of more people not doing the things they should and not listening to that kind of advice.”

Hogan said Meehan and resort officials made their decision on Monday of their own volition although he hinted he still held out some reservations about the timing.

“Ocean City made its own decision about opening up,” he said.

“We’ve opened up the beaches and we’re encouraging people to walk on the beach and walk on the boardwalks, but crowds of people congregating together and going back to the normal things they would do, I don’t think we’re ready for that yet.”

Hogan pointed out the Boardwalk, technically Atlantic Avenue, did not fall under the state’s directives regarding other outdoor areas and activities.

“The Boardwalk is just like any other street,” he said. “You can walk down it. The mayor decided to close it and then the mayor decided to open it. The businesses aren’t open. He decided a while ago on his own accord that he didn’t want people walking on it. Then, he decided he would let people walk on it. That didn’t have to do with any other order.”

At Wednesday’s press conference, it was also confirmed Maryland public schools will not reopen this spring.

“I am convinced this is the appropriate decision in order to continue to protect the health and safety of our students, educators, staff and all members of school communities throughout Maryland," Salmon said at a news conference Wednesday.

According to Salmon, what the traditional return to school in September will look like is under consideration. She said a number of options are being weighed, including a normal return to school, reopening on a staggered schedule, beginning September with smaller groups and new potential schedule allowing for certain adaptations to traditional learning times. A return to normal school operations will not occur until the third phase of the governor’s reopening plan.

May 8, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 5

Commissioners Vote 4-3 To Continue Online Meetings

Page 6

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Commissioners will continue to host virtual meetings following a split vote this week.

At the end of Tuesday’s regular meeting of the commissioners, held virtually through the video conferencing program Zoom, a motion to return to in-person meetings at Snow Hill’s government center failed with a 3-4 vote. Those who wanted to resume traditional meetings argued that the commissioners’ chamber was large enough that people could continue physical distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“I think it’s time for us to be leaders and not cowering back in some

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In-Person Motion Divides Officials

crevice somewhere afraid to take the lead,” Commissioner Ted Elder said. “That’s what we’re getting paid to do.”

Commissioner Jim Bunting said he thought the time had come to resume meeting at the government center in Snow Hill and made a motion to do so.

“With the importance of what we’re discussing as far as budget I think it’s time for us to start doing that,” he said.

Commissioner Joe Mitrecic said he’d expected the issue to come up and had consulted with the county attorney and the county health officer.

He said they’d both advised against

returning to in-person meetings at this point.

“If for some reason we had an outbreak among us and staff it could cripple the county’s government,” Mitrecic said. “Ms. Becky Jones gave her opinion that it’s not a wise thing to do at this time … Although there’s nothing in the governor’s statement that says we can’t there is a certain amount of concern.”

Elder said the intent of the efforts to flatten the curve was not to eliminate the virus but to keep hospitals from being overwhelmed. He pointed out the commissioners’ chamber was

May 8, 2020

large enough for people to sit six feet apart.

Commissioner Diana Purnell, however, was adamant that the board should continue to meet virtually. She pointed out that neighboring Sussex County had a large about of COVID19 cases.

“People aren’t taking this seriously,” she said.

She said there were plenty of individuals at the county offices who had compromised immune systems.

“Leaders look at everybody,” she said.

Commissioner Bud Church agreed and spoke against meeting in-person.

“I think it would send the wrong example to the citizens of Worcester County,” he said. “This is an inconvenience but I think we should continue with this until the situation passes.”

Commissioner Josh Nordstrom said he would defer to advice of the health department and health officer.

“These are the people we should be listening to,” Nordstrom said.

Bunting referenced a letter the commissioners had agreed to sign urging the state to move forward with reopening measures in Worcester County and Ocean City. Bunting said the letter asked that restrictions be lifted by mid-May and suggested the commissioners were hypocritical if they signed that but didn’t want to meet in person themselves.

Purnell said the letter had been drafted after discussions among Senator Mary Beth Carozza, Delegate Wayne Hartman and Ocean City leadership.

“I don’t think we’re being hypocritical…,” she said. “They’re not jumping right back in tomorrow…I think we need to just stay where we are.”

Elder objected.

“So I guess it’s ok to put people in risk coming to Ocean City but it’s not ok to lead from the front and take the exact amount of risk ourselves?” he said. “Or actually less risk because we would be social distancing much better than they could handle there in those businesses.”

Mitrecic responded with two points.

“I’ve never considered myself cowering from anything, number one,” he said. “I’ve always faced everything head on. Number two, the letter was to ask when Gov. Hogan lifted the travel ban that some of these other issues could be addressed at that time.”

Mitrecic said the letter simply asked for reopening to begin in Ocean City and Worcester County when the travel ban was lifted to allow the area to ramp up in preparation for summer.

“We didn’t want to open for business on Memorial Day and have 300,000 people show up and not know how to handle them,” he said.

Bunting’s motion to return to inperson meetings failed with three in support — Bunting, Elder and Commissioner Chip Bertino — and four opposed.

May 8, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 7

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The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

County Broadband Efforts Continue

May 8, 2020

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STAFF WRITER

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SNOW HILL – Roughly 300 residents have participated in the internet speed study currently underway in Worcester County.

In an update provided to the Worcester County Commissioners this week, Director of Information Technology Brian Jones said the study, which is being done by CTC Technology & Energy, was producing the expected results.

“A lot of constituents in the county are very unhappy with what they have and what’s available to them,” Jones said.

Jones said the county started enlisting the help of residents on April 2 through the survey that collects information about broadband access and internet speed.

“We had 50 (responses) before the end of the day the first day,” Jones said. “We’re well over 300 people now.

We’re getting some pretty good responses back from them.”

The survey also asks about the level of satisfaction residents have with their current providers. Jones said that as expected, many people weren’t happy with what they had. He said CTC was sharing survey results with the county every few weeks.

The next step involves having CTC employees visit individual homes throughout the county to test speed and access. That, however, can’t take place until COVID-19 travel restrictions are lifted.

“We do have a lot of people within the county that’s geared up to be part of the test,” Jones said.

He told the commissioners that Choptank Electric Cooperative’s efforts to provide rural broadband were expected to move ahead following the approval of the necessary legislation in March.

“Even if we have 80% that was covered by Choptank, I still believe that as we move forward there will be pockets we’ll have to look at other avenues,” Jones said. “We’re not going to be able to do fiber across the board for everybody.”

When asked how Bloosurf, the company that received federal grants to provide high speed internet to Worcester, played into the situation, Jones said he’d had a “cordial conversation” with the company.

“They’re not going to fight anything we come up with,” he said. “If we want to move forward with another opportunity such as Choptank they’re not willing to stand in our way.”

Commissioner Joe Mitrecic questioned that.

“I’m surprised Bloosurf is willing to do that because I don’t know if anybody else has noticed but they’ve had a lot of advertisements on the TV all of the sudden explaining how happy everybody is with them,” he said. “That kind of surprises me that they’re willing to step aside but I hope that is in fact what happens.”

What Will Voting Look Like In June?

May 8, 2020

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

SALISBURY – With less than a month remaining until the June 2 primary election, officials in Wicomico County this week outlined efforts to ensure all eligible voters have a chance to cast their ballots.

On Tuesday, Wicomico County Board of Elections Director Anthony Gutierrez came before the Wicomico County Council to discuss voting procedures for the upcoming primary election.

On April 10, Gov. Larry Hogan issued a proclamation ratifying the Maryland State Board of Elections’ plan to postpone the 2020 Presidential Primary Election to June 2. Next month’s election will be primarily a “vote by mail” election, meaning eligible voters will be automatically mailed a ballot.

“The governor approved the state board of elections’ plan to postpone the Maryland primary until June 2 and also to move it to a mail-in ballot election,” Gutierrez said, “which means for Wicomico County voters that registered Democratic and Republican voters should be receiving a ballot package in the mail starting this week that will include a prepaid postage return envelope so that voters can send it back with postage already paid.”

Gutierrez said voters will also have the option of dropping off their ballots at designated ballot drop-off locations from May 21 through June 2.

“One will be installed on May 21 at the Civic Center,” he said. “The other one will be outside the board of elections office at 345 Snow Hill Road. Our office is closed to the public, but the drop-off box will be available to voters to drop that off if they prefer.”

Gutierrez noted that individuals unable to vote by mail may vote in person from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on June 2 at the Wicomico Youth and Civic Center.

“But the state board members were very adamant that their intent is to offer in-person assistance to such voters as, for example, a blind voter who may want to use a ballot marking device because it has an audio ballot feature that allows them to cast an independent ballot, or a voter who for some reason did not receive a ballot in the mail,” he said. “Remember, in Wicomico County that is only Democrat and Republican voters.”

To reduce the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus, Gutierrez said the state board of elections recommends that voters who can vote by mail do so.

“The intent is to keep the turnout on June 2 at the Civic Center as low as possible because safety is certainly our utmost concern for both our voters and our poll workers,” he said. “The message we want to get out to Wicomico voters, and all voters in Maryland, is please consider using the pre-paid postage envelope or one of the two ballot boxes that we are going to be making available between May 21 and June 2.”

Gutierrez told the council Wicomico

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voters will see at least four contests on their ballots.

“One for president, one for Congressional District 1, and two contests relating to the presidential nomination conventions to be held somehow later this year,” he said. “Additionally, voters in District 2, part of the county council District 2, will have a fifth contest with a candidate that is running unopposed either on the Democratic or Republican ballot for the nomination in November.”

Gutierrez encouraged all voters to read the instructions carefully before submitting their ballots. He said ballots without a signature will not be counted.

“The instructions are very clear,” he said. “All ballots require a signature.”

Councilman Larry Dodd asked Gutierrez how the board of elections would prevent voter fraud.

“Current Maryland election law is that when a voter casts that ballot, part of that oath signature required is that you are signing under the penalty of perjury that you are not committing that type of fraud,” Gutierrez replied.

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Stuck Valve Among Issues Causing Plane’s Emergency Landing

Page 10

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – The small plane forced to make an emergency landing off the beach last July suffered engine trouble about eight miles offshore and was attempting to get to the airport, according to the final National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report released this week.

Around 6:15 p.m. last July 16, a single-engine 1981 Cessna 172 RG crashed into the ocean about a quarter mile from shore at 21st Street. The pilot and lone occupant, identified as

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Trevor Deihl, 23, of Reedville, Va., was not seriously injured.

The NTSB this week released its final report on the incident. According to the report, the Cessna 172 RG was registered and operated by Deihl at the time of the incident. The flight originated at the Reedville Airport in Reedville, Va. and its stated purpose was an aerial survey. According to the NTSB report, the purpose of the flight was to spot fish in support of a commercial fishing operation. According to the NTSB report, Deihl outlined where and when he began to experience engine trouble.

“According to the pilot, at 3,000 feet about eight miles offshore while conducting fish-spotting operations, the engine began to shake and lose RPMs,” the final report reads. “In an effort to avoid ditching in the ocean waters, he navigated to the shoreline and the nearest airport. When it became evident he was unable to reach the airport, he ditched the airplane in the shallow waters of the ocean surf to avoid bystanders on the beach.”

A video of the crash shows the plane maintaining a horizontal position as it glided into the ocean before nose-diving into the water. It is uncertain just when Deihl was able to get out of the downed aircraft, but he was successfully able to glide it into the water just offshore in front of a crowded Ocean City beach in midJuly. Had the incident occurred much earlier in the day, there likely would have been numerous swimmers and bathers in the ocean in that area.

According to the NTSB final report, the skies were clear with high visibility and light winds. There were no meteorological conditions that contributed to the emergency landing. The plane suffered extensive damage to the right elevator, according to the report.

However, it was essentially destroyed when it was pulled from the ocean.

Personnel from the Ocean City Beach Patrol, the Ocean City Police Depart-

May 8, 2020

ment and the Ocean City Fire Department responded immediately to the scene. Deihl was assessed and it was determined he was not seriously injured. Members of the Ocean City Fire Department dive team stabilized the downed aircraft, which had floated into the shoreline.

Waves pounded the vessel as it came to rest in the shore break, causing further damage. The plane was ultimately dragged onto the beach and later removed.

According to the NTSB final report released this week, the doomed aircraft suffered mechanical issues including a stuck valve. NTSB investigators interviewed a mechanic who worked on the ill-fated plane and the mechanic said the stuck valve that likely contributed to the crash was common in similar aircraft used for the same fish-spotting operations.

“According to a mechanic who maintained the airplane, the aircraft and about 10 others flew about 1,000 hours a year for fish-spotting operations,” the final report reads. “He said that stuck valves were common as the airplanes were operated at low altitudes with rich engine fuel-air mixtures. He went on to state that the number-two cylinder on the accident airplane had been replaced due to a stuck valve that contacted the piston, which necessitated replacement of the entire cylinder assembly.”

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OCPD Mourns Mounted Officer’s Unexpected Passing Page 12

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

May 8, 2020

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – The community has lost a treasure with the sudden passing of longtime Ocean City Police Sgt. Charles “Chip” Green, a familiar face for years on the Boardwalk with his mount Benson.

Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) Chief Ross Buzzuro this week announced with a heavy heart Green passed away on Wednesday at the age of 47. Green, originally from Hampstead, Md., joined the OCPD as a seasonal officer in 1994 and worked for the department for four summers before being hired full-time in 1998.

Green quickly moved up the ranks, being promoted to Private-First Class in 2003 and Corporal in 2015. On Jan. 1, he was promoted again to sergeant.

During Green’s 22-year career, he had primarily been assigned to the patrol division and was currently the supervisor and assistant coordinator of the mounted unit. He and his mount Benson had been icons on the Boardwalk for the past 10 years and he always went above and beyond for the unit and was

Sgt. Chip Green is pictured on his mount, Benson, during the summer of 2017.

Photo by Chris Parypa

constantly finding ways to make the horse and rider a better team.

“His passion to the unit and dedication of being an instructor has expanded the unit to what it is today,” said OCPD Chief Ross Buzzuro this week.

Most recently, Green and Benson competed in the Horses Healing Maryland Military Mounted Police competition at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium and he and Benson and the OCPD team brought back several rib-

bons. Green was always eager to showcase the OCPD horses and riders at community events such as Winterfest of Lights, Special Olympics Torch Run, the Polar Bear Plunge, Cones with Cops and the annual mounted unit open house.

