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FEBRUARY 25, 2022
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C3 music fest moved back one weekend Company says complicated setup will take more time
GREG WEHNER/OCEAN CITY TODAY
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The 39th Seaside Boat Show returned to the Roland E. Powell Convention Center in Ocean City last weekend, after a year off because of the covid19 pandemic. This year’s show, staged by the Ocean City/Berlin Optimists Club, featured nearly 350 vessels and scores of marine vendors.
Schools quiet on mask plans State board drops requirement, awaits legislative approval By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (Feb. 25, 2022) With school masking decision nearly back in their hands, Worcester County Public Schools officials may soon decide whether to keep a stateforced indoor mandate in place. But until the light turns green, they are staying pretty mum on definite plans. “Worcester County Public Schools is aware of the action
taken by the State Board of Education today to rescind the statewide mandate of face coverings in school settings,” Superintendent Lou Taylor said in an emailed statement Tuesday. “As today’s action also requires the approval of the state’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review prior to its going into effect, leadership at WCPS will take this time to plan and prepare any changes needed to our current health and safety protocols should the repeal go into effect,” Taylor continued. “If and when the legislature repeals the man-
date, we will communicate any changes to our protocols with our students, staff, and community as soon as possible.” The Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive and Legislative Review, or AELR, is set to meet virtually at 2:30 p.m. Friday to address the state board’s recommendation. Until then, masks will remain a requirement in schools, as they have been since the beginning of the year. Worcester County Board of Education President Elena McComas, who will also be at the forefront of the mandate discusSee SCHOOL Page 6
By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (Feb. 25, 2022) When Director of Tourism and Business Development Tom Perlozzo introduced Ocean City Council members to Tim Sweetwood of C3 Presents in August, a concept to bring a concert festival the size of Lollapalooza to the resort was born. City Council members expressed excitement because the festival was pitched to counter a tuner car pop-up rally that has descended on in Ocean City in September for the past several years. After months of trying to get the logistics worked out, however, Sweetwood and his team decided they cannot make the festival work when the unsanctioned car rally arrives. On Tuesday, Perlozzo asked the council and the council agreed to See SETUP Page 3
County geared up for sports complex By Jack Chavez Staff Writer (Feb. 25, 2022) Nothing is imminent and nothing is set in stone. But with funds for an eventual athletic complex earmarked in the county general obligation bonds to be issued this year, the means to set this longawaited project in motion are in place. The Worcester County Commissioners last week voted 4-3 to include $11.2 million from that bond issue for the athletic complex. Assigning its funding to the general obligation bonds indicates that the county feels that the athletic complex is a venture that will bring in a revenue stream that efSee COUNTY Page 7
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Setup needs push concert to end of Sept. Continued from Page 1 move the event to Sept. 30 - Oct. 2, a week after it was originally intended to take place. “The original concept was to saturate the hotels … to fill the hotels with concert goers for three days,” Perlozzo said, adding that his team and C3 met with various departments to figure out how to make it work. The hang-up, though, was that September is becoming a big month of the extended season. After Labor Day, BikeFest rolls into the resort bring upwards of 200,000 people, and after last year’s event, which featured top acts like Kid Rock, Brett Michaels, and George Thorogood, it is bound to grow even more. The weekend after BikeFest was traditionally for Sunfest, though last year it was moved to the final week of the month. Instead, the pop-up rally was expected to come to the resort and all police resources were put toward enforcing a special event zone with lowered speed limits and the search for illegally modified cars. Sweetwood and Perlozzo had hoped to hold the three-day music festival during the same weekend as the popup. Logistically, it would not work out. In January, Frank Miller, the city’s special events director, proposed moving Sunfest to the end of October because there would not be enough time to break down the C3 festival and setup Sunfest. Miller, at the time, told the city’s tourism commission he believed there were enough common components between BikeFest and C3, to enable the breaking down of the former in time for the latter. On Feb. 14, though, organizers remained quiet about the music festival
