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OCTOBER 25, 2019
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
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Assortment of Halloween activities planned for children and adults this weekend – Page 25
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Parking group rejects more paid parking Council, in need of cash, could see things differently
GREG ELLISON/OCEAN CITY TODAY
DOGGED PURSUIT The front seat occupants of this decorated Jeep see the crowd, while the bulldog in the back seems preoccupied with wondering what would happen if he clamped down on the bottom of that ghost sheet. They were just one of the many entries in the Halloween Drive in Disguise parade on the Boardwalk last Saturday afternoon.
Resort wins ‘sustainability’ award OC honored for second time for steps taken to ensure environmental responsibility By Josh Kim Staff Writer (Oct. 25, 2019) Two times the charm, at least it is for the Town of Ocean City, as it celebrates receiving the Sustainable Maryland Certified Award once again for its efforts in implementing environmentally responsible living practices. “I thought it was quite an honor … to be recognized for our efforts,” Mayor Rick Meehan said. “It’s a com-
munity effort, through the Green Team, Gail Blazer and her department, [and] we’re taking positive steps forward to resolve and address some of the problems that we face with regard to maintaining our standing as a sustainable community.” Meehan, alongside City Environmental Engineer Gail Blazer and Councilman Mark Paddack, received the award during a ceremony at the Maryland Municipal League’s annual fall conference in Cambridge, Maryland on Oct. 15. To achieve certification, municipalities are required to form a Green Team drawn from the public, com-
munity leaders, municipal staff and officials. In addition to forming a Green Team, communities must satisfy a number of requirements, from climate change planning to conducting energy audits. “You only need 150 points, and we had 380 points,” Blazer said. “We really tried to take credit for all of the things we do.” Some of the projects recognized by Sustainable Maryland include the Cigarette Butt Huts, which were strategically placed cigarette butt receptacles intended to reduce cigarette See RESORT Page 62
By Josh Kim Staff Writer (Oct. 25, 2019) The possibility of expanding paid parking anywhere in Ocean City was rejected last Thursday, when resort government’s parking task force turned thumbs down to all but one option on the table: the do-nothing option. Not quite half of the 19 members on the advisory body attended the session to consider the alternatives, and those who did voted 4-2 to recommend that the City Council take no action. Serving on the task force and at session were Councilmembers Dennis Dare, Mary Knight and John Gehrig, City Engineer Terry McGean, business owners Hale Harrison, Chris Mitchell, Joe Groves and resident Joe Kostelac. Most adamant in his opposition to more paid parking was Harrison, who contended that the various plans as presented by McGean were overly complicated and unnecessary. The options encompassed areas as small as 11th to 33rd Street, to as large as 11th Street to the MarySee CITY Page 64
JOSH KIM/OCEAN CITY TODAY
If businesses have their way, parking machines like this one will not be proliferating through town, although the City Council will continue discussions of that possibility.