According to an OCPD release, Green had a zest for life and when he wasn’t on patrol or tending to the horses, he was most likely traveling the world. He was always on an adventure where he would ski, scuba

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“Chip, we will miss your stories, jokes and your laugh,” the OCPD statement reads. “We thank you for everything you have done for us and our community. The number of lives you and Benson have impacted on the Boardwalk over the years is immeasurable and will not be forgotten.”

The news of Green’s passing this week spread quickly through the local law enforcement and first-responder community. The OCPD Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 10 urged the community to remember Green and his family in their prayers.

“It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that we are informing everyone of the passing of Sgt. Charles (Chip) Green early this morning,” the FOP statement reads. “He will be dearly missed.

Keep Chip, his family and friends in your thoughts and prayers.”

The Ocean City Firefighter-Paramedic Unit IAFF 4069 recalled Green’s serious police work and this role as an ambassador to countless residents and visitors over the years with Benson.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with our brothers and sisters in blue of the Ocean City Police Department Lodge 10 as we mourn the loss of Sgt. Charles (Chip) Green,” the IAFF statement reads. “Sgt. Green at times responded to the most tragic and chaotic moments of people’s lives, but he did so with integrity, compassion and empathy, doing his part to serve and protect his community. He made many folks, young and old, smile and made their vacation when they could pet one of the horses he rode on the mounted unit.”

The Worcester County Sheriff’s Office also fondly recalled Green and his years of service to the community.

“Sgt. Green’s loss saddens our entire community,” the statement read.

“Sgt. Green and his horse Benson were a tandem on the Boardwalk.

They were a presence that not only kept our officers safe, they were in inspiration to everyone that had the pleasure of being in their company.

Our thoughts and prayers are with our brothers and sisters of the Ocean City Police Department. RIP Sgt. Green.

You will be deeply missed sir.”

Governor Eases Restrictions, Says State Likely To Enter First Phase

May 8, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – While it wasn’t the advance to stage one of the state’s Roadmap to Recovery plan most expected, Gov. Larry Hogan this week eased restrictions on many outdoor activities including boating, golf, fishing and camping and the opening of state-owned beaches and parks.

When Hogan announced his Road-

map to Recovery two weeks ago, he laid out a plan to reopen the state safely and gradually over three distinct phases. The recovery plan was based on four essential pillars including expanded testing capabilities, an increase in hospital surge capacity, the acquisition of sufficient personal protection equipment (PPE) and a significant improvement in the state’s contact tracing ability, or the ability to conSEE PAGE 14

Farmers Market Changes Eyed

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

BERLIN – The Berlin Farmers Market will expand down Commerce Street following a busy opening week.

Following strong interest and high attendance at last week’s event, the Berlin Farmers Market will be set up on Pitts Street and Commerce Street moving forward. Ivy Wells, the town’s economic and community development director, says there will also be more vendors and more inventory.

“Last week was our first market of the year,” Wells said. “We’re definitely making some changes.”

Many shoppers who visited the market last week left disappointed, as vendors were sold out of nearly everything by 10 a.m. even though the market runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

“It was the opening day of the market and a lot of the farmers weren’t sure how many people would be there,” Wells said.

Customers were eager to buy produce and baked goods, however.

Wells said strawberries sold out in seven minutes. Baywater Farms sold out, drove back to the farm to get another truckload of produce and returned to the market to sell out again—all within two hours. Sconer sold close to 100 scones in an hour.

Because there were so many willing shoppers, some expressed concern about crowding on Pitts Street during a time when social distancing

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remains necessary. As a result, Wells said vendors were being spaced farther apart and extended onto Commerce Street. Though Main Street will remain open, market vendors will be set up along Commerce and Pitts Streets. A handful of new food vendors, including some downtown restaurants, will also join the market.

The market will again open half an hour early for seniors.

“It’s a courtesy shopping time and not enforceable, but the majority of people honored that,” Wells said.

She acknowledged that she’d received a handful of complaints associated with last week’s market but said that’s why changes were being made this week.

“When you have that many people attending there’s going to be someone who finds something they didn’t like,” she said.

Wells stressed that face masks were mandatory. Shoppers are also asked to keep their visits short and to maintain a distance of six feet from other people. Wells wants the market to remain a place people look forward to doing their shopping.

“Farmers markets bring access to fresh, local produce,” Wells said. “It’s one of the healthiest things we can offer our community.”

She said the town welcomed feedback from attendees.

“The only way we’re ever going to improve anything is through feedback,” she said.

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… State’s Stay-At Home Order Likely Lifted Next Week

Page 14

FROM PAGE 13 nect the dots between those who have contracted or tested positive for COVID-19 and those with whom they have been in contact.

In a press conference on Wednesday, Hogan said Maryland has and will continue to check off those four all-important boxes. The second part of the state’s recovery equation is seeing the numbers trend in the right direction.

Reaching the recovery plan’s first stage would rely on a stabilization of a handful of key indicators including the number of hospitalizations, the number of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and the number of reported deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Maryland.

Hogan said when those numbers

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

trended in a positive direction consistently for at least 14 days, then Maryland could move into the low-risk stage one of the recovery plan aimed at low-risk quality of life improvements and potentially lifting the stay-at-home order. On Wednesday, Hogan said the four basic building blocks of the recovery plan were being reached and the numbers in certain key indicators appeared to be trending in the right direction, but Maryland was not quite ready to enter stage one.

Instead, he threw a bone of sorts to state residents in the form of relaxing some of the restrictions on certain outdoor activities and areas including golf, tennis, recreational boating and fishing, camping, and a limited use of certain state parks among others.

Hogan also eased restrictions on many elective surgeries and procedures including medical screenings and other tests that have been prohibited for several weeks. Hogan acknowledged many Marylanders are clamoring to return to jobs and reopen businesses, but while the numbers aren’t quite there yet in his opinion, some quality of life improvements are possible now. His ease on many of the restrictions on outdoor activities became effective early Thursday morning.

“I realize that these are only small steps and that they may be of little comfort to those who are out of work and struggling,” he said. “But it is thanks to all of you and your incredible sacrifices that we are making great

May 8, 2020

progress. We are indeed flattening the curve and we are preparing to launch our reopening plan in order to safely get people back to work, to safely get our small businesses back open again and get our economy back on track so that Maryland and our nation can defeat this virus and come back stronger than ever.”

Hogan emphasized despite the easing of restrictions on certain activities, the stay-at-home order remains in place and other directives related to social distancing and crowd size limitations must be adhered to in order to move on to the next phase.

“We knew if Marylanders adhered to the directives, I was hopeful the numbers would start to plateau,” he said. “We’re starting to see a leveling off in these encouraging numbers. If these trends continue next week, we will be able to lift the stay-at-home order and enter stage one of our recovery plan.”

Hogan urged Marylanders to stay the course and continue safe practices to allow for the expedition of the phased recovery plan.

“Marylanders have made several sacrifices and because of that, thousands of lives have been saved,” he said. “While we still need several more days of these numbers trending in the right direction, there are things we can do safely now in advance of stage one.”

Among the things the governor is now allowing include opening stateowned beaches and parks. Outdoor exercise such as walking, jogging, running, swimming and fishing are allowed, but social distancing must be followed and the prohibition on social gatherings must be strictly followed.

The use of chairs, blankets and picnics are still prohibited in the state parks and beaches.

Recreational boating, including motorized and non-motorized vessels and personal watercraft, is now allowed with some limitations. Boaters must be with immediate family members or people with whom they reside and no more than 10 people can be on a boat at one time. Boats are still prohibited from docking at restaurants and bars.

Marinas can be reopened to recreational boaters and pump-out stations can resume operations, but all of the Maryland Departments of Health and Commerce guidelines must be adhered to.

Recreational fishing including catchand-release is allowed, but the same group size and immediate family member restrictions connected to recreational boating apply. Fishing from state-owned docks and piers is allowed, with the same social distancing requirements in place. Fishing tournaments are still prohibited and all normal rules and regulations regarding seasons, creel limits and gear restrictions remain in place.

May 8, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 15

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Del. Mayors Outline Reopening Hopes

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

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BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

FENWICK ISLAND – As Ocean City prepares to open its beach and Boardwalk on Saturday, it appears elected leaders in coastal Delaware towns are not yet ready to do the same.

Last Friday, the Association of Coastal Towns (ACT) – composed of the seven coastal communities that include Lewes, Henlopen Acres, Rehoboth, Dewey, Bethany, South Bethany and Fenwick Island – sent a letter to Delaware Gov. John Carney outlining its approach to reopening beaches and boardwalks as the three phases of the state’s economic recovery plan are implemented.

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and involves the balancing of competing objectives and capabilities,” the letter reads. “The ACT Mayors have deliberated on these issues and are ready to share our thinking and guidance with you.”

In an interview this week, Fenwick Mayor Gene Langan, chair of the association, said last week’s correspondence follows the governor’s request for input from the coastal community.

“It’s really a roadmap for reopening,” he said. “What we didn’t want to do was pick specific dates for when things would occur.”

In March, Carney closed all Delaware beaches through at least May 15, but that date could change as the COVID-19 crisis evolves. Through the governor’s executive order, the public SEE NEXT PAGE

Funds Approved For Exterior WiFi Spots STAFF WRITER

Listing Agent Mary McCracken 410-430-7302

May 8, 2020

SNOW HILL – An emergency grant will allow for the addition of exterior wireless access points at Worcester County’s schools.

Senator Mary Beth Carozza thanked the members of Maryland’s Board of Public Works Wednesday for approving a request from the Governor’s Office of Rural Broadband and the Department

of Housing and Community Development for a $32,750 Emergency Broadband Education Assistance grant to Worcester County Public Schools.

“This funding will provide muchneeded assistance to our students who are distance learning,” Carozza said.

“Students, teachers and parents are facing challenges when it comes to finding new ways to learn from home and finding other accessible online sites to be utilized. This grant is so important to rural areas on the Shore and ensuring that my constituents have access to broadband remains one of my top priorities.”

Carozza, who shared news of the grant in the wake of the state announcement that schools would be closed the rest of the school year, said the funding will go toward exterior wireless access points for placement on county schools.

The equipment will allow students to access broadband from their vehicles outside of the building, maintaining proper social distancing and benefitting students who might not have internet access at home.

“We are grateful to Senator Carozza and the Board of Public Works for facilitating the approval of this passthrough grant,” said Worcester County Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor.

“As a rural county with broad socioeconomic dynamics, it is imperative that we can provide equitable access to reliable internet connectivity for continuity of learning. We hope that these wireless access points will be able to provide another avenue of reaching those families that struggle with finding reliable connectivity.”

Carozza said she and her colleagues in the Eastern Shore Delegation are committed to providing more broadband access to constituents. During the 2020 legislative session, Carozza cosponsored and supported the Rural Broadband for the Eastern Shore Act of 2020, which will allow Choptank Electric Cooperative to move forward with plans for providing broadband access on the Eastern Shore.

… Carney Takes ‘Limited Steps’ With Lifting Restrictions

May 8, 2020

is prohibited from accessing the beach except to exercise or walk their dogs where dogs are permitted. Some municipalities, however, have chosen to enact tighter restrictions.

Last week, the seven ACT mayors called for beaches to reopen to some extent starting with the governor’s first phase of the economic recovery plan.

“Considering the most current data on new cases, particularly in Sussex County, opening on or before Memorial Day weekend is not feasible,” the letter reads. “It appears unlikely at this point that Phase 1 will begin until after Memorial weekend.”

In the first phase, the less congested beach towns of Lewes, Henlopen Acres, Dewey, South Bethany and Fenwick would open beaches to walking only.

Since Lewes and Henlopen Acres currently permit this activity, Dewey, South Bethany and Fenwick would join them.

In the second phase, all five of those towns would expand activities to include the broader use of exercising on the beach, small yoga classes and recreation such as playing catch, kite flying and kicking the football or soccer ball.

In the third and final phase, the beach will fully open to all normal activities, including swimming and sunbathing. Rehoboth and Bethany will then reopen their beaches for the first time for normal use.

“Rehoboth and Bethany, with boardwalks and boardwalk-front businesses, hotels and other rentals, and with ample public parking, anticipate a demand for beach use that will quickly lead to unenforceable crowding and risk of additional virus exposure,” the letter reads. “Simply stated, they will be overwhelmed once their beaches open. It is their intention to keep their beach and boardwalks closed until Delaware Recovery Plan Phase 3 goes into effect.”

Langan said ACT’s phased approach to reopening the beaches and boardwalks was based on federal guidelines followed by the governor. The mayors, however, acknowledged the desires of local businesses to return to beachbased tourism, and Langan said he expects some pushback from local business owners.

“This was strictly the mayors’ decision,” he said. “But I continue to keep in touch with the business community and what they are doing at this time.”

In their letter to the governor, the mayors argued that plans for beach use in all towns were not a one-size-fits-all approach. They said dialogue on the reopening of beaches would continue as more COVID-19 health data is forthcoming.

The association’s letter to Carney makes it clear that enforcement of the phased reopening would be the biggest challenge for coastal communities.

“That’s the hardest problem,” Langan said this week. “It’s hard to stop somebody from walking on the beach.

I was sitting on my front porch last week and people were walking up to the beach then.”

In the second phase, for example,

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

the letter state that available staff will try to enforce proper social distancing. And in Dewey, the town acknowledged its inability to control some of the anticipated beach activity.

“Dewey anticipates little ability to hold people back when ‘beach-use light’ at Phase 1 goes into effect and anticipates their users will charge forward to the Phase 3 level of use (swimming and sunbathing) with little ability to control it,” the letter reads.

The association wrote last week that the ability to control the number of people at the beach was largely dependent on the ban of short-term rentals and non-essential travel.

“Once either or both of those are lifted, the potential crowding is likely to be overwhelming and rules in place on social distancing will be very difficult for our towns to control,” the letter reads.

“State-supplemented staffing will be required to enforce social distancing on the beach in our view.”

In drafting a plan for reopening the beaches, the mayors noted they had included the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) Division of Parks and Recreation, as well as the Town of Ocean City, in their discussions.

In an interview Tuesday, however, Langan said he was surprised to hear of Ocean City’s decision to open its beach and Boardwalk starting Saturday.