being pitched by the same company that runs the NFL draft, Lollapaloozas around the world, Sea.Hear.Now in Asbury Park, New Jersey, Shaky Knees in Atlanta, Georgia, and Austin City Limits in Austin, Texas. Instead, the commission was told negotiations were still taking place, mainly regarding the logistics of breaking down BikeFest and setting up the C3 festival at the beach. After exhausting several options, Perlozzo told the council, C3 recommended its festival be moved to the following week, Sept. 30 - Oct. 2. Councilman Tony DeLuca said he loved the idea of the concert, but raised concerns about because the calendar was set and the reason for hosting the concert that weekend was very specific. “Have we exhausted everything,” DeLuca asked Perlozzo, who said C3 was having issues getting everything in place that weekend. The best option, Perlozzo added, was to move it and accommodate C3. “We plan on solidifying the calendar a little bit,” Perlozzo said. “It does create issues. I’m a big thinker and logistics aren’t my forte.” Councilman Mark Paddack echoed DeLuca, thanking Perlozzo for his effort but expressing disappointment. “Our public safety people have gone overboard for years … to control an event that this was going to eventually replace,” Paddack said. “Now, when I read this, this weekend, I was told why we were doing this … this was really hard to swallow.” Paddack leaned on Councilman Gehrig to weigh in on the matter, but the latter was fine with the change because of the concert’s potential. Gehrig said C3 is a world-class or-
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Ocean City Council members unanimously approved a request to push a music festival the size of Lollapalooza from the tuner car pop-up rally weekend to Sept. 30 – Oct. 2 after organizers with C3 Presents determined it would not have enough time to set up its event immediately after BikeFest, which is scheduled to take place the second weekend of the month.
ganization. Whether the concert was moved a week back to accommodate the promotor, or to Feb. 15, he said the event is one that could help facilitate a great partnership with C3. “We should be excited,” Gehrig said. “A shift in plans ... that’s how life goes at times. The week after will be epic. I think this is an absolutely 100 percent win.” Mayor Rick Meehan agreed with Gehrig. Meehan said it was a good plan when pitched, but he understood that sometimes things must be adjusted. “Hopefully, this is the beginning of
a long-running partnership,” he said. Councilman Peter Buas moved to approve the change, but just before the vote City Manager Terry McGean interjected that the change was not due to a city logistics issue. The change, he added, came from the promotor and his concerns. “This was the promoter and his very definite concerns that he would not be able to build his show around BikeFest,” McGean said. The board voted unanimously to change the dates of the concert to Sept. 30 - Oct. 2.
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Ocean City Today
FEBRUARY 25, 2022
Ocean City ‘Big Wheel’ returning Massive amusement will be set up completely on Trimper Rides’ property
LISA CAPITELLI/OCEAN CITY TODAY
Ocean City’s 149-foot “Big Wheel” is set to return to the south side of the resort this summer after drama last summer that forced the owner to move it from its original location because it extended more than 10 feet over the Boardwalk. The massive Ferris wheel will be erected fully on Trimper Rides’ property.
By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (Feb. 25, 2022) The infamous “Big Wheel” that kept on turning up drama last summer at the end of the Ocean City Boardwalk is officially returning for 2022. Mayor Rick Meehan announced at the close of Tuesday’s City Council meeting that he recently spoke to Scott Savage, who now heads Trimper Rides, about the massive ferris wheel and received some “good news.” “The ferris wheel will be back this summer at Trimper Rides and it will be totally on their property,” Meehan
said. The 149-foot amusement ride was at the center of controversy last summer when council members ordered the owner to move it from its first location because it extended more than 10 feet over the Boardwalk. Trimper President Antionette Bruno, who has since left that position, had asked for permission to move it east for where it was initially planned and 13 feet over the Boardwalk, for visibility reasons. And despite not getting the OK, she directed the ride owner to erect it in the desired spot, prompting council members’ orders to take it down. Eventually, the ride owner shifted some other amusements and moved it back to the originally planned, code-compliant space, where it remained until he took it down until the
end of the summer. According to Meehan’s comments, council members should not have the same issue this year because he was promised that the ride will be contained on Trimper’s property completely.
