OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.NET
JULY 13, 2018
LIFESTYLE
39TH ANNUAL CANOE RACES BJ’s on the Water to host event in the bay behind the 75th Street restaurant, July 17 – Page 26
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OC seeking helicopter stopper law Churchyard landing was completely legal
PHOTO COURTESY MATT JAMES
OMINOUS APPROACH Friday’s storm gave bathers plenty of notice, and wasn’t shy about its intentions as it bore down on the beach. This panoramic shot was captured by Ocean City Councilman Matt James, from the roof of the Atlantic Oceanfront Inn at 45th Street.
By Greg Ellison Staff Writer (July 13, 2018) Ocean City government is looking for the legal means to control where aircraft may land in the resort, following a helicopter’s surprise landing last Tuesday in St. Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Church parking lot on 17th Street. Police went to the area around 8 p.m. after being advised of the chopper’s presence and questioned pilot Casey Love with Charm City Helicopters. Police also quickly discovered, apparSee OC Page 68
No big double hit for July 4 Midweek celebration doesn’t deliver two holiday weekends
By Brian Gilliland Associate Editor (July 13, 2018) Efforts to expand Ocean City’s working season beyond the boundaries of summer has worked better than its efforts to expand the July 4 holiday to a weeklong celebration, as business owners reported brisk but unremarkable activity during both weekends. Luckily, the owners in it for the long haul have some time to put a plan into motion, since the next time July 4 falls on a Wednesday is in 2029.
“‘Decent’ is the term I heard used around town,” Susan Jones, director of the Hotel Motel Restaurant Association said. “The weekends on either side of the holiday were about the same. A handful of people might stay longer, but it doesn’t feel crazy busy like it would over a four-day weekend.” There were plenty of people here on the holiday, as the Hugh T. Cropper inlet parking lot filled to capacity at 9:50 a.m. and remained there throughout the day, according to city Communications Manager Jessica Waters. “We did not do that $50 flat fee because the driving force of doing that was to ease the flow of traffic by
avoiding the ticket booth. Since the ticket booths are removed, we kept the regular pay-by-plate system in effect,” she said. For the past few years, the resort would offer an all day parking pass for $50 in advance of the holiday. Whether that system alleviated congestion hasn’t been quantified. “I believe that not having the toll booths at the exit of the inlet lot definitely eases the flow of traffic when leaving. Having said that, the Fourth of July is perhaps the busiest day of the year, so getting people in and out of the inlet lot, and the downtown area as a whole on that speSee MIDWEEK Page 70
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Police question a helicopter pilot who made a surprise landing at a parking lot on 17th Street last Tuesday.
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