He explained the town’s move could impact Delaware beaches, particularly those in neighboring Fenwick Island.

“I think this will impact us …,” he said. “I think we will have some spillover onto our beaches.”

Despite the uncertainties surrounding the reopening of Delaware’s beaches,

Page 17

Carney on Tuesday announced a series of interim steps allowing small businesses to resume limited operations starting May 8.

Small business retailers – including clothing and shoe stores, department stores, sporting goods stores and book and music stores, to name a few – will be allowed to do business using curbside pickup as long as social distancing can be maintained. Hair care services can also be offered to workers at essential businesses.

“I understand how hard this has been for Delawareans across our state,” Carney said. “We’ve tried to find ways to ease the pain without compromising public health. But even these limited steps allowing businesses to offer additional services will require strict compliance with safety standards, especially social distancing.”

Blood Supply Concerns Heightened By Ongoing Pandemic

Page 18

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

SALISBURY – A local blood bank is seeking plasma donations from those who have recovered from COVID-19.

Last month, Blood Bank of Delmarva joined several blood centers across the country to increase the nation’s supply of convalescent plasma by collecting donations from those who have recovered from COVID-19 to treat other patients with advanced COVID-19 infections.

“We’re proud to partner with leading medical institutions from Delmarva and

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

beyond in developing this potential treatment,” said Beth Shaz, chief medical and scientific officer at New York Blood Center Enterprises. “If this treatment proves to be effective, we are prepared to quickly scale our process and activate our network to serve hospitals nationwide.”

Using convalescent plasma treatment, the patient is transfused with the donor’s plasma with the goal of using the donor’s antibodies to help clear the virus more rapidly. On March 24 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the collection of plasma from individuals who have re-

covered from coronavirus to treat seriously ill patients, and Blood Bank of Delmarva will now join in this effort.

Blood Bank of Delmarva is an operating division of the New York Blood Center, one of the largest independent blood centers in the world. Andrea Cefarelli, the New York Blood Center’s senior executive director, said the nonprofit anticipates collecting convalescent plasma donations from local communities in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska and Rhode Island as the pandemic continues.

“The use of plasma is not new,” she said, “but early indications from hospitals that are using it show it is shortening the recovery time for COVID-19 patients.”

Cefarelli said each convalescent donor can produce enough plasma for two or three patients. She explained they can also donate up to eight times in a three-month period.

“Very often we are not scheduling one appointment, but three or eight of them at a time,” she said.

Blood Bank of Delmarva will collect and process the plasma for infusion and maintain a bank for hospitals to treat patients with serious and life-threatening COVID-19 infections.

Eligible donors must have documentation of a lab-confirmed positive test for COVID-19 and must be symp-

May 8, 2020

tom free for at least 14 days. For more information, or to register to donate, visit delmarvablood.org.

“We typically call donors within 24 hours and schedule at one of the donation centers,” Cefarelli said.

Cefarelli also encouraged individuals who are healthy to donate blood during this time. Citing the cancellation of blood drives and the return of elective surgeries in some areas, she said supply is low.

“The need for blood has bounced back, but we are only collecting in donor centers …,” she said. “Right now, there’s a critical shortage of type O-negative blood, the universal donor.”

Blood Bank of Delmarva has extended hours at its collection sites and is urging healthy donors to make appointments, according to a recent press release. Blood collection sites are disinfected frequently and are taking extra precautions to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.

“Around 40 percent of our incoming blood supply was interrupted when schools, businesses and religious institutions closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. In response, we’ve increased capacity at our donor centers by extending hours and opening for extra days each week,” said Christopher Hillyer, president and CEO of Blood Bank of Delmarva. “These modifications will provide controlled, safe environments for healthy donors.”

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Atlantic General Honors Nurses With Pipes, Drums Tribute May 8, 2020

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

BERLIN – A local pipe and drum band paid tribute to caregivers at Atlantic General Hospital this week in honor of National Nurses Week.

On Monday, members of Ocean City Pipes and Drums gathered in the parking lot of Atlantic General Hospital to recognize its caregivers as the facility kicks off National Nurses Week.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the hospital has had to cancel many of the activities it had planned for the facility’s nursing staff, Marking Director Sarah Yonker said. However, one of its alternative celebratory events kicked off on Monday with a pipe and drum tribute, led by retired Worcester County Public Schools superintendent Jon Andes.

“We are honoring the health care workers at Atlantic General Hospital because this week happens to be National Nurses Week …,” Andes said.

Pines Will Host Flooding Webinar

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

“So this is our contribution to say thank you to those first-line health care workers who are doing a phenomenal job for our country.”

Monday’s tribute attracted an audience of senior leadership staff and nurses, some of whom watched from the windows inside the hospital. Andes said the performance was a small token of appreciation to those on the front lines of the pandemic.

“It’s our way of trying to give back to our community by recognizing their contributions,” he said, “but most importantly saying thank you to them in our small way of playing the pipes.”

The hospital also celebrated Healthcare Heroes Day on May 2 by illuminating the Atlantic General campus with blue lighting from 7 p.m. last Saturday to 7 a.m. last Sunday.

Members of the Ocean City Pipes and Drums group are pictured Monday at Atlantic General Hospital.

Photo by Bethany Hooper

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

BERLIN – The Ocean Pines Association will host a webinar addressing community flooding next week.

In an effort to increase flood readiness, the Ocean Pines Association (OPA) worked with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and various state agencies to organize a webinar for 5 p.m. on Tuesday, May 12 via Facebook Live.

"Ocean Pines is working diligently on educating our community on ways to not only protect their homes during storm water events but also to protect against standing water issues," said Colby Phillips, director of amenities and operational logistics for OPA. "Drainage and flood problems have been ongoing for decades and it is the goal of the team to work to improve what we are able to.

This webinar is one of those steps we are taking to keep the community informed."

Phillips told the OPA board during an online meeting Saturday that she and Director of Marketing and Public Relations Josh Davis had been working with representatives from FEMA, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and other state agencies to put together a flood readiness presentation. Though it was initially meant to be a public meeting, the event has been moved online as a result of COVID-19.

"We're going to push back the live event, in person, into the fall," Phillips said.

To access the May 12 webinar, or for more information on the event, visit the Ocean Pines Association Facebook page. To submit questions in advance, email them to cphillips@oceanpines.org.

Page 19

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Page 20

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – Acknowledging the uncertainties surrounding the ongoing pandemic and the impact on the summer season, resort officials this week approved on first reading a fiscal year 2021 “Plan B” budget that will result in a property tax reduction for most.

When first presented in March, the proposed fiscal year 2021 budget for all funds came in around $156 million including certain enterprise funds such as water and wastewater, for example, which are largely self-sufficient. The all-important general fund budget in the original Plan A, or pre-COVID-19 budget came in around $97 million and was based on anticipated revenues and expenditures in the coming year. City Manager Doug Miller and Budget Manager Jennie Knapp presented a Plan B budget that attempted to account for the potential and realized ramifications of COVID19 with adjusted estimates on certain revenue sources including room tax, for example.

The Plan B budget presented on

Monday comes in at roughly $136 million, 14% less than first proposed. The general fund under Plan B is around $89 million, 8% less than originally estimated.

The Plan B budget, which was unanimously approved on first reading on Monday, includes a constant yield tax rate of .4559, which is actually a reduction of the .4656 property tax rate in the current fiscal year 2020. As a result, the personal property and corporate tax rates have been reduced from $1.29 per $100 of assessed value to $1.14 per $100 of assessed value.

Elected officials acknowledged this week there many unknowns on the revenue side as the town moves toward some semblance of a summer season and the budget would have to be adjusted.

“I think we’re going to see some pretty nasty financial times over the next few months, or for the next year or maybe two years,” said Councilman Matt James. “This is going to have to be adjusted multiple times. I know we have to get a budget approved, but there are just so many unknowns.”

Councilman Dennis Dare agreed the proposed Plan B budget was based on well-educated assumptions and guesses, but there were still many uncertainties.

“It’s a really good discussion,” he said. “The one thing to remember is the budget in front of us can work if everything goes really well. The problem is we don’t know how this is going to play out. We’ll have businesses that don’t open, and we’ll have some that don’t make it after the season. Will all of those on unemployment not want to return to work at a job where they make less? Those are just some examples.”

Through the budget amendment process, the fiscal year 2021 budget could look much different after the summer when the economic damage of COVID-19 could more accurately be assessed.

“By Labor Day, we’ll know if real estate taxes are getting paid, we’re going to know more about room tax and parking revenue and food tax,” said Dare. “What I think I know is many seniors and those at risk won’t travel this summer and for those who

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are unemployed or are having financial difficulties, vacations might not be in their plans. It could take years to recover if things don’t go as well as we hope. The budget in front of us is fine and we need to get it passed. Some things that aren’t critical can be put off until September when we have a better understanding of these things.”

Dare pointed out a handful of areas where savings could be realized and amenities could be reduced or eliminated because of social distancing and other restrictions that might still be in place. He used the Boardwalk tram as an example.

“The Boardwalk trams don’t allow for social distancing,” he said. “When they do go down the Boardwalk, they push crowds of people together and that complicates social distancing too.

It could be that we decide to put off the Boardwalk tram for this summer.”

Along the same lines, Dare said perhaps the municipal bus system could be tweaked in light of the current and anticipated situation.

“Maybe the bus system needs to be scaled back,” he said. “We know we’re going to have less seniors in June and there are still a lot of questions about the J-1s. …”

Dare even suggested looking at the sacred Fourth of July fireworks, although it’s important to note there has been no formal discussion on the midsummer milestone.

“We still need to think about what we want to do with the Fourth of July fireworks,” he said. “That’s the biggest crowd of the summer in Ocean City.

Do we tell people to enter town at their own risk because social distancing can’t be maintained?”

Dare said if the Fourth of July fireworks do come up for debate, he suggested leaving the funding in the budget.

“If we do decide later to forego the Fourth of July fireworks, I think we should leave that money in the budget,” he said. “There might be an opportunity for some Fourth of October celebration in the fall or something of the sort if we’re somewhat back to normal.”

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. . officials admit plan includes many Fiscal unknowns

May 8, 2020

James clarified, “I don’t believe we’re planning on cancelling the Fourth of July fireworks. I don’t think we want that perception out there.”

Under the proposed fiscal year 2021, roughly $1.7 million has already been moved from the reserve fund balance, or rainy-day fund, to cover real and anticipated losses in revenue.

It has been the town’s stated policy to maintain a reserve fund balance of 15% of the general fund budget although that figure has swelled to over 20% in recent years. Dare cautioned the reserve fund could be depleted if the summer season doesn’t play out as hoped.

“The bottom line is if the summer season goes well, this budget is fine,” he said. “If not, we could significantly reduce our rainy-day fund and deplete our fund balance. None of us want to see that. If the tourism numbers are off even by 30%, those losses could be much larger, maybe as much as $10 million to $15 million. That could leave us with a fund balance of around 5%.

That’s all the more reason to delay, delay, delay this summer.”

James cautioned Dare’s assessment of the potential room tax situation could be greatly understated.

“I think a 30% reduction in room tax is very optimistic,” he said. “I think it’s going to be more like 50% to 70%.”

At the outset, Councilman Tony DeLuca outlined a handful of talking points he wanted to discuss prior to approving the budget on first reading including three proposed full-time positions, a hiring freeze on other positions, suspending raises other than certain guaranteed union raises and the amount of overtime for town employees among others. DeLuca drew a line in the sand on the overtime issue when the budget was first presented, but backed off that somewhat when it was determined much of the town’s roughly $2 million in overtime comes from public safety including police, firefighters and paramedics.

“I was talked off the ledge with overtime for paramedics and firefighters, but I still think we have an opportunity to reduce overtime,” he said.

“We’ve done that already somewhat with what’s happened over the last two months. Overtime starts as an employer need, but over time, it becomes an employee need.”

Knapp explained 75% of the town’s overtime comes from the public safety sector because those departments operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and if someone calls out, that position must be filled.

Councilman Mark Paddack agreed the town’s overtime was top-heavy in the public safety sectors, but said there has been substantial savings in those departments already because of the ongoing pandemic situation.

“We know 75% of our overtime is focused on public safety,” he said.

“We’ve wiped out two months of over-

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

time because there are no special events in May and June. It’s already being minimized. I have faith in our department heads to use if they need it or don’t use it if they don’t have to. Let the managers manage the city. Let the managers manage their people.”

In terms of employment and wages, Councilman John Gehrig said under the current situation there were fewer part-time positions being filled and in some cases, current employees were being moved from one department to another based on need.

“We’ve done a great job of keeping our team together and repurposing our people,” he said. “Let’s watch how we hire and let’s watch how we repurpose people. We’ve done a good job of keeping people working thus far.”

Another issue was funding for cer-

tain projects in the capital improvement plan. Some are recurring such as street paving and canal dredging, for example, but others can and will be put off to future years. For example, already the design phase for the downtown recreation complex and the Inlet lot repaving have been pushed to out years. DeLuca suggested moving, “all capital projects we don’t need out to fiscal year 2022 and beyond.”

Council Secretary Mary Knight cautioned against moving critical capital projects such as street paving and canal dredging out of the budget.

“I feel very strongly about some of the capital projects left in the budget,” she said. “We need to pave the streets and we need to dredge the canals and I really feel we need the upgrades to City Watch. We need to maintain our

infrastructure if we want to maintain a first-class resort.”

Each year, Ocean City commits $100,000 in the budget for Atlantic General Hospital and that has not changed. Fiscal year 2021 is year four of a five-year commitment, but Gehrig said in light of the current health crisis, that number could be increased this year.

“The AGH commitment is part of our healthcare system,” he said. “I’d like to see our commitment earmarked for the emergency room. I’d like to add another $100,000 for AGH for additional testing and PPE. Whatever we need to commit in case there is a strain.”

The $100,000 original commitment to AGH was included in the budget approved on first reading on Monday.

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Council OKs Airport Water Project

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

SALISBURY – Wicomico County officials voted this week to approve two agreements that will allow a water main extension project to move forward near the airport.

On Tuesday, the Wicomico County Council voted 5-2 to approve both a water system agreement and a preannexation agreement between Wicomico County and the City of Salisbury, allowing a water main extension project to proceed near the Salisbury Regional Airport.

