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August 14, 2020

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OC Air Show Back This Weekend

See Page 4 • Photo by Chris Parypa

Boardwalk Redecking Plan Delayed

Pure Exhilaration:

The crew of the Canyon Blues reacts as their 97-pound white marlin was announced Photo by Hooked On OC during the White Marlin Open. See page 53 for story.

See Page 10 • Photo by Chris Parypa

Resort Considers Modified Sunfest

See Page 8 • Photo by Chris Parypa

Cutest Pets Of The Month

Fogged Over:

Foggy conditions loomed over Ocean City earlier this week, but it didn’t bother beach-goers who Photo by Chris Parypa enjoyed the warm summer weather.

The winner of last month’s Cutest Pets of the Month Contest was Lenny, a 1-year-old Jack Russell owned by Gerard Zitnik. See page 45 for this month’s contestants.

Submitted Photo

Page 2

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August 14, 2020

August 14, 2020

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OC Air Show Returns With Four Military Teams On Tap

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The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY STEVE GREEN

EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – The OC Air Show returns this weekend, featuring the U.S. Air Force Thunderbird demonstration team and a combination of civilian and military acts.

Originally scheduled for mid-June, the Town of Ocean City and air show officials postponed the event in May with plans to revisit a date later in the summer. The Aug. 15-16 date was announced in June, but last week there were some last-minute concerns that jeopardized the event.

After reviewing the event’s show center plans with ticketed guests given prime viewing areas, the state’s Attorney General’s Office said the efforts to group people together violated COVID-19 so-

cial distancing guidelines. The loss of the ticket revenue was a major financial blow to the event, leading air show officials to seek $100,000 from the city to continue with the event.

After considerable debate, the City Council voted 6-0, with Councilman Tony DeLuca absent, to provide a $100,000 supplementary allocation to the air show. It’s important to note the town already provides $35,000 to the air show through a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The council agreed to supply the additional $100,000 with a couple of stipulations. For example, the money will be used to pay invoices incurred by the air show, Ocean City will be one of the primary sponsors, the town will receive 50% of the advertising revenue from the live stream.

Along with the popular Thunderbirds,

the event will feature three Air Force fighter jet demo teams, marking one of the few times spectators can see all them at the same show. The F-22 Raptor, F-35 Lighting II and A-10 Thunderbolt II demonstration teams will perform at the event.

Spectators this year can enhance their viewing experience from anywhere in Ocean City by attending virtually through a livestream at air.show/livestream, which will feature a sporting event-style broadcast. Businesses throughout Ocean City have been encouraged to livestream the performances in their restaurants, retail stores and hotel lobbies.

"This will be the one of the first times aviation fans can see a demonstration of the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lighting II stealth fighters at the same event,"

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said Bryan Lilley, chairman of the OC Air Show. "The stage for the OC Air Show is 10 miles wide and 1,000 feet high. Spectators can watch from their backyard, balcony, boat or the beach, making it the ideal event for the Ocean City community to host in the era of social distancing."

The sequences on Saturday and Sunday are similar and include the invocation and the National Anthem followed by the L-39 Cold War Era Jet demonstration, the GEICO Skytypers, United States Coast Guard Search and Rescue team demonstration, Panchito B-25 Bomber Flight, Scott Francis, C-17 Globemaster III flyover, the A-10 Warthog, F-22 Raptor demonstration, Air Force Heritage Flight, F-35 Lightning II demonstration team, Mike Wiskus in the Lucas Oil Pitts and the Thunderbirds.

During the GEICO Skytypers performance, a land-and-sea competition will take place to determine what’s faster – a World War II-era, open-cockpit SNJ trainer plane at full throttle or an 11-time world champion offshore racing catamaran.

Immediately following the Skytypers air show demonstration, one of the solo pilots will swoop down to a low altitude just above the deck of its waterbound counterpart Miss GEICO and the air-versus-sea duel will begin. The airplane and boat will race in both directions to ensure that currents and wind conditions don’t dictate the ultimate winner making the race a battle of skill and expertise.

“Each race is utterly unpredictable,” said Miss GEICO Crew Chief Gary Stray. “The liquid track has constantly changing conditions such as wave size and wind strength which greatly affect our speed and handling capability.

With a WWII airplane screaming down out of the sky and racing so close, it feels like it could land on the deck of the boat.”

Technically, the WWII SNJ is rated at a top speed of 213 mph at an altitude of 6,000 feet. Under ideal water conditions, the Miss GEICO race boat has reached a top speed of 210 mph during a record setting speed run.

Tom Daly, GEICO Skytyper lead solo pilot, says experience and skill are the real differentiators.

“The boat will be tough to beat because it has more power and is completely state of the art. But we rely on expert management of geometry and physics to extract the maximum output possible out of these vintage airplanes,” said Daly.

Miss GEICO throttleman Steve Curtis is looking forward to returning to Ocean City.

“The Ocean City Air Show gives the public a rare chance to witness this airsea duel. The race is something we only do a couple of times each year,” Curtis said. “This particular race will be especially exciting as Maryland natives, Travis Pastrana and Brit Lilly, will join me in the driver’s seat on alternating days to participate in the races.”

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 5

Berlin Council Votes To Write Off $1.7M In Sewer Debt

Page 6

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

BERLIN – Berlin officials agreed to write off half of the $3.4 million debt the town’s sewer fund owes to its general fund.

The Berlin Town Council voted Monday to approve a staff recommendation to forgive about $1.7 million of the $3.4 million sewer fund debt. In writing it off, officials agreed that quarterly financial reports would be critical in ensuring the sewer fund did not generate losses in the future.

“We have to stay on course and be aware of where we are,” Councilman Dean Burrell said.

For months, town officials have talked about reducing some of the debt owed to the general fund by the sewer

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Quarterly Reviews Planned To Avoid Further General Fund Borrowing

fund, which was forced to borrow from the general fund during years when it operated at a loss. Town Administrator Jeff Fleetwood said staff was suggesting forgiving about half of the amount owed and making a repayment schedule for the rest.

“Reducing that debt by half makes it a manageable amount,” he said.

Mayor Gee Williams said the reason the debt had accrued over several years was the fact that the town’s wastewater

treatment plant upgrade and spray irrigation had cost more than expected.

“That’s where the money went,” he said. “We borrowed from ourselves to take care of this problem.”

Councilman Troy Purnell said he supported the staff recommendation. Burrell agreed but said the sewer fund had to be self-sustaining going forward. He also said that officials would have to monitor its performance in the quarterly reports that will be provided to officials

August 14, 2020

now.

In response to a query emailed to the town by Councilman Zack Tyndall regarding the amount each enterprise fund currently owed the general fund, Fleetwood directed officials to the town’s last financial audit. It reports that as of June 30, 2019, the sewer fund owed $3.4 million and the stormwater fund owed $122,323. Fleetwood added that since the town had increased sewer rates, the sewer fund no longer operated at a loss.

“What’s missing from that equation, we did not have substantial capital,” Fleetwood said, adding that there would be capital costs in the future.

Tyndall said he was worried the sewer fund wouldn’t be able to handle capital costs as well as paying back the debt it owed.

Williams suggested officials decide on a feasible balance.

“Let’s try to do something that meets both obligations,” he said.

Burrell said the repayment schedule hadn’t been approved yet and could be adjusted as needed. Purnell added that the town was still waiting on an outside report regarding its sewer rates that could provide valuable information.

Tyndall said officials had to be sure they monitored quarterly reports regarding sewer fund operations.

“In addition to quarterly reports we should be getting action steps or an action plan to address any deficiencies,” Burrell said.

Williams pointed out that if needed officials could increase rates.

“If operating expenses are greater than what was budgeted then we can adjust the fees,” he said. “This is some thing that property taxes has nothing to do with. The fees for each department are supposed to be self-supporting. It was the sewer fund that wasn’t self-supporting. We didn’t know about it for years and when we did we paid a big price, but I think if we have that, if we can see a trend, and that is part of that quarterly report, we can address this before. We can change fees.”

The council voted unanimously to reduce the sewer fund’s debt by half, or about $1.7 million.

As for the establishment of a reserve policy, another issue that has been discussed multiple times in recent months, the council has not yet made a final decision. Tyndall told Fleetwood and Finance Director Natalie Saleh he wanted to see something simpler than what they had proposed. He suggested the town adopt a policy to have three months of operating expenses or 16%.

Saleh pointed out the policy staff proposed stated that the town would have three months’ worth of operating expenses in the reserve fund. Fleetwood suggested elected officials provide their thoughts on the draft policy in the coming weeks.

“We’ll put this back on a future agenda,” Fleetwood said. “If there’s any insight or thoughts reach out to Natalie or myself.”

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 7

Sunfest Decision Tabled A Week

Page 8

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

Lining Up:

Participating boats in last week’s White Marlin Open are pictured entering the Inlet Saturday after seeking a piece of the $6.7 million in prize money.

Photo by Jim Halvorsen Photography

OCEAN CITY – Sunfest as residents and visitors have grown to know and love over the years remains a long-shot for this year, but a modified SunLITE event with vendors spread out in venues all over the south end of the town could be a viable replacement this fall.

On Tuesday, Mayor and Council members resumed their conversation about the fate of Sunfest in October.

Last week, the town’s elected officials debated the merits of keeping the fall signature event in the midst of a pandemic despite the recent stabilization in some of the key metrics.

The decision was tabled last week in order to see more guidance from state officials and the county health department and to see if the contract with the

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tent vendor could be reworked in order to save some money on what will be a revenue-challenged event this year for all stakeholders. During Tuesday’s work session, Special Events Director Frank Miller presented some new information that has arisen since the council met last week.

For example, the state’s Attorney General issued interpretative guidance late last week that would not allow for any music performances of any kind.

Last week, Miller held out hope that even if the major headline acts during Sunfest were scrapped, there could be some local musician performances during the event spread out in openair venues at the Inlet lot. In addition, the county health department has not yet issued any clear guidance on the food tent.

“Last Thursday, the Attorney General issued interpretative guidance for live performances,” he said. “We are not allowed to have headline performers or even the smaller, local acts. The food tent is still under review with no definitive guidance.”

With no live entertainment and the popular food tent still in question, Miller said even if Sunfest is held in a modified format with no large tents, but more smaller tents spread out over a larger area on the Inlet lot as he proposed last week, it would not resemble the same event locals and residents have grown accustomed to over four-plus decades.

He also said the target demographics would be affected by the changes.

“We will lose much of our 50-plus crowd who are still not comfortable with large gatherings,” he said. “With no live music, there is little draw for our younger crowd. The final outcome would be a fragment of what it usually is.”

Ultimately, the decision to hold or postpone Sunfest during the challenging COVID-19 season falls on the Mayor and Council, but Miller said with no live music and potentially no food tent, it would be shell of its former self.

“Do we really want to force this event to exist on two of eight cylinders?” he said. “The cost to produce this event is high and the potential income is unstable.”

Miller recommended postponing Sunfest in its traditional format for 2020 and begin planning for a robust event next year. He also presented an alternative that could be put together in the monthand-a-half or so until the scheduled event in the first weekend in October.

“The recommendation is to look to the return of Sunfest as we know it in 2021,” he said. “One option is an outright cancellation. The second option is to postpone Sunfest as we know it and move forward with a test model for 2020. We should only push forward with this if it is in the town’s best interest.”

Instead, the SunLITE concept pitched on Tuesday by Miller would include the arts and crafts vendors who have already signed up for 2020 and have expressed an interest in still coming this fall in a different format spread out at outdoor venues throughout town. There SEE NEXT PAGE

… Alternative SunLITE Event Proposed For October

August 14, 2020

would still be some activity at the Inlet lot, but many of the vendors would set up shop at different areas around downtown including Sunset Park and the 3rd Street park, for example, among others.

“The concept is a patch quilt-built event,” he said. “There is a new opportunity at a reduced cost for a pet-friendly event with spaced vendor encampments. The Inlet lot would not be the main event site, but only a hub for the other areas of the event spread out through town. The concept is to have smaller vendor encampments spread out through the south end of town. It would kind of have a treasure hunt feel.”

The writing appears to be on the wall for the traditional Sunfest event this October, although it wasn’t officially scrapped on Tuesday. The Mayor and Council appeared to embrace the SunLITE concept for this year as a test model, but were not ready to give Miller his marching orders just yet on Tuesday. Councilman Matt James pointed out the OC Air Show is set for this weekend, which could provide clearer guidance on the town’s ability to host a large event while maintaining the governor’s directives on social distancing and large crowd sizes.

“Can we push this off one more week?” he said. “Let’s see what the air show does in terms of crowds and the distancing. The air show is our first ma-

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jor event. If it goes well, it could make this decision easier.”

Councilman Dennis Dare said he supported the SunLITE concept presented by Miller on Tuesday and suggested some of the vendors could be staged along the south end of the Boardwalk.

“We’re not running the Boardwalk tram this year,” he said. “Maybe we can allow vendors to set up on the concrete tram lane portion of the Boardwalk from 4th Street down. They could be spread out and we can keep them sociallydistanced. The Boardwalk businesses would benefit as well.”

Councilman Mark Paddack pointed out the importance of Sunfest as a major fall attraction for visitors and a celebration of the end of another summer season for locals.

“This concept of SunLITE provides with an opportunity to stay in the game,” he said. “The tourists come for this event and the local residents just love it. I want to see what happens with the air show as well.”

Paddack made a motion to postpone Sunfest until 2021 and release the vendors from their contracts and refund their deposits for this year. The vendors who had signed up would keep their assigned spaces in 2021 without fear of losing their positions or end up back on the waiting list.

The discussion of the SunLITE concept would be moved to Monday night in order to see who the air show works out this weekend. That motion failed with a 2-4 vote. Instead, the council reached a consensus to resume the conversation

Page 9

next Monday night with the same basic conditions in place, but with Sunfest still possibly on the table. However, Sunfest as it has been enjoyed for 45 years certainly appears to be a long shot but there appears to be strong support for the modified SunLITE concept.

Mayor Rick Meehan agreed with the motion and said he also supported the SunLITE concept.

“I support the motion,” he said. “As Frank said, without live music and potentially without a food tent, this event would be running on two of eight cylinders. We shouldn’t be promoting events that encourage large crowd to gather anyway. This isn’t going to be the event we’re used to seeing, but we can present an event that is safe and spread out.”

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Lumber Shortage Delays Redecking

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OCEAN CITY – Due to a nationwide shortage of treated lumber because of COVID-19, the first phase of the major re-decking project on the Boardwalk planned to begin this offseason has been pushed back a year.

Roughly every eight to 10 years, Ocean City’s wooden Boardwalk is completely replaced. The first phase was to begin this fall and be completed by the start of next season and the second phase was planned for the offseason in 2021.

However, City Engineer Terry McGean told the Mayor and Council on Tuesday he was recommending pushing the first phase back to next offseason and the second phase the following year.

“Most of you know our plan was to start re-decking the Boardwalk this offseason,” he said. “During our final preparations to solicit bids for the project, we made some phone calls and learned even if the suppliers could get the lumber at all, it would likely be twice the price. It’s a combination of the mills shutting down because of COVID and the high demand for lumber.”

McGean explained the supply of treated wood has been all but exhausted. Along with mills shutting down this

August 14, 2020

spring, complicating the situation was many who were forced to stay at home during the pandemic decided to undertake home improvement projects such as building new decks or replacing existing ones. Because of the shortage of wood and the skyrocketing cost even if it could be found, McGean recommended pushing the project back a year.

“The shortage is not expected to ease until late this fall, which is too long of a delay if we expect to complete any significant work before May 2021,” he said. “Although it is not ideal, we’re recommending postponing the project until the 2021 offseason.”

McGean said the normal repairs to the Boardwalk would go on as they do each offseason and asked for an increase in that budget.

“The good news is, because the tram did not run this summer, there was less wear and tear on the Boardwalk,” he said. “I’m requesting an increase in the annual Boardwalk repair budget from $60,000 to $80,000. That will allow us to make temporary repairs to hold us over until we can begin the re-decking project.”

The council voted unanimously to postpone the first phase of the Boardwalk re-decking project to the offseason next year and agreed to supplement the Boardwalk repair budget by $20,000.

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August 14, 2020

Miller: ‘It Was A Combination Of Reasons’

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OCEAN CITY – For a variety of public health and safety reasons, the Ocean City Mayor and Council meetings have returned to a virtual format.

Throughout much of the spring, state COVID-19 directives mandated the Mayor and Council’s public meetings be held virtually via the Zoom format. In June, when Maryland entered stage two of its COVID-19 recovery plan, the Mayor and Council went back to meeting in person at City Hall in a hybrid format that allowed Councilman Dennis Dare to participate remotely from home.

Dare expressed early on he was not comfortable with meeting in a public forum.

Members of the public and press were advised to follow social distancing guidelines during the meetings in council chambers and at some point, masks were required of all participating in the meetings. City Manager Doug Miller explained the reasoning this week to return to online-only meetings.

“It was a combination of reasons,” he said. “First, we need Councilman Dare to be able to hear us and fully participate. We could not make that happen technologically. Zoom allows all mem-

bers to participate at the same level.”

Indeed, there were often glitches in Dare’s participation in the in-person meetings throughout the summer including lapses in times the councilman could hear what was going on or be heard. There were also times when there was a delay in the real-time, inperson meeting and Dare’s live-feed from home.

However, it was not the only reason the Mayor and Council have returned to the virtual format for their meetings.

Miller said there were times during the meetings when attendees were not always practicing social distancing and there were also concerns about sharing the desk and microphone during the public comment periods.

“Second, not all of the citizens who came to the meetings social-distanced in the council chambers,” he said. “And third, we saw a fundamental flaw in terms of public health in how citizens gave public comment. They all used the same microphone on the same table when they spoke to the council. So, if eight people gave comment and the first three were COVID free, but number four had the virus and coughed on the mic or the table, then the last four speakers could be in danger of contracting the virus.”

Council Approves Funds For Wrestling Tourney

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – Resort officials this week signed off on funding for a couple of special events this fall including a significant junior wrestling tournament and a Boardwalk charity bike ride.

During Tuesday’s work session, Tourism Advisory Board (TAB) President Steve Pastusak presented two special events for which the advisory board was recommending funding. Each year, the city grants $300,000 to TAB to provide seed money after careful review to various special events that can and do provide a mutual benefit and a positive return on investment.

As its name suggests, TAB is an advisory board and does not make decisions on allocating funding to various special events, but merely makes recommendations. That responsibility falls on the Mayor and Council, which often follows the TAB recommendations but, in some cases, approves or denies a request after their own review of a proposed special event. TAB funding is a line item in the tourism budget, which is fueled entirely by room tax.

