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FEBRUARY 12, 2021
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WCPS students engage in partial in-person learning for Stage Three of the return plan – Page 52
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Tram discount card may get punched out Aim is to reduce contact between riders, conductors
GREG WEHNER/OCEAN CITY TODAY
RISE UP
The Ocean City Fishing Pier and Jolly Roger at the Pier amusements caught some of the sun’s first rays on Wednesday morning.
By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (Feb. 12, 2021) After last week’s announcement of the Boardwalk tram’s return to service after a one-year hiatus because of the covid-19 pandemic, Ocean City officials are now considering the elimination of a discount punch card that can be purchased on the tram to reduce interaction between riders and conductors. Transportation Committee members met on Tuesday morning to discuss the move when Mayor Rick Meehan expressed his concerns. “This isn’t purchased in advance as an incentive to ride,” Meehan said. “It’s purchased on the tram.” Buying the card on the tram initiates more contact between the two parties, he added, while the circumstances would be different if the card could be purchased in advance. If approved, the eradication of the card will be in line with measures taken to reduce bus capacities for See TRAM Page 4
By summer, a better way to get message out Tourism toolkit plan aims to advise public clearly when trouble arises By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (Feb. 12, 2021) Confusion ran amok as the covid outbreak started to make its way through Ocean City in 2020. By time June arrived, things got worse: the overtaking of streets by unruly crowds and a pop-up car rally to help create a communication nightmare between resort officials, businesses, and residents, with mixed and outdated messages being passed around as the official word.
Now, a tourism toolkit is being developed by members of the Ocean City tourism community to communicate a unified message with businesses and residents to reduce confusion when things get a little hectic in the summer.
‘Some of the things we saw were a bit out of character for Ocean City.’ — Jessica Waters
Jessica Waters, the acting tourism director and communications manager for the city, said on Wednesday that there needs to be a way to com-
municate with the community, so all information is up to date, and everyone is on the same page. Ocean City typically sees an increase in crime beginning in June, when the area begins to receive a younger, more exuberant crowd that also seems to attract a more criminally inclined element. “Last year was a bit of an anomaly,” Waters said, suggesting that several bars and restaurants were not fully open when the rush came. “Some of the things we saw were a bit out of character for Ocean City.” For example, on June 7, 2020, multiple people were involved in an altercation that resulted in a See PLAN Page 3