Last November, the Maryland Board of Public Works awarded the county $4.4 million in grants and low-interest loans to extend a water main from the Wor-Wic Community College water tower – owned by the City of Salisbury – to the airport campus. Officials said the project would enhance fire protection service in the area, address water quality issues at the airport and increased development potential at the airport’s business park.

Before construction could begin, however, the city required a pre-annexation agreement and water system agreement for the extension of water utility service to the airport.

In April, the county council voted 4-3, with Councilmen John Cannon, Bill McCain and Josh Hastings opposed, to table to two agreements until a hearing or town hall could be arranged for nearby property owners. At the time, Councilman Joe Holloway said many residents near the airport were concerned about future annexation into the city.

“The citizens on that side of the county heard about this pre-annexation agreement and they do not know exactly what that means,” he said. “I think you need public hearings on this or you can have a town hall to explain it. That’s why I’m asking for a vote to table.”

Last week, the Wicomico County Airport Commission held a virtual public forum to explain the project and respond to questions and concerns surrounding the project and its two agreements.

May 8, 2020

On Tuesday, however, Holloway made a motion to hold an in-person public hearing on the matter once COVID-19 restrictions were lifted.

“The county council didn’t have a town hall meeting, the airport commission did,” he said “And there are still some questions. I’m not so sure all the questions were answered.”

Holloway’s motion failed 4-3 with Holloway, Council President Larry Dodd and Councilwoman Nicole Acle in favor of an in-person public hearing.

“Resolutions do not require public hearings, and the town hall forum that we had last week was a much better forum than a public hearing because people can ask questions and get their questions answered,” McCain said. “All a public hearing does is give people an opportunity to send in emails … We don’t discuss anything at a public hearing.”

After Holloway’s motion, Cannon then made a motion to remove both agreements from the table.

“I think we’ve had enough discussion on this topic,” he said.

In reference to the pre-annexation agreement, both Dodd and Holloway said residents in their districts continued to express their concerns.

McCain, however, said both the county and city worked together to add language to the pre-annexation agreement that would appease property owners near the airport. He noted that a clause in the document would not allow any annexation for another 30 years.

“There is no annexation taking place of any property and these agreements are only pertinent to the airport,” he said.

After a lengthy discussion about the procedure for removing resolutions from the table, the council voted 5-2, with Holloway and Dodd opposed, to approve both agreements.

“I think there’s been enough parameters put in place to meet the concerns the public has,” Hastings said.

The council’s approval of the two agreements this week will allow the county to begin construction on the water main.

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Wicomico Collects Budget Input

May 8, 2020

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

SALISBURY – Requests to maintain school and library funding highlighted a public hearing on Wicomico County’s proposed budget this week.

On Wednesday, the Wicomico County Council held a public hearing on County Executive Bob Culver’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2021.

“The primary focus of this budget is to effectively address Wicomico County’s core service needs: public safety and health, education, and infrastructure,” Culver wrote in his budget message. “Recognizing that our citizens’ household and business finances are being negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and likely will be for the foreseeable future, my proposed budget calls for no increase in either the real or personal property tax rates. However, the budget does address the most pressing needs in the aforementioned categories, continues my practice of providing efficient and cost-effective operation of our County departments, and calls for reasonable utilization of our fund balance.”

Last month, Culver presented the public with a proposed budget of $153,250,029. Major expenses in this year’s spending plan include $57.6 million for the Wicomico County Board of Education, $18 million for the department of corrections, $13 million for the sheriff’s office and $9.1 million for the roads division.

Roughly 80% of the county’s budget is earmarked for education, health and public safety.

Superintendent Donna Hanlin told the council this week the school system was able to fund its strategic goals for fiscal year 2021 without requesting additional funding above maintenance of effort (MOE).

“This year’s request for only maintenance of effort was done so first knowing that we could continue the implementation of Imagine 2022, but also in the interest of being a good community partner and understanding the needs of the county and other entities in our community,” she said.

Hanlin noted that the school system also had submitted a list of nonrecurring funding requests to the county for consideration.

“We ask that you consider funding those facility and safety requests that do not impact maintenance of effort,” she said.

Hanlin said the hope was that maintaining its MOE request would allow the county to increase its capital improvement plan (CIP) funding for the Mardela Middle and High School renovation project.

“I can assure you of the board’s and my unwavering commitment to the Mardela community and this project,” she said, “and to that end we stand ready to provide any information that

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

we can that would be helpful to you in future work sessions.”

Eileen Johnson, a representative for the advocacy group Push4Education, urged the county this week to support Mardela Middle and High.

For the second year in a row, the school project has been removed from the CIP. “Once again we call on the county executive to meet with the board of education and the council to make it happen …,” she said. “The state will show up if the county shows their commitment.”

In January, Culver removed the Mardela project from the county’s CIP after learning the state deferred its planning approval. Resident Michelle Wright said the county needed to show its commitment to the project.

“I don’t understand why we have to fight and battle to get our schools up to date, when really they are the backbone of our county,” she told the council this week.

Wright noted that the executive’s budget included $125,000 plus benefits for a new chief financial officer position. She said she would rather see that money put into the Mardela renovation project.

Resident Darren Lombardo said he was concerned with the school system’s one-time requests for computers, equipment and fencing. He asked for more information.

“In order to justify this request the information should be readily available to the public,” he said.

Wicomico Public Library Executive Director Ashley Teagle encouraged the council this week to maintain funding for the library system. As county residents stay at home during the COVID-19 crisis, she said the library has proved to be an invaluable source of information and activities.

“Between fiscal years 2008 and 2009, circulation at the library went up nearly 10%,” she said. “During a difficult time when households had to make sacrifices, 16% of our customers renewed their library cards, and our program attendance went up 38% as customers sought free resources, activities and information. I am anticipating a similar pattern of increased usage of the public library during and following this pandemic.”

This year’s $153 million spending plan represents a $2.18 million, or 1.45%, increase from last year’s revised budget.

The coming year’s budget proposes a 16.5% increase in health insurance premiums and 5% salary increase for eligible employees. It also proposes a property tax rate of .9286.

“This tax rate is higher than the constant yield rate, so a public hearing is required by state law,” Council Administrator Laura Hurley said.

“That will be held at the next council meeting on Tuesday, May 10, at 10 a.m.”

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Worcester Holds Virtual Hearing Input On Proposed Budget

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The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

SNOW HILL – Funding requests from cultural groups, the Worcester County Developmental Center and Worcester County Public Schools highlighted a budget input session this week.

The Worcester County Commissioners hosted their annual public budget input hearing Tuesday through the video conferencing program Zoom. Though less than a dozen citizens provided comment, the commissioners stressed the importance of the ongoing budget development process.

“This is the most important thing that county government does as far as I’m concerned,” Commissioner Joe Mitrecic said. “If you have an opinion you need to voice it with your personal commissioner.”

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Chief Administrative Officer Harold Higgins said the initially proposed budget had been adjusted as a result of the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis.

Estimated revenues were adjusted from $209 million to $205,694,286 and staff made an “aggressive” round of cuts to drop expenditure requests from $221.3 million to $205,966,790.

“Today, much of the county’s energy and fiscal issues are being directed to the public health and COVID-19,” Higgins said. “However, other fiscal year 2021 issues are still of importance to us.”

Education funding remains a key issue. Higgins said the lasting impacts of COVID-19, such as its effects on growth and the local economy, also needed to be considered.

“Many of the county’s past troubles are still unresolved,” he said, adding that

May 8, 2020

“Our focus was to direct resources to those things we believe will have the most impact for our students,” said Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor in presenting his budget.

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those included retaining qualified employees, dealing with the state’s wealth formula and its impact on the local share of education funding and the high cost of the county’s solid waste operation.

When it came time for public comments, several county residents sub-

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mitted written comments asking for financial support of Furnace Town.

Stacey Weisner, president and CEO of the Delmarva Discovery Center & Museum, asked for $30,000—an increase of $10,000 over last year—because the museum has been asked to take over the Sturgis One Room School.

“We think it adds a lot to our museum,” she said.

Jack Ferry, executive director of the Worcester County Developmental Center, thanked the county for its past support and said he hoped that would continue in spite of the current dire situation. He said the center provided residential service, day programs and community based activities for individuals with intellectual disabilities and had been doing so for 47 years.

“We are the only brick and mortar facility providing those services in Worcester County,” he said.

Superintendent of Schools Lou Taylor thanked the commissioners for their support of the school system, which he pointed out continued to lead in several categories in the state. The board of education’s operating budget request for fiscal year 2021 is $94.6 million.

“Our budget request is entirely rooted in what we believe to be in the best interest of the students of Worcester County Public Schools,” Taylor said.

“Our focus was to direct resources to those things we believe will have the most impact for our students.”

Taylor said challenges for the school system included recruiting and retaining qualified teachers, maintaining small class sizes and providing after-school and summer school programs.

Other written public comments submitted for Tuesday’s hearing included a plea for no property tax increase from a Snow Hill resident and a request for an adjustment to the Ocean Pines Association annual grant from an Ocean City resident.

“As the Ocean Pines Association (OPA) has received a PPP grant in the amount of $1.143 million I would hope that this amount is deducted from any grant being considered by the commissioners for OPA,” wrote Ocean City resident J. Franklin Knight. “The OPA is selfishly retaining these funds to the detriment of many local businesses that have a far greater need.”

The commissioners are expected to adopt a budget and tax rate on June 2.

They have budget work sessions scheduled for May 12, May 19 and May 26.

OCDC Marks 20th Year, Provides Update On Downtown Efforts

May 8, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City Development Corporation (OCDC), a quasi-public organization charged with directing the continued revitalization of the historic downtown area, turns 20 this year and presented its annual update to city officials last week.

According to President Blaine Smith and Executive Director Glenn Irwin, the OCDC’s mission is to oversee several aspects of the ongoing revitalization of the resort’s downtown area. It obtains grants for various initiatives, most notably the highly successful façade program, and holds sway over many major redevelopment projects in the downtown area.

The OCDC also reviews site plans for private sector new development projects proposed downtown, helping to ensure they fit in with the larger goals in the various sections of the downtown area. The organization also oversees demolition and renovation projects and often secures grants and other funding sources to help finance the project.

The OCDC also conducts an extensive public art campaign, has been instrumental in the model block program, which when completed will revitalize and rejuvenate an entire

block in the downtown area, and also sponsors various successful special events. In short, the OCDC is essentially the eyes and ears for the city on the revitalization of the downtown area.

Last week’s presentation included an outline of the many initiatives completed in the last year as well as a host of ongoing programs and projects expected to be completed in the coming year. Perhaps the signature initiative for the OCDC is the highly successful façade program. To date, 235 aging and dilapidated buildings in the downtown area have been revitalized through the program, resulting in over $6 million in private sector investment in the downtown area.

There were 17 projects completed in 2019 along with six more underway thus far this year.

There is also a green element to the OCDC’s efforts. The organization has been able to successfully implement several environmental initiatives with its many projects including Energy Star-rated doors, windows and “cool” roofs. To date, 72 environmentally friendly projects have been completed with seven more already underway. The OCDC’s green initiatives have resulted in $1.1 million in private investment.

The OCDC is also involved in many projects that don’t involve develop-

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ment and redevelopment downtown.

For example, the organization is the primary sponsor of a variety of special events including the popular Sunset Park Party Nights and the wildly successful Shore Craft Beer Fest among others. The OCDC is also piloting a program to better light up many of the alleys in downtown Ocean City with matching funds for private-sector participants.

The OCDC also sponsors various public art projects in the resort, including the successful utility box painting project. The OCDC is also exploring

Page 25

the potential to expand its reach further north into the upper downtown area, which would extend its oversight to a larger swath of downtown.

Another key initiative for the OCDC is assisting the private sector with projects that provide much-needed seasonal workforce housing. For example, there is one project at Dorchester Street which, when completed, will add another 55 seasonal housing beds in the downtown area. Another project at 16th Street will add another 40-plus seasonal housing beds next year.

Council Delays Airport Companies’ Waiver Request

Page 26

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

SALISBURY – Citing the need for more information, officials in Wicomico County this week voted to postpone two resolutions temporarily waiving concession fees for three car rental companies and one parking vendor at the Salisbury airport.

On Tuesday, the Wicomico County Council voted unanimously to postpone two resolutions that would temporarily modify concession agreements with four companies at the Salisbury Regional Airport. With a decrease in business brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Assistant Airport Manager Tony Rudy said the companies were seeking financial relief from the county.

“Beginning in late March, it became apparent that passenger numbers at the airport have dropped off significantly,” he said. “I started receiving correspondence from the various rental car companies concerned about their business there, and they did ask for relief, which included waiving of their minimum annual guarantee that aligns with their cur-

rent agreement with the airport.”

The first resolution brought before the council this week included the modification of concession agreements between the county and the three rental car companies at the airport – Enterprise Leasing Company of Baltimore, Avis Rent A Car System and The Hertz Corporation – which would waive minimum guaranteed annual payments to the county until deplaning passenger numbers reached 75% of the normal rate.

“On a monthly basis, between three rental car companies, we’re talking in the neighborhood of $12,916 per month,” Rudy said. “They would still be required to pay a percentage of their gross revenues.”

Rudy added that the request was not a departure from the original agreement.

“The way it is written, if passenger numbers drop off more than 25% then this kicks in, the minimum annual guarantee is waived, and they pay strictly percentage of gross revenue,” he said.

“Really, we aren’t straying from what was written in the original agreement, and this is pretty typical nationwide at airports.”

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Councilman John Cannon, however, said he would rather provide financial relief to local businesses struggling during the global health crisis.

“I think if Wicomico County were going to be giving any type of relief, I would rather take those funds and have the council search out local businesses that might need relief as opposed to a national or international company to be quite honest with you …,” he said. “This is taxpayer money we are looking at.”

Rudy pointed out that each of the car companies was seeking relief from airports nationwide. Cannon, however, questioned if the companies had received funding through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. “Not to my knowledge, no,” Rudy replied. “The airlines are receiving some relief, but I have not heard of rental car companies.”

Councilwoman Nicole Acle and Councilman Ernie Davis questioned if the car companies were franchises owned by local individuals.