The first event for which TAB was recommending funding is the National High School Coaches Association (NHSCA) and Junior Seahawks Wrestling Tournament scheduled in Ocean City on

Nov. 7-8. Pastusak explained the NHSCA had requested $30,000 in funding support from the town for the event scheduled at the Roland E. Powell Convention Center.

Pastusak said the NHSCA hosts an annual wrestling national championship tournament at rival Virginia Beach that attracts to top wrestlers from all over the country and draws thousands of visitors. The Junior Seahawks Tournament planned for November would be the NHSCA’s first foray into Ocean City and promises to provide the same bang for the buck for the resort.

“Their tournaments in Virginia Beach bring in 22,000 people several times a year,” he said. “They are projecting to draw 100 teams or more to the Ocean City tournament. That’s 1,500 room nights in November.”

Pastusak said the NHSCA was asking for $30,000 in supplementary funding, which would cover expenses paid via submitted invoices for the facility rental fee, EMT services, internet costs, audio and visual costs and staff meal tickets. The town’s contribution would also include a $10,000 cash sponsorship.

While the council generally supported the concept, some questioned the breakdown of the town’s donation. Just last week, the Mayor and Council voted to provide $100,000 in funding through

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TAB for the OC Air Show with the understanding the funds would be used to pay for invoices related to direct expenses.

On Tuesday, Councilman Matt James asked about the $10,000 for rather undefined expenses.

“I support the idea of giving money for expenses, but what is the extra $10,000 for?” he said. “I’d be more comfortable if we were paying invoices, similar to what we did with the air show. I’m less comfortable in handing out cash.”

Pastusak assured all funding provided to the NHSCA-Junior Seahawks

Page 13

Tournament would be dedicated to expenses with invoices.

“This is a way to get NHSCA to do more events in our area,” he said. “The intent is to lure them in with this event and they will bring in more events. We just want to get them in the door.”

TAB on Tuesday was also seeking approval to allocate $5,000 in town funding for the Semper Fi Bike Ride on the Boardwalk on Oct. 18.

The council voted unanimously to provide the funding recommended for both events.

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August 14, 2020

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 15

Wicomico Schools Leader Outlines Recovery Plan Details

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The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

SALISBURY – School system officials this week provided a better idea of what families and staff can expect as Wicomico County’s public schools begin the academic year virtually.

In a Wicomico County Board of Education meeting Tuesday, Superintendent Donna Hanlin presented the school system’s draft recovery plan for the coming academic year.

Last month, the school board voted to adopt a plan for virtual learning this fall. While the school system will focus on remote learning for the first semester, Hanlin told board members this week she hoped to reintroduce larger groups of students into buildings before the end of the semester.

“The end of semester announcement

is the worst-case scenario,” she said.

By and large, the school system’s recovery plan details how the virtual model will look for Wicomico County Public Schools families and staff.

The recovery plan, for example, includes daily scheduling guidance for elementary, middle and high school students.

Families will receive welcome letters from their schools at the end of August, and parents and students will be invited to virtual open houses to meet teachers prior to the first day of school.

Through virtual learning, teachers in all grade levels will provide synchronous, or teacher-led, learning four days a week, with asynchronous, or independent, learning on Wednesdays, which includes opportunities for small group instruction and office hours.

Students in prekindergarten will have

80 minutes of synchronous instruction and 30 minutes of asynchronous instruction on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, with 50 minutes of synchronous arts, music and physical education instruction each week.

For pupils in kindergarten through fifth grade, daily instruction is divided into subjects with periods of teacherled and independent learning. Approximately 120 minutes a week will be devoted to special learning areas, including physical education, health, art, music, and gifted and talented, among other things.

“Students will receive, at the elementary level, anywhere from two to three hours a day of synchronous, live instruction by their classroom teacher that’s aligned with Maryland College and Career Ready standards at least four days a week,” Hanlin said. “And then there’s

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additional time built into the schedules for both synchronous and asynchronous instruction in special areas.”

Middle school students will have 30minute virtual classes on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays with five-minute breaks in between. The beginning and end of each day will include office hours for reteaching, small group instruction and student/parent meetings.

And for the first time, high school students will be offered a semester-based schedule for the 2020-2021 academic year. Pupils will have roughly four virtual classes each day with time dedicated to office hours at the beginning and end.

“We made the decision, in order to make a virtual schedule more manageable for students and teachers, to adjust to a modified, semester-based schedule for this school year temporarily …,” Hanlin said. “There’s an opportunity to earn at least eight credits throughout the course of the school year.”

The recovery plan also outlines instruction for career and technology education, special education, English language learners and gifted and talented learners.

“All of those groups are those identified groups we’ve talked about bringing in for periods of instruction as needed, where what they need can’t be accomplished virtually …,” Hanlin said.

Hanlin said schools will return to traditional grading policies and attendance will be recorded.

“Student attendance will count, every student will have a laptop … and all educational resources will be electronic,” she said.

Hanlin noted there will also be accountability measures for teachers. In the coming weeks, school administrators will work with staff to identify the location from which they will teach.

“No matter where the teacher is teaching, no matter the location, there will be clear expectations for effective online instruction,” she said. “Our traditional observation and evaluation model for teachers will be in place, and teachers can expect administrators to regularly do walk-throughs by participating in Zoom classroom sessions while instruction is occurring.”

The document also outlines the school system’s recovery plan beyond the fall semester. Hanlin said schools would most likely adopt a hybrid learning model with two days of in-person instruction each week when conditions allow.

“Even in a hybrid model, or when we return fully to our buildings there may be parents who still prefer to have their students learn in a virtual mode,” she said. “So we will continue to offer a virtual model using our teachers and our curriculum.”

For more information, or to view the document in its entirety, visit www.wcboe.org. The 2020-2021 academic year begins Sept. 8.

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 17

Page 18

Planning Commission Supports Casino’s Overlay Zone Proposal

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

August 14, 2020

Attorney: ‘It Resolves An Anomaly’

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

SNOW HILL – A new overlay district could bring the Ocean Downs Casino more in line with local zoning.

Last week, the Worcester County Planning Commission voted unanimously to give a favorable recommendation to a new casino overlay zone proposed by the Ocean Downs Casino. Currently, the property is zoned A-2 agricultural and the casino is permitted as an accessory use to the racetrack. The proposed amendment would create an overlay zone that would allow for more entertainment uses on the site.

“It resolves an anomaly which is now there, that the only reason we can be there is because we’re in conjunction with the racetrack,” said Joe Moore, the attorney representing the casino.

Moore said that while the casino property had been home to a racetrack since at least the middle of the last century, it had undergone a metamorphosis in recent years.

“Not to mix a metaphor but the tail, which is the casino, is wagging the horse, which is the racetrack,” Moore said.

He said that when the casino was first approved, it was permitted as an accessory use to the racetrack. He said a text amendment creating a casino overlay zone would more accurately reflect the property’s uses.

“The interesting thing is that it does not result in the traditional rezoning,” Moore said. “It is meant to be a careful text change which relates to just casino operations so that it’s not a rezoning that you can put a casino anywhere in a C-2, C-3 district in Worcester County.”

Commission member Brooks Clayville expressed concern about what the text amendment would mean for harness racing.

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“I want to be assured that there’s not anything in this text amendment that conflicts with your ability to operate a casino and more importantly that there’s nothing in here that would make horse racing go away,” he said.

Bobbi Sample, general manager of Ocean Downs Casino, said that was not the casino’s intention.

“We have no plans to do away with horse racing at Ocean Downs,” she said. “It’s actually beneficial to the casino when we do have live racing in the summer. In fact you can see that reflected in our results from July. We are the only smaller casino in the state that’s actually down year over year. I believe a big part of that is we did not have the crowds from the racing in and out of the casino.”

Clayville also asked if there was a prohibition related to the construction of a hotel on the casino property. Moore said the state legislation said that no hotel could be on the site if it had a direct or indirect legal relationship to the casino. He added that commercially zoned properties surrounding the casino could become hotel sites at any time.

Jay Knerr, chair of the commission, asked if Moore had consulted the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association, since Ocean City had been the “driving force” behind the hotel restriction.

Moore said he had not consulted the organization but said the text amendment would be the subject of a public hearing in front of the Worcester County Commissioners. He highlighted the positive financial impact the casino has had in Worcester County.

“The casino has become such an economic driver, you all know the contribution that it makes to not only Worcester County but to Berlin, Ocean Pines and Ocean City,” he said.

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Uncertainties Pose Unique Challenges To OCBP Staffing

August 14, 2020

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – Hitting mid-August, the Ocean City Beach Patrol still has a full complement of lifeguards maintaining the stands, but planning for the annual education drain in the remaining weeks of summer continues to be a moving target.

Each August, the Ocean City Beach Patrol, like most resort enterprises, starts to feel the education drain as many employees start to trickle back to school. The situation is more acute for the OCBP because its leadership staff is largely comprised of teachers, college professors and school administrators and the rank-and-file crews are largely made up of college students and even high school students.

As a result, each summer the OCBP starts to see its number of available staff start to dwindle, resulting in fewer stands manned on the beach and modified deployment plans supplemented with surf rescue technicians (SRTs) on all-terrain vehicles filling in the gaps. Thus far, the OCBP has not yet felt the education drain and has maintained a full complement of SRTs in the stands. Indeed, a check of Thursday’s daily OCBP report revealed all of the manned life-guard stands, roughly 90 from the Inlet to the Delaware line, were covered.

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

This year, however, planning for the annual education drain has been a moving target under the current COVID-19 situation. Public school systems in Maryland and around the region are now just finalizing plans on what the start of the 2020 school year will look like. Most are planning to start the 2020-2021 school year in the same virtual format in which they closed out the spring, while others are going with a hybrid format.

The same situation is playing out at colleges and universities around the region from which the OCBP draws much of its staff including a lot of its top-ranking officers. Longtime OCBP Captain Butch Arbin said this week the ever-changing plans are creating challenges in determining how many SRTs and officers will be available down the stretch and how to plan for deployments.

“Unfortunately, we are having difficulty in getting firm information,” he said.

“Most of our teachers, including myself, have not been given clear instruction on what we are doing with our students or what our expectations are for returning to school buildings.”

It’s not a unique situation and occurs every year around this time, but will become more challenging in the weeks ahead because of the uncertainties surrounding COVID-19. Although it hasn’t been updated and the numbers may

have changed, a study was conducted recently to determine just how top heavy the OCBP is with educators.

Arbin himself is a long-time educator with the Charles County Public Schools system. Two OCBP lieutenants are educators, and of the 12 sergeants on staff, eight are educators and two are college professors. According to the same study, there were 18 crew chiefs, of which eight were educators and two were college professors. That doesn’t even account for the rankand-file SRTs manning the stands, of which most are college and high school students.

Arbin said this week figuring out what will happen with his leadership staff and rank-and-filers who would normally be heading back to college right now is creating even more challenges.

“Also, colleges are all over the place with what they are proposing and some of that has changed several times,” he said. “One situation was William and Mary, which said once a student arrives on campus, they may not leave. This cuts out some of our weekend SRTs although the town is allowing a travel stipend again this season after this coming weekend.”

With so many of the OCBP’s staff either teachers, administrators or students, the bonus is many can return on the weekends through the end of summer and into September. During the

Page 19

week, the distance between manned stands grows wider and the OCBP and more SRTs on mobile rescue units are deployed to patrol the beach and assist with coverage. One thing the OCBP has going for it this year is it started the season with more lifeguards and staff available than in years past, which is quite a departure from the severe labor shortage experienced by the private sector this summer.

Arbin said despite the uncertainties surrounding COVID this spring and what the summer season in Ocean City would look like, he and his leadership staff continued to recruit, hire and train SRTs as if the situation was going to be normal, resulting in an abundance of available staff greater than in some other years. As a result, when the education drain starts, the OCBP is in a better position than it has been in other recent years.

“We will have to spread out some, but this season, we had more staff than in many other seasons, so as we lose some, we will still have more than most years,” he said. “We will do a modified patrol after Labor Day, but with it being so late this year, that makes it harder.”

After Labor Day, the OCBP typically augments its coverage scheme of lifeguard stands with roving ATV patrols to help support guards who may be as far as two blocks apart at times.

New Police Vehicle Eyed To Increase Boardwalk Visibility

Page 20

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

OCEAN CITY – The purchase of a side-by-side patrol vehicle is expected to improve police presence on the Boardwalk.

On Monday, members of the Ocean City Police Commission voted unanimously to send a request for the purchase of the small vehicle to the full council for consideration.

Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro told the commission this week the purchase would improve police pres-

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

ence on the Boardwalk and make traversing the promenade easier for law enforcement personnel.

“Safety measures have been put in place at the Boardwalk,” he said. “To get vehicles from off the Boardwalk to on the Boardwalk can be a little bit cumbersome, opening the gates and whatnot.

This vehicle can be placed up there for many hours throughout the day, almost exclusively for the Boardwalk.”

In fiscal year 2021, the police department budgeted $38,000 to replace the sally port doors at the Public Safety Building. But in its selection of non-in-

The town’s police commission supports the purchase of the Kawasaki Mule Side by Side.

Submitted Image

sulated doors, the police department discovered it would save $14,108.

To that end, Buzzuro came before the commission this week with a plan to purchase a Kawasaki Mule Side by Side using those savings. The police department would need to find the remaining $5,887 in its operating budget to meet the cost of the vehicle, estimated at $19,995.

“The savings on not insulating the doors leaves about $5,887 that would need to be covered for the cost of this, and we believe we can absorb this within our budget,” he said. “Obviously, we are presenting it to you first.”

City Manager Doug Miller told the commission that unbudgeted items costing more than $15,000 needs council approval.

“It’s an unbudgeted expense, even

August 14, 2020

though it can be covered internally,” he said.

Officials noted the six-passenger vehicle is small enough to access the Boardwalk and can be used on the beach. But Councilman Matt James questioned if the department had explored other options.

He noted that other departments had similar vehicles. Using the same model, he said, the town could save on maintenance costs.

“We can make sure that’s taken into consideration,” Buzzuro replied.

Buzzuro added the department would save money by using spare parts to up fit the vehicle.

“As you all know, the cost of up fitting a vehicle is considerable …,” he said. “We should be able to cover that with existing surplus parts from other vehicles in the fleet.”

With no further discussion, the commission voted 3-0 – with James, Mayor Rick Meehan and Council Secretary Mary Knight in favor – to send the request to the council for consideration.

Council President and commission member Lloyd Martin was absent from the meeting.

“I know we talked about visibility on the Boardwalk in terms of vehicles being up there,” Buzzuro said. “This may be a reasonable alternative to a cruiser being up there … Also the beach will be accessible by using this Mule.”

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STAFF WRITER

OCEAN CITY – While the total number of service calls decreased in the month of July, a report on police activity highlighted an increase in calls related to disorderly conduct, domestic incidents, and theft, among other things.

On Monday, Ocean City Police Chief Ross Buzzuro presented the Ocean City Police Commission with an update on police activity for the month of July.

Last month, officer calls for service decreased 30% – from 7,204 calls in July 2019 to 5,046 calls in July 2020 – and citizen calls for service increased 12.6%. In the top 25 calls for service, the department reported 1,075 911 hang ups, 857 calls to assist citizens and 1,320 calls for city ordinance violations.

“When we delve in a little deeper into the top 25 calls for service, the No. 1 call for service was city ordinance violation. Last year we were just under 3,000. This year there were 1,320, which is a decrease of 1,659,” Buzzuro said. “Probably the best reason for this is just the prioritization in activity. Officers have been busy spending time dealing with offenses going on with other incidents, prioritizing their enforcement efforts but not necessarily in terms of city ordinance violations.”

Councilman and commission member Matt James also attributed the decrease to fewer Boardwalk patrons.

He noted most ordinance violations occurred on the promenade.

“We probably saw less people on the Boardwalk this year than last year,” he said.

Buzzuro noted that calls for theft and malicious destruction of property increased last month. The police department also reported a nearly 100% increase in calls for domestic assaults, which Burruzo attributed to stay-athome measures associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a direct correlation to COVID and people being inside together…,” he said. “This is not just a trend in Ocean City. This is virtually throughout the country.”

Buzzuro also noted that disorderly calls increased from 487 in July 2019 to 656 last month.

“That is a gauge for us as far as behavior throughout town,” he said.

In July, the police department reported 444 custodial arrests, 39 drug arrests and 102 drug citations for marijuana.

“Drug citations have doubled from where they were last year from marijuana,” Buzzuro said. “We continue to address this burgeoning issue.”

Buzzuro noted that enforcement for Boardwalk smoking also remains a priority for the police department. For example, the number of smoking citations increased from 17 in July 2019 to 44 last month, representing a 159% increase.

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Resident First To File For District 3

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

BERLIN – A retired professor of economics is the latest citizen to add his name to the ballot for this fall’s municipal election.

Daniel Packey filed this week to run for the District 3 council seat. Packey, who moved to Berlin a little more than a year ago, said retirement had given him some free time and he wanted to give back to the community.

“I’m just a concerned citizen trying to help,” he said.

Packey said he spent years as a professor of economics, recently in Australia, and had also done government consulting work during his career. Upon retiring to DANIEL PACKEY Berlin to be closer to his grandchildren, he decided to get involved in the community. He became the first candidate to file for the District 3 council seat — which is currently held

by Elroy Brittingham — on Tuesday.

Packey believes his career has prepared him to be an effective councilman.

“I’ve got economic expertise that might be beneficial,” he said.

He said the biggest challenge facing

the town right now was dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the town had to deal with the health crisis itself and make sure its businesses remained economically viable. He added that the money tied to all of the events and activities that have been canceled this year should be saved.

“Some of that money should be put aside for next year,” he said.

Packey is the ninth candidate to file for a seat in the town’s Oct. 6 election.

Five candidates — incumbent Gee Williams, Councilman Zack Tyndall, Jennifer Allen, Bill Todd and Ron Bireley — are running for mayor. Residents Jay Knerr and Tony Weeg are running for the at-large council seat. Resident Jack Orris is running for the District 2 seat and Packey is running for the District 3 position with three weeks to go until the town’s Sept. 4 filing deadline.

While the town is encouraging absentee voting as a result of COVID-19 concerns, citizens will be able to vote in person on Oct. 6. Polling locations, which will be Buckingham Presbyterian Church for Districts 1 and 2 and the Berlin Police Department for Districts 3 and 4, will be operated with physical distancing and face mask requirements.

Election information can be found on the town’s website, berlinmd.gov.

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Voters Return Incumbents, Perrone Appointed President

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

OCEAN PINES – Voters returned two incumbents to the Ocean Pines Association’s board of directors.

A ballot count on Friday revealed that incumbents Colette Horn and Doug Parks received the most votes in this summer’s election. Parks collected 2,206 votes, Horn 1,801 and challenger Stuart Lakernick 1,149.

