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JANUARY 31, 2014
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Freeze leads to thousands in flood damage Hundreds of broken pipes, sprinkler systems wreak havoc in residences
By Clara Vaughn Staff Writer (Jan. 31, 2014) The story’s familiar: A wet spot spreads across the wall. A river of water pours into the street, forming a personal ice rink that starts in the garage. Across the area, record-breaking cold has been wreaking havoc on homeowners’ pipes, outpacing plumbers as they rush to repair the damage to water lines and sprinkler systems. “We’re on a waiting list,” said Mark Hordeman, who lives in Ocean Pines and calls companies like Royal Plus and United Restoration when he sees something wrong in his neighbors’ homes. “Here they are, they’ve been sitting here for a week and a half… All this stuff – debris – is sitting right out front of their houses, and now it’s got 6 inches of snow on it.”
From Jan. 7-27, Ocean City’s Water Department responded to 162 calls for frozen pipes in homes and businesses and the city’s police and fire departments answered 72 calls for the same, Communications Manager for the city, Jessica Waters said. The Town of Berlin responded to about 30 calls for frozen pipes last week and had to shut water off to 10 homes, the town’s Water Resources Director, Jane Kreiter said. In Ocean Pines, the Worcester County Department of Public Works answered 66 calls in January so far — a significant rise over the 11 it answered in December, Deputy Director for the department, John Ross said. “In our 10 years in business, we have never received so many calls regarding frozen pipes as we have this January,” said Lauren Martin, vice president of Berlin-based Seaside Plumbing, Inc., which answered about 40 calls for pipes this month. “We continue into week four of the polar vortex
event receiving new water mitigation claims every day without an end in sight,” said Marketing Manager of Royal Plus, Inc., Tracy Lynch. “The weather can be unpredictable at times but this January has proven to have a massive event for all of Delmarva.” “It’s been a busy, busy winter,” agreed Igor Conev, vice president at Mann Properties, which manages around 90 properties in the area. From frozen sprinkler lines to pipes that burst in houses even with the heat running, Conev said around 20 homes Mann manages needed attention this week. With many condo owners out of town until the summer hits, that can be a big problem. “Sometimes we don’t have keys to the units. We have to break a door down, or call a locksmith,” Conev said. “You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to minimize the damage.” Mann gives homeowners recommendations each year for how to winterize their homes and prevent the See FROZEN Page 5
Council OKs funding of beach programs Ongoing role of TAB, marketing efforts go on as major issues
OCEAN CITY TODAY/ZACK HOOPES
WINTER SUNSET
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With temperatures in the single digits on Wednesday and below zero on Thursday, sheets of ice collected in Ocean City’s bayside waterways, turning many canals and inlets into solid surfaces. Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning saw the area’s second major snowfall in as many weeks.
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By Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (Jan. 31, 2014) City council voted unanimously Tuesday to forward-fund $300,000 for Ocean City beach fireworks, laser shows, and a sand art competition in 2014, on the recommendation of the town’s Tourism Advisory Board. Further – with the city about to embark on its fiveyear strategic tourism planning – the ongoing role of TAB and the financial balance of the town’s marketing efforts continue to be a major issue. “The town has a huge responsibility in doing destination advertising, and that tax money is largely dedicated to it,” Councilman Dennis Dare said of the city’s roughly $5
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million annual marketing budget that is culled from room tax proceeds. “I think we’d be negligent in taking money away from that to pay for festivals in town,” Dare said. “But we can debate the balance in that process and come to a consensus of where we want to go.” The city also opened bids this week for a consultant to facilitate the upcoming tourism planning sessions, with eight national-level firms having responded. TAB was conceived in 2010 after city council voted to abolish the city’s Tourism Commission and instead replace it with a city-funded industry group that would be allocated $300,000 annually to seed new events and tourism initiatives. With an electoral overturn in 2012, the Tourism CommisSee BEACH Page 3 We Service All HVAC Brands
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