“That I’m not sure of,” Rudy replied.

After further discussion, Cannon

May 8, 2020

made a motion to postpone the resolution to the next council meeting in May. He said he wanted more information pertaining to the car companies and their request.

“I would like to know information that specifically shows they aren’t receiving PPP (Paycheck Protection Program funding), that they are not receiving any other funding through the CARES Act … ,” he said. “I just want to make sure that everything else had been looked at.”

Cannon’s motion passed unanimously.

The council on Tuesday also postponed a second resolution temporarily modifying a concession agreement between the county and Republic Parking System, LLC and waiving concession fees until the county’s state of emergency order is lifted.

“The minimum annual guarantee for Republic Parking is $22,916 per month …,” Rudy said. “They have asked for three months. We will grant that as long as Wicomico County is under a state of emergency.”

The council, again, requested more information.

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County Moves New Pocomoke Library Plans Forward

May 8, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

SNOW HILL – County officials voted 4-3 to move forward with plans for a new library in Pocomoke.

The Worcester County Commissioners on Tuesday selected a building scheme for a new library and senior center combined facility on a vacant lot offered by the City of Pocomoke.

Those who voted against the plan expressed concern about environmental issues on the proposed site.

“I think there’s like five different businesses that’s been in there that’s had stuff leaching into properties,” Commissioner Ted Elder said. “I think once you take over that property you’re opening yourself up for liabilities down the road.”

Worcester County Library Director Jennifer Ranck presented the commissioners with cost estimates for a new shared facility as well as a renovation/addition at the existing library. She said the combined facility, to be located on the vacant lot near the river, would be 17,000 square feet. The senior center would be allocated 4,000 square feet

while the library would have use of the remainder. Ranck said that project was expected to cost $8.5 million, with the library responsible for $6.5 million and the senior center responsible for $2 million.

“Per grant guidelines the library can only request funding for the library portion of the facility…,” she said. “If this scheme is approved library would request $1.9 million from the state.”

She added that the Worcester County Commission on Aging could request up to $800,000 from the state for the senior center portion of the building.

Ranck said that if the county did move forward with this proposal, the lot would need to be deeded to the county and a second environmental test would be needed on the site. The county may also need to purchase an additional piece of property for parking.

Ranck said the second proposal under consideration was a renovation and addition at the existing library on Market Street. That would cost $5.2 million and would include replacement of all mechanical systems as well as new meeting rooms and restrooms.

“We would need to find a temporary

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location during the renovation and construction…,” she said. “The construction schedule would be 12 to 14 months.

This plan does not include any space for a shared facility.”

Commissioner Jim Bunting said he was very concerned about both proposals. He said he worried that if the county went forward with the new facility on the offered site, there could be costly environmental problems. Bunting also indicated now was not the time to do a renovation of the existing facility in light of the current health crisis.

“I think the prudent thing to do would be to put this on hold until we see where we are financially after this event is over,” he said.

Commissioner Josh Nordstrom said the project was not in the upcoming fiscal year but rather fiscal year 2022.

“We’re in uncertain times right now I understand but we’re talking about the following fiscal year so I think we can move forward with this,” he said.

Elder said he’d been excited about the project until he read the phase one environmental report. According to the report, the site consists of eight parcels

whose former uses included a power generation company, a roller mill with petroleum storage tanks, car service garages and a cleaning and dying operation, among others.

“I think these environmental issues are way too much,” Elder said.

Nordstrom said a phase two environmental study would determine the extent of those issues.

“It seems like we’d be investing a lot more money in more studies into something that for 100 years it’s been things leaking there,” Elder said. “You know how environmental issues in those days weren’t even looked at. I don’t see throwing more money into that property.”

Nordstrom, continued to advocate for moving forward with the new building.

“If the property proves viable after the study we can move forward with it, but we have to have the plan to do the study before we can move forward with the construction,” he said.

The commissioners voted 4-3, with Elder, Bunting and Commissioner Chip Bertino opposed, to move forward with the scheme for the new building.

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Obituaries

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

13 Auctions by A&M Auctions View Website for Complete Ads, Terms, Directions, Online Bidding, Photographs & Additional Information. www.amauctions.com

ONLINE ONLY RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT AUCTION

Absolute Auction! Complete Liquidation of all items!

Selling all equipment, stock & merchandise of Restaurant 213 Bidding ends Wednesday May 13th, 2020 Starting at 5 PM!

213 North Fruitland Boulevard, Fruitland, MD 21826

True, Bev-Air, Kool-It, Manitowoc, Hobart, Eagle, Vulcan Walk-In Refrigerator, Shelving, Ice Maker, Kitchen Utensils,12ft x 20ft Storage Shed & More!

Preview: Monday May 11th, 2020 from 4pm-7pm

On-Line Only Auction – Denton, MD! Personal Property located at: 208 Martha Jane Street, Denton, MD Auction Held Online Only w/Bidding ending: Thursday May 14th, 2020 Starting at 5 PM!

Auction conducted online at www.AMauctions.com 2007 Honda Accord w/ only 36k miles, 1988 Chevy S-10, Primitives, Glass, Jewelry, Sterling, Antique and Modern Furniture, Collectables & more!

Personal Property Preview: Tuesday May 12th, 2020 from 5pm-7pm UPDATE FOR COVID-19 PANDEMIC & OUR UPCOMING AUCTIONS. THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OUR EMPLOYEES AND OUR CUSTOMERS REMAIN THE DRIVING FORCE BEHIND OUR BUSINESS. FOR 1 OF THE AUCTIONS LISTED ABOVE THE HOME HAS BEEN SOLD, GONE TO SETTLEMENT & THE NEW OWNERS ARE MOVING IN. THE LEASE IS UP ON THE RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT LOCATION & EVERYTHING MUST GO. WE ENCOURAGE ALL OF OUR CUSTOMERS TO CONTINUE BIDDING FROM THE SAFETY OF THEIR HOMES. WE WILL PRACTICE SOCIAL DISTANCING AT THE PREVIEW/PICKUP DATES.

We will keep our website updated with the status of our other auctions listed below as additional info becomes available. Hopefully by these dates the restrictions for Covid-19 will have eased.

On-Line Only Auction Sale – Parsonsburg, MD! Selling from several Eastern Shore Estates and Consignors!

Bidding Ends Wednesday May 20th, 2020 at 5 PM! Auction conducted online at www.AMauctions.com Items located at the A&M Auction Facility, 8000 Esham Road, Parsonsburg, MD Exquisite Selection of Primitives, Antique and Modern Furniture, Stoneware, Marklin Toy Trains, Longaberger Pottery and Baskets, Tools, Riding Lawn Mowers, Pop-Up Camper & more!

Preview: Friday May 15th, 2020 and Monday May 18th 2020 5pm – 7pm

On-Line Only Vehicle Auction Sale

Bidding Ends Thursday May 21st, 2020 at 5 PM! Selling from the Estate of John Edward Whittington of Salisbury, MD!

Auction conducted online at www.AMauctions.com Items located at the A&M Auction Facility, 8000 Esham Road, Parsonsburg, MD 1988 Rolls Royce Silver Spur four door Sedan, 1989 Rolls Royce Continental Corniche II two door convertible, 2007 Lincoln Town Car Limousine, 2006 Cadillac STS 4 Door Sedan & more!

Preview: Friday May 15th, 2020 and Monday May 18th 2020 5pm – 7pm

(7) Upcoming Onsite Online Only Auctions to Include: May 27th, 2020: On-Line Only Auction – Salisbury, MD! Personal Property located at: 28249 Riverside Drive, Salisbury, MD. June 3rd, 2020: Waterfowl & Sporting Art Online Only Auction – Delmar, MD! Bidding Ends Wednesday June 3rd, 2020 Starting at 5PM. Items located at 30503 E. Line Road, Delmar, MD. June 4th, 2020: On-Line Only Auction – Princess Anne, MD! Personal Property located at: 32113 Perry Hawkin Road, Princess Anne, MD. Auction Held Online Only w/Bidding ending: Thursday June 4th, 2020 Starting at 5PM! June 10th, 2020: On-Line Only Auction – Linkwood, MD! Personal Property located at: 5253 Beaver Neck Road, Linkwood, MD. Auction Held Online Only w/Bidding ending: Wednesday June 10th, 2020 Starting at 5PM! June 11th, 2020: On-Line Only Auction – Laurel, DE! Personal Property located at: 14646 Laurel Road, Laurel, DE. Auction Held Online Only with Bidding ending Thursday June 11th, 2020 Starting at 5PM! June 17th, 2020: On-Line Only Auction – Onancock, VA! Personal Property located at: 24412 Swan Lane, Onancock, VA. Auction Held Online Only w/Bidding ending: Wednesday June 17th, 2020 Starting at 5PM! VAAR #2907003739. August 5th, 2020: Waterfowl & Sporting Art Online Only Auction – Delmar, MD! Bidding Ends Wednesday August 5th, 2020 Starting at 5PM! Items located at 30503 E. Line Road, Delmar, MD. (2) Upcoming Auctions at 8000 Esham Road, Parsonsburg, MD: June 25th, 2020: Spring Sportsman & Waterfowl Arts Live Auction Sale.

Thursday June 25th, 2020 Starting at 5PM – Live Auction with Online Bidding will be available at www.amauctions.com via PROXIBID! Decoys by Ward Brothers, Cigar Daisey, Miles Hancock, Madison Mitchell, Charlie Joiner, George Strunk, Scott Jackson, Wally Algard, Edmond HardCastle, Hunting Items, Bronzes, Oyster Cans, Primitives, Rare Sporting Art Books, Exquisite selection of Original Sporting Art & more! September 10th & 11th, 2020: 14th Annual Decoy & Wildfowl Arts 2 Day Auction. Day #1 – Online Only Bidding – Thursday September 10th, 2020 at 6:03PM (150 Lots). Day #2 – Live Auction/Live Webcast Bidding – Friday September 11th, 2020 at 5:03PM (400 Lots). Live Auction with Online Bidding will be available at ww.amauctions.com via PROXIBID! 550+ Lots in 2 Days including over 400 Decoys, Original Artwork, Primitives, Selection of Carved Fish Decoys, Firearms, Shotshell Boxes & much more!

View Website for Additional Information, Terms, Directions, Online Bidding & Pictures!

Auctioneer - Dave Allen 410-835-0384 or 302-545-1903 www.AMauctions.com

David Edward Johnson BERLIN – David Edward Johnson, age 44, died on Thursday, April 16, 2020.

Born in Milford, Del., he was the son of the late Bruce E. Johnson, Sr. He is survived by his mother, Patricia Lynch White; a daughter, Caroline Brous and her husband Dan of Salisbury; and two sons, Conner Andrew Johnson, and David Johnson, II, both of Weston, W.Va. Also surviving is a brother, Bruce Johnson, Jr. of Berlin; an uncle, Frank Lynch, Jr and his wife Joanne of Berlin; and two aunts, Mary Elliott and her husband Bruce of Gumboro, and Gloria Ridgeway and her husband Kenny of Lewes, Del.; and several nieces and nephews.

David had worked as a carpenter and was an avid Ravens fan.

A graveside service will be held in Sunset Memorial Park and will be private for the family. Letters of condolence may be sent via: www.burbagefuneralhome.com. Arrangements are in the care of the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin.

Anne Massey Latchum Lewis BISHOPVILLE – Anne Massey Latchum Lewis, age 77, passed away on Friday, April 17, 2020.

Born in Berlin on May 18, 1942, she was the daughter of the late George and Myrtle Massey Latchum. She was preceded in death by her husband, George

May 8, 2020

Elmer Lewis in 2016; sister Sara Lee Ullrich; and brother George Jeffrey Latchum. She is survived by her sons, George Bradley Lewis of Bishopville, Charles Douglas Lewis and his wife Jennifer of Willards, Roland Krisman Lewis, of Salisbury and daughter, Tina ANNE MASSEY Hudson of Bishopville. LATCHUM LEWIS There are four grandchildren, Kevin Wayne Hudson, Matthew Lewis, Hannah Lewis, Mason Lewis, and two great-grandchildren, Christine Hudson and Joseph Gravenor, as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

Anne graduated from Stephen Decatur High School, the class of 1960.

She had worked as a cashier for many years at the A&P grocery store, and continued working for them after the name changed to Super Fresh. She loved gardening, being with her family, and visiting Ocracoke Island in North Carolina.

A cremation followed her death and services were private for the family.

A memorial service will be held at a later date. Donations may be made in her memory to Saint Jude’s Children’s Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105: Coastal Hospice, PO Box 1733, Salisbury, Md. 21802: and Worcester County Animal Shelter, PO Box 48, 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.

Deborah Karacoulakis OCEAN PINES – Deborah “Debbie” Karacoulakis, nee Humin, age 71, of Ocean Pines, passed away at the Macky & Pam Stansell House of Coastal Hospice at the Ocean on Tuesday, April 21, 2020.

Debbie was born in Sparrows Point, Md. on Dec. 24, 1948. She was a 1966 graduate of Sparrows Point Senior High School and was the class Athlete of the Year, playing on the Field Ho- DEBORAH KARAckey and Fast Pitch SoftCOULAKIS ball teams as the MVP! Debbie was the daughter of the late Teddius and Miriam Humin. She married her high-school sweetheart, Tony Karacoulakis and recently celebrated their 53rd wedding anniversary.

In addition to her husband, Debbie is survived by her son, Tony Jr. and his wife Karen; her grandchildren, Maria and John; brother Ted and his wife Mary Humin; sister Carole Poist; sisters-in-law Barbara Harmon and Mary Wagner; and many loving nieces and nephews. She was predeceased in death by her sister, Laura Ludwig.

While living in Baltimore, Debbie worked at Sparrows Point High School as the Cafeteria Manager for 15 years. She and her family moved to beautiful Ocean Pines and owned The Wild Goose Sports Bar and Restaurant and Liquor Store for five years. After that she was employed at The Carousel Hotel in Ocean City for SEE NEXT PAGE

... Obituaries

May 8, 2020

18 years. She loved her job and the people who worked there, especially the visiting student workers who often called her “Mom” and decorating the hotel for holidays and the summer season. Most of all, she loved the view.