Ocean City agrees to five-year body camera contract By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (Feb. 25, 2022) Ocean City Council members on Tuesday approved a $2.5 million contract to outfit all 116 full-time police officers as well as seasonal officers and public safety aids with body cameras. The vote, however, was not unanimous, as Councilman John Gehrig voted against the contract with Axon Enterprises. Gehrig’s contended approving the contract at this juncture was premature, and that he would prefer to have police, the state’s attorney, and city officials meet in a room to discuss the full undertaking. “I know we’re ready, but there is a team here and it goes beyond us,” the councilman said, explaining that there will be hours upon hours of new video evidence taken with the cameras that will require processing. “This is expected to launch in April … it’s not unreasonable to think a hiccup or two moves us into May.” Then, if there is another hiccup, Gehrig said, the department would be trying to get the cameras in place in June, which he characterized as one of the resort’s most challenging law enforcement months of the year. State legislators passed the Maryland Accountability Act in 2021, which required all police officers in the state be equipped with cameras by 2025. But after a string of incidents in the resort over the past few years, including in June 2021 when police were captured on camera Tasing a black man who appeared to be taking off his backpack, and another officer was seen ramming his knee into the ribs of another black man, Mayor Rick Meehan made a push to get the cameras in place sooner than later. Meehan plans to have the department officers wearing cameras in the field no later than this summer. “Anytime you do something new and take a move like this, there’s going to be concerns,” the mayor said. “I just think this is so important for our officers.” Meehan explained that officers are out in the field with cameras pointing at them, putting the officer, departSee GEHRIG Page 5
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Gehrig warns council of quick-moving plan Continued from Page 4 ment, and city in a difficult position. Adding the cameras to the arsenal of tools used by officers allows every scenario in the field to be viewed with a two-way camera instead of just a one-way camera. “I think we’ll be in a better position to protect our officers,” Meehan added. Councilman Mark Paddack, a retired Ocean City police officer, said equipping officers with cameras is a big step for the future, and he was confident the police department, po-
lice commission, City Solicitor Heather Stansbury, and other city officials worked “diligently” to get the 30-page, five-year contract in place. Police Chief Ross Buzzuro introduced the body camera contract with Axon to the council members during a meeting on Dec. 20. At the time, the contract was for $2.5 million as well, but the company insisted that the council approve the deal by Dec. 31 or risk the price going up. Balking at the notion, the council deferred to Stansbury to negotiate
with Axion. Stansbury told the council on Tuesday the price would remain the same and that the final pieces were hammered out the night before. Under the agreement, Axon will provide cameras, battery packs, training, support, unlimited storage of videos and evidence on the cloud, a suite that allows sharing and managing videos, and transcription. Axon will also provide the department with Tasers and the latest in stun gun technology to the department.
Still, with time ticking and summer quickly approaching, Gehrig thought the city was moving too fast, comparing it to a quarterback throwing a ball to a receiver with one arm tied behind his back. “When the receiver says he has one arm, we’re saying, ‘What’s the big deal? You have one arm. Catch the ball,” Gehrig said. “I feel we should get our receiver healthy so he has two arms … so we don’t lose any cases that can’t be prosecuted.” City Council proceeded to approve the package by a 5-1 vote.