“We express our appreciation to all of the candidates who have volunteered to serve our association,” said Steve Habeger, chairman of the elections committee, as he announced vote totals Friday.

According to a preliminary report from the committee, 6,975 ballots were mailed. A total of 2,759 ballots were counted on Friday, for a return of 39.6%, including 2,745 scanned ballots and 14 manually counted ballots. The committee reported that 20 ballots were rejected, including 18 which were marked improperly or included comments on the ballot, and two which used improper return envelopes. Another 60 ballots were not counted because they were received one day after the Aug. 5 deadline. Including the rejected and late ballots, the 2020 return rate was 40.7%.

For last year’s election, 7,957 ballots were mailed and 3,073 were counted, for a 38.6% return rate.

Also in 2019, seven ballots were declared invalid, including four which were marked improperly or included comments on the ballot, and three which voted for more than the allowed number of candidates. Forty-six ballots were received after the voting deadline, including 42 received two days late and four received four days after the deadline.

Including rejected and late ballots, the total 2019 return rate was 39.2%.

In addition to selecting two candidates for the board of directors, this summer’s ballot asked voters if they’d support electronic voting in the future.

Habeger said there were 1,581 votes, or 65.8%, in favor of electronic voting and 822 votes, or 34.2%, were not in

favor.

“It’s almost two to one in favor,” Habeger said. “In the future the committee can take a look at that.”

In a prepared statement, Parks said this week, “I wanted to take a moment to share a word of appreciation to the Election Committee for the work they did in handling the election process. I also want to thank those members of the Ocean Pines community that voted for me, as it showed a level of confidence in my contributions as a member of the Board and the association’s president for the last four years.”

Parks added, “As I begin a second term on the Board, my focus is moving forward with strategic planning to address a number of issues, including the upcoming fiscal budget and the required follow-up on the drainage project. These two particular issues are of paramount importance and will be a priority for me both now and throughout the rest of the fiscal year. Another goal is to continue to promote the team aspect of our approach to managing the issues we face. The open dialog, different perspectives and view-

Page 25

points, as well as the ability to share information and take a professional approach in discussing those perspectives and viewpoints, are all important aspects we need to continue. I am glad to have been elected again and am ready to continue my work for the next three years in service to the Ocean Pines community.”

For her part, Horn added her appreciation to the elections committee and to voters who cast their voices. “… I very much appreciate the confidence placed in me by those who voted for me, and for the many calls and emails I received wishing me well in my second term,” she said. “It’s nice to know that in the year of the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage in the U.S. being a woman candidate is no longer considered a liability. This year, 65% of ballots cast had a mark next to my name. That says something about voters’ ability to look at candidates’ value, not just their gender. “ Looking ahead, Horn added, “As for my second term, I look forward to the opportunity to continue the good work this board has been doing over the past three years. At this point, the

things I want us to focus on are advancing our strategic planning process; keeping a close eye on the impact of the pandemic on our finances; and overseeing operations to ensure they continue to efficiently and effectively meet performance goals. We must also keep our focus on the initiatives our GM- and board-sponsored work groups we have been working on, such as the short term rental issue and the proposed drainage project around Bainbridge Park.”

Larry Perrone will take over as Ocean Pines Association president after a 4-3 vote during an organization meeting Wednesday at the Ocean Pines Golf Clubhouse.

Also decided during the meeting, Colette Horn will serve as Association Vice President, Camilla Rogers will continue as secretary, and Doug Parks will be treasurer. Each were unanimous choices and without opposition.

Board appointments included Michelle Bennett as assistant secretary and Steve Phillips as assistant treasurer. Directors agreed to keep the current legal counsel and auditing firm.

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Savings Allow For More Street Improvements In Berlin

Page 26

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

BERLIN – Additional street repairs will soon be underway in Berlin following approval from town officials this week.

On Monday, the Berlin Town Council voted unanimously to move forward with more street resurfacing as well as corrections to the sidewalks in Walnut Hill, which have become a hazard.

“It’s a huge safety issue out there,” Town Administrator Jeff Fleetwood said.

Fleetwood told the council Monday that ECM Corporation, hired earlier this summer, had completed roadwork on Harrison Avenue, Cape Circle, Flower Street, Showell Street and Bottle Branch Road, among other town streets. Because the work was done at a cost of $349,000 — less than the $550,000 the

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Roadwork So Far Under Budget

town had budgeted for street repairs — Fleetwood proposed having the company improve more streets this month.

He said he wanted to see Decatur Street, Mill Road, Branch Street, Hudson Street, Grace Street and another section of Flower Street addressed.

“We’re getting $2 worth of work for $1,” he said. “Right now we’re a little over three miles of streets with all of those. That’s significant.”

He said ECM Corporation could also address sidewalk problems in Walnut Hill. Though the streets and sidewalks within the development were believed to be private for years, Fleetwood said of-

ficials had recently learned they were in fact the responsibility of the town. Fleetwood said the elevation changes in the sidewalk there needed to be addressed because the situation had become hazardous.

“I’m well aware of folks being hurt,” he said.

He said the roots of trees in the neighborhood had caused the uneven sidewalks and that roots would be cut, under the direction of arborists, to minimize the issue.

Fleetwood said he’d gotten three prices for the sidewalk work and that ECM Corporation could do it for thou-

August 14, 2020

sands of dollars less than the other two companies he queried.

Mayor Gee Williams said that the additional work — the added streets, the sidewalks in Walnut Hill, a section of sidewalk on Pitts Street and an apron on Commerce Street — was expected to cost $150,000. That would bring the total spent to slightly more than $500,000, which would still leave more than $40,000 in the budget.

“We’re getting 40% more streets done than we originally had hoped for,” he said.

The council voted unanimously to move forward with the additional street and sidewalk work.

In an email to the town Monday morning, resident Jason Walter questioned whether all of the street work that had already been done by ECM Corporation had been authorized by the town.

Though the email was not addressed during Monday’s meeting, in an interview Tuesday Fleetwood said that there were two projects that had been done by ECM that had not been in the original contract but had been approved by him in recent weeks. He said he’d asked ECM to redo the entry aprons at Henry Park as well as the section of Evans Road between West Street and the railroad tracks.

“I made a decision on some stuff to be done which was well within my ($10,000) spending limit,” Fleetwood said.

Suspect Located With Gun, Drugs After Fleeing Scene

August 14, 2020

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – A Delaware man was arrested last weekend after nearly crashing his vehicle into a store near the Route 90 Bridge entrance, fleeing the scene on foot and being found with a loaded handgun and drugs.

Around 3 a.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to the area of 62nd Street and Coastal Highway for a reported crash. Upon arrival, the officer observed a vehicle had crashed next to a discount T-shirt store on the north side of Route 90 and smoke was emanating from the vehicle.

Witnesses told police they observed a suspect, later identified as Christopher Purnell, 31, of Wilmington, Del., get out of the crashed vehicle’s driver’s seat and flee north on Coastal Highway on foot. A description of Purnell was provided, and he was located by another OCPD officer in the parking lot of the Public Safety Building on 65th Street.

The OCPD officer spoke with Purnell, who reportedly said he was in the vehicle that had crashed, but was not the driver. However, a witness was brought to the scene and positively identified Purnell as the driver who had crashed the vehicle and then fled on foot. At that point, Purnell was placed under arrest for hit-and-run.

During a subsequent search, Purnell advised police there was a pistol in his backpack. Inside the backpack, OCPD officers found a Glock handgun with the magazine loaded, but the chamber empty. Purnell admitted the handgun belonged to him, according to police reports.

During a frisk of Purnell’s person, OCPD officers located two small bags containing Xanax and Adderall pills along with another bag containing marijuana. An OCPD officer pulled the City Watch surveillance footage of the crash and observed Purnell’s vehicle traveling north on Coastal Highway at a high rate of speed while approaching the Route 90 intersection.

Purnell reportedly attempted to make the turn from Coastal Highway to the Route 90 bridge. However, because of his high rate of speed, he was unable to successfully make the turn and the vehicle went up onto the sidewalk and into the grass before coming to rest near the T-shirt store.

Purnell was charged with possession of a loaded handgun, possession of controlled dangerous substances and numerous traffic violations including hit-and-run.

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Partnership Results In Major Conservation Easement

Page 28

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

BERLIN – A conservation easement in Somerset County will protect more than 1,000 acres of habitat for the American black duck.

The Lower Shore Land Trust (LSLT) last week announced a 1,066-acre conservation easement funded through a grant secured by Duck’s Unlimited from the North American Wetland Conservation Act to protect habitat for the American black duck.

“Projects like this protect habitat for

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Primary Goal To Protect Black Ducks

the entire region,” said Kate Patton, LSLT executive director. “Our region is a critical flyover for migrating waterfowl, such as black duck and other species such as the salt marsh sparrow and black rail. Marshes have been deteriorating and efforts to conserve adjacent land to allow for marsh migration is one tool for protecting the ecosystem. Outdoor recreation, such as sportfishing

and hunting depend on healthy ecosystems like this, but so do our blue crab populations. It’s really a win-win for our local economy and the environment.”

Patton began working on the large conservation project nearly a decade ago with Somerset County landowner Larry Leese, whose goal was to protect habitat for the black duck.

“This portion of Somerset County and the natural resources it supports have always been important to me, so I spent years piecing this property together to protect what I could,” Leese said. “Though it was a long process, I greatly appreciate the hard work of Ducks Unlimited, Lower Shore Land Trust, Maryland Environmental Trust, and all the other partners who helped me realize my vision.”

Patton also praised the partnerships that made the easement possible.

“We’re grateful for our strong partnership with Ducks Unlimited, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Maryland Environmental Trust,” Patton said. “This partnership was able to leverage funding from the North American Wetlands Conservation Act to conserve the property.”

Conservation projects typically take between two and four years, but with

August 14, 2020

limited funding in the region, Patton said this project dragged on longer than expected.

“We’re just so pleased that Mr. Leese hung in there and worked with LSLT to see the project through,” she said.

According to LSLT, the black duck has been in “precipitous decline” during the last few decades. The bird’s habitat will be preserved with this easement, which protects 36 acres of agricultural land, 330 acres of forest, 700 acres of emergent tidal wetlands, and thousands of linear feet of shoreline on Marumsco Creek and Pocomoke Sound.

“Even in Maryland, a state known for its land protection programs, a thousand-plus acre easement is a rarity,” said Jared Parks, LSLT’s land programs manager. “LSLT is grateful for the opportunity to work with conservationminded landowners like Mr. Leese and our federal, state, and local partners to preserve important habitats and our iconic landscapes.”

Though LSLT, Ducks Unlimited and Maryland Environmental Trust took the lead on the project, officials said it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Rural Legacy Program, the U.S. Department of the Navy, Wicomico County, and the Chesapeake Conservancy who all contributed funding for other projects to match the NAWCA grant funds.

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The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 29

Resort Not Supporting Planned Pop-Up Bike Week Events

Page 30

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – In the wake of OC BikeFest’s cancellation, resort officials are not throwing any support behind pop-up motorcycle events on the same weekend.

In late July, the OC BikeFest promoter announced she was cancelling the 2020 event due to public health and safety concerns during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The consensus in the weeks since the announcement is many of the bike enthusiasts will still come to Ocean City next month because it’s an annual tradition.

At least two unofficial and unplanned pop-up motorcycle events are in the works for the same weekend in September previously occupied by the official Ocean City bike week events, ac-

cording to City Manager Doug Miller, who briefed the Mayor and Council this week.

“Just so you know, because of COVID, we’ve had the cancellation of BikeFest this year,” he said. “The BikeFest promoter called us last week quite concerned there are two pop-up events that are going to try to take advantage of the bike enthusiasts that are going to come to Ocean City anyway. Many have reservations in Ocean City and it’s a good place to come whether there is BikeFest or not.”

Doug Miller said in the spirit of supporting the official OC BikeFest promoter’s decision to cancel her event in the interest of public safety, the recommendation is not to lend any support to the proposed pop-up events and disallow the use of any city property for them.

“We have taken the stance, unless the council feels otherwise, that we’re not going to support any pop-up bike events,” he said. “For example, for BikeFest, we have allowed trailer parking at the Park-and-Ride and unless you decide otherwise, we’re not going to do that. One of the pop-up promoters wants to do a bike parade through town and use the convention center and we’re not going to allow that.”

Special Events Director Frank Miller agreed.

“As everybody knows, the promoter chose to cancel BikeFest for reasons of safety, not just for her staff and the participants, but for the people in town,” he said. “I believe it is our intention to support that direction with regards to the pop-up events.”

Frank Miller said it would be counterintuitive to support the OC BikeFest

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promoter’s decision to cancel her event in the name of public safety and then turn around and support the proposed pop-up events planned to fill the void.

“If we’re going to support the promoter and stand behind her decision and not allow large events that could create gatherings of people and possible additional hot spots in town, I believe the right thing to do is not support any pop-up events,” he said.

Council Secretary Mary Knight agreed and said she supported the OC BikeFest promoter’s decision to cancel the official event.

“I agree 100%,” she said. “I was in the meeting with the promoter when she was pondering whether or not to cancel BikeFest. Her concern for Ocean City honestly touched me. Her concern was she did not want to give Ocean City a bad reputation. Anything we can do to dissuade the pop-up events, we should do.”

The council agreed with the decision not to support either of the pop-up events including a planned bike parade or the use of the convention center lot, for example. However, Councilman Matt James questioned the decision not to allow trailer parking at the Park-andRide in West Ocean City.

“I think even though the official event is not happening, a lot of bikers will still be coming to Ocean City because they probably expect the weather to be good, they already made hotel reservations and it’s something they look forward to every year,” he said. “Is there a reason why we couldn’t have trailer parking available because they can’t be on the street?”

Doug Miller said it was certainly possible, but wasn’t recommended in the spirit of discouraging the events.

“If that’s your desire, we can allow that,” he said. “We could, but our initial stance was that we weren’t going to do that.”

Under normal Bike Week conditions, participants can apply for permits to park trailers on certain side streets, park trailers at the municipal lot at 100th Street or park at the Park-andRide. James said with many of those other options not available, it might be a good idea to allow trailer parking at the Park-and-Ride.

“I just think it’s nice to have that available if we’re not going to allow trailer parking on the street and we know folks are still coming,” he said. “It might help us if we don’t have trailers parked in the side streets.”

Councilman Tony DeLuca agreed if the town knows bike enthusiasts are coming anyway, the Park-and-Ride should be available for trailer parking.

The consensus among the council was to allow it.

“I agree with Matt,” he said. “I think it tells people not to come here. I agree with not allowing the bike parade and the pop-up events at the convention center, but I think letting them park trailers at the Park-and-Ride is helpful to the city and alleviates some of the issues on the streets.”

OC’s Jellyfish Festival Latest Event Scrapped

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY SHAWN J. SOPER

MANAGING EDITOR

OCEAN CITY – About one month away from the 2020 Jellyfish Festival on the beach downtown, organizers this week pulled the plug on the planned scaled-down event.

Last year, the inaugural Jellyfish Festival was held on the beach in June including national, regional and local acts with theme-based entertainment on three state-of-the-art stages. The inaugural event also offered family-friendly interactive events including surfing and skateboarding competitions, ultimate frisbee, a fat-tire bike zone and other amenities along with vendors in the Jellyfish Tentacle Village.

In February, local event promoter Brad Hoffman and his private-sector company Live Wire Media requested and gained support from the town for a second Jellyfish Festival in June on the beach in the downtown area. The event, which would have included a scaleddown and less ambitious live entertainment featuring local bands, craft beers on the beach hosted by Shore Craft Brews, a cornhole tournament, an ultimate frisbee tournament, surf contests and other family-friendly events, was originally set for June 27-28.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and many of the town’s private and public special events steadily fell like dominoes throughout the summer.

As a result, Jellyfish Festival organizers moved the event to Sept. 12-13 in the hopes the state’s recovery plan would be far enough along to allow for special events and large gatherings of people.

However, the Jellyfish Festival team announced in a statement this week the challenges remain too daunting.

“More than a year ago, when we began planning for an exciting follow-up to the 2019 Jellyfish Festival, nobody could have seen coming how the world would change so drastically in a short amount of time,” the statement reads. “As the COVID-19 pandemic led to more stringent guidelines on social gatherings, the team at the Jellyfish Festival took great strides to create an event that would be safe and enjoyable, while still staying compliant with the public health policies and procedures put in place by our city and state leadership.”

According to the statement, canceling the Jellyfish Festival in September was a difficult but sensible decision in the current phase of the state’s recovery plan despite a recent decline in some of the key COVID-19 metrics in Maryland.

“Now, with the current state of the recovery plan in Ocean City and Worcester County, it constricts our event to the point of not being viable,” the statement reads. “We feel the safe and responsible thing to do then is to cancel the Jellyfish Festival. This is a difficult decision to make, but it’s the right one because we take the health of everyone involved– participants, staff, music performers, vendors and more – as our top concern.”

Hoffman and the Jellyfish Festival team said in the statement they were disheartened somewhat with the decision to cancel the event for this year, but promised to bring it back next year.

“We’re grateful for the support the Ocean City community has offered, and we feel we’re doing the right thing at the right time to keep everyone safe and healthy,” the statement reads. “In the meantime, Jellyfish plans to return to Ocean City next summer with a great event for all.”

The Jellyfish Festival team this year received no major financial contribution from the Town of Ocean City other than in-kind services such as public works and public safety assistance. For last year’s much larger and far more ambitious Jellyfish Festival, the town dedicated nearly $200,000 to the inaugural event.

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August 14, 2020

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 33

Apartment Buildings Proposed In Berlin

Page 34

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

August 14, 2020

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

The proposed 80-unit apartment complex would be located off Main Street north of Old Ocean City Boulevard.

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BERLIN – A property owner shared plans to build an 80-unit apartment complex on North Main Street with town officials this week.

Engineer John Salm met with the Berlin Planning Commission Wednesday to talk about his plans for Victorian Oaks, an 80-unit luxury apartment complex on seven acres on North Main Street. Commission members were quick to express concerns about the density of the project, which as proposed includes two four-story buildings.

“I understand what you’re trying to do but this is just one more step to Berlin becoming Salisbury,” commission member Ron Cascio said. “That’s how I feel.”

Salm’s property, located on the east side of Route 818, is not currently part of the town. The land is located north of Old Ocean City Boulevard and south of Route 50. According to Joe Moore, Salm’s attorney, the property would have to be annexed into the town so Salm could move forward with residential development, as the property is currently zoned C-2 commercial in the county. Moore pointed out that the property was in the town’s growth area and its development would fit in with the town’s comprehensive plan.

Salm said he and his wife had purchased the property in 2007 and moved their office there. They’ve also built

some self-storage units and leased office space on the site.

“It’s a good little complex,” he said.