Special thanks to Michael James and Kevin Bresnahan from the Carousel Hotel, Carole Poist, Jerri Boland, Scott and Lisa Phillips, Mary Wagner, staff and physicians at the Richard A. Henson Cancer Center, Ocean Pines and the wonderful family at the Macky Stansell House. Your kindness and care during Debbie’s illness was extraordinary and will never be forgotten by her family.

Donations in her memory may be made to Coastal Hospice, C/O Macky & Pam Stansell House of Coastal Hospice at the Ocean, P.O. Box 1733, Salisbury, Md. 21802.

Arrangements are in the care of Eastern Shore Cremation and Funeral Service, 504 Franklin Avenue, Berlin, Md. 21811. To send condolences to the family, please visit www.easternshorecremation.com

David N. Moquin BERLIN – David N. Moquin, retired teacher, football and wrestling coach, passed away on Friday, May 1, 2020 at age 79.

David was born on Dec. 29, 1940 to Neal and Lois (Oxsen) Moquin. He received his teaching degree from Frostburg University and taught for 42 years

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch at Wheaton High School in Maryland.

Along with school honors, David was inducted into the Maryland Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2003 and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2005 to honor his many years as a dedicated and successful wrestling coach.

David had a passion for singing, whether at the piano, on stage, in social gatherings or in church choirs. He was a long-standing member of a talented local group, the Pine Tones.

David enjoyed spending his retirement years with his devoted soul mate of 25 years, Darlene, going to the beach, fishing and spending time with his dog, Snickers. A generous and loving heart for his four children, five DAVID N. MOQUIN grandchildren, family, friends and students, he will be greatly missed.

David was preceded in death by father, Neal, his mother, Lois, and stepfather, Carl G. Baker. He is survived by Darlene Prejean, along with his children, Alison Moquin Payne (Kevin), Michael Moquin, Kelly Moquin Shaffer (Tom) and April Moquin Shanahan (Jimi) and his first wife Lee Huffman Moquin; a brother, Neal Moquin (Kristina); and sisters Cathy Shafer (Mark) and Jeanette Jefferies (Jeff). He is also survived by five well-loved grandchildren, Christian and Gabriel Payne, Gavin and Brody Shaffer and Laena Shanahan, cousins and many nieces and nephews and Snickers.

A memorial service will be held in the fall.

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Puzzle Answers

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The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

I

The Adventures Of Fatherhood

By STEVE GREEN

t’s always fun to watch the reactions from the kids when informed I need their help around the house or out in the yard.

Carson, 10, will immediately drop whatever he is doing to lend a hand. No matter what I’m asking him to do, he always initially reacts by making a muscle with his bicep. He loves moving heavy things and being involved with a job. He helps me each Sunday morning take the recycling to the Berlin center and is always game to take the trash out.

Carson’s favorite task of late is cutting branches with clippers. He even has a certain pruner he likes the best because its adjustable in length. A large pile of accumulated tree branches from a recent storm gave him the perfect opportunity to put his skills to the test. Once the job is explained, Carson prefers to work independently, encouraging me to let him do his thing. Carson does not talk but he can clearly communicate his desires, especially to us as we know him so well.

Though Carson is always willing to help, Beckett, 11, huffs and puffs over the thought of it. He has said in the past it’s not that he isn’t willing to help, it’s that he doesn’t like to be blindsided.

Therefore, I told the boys the night before I had some work I could use their help with the next day. If they helped, a full day of yard work would turn into a half day. The deep breathes from the oldest child of the house eased when I let him know a chain saw was involved.

When it came time to get the job done, it was mid-day. The “pre-teen” of the house needed to sleep in after a week of getting up moderately early for home school. When 11 a.m. rolled around, I had done all the prep work I could do. It was time to get some work done.

As expected, there were frustrations along the way. Carson had helped me

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with jobs like this before. He knew exactly what to do. His only brushes with trouble have to do with his sloppy work.

For instance, he had a handful of 15foot limbs he was cutting up. He did a great job with it, but instead of piling them up they were spread out over a large portion of the yard. When I asked him to bring them to me so we could load them, he acted like it was a huge deal. Therefore, I stopped what I was doing and helped him accumulate his branches. I had told him before if the limbs were too big to cut to leave them for the chain saw.

I never should have mentioned the chain saw because Beckett was fixated on it from the start. He was rationalizing how it seemed odd to be using the pruners when everything could just be cut up with the chain saw. The questions about the chain saw were endless. I purposely did not have it with me. I wanted them to work a bit on reducing the tree branch pile before I brought it out.

Once it was time, the boys’ reactions were varied. Beckett threw the clippers aside (still haven’t located those yet), while Carson kept on with his work. Beckett was eager and Carson had no interest, making a muscle instead. In his nonverbal way, Carson was clearly saying why use a chain saw when I got these right here, showing off his strength.

On the opposite extreme was Beckett, who once he saw the chain saw was amped and ready. I began to show him how to use it and went through a few safety instructions. He had evidently done some online research about chain saws and was an expert at this point. We practiced on a couple small limbs and he was startled by how much it shook and how much energy it took to keep the chain saw cutting through the wood. He thought it would be easy.

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After some practice and learning how it worked, Beckett quickly picked it up and did a nice job working through the larger limbs. It was a bit nerve wracking as a parent, but my thoughts were more about how I was glad his mom wasn’t around. There were a few moments when I wondered if she was watching from the house. I was sure my phone nearby was going to be full of missed calls and messages.

When the end of the work was in sight, Beckett reminded me of something I had forgotten. He wanted me to video him a few times using the chain saw. It was interesting to be his video guy for this. He had a plan. We shot four videos. For someone who doesn’t love to get his pictured taken, he was all good with being videoed with a chain saw in his hand. He had a plan I would later learn involved TikTok, a video sharing app with a lot of functionality kids enjoy these days.

It turns out he’s now an expert on how to video well. He was critical of how I was taking the video of him with the chain saw. I evidently was wrong to keep the phone perfectly upright.

There needed to be some art to it with a tilted camera angle of some sort.

The tilt allowed for some creative editing and adding of text through the TikTok app evidently.

Later I texted the video to Beckett and his mom. He was thrilled to finally have the video so he could share it.

Pam did not enjoy it as much, especially the part where he held the chain saw over his head in manic fashion.

For me, I was glad to have a memory from week eight of quarantine. Not that I am counting or anything.

(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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Resort Buses Open For Essential Trips

May 8, 2020

BY MARK RICKARDS

SPECIAL TO THE DISPATCH

OCEAN CITY – Public transportation is essential for the residents of Ocean City for trips to work or the store. Although we are warning customers that riding the bus is at your own risk, we feel by having the driver and the passengers wear facial coverings and maintaining physical distance on the bus we can make the bus trip as safe as possible under the circumstances. Our cleaning crews are disinfecting the bus after each service day and now wipes are available to customers to wipe rails and seats for an additional level of cleaning. When visitors and workers return to Ocean City, they will be required to wear facial coverings or they will not be permitted to board the buses.

Additional buses will be added for the Memorial Day weekend to avoid crowded buses and help maintain the physical distancing recommendation.

The average bus is 40 feet long and has about 35 seats. The best seats for maintaining distance are the perimeter seats with back facing the window and front facing the aisle. These seats eliminate the possibility of a passenger seated behind you.

Given the size of the bus and the number of seats the optimal seating and spacing per bus is about 10-15 riders. Given that people are on and off at many stops, it is a difficult for the driver to limit or access the number of people riding the bus, therefore people boarding a bus with limited room may be warned by the driver about the capacity. The driver can also let the boarding public know how often the buses run, at the present time until May 22, it is 40 minutes, beginning Memorial Day weekend it will be every 20 minutes, and feasibly for the 4th of July the timing of buses will be every 10 minutes.

At the present and until sometime to be determined in June or July, the scheduled hours of the Ocean City Beach Bus are 6:30 a.m. until 11:30 p.m. Once the late-night bars and restaurants open, Ocean City buses will resume their late night and early morning runs. The West Ocean City Park and Ride Bus will also begin 20minute service on May 22.

The price of the bus is still $3 for the unlimited use of the bus during the period of 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Resident senior bus passes will be honored and half fare of $1.50 is available for seniors 65 or older without the resident senior bus pass.

Riding the bus is one of many options of getting around Ocean City this summer. With all the different options for getting around Ocean City, the message is clearly be safe. Use your facial covering, wash your hands frequently and please use physical distancing between you and the next person.

(The writer is the transit manager for the Town of Ocean City’s Department of Public Works.)

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

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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

NEWS DEPARTMENT SHAWN J. SOPER Managing Editor ssoper@mdcoastdispatch.com CHARLENE SHARPE Staff Writer/Copy Editor csharpe@mdcoastdispatch.com BETHANY HOOPER Staff Writer bhooper@mdcoastdispatch.com CHRIS PARYPA Photographer

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The Maryland Coast Dispatch (USPS #015125) is an official and legal newspaper for Worcester County. Periodical postage paid at Berlin, Maryland, and additional mailing offices.

The Maryland Coast Dispatch, 10012 Old Ocean City Blvd., Berlin, Md. 21811, is published weekly on Friday mornings, 52 weeks a year.

Subscription rates are $75 per year, $55 for six months.

POSTMASTER: Please send change of address to Maryland Coast Dispatch, P.O. Box 467, Berlin, Maryland 21811. Maryland Coast Dispatch offices are located at Route 346 and Graham Avenue, Berlin, Maryland.

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

May 8, 2020

Phased Reopening Needs To Get Underway HOW WE SEE IT

Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan was right to reopen the beach, Boardwalk and Inlet parking lot as a first step toward more liberties. It’s time the reopening process enter the early stages as livelihoods depend on it.

We feel the critical aspect of the COVID-19 crisis has shifted from health to economic. Lives are being forever damaged by the government shutdown of private enterprise. There was a time in mid-March when the health crisis merited mandatory business closures due to the unknowns of the mysterious virus. That time has come and gone.

We now know the vulnerable among us must make difficult choices as to how they want to live in this time.

For the majority, however, this is a matter of choice and personal responsibility. The financial stress and pressure has led many to believe the cure – crippling livelihoods through eight weeks of social isolation – has been indeed worse than the disease. Let’s be clear here – the economic ramifi-

cations of the government’s shutdown of the marketplace will be felt for many years. The efforts toward recovery will take months to bear fruit. This is going to be a slow rebound for commerce.

This summer is going to be challenging for Ocean City. It’s going to be weeks before all businesses are open and maybe months until they can operate at capacity. For restaurants and bars, everything will be different, as new health and sanitary regulations will likely result in them spending more money while sales are limited in scope in some fashion. For retail stores, restrictions will be lifted first with the expectations of restraint and safety measures but the general populace’s financial wherewithal is much in doubt. For real estate, the market was hot pre-COVID-19 and there’s no reason to believe it cannot regain steam, but the big question is how much financial damage has been done to prospective buyers and how will lenders react in these uncertain times.

Along with the disposable income

questions, the biggest unknown for all these industries is whether people will want to travel immediately and resume their normal tendencies. It will likely take some time for people to adjust and feel comfortable returning to busy places and crowds. There will clearly be some phobias as we reopen and recover.

Since this will be a long road in many aspects, signs of progress are cherished. Ocean City’s mayor on Monday night demonstrated leadership when he reopened the beach and Boardwalk to everyone a week ahead of time. It was bold in some ways and Ocean City was criticized in many circles for doing it. We knew all along there had to be some support from the governor for Meehan to make this move with a stay-at-home order still in play. We wrongly assumed the governor would be moving the state into phase one of reopening the state this week. Progress will have to wait till next week. It’s time to move forward.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Pines Wrong To Seek PPP Editor: We sincerely extend our apologies to any small businesses who have not had your PPP application for a loan/grant approved by the Small Business Administration because of insufficient available funds. We are embarrassed by the actions of the Ocean Pines Board of Directors and their across-the-bay legal advisors in applying for and accepting $1.1million through the PPP Program.

While obviously the Association was somehow allowed to apply and receive these monies through the stimulus program, that doesn’t mean that it should have been done. Just because you can do something doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do! Many private businesses throughout our County - particularly in the northern end - have been utterly devastated by the closure of all “non-essential” businesses and have no means of receiving any revenue during this national health crisis which may last well into the summer. And even those businesses that have been allowed to remain open are having to operate with a reduced clientele and have had to think out of the box to find ways (and many have cleverly done so) to attract customers in order to stave off financial ruin.

We have been residents of Ocean Pines for over 43 years and are familiar with the yearly-budget process, and how the association receives its revenue. The source of that revenue remains the same and is unlikely to be seriously impaired. The association will continue to receive yearly assessments

on its lots and revenue from its amenities (including fees for the use of its pools and golf courses, etc.) as it has done for decades. The association had already mailed out its annual assessments (we have already paid ours) before the impact of the health crisis. This is just a way to grab easy money before truly distressed private businesses could get their funding approved. In a short term, it is spelled “greed.”

If the association couldn’t weather this “storm” with a “rainy-day” fund, shame on us. Ocean Pines has always wanted to be an integral part of the county, but by actions such as this, we are not showing that we care for the community and the businesses and citizens therein.

Dale and Charlotte Cathell Ocean Pines

Hospital Furlough Editor: Atlantic General Hospital is furloughing medical professionals, namely the Women’s Health Office in West Ocean City.

It is incomprehensible to me that AGH has all but locked its doors when it comes to patient services. You are at the tip of the essential chain and cannot figure out a way to see patients but grocery stores, convenience stores and restaurants figure it out? If what I have heard is reliable (and I am pretty certain it is), medical professionals have been told it could be June before they are called back. If you are already overdue for an annual visit and will be rescheduled, imagine how many times you will

be “bumped” for priorities and “sick slots”, before you will actually get in.

Is Atlantic General willing to take that risk with so many patients, perhaps? I am thinking we could be another year out easily. These are offices are remote from the hospital with ample space for distancing and spacing appointments.

Compliance on both sides of the appointment is a must. Sterility should already be in place. We are still in an uphill battle with this crisis and it is time for our health systems to figure out "the new normal" and get patients back into their medical routines.

Kim Holloway Berlin

Laser Shows Better Option Editor: While Berlin officials are moving the location of the annual fireworks display, now would be a great time to think about changing the format too (“Berlin Finds New Home For Annual Fireworks Display,” April 15). Multiple people were injured last year during a fireworks show near St. Louis when a shell shot into the crowd. And fireworks have proved deadly for animal companions and wildlife as well.