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Ocean City Today
FEBRUARY 25, 2022
School board awaits new mask rule approval Continued from Page 1 sion if local control is regained, said in an emailed statement Tuesday that board members applaud the state board’s action and look forward to making their own decisions. “Our board continually advocated for local control of these decisions, most recently with letters sent to the SBOE and the Maryland Department of Health last week,” McComas said. “We are grateful that decisions related to the pandemic are in the process of being returned to local school systems, where local leaders can make the decisions best suited for their individual communities.” McComas sent letters to Maryland Secretary of Health Dennis Schrader and state Board of Education President Clarence Crawford on Feb. 15, asking officials to return the school mask decision to the counties. The letters came on the heels of Gov. Larry Hogan calling on board members on Feb. 10 to rescind the mandate. The Worcester County Commissioners jumped into the fight as well on Feb. 14, with a letter to Crawford expressing support for Hogan’s letter. On Feb. 18, Taylor also issued a message to school community members pledging his support for the local board’s call to return the masking de-
cision to county school boards. “So while we await the next steps at the state level, please know that if and when these decisions return to us at the local level, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to keeping our students, faculty, and staff safe, and our students in school,” Taylor’s message said. “We know that decision making around this pandemic can be divisive, but I am proud of how Worcester stands together in support of our community’s children.” Similar pressures come from other board of education officials and parent groups across the county. On Feb. 11, members of the Carroll County Board of Education filed a lawsuit against the state board over its original decision. A group named the Coalition to Maryland Parents filed similar action on Feb. 15. Residents have also been vocal about the mandates in counties across the state, including Worcester County, since the beginning of the school year. Groups of local residents set up shop outside of the Worcester County Board of Education office in Newark during monthly meetings with signs protesting the mandate. Several people also expressed their disdain for the requirement, and called on local board members for a
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stance during public comment periods at the meetings. Last week was the first time local board members released public statements on the mandate. Taylor attempted to start the school year with masks optional but recommended, but the higher board swooped in and imposed the emergency order requiring indoor face coverings for everyone in all districts just before the first bells rang. He did not wait for AELR approval at the time, even though it was required to legally enforce the mandate. The state board members bypassed Hogan to issue the emergency order, and members of the AELR followed with a vote to make the regulation official. State board members attempted to offer a compromise by instating offramps in December that would allow district officials to lift the mandate on their own if that county reached 80 percent vaccination rate, had 80 percent of students and staff at a school or facility vaccinated, and/or reported 14 days of consecutive low transmission rates of cases within a county. The legislative committee followed again with a vote for the 180-day order up for discussion today. To date, four counties — Anne
PHOTO COURTESY WORCESTER COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Members of the state board of education voted this week to rescind an emergency order that requires anyone inside a school building to wear a face covering. The decision, which returns masking decisions to local school boards, moves next to the state’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Legislative & Executive Review for final approval.
Arundel, Frederick, Howard and Montgomery — have met the 80 percent vaccination requirement but have not all removed the mandate. To view the AELR meeting, visit mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/C ommittees/Details?cmte=aex.
State board of ed rescinds emergency mask regulation Legislative committee must review, approve decision before it goes into effect By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (Feb. 25, 2022) The return of school masking powers to county officials gained major traction this week with the majority of state board of education members voting to back off and rescind an emergency order that’s been in place since the start of the year. The decision, which came in a 12to-two vote at a state board meeting Tuesday, moves next to the state’s Joint Committee on Administrative, Executive & Legislative Review, or AELR, for final approval. A day after the vote, an AELR meeting was set for 2:30 p.m. Feb. 25 to address it. Members of the committee were required to convene to legalize the original emergency order, which board members passed in late August in response to what they deemed irresponsible handling of the covid-19 health situation by local board members and superintendents. The committee members also met and approved a second order after
board members added a series of offramps in December that allow local officials to lift the mandates on their own if certain metrics regarding vaccinations and transmission rates are met. The second order is set to expire in 180 days, but a confirmation of the state board’s vote to rescind the order would eliminate it and give the decision back to the locals. State Superintendent of Schools Mohammed Choudhury recommended the board rescind the order during Tuesday’s meeting, citing drops in transmission and case rates, and the elimination of school mask mandates in many districts across the country. “I am going to give you my recommendation today and I think it is the right to send it back to local control,” Choudhury said before the board’s vote. “… We had a very smart response, we have very smart off-ramps, let them decide. If they want to come up and use one of the off-ramps, they can. If they do not, that is fine.” Choudhury’s recommendation came after hearing from members of the public, who included parents and grandparents from across the state See STATE Page 7
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State board votes 12-2 to end mask rule Continued from Page 6 who pleaded with the board to remove the mandate and return masking authority to county leaders. The speakers cited issues ranging from speech and developmental delays to behavioral issues brought on by constant mask wearing, especially among younger students. They also shared data challenging the health metrics board members’ used to institute the mandate in the first place, and accused them of trying to force vaccines through the off ramps. A representative from the state’s teacher’s union argued against lifting the mandate just yet and instead urged the members to wait for further guidance from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention with a subvariant of omicron on the horizon. Officials from the state health department also shared the latest covid case, transmission, hospitalization and vaccination rates for all districts, and Choudhury shared information from other districts that have lifted the mandate. All but two of the board members agreed that the decision should be given back to the counties and tacked a March 1 date on their recommendation. While some were still leery of the quickness, others, like board member Shawn Bartley from Montgomery County, expressed a desire to move as quickly as possible. “I think we should move with
alacrity and speed, we are not the leaders with regards to unmasking. Why not get up to speed and get our children unmasked as soon as possible?,” he said. “We don’t need to wait any longer, we’re on the decline. The numbers are improving, I think we’re moving too late.” On the other side of the issue, board members Holly Wilcox from Baltimore City and Rachel McCusker from Carroll County — the two “no” votes — expressed a desire to wait until March 31 to release control. Like the teachers’ union rep, they said they are concerned about the potential for cases to jump with the potential omicron subvariant and a lack of updated guidance from the CDC.