“What I have envisioned is elsewhere on the property I think there is a real need for quality multi-family housing in close proximity to the center of town.”

He wants to build Victorian Oaks, which would include 80 units, a pool and a dog park, to meet that need. He said the project could foster connectivity between North Main Street and Berlin’s downtown.

“We’ll put in shared use path right on the front of our property,” he said.

Salm said the reason he was coming to the town with the project was because if he were to develop the land in the county, he would have to develop it commercially, as he didn’t have the sewer capacity for residential development.

“The only way I could have even contemplated this is the provision of public water and sewer,” he said.

Before beginning the annexation process, Salm said he wanted the commission’s thoughts on the project.

Commission member Newt Chandler said he thought the density was too much.

“It’s a huge building on the skyline over there,” he said. “I just think it’s a lot of people. Where are they going to go? What are they going to do?”

Moore said they would find plenty to do downtown.

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… Commission Concerned About Density

August 14, 2020

Berlin,” he said. “It’s not like going to Crisfield… I’ve lived here longer than anybody in this room’s even been alive and I’m now making reservations to go to the Atlantic Hotel or standing in line at Blacksmith. I know that’s not the way you meant it but there’s plenty to do.”

Commission member Matt Stoehr said he thought the project was needed in the area.

“Housing is skyrocketing in Berlin,” he said. “Most people can’t afford to move to Berlin and I know people who want to live downtown but they just can’t … To me this is something I’ve been waiting for Berlin to look at for awhile.”

He added, however, that pedestrian access to the downtown area would be critical with such a development.

Cascio said the project was similar to Oceans East.

“The people who live here don’t like it,” he said.

Moore said there were a lot of differences between the two projects.

“As far as density? As far as the structures being huge?” Cascio replied.

“I’m totally against annexation for residential use that the town’s people will end up subsidizing. That’s exactly what happens with residential subdivision when it’s out of town. We end up subsidizing.”

Salm said the property could be developed as contractor shops, warehouses, self-storage or small retail with its

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

current sewer capacity and zoning.

“It’s going to get developed one way or the other,” he said.

Cascio said he was simply speaking up for the people he represented.

“At some point Berlin is not going to be the town that people want to come to anymore,” he said. “I know people who are ready to move out with some of the stuff that’s going on.”

Moore pointed out residential development on the site would lead to less traffic than commercial development.

When Cascio again referred to the project’s “massiveness,” Salm said it would provide residents with access to Berlin’s downtown.

“We want proximity, we want connectivity, to the center of town,” he said. “Putting this out somewhere else doesn’t seem to make sense.”

Chris Denny, chair of the commission, asked if Salm was dead set on four-story buildings. Salm said changing the building size would change the economics of the project and that he’d have to rework his plans.

“I suggest you head in that direction,” Cascio said.

Stoehr asked if Salm had considered townhouses.

“The townhomes just can’t be built affordably,” Salm said.

Cascio said he would not support the annexation that would come as the first step in the potential residential development process.

Page 35

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Cops & Courts The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

First-Degree Burglary Charge OCEAN CITY – A Wilmington, Del. man was arrested on first-degree burglary and other charges last weekend after allegedly breaking into a downtown unit and swiping some change and a couple of vape pens.

Around 11:20 p.m. last Sunday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was dispatched to a residence on 16th Street for a reported burglary.

The officer arrived and met with the victim and a witness, both of whom reside together at the unit. The witness told police he came home from work and heard noises coming from the victim’s bedroom.

The witness said it was unusual because he knew the victim was at work.

The witness called his roommate’s name multiple times but got no response, according to police reports. The witness tried to open his roommate’s bedroom door, but a suspect on the other side, later identified as Deshon Sicard, 21, of Wilmington, Del., fought to keep the door closed.

The witness was eventually able to overpower Sicard and entered the room.

The witness told police he knew Sicard from previous parties, but that Sicard was not allowed in the residence anymore because he had been caught stealing things, according to police reports. The victim returned from work after learning of the alleged burglary.

According to police reports, the victim found an air conditioner had been moved so a person could crawl through the open window, the blinds were broken

and all of his drawers were open and his belongings were strewn about. The victim told police about $20 in quarters were missing along with two vape pens he had recently purchased valued at $30 each.

The victim and the witness followed Sicard using a GPS function on SnapChat and found he was at a residence on 16th Street. The OCPD officer went to the residence and met with a female who acknowledged Sicard was hiding inside. Sicard came out and was detained on suspicion of burglary. The witness was brought to the scene and positively identified Sicard as the man he had seen in the victim’s room.

When questioned, Sicard admitted being in the unit without permission and told police he went there to retrieve clothing he had left there weeks earlier.

He was arrested and charged with firstdegree burglary and other counts.

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arges last week after allegedly entering a closed downtown business and swiping numerous items of jewelry.

Around 5 a.m. last Wednesday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer responded to a business on South Baltimore Avenue for a premise alarm. Upon arrival, the officer did not see any of the doors to the business opened, nor did he hear the premise alarm. The officer shined his flashlight into the business to check for intruders, but did not see anyone, according to police reports.

At that point, the officer reportedly saw a suspect later identified as Austin Reisner, 18, of North Kingstown, R.I., run out of the northwest door to the business. The officer ran around to the front of the building and observed numerous items of jewelry and Reisner running south on Baltimore Avenue. The officer ordered Reisner to stop and the suspect said, “You got me. I’m not going to run,” according to police reports.

Reisner was reportedly holding a significant amount of merchandise from the store while he was taken into custody.

According to police reports, Reisner told police he was on vacation with his friends and they drove to the downtown business and parked in the parking lot.

Reisner told police the business’s door was wide open and he went inside and grabbed a bunch of items he wanted to purchase earlier. Reisner told the officer he did not know why he took the items, but he liked them. He then offered to pay for the stolen items.

The store manager arrived and confirmed no one was authorized to enter the business while it was closed. The manager valued the stolen items to have a value of around $280. The stolen items included three black wooden necklaces, two metal pendant necklaces, and a black bracelet with an anchor on it. The necklaces and bracelet still contained price tags indicating they belonged to the store. Reisner was charged with burglary and theft.

Blacked Out In Running Vehicle OCEAN CITY – Three people including parents and a juvenile were arrested on drug charges last weekend after the adults were found passed out in a running vehicle.

Shortly after midnight last Sunday, an Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer was patrolling in the downtown area when he was approached by two witnesses advising two people appeared to be passed out in a nearby vehicle.

The OCPD officer responded and observed a parked vehicle in the area of 2nd Street with the engine running.

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ear plastic bag contained heroin and possibly fentanyl. Hall said he purchased the drugs in Baltimore on his way down to Ocean City from western Maryland. A search of the vehicle revealed nine gel capsules of suspected heroin and other cutting agents including spent capsules on the floor on the driver’s side, another in the center console and one more on the floor on the passenger’s side. Hall, Lewis and the juvenile were each arrested and charged with various drug possession violations.

Motor Vehicle Theft Arrest OCEAN CITY – A Pennsylvania man was arrested on motor vehicle theft and other charges last weekend after a license plate reader on the Route 50 bridge alerted to the stolen car.

Around 6 a.m. last Saturday, a license plate reader on the Route 50 bridge alerted to a possible stolen vehicle entering Ocean City. An Ocean City Police Department (OCPD) officer observed a vehicle matching the description at North Division Street and Philadelphia Avenue. The officer followed the vehicle until more units could respond and it was pulled over in the area of 33rd Street.

The vehicle was occupied by three juveniles and one adult, later identified as Darnell Greer, 18, of Red Lion, Pa. After the occupants were removed from the vehicle, OCPD officers detected a strong odor of raw marijuana, according to police reports. In the trunk, police located a backpack containing a jar of over 10 grams of marijuana.

OCPD officers questioned Greer about the stolen vehicle and he allegedly motioned to one of the juvenile females and said, “her mom gave it back to her,” according to police reports. Greer appeared to know there was some dispute between the juvenile and her mother over possession of the vehicle, according to police reports.

As far as the marijuana found in the trunk, Greer acknowledged he knew it was in the vehicle but said the backpack was not his and did not divulge to whom it belonged, according to police reports. It was determined Greer elected to travel to Ocean City with the juveniles in a vehicle he knew the possession of which was in dispute. He was arrested and charged with motor vehicle theft and possession of over 10 grams of marijuana.

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The officer reportedly observed Andrew Hall, 29, of Middletown, Md. slumped over in the driver’s seat and appeared to be asleep. The officer also observed Brandi Lewis, 34, of Smithsburg, Md., slumped over in the passenger seat. In the back seat, the officer reportedly observed a male juvenile who had red, bloodshot eyes and was physically shaking.

The juvenile reportedly told the officer, “my parents are just sleeping,” and that nothing was going on. In Hall’s lap, the officer observed a clear plastic bag containing numerous clear gel capsules filled with a pinkish-white rock-like substance the officer identified as Scramble, or a combination of heroin and other cutting agents.

The officer reportedly knocked on the vehicle’s driver’s side window twice in an attempt to wake Hall. When Hall awoke, he appeared disoriented and disheveled and looked around as if he did not know where he was, according to police reports. When he awoke, Hall reached for the clear plastic bag, but the officer told him to put his hands on the steering wheel. Hall was then ordered out of the vehicle and placed in handcuffs.

The officer then attempted to wake Lewis, who was still completely passed out in the passenger seat. According to police reports, Lewis was disheveled and appeared disoriented much like Hall was when officers woke him up.

Lewis was ordered out of the vehicle, handcuffed and told to sit on the sidewalk. According to police reports, Lewis continually fell asleep while sitting on the sidewalk.

The juvenile was also handcuffed and agreed to speak with OCPD officers, according to police reports. The juvenile reportedly advised he knew Hall and Lewis both have a past history of drug use, but they were “supposedly” not currently using drugs. The juvenile also admitted he had smoked marijuana earlier in the day. According to police reports, the juvenile was shaking and shivering throughout his entire interaction with the officers despite the balmy August temperatures.

OCPD officers interviewed Hall, who told police the capsules found in the cl-

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

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Four Candidates Seek To Fill Vacant Executive Position

Page 38

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

SALISBURY – Four candidates have submitted their names for the vacant county executive position.

On Wednesday, Wicomico County Council President Larry Dodd released the official list of applicants for Wicomico County executive. Candidates include state Delegate Carl Anderton, local physician Rene Desmarais, former Wicomico County Finance Director Michele Ennis and Wicomico County Councilman Joe Holloway.

“The County Council by a majority vote of the members will fill the County Executive vacancy on or before September 9, 2020,” a statement reads.

On July 26, Wicomico County Executive Bob Culver, age 67, passed away after a months-long battle with liver cancer.

The county charter states that when a vacancy in the office of county executive occurs after the first 12 months of a term, the position must be filled by resolution with a majority vote of the county council within 45 days after the vacancy occurs.

To that end, the council began seeking applicants late last month to serve the remainder of Culver’s four-year term.

As Culver was a Republican, the applicants had to be of the same political affiliation.

Anderton – the District 38B representative in the Maryland House of Delegates – served as the mayor of Delmar from 2011 until his election as state delegate in 2014. He also served as president of the Maryland Municipal League from 2013 to 2014.

Holloway, who represents District 5 on the Wicomico County Council, was

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ical Center in Baltimore.

The application period for the position of Wicomico County executive ended on Aug. 11. But the county council office said the list of candidates will be updated if additional applications come in the mail that are postmarked on or before Aug. 11.

Two Berlin Zoning Changes Approved

BY CHARLENE SHARPE

STAFF WRITER

BERLIN – The Berlin Town Council approved zoning changes for the former Southern States property and the former Harley Davidson property this week.

The council on Monday voted unanimously to approve rezoning requests for both the Southern States property on Broad Street as well as the Harley Davidson property on Route 50.

Attorney Joe Moore told the council that the owner of the former Harley Davidson property, Two Farms Inc., was seeking a rezoning from B-1 town center to B-2 shopping district because it was more in keeping with surrounding properties. He pointed out that the true B-1 town center was more than a mile away. He said that neither of the property’s former uses even fit the B-1 designation.

“We are seeking to correct the mistake,” he said.

Moore added that the properties around his client’s parcel were zoned either C-2 if they were in the county or B2 if they were in the town.

“We believe very sincerely it is overwhelmingly a fact that it was a mistake in zoning,” he said.

Following a public hearing in which there were no comments, the council voted unanimously to approve the rezoning request.

The council also approved a subsequent rezoning request for the former Southern States property on Broad Street. Attorney Mark Cropper told the council his clients, who were purchasing the property, wanted to change the zoning from M-1 light industrial to B-2 shopping district. They’re hoping to turn the existing building on the site into a carryout restaurant and market.

Cropper said that while properties along the railroad track in Berlin had traditionally been zoned industrial, the town had changed.

“We’re all aware of the transformation Berlin has undergone over the past 10-15 years,” he said.

Cropper said a B-2 classification would be more appropriate for the property than the current industrial designation.

The council voted unanimously to approve the change.

Field Hockey Program Eyed In Worcester

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

BERLIN – Officials are hoping a new youth league will attract children to the sport of field hockey.

Beginning next month, the Worcester County Department of Recreation and Parks will host a new youth field hockey league.

“We had some residents in the Berlin area who had requested for field hockey to be an option for the youth in the area,” said Program Manager Kelly Buchanan.

Officials said the new program is designed to introduce the basic skills of field hockey through station exercises, fun games and drills. Participants will then apply the skills they learn to small scrimmage games.

“We are going to learn the fundamentals of field hockey and practice skills that are used in the game,” Buchanan said. “They will also compete against other teams in the league.”

The league, open to grades K-8, will run Sept. 12-Oct. 31. Buchanan said youth participating in the program will meet twice a week.

“There will be one weeknight, and everyone plays on Saturdays …,” she said. “The times vary depending on the age groups.”

As part of the youth field hockey program, the department will host an interest night on Thursday, Aug. 27, from

5:30-7 p.m. at the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex.

“It’s a 90-minute introductory experience for kids to try the sport before they sign up,” Buchanan said.

Buchanan noted the clinic is free and open to those interested in playing field hockey, and registration is not required.

“A lot of children have never played field hockey,” she said. “This night will be free to boys and girls interested in playing.”

The youth field hockey league will be held at the Northern Worcester Athletic Complex in Berlin from Sept. 12 through Oct. 31. Registration is $35 and $30 for each additional child.

Marketing Program Manager Brianna Dix said the league will be similar in structure to the department’s basketball and soccer programs.

“For field hockey we are following the same structure, but it’s a new sport to the Berlin area,” she said.

Buchanan encouraged youth to participate.

“Sports definitely help children develop character and develop relationships,” she said. “It also teaches responsibility and is important for socialization.”

For more information, contact Buchanan at 410-632-2144 ext. 2503, or email kbuchanan@co.worcester.md.us. The deadline to register is Sept.

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Day #1 – Online Only Bidding – Thurs. Sept. 10th @ 6:03 PM (125 Lots). Day #2 – Live Auction/Live Webcast Bidding – Fri. Sept. 11th @ 5:03 PM (375 Lots). Live Auction with Online Bidding will be available at ww.amauctions.com via PROXIBID! 500+ Lots in 2 Days including over 300 Decoys, Original Artwork, Primitives, Selection of Carved Fish Decoys, Firearms, Shotshell Boxes & much more! Sept. 30th, 2020: Online Only Auction at the A&M Auction Facility in Parsonsburg, MD. Selection of Estate Glassware, China, Primitives, Collectibles, Furniture & more! Feb. 5th, 2021: 15th Annual Firearm & Men’s Night Out Auction. Will feature a selection of Estate Firearms including: Rifles, Handguns & Shotguns.

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

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

Page 40

Theresa May Sise TIMONIUM – Theresa May Sise (nee James) passed away on Aug. 9, 2020, at home surrounded by her family.

Terry was born in Philadelphia, Pa. on May 28, 1932. As a young child, she lived a very modest life during the war years of World War II. In her young adult years, she loved to dance and go out “jitterbugging” with her friends five or six times a week. She worked in a high-end clothing store in PhiladelTHERESA MAY SISE phia and always dressed to the nines.

After marrying Joe and starting their family, they moved to Ocean City. Terry stayed very busy being a mom to her three children and working at Ocean City Elementary School and for the Taustin family at the fine dining Embers Restaurant. She was an active member of the Ocean City Volunteer Ladies Auxiliary, member of Ocean Lanes bowling teams and partnered with her husband in the 70’s as a small business owner of the Pizza Pub on 9th Street.

After the passing of her husband Joe in 1992, she moved to Baltimore County to live with her daughter Sharon and her son-in-law Cal. She worked at Genstar in Cockeysville for several years before retiring and actively volunteering at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. She was a member of St. Joe’s SSA and had a wonderful social life.

Terry was the beloved wife for 39 years of the late Harold Joseph “Joe” Sise, Sr. and devoted mother of Nanette Davila, Sharon (Calvin) Raver and Harold Joseph “Joe” (Beth) Sise, Jr. She was the loving grandmother of Sandon Davila, Amber Davila (Adam) Thompson, Brittannie Davila (Nathan) Zachmann, Shawn (Elodie) Raver, Brian (Catherine) Raver, Daniel (Lauren) Raver, Megan Raver (Jeremy) Monteiro, Ryan Sise and Michael (Allison) Sise, and great-grandmother of Darion Davila, Bella Zoccolillo, Astor Thompson, Lenox Thompson, Skylar Zachmann, Remi Zachmann, Noa Restencourt, Anayah Restencourt, Saylor Raver, Ella Raver, Nora Raver, Magnolia Sise and Annie Sise. She is also survived by her special caregivers Belen Moreno and Ana Arzola. Sister of the late Harry Edward James, Jr. Eleanor James (Arthur) Kelley and Charles Goudy (Rose) James.

Services will be held privately with the family. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Gilchrist Hospice 555 West Towsontown Blvd. Towson, Md. 21204 or to the St. Jude Children’s Hospital 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, Tenn. 38105.

Robert Ernest Porter BERLIN – Robert Ernest Porter, age 84, died on Aug. 3, 2020 at Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin.

Born in Baltimore, he was the son of the late Howard Clay Porter and Catherine Bosley. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 54 years, Barbara Jane Porter (nee Gownley) He is survived by his daughters, Marcia Waxman, and Laura Gonzalez. There are

Obituaries

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

two grandchildren, Emily Wells and Nicholas Finazzo. Also surviving, are his two sisters, Linda Amrhein and Carolyn Jayaraj. He was preceded in death by a daughter, Catherine Lynn Porter.

Mr. Porter had served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He later worked for Bethlehem Steel for many years. After retirROBERT ing and moving to the ERNEST PORTER Eastern Shore, he enjoyed gardening, arts and crafts, crossword puzzles, reading history books, and debating politics. An avid woodworker, he also loved to travel, and had visited Europe, Cancun, Mexico, and stateside, Florida. A family man, he most of all enjoyed spending time with his family and loved ones.