Dogs scared by the deafening explosions have been known to break chains, jump fences, tear through screen doors, and even leap through glass windows in an attempt to escape the noise. Terrified cats often bolt as well, and animal shelters report an increase in lost animals turning up in SEE NEXT PAGE

May 8, 2020

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR the days following fireworks displays.

Startled deer and other animals frequently run into roadways, and birds flee their nests, abandoning their chicks. Fireworks were blamed for the deaths of 5,000 birds in Arkansas after red-winged blackbirds and European starlings took off in panicked flight. The night-blind birds crashed into houses, signs, and other obstacles, causing blunt-force trauma and death.

Laser light shows are safer for humans, kinder to animals, and less expensive to produce, but provide just as much “ooh” and “aww” for spectators.

Michelle Kretzer Norfolk, Va.

Malaria More Deadly Editor: Approximately 720 children will die today because of a widespread, infectious disease. No, not from the novel coronavirus, although that disease certainly presides over current news headlines, but something much older and more deadly -- malaria.

In 2019, there were 228 million new cases of malaria worldwide and 405,000 deaths, 70% of which were children under 5. These statistics are daunting, but unlike COVID-19, we currently have the tools to prevent and treat this disease. In fact, in the 18th and 19th century, malaria was rampant in Maryland and the greater Delmarva area, but through strong public health infrastructure, the disease was eliminated in the U.S. Why not aim to eradicate it worldwide, or at least increase funding to fight malaria in other countries? As a current graduate student studying vector-borne diseases, I am immensely passionate in preventing the transmission of malaria.

April 25 was World Malaria Day and I am pleased to share a short account of malaria in Maryland and my experience in advocating for increased global malaria funding.

It is difficult to imagine that malaria was established in every state except Alaska, but the swampy lands in the U.S. were favorable breeding grounds for the Anopheles species of mosquitoes that transmit malaria – especially the Chesapeake Bay and villages next to water with a high salt content. By the 1680’s, colonists noted that places along the seashore and along the tidal rivers in Virginia were rarely free from ‘fever’ during hot weather. During the Revolutionary War, Cornwallis’s British troops were forced back to a fort which lay directly between two mosquito-infested swamps on the Chesapeake Bay. They were plagued with malarial mosquitoes. Surrounded by Washington’s troops, the malaria-crippled British troops were forced to surrender. Mosquitoes may have helped the American’s win that battle. Malaria was also an enemy during the Civil War accounting for 10,000 American deaths.

Fast-forward to 1900-1904, the mor-

Between The Lines

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

tality from malaria was high – the average annual death rate was 6.5 in Baltimore and 11.1 in D.C. Then, in 1947, the National Malaria Eradication Program commenced under the newly formed CDC, which consisted primarily of DDT house spraying, removal of mosquito breeding sites, drainage, and netting window screen use. In 1949, the U.S. was declared free of malaria. Now, about 90% of all malaria deaths in the world occur in Africa, but we all have the ability to take action! That is why I support the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign.

Through this campaign, I have met with staffers for Maryland Senators and Representatives to urge them to fully support the President’s Malaria Initiative and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria for sending more interventions like bed nets. You, yourself, can call your local Congress member’s office and ask them to strengthen funding for global ending malaria programs. We all have a stake in the outcome and parents around the world will sleep more soundly knowing their children are protected. Anyone can join the fight!

Antonio Alvarado Bishopville

Support Health Care Editor: All of us have seen the images on the news showing the brave caregivers who every day put their lives on the line for us. We have our own local heroes here at Atlantic General Hospital who are working hard to keep us healthy and safe. These are our friends and neighbors -- doctors, nurses, aides, office staff, lab technicians, ambulance drivers, housekeeping staff, maintenance, food preparation staff, and so many others.

We need to show them we think and care about them.

We are calling on our community to show support for our local caregivers at AGH by sending hugging hearts with messages of encouragement and support to the hospital.

You can download images of the hugging heart from the Art League’s website at www.ArtLeagueOfOceanCity.org or on the Art League’s Facebook page. The hugging heart is available as both a color image to print directly on home printers, and also as a coloring book-style page that can be printed for children and family art projects.

Finished hearts can be mailed through the post office to Atlantic General Hospital, Attention Caroline Phillips, 10320 Old Ocean City Blvd., Berlin, Md. 21811. Or digital hearts can be uploaded to COVID19donations@atlanticgeneral.org.

Thank you, neighbors, for having a heART and sending a hug to those we count on.

Rina Thaler Ocean City (The writer is the executive director of the Art League of Ocean City.)

Page 33

By Publisher/Editor Steve Green

It was interesting to hear the variety of opinions on the lawsuit filed last week by the Reopen Maryland organization against Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan. The 56-page complaint, filed in U.S. District Court on Saturday, challenges the governor’s authority to issue emergency declarations closing businesses deemed non-essential, prohibiting gatherings of 10 or more people - most specifically religious gatherings, implementing stay-at-home orders for Maryland residents, prohibiting or at least limiting commerce and free travel and, finally, requiring the wearing of masks or face coverings while conducting commerce. Along with business owners, four Republican legislators – Delegates Dan Cox, Warren Miller, Neil Parrott and Robin Grammer – are listed in the suit.

“By closing businesses, beaches, boardwalks, parks, recreational boating and forcing us to wear face coverings, etc.…; The State has taken away our civil rights. We have the right to run our businesses, work out together, socialize and breathe fresh air. We are responsible enough to take care of our own and we do not need the government forcing us into seclusion.

Those who don’t agree have the right to continue stay at home & self-quarantine, wear face coverings and other PPE and stay 6’ away from others,” the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court reads. When asked on Fox News Sunday night about the lawsuit, Hogan said, “I’m a lifelong small businessman, and nothing matters to me more than getting people back to work, helping our small businesses and getting our economy back on track.”

During a tour around Maryland last week that included stops at the Kite Loft in Ocean City and Park Place Jewelers in West Ocean City, Republican Congressman Andy Harris expressed support for the suit, saying, “I think the points they make about First Amendment rights are absolutely correct.”

In a statement that was out of bounds in my opinion, Harris took it a step further during one of his stops, “I didn't wake up in communist China and I didn't wake up in North Korea this morning, and tomorrow morning, I should be able to wake up and go to the church I choose.” Surely Harris understands the entire state has been inconvenienced amid the health crisis.

While Hogan was not willing to directly enter the fray with Harris other than a banal comment during an interview, Comptroller Peter Franchot, a 2022 Democratic gubernatorial candidate, defended Hogan, a Republican, against the lawsuit. He said, “I will also say that frivolous publicity stunts like this lawsuit against Governor Hogan do absolutely nothing to help the situation. Contrary to what some might believe, the lawmakers who initiated this litigation are not acting out of sincere concern for the working people of our state.”

Though the stimulus funding is clearly well intentioned, the federal government really needs to be more aware of where these dollars are going. I know of family members of five dead individuals who received the $1,200 payment last month. In one case, the widow of the deceased reported her husband had been dead five years. As if that’s not bad enough, J1 students who worked in Ocean City also received stimulus funds in their home countries. In one case, the J1 student last worked here in 2018. It’s a mess and wasteful spending by the federal government.

On the foreign worker front, the J1 Work & Travel Program remains paused for now. There have been questions on whether the thousands of foreign workers who fill the labor void in Ocean City each year will be here at all this summer. The U.S. Department of State’s 60-day ban on exchange visitors expires May 11, but it will likely be extended by the federal government. In a message to members, the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Associated shared an update from Ocean City Seasonal Workforce Committee Chair Carrie Linch, who reported the restriction will likely be extended. It’s very much an unknown right now whether these foreign workers will be here at all this season and if they will even be needed.

“We also do not anticipate participant arrivals in the month of May due to several factors: closure of U.S. Embassies overseas which has thereby halted the issuance of J-1 Visas to participants; some universities have altered courses and exam schedules, delaying participants’ arrivals; current restrictions on international travel meaning that many participants are not be able to travel to the U.S.,” the email read. “At the same time, employers must also examine their business operations and staffing needs carefully as they prepare their recovery plans to reopen this summer where bringing back furloughed employees is key. Staying in close contact with the sponsor organizations at this time is critical.

Employers should discuss any changes they anticipate in their seasonal hiring needs as soon as possible with the sponsor.”

The email continues, “Concerning participants’ arrival to the U.S., please know that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) have authority regarding the entry of all foreign individuals into the U.S. The participants will be able to arrive when it is safe for them to do so, and any and all DHS and CBP protocol will be followed to detect and prevent the spread of COVID-19.”

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)

Worcester County Government

Ceja’s Landscaping & More!

Is Currently Hiring For The Following Full-Time Postions:

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.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 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.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– LOCAL PLUMBING COMPANY: Seeking experienced plumbers.

Paid vacation, benefits, holidays.

Must be able to work some weekends & holidays while on call.

Call 443-727-3091 bet. 8am-5pm.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– OCEAN CITY CONDOMINIUM: Seasonal Buidling Attendant, Day Shifts, Monday-Friday. Call 410524-1331.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Correctional Officer Trainee

Transfer Station Attendant

Plant Operator

Building Maintenance

Roads Worker

Vehicle & Equipment Mechanic EOE/AA

Maintenance Mechanic Landfill Operator

Job descriptions and application available: http://www.co.worcester.md.us/departments/hr/jobs Excellent Benefits. Call 410-632-0090 or fax applications to 410-632-5614. e-mail to Ann Hankins- ahankins@co.worcester.md.us

CHECK OUT

The Dispatch’s

ONLINE E-DITION mdcoastdispatch.com

Expanding Our Reach.

Broadening Our Commitment.

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

NOW HIRING FOR Cleaners, Floor Installers, Gardener, Ride Operators, Games Techs, Ticket Booth Cashiers, Money Room Cashiers, Social Media Manager, Marketing Associate

Apply Online At https://www.trimperrides.com/employment Or Call 410-289-8617

IN DIA N RIVER MA R INA N OW HIRING!

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

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

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.

HELP WANTED

May 8, 2020

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

$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

RENTALS

COMMERCIAL

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 –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– YEAR-ROUND WEST OCEAN CITY RENTALS: Efficiency/Studio & 1 Bdrm. From $750 per month. Call 410-430-9797.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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

Property Management. Call for any other odd jobs! Joe 443-610-4644.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

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

The Dispatch

Ride the B

in

OC!

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

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 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 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

The Dispatch

May 8, 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.

THIRD INSERTION

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 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 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

THIRD 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. 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.

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.

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

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch that date, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter. Claim forms may be obtained from the Register of Wills.

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

THIRD 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 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: (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

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

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 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

Page 35 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

SECOND 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:

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

SECOND 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 ESTATE NO. 18262 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 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

(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.

The Dispatch

Page 36

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.

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

SECOND INSERTION

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

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch 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.

(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

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication MAY 1, 2020

RYAN MICHAEL ABBOTT Personal Representative

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

SECOND 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. 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

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

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT FOR WORCESTER COUNTY, MD 1 WEST MARKET STREET SNOW HILL, MD 21863 C-23-FM-20-000157 IN THE MATTER OF KEITH WALLINGTON ROLLE FOR CHANGE OF NAME KEITH WELLINGTON ROLLE NOTICE FOR PUBLICATION (ADULT) (MD RULE 15-901) The above petitioner has filed a Petition for Change of Name in which he seeks to change his name from KEITH WALLINGTON ROLLE to KEITH WELLINGTON ROLLE. The petitioner is seeking a name change because: WANTS MIDDLE NAME TO MATCH BIRTH CERTIFICATE. Any person may file an objection to the Petition for Change of Name on or before the 4th day of JUNE 2020. The objection must be supported by an affidavit (written statement confirmed by oath or affirmation) and served on the Petitioner in accordance with Maryland Rule 1-321. If no timely objection is filed, the court may issue a default judgement or grant the name change.

A copy of this notice must be published one time in a newspaper of general circulation in the county at least fifteen (15) days before the deadline to file an objection.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication May 8, 2020 True Test Copy SUSAN R. BRANIECKI Clerk of the Circuit Court for Worcester County Room 104 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 1x 5-8

FIRST INSERTION

LAW OFFICE OF MARIANNA BATIE MARIANNA BATIE ESQ. 9748 STEPHEN DECATUR HIGHWAY, SUITE 112 OCEAN CITY, MD 21842 NOTICE TO CREDITORS OF APPOINTMENT OF FOREIGN PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE ESTATE NO. 18271 Notice is given that the CIRCUIT COURT OF PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VA, appointed ISABEL CRISTINA SILVA, 12088 WINONA DRIVE, WOODBRIDGE, VA, 22192 as the PERSONAL REPRESENTATIVE of the Estate of ZITA DOS ANJOS PENA SILVA, who died on FEBRUARY 03, 2020, domiciled in VIRGINIA, USA. The Maryland resident agent for service of process is MARIANNA BATIE, whose address is 9748 STEPHEN DECATUR HWY #112, OCEAN CITY, MD 21842.

At the time of death, the decedent owned real or leasehold property in the following MARYLAND counties: WORCESTER. All persons having claims against the decedent must file their claims with the Register of Wills for Worcester County with a copy to the foreign personal representative 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

May 8, 2020 Register of Wills for Worcester County Room 102 - Court House One W. Market Street Snow Hill, MD 21863-1074 3x 5-8, 5-15, 5-22

FIRST INSERTION

JOHN C. SEIPP ESQ 105 CAMDEN STREET SALISBURY, MD 21801-4916 SMALL ESTATE NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 15359 To all persons interested in the estate of PERCY LEROY WHITE. Notice is given that ANDREW LEE WHITE, 172 NORTHSLOPE II ROAD, EAST STROUDSBURG, PA 18320, was on MARCH 17, 2020, appointed Personal Representative of the SMALL ESTATE of: PERCY LEROY WHITE, who died on OCTOBER 3, 2013 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 any 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) Two months after the foreign personal representative mails or 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 claim within two months from the mailing or other delivery of the notice. Claims filed after that date or after a date extended by law will be barred.

