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Chief: no tolerance for wild behavior But tells City Council resort won’t be able to arrest its way out of this trouble By Josh Kim Staff Writer (June 19, 2020) As Ocean City’s elected officials seek solutions to rowdy and violent behavior that occurs every June and with the unsanctioned car
event known as H2Oi, the Ocean City Police Department is attempting to do its best with a seemingly impossible hurdle to overcome. “We can arrest people, and arrest and arrest, do as much enforcement as we possibly can. We can work 12, 15 hours a day virtually every day of the week … [but] we’re not going to be able to arrest our way out of this situation,” Police Chief Ross Buzzuro told the mayor and
City Council Monday night. The police department has had its hands full attempting to quell seemingly endless violence and reckless behavior of the last couple of weeks. Beginning last Sunday, June 7, reports surfaced that multiple people were involved in an altercation that resulted in a stabbing on Sixth and Seventh streets on the Boardwalk. Then, the next day a video of teens
overtaking the road near 11th Street and clambering over a moving vehicle made waves online. Activity continued into Tuesday, after two serious assaults occurred on the Boardwalk around 11th and 16th streets. Wednesday featured a crowd of teens brawling on Fourth Street and the Boardwalk, with one teen, who seemed to have thrown the first punch, brutally See PERCEPTION Page 2
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ELIZABETH BONIN/OCEAN CITY TODAY
BEACH DAY Crowds at the beach are increasing as residents and visitors celebrate the expansion of business openings.
Arcades open with health safety practices By Elizabeth Bonin Staff Writer (June 19, 2020) Several amusement parks and arcades in Ocean City have gotten off to late start to the summer season, after being closed along with other businesses because of the covid19 pandemic. Last week, Gov. Larry Hogan announced that amusement parks could
open last Friday and arcades could open this Friday at 5 p.m. Dean Langrall, director of sales and marketing for Jolly Roger Amusement Parks, said it was a busy first weekend for the location on the pier, where most of the rides were open. “There were a lot of happy people coming right through, jumping on rides,” Langrall said. “It was a very cool
thing to watch.” He added that the first weekend crowd didn’t seem any bigger or smaller than past years. “They might be more enthusiastic about coming to Jolly Roger’s because . . . a lot of Ocean City is still closed down,” Langrall said. “People want a place to go have fun.” See ARCADES Page 6
By Josh Kim Staff Writer (June 19, 2020) Members of the public took turns at Monday night’s Ocean City Council meeting voicing their frustrations, their anger and their fear, following more than a week of violence and unruly behavior in Ocean City — a seemingly annual occurrence that has been left to fester. They also expressed their desire to see transparency, communication and action from city leaders. “I know you can’t see me on the channel, but I’m looking at every single one of you in the eye — it was disappointing,” property owner Brenda Kenny said via a video link. “I have been down there during H2Oi. I felt like a prisoner in my home because people are allowed to run the streets and what made me even more furious, I would see the lip service from the politicians afterward … Let me give you guys some advice. Be honest with people, be transparent with us.” The Ocean City Police Department has had an exhausting week dealing See PUBLIC Page 4
Ocean City Today
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JUNE 19, 2020
‘Perception is reality,’ Chief Ross Buzzuro says Continued from Page 1 beaten. Although a bystander recorded the event, no one called police until three minutes after the fight broke out, a press release said. Police have since identified the assault victim, who said he did not sustain any serious injuries. He has not cooperated with police in the investigation, however, and police seek the public’s aid in identifying suspects. Witnesses are asked to contact crimetips@oceancitymd.gov. Thursday’s activity took some by surprise, as violence trickled past downtown Ocean City limits and into West Ocean City, where a man was violently beaten and his girlfriend held to the ground in the West Ocean City Outlets’ parking lot. Soon after, multiple police agencies went to a nearby Chipotle in response to reported attack on the staff. A Maryland State Police Berlin Barrack press release said two males entered the restaurant without their masks, and grew agitated when staff asked them to cover their faces. The two left, but shortly returned with a third male and destroyed property inside the restaurant — they reportedly threw a canned drink, ice and bottles at employees, while jumping on the counter. One suspect was arrested as he at-
tempted to flee the area. From last Thursday to Sunday, Ocean City police arrested 129 people. Last Wednesday, the Ocean City Police Commission held an emergency closed session, and decided to seek allied agency assistance to increase enforcement throughout the resort. “The Ocean City Police Department has increased law Ross Buzzuro enforcement presence on the Boardwalk and throughout town by 25 percent in response to various incidents that have occurred in the last few weeks in Ocean City,” a department press release said. “In order to keep residents and visitors safe, the department has redeployed officers and increased the presence of allied agencies.” Allied agencies include the Maryland State Police Berlin Barrack and the Worcester County Sheriff’s office. Police are also being more aggressive with enforcement, as exemplified by the 129 arrests — the same weekend last year had 95 arrests. Those arrested varied in age, with many in their early to mid-20s or early 30s, somewhat demystifying the popular notion that the culprits were solely “June bugs” or high school seniors celebrating beach week.