Cremation followed his death. A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. A donation in his memory may be made to Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center at coronavirus.jhu.edu.

Letters of condolence may be sent via www.burbagefuneralhome.com. Arrangements are in the care of the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin.

William M. Brown OCEAN PINES – William M. Brown, age 85, of Ocean Pines, died Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020 at home after a long battle with lung cancer. He is the son of the late Harry and Ruth Bitler Brown of Ocean City.

Bill was born in McKeesport, Pa. on Aug. 24, 1934. His family moved to Ocean City when he was 6 years old. Bill graduated from Ocean City High School in 1952. He was part of the eastern shore’s first basketball team to win a state title.

Bill worked for a short time at the Acme market in Berlin. In 1957, he married Lucille Hudson and was married for 25 WILLIAM M. years. Although they diBROWN vorced, they continued to spend time together as a family for holidays and special occasions. Bill graduated from Salisbury State Teachers College with a teaching degree in 1958. He served in the Army in 1958 as a cryptographer. After his tour of duty, he taught math and attended the University of West Virginia, where he received his Masters in 1971. During this time, he became vice principal of Stephen Decatur High School and then principal of the Worcester County Vocational Center in 1967. He retired in 1992 from the school board, but continued to repair and maintain the student’s lockers in Worcester County schools for 55 years.

Bill was a member of the Berlin Lions Club, receiving the Melvin Jones award for many years of service. He has also been a member of the Ocean City Golf & Yacht Club for 46 years.

During his retirement, he enjoyed up-

holstering furniture, cars and boats. He also enjoyed woodworking and was always designing things, including making fireplace mantels for Custom Tile in Parsonsburg.

Bill was known for having a kind generous heart. He was always helping others and never asking for recognition or anything in return.

He is survived by his children, Denise Gardner (Richard) of Salisbury, Dayna Schiff (David) of Selbyville and Kenneth Brown (Carrie) of Snow Hill; five grandchildren, Reese Pennington, Myles Pennington, Hunter Pennington, Rachael Phillos (Clinton) and Christopher Brown; many nieces and nephews; a special caregiver, Kathy Gray; and his kitties, Lexis, Max and TJ. He was preceded in death by his brothers, Dale “Dick” Brown, Neil “Buck” Brown and Gordon “Hut” Brown, and his sister, Marilyn Brown Balderson.

A celebration of his life will be held at the Berlin Lions Club on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020 from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the Worcester County Humane Society, P.O. Box 48, Berlin, Md. 21811.

Condolences may be sent by visiting www.bishophastingsfh.com

Alice Elizabeth Mantello WILLARDS – Alice Elizabeth Mantello, age 86, died on July 29, 2020 at Coastal Hospice at the Lake in Salisbury.

Born in Salisbury, N.H. she was the daughter of the late Carl Stewart and Annie Martell Stewart.

Mrs. Mantello had worked as a supervisor for Trimper’s Amusement Park in Ocean City for 34 years. In her spare time, she enjoyed reading, playing cards, eatALICE ing ice cream and hot ELIZABETH air balloons. Most of all, MANTELLO she loved spending time with her family.

She is survived by her children, Sarah Young and husband Clinton of Virginia, Theresa Collins and her husband Kenneth of Whaleyville, Alice Quay and her husband Raymond of Selbyville, Lisa Mantello of Willards, Anne Birch of Willards, Mary Estrada of Bel Air, Md. and Elizabeth Williams of Troy, N.Y. She was a loving grandmother of 30 grandchildren, 53 great-grandchildren and 18 great-great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Dominick A Mantello, daughters Carmen J. Prouty and Linda L Sawyer and grandsons Kenneth A. Collins II, and Luis A. Estrada.

Cremation followed her death. No formal services are planned at this time.

Letters of condolence may be sent via www.burbagefuneralhome.com

Mardell Elaine Habeck Ford POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Mardell Elaine Habeck Ford, 94, of Pompano Beach, Fla., passed away on July 28,

August 14, 2020 2020 at Broward General Hospital, from pneumonia and COVID-19. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Mardell was born on Aug. 29, 1925, in Waldorf, Minn. to the late George and Orpha Habeck. She graduated from Waldorf High School in 1942, and from Mankato Teacher’s College. She married her high school sweetheart, Raymond Ford, on June 29, 1946.

Mardell taught school for a few years before having children and losing her sight. She and her husband owned the Sun and Beach Motel in Ocean City and retired to Pompano Beach, Fla. in 1976.

She attended the Lighthouse of Broward County Center for the Blind for several years.

Mardell is survived by her four daughters, Mary Jo (Steve) Price, Ocean City, Patricia (Mark) Reed, Wellston, Ohio, Debra (Larry) Smith, Berlin and Sandy Dresser, Lake Worth, Fla. She is also survived by her sister, Barbara Hasher, Mankato, Minn.; nine grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; three great-great grand-children; and several nieces, nephews, cousins and numerous friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Raymond J. Ford; her brother Harlan Habeck; and a son-in-law, Emerson Dresser.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in Mardell’s memory to The Lighthouse of Broward County, Inc., (Florida School for the Blind) 650 North Andrews Avenue, Fort Lauderdale, Fla. 33311. (https://lhob.org)

Colleen Walsh Brown OCEAN CITY – Colleen Walsh Brown, age 78, passed away Saturday, Aug. 8, 2020 at the home of her dear friend in Ocean City.

Born in Metuchen, N.J., she was the daughter of the late William E. Walsh and Gladys French Walsh. Colleen was a warm and caring daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, teacher and friend. She will be truly missed by all who knew her.

Colleen was the devoted mother of Joanie Montaldi and her husband Marc and Maureen Cole and her husband Brad. The cherished grandma of Kendall Montaldi and Brady Cole. Colleen was the dear sister of David Walsh of New York, N.Y. and sister-in-law Barbara Walsh of Bryn Mawr, Pa. She was preceded in death by her brother, William T Walsh, and sisters Joan DeLorenzo, Patricia Cretzmeyer and Sheila Nodine. She is survived by many loving nieces and nephews.

Mrs. Brown had been a Catholic School Elementary Teacher for 42 years and during that time she taught at both St Bernadette’s School in Silver Spring, Md. and Immaculate Conception School in Towson, Md. Teaching and being with young children was Colleen’s COLLEEN gift and it also brought WALSH BROWN her much joy. She loved each and every one of her students and everyone knew Mrs. Brown and loved her. There are a few students who still keep in contact with her after all of these years. She taught her family, students SEE NEXT PAGE

Sole Source Vendor Requests OK’d

August 14, 2020

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

SALISBURY – Officials in Wicomico County agreed last week to waive the bidding process for the purchase of parts and equipment.

The Wicomico County Council voted unanimously Aug. 4 to use Alban Tractor LLC, J.G. Parks and Son, Vermeer and W.H.O. as sole source vendors for the purchase of equipment and parts within the public works department.

According to the county’s charter, all sole source purchases exceeding $25,000 must have the approval of five or more council members.

And before the county council this week was a request from Purchasing Agent Nick Rice and Deputy Public Works Director Mark Whitelock to waive the formal competitive bidding process for multiple purchases.

Officials said they had requested

... Obituaries

and friends many lessons in life merely by the way she chose to live hers.

Colleen’s unselfishness was on display in her daily acts of kindness. She never passed up an opportunity to help someone, lend a hand or do a good deed. She courageously fought a battle with cancer for over seven years, never one to complain and never one to let it get her down. She kept a smile and her face, lived life to the fullest and served as a true example and inspiration to all.

She was a very active member of St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Ocean City, where she attended daily mass and had many friends at the parish.

Ocean City and the beach were always very special to Colleen and she had enjoyed her years of retirement here. She was the treasurer and active member of the condominium association where she lived. Never one to sit still for long, Colleen was always doing something -- whether it was mowing the grass, replacing lights, painting doors, fixing stairs, cleaning, planting or putting up reindeer décor in the front yard at Christmas. She loved her home and took great pride in it.

Services were held. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the American Cancer Society.

Letters of condolences may be sent to the family via www.burbagefuneralhome.com

Doris Murray OCEAN CITY – Doris Murray, age 84, passed away on Thursday, March 12, 2020 at her home in Ocean City.

Born in Washington, D.C., she was the daughter of the late Joseph and Margaret Werres. She is survived by her husband, Roland N. Murray, Jr., and children, Michael John Murray of Ocean City, Debora A. Rafeedie and her husband Samir of Kirkland, Ariz.,

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

using Alban Tractor and J.G. Parks as sole source vendors because they were the only local dealers that could provide parts for the county’s Caterpillar equipment and Western Star truck fleet.

“The county public works’ roads and solid waste has a mix of International Peterbilt and Western Star trucks,” Whitelock noted. “These Western Star trucks are used for recycling bins, trash, that sort of stuff.”

Rice and Whitelock also included a request to use Vermeer and W.H.O. as sole source vendors, being the only dealers to provide parts for the county’s wood grinding equipment.

“It’s a big heavy-duty grinder,” Whitelock explained.

With no further discussion, the council voted 7-0 to make Alban Tractor LLC, J.G. Parks and Son, Vermeer and W.H.O. sole source vendors for fiscal year 2021.

Sharron M. Lewis of Ocean Pines, Kelley M. VonBlon of Ellicott City, Md., Patrice D Sabatano and her husband John of Pampano Beach, Fla. and Kristin M. Peterson and her husband Eric of Ocean City. There are 11 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Also surviving is her sister Margaret Cervoni of Gainesville, Va., and sister-in-law, Loretta Werres of Ocean View, Del. Preceding her in death were her two brothers, Joseph and Thomas Werres.

Doris was a loving wife and mother. After 32 years of child raising in her home in Silver SprDORIS MURRAY ing, Md., in the parish of St. John the Evangelist, she and her family moved to the sleepy little fishing town of Ocean City. She quickly became an active member in the Ocean City Ladies Club, the Ocean City Lioness Club and St. Luke’s Catholic Church. Since her husband was a member of the Knight of Columbus, she joined the support group, the Ladies Knights of Ocean City. She was a Eucharistic Minister, and a money counter at St. Luke’s where she also worked on the Bingo team, Crab Nite teams and breakfast teams. A volunteer at Atlantic General Hospital, she logged over 1,800 hours in the Ambulatory Surgery Unit and the Endoscopy unit in the Barrett Medical Building. Her children and grandchildren were happily invited to her beach home for cookouts, crab dinners, and many trips to the beach and Boardwalk.

A mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, Aug. 24, at 11 a.m. at St. Luke Catholic Church in Ocean City.

Rev. Paul Jennings will officiate. A donation in her memory may be made to the Ocean City Paramedics Foundation, P.O. Box 3099, Ocean City, Md. 21842, or Believe in Tomorrow House by the Sea, 13 66th St. Ocean City, Md. 21842. Letters of condolence may be sent via www.burbagefuneralhome.com. Arrangements are in the care of the Burbage Funeral Home in Berlin.

Page 41

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Managed Service Providers Take In-House IT To Next Level

Page 42

BY SAM CARD

SPECIAL TO THE DISPATCH

BERLIN – As the adage goes: It’s hard to find good help these days. Sam Card, CEO of Cards Technology, advises area business owners to leverage in-house IT support with cutting-edge outsourcing from an experienced managed services provider.

Q. What should business owners look for when hiring IT staff?

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Q&A WITH SAME CARD

A. This first step in hiring is to identify what skill set, line-of-business applications and system technologies your business uses and needs. Your goal is to hire a person who can keep your key systems running. So, your office manager’s kid brother who is good with computers is not who you’re looking for.

Depending on the technologies your business uses, your IT hire may need to know Azure, Office 365, servers and remote desktops, along with any other IT

solution you may be using. Commonly, you should look for engineering skills to match existing gaps in your technology management. From the novice level to an infrastructure architect, skills vary widely among IT professionals. Larger businesses can afford to hire multiple people with varying levels of expertise and usually have in-house technology departments. Smaller businesses need a managed services provider (MSP) because the monthly fee is often less than the cost of a full-time IT professional.

Once you’ve determined what skills and experience levels you need for your business, write a job description and training plan for the new employee. IT hiring is competitive, and if you don’t have a training plan coupled with a progressive career path, it will be difficult to get the right person.

Q. What are some of the consequences of hiring the wrong IT person?

A. Frequent problems and disruptions to your infrastructure are your first clue that your IT person is not adequately maintaining your systems. If your budget is set correctly, but your staff person doesn’t have the experience necessary to make the right decisions for your infrastructure, it will begin to stall. You should not have a

August 14, 2020

long list of technology issues.

It’s also important that your IT professionals understand how their department and decisions impact the business as a whole.

Q. What should businesses do if they can’t find the right IT talent?

A. It’s very difficult to find the perfect IT person. They have to have the right skill set plus the right personality to run the help desk and work with your endusers. One of the best working arrangements SAM CARD is to augment your internal IT staff with an MSP. MSPs serve as coaches and consultants to your team and bring extensive knowledge in a wide variety of IT solutions. Small- and medium-sized businesses with around 100 users often use an IT model that includes one or two inhouse IT professionals supported by an MSP. The in-house team handles routine operations and end-user needs, while the MSP takes care of higher-level activities, such as structuring IT budgets, strategic plans and implementing special projects.

(The writer can be reached at SCard@cards-tech.com. To learn more about Cards Technology, visit www.cards-tech.com.)

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August 14, 2020

Bank Adds Board Member OCEAN CITY – Bank of Ocean City announced Lauren Harper has been elected to join the Board of Directors.

Harper is a CPA for Faw Casson & Co., LLP where her core specializations are litigation support, tax planning, business consulting, fraud investigation and prevention, and tax compliance and consulting. Harper first began her employment with Faw Casson in 1996 and became a partner in 2012.

Harper is a 1993 graduate of West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administrations. She has attended various courses in fraud presented by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

She has also attended courses in auditing, acLAUREN HARPER counting, and tax presented by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the Maryland and Pennsylvania Societies of Certified Public Accounts and the New York University Institute on Federal Taxation. She became a Certified Fraud Examiner in 1996.

“I would like to personally welcome Lauren Harper to the Board of Directors for Bank of Ocean City,” said Bank of Ocean City President/CEO Reid Tingle.

“We are honored to add Lauren’s expertise in Accounting and Fraud Investigation to our Board and look forward to incorporating Lauren’s extensive education and experience. Lauren will be a true asset on our board as she shares our dedication to serving the community.”

Business The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

And Real Estate News Professional Emergency Management Program certification, along with numerous key program certifications through both the National Incident Management System and Incident Command System.

In her role with Worcester County government, Buck will take the lead in planning, developing, and maintaining the Worcester County Emergency Operations Plan, Hazard Mitigation Plan, and other emergency management and Homeland Security related plans, policies, procedures, guidelines, and documents. She will also oversee emergency instructional materials and public programs, including Community Emer-

gency Response Training (CERT).

Stroke Center Recognized SALISBURY – Peninsula Regional Medical Center and its Stroke Center received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

Peninsula Regional earned the award by meeting specific quality achievement measures for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients at a set level for a designated period. These measures include evaluation of the proper use of medications and other stroke treatments aligned with the most up-to-date, eviden-

Page 43 ce-based guidelines with the goal of speeding recovery and reducing death and disability for stroke patients. Before discharge, patients should also receive education on managing their health, get a follow-up visit scheduled, as well as other care transition interventions.

“A stroke patient loses 1.9 million neurons each minute stroke treatment is delayed. This recognition further demonstrates our commitment to delivering advanced stroke treatments to patients quickly and safely. We’re dedicated to improving the quality of care for our stroke patients by implementing the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke initiative,” said Dr. Muneshwar Tiwari of Peninsula Regional Neurology and Peninsula Regional’s Stroke Medical Director. “The tools and resources provided help us track and measure our success in meeting evidenced-based clinical guidelines developed to improve patient outcomes.”

Peninsula Regional Medical Center additionally received the association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll award.

Promotion Announced SALISBURY – The Bank of Delmarva President/CEO John W. Breda recently announced Alyssa Anderson was promoted within the corporation. Anderson joined the bank in 2018. She was recently promoted to the role of Branch Manager and loan officer for the North Ocean City location. Anderson has been in the finanALYSSA cial industry for over six ANDERSON years. She currently resides in Willards.

County Names New Planner SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Commissioners named Laraine Buck as the new emergency management planner within Worcester County Emergency Services (WCES).

Buck brings 17 years of experience in emergency services to this position.

Prior to joining Worcester County Government (WCG), she served as deputy director, emergency management safety coordinator, and risk manager within Wicomico County Emergency Services.

She was a member of the Salisbury Fire Department as a volunteer firefighter and a fire police officer, while serving as a member of the Board of Trustees and secretary for Station 1 with the Salisbury Fire Department and Station 9 with the Mardela Springs Volunteer Fire Department. Buck earned her Maryland

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Fenwick Committee To Tackle Storage Units, Parking Issues

Page 44

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

BY BETHANY HOOPER

STAFF WRITER

FENWICK ISLAND – A discussion on portable storage units and parking will be deferred to a resort committee at the behest of the town council.

The Fenwick Island Town Council voted unanimously last week to refer a discussion on portable on-demand storage units (PODS) and parking on private property to the town’s Charter and Ordinance Committee.

Last year, the town council voted to amend an ordinance, requiring permits for the use of PODS and dumpsters on private property. But officials noted the

ordinance did not include specific uses or size limits.

“I was part of the council that passed the original ordinance, and I think at the time when the discussion was being carried on by the Charter and Ordinance Committee, PODS were deemed necessary for people under construction,” Councilwoman Vicki Carmean said. “I think that part has also been left out of the ordinance, that the PODS should be used in construction situations when a residential or commercial property is being remodeled or constructed. I also think some consideration should be given to the size of the PODS.” Councilman Mike Houser noted the

August 14, 2020

Charter and Ordinance Committee could also discuss enforcement measures for parking on private property.

He said he had received complaints of large-scale parking on open, private property, most notably at a church parking lot on Dagsboro St-reet.

“In one instance on Dagsboro Street, more than 20 vehicles, mostly with outof-state licenses, disgorged beachgoers onto the streets without masks and not socially distanced …,” he said. “This is not healthy. In addition, it is avoiding town parking apps and permit fees.”

Carmean agreed something should be done to address the issue.

“I think it’s a question of enforcement

and we’ve been through this before … ,” she said. “I’ve always heard there’s no way to enforce it. I really think there has to be some way we can revisit this and maybe make improvements.”

Officials noted parking on private parking affected town revenues. Town Manager Terry Tieman noted the importance of working with property owners to address illegal parking.

“If the owners so chose, they can say you have the right to ticket anybody in this lot and we could do that,” she said.