County not rushing on sportsplex Continued from Page 1 fectively pays for itself. But mum’s the word on specifics beyond that. “We’ve identified a couple pieces of property for a sports complex,” Commissioner President Joe Mitrecic said. “We needed to have the money put in there so that if we do something, it’s part of the bond. If we can come to an agreement with one of the prop- Joe Mitrecic erty owners, we can move forward.” “You can’t really have a marketing program and fixed costs on everything that this sports complex might cost unless you have a piece of property.” Once a property is under contract, a public hearing can be held and, if
the county proceeds after that, the administration will get to work on drafting a master plan that will indicate exactly how the property can be used, what can be built on it, what it’ll look like and other specifications. Regarding the two properties under consideration, Mitrecic wouldn’t commit to a timeline but acknowledged that he’d like to see progress soon. “The sooner, the better. But we’re not going to rush anything,” he said. “We’re going to do our due diligence and keep moving it forward. There is no timeline or drop-dead date … We’re going to make sure it’s the right thing for the county and make sure we do it right the first time.” Mitrecic made a point to throw his support behind what the sports complex could mean for the citizens of Worcester County, saying it’s more than just a potential economic boon.
“It’s going to allow kids that may never be able to travel to a tournament to play in a tournament atmosphere, possibly get noticed by a college coach or just enjoy the type of athletic participation and competition that comes with these tournaments,” he said. “Some of our kids are never going to have that opportunity if we don’t have this in our backyard.”
“I’m just curious if it would be wise to postpone this decision for one month,” Wilcox said. “Because the community transmission rates are still high and substantial, it would give us time to see what’s going with this new variant … and it’s just another 30 days or so. Maybe it would be more prudent to take that approach.” In the end, the date that board members tacked on the order has no real bearing, as the AELR members have the authority to set their own implementation for regulations. By definition, the AELR provides oversight of the regulatory activities of state agencies for the General Assembly. The group’s primary function is reviewing regulations — including emergency orders — that are proposed for adoption by a unit of the executive branch of state government to determine whether the regulations conform to the statutory authority of the unit and the legislative intent of the statute under which the regulations are proposed. While no clear guidance exists on rescinding an emergency order, the AELR must pass all orders before they become law. To view today’s AELR meeting, visit mgaleg.maryland.gov/mgawebsite/Committees/Details?cmte=aex.
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https://mainstreethomeloans.com/loanoriginator/kari-story/ This is not a guarantee to extend consumer credit as defined by Section 1026.2 of Regulation Z. All loans are subject to credit approval and property appraisal. Main Street Home Loans NMLS ID #71603 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). Licensed in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Kari Story, NMLS#476369.
12308 Ocean Gateway, Suite 6 Ocean City, Maryland, 21842 DENTIST - Dr. Michnick
DENTIST - Dr. Takacs
www.atlanticdental.com
WORCESTER COUNTY DENTAL PRACTICE
Christopher Takacs, DMD