OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
NOVEMBER 8, 2019
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
LIFESTYLE
VETERANS DAY CEREMONIES Events slated to take place in Ocean Pines and Ocean City on Monday, Nov. 11– Page 25
FREE
Police seeking more cameras to keep watch With 250 already deployed, eyes in ‘hot spots’ called for
GREG ELLISON/OCEAN CITY TODAY
WIRE HANGER Verizon crews spool out cable while laboring on infrastructure updates near 65th Street, bayside, on Wednesday.
By Josh Kim Staff Writer (Nov. 8, 2019) The Ocean City Police Department wants to expand its City Watch surveillance program, and add to its inventory of 250 cameras deployed throughout the resort. “The City Watch program is a significant force multiplier for the agency,” Lt. Glen McIntyre said. “Technologically speaking, personnel who are monitoring our cameras are actively patrolling dozens of public places concurrently.” The expansion effort was brought up last Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the Strategic Update Planning meeting held in the Ocean City convention center on 40th Street. At the time, Police Chief Ross Buzzuro said he wanted to expand the program to target hot spot crime areas. See MORE Page 58
County has no say over solar ZIP code collection Zoning doesn’t apply to spread of arrays throughout Worcester By Elizabeth Bonin Staff Writer (Nov. 8, 2019) Concern about the possible spread of solar farms in Worcester County will remain just that and nothing more, as County Commissioner Ted Elder learned Tuesday, when he was advised that the county has no authority to regulate them. “These large solar farms
are proliferating in the county,” Elder said. “And in doing so, first off, they’re taking up agriculTed Elder tural land, something I think is in the county plan that we’re supposed to preserve. Also in the plan is the rural nature of the county.” That may be, but Ed Tudor, director of review and permitting, told the commissioners that local jurisdic-
tions have no enforcement control over solar farms. Solar farms, otherwise known as large scale solar projects, are regulated by the Public Service Commission. If the project has a rated capacity of 2,000 kilowatts or more, it must file for a state Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity. Just this summer, the Maryland Court of Appeals ruled that the certificate process preempts local zoning regulations, thus banning local jurisdictions from enSee STATE Page 60
would aid marketing By Josh Kim Staff Writer (Nov. 8, 2019) Ocean City officials are looking for ways to obtain the ZIP codes of people who participate in private events so they can fine-tune their advertising and marketing. Council Secretary Mary Knight mentioned the idea during the Strategic Planning Update meeting last Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the convention center.
“It would be interesting to see where [participants] are coming from,” said Donna AbDonna Abbott bott, Ocean City director of tourism and marketing. “Are they from Baltimore, Washington, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, all of See KNOWING Page 60