OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.COM
MAY 7, 2020
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
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Moderated Springfest underway Scaled-back version marks gradual return to normalcy
STEWART DOBSON/OCEAN CITY TODAY
UNMASKED
Mask mandate signs await storage, as the lifting of the requirement for outdoors also meant lifting the signs from their locations around the Boardwalk and other city property. See story on page 11.
El Salvador, resort seek jobs accord
Worker housing project proposed for downtown Major undertaking would create dorm-style setup for seasonal employees By Mallory Panuska Staff Writer (May 7, 2021) If you build it, they will come. That is the hope Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lachelle Scarlato has for plans presented this week to construct dormitory-style housing for seasonal workers in Ocean City. “In the very first week of my onboarding here, there was a list of items
that were presented to me … The item that rose to the top repeatedly — it didn’t matter what we were talking about, whether it was workforce or whether it was business projections or whatever — 100 percent of that conversation came back to seasonal housing here in Ocean City. And there weren’t any solutions, admittedly, on the table whatsoever,” Scarlato said. In seeking a solution, Scarlato discovered Wisconsin-based Holtz Builders Inc. — a company that forges partnership with resort communities to create safe, efficient, affordable housing for seasonal workers — and See DORM-STYLE 8
By Greg Wehner Staff Writer (May 7, 2021) After a one-year hiatus forced upon Ocean City by the covid-19 pandemic, the 30th anniversary of Springfest is set to take place in Ocean City this weekend, though it may look a bit different. Located at the inlet parking lot, the four-day event scheduled for Thursday through Sunday, has historically attracted between 120,000 and 150,000 people because of the live music from national recording artists like Badfish, Ballyhoo! and Styx, arts and crafts, food, beer and wine. But in 2020, the event was canceled because of covid. When City Special Events Director See SPRINGFEST Page 10
Diplomats, local officials aim for employee solution
JACK CHAVEZ/OCEAN CITY TODAY
Salvadoran Ambassador Milena Mayorga
By Jack Chavez Staff Writer (May 7, 2021) The Town of Ocean City and diplomats from El Salvador are exploring a partnership that could aid the seasonal employment crisis as myriad labor issues continue to confound the local economy. On Friday, Salvadoran Ambassador H.E. Milena Mayorga and her consul met with Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan and members of the Greater Ocean City ChamSee EL SALVADOR Page 6