OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
FEBRUARY 15, 2019
LIFESTYLE
OC SEASIDE BOAT SHOW
Thirty-sixth annual threeday event presented by the Ocean City-Berlin Optimist Club – Page 25
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Sprinkler rule could be costly Only antifreeze permitted will cost four times more than what some have used By Morgan Pilz Staff Writer (Feb. 15, 2019) Regulations established by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) regarding antifreeze for sprinkler systems will cost property owners and businesses millions of dollars along the East Coast, and Ocean City is not exempt. ‘So, in a couple On Thursof instances in day, Jan. 31, Ocean City Fire the country, Marshal David reportedly … Hartley reit made the leased a statefires worse.’ ment regarding Igor Conev the future and current use of Mann antifreeze soluProperties tions. “Antifreeze solutions in existing automatic sprinkler systems that are tested and continue to meet the conditions outlined in (the fire code) may continue use until Sept. 30, 2022, when the Code requires that they be replaced with a listed antifreeze solution,” Hartley said in the press release. “Antifreeze solutions in existing automatic sprinkler systems that are tested and do not meet the conditions outlined in (the inspections and sprinkler part of the code) that must be subsequently emptied, shall be refilled with a listed antifreeze solution.” Concerns about fire hazards and effectiveness during extreme weather conditions like polar vortexes were primary worries for public officials regarding the current antifreeze soluSee SPRINKLER Page 66
MORGAN PILZ/OCEAN CITY TODAY
Return flight By Morgan Pilz Staff Writer (Feb. 15, 2019) After more than a month of being stranded in Rhode Island, partly as the result of the
Bert the pelican didn’t mean to go to Rhode Island, but that’s where he landed, before being given a lift home longest government shutdown in history, young Bert finally made his way to back home. Of course, he shouldn’t have been there in the first place. Bert, a young brown pelican, had blown in with the wind, but then went home as a passenger in two plane rides flown by volunteer pilots. Bert the pelican became a national story when he got caught in a
jet stream that carried him to Point Judith, Rhode Island in early January. Unable to fight the prevailing winds to return to his southern roost, Bert also was denied other means of transportation, because the shutdown made it impossible for volunteers to obtain the necessary permits to transport him. “All the permits to be able to move the bird were frozen. Nothing See WAYWARD Page 64
School start date petition circulates By Greg Ellison Staff Writer (Feb. 15, 2019) Battle lines were renewed this week after the Maryland Senate approved legislation to repeal the mandated statewide postLabor Day school start approved by
Gov. Larry Hogan through executive order in 2016, with the state’s top executive quickly reviving a previous pledge to launch a referendum campaign to give voters the final decision. Senate Bill 128, sponsored by
Sen. Paul Pinsky (D-22, Prince George’s County), which received a favorable report from Education, Health and Environmental Affairs last week, passed the senate by a 3113 vote on Tuesday. See SCHOOL Page 66