Houser agreed.

“The key element in this is authorization by the private property owner,” he said.

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To Sponsor A Pet, Call 410-641-4561 • Annually, 10% Of The Proceeds From This Page Are Donated To The Shelter

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Park Place Jewelers-Boardwalk & 2nd & 3rd St. And OC Factory Outlets • 410-213-9220

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THE DISPATCH’S PETS OF THE MONTH

August 14, 2020

Pet’s Name: Noodle Pet’s Age/Breed: 11-year-old mixed breed Pet’s Owners: McCrea family

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Pet’s Name: Luke Pet’s Age/Breed: 6-month-old Devon Rex kitten Pet’s Owner: Evelyn Houston

Pet’s Name: Max Pet’s Age/Breed: 14-year-old miniature dachshund Pet’s Owners: Joy & Dave Cruess

Page 45

Pet’s Name: Tobi Pet’s Age/Breed: 8-year-old collie Pet’s Owners: Jack & Andrea Barnes

EDITOR

STEVE GREEN

Pet’s Name: Maeve Pet’s Age/Breed: 3-month-old Cavapoo Pet’s Owners: Michael & Heather Reid

The Dispatch presents the latest edition of its Pets of the Month Contest.

Each month one special animal, or two, in some cases, is picked as the cutest photo of the bunch through a private vote of our staff. Here we present this month’s pets, submitted by our readers.

On the front page is last month’s winning entry, Lenny, owned by Gerard Zitnik.

Those interested in participating in future months’ contests are invited to send their lovable pet photo to us at editor@mdcoastdispatch.com (preferred) or to P.O. Box 467, Berlin, Md. 21811 or drop it off at our office in Berlin at 10012 Old Ocean City Blvd.

Please be sure it’s a high-quality photo suitable for reproduction and to include your mailing address, the pet’s name, age and breed and the owner’s first and last name. The next series will appear in this space on Sept. 11.

Pet’s Name: Sir Thomas Watermelon Pet’s Age/Breed: 14-week-old rescue kitten Pet’s Owner: Elliott Markley

Page 46

The Dispatch

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Aviation Service Should Be Spared Budget Cuts The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

August 14, 2020

HOW WE SEE IT

It was a surprise to hear a proposal to cut the Maryland State Police’s aviation service on the shore is seriously being considered by the Maryland Board of Public Works (BPW).

In these times of severely declining revenues amid mostly stable expenses, there will be major cuts made by governments across the country. In the case of Maryland, a deficit of at least $1.5 billion has been forecast for the next fiscal year.

It has been known all through the health pandemic the consequences to the economy would be massive and likely require reserve fund allocations.

With the health crisis taking center attention this spring, the fiscal realities were put on the back burner. The gravity of the financial disaster caused by the pandemic is now beginning to be weighed and calculated, including at last month’s BPW meeting.

Major cuts were authorized from the budget including $131 million in college aid, $2.5 million from the Attorney General’s Office and $1.6 million in funding for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Among many other reductions consid-

ered but not decided is about $1.3 million in funding for the Maryland State Police through a closure of an aviation base and the grounding and selling of one of the agency’s helicopters. Trooper 4 services the Lower Shore, including Ocean City, and Trooper 6 is based out of Easton and covers the central shore.

They are both under consideration.

Eliminating either of these emergency air services would be devastating to the shore. In years past, we have covered several instances when families have been bilked out of thousands of dollars by private air transport operations to Shock Trauma or Johns Hopkins when the MSP service is on another call. Families have faced the immediate decision of saving their loved one’s life while utilizing a service that cost them as much as $50,000, which has been the case in several examples in recent years.

Along with the harshness of those personal situations, there is a major public safety component to this decision. The aviation operation has saved countless lives over the years. One life spared in a year is enough to jus-

tify its safety from budget cuts, but the fact is this valuable emergency service saves many lives each year.

State Senator Mary Beth Carozza is right when she said, “The possible budget cuts to the Eastern Shore’s MSP medevac services truly would have a life-threatening impact to my constituents and other shore residents, including those living in remote, rural areas of the shore. I understand in the current fiscal COVID-19 environment that cuts to Maryland’s budget are inevitable. However, I understand there are other professional analyses that have identified alternative savings rather than making detrimental, life-threatening cuts to the critical services provided by Trooper 4 and Trooper 6 on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. … I urge you to reject any budget cuts or proposals that would threaten the life-saving services of MSP Aviation on the shore.”

All budget cuts are deemed difficult by officials, but those involving lives and public safety should be spared even in the most desperate and unprecedented times.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Schools, Parents Make Right Choices Editor: Would you feel like a responsible parent if you sent your precious child, pre-teen or teen off to school in the middle of a worldwide pandemic with the dire prognosis of it getting worse in the fall when the school year usually begins?

What about your neighbor's children, or the children of other family members and friends that are facing the same decisions of whether to send their children back to school in the fall amidst one of the deadliest pandemics that we've had to face within our lifetime?

Does your heartfelt empathy go out to them as well?

And how do you feel, knowing that most schools will not receive any additional funding unless they open their doors in the fall, forcing parents and schools to choose between the welfare of the children, or the economic benefits of receiving desperately needed funds for teachers, supplies, programs, etc.

Parents should not be forced to be “Hansel and Gretel” parents, leading their helpless and trusting children out into a pandemic wilderness to meet their grim fate.

Many schools are planning to open with online classes, as dictated by common sense and science. The probability of budget concerns and not being able to adequately prepare and exe-

cute the extensive precautionary measures that would have been necessary to ensure the safety of students was most likely another important factor in the decision to go with online classes.

We are thankful that schools and teachers have decided not to play the “Hansel and Gretel” deadly game of forfeiting our children's welfare in exchange for short term economic gains.

We salute and congratulate our teachers and school systems for making the right choice.

Rosa Perdue Berlin

Virtually Overwhelmed Editor: On July 18, people gathered “virtually” for the 12th Jesse’s Paddle, a fundraiser to support the Jesse Klump Suicide Awareness & Prevention Program and the Jesse Klump Memorial Scholarship. We usually host 150-plus guests on the Pocomoke River for a day to celebrate life, but the pandemic prevented us from doing so this year.

We had no idea what to expect.

Would our supporters join us on social media? Would the online silent auction, the online kayak raffle, and the online donations tab substitute for the many hugs and well wishes we enjoy at the river’s edge in Snow Hill?

The community responded in astounding numbers, an outpouring of generosity and love. From as far away

as Austin, Atlanta and Barcelona people sent photos and videos of the day’s outdoor activities, live concerts, and messages of hope and caring. We exceeded our fundraising goal of $20,000, donations which will be largely invested in suicide prevention education in this time of unparalleled crisis.

I speak for our board, our staff, our volunteers and those whom we serve when I say how truly grateful we are.

The donations are wonderful, but as important is the affirmation that our work is valued and necessary that the gifts represent. To the entire community, we are overwhelmed by your generosity.

Kim A. Klump Snow Hill (The writer is the president of The Jesse Klump Memorial Fund, Inc.)

Benefit Support Appreciated Editor: The arts are alive and well in Ocean City. The Art League’s online “100 Pieces of heART” Benefit Auction ended Aug. 1 and raised more than $12,000 to support our nonprofit programs. We are overwhelmed by the magnanimity of our community.

Thank you to the multitude of artists who so generously donated work to the auction. Artists are the heart of our organization, and it is their dedication and enthusiasm for their craft that keeps the SEE NEXT PAGE

August 14, 2020

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Art League and the Ocean City Center for the Arts open and free for all.

Our appreciation also goes out to those who bid and won an original work of art. Bids came in from all over area and beyond, and got very competitive in some cases. We are so grateful for everyone’s support and very encouraged that art is still a light for many in these uncertain times. Thank you.

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

City’s Campus Plan Has Cost Taxpayers Editor: On July 3, 2020, OC Today, published an article entitled “DPW campus facility project ahead of schedule by month” by Josh Kim. Josh had interviewed Hal Adkins, Director of Public Works, about the progress being made at the “Campus Plan” at 65th Street. I read in the article that “…Adkins said the city did not pay single dime for transit-related portions of the project – aka the bus barn, bus fuel depot, driver/administrative building, etc.” I do not accept the fact that the town has not spent a single dime on transit related portions of the Campus Plan Project.

What had been reported as a $25 million project has actually cost the federal, state and Town of Ocean City over $36.8 million. What had been reported as costing the Town $11 million for the project, has really cost the town over $18.9 million.

In 2010, the town went to the bond market to purchase property behind the 64th Street Shopping Center for $5 million. Interest paid on that bond to date is in excess of $2 million. As part of the Campus Plan the town has constructed a Surface Parking Lot on that property with a 50%/50% cost share with the Maryland Transportation Administration (MTA). The combined $7 million for the land alone is a lot more than a “single dime”.

In order to qualify for Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) pass thru funding administered by the MTA, there has to be a local match, usually about 10% of the total cost of the project. The town was able to establish that the value of the land on which the transit fun-ded structures sit qualifies as a “Soft Match”. A Soft Match is a concept whereby the FTA allows you to put up a non-cash contribution such as the value of the land as your required match. There are six specific parcels of land on which these federally funded projects will sit encompassing 155,724 square feet or the equivalent of 3.57 acres, and valued at $3,916,474. This land value is well over 10% of the federal funds being spent on the transit upgrades.

When you have to put up the value of your land and restrict its use, that is the same as putting up money.

Considering the fact that these town parcels are now dedicated to transit projects and their uses are severely restricted to transportation, how is it

Between The Lines

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

that the town has not put up a “single dime”?

When you add the $11.7 million spent to date by the town on the Campus Plan to the $7 million paid to date for the parking lot property and you add in the value of the land dedicated to transit related projects in excess of $3.9 million, you realize that the town really has over $22.6 million invested in the Campus Plan. Again, I submit that it is a lot more than a “single dime.”

Vincent dePaul Gisriel, Jr. Ocean City

Watch Income Tax Rate Editor: It looks like the Worcester County Commissioners have found the goose that can lay the golden egg to get more money from the taxpayers with little public opposition. In this situation, the golden egg is the local tax rate applied to income made by residents who live or work in the Worcester County.

Maryland’s individual income tax system is comprised of a state component and a county component. For 2000 to 2015, the Worcester County tax rate was 1.25%. This percentage generally resulted in Worcester County obtaining yearly revenue of $13.6 million. In 2016, recognizing that the Worcester County had not been raised in years, the Commissioners increased the local tax rate to 1.75%.

This increase resulted in the County obtaining $22.5 million.

Finding little opposition to increasing the local tax rate, in the budget for 2021, the commissioners set the Worcester County tax rate to 2.25%. This increase is estimated to bring in $26.5 million. In a period of six years the county commissioners have increased the local tax rate from 1.25% to 2.25% or an 80 percent increase.

What is amazing about this whole process is that the commissioners are approving the increases with very little public opposition. One reason could be that the Worcester County and Maryland tax are collected throughout the year by payroll deduction. Since the money is withheld from a pay check, many people never pay attention to the full amount collected during the year. If taxpayers had to make one large payment, such as payment of their property tax, they would easily know the total amount they were paying to the County for income taxes.

With such information, we may have the same demonstrations that show up in Snow Hill when the commissioners propose a small property tax increase.

I urge all Worcester County residents to monitor Commissioner meetings and voice their opposition to any increase in the Worcester County income tax rate.

Joseph Potter Ocean City

Check Out The Dispatch’s E-dition Online At www.mdcoastdispatch.com

Page 47

By Publisher/Editor Steve Green

Ocean City has faced several tough decisions since March, but an easy call to make soon is to shut down its fall marketing campaign and bank those dollars planned for next spring.

During last week’s Tourism Commission meeting, a frank conversation was had about continuing forward with the originally planned $480,000 marketing campaign of “Let’s Keep Summer Going.” Along with this campaign, two other options were discussed last week. One consideration pitched was to not allocate any money to marketing this fall and let the year play out without advertising visiting the resort. A hybrid approach reduced the campaign price tag to $280,000 and included only digital marketing efforts.

Acting Tourism Director and Communications Manager Jessica Waters summed up the choice saying, “We have the opportunity to advertise in the fall, but there’s a lot to consider. With the COVID restrictions still in place and the staffing issues for a lot of businesses, we can do nothing, we can advertise in all of our mediums or we can just go digital. Do we want to save the $480,000 for the spring? There are just a lot of uncertainties.”

Though it’s always sound policy to review all options, it would be foolish for Ocean City to market this fall. It’s counterproductive to the realities of the current climate and concerns about what’s looming in the fall to spend money encouraging people to make vacationing plans. Many business owners I have been speaking with lately have immediate plans to scale down their options after Labor Day. This summer has been a bear. Though there has been business, everything has been difficult, thanks to staffing issues, concerns over positive tests among personnel and cranky, entitled visitors who often become abusive. Some business are planning to be open only on weekends, while others, especially restaurants, might just shut down operations when the weather turns because 50% of inside dining is not going to cut it. Ocean City would be wise to save this money and craft a special marketing program revolving around a “welcome back to the beach” type of campaign in the early spring months.

Ocean City Councilman Matt James, whose family operates the Carousel Group Hotels, put it well. “My feeling is let’s lick our wounds for 2020 and get ready for 2021,” he said. “I think we should regroup and have a really robust program ready for 2021.”

In the end, the commission recommended not spending the money in the fall, but the full Mayor and Council has an opportunity to weigh in first.

While officials were not willing to go on the record to explain in detail the removal of the town’s former administrative director last September, it’s become clear in recent months Berlin’s elected officials were either deliberately kept in the dark on certain things or were not attuned enough to the business at hand. It’s likely a combination of both.

Former Town Administrator Laura Allen was fired last September for undisclosed reasons. Mayor Gee Williams at the time said, “what was necessary was due to multiple issues.” What was known was the relationship had soured quickly and town decision makers had lost faith in her. The termination, which came about 20 months before her contract expired, cost the town about $68,000, which amounted to about three months of pay and accumulated vacation time.

In the months since, it’s become evident the council was kept in the dark on far too many matters, including the town’s finances as well as certain aspects of the chemical spill at the beleaguered Heron Park. It was always known transparent handling of the park disaster was part of the problem, but over the last month it’s become clear town officials were not aware of how poorly the town’s finances had been handled until major tax increases were needed to get the town out of a clear financial pickle. The problem had been the transferring of money from the general fund to support the sewer fund. This week’s comments from Mayor Gee Williams confirm once again he and town council members were seemingly unaware of the practice of shifting funds from the operating budget to cover losses. He said this week if officials knew how poorly the funds were performing they would have raised the specific fees.

“If operating expenses are greater than what was budgeted then we can adjust the fees,” the mayor said. “This is something that property taxes has nothing to do with. The fees for each department are supposed to be self-supporting. It was the sewer fund that wasn’t self-supporting. We didn’t know about it for years and when we did we paid a big price, but I think if we have that, if we can see a trend, and that is part of that quarterly report, we can address this before. We can change fees.”

To avoid future blindsides requiring drastic tax and fee increases, the town’s elected officials will now receive quarterly reports detailing budget performance as well as create a reserve policy to ensure the town’s “rainy day” fund is in a healthy position, which the town believes is about 16% of operating expenses.

Page 48

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I

The Adventures Of Fatherhood

By STEVE GREEN

t was an eventful week for our 12-year-old kid and appears to be an expensive month coming up for his parents.

On Monday, Beckett had a teeth cleaning and I wasn’t prepared for what I heard. Because I’m scatterbrained most days, I wasn’t thinking the topic of orthodontics would come up at this appointment.

I fully expected to hear concerns from his dentist about not flossing enough and wearing out his gums with his death grip during brushing. I assumed there would be a cavity as well because his toothbrushing seems generally to be lacking. I would have been thinking about braces or Invisalign coming up if I knew he had lost all his baby teeth. I should have realized that, but again the brain is scattered these days.

Showing me his overbite and misalignment, the dentist asked, “Are you ready dad to go down this journey with me?” The short answer was no, and the longer response may lead to a long and winding bluster about the wonders and challenges 2020 has brought.

On the bright side, he didn’t have any cavities and his visit was covered by insurance. The orthodontics will not be so that’s another matter altogether.

Before I had a lot of time to review the financials of that reality, the next day Beckett had his 12-year-old well check, and it was quite entertaining.

He is fascinated with the topic of puberty and seems to be really looking forward to things changing for him. Many of his friends’ voices are changing and he has noticed how much they have grown this summer.

He keeps wondering when he will start maturing and seems to think something is wrong with him. I assured him all is fine and told him some

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of your friends are a year older than you and it’s different for each person. I reminded him he had a doctor’s appointment coming up and it would be the perfect time to discuss with him.

My son is especially fixated on a certain something’s size changing.

When he asked the doctor about that specifically, I didn’t help the doctor out and instead waited to see how he handled it. Beckett has a way of speaking bluntly. It’s often hilarious because there’s no filter. He’s not one to disguise what he’s thinking so he’s typically overt with his words.

He clearly wanted to know when he would be entering puberty and what he should be expecting as far as body hair, his height and also when a certain something would be growing in size.

When the doctor began to skirt around the subject, Beckett interrupted (as he is prone to do) with his desire for a certain height he wanted to be as well as length of the other subject. I couldn’t contain myself and just started laughing. The doctor had to take a seat and was clearly giggling behind his mask.

Being a professional, he quickly got it together and went about looking at his current size and weight and comparing it to other kids his age as well as his recent growth. He then predicted Beckett would be about six feet tall. My kid seemed disappointed, but then quickly moved on to the other matter he had referenced several times. He asked if he could tell by looking at him now what size he can expect to be when he’s adult. The doctor said he could not offer any prediction on that, but he encouraged him to keep eating his vegetables and getting the right amount of sleep. He said everything would fall into place so long as you

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stay healthy and rested.

Not really understanding the conversation was turning too personal even with his own doctor, Beckett let him know the size he hoped in inches his most private of parts would be. It was outlandishly large and the doctor cautioned him on his expectations, reminding him there could be some uncomfortableness associated with his hopes. It just got increasingly weird, but it’s clear Beckett is obsessed with puberty and what it will mean for him. He seems to think it’s an immediate transformation, and the doctor educated him a bit on it. I think it ultimately sunk in because he later remarked how misled he had been by TikTok and Snapchat about the subject. Imagine that as I roll my eyes.

Once the funny business is over, Beckett took a shot like a champ without any issues at all. He also aced his hearing test. The same cannot be said for his vision test. He wore glasses for a few years before finally wearing us down and proving his slightly off vision was not a huge deal.

At the doctor’s office, however, it was clear it’s a bigger problem now.

He was referred to an eye doctor for further evaluation.

