1/6/17 Ocean City Today

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OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.NET

JANUARY 6, 2017

SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY

LIFESTYLE

EMPTY BOWL PROJECT Art League of Ocean City and Diakonia again join forces for fundraising activity – Page 29

FREE

Differential quest could get nastier City Hall considering legal options in fight over county tax rates

LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY

COOL AND REFRESHING Approximately 880 participants plunge into the 43-degree Atlantic Ocean on New Year’s Day during the 23rd annual Penguin Swim, a fundraiser for Atlantic General Hospital in Berlin. The weather was sunny with a high of 52 degrees. The goal was to raise $76,000. As of earlier this week, the 2017 Penguin Swim generated well over the goal with $83,000 collected, and that number is expected to increase as donations are still being counted. See story on page 37.

Median fence: wait ‘til next year? As bid exceeds estimated cost by far, state work likely to be delayed until next fall

By Katie Tabeling Staff Writer (Jan. 6, 2017) The installation of a fence in the median on midtown Coastal Highway is not likely to take place according to the original schedule proposed by the State Highway Administration and the Town of Ocean City, following the state’s receipt of a bid for materials that is much higher than expected. When the SHA opened bids for the project on Dec. 15, the sole bid from Chesapeake Turf of Salisbury came in at $6.48 million. The anticipated cost for the project was $4.5 million, Public

Works Director Hal Adkins told the council Monday night. Earlier this year, the council approved plans to install a sand-dune style fence on the median from Route 90 to Convention Center Drive to discourage pedestrians from attempting to cross the highway mid-block rather than using a marked crosswalk. “After reviewing the one bid and speaking to the bidder and numerous others that could have bid, they [the SHA] came to the realization that the construction time was too restrictive,” Adkins said Tuesday. Originally, the SHA wanted to start construction on Jan. 23 so it could wrap up in time for Memorial Day weekend. Since the bid has been opened, the SHA has been reviewing the options for

the project. “We do a thorough analysis and look at similar projects that were done across the state and their cost to see what our options are,” SHA spokesman See COUNCIL Page 6

State rendering of how median fence would look.

By Katie Tabeling Staff Writer (Jan. 6, 2017) Hours after the Worcester County Commissioners rebuffed Ocean City government’s latest attempt to obtain a tax differential from the county, the City Council unanimously voted explore the possibility of legal action against the county to force it to comply with ‘I think the the city’s debully of the mands. room is Councilman Dennis mister Dare made county the motion in saying, the final mo‘Well, ‘I’m ments of Tuesday’s not even session, after going to viewing the talk to you recording of about it.’ that day’s c o m m i s - — Councilman sioner meetDennis Dare ing. “It was disheartening to watch the video and be accused of being a bully,” he said. “I think the bully of the room is mister county saying, ‘Well, ‘I’m not even going to talk to you about it.’ By some of the comments by the commissioners today, I don’t know whether they don’t understand it, or don’t want to understand it.” For years, the resort has requested a lower county tax rate for Ocean City property owners because resort taxpayers pay for county servSee COUNCIL Page 4


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