1/10/2020 Ocean City Today

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OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM

JANUARY 10, 2020

SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY

LIFESTYLE

SUPPORTING COMMUNITY

Hundreds of toys, supplies and funds donated to help those in need during the holiday – Page 29

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Sports facility race begins City, county go after complex separately with different visions By Elizabeth Bonin and Josh Kim Staff Writers (Jan. 10, 2020) One sports complex, two teams: Worcester County and the Town of Ocean City, both of whom seek to dominate the ama-

teur sports business, but are divided on who is to benefit the most. The key issue? Location. “That’s [location] going to be probably an issue that will be debated,” City Councilman Dennis Dare said. “I think that we need to find an area that we can build it that suits the needs of the county and move forward with possibly a private-public

partnership,” Worcester County Commissioner Joseph Mitrecic said. The seed for this project came to life when Texasbased sports consulting firm Hat Tricks Consultants reached out to Worcester County Commissioners in the summer of 2014 and proposed a 6,200-seat facility to attract a minor-league See CITY Page 6

STEWART DOBSON/OCEAN CITY TODAY

Wind farm hearing will be held in conv. center Turbine height switch, but nothing else, will be on PSC’s agenda

JOSH KIM/OCEAN CITY TODAY

FINAL EXERCISE The second half of the former World Gym building on 67th Street comes down, as preparation begins this week for the construction of a water treatment facility. See story page 8.

Minimum wage goes to $11 Incremental increase went into effect Jan. 1 By Elizabeth Bonin Staff Writer (Jan. 10, 2020) Despite steady opposition from business interests across the

state, the $11 minimum wage is now in effect for both small and large businesses. The minimum wage will increase every year until it reaches $15 an hour in 2025 for most employers. The Maryland General Assembly passed the

“Fight for Fifteen” bill last March by overriding Gov. Larry Hogan’s veto. This bill could have a bigger impact on Worcester County and Ocean City, given that the area has a high conSee TIPPED Page 6

By Josh Kim Staff Writer (Jan. 10, 2020) The Maryland Public Service Commission announced last Tuesday that it has chosen the Roland E. Powell Convention Center on 40th Street as the location for a wind turbine public hearing set for noon, Saturday, Jan. 18. The hearing is part of an inquiry into a change in wind tower size, and its potential impact on Ocean City’s view of the horizon. “The commission considered several sites with a goal of a location that was both available for most of the day, and could accommodate a large number of people,” said Tori Leonard, Public Service Commission communications director. “The convention center was the optimum choice, particularly since it is so close to the viewshed area.”

On June 4, 2019, Skipjack, owned by Ørsted, reported to the commission that it would be changing its original tower selection in favor of the 853foot-tall GE Haliade-X 12 MW — 200 feet taller than the towers in the original proposal. Then, in October, U.S. Wind, the other wind farm company, reported that the turbine it had originally proposed, the 4 Siemens SWT 13o, was no longer commercially available, so it would be See TURBINE Page 3


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