On the way home, Beckett seemed to grasp the issues at hand. “So my teeth are all jacked up and my vision is terrible?,” he asked. I found a way to cushion the news, all the while thinking about the extent of the impending financial damage.

It’s true parenting is not for the weak.

(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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Page 49

Page 50

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

OCBP ALUMNI OF THE WEEK

Scott McIntire: The Value Of Competition

(Editor’s Note: The following is a series on the men and women who have spent their summers protecting all those who came to Ocean City for fun and safe vacation.)

OCEAN CITY – Scott McIntire was always a competitor and had put his drive for competition to good use, swimming for Towson University. When senior year came, he began looking for something else where he could put his talents to use and not just, "another summer of pool guarding and summer swim league coaching." It was 1984 when his Towson teammate, Jeff Tilghman, told him about working summers for the Ocean City Beach Patrol, which had recently begun focusing on regional and national levels of lifeguard competitions. Tilghman said he was looking for one more roommate and McIntire jumped at the chance.

After passing a grueling test, he began his summer with the OCBP. He immediately excelled at the job and became over the years not only a topnotch guard, crew chief and officer, but also a member of the patrol's land-

line competition team. Stemming from an actual lifesaving technique, the landline is a four-person race and a main feature of beach patrol events.

He said, "A landline is about 200 yards of nylon rope attached to a spool the size of a medium suitcase. You attach your rescue buoy with a brass clip to the end of the rope and with swim fins the rescuer swims out to the 'victim.'

The victim grabs the buoy and both the rescuer and victim are pulled in by other guards on the beach."

McIntire and his team were good, and one day they got a chance to prove just how good.

"In 1995, a hurricane off the Carolina coast had blown the surf to a solid 6-8 feet, with rips opening up everywhere,” McIntire recalled. “That morning my crew had been practicing landline rescues for the upcoming crew competition and was still laid out in the sand when Kirby King spotted two people in a huge rip next to the 48th Street rock jetty. My roommate William “Rio” Bails was coming down to cover the radio, while I was

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at water’s edge backing up Kirby."

It was then McIntire made the decision to use the landline for the rescue.

"I had been a landline rescuer in beach comps and Rio and Kirby were my pullers for crew comps,” he said.

“Unfortunately, Kirby was on the rescue, I was swimming out to him and that left only Rio as a puller. Captain Schoepf quickly started recruiting men on the beach, fathers and teenage sons … anybody who could help. The coach in Captain Schoepf took over and in the two to three minutes it took me to get to Kirby and his two victims, the captain had organized a dozen beach patrons into a landline crew.

“Getting pulled in by two strong guards is actually exhilarating. Getting pulled in by a dozen people on the beach was life threatening. Kirby and I had two extremely panicked men on the buoy. We told them to hang on tight as I waved to signal the shore to start pulling us in. The only way to describe that ride was like the start of the ‘Rockin roller coaster’ at Universal Studios in Orlando.

“The trouble was that one of the men panicked and tried to get on top of the buoy instead of staying on his back. This pushed Kirby completely underwater. We both kept our grasp on that buoy and I had to use my free

Scott McIntire is pictured with a colleague in the mid-1980s.

Submitted Photo

hand to keep lifting Kirby’s head up by his hair so he could breathe. When we reached the shore, we saw over a dozen guards and beach patrons in various stages of exhaustion and Captain Schoepf going to each one and congratulating them."

McIntire lives in Frankford, Del., with his wife, Jami, and their son Josh. He coaches a USA swimming club and his son is on the USLA National Open Team that competed in South Africa last fall.

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Page 51

GUARDING THE BEACH

BY DAMIEN SANZOTTI

SPECIAL TO THE DISPATCH

OCEAN CITY – “17:25. (5:25 p.m.)

The Ocean City Beach Patrol is now up and clearing the water.”

This message is broadcasted daily through the Ocean City Communications Center to all radios. Immediately following this message all SRTs, covering the 10 miles of beach, simultaneously whistle and point toward the west with semaphore flags. Following the exodus of swimmers, beach patrons with the same questions, “what’s going on?” or, “why are you clearing the water?” approach many of our lifeguards. We clear the ocean of all swimmers every day at 5:25 p.m. (earlier on some days if conditions are more dangerous), so we know when we leave the beach at 5:30 p.m. everyone is safe and out of the water. Furthermore, we do our best to advise people that swimming while lifeguards are off duty is dangerous.

In 1999, by suggestion of then-City

Manager Dennis Dare we began completely clearing the ocean before our departure. Since we implemented the clearing policy, the average drownings per summer has fallen to one or less, in spite of increases in beach population. We have also implemented a before and after hours mobile patrol (8 a.m.-8 p.m.), to be available for reDAMIEN sponse should commu- SANZOTTI nications receive a 911 call for a swimmer in distress or someone needing assistance on the beach. This is not an effort to expand our guarding hours, since patrols are limited and not stationary to watch swimmers.

We are a high-volume resort area, and although the police patrol the beach for criminal activity, there is no provision in the city code that restricts swimming when the beach patrol is off duty. It was not unusual in the past for the police, fire/EMS or our off-duty personnel to

make dozens of evening or early morning rescues or to be involved with C.P.R. related to a drowning. Thankfully, because of our change in policy at the end of our day, our extended mobile patrol and an increased emphasis on education, these numbers have been greatly reduced and needless loss of life has diminished.

Unfortunately, during my 17 years on the beach patrol, I can recall several before or after hour situations in which someone entered an unguarded ocean to swim and found themselves quickly needing assistance. Even more tragic are the ones who do not survive to tell about how they were rescued. Having been involved in some of these rescues myself, I cannot even begin to explain the impact that it has on the family as well as the emergency personnel who respond. One particular situation continues to come to mind even years after it happened, and I think it hits home personally with me because I’m a father of three. Several years ago, two small chil-

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dren became stuck in a rip current only about 15 minutes before the guards came on duty. The mother was forced to attempt to rescue the two. Fortunately, the two children were able to use the mother to survive, but sadly the mother did not make it. Another 15 minutes and it would have been a routine rescue for our guards.

If a policy can save a life, it is a policy we want to use. By clearing the water prior to our departure, any swimmers who do re-enter the ocean know there is no longer a guard watching them.

Countless swimmers ask, “Why clear the water?” Their questions then give us the opportunity to remind them to, “Keep your feet in the sand until the lifeguard’s in the stand.” Please help all public safety agencies by staying out of the ocean until the SRT’s return at 10 the next morning.

(The writer has been with the beach patrol for 17 years and is currently a sergeant. He is a physical education teacher at Berlin Intermediate School.)

”Over 30 Years Experience” PROMPT, PROFESSIONAL SERVICE SATISFACTION GUARANTEED LICENSED & INSURED FREE ESTIMATES

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LANDSCAPING • IRRIGATION HARDSCAPING • FREE ESTIMATES Full Service/Yearly Maintenance Contracts Available

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Page 52

Chris Parypa’s Photo Of The Week:

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

August 14, 2020

Each week staff photographer Chris Parypa is tasked with submitting a photo from his vast library to be featured in this space. Above a member of the Ocean City Beach Patrol pulls back his stand amid a rising tide. To purchase any of Parypa’s photos, click over to www.chrisparypa.com.

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 53

with Scott Lenox The 47th Annual White Marlin Open is in the books and I am excited to report on another record breaking tournament. This year’s WMO started off pretty tough. Tournament directors decided the week before registration to extend the tournament by two days because of a hurricane coming up the coast and expected to impact the area on Tuesday during the tournament.

The decision ended up being a good call as none of the 443 boats registered were able to fish on Tuesday thanks to winds of 45-55 mph and seas of 11-19 feet from what our area saw as Tropical Storm Isaias. The weather shaped up quickly on Wednesday, boats were able to get out and the fish cooperated, leading to one of the most exciting White Marlin Open tournaments that I can remember.

There were several big stories, but the biggest of the week was a gigantic 97-pound white marlin weighed on Saturday that would clear the other leaders in the white marlin category by 20 pounds. The crew of the Canyon Blues broke a few hearts with the third largest white marlin in tournament history, but

they were ok with it when they realized their fish was worth over $1.5 million.

There was a tie for second place that was broken by the WMO’s gaff rule, which states in the event of a tie any fish not gaffed will be declared the winner. The Crisdel and the Drillin’ & Billin’ both caught fish of 77 pounds to tie for second place, but the Drillin’ & Billin’ did not gaff the fish while the Crisdel did. This meant that Drillin’ & Billin’s fish would take second place and be awarded over $1.6 million and Crisdel’s fish would end up in third place.

The final big story was the big tuna caught on board the Restless Lady II weighed in on Monday and stood for seven days to take second place in the heaviest tuna category. Thanks to the fact that the first place fish was not in all of the calcutta money, and there was no blue marlin to qualify, Restless Lady II’s 114.5 pound tuna won around $1.3 million. Two other notable stories were the 273.5-pound swordfish caught by the Jersey Boy that won almost $400,000 and the 73.5-pound mahi caught by the Backlash that broke a tournament recSEE PAGE 54

The crew of the Canyon Blues caught the third heaviest white marlin in White Marlin Open history, clearing the field by 20 pounds and winning more than $1.5 million as top fish in last week’s White Marlin Open.

Photos by Dave Messick of Hooked on OC and Submitted Photos

Page 54

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

August 14, 2020

Top left, Randy Swain and the boys had a killer day of bottom fishing when they filled the cooler with sea bass and nice keeper flounder. Top middle, Ryan and Ethan Cowder and their crew had a nice day of inshore fishing when they found some pan sized mahi. Top right, this shooter was right on target when he shot this big southern ray with Captain Marc Spagnola of Dusk to Dawn Bowfishing. Above left, this couple had a great day on the Angler with Captain Chris Mizurak when they caught their limit of four flounder each. Above right, Not only did this 73.5-pound mahi caught by the Backlash win first place in the White Marlin Open, it also broke the record for heaviest mahi ever in the tournament that had stood for 34 years.

Opposite page, top left, Blake Gunther and Derek Yobst had a nice day on the bay putting four keeper flounder in the net. Opposite page, top right, “Sea Bass” Bob lived up to his nickname when he landed this healthy double header of keepers on the Morning Star with Captain Monty Hawkins. Opposite page, middle left, Captain Victor Bunting of the Ocean Princess put this lady angler on a jumbo sea bass. Opposite page, middle right, Kristina Bernas muscled this big 26-inch, 11pound tautog into the boat while fishing over the Twin Wrecks. Opposite page, bottom left, David Stevens and his crew on the private boat Sea Biscuit landed this 193-pound bigeye tuna after a seven-hour fight. Opposite page, bottom right, Brian holds one of two keeper flounder of 18 1/2 and 20 inches that he caught on the Oceanic Pier in downtown Ocean City.

... Fish In OC

FROM PAGE 53 ord for heaviest mahi ever that had stood for 34 years.

The year threw everything it had at the White Marlin Open this year with COVID-19 and Isaias, but everyone involved with the tournament and the fish rose above for a great event that I won’t soon forget. There were 443 boats competing for a record purse of over $6.7 million and there were some incredible stories to be had. It was my pleasure to be involved with the event once again.

Congratulations to all of the 2020 White Marlin Open winners. Dollar amounts are estimates from WMO. There wasn’t a lot of other offshore fishing going on with the White Marlin

Open in town, but there was a lot of ocean bottom fishing going on. Surprisingly, the ocean going party boat fleet is still seeing awesome sea bass fishing at a time of year that it normally gets very slow. Sea bass fishing is so good that Captain Monty Hawkins of the Morning Star recently compared it to fishing that we can see in May at the beginning of the season. Party, charter and private boats fishing over ocean structure are enjoying lots of keeper sea bass that are being caught on squid, clam, Gulp baits and jigs. There are also some flounder on the same pieces of structure that are holding sea bass. It’s not rare for anglers that know what they are doing to catch limits of sea bass and flounder in the same trip. Crazy good fishing for August.

Tropical Storm Isaias brought rain, high winds and heavy seas to the area, but the storm was gone so quickly that it didn’t impact bay conditions too bad-

ly. The water in our back bays stayed clean and flounder fishing stayed productive for anglers drifting and casting for the tasty flat fish. I was too busy with the White Marlin Open to get out last week, but I saw lots of reports of flounder. There are a lot of short fish to weed through this time of year, but there are plenty of keeper sized fish over 16 ½ inches if you’re patient and use the right bait. Mullet, “peanut” bunker and spot have made it into our bays and they are the best baits for larger sized flounder. I have better luck with keepers in mid-summer with live bunker or mullet on a rig like our Fish in OC Doormat Destroyer live bait rig.

It is a single hook rig on a three-way swivel for larger baits. Hook a mullet or bunker through the lips and fish it in deeper water around the inlet and east channel for your best chance at not only a keeper fish, but a true doormat.

If you’re looking to have fun with the kids or just bend a rod, there are plenty of short flounder that can be caught on the Deadly Double with live minnows or Gulp.

Next week the MidAtlantic Tournament comes to town with local scales action at Sunset Marina in West Ocean City Monday through Friday from 5 until 9 p.m. each night. You can also watch all the action live from both ports in Cape May, N.J. and at Sunset Marina in West Ocean City at www.The-MidAtlantic.com I’ll be your host all week and hope to see you online. If not, I hope to see you on the water. Until next week, tight lines.

(The writer is the owner of Fish in OC and host of Ocean City’s fishing television show Hooked on OC. He has worked in the fishing industry and been fishing the waters in and around Ocean City for over 25 years.)

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Page 55

Page 56

Who’s Where When BUXY’S SALTY DOG/DRY DOCK 28 410-289-0973 28th St. & Coastal Hwy. Tuesdays: Sean “Spiffy” Styles Saturday, Aug. 15: Aaron Howell

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

August 14, 2020

Best Beats On The Beach

CLARION HOTEL 410-524-3535 • 10100 Coastal Hwy. Lenny’s Beach Bar & Grill: Friday & Saturday, Aug. 14 & 15: Stephen Anthony, Noon-4 p.m.

Friday-Sunday, Aug. 14-16: On The Edge Monday-Thursday, Aug. 17-20: First Class COCONUTS BEACH BAR & GRILL Castle In The Sand Hotel 37th & 38th St. • 410-289-6846 Friday, Aug. 14: Darin Engh, Noon-4 p.m.; Monkee Paw, 5-9 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 15: Aaron Howell Trio, Noon-4 p.m.; Taylor Knox, 5-9 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 16: Chris Diller, Noon-3 p.m.; Colossal Fossil Sauce, 4-8 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 17: TBA, Noon-3 p.m., Bob Wilkinson & Joe Smooth, 4-8 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 18: TBA, 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.; The Bills, 3:30-7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 19: Kevin Poole, Noon-3 p.m.; Chris Brunn Duo, 4-8 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 20: Shortcut Sunny, Noon-3 p.m.; The Everafter, 4-8 p.m.

FIRST CLASS Clarion/Lenny’s Beach Bar: Monday-Thursday, Aug. 17-20

THREE ON THE TREE Crawl St. Tavern: Friday, Aug. 14 Pickles Pub: Saturday, Aug. 15

FUZZBOX PIRANHA Creawl Street Tavern: Saturday, Aug. 15

FULL CIRCLE Seacrets: Monday, Aug. 17 & Wednesday, Aug. 19 (duo)

JOE SMOOTH & BOBBY WILKINSON Coconuts Beach Bar: Monday, Aug. 17

DEREK WOODS BAND Trimpers Rock & Ride: Sunday, Aug. 16

CORK BAR & GRILL Wicomico St. & Boardwalk 410-289-6921 Sunday, Aug. 16: TBA CRAWL STREET TAVERN 19 Wicomico St. off the boardwalk 443-373-2756 Friday, Aug. 14: Three On The Tree, 9 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 15: Fuzzbox Piranha, 8 p.m.

Every Tuesday: DJ RobCee, 10 p.m.

Every Sunday: DJ Wax, 10 p.m.

DOWNY OSHUN 120th St. Bayside 410-670-8025 Every Saturday: Jim Long Band Every Sunday: Lauren Glick Every Thursday: Otto Grundman & Friends PICKLES PUB 410-289-4891 8th St. & Philadelphia Ave. Friday, Aug. 14: Rogue Citizens Saturday, Aug. 15: Three On The Tree Sundays & Wednesdays: Beats By Skyler Every Tuesday & Thursday: Beats By Wax SEACRETS 410-524-4900 49th St. & Coastal Hwy. Friday, Aug. 14: Shake, Shake, Shake Duo, 4 p.m., Steal The Sky Duo, 8 p.m.

Saturday, Aug. 15: High Five Swan Dive Duo, 4 p.m., Kono Nation Duo, 8 p.m.

Sunday, Aug. 16: Nowhere Slow Duo, 4 p.m.

Monday, Aug. 17: Full Circle, 4 p.m.

Tuesday, Aug. 18: Opposite Directions, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Aug. 19: Full Circle Duo, 4 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 20: John McNutt Duo, 4 p.m.

JIM LONG BAND Downy Oshun: Every Saturday

DJ ROBCEE Crawl Street Tavern: Every Tuesday

BEATS BY WAX Pickles Pub: Every Tuesday & Thursday

AARON HOWELL Coconuts Beach Bar: Saturday, Aug. 15, Noon Dry Dock 28: Saturday, Aug. 15, 7 p.m.

STEPHEN ANTHONY Clarion/ Lenny’s Beach Bar: Friday & Saturday, Aug. 14 & 15

OTTO GRUNDMAN Downy Oshun: Every Thursday

SEAN “SPIFFY” STYLES Dry Dock 28: Every Tuesday

The Dispatch Classifieds

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

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

HELP WANTED EXPERIENCED CLEANERS: Must have cell phone and own transportation. Great opportunity and pay! 443-880-0525 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––– MAINTENANCE/HANDYMAN: Large OC Association looking for full-time person to join the on-site staff. Competitive wages and benefits. Resumes can be emailed to dwilson@legumnorman.com or faxed to 410-723-0676 ––––––––––––––––––––––––––– NEWSPAPER DELIVERY DRIVER: Immediate opening to deliver The Dispatch early Friday mornings. Fair wage offered. Experience helpful but not required.

Covered van or truck needed.

Email letter of interest to editor@mdcoastdispatch.com or fax to 410-641-0966.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– FT ADMIN ASSISTANT/RECEPTIONIST: Monday – Friday. Team Environment. 410.213.1554.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– GATE ATTENDANT: For West OC/Berlin gated community, FRI 5 pm to 1 am, SAT 5 pm to 1 am & SUN 4 pm to 1 am. Contact Juli 410-641-1671, Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WARREN’S PARK MANAGER: Part Time, 20 hours in Summer, 12 hours in Winter. Submit resume and questions to: warrensparkoc@gmail.com –––––––––––––––––––––––––––

THE SPINNAKER NOW HIRING!

