OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.NET
APRIL 25, 2014
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
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ON YOUR MARK… More than 3,500 runners are expected to compete in Saturday’s OC half marathon, 5K– Page 45
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City will assist, not fund anyone with FEMA issues
OCEAN CITY TODAY/NANCY POWELL
EGGSTATIC Children look everywhere for Easter eggs during last Saturday’s festive hunt in Ocean Pines. The day was filled with the spirit of the holiday with many families glad that spring had actually arrived after the difficult winter that won’t soon be forgotten.
‘Cool’ Berlin unshelves projects Previously stalled actions such as the renovation of Tyson’s plant considered
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By Josh Davis Staff Writer (April 25, 2014) As the town continues to soak in the “cool,” many new and previously shelved projects are being considered. Among the most ambitious is the proposed plan for Tyson’s Park, a revamping of the former Tyson plant on Old Ocean City Blvd. The plan, developed by Vista Design, Inc., has been compared to Northside Park in Ocean City, featuring an indoor and outdoor recreation center, outdoor skateboard park, biking and walking/jogging paths, fishing areas, a fairground and an amphitheater. The overall cost of the park is unknown and the project manager from Vista Design was unavailable for comment. The 16-acre property, owned by
Berlin District 1 Councilmember Troy Purnell, has been unused for more than a decade. Currently a 55,000 square foot building with office and warehouse space stands near the entrance masking large ponds, fields and woodlands behind it. The property also has access to a railroad line. Purnell was unavailable for comment on the project. District 2 Councilmember Lisa Hall supported the plan, suggesting the grounds could also contain a warehouse space, youth center and police substation. Many of the site’s former industrial structures, she believes, could be repurposed for Tyson’s Park. “All of this could be used for indoor skateboarding, basketball, volleyball, indoor soccer, walking – it’s there, it just needs to be revitalized,” she said. The Dew Tour currently stores equipment at the site through an arrangement with Purnell. According to Hall the tour has already of-
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fered to donate ramps and equipment toward a permanent skateboard park on the site. The grounds have also been frequented by bird watchers and is one of the sites being used during Delmarva Birding Week on Friday, April 25. Although it current lists for $2.7 million dollars, Hall hinted that the property could be sold to the town for less than $2 million. “It’s a fire sale considering what they purchased this property for and what they wanted for it 10-11 years ago,” she said. “With the slots money we don’t have to do a bond or anything; we could probably pay this off in five years and then go after grant money and utilize town staff, town resources, local resources; we have a good community that likes to work and get together. We could do a lot with this, do a feasibility study and see what’s the best way to go with this and do it in phases. But the See BERLIN Page 4
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By Zack Hoopes Staff Writer (April 25, 2014) Despite being lobbied heavily this week by those feeling both edges of the sword, the city continued to stay relatively neutral in the ongoing issues surrounding the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s flood plain re-mapping. As of March 14, the city is currently in the formal 90-day appeal window whereby individual property owners, or the town as a whole, may contest their proposed new FEMA flood designation. But while local insurance broker Reese Cropper continued to lobby on the city’s vulnerability under a relaxed insurance regime, council declined a direct request by some north-end property owners to fund their struggle to have FEMA relax their zoning even further to match the rest of the resort’s oceanfront. “We can facilitate that process, but will not be responsible for challenging the data,” said City Manager David Recor. To do so, the town would need to hire someone to re-do FEMA’s study, costing tens of thousands of dollars and opening the city up to considerable liability. In its notice to the city of the appeal period, FEMA states that “we ask that you review and consolidate any appeal data you may receive and issue a written opinion stating whether the evidence provided is sufficient to justify an official appeal by your community in its own name or on behalf of the interested parties. “If we do not receive an appeal or other formal comment from your community in its own name within 90 days of the second date of public notification, we will consolidate and review on their own merits such appeal data and comments from individuals that you may forward to us.” Essentially, the city will not be exercising the former option and will not be lobbying any appeal in the town’s See FEMA Page 8
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