(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. Any claim not served or filed within that time, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication MAY 08, 2020

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication MAY 08, 2020

ISABEL CRISTINA SILVA Personal Representative True Test Copy TERRI WESTOCTT

ANDREW LEE WHITE 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 1x 5-8

FIRST INSERTION

SMALL ESTATE NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18246 To all persons interested in the estate of RAY KEITH TYNDALL. Notice is given that LINDA URICK, 10111 BONITA DRIVE, OCEAN CITY, MD 21842, was on MAY 04, 2020, appointed Personal Representative of the SMALL ESTATE of: RAY KEITH TYNDALL, who died on FEBRUARY 21, 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 shall file their objections with the Register of Wills within 30 days after the date of publication of this Notice.

All persons having any 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. Any claim not served or filed within that time, or any extension provided by law, is unenforceable thereafter.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication MAY 08, 2020 LINDA URICK 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 1x 5-8

May 8, 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: •Stephen Decatur’s boys’ varsity lacrosse team fell to old nemesis Kent Island, 13-5, in the Bayside Conference championship game. Kent Island led 31 early, but Decatur battled back at cut the lead to 5-2 at the half. Decatur scored early in the third on a goal by Matt LeCompte to cut the deficit to just two goals at 5-3, but the Buccaneers reeled off six straight late in the game to pull away. The Bayside Conference championship game was a swan song of sorts for a special group of seniors who had played together since youth league including Will Hastings, Corey Gwin, Matt LeCompte, Jake Lathroum, Evan Heim, Matt Krall, Shane Moore, Connor May, Craig Snyder, R.J. Hayman, Dalton Warren, Miles Deppe, T.J. Scafone, Jackson Mumford and Colton Lohnas.

•Stephen Decatur’s girls’ varsity lacrosse team rallied late to beat Queen Anne’s, 9-7, to win the Bayside Conference championship and remain un-

beaten on the season. The Seahawks were unbeaten entering the championship game and had beaten Queen Anne’s, 11-10, in overtime a couple of weeks earlier. The championship featured a game of big runs by both teams.

Queen Anne’s scored the first three goals of the game to take a 3-0, but the Seahawks scored the next six in a row to go ahead, 6-3. Decatur led 74 about midway through the second half, but Queen Anne’s battled back and tied the game at 7-7 with around nine minutes left. Ally Beck took the ball the length of the field, looped around behind the Lions’ goal and scored with seven minutes left to put Decatur ahead for good at 8-7. Blair Yesko punctuated the win with an insurance goal to seal the conference championship for the Seahawks. Payton VanKirk led the way with three goals, while Beck and Yesko scored two each. Lexi VanKirk and Elle Bargar each scored single goals.

•Stephen Decatur’s varsity baseball team lost a tough one in the Bayside Conference championship, falling to Colonel Richardson, 1-0 in the classic pitchers’ duel. The Seahawks had lost just once all season, while the Colonels went undefeated at 19-0, setting up a heavyweight battle in the conference championship game. Colonel Richardson starter Caleb Johnson was dominating through most of the game, allowing just two hits and no runs while collecting 12 strikeouts. Decatur starter Sean Colgan was equally impressive, allowing just two hits all day including none through the first three innings.

The lone and deciding run came in the top of the fourth when a Colonel Rich-

Decatur’s Amanda Parsons delivers a pitch during a game at home this week 10 years ago.

Photo by Shawn Soper

Decatur’s Bethany Howe works the ball against the Bennett defense in a Seahawk win over the Clippers this week 10 years ago.

Photo by Shawn Soper

ardson player walked to lead off, worked his way around the bases and scored without the benefit of a hit.

The following are some of the highlights of The Dispatch sports pages from this week 10 years ago: •Worcester Prep’s boys’ varsity lacrosse team cruised past visiting Delmarva Christian, 14-1, in the Eastern Shore Independent Athletic Conference (ESIAC) tournament semifinals to reach the championship game. The Mallards left nothing to chance and scored early and often against the Royals. Worcester led 12-0 at the half behind a five-goal first-half outburst by Brad Regan. Justin Butler scored three goals in the first half alone and Worcester got single tallies from Brad Harris, Alex Ternahan, Jake Emche and Jeff Andresen.

•Stephen Decatur’s girls’ varsity lacrosse team stayed on a major roll, beating Kent Island, 13-9, and then Bayside South rival Bennett two days later. Against Bennett, Bethany Howe led the Seahawks with five goals, while Leigh Anne Flounlacker scored four times. Nicole Dougan also had a big day against the Clippers with two goals and two assists.

•Stephen Decatur’s varsity baseball team stayed on a major roll, trouncing visiting Queen Anne’s, 11-1. Decatur scored three runs in the first inning and added a fourth in the third inning on a solo home run by Chris Bunting. Queen Anne’s kept the game tight early on, but the Seahawks sent 12 men to the plate in the bottom of the fourth and when the marathon around the bases ended, Decatur led 11-1 and the game was shortened in the fifth inning by the slaughter rule. Contributing at the plate in Decatur’s big fourth inning were Mike Newcomb, Troy Bennett, Marshall Betts, James Rossi, Mike Baglieri and Josh Tyndall.

•Stephen Decatur’s varsity softball team used a nine-run third inning to open up an otherwise close game against Queen Anne’s and routed the Lions, 14-1. Decatur led 3-1 starting the home half of the third inning, but the flood gates opened for the Seahawks, who scored nine runs in the frame. A double by Amanda Parsons and triple by Emily DiNardo opened the inning and the hits kept coming for

the Seahawks. Among the Seahawks participating in the hit parade were Maddie Justice and Katie Colgan.

•Worcester Prep’s girls’ varsity lacrosse team beat Gunston, 17-6, in the ESIAC semifinals to reach the championship game. The Mallards led 8-4 at the half, but scored eight straight goals to start to second half and settle the issue. Molly Dickerson and Sara Noyes led the Worcester attack with three goals each.

The following is a little snippet of the top sports stories in The Dispatch this week 20 years ago: •Stephen Decatur’s varsity baseball team squandered a late lead against Washington High but rallied to win the game in the last inning in the regular season finale, 11-10. Senior Josh Hay’s bases loaded single in the bottom of the seventh inning won the game for the Seahawks.

Decatur led the game 9-5 at the start of the seventh inning, but Washington battled back and took a 10-9 lead after a couple of Seahawk defensive miscues. Decatur entered the bottom of the seventh finding itself trailing after leading the entire contest.

Matt Pennington got the rally started with a lead-off walk, followed by a looping single by Terry Gallo. Senior Chris Chavis was then hit by a pitch to load the bases.

Senior Blair Donahue fouled off several pitches before drawing a walk to score Pennington with the tying run.

With the bases still loaded, Hay hit a high chopper down the third base line that found its way into left field, easily scoring Gallo from third with the winning run, touching off a wild celebration at the plate. The win in the finale closed out the Decatur’s regular season with a 6-12 mark although the team played much better than its record indicated.

Eight of the 12 losses were one-run losses.

•The Terps-on-the-Shore Golf Classic was played at the Deer Run Golf Club in Berlin. Event founder Ron Brooks served as co-chair of the event along with Maryland Head Football Coach Ron Vanderlinden. The growing event’s grand prize was raised this year to $10,000, more than double the prize in the prior year’s event.

Page 38

Horoscopes

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): A seemingly stalled romantic situation could benefit from your reassurance that you want this relationship to work.

And if you do, use a tad more of that irresistible Aries charm.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): You're attracted to a situation that appeals to your Bovine intellect. And that's good. But don't neglect your passionate side when romance comes calling later in the week.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): That career-change opportunity that didn't work out when you first considered it could come up again. But this time, remember that you have more to offer and should act accordingly.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22): There could be some tensions in relationships -- domestic or workaday. But a calm approach that doesn't raise the anger levels and a frank discussion soon will resolve the problem.

LEO (July 23 to Aug. 22): It's a good idea to begin preparing for that career change you've been thinking about for a while. Start to sharpen your skills and expand your background to be ready when it calls.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22): Bless that Virgo skepticism that has kept you from falling into traps others seem to rush into. But you might want to give a new possibility the benefit of the doubt, at least on a trial basis.

LIBRA (Sept. 23 to Oct. 22): A

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

legal matter you hoped could finally be settled could be a pesky problem for a while, until all the parties agree to stop disagreeing with each other. Be patient.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21): Someone might use deception to try to push you into making a decision you're not fully comfortable with. But those keen Scorpio senses should keep you alert to any such attempt.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21): Romance dominates this week when Cupid spears the Archer, for a change. Positive things also are happening in the workplace. Expect important news to arrive by the week's end.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 to Jan. 19): Anyone trying to bully the Sea Goat -whether it involves a personal or a professional matter -- will learn a painful lesson.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 to Feb. 18): Congratulations. With things going the way they are, you should be able to spare some time and take a break from your hectic schedule for some well-earned fun and games.

PISCES (Feb. 19 to March 21): Your sharp Piscean intuition should be able to uncover the true agendas of those who might be trying to catch the Fish in one of their schemes.

BORN THIS WEEK: Your flair for innovative art and design keeps you at least a step ahead of most everyone else. Š 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.

Things I Like ...

OCEAN CITY vanishing

May 8, 2020

WITH BUNK MANN

Eight blocks of Boardwalk from North Division to 1st streets were rebuilt in concrete and widened by 10 feet between January and April in 1955.

The Mayor and Council had decided to replace the wood with concrete due to maintenance costs. The George Bert Cropper Company did the work for $43,819 and used some of the timber salvaged to widen the northern end of the Boardwalk.

The lower end of the Boardwalk would remain concrete until it was replaced with wood during the late-1990s.

To purchase one of Bunk Mann's books, click over to www.vanishinPhoto courtesy Bob Burns goc.com.

The Dispatch Crossword Puzzle

By Steve Green

Introducing my kids to classic movies Smelling breakfast cooking from bed Sunny weekends

Looking forward to a first beach day

People who get creative with their masks When my kids help with yard work When the yard work is all done

Carryout for dinner a couple times a week Smell of a freshly sharpened pencil Adding lump crabmeat to anything

Coming across a kid reading for fun ANSWERS ON PAGE 30

… Mayor Clarifies Police Will Not Be Restricting Visitors

May 8, 2020

FROM PAGE 2 well. Their determination is they are not going to be opening up their beaches until after Memorial Day or the June 1 date.”

Meehan said Ocean City was hoping to be more aggressive than that.

“I spoke with the governor and said that doesn’t really work for us,” he said. “We really do need to have a phased approach to opening. I’d like to very much coincide that with the governor’s plan. I think there’s certain components of his plan and our plan that we can coordinate, but I think we need a phased-in opening in Ocean City and we need to do it sooner rather than later. I explained that to him.”

Again, it’s important to note the same social distancing and crowd-size guidelines will remain in place through the first phase of the recovery plan and likely through much of the summer. Meehan said despite a few exceptions, most local residents and visitors have grown accustomed to the guidelines in the roughly two months since the limitations have been in place, making the time right to relax some of the restrictions in Ocean City.

“I have watched the people in Ocean City and those who have been here and how things have changed over the last 60 days,” he said. “Sixty days ago, nobody even knew what social distancing was or they never talked about it. Now it’s referred to as physical

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

distancing, It’s the same thing. People never considered wearing masks in public or it being a requirement in retail stores or public transportation. People never thought about keeping the size of groups that congregate under 10 people, but what I’ve seen happen is people adhere to these sorts of things that we never thought about before.”

Meehan reiterated he is confident local residents and visitors will continue to adhere to the guidelines still in place through stage one and into the next stages of the recovery plan.

“If you go to the grocery store, people are wearing masks,” he said. “If you go to the Boardwalk, and I’m up there every weekend, what you see is people social distancing. You see them doing it. They’re cognizant of it. They walk the other way or move a little bit away.

Some of them are wearing masks because it’s their choice and they think that’s the right thing to do. I really think we’ve come a long way.”

From the beginning, Ocean City has emphasized the importance of visitors, including the roughly 26,000 non-resident property owners, to simply adhere to the guidelines and stay away from Ocean City until it was deemed safe to return and most have complied voluntarily for the most part with some exceptions Meehan said on Monday.

“Our non-resident property owners for the majority have adhered to our request,” he said. “They have not come

to Ocean City. Sure, there are some who have started to come. That will continue. This is their second home, but most have listened and tried to be a part of the solution.”

Meehan said putting the restrictions in place and getting out in front of the situation early has put Ocean City in position to jumpstart its recovery plan.

“I think what we have done in Ocean City, with your help and support, is we have put on a full court press,” he said.

“We did that to support the governor, to support his initiatives, to flatten the curve of the virus, to get people educated so they are in a better place today than they were 60 days ago on how to address this virus.”

While the beach, Boardwalk and Inlet lot will reopen on Saturday, the same social distancing guidelines and other restrictions will be critical. Of course, it goes without saying individuals should make their own decisions with the level of interaction and activity with which they are comfortable.

“A lot of us are going to have to make personal decisions and that was referred to by some of the council members,” he said. “Moving forward, we are going to have to see who is at high risk and who isn’t and what decisions personally each and every one of us need to make. We have to look at what’s best for us and what’s best for our families.

If restaurants open tomorrow, not everyone is going to go to a restaurant, but

Page 39

that’s an individual decision.”

Meehan acknowledged reopening the beaches and Boardwalk will create some challenges with a small percentage of the visiting population and told Hogan as much during their lengthy conversation last week.

“The governor asked me ‘do you think you will have any problems?’ and I said ‘yes’ because with anything that you do there will be some challenges,” he said. “I believe most people will adhere to social distancing and go out of their way to separate. Will there be that 2% like you have in any scenario that probably don’t? Probably, but you know what we are all going to have to work around them a bit if we have to.

This is what is best for the majority. It’s best for all of us and our residents and everybody to allow this transition to begin to take place, so we can see if there’s any problems we need to address before we go to that next phase in totally reopening Ocean City.

We need to take those steps now.”

As for lifting lodging restrictions, Meehan said now is not the time, but it’s weeks not months away. “ … this declaration takes place this weekend. The next declaration is the removing of the restrictions on lodging that is set by declaration to be removed May 22. Let’s see where the governor goes in regard to his stay at home order, but that is still in place to be repealed on May 22 at this time,” Meehan said.

Page 40

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

May 8, 2020