HOUSEKEEPING APPLY IN PERSON

10am-4pm 18th St & Baltimore Ave AUTOMOTIVE

We have automotive service centers, parts stores, and a used car dealership/detail shop with locations in the Ocean Pines, Bethany Beach,and Rehoboth Beach areas. We have been in business for 36 years and we are STILL GROWING! We are now accepting applications for the following positions:

- SERVICE MANAGER - SERVICE/PARTS ADVISORS -TECHNICIANS -TOW TRUCK DRIVER - MD STATE INSPECTOR

This is a great opportunity for anyone who loves working in the automotive field.

Great Career Opportunity and plenty of room for advancement throughout the company. Please call Matt at 302-344-9846.

Come Join Our Winning Team!

Now accepting applications for the following positions!

Over Night Front Desk Front Desk Agent Recreation Attendant Room Attendant Houseperson Laundry Attendant Maintenance Server Line Cook Kitchen Utility Cashier Barista Looking for experienced personnel with customer service skills. Must be flexible with hours. Email resume to jobs@carouselhotel.com or stop by and complete an application at the Front Desk.

We require satisfactory pre-employment drug testing and background check.

Carousel Resort Hotel & Condominiums 11700 Coastal Highway Ocean City, MD 21842 EOE

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.

P/T Y/R MAINTENANCE TECH: for premier local community, 15 hours a week, extra hours when needed. Regular work days are Wed., Thurs., and Fri., 8:30am1:30pm. Must have reliable transportation. Call 410-213-1554.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Page 57

Now Hiring

PHOTOGRAPHERS 1st Service Company has current openings for: Experienced HVAC Service Technicians Lead Installer Experienced Installers Retro installations. Basic Trade hand tools required, all other tools of the trade, power and testing tools provided. Everything needed to perform quality work. Specialized training, monthly tool allowance, on call duty pay, uniforms including boots and outerwear, vacation and holiday pay, bonuses and other incentives. High paying positions.

This is an opportunity to work with a great team.

SIGN ON BONUS FOR QUALIFIED PERSON! To Apply and Interview, call 410-208-3220 or 866-990-4822 Send resumes to: office@1stservicehvacr.com

No Experience Necessary Training and Equipment will be Provided

CARPENTERS & CARPENTERS HELPERS

BE YOUR OWN BOSS

WORK FROM HOME $20,000 PER MONTH CALL 302.335.7000

Must have : Tools, Trans, Driver’s License

Send Resumes to: meslin@lifetouch.com

Exp. Required!

PATTERSON & SONS BUILDERS Call 410-641-9530

Hiring All Positions

CASHIER/ SALES ASSOCIATE Must be friendly & dependable FT/PT-Year Round Various shifts Competitive hourly wage Benefits available Temporary $2 extra per hour until further notice

To Apply-go online www.petromg.com *Employment *Retail *OC MD *Cashier Wine Rack *Search *Cashier Sales Assoc.-Wine Rack Rt. 50 Wine Rack 12827 Ocean Gateway West OC, MD

SERVERS BUSSERS COOKS HOSTESSES BARTENDERS

HOUSEKEEPING

Apply Within 31st St. Coastal Hwy. 410-289-2581 128th St. Coastal Hwy. 410-250-2304

W NO

!

G IRIN

H

SUN N FUN MOTEL NOW HIRING

APPLY IN PERSON Mon-Fri 9am-4pm 29th St & Baltimore Ave.

YEAR ROUND OR PART-TIME

’S E T OC WES UN PLAC F T S R MO TO WO KE MAK A N D $$$$

•COOKS •SERVERS Please apply in person.

Greene Turtle West, Rt. 611, West OC 410-213-1500

Work With the Best Ocean City has to Offer ...

We Invite You to be a Part of our Family!

La Quinta Inn & Suites NOW HIRING FOR ALL POSITIONS WE PAY MORE - $13-$15 PER HOUR! PLUS SEASONAL AND YEAR END BONUSES

SEE OUR JOB LISTINGS ON INDEED Or Apply In-Person at: 106 32nd St, Ocean City, MD, (410) 289-5762

Currently hiring manpower for

•STUCCO & EIFS MECHANICS •CARPENTERS •CONCRETE BLOCK •COATINGS SPECIALISTS •FLAT CONCRETE •CONCRETE REPAIRS •PT WELDER •COMMERCIAL CAULKING •WINDOW & DOOR INSTALLERS •WAREHOUSE HELP (DRIVER’S LICENSE REQ’D) 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

Year Round - Full/Part Time ~SERVERS ~BUSSERS ~HOSTESS ~POOL ATTENDANT ~DRIVER ~GRILL COOKS ~DISHWASHER ~WAREHOUSE CLERK ~ROOM ATTENDANT ($13/HOUR) ~LAUNDRY ~HOUSEKEEPING HOUSESTAFF ~SECURITY GUARD EXCELLENT BENEFITS! FAX RESUME & SALARY REQ. to: 410-723-9109 Online at www.clarionoc.com APPLY IN PERSON Mon-Sat 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

CLARION RESORT FONTAINEBLEAU HOTEL 10100 COASTAL HWY. OCEAN CITY, MD. 21842 EOE M/F/D/V

The Dispatch Classifieds

Page 58

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)

Cleaning Services Needed!

Married Couple, No Children, No Pets Flexible Hours - Competitive Salary Call Heather at 410-289-5444 Mon-Fri 10am-2pm

TOW TRUCK DRIVERS We are now hiring for full time tow truck drivers in the Ocean Pines and Clarksville / Selbyville areas.

Must be experienced. Great Pay & Benefits!!

Call: 443-497-0465

Part-Time Custodians Worcester Preparatory School, a coeducational college preparatory day school serving over 400 students in grades PK-12, is currently seeking PT custodians to clean school buildings daily from 3:30 p.m.- 6:30 p.m. and 5 p.m – 8 p.m.

CJIS Background Screening required. EOE

Contact: Heather Parsons 410-641-3575 or hparsons@worcesterprep.org

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.

*HOUSEKEEPER FOR PRIVATE RESIDENCE*

August 14, 2020

Fire Alarm Technician Entry Level Immediate opening Good driving record.

Electrical and/or computerrelated experience a plus To apply contact us at jobs@firepro-md.com or call 410-213-1880 FIREPRO, INC Work With the Best Ocean City has to Offer ...

We Invite You to be a Part of our Family!

Gift Shop Supervisor We are currently recruiting a full time year round Gift Shop Supervisor for our hotel store. The preferred candidate will have cash handling, inventory, and supervisory experiences. This position is available immediately and offers excellent wages and benefits to the qualified candidate.

Apply in person Mondays through Saturdays 10am – 4pm on a walk in basis.

CLARION RESORT FONTAINEBLEAU HOTEL 10100 COASTAL HIGHWAY OCEAN CITY, MD. 21842 410-524-3535 ext. 7128 EOE M/F/D/V

DO YOU KNOW ... 7000 PEOPLE RECEIVE THE DISPATCH’S DAILY BUZZ EACH DAY? SIGN UP NOW:MDCOASTDISPATCH.COM

Castle in the Sand Hotel is Hiring for Immediate Start

HOUSEKEEPERS SECURITY GUARDS FRONT DESK ASSOCIATES Pay Starting at $11-$14/hour Outstanding Working Environment.

Come Join Our Family. Apply in Person.

Ask for Bob or Tanya.

37th Street & Oceanfront, Ocean City, MD

NOW HIRING! YEAR ROUND

COOKS & DRIVERS Apply Within or Call Pam at 410-726-7061 Johnny’s Pizza & Pub, Bayside, 56th St. & Coastal Highway

RENTALS

ROOMMATES

UPDATED 2BR/1BA APT: Beautiful historic downtown Berlin, MD, walking distance to shops and restaurants. $1250/mo with first and last month’s rent due at signing along with a $1250 security deposit. No Smoking. No Pets. Call (410)-641-2111, ask for Jessica.

ROOMMATES NEEDED!: Rodney Long Properties. 2020/2021 School Year. Off Campus Housing. Call Us Today! 410-5487629.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– WINTER RENTAL: Bayside, 28th St. 1BR, Queen + full. W/D. Wi-Fi. No smoking/pets. Sept. 1-May 30. $800 per mo. + util.’s. $500 sec. dep. 410-768-1791.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

SERVICES

NOW HIRING ALL KITCHEN POSITIONS

Ceja’s Landscaping & More!

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

APPLY IN PERSON - FENWICK ISLAND Ride the B in OC!

COMMERCIAL OFFICE/RETAIL SPACE FOR RENT: 1,100SF, Main St., Berlin.

Easy on-ground level access, plenty of parking. $1,275 per mo. incl. CAM + all utils. 410-641-0128.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– SMALL OFFICE—MEDICAL SPACE FOR LEASE: 10031 Old Ocean City Blvd, Berlin $395 per mo. Util.’s incl. Multiple spaces available 443-856-5241.

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

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– OFFICE FOR RENT: Millville/Ocean View area. Approx.

950sf. Professional Office. No CAM fees. Easy access from Rt. 26, Central Ave., Cedar St., Reba Rd. Beautiful grounds, ample parking, front and rear. 717-989-5365.

––––––––––––––––––––––––––– UPSCALE MIDTOWN OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT: 2,130 sq.ft.

443-880-2225.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––

The Dispatch

August 14, 2020

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 ANDREW C. MITCHELL, JR, ESQ. 311 EAST MAIN STREET PO BOX 37 FRUITLAND, MD 21826 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18361 To all persons interested in the estate of KATHLEEN MARY HUDOME, ESTATE NO. 18361. Notice is given that ROBERT JAMES HUDOME, 1 ARCADIA COURT, BERLIN MD 21811, was on, JULY 23, 2020 appointed Personal Representative of the estate of KATHLEEN MARY HUDOME, who died on MAY 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 23RD day of JANUARY, 2021.

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.

Legal Notices

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication JULY 31, 2020 ROBERT JAMES HUDOME 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, 7-31, 8-07, 8-14

THIRD INSERTION

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18353 To all persons interested in the estate of MARY ANN WELSH, ESTATE NO. 18353.

Notice is given that JOHN M. WELSH, 17405 RIDGE DRIVE, ROCKVILLE, MD 20853, was on, JULY 20, 2020, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of MARY ANN WELSH, who died on JUNE 01, 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 20TH day of JANUARY, 2021.

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 JULY 31, 2020 JOHN M. WELSH 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, 7-31, 8-07, 8-14

THIRD INSERTION

NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18362 To all persons interested in the estate of JEAN H. JERREAD, ESTATE NO. 18362.

Notice is given that JAMES ANTHONY CARDANY, 9036 PEERLESS ROAD, WHALEYVILLE, MD 21872 and JEFFREY MICHAEL CARDANY, 9278 ULTRA COURT, ORANGEVILLE, CA 95662, were on, JULY 24, 2020, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of JEAN H. JERREAD, who died on JANUARY 23, 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 24TH day of JANUARY, 2021.

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 JULY 31, 2020 JAMES ANTHONY CARDANY JEFFREY MICHAEL CARADANY 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, 7-31, 8-07, 8-14

THIRD INSERTION

J. GARRETT SHELLER, ESQ. LONG, BADGER, SHELLER & SMITH, LLP PO BOX 259 SALISBURY, MD 21803 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18351 To all persons interested in the estate of JOSEPH M. HOLLAND, ESTATE NO. 18351. Notice is given that PAUL W. RICHARDSON, 3724 REDDEN ROAD, POCOMOKE CITY, MD 21851, was on, JULY 24, 2020, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of JOSEPH M. HOLLAND, who died on JULY 16, 2020, with a will.

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

Page 59

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 24TH day of JANUARY, 2021.

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 JULY 31, 2020 PAUL W. RICHARDSON 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, 7-31, 8-07, 8-14

THIRD INSERTION

AYRES, JENKINS, GORDY AND ALMAND, PA WILLIAM E. ESHAM, III, ESQ. 6200 COASTAL HIGHWAY, SUITE 200 OCEAN CITY, MD 21842 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18191 To all persons interested in the estate of JAMES G.

MALONEY, ESTATE NO. 18191. Notice is given that JON ROGER LEE, 436 CHURCHILL COURT, HARLEYSVILLE, PA 19438, was on, JULY 24, 2020, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of JAMES G. MALONEY, who died on DECEMBER 17, 2019, with a will.

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

All persons having any objection to the appointment (or to the probate of the decedent’s will) shall file their objections with the Register of Wills on or before the 24TH day of JANUARY, 2021.

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 JULY 31, 2020 JON ROGER LEE 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, 7-31, 8-07, 8-14

The Dispatch

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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

WILLIAM E. ESHAM,III, ESQ. AYRES, JENKINS, GORDY AND ALMAND, PA 6200 COASTAL HIGHWAY, SUITE 200 OCEAN CITY, MD 21842 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18364 To all persons interested in the estate of GARY ALLEN WALKER, ESTATE NO. 18364. Notice is given that NANCY J. WALKER, 7 RHODES LANE, FOXBOROUGH, MA 02035 was on, JULY 28, 2020, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of GARY ALLEN WALKER, who died on JULY 19TH, 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 JANUARY, 2021.

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 JULY 31, 2020 NANCY J. WALKER 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, 7-31, 8-07, 8-14

SECOND INSERTION

B. RANDALL COATES ESQ. COATES, COATES, & COATES 204 WEST GREEN STREET SNOW HILL, MD 21863 NOTICE OF APPOINTMENT

The Dispatch Can Be Viewed In Its Entirety

ONLINE

Legal Notices The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

NOTICE TO CREDITORS NOTICE TO UNKNOWN HEIRS ESTATE NO. 18373 To all persons interested in the estate of HAZEL E. WARREN, ESTATE NO. 18373.

Notice is given that BONNIE B. ADKINS, 10304 KEYSER POINT ROAD, OCEAN CITY, MD 21842 was on, AUGUST 03, 2020, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of HAZEL E. WARREN, who died on JULY 24TH, 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 3RD day of FEBRUARY, 2021.

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 AUGUST 07, 2020 BONNIE B. 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, 8-07, 8-14, 8-21

FIRST 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. 18374 To all persons interested in

the estate of MARJORIE A. DROOGAN, ESTATE NO. 18374. Notice is given that EUGENE J DROOGAN JR, 238 TRUMBAUERSVILLE ROAD, QUAKERTOWN, PA 18951 was on, AUGUST 04, 2020, appointed Personal Representative of the estate of MARJORIE A. DROOGAN, who died on JULY 16TH, 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 4TH day of FEBRUARY, 2021.

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 credi-

August 14, 2020 tor 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 AUGUST 14, 2020 EUGENE J DROOGAN JR 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, 8-14, 8-21, 8-28

FIRST INSERTION

NOTICE OF APPLICATION Notice is hereby given that The Bank of Delmarva, 910 Norman Eskridge Highway, Seaford, Delaware 19973 is making application to the Office of the State Bank Commissioner of the State of Delaware, 1110 Forrest Avenue, Dover, Delaware 19904 for permission to establish a branch at 2600 Philadelphia Avenue, Unit 2A, Ocean City, MD 21842.

This notice is published pursuant to Section 771(a) of Title 5 of the Delaware Code.

This notice will appear once on August 14, 2020.

Any person wishing to comment on this application may file his or her comments in writing with the Office of the State Bank Commissioner of The State of Delaware at 1110 Forrest Avenue, Dover, Delaware 19904.

Name of Newspaper: Maryland Coast Dispatch Date of Publication AUGUST 14, 2020 1x 8-14

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August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

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Horoscopes

ARIES (March 21 to April 19): A previous misunderstanding continues to taint the atmosphere to some extent in the early part of the week. But cooler heads prevail, and the situation eases by week's end.

TAURUS (April 20 to May 20): While the artistic aspect of the Divine Bovine is well-served this week, that practical side is also getting the sort of recognition that could lead to a new and well-deserved opportunity.

GEMINI (May 21 to June 20): With home-related matters taking on more importance this week, now could be the time to make some long-deferred purchases. But shop carefully for the best quality at the best price.

CANCER (June 21 to July 22): Congratulations. While that family problem might still rankle, it should be easing thanks to your efforts to calm the waters. Also, a workplace situation seems to be moving in your favor.

LEO (July 23 to Aug. 22): The Big Cat's energy levels should be rather high these days, and you might do well to tackle any tasks that still need doing.

This will clear the way for those upcoming projects.

VIRGO (Aug. 23 to Sept. 22): Someone's criticism might not be as negative as you perceive. Actually, it could be helpful. Discuss the matter with your critic, and you both could learn something valuable.

LIBRA (Sept. 23 to Oct. 22): A business matter could cause some fr-

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

iction among your colleagues. But once again, that logical mind of yours comes to the rescue. And the sooner it does, the better!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21): There might still be some heated temper flare-ups out there. But your sensible self should advise you to stay out of these situations until things cool down and calm is restored.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22 to Dec. 21): Changing your mind could be the right thing to do if you can't resolve your doubts. You might want to discuss the matter with someone whose advice you trust.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22 to Jan. 19): You still need to demand those answers to your questions. Remember, your wise counseling earns you respect, but it's your search for truth that gives you wisdom.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20 to Feb. 18): An educational opportunity could lead to something other than what you had planned. But keep an open mind, and before you decide to turn it down, check it out.

PISCES (Feb. 19 to March 20): The Piscean wit and wisdom helps you work through a situation that might have been accidentally or even deliberately obscured. What you unravel could prove to be very revealing.

BORN THIS WEEK: Loyalty is important to you. You demand it, but you also give it generously and lovingly. © 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.

Things I Like ...

OCEAN CITY vanishing

August 14, 2020

WITH BUNK MANN

This aerial photo shows the creation of the Inlet in August 1933 and the separation between Ocean City and Assateague Island from the most historic storm to ever hit the region.

The photo clearly shows the existence of a new 50-foot wide, eightfoot deep Inlet at the south end of town. The huge waves that pounded the east side of the resort combined with the massive amount of water that built up in the back bays conspired to cut the Inlet and separate the southern end of the town from what is now Assateague Island.

The Inlet has widened considerably in the past 87 years while the Assateague shoreline has eroded and drifted westward. The creation of the Inlet was one of the most important events in the history of Ocean City.

To purchase one of Bunk Mann's books, click over to www.vanishinPhoto from The Dispatch’s files goc.com.

The Dispatch Crossword Puzzle

By Steve Green

An old photo with the electronic date in the picture Assateague Road

Splitting a dozen jumbos with my wife A blue, cloudless sky on the beach Hearing church bells in Berlin Lazy pool days

A backyard horseshoe pit

Going a day without hearing “it’s a COVID thing” A well-ventilated attic

Taking in the Air Show far from crowds The surf a day after a storm passes

ANSWERS ON PAGE 48

August 14, 2020

The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

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The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

August 14, 2020