“The kind of behavior we’ve seen recently will not be tolerated and arrests will be made,” Buzzuro said in a video statement. Buzzuro reiterated his stance during Monday night’s Ocean City Council meeting, during which members of the public vented about the apparent lack of action to address and curb the behavior. Buzzuro said he is a perennial optimist and highlighted his department’s successes, such as historically low crime rates since his tenure began in 2015. Nonetheless, “We’re moving in the right direction, but perception is reality,” Buzzuro said. “All of that is out of the door when we talk about two things: June and let’s just call it H2Oi. They’re beyond our Achilles heel, they’re really damaging and destroying this town; we all know it.” The police chief went on, stating the city needed more than just increased enforcement — a point Councilman John Gehrig had made earlier. “We’re doing the very, very best that we can and I don’t think anyone would dispute that, but there are limitations,” Buzzuro said. “I don’t have the answer for everything and you know what? This is on my watch.” Nevertheless, Buzzuro said the police department would have to keep an optimistic outlook and step up to the challenge. “We have to press forward, we have
to move on. Leadership in good times is easy, [in] prosperous times are easy,” Buzzuro said. “When you’re in the bad times, the tough times, when you’re facing battle, the real testament of leadership is what are you going to do [during those bad times].”
Worcester County to offer covid-19 business grants By Elizabeth Bonin Staff Writer (June 19, 2020) Financial aid to local businesses suffering from covid-19 closures and a subsequent economic downtown could be coming from the Worcester County Commissioners, who agreed Tuesday to proceed with a Workforce Back to Business Covid-19 Assistance Grant. The grants will come from the $2.28 million given to Worcester County from the federal CARES Act. Tom Perlozzo, director of recreation and parks, tourism and economic development, said that he hopes to expedite the grant review and approval process. “Our office gets calls every day from various businesses struggling as it relates to covid-19,” Perlozzo said. “It could be See BUSINESSES Page 3
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Ocean City Today
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Businesses still struggling amid pandemic Continued from Page 2 workforce, PPE, or it could be just making lease payments or rent payments.” He said that the total county funding would probably not be enough to fund every grant application. The administration of the program would be carried out by a hybrid of the Economic Development Advisory Board and additional expertise from various local industries. Perlozzo confirmed with County Commissioner Chip Bertino that all businesses would Tom Perlozzo have the same opportunity to hear about the grant. Perlozzo said he has weekly meetings the chambers of commerce and other business entities to keep up to date with Gov. Larry Hogan’s orders. “We do have an active plan in place to get everyone the information all at the same time throughout the county via social [media],” Perlozzo said. “We can use newspaper and we’ve already communicated with the town representatives. All know, including Ocean Pines.” Bertino said he was concerned that it would be the commissioners who approve the final list of grant recipients that the advisory board would recommend. “That bothers me considerably because I don’t want it to become political,” Bertino said. “I don’t want pressure
being applied either to us or from us for people to be approved or not approved.” Perlozzo acknowledged that it’s a slippery slope. He emphasized confidentiality for the applications. “That’s why I think it’s important to have representation throughout the county and the types of categories of businesses that exist, such as retail or manufacturing,” Perlozzo said. County Attorney Roscoe Leslie said there are always winners and losers for grants. “I think the most important thing is that you have solid, objective evaluation criteria that you’d set up before everything goes out,” Leslie said. Perlozzo said that the criteria was still being developed. He agreed to bring the plan to the commissioner’s meeting on July 7 per Bertino’s request. Lachelle Scarlato, deputy director of economic development, said that the county will accept applications from businesses that were eligible for paycheck protection program. She also reassured County Commissioner Diana Purnell that the word would be spread to all businesses, including the agricultural community. “One of my requests is that the process be comprehensive, transparent, inclusive, and we allow the time for those applications to be filed after the message is delivered and that we review it comprehensively,” Scarlato said. “As Tom [Perlozzo] mentioned, we have specific
industry sectors, with their specific skill set participating with us in this review process.” Businesses with one to 25 full-time employees will receive $5,000, businesses with 26-50 full-time employees
will receive $10,000 and agriculture producers will receive $7,000. The funds must be used for covid-19 expenditures and must be spent by Dec. 20. The window for application submission is July 8-22.
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JUNE 19, 2020
Public wants transparency Continued from Page 1 with daily violent and reckless behavior— many incidents going viral on social media and seriously damaging the public image resort officials and the tourism industry want to present. Regardless of whether the outrageous behavior of the past week is a true representation of Ocean City, the social media coverage it engendered has already dealt a heavy blow to the resort. “Facebook has certainly been driving the perception of what is happening in Ocean City and, unfortunately, there have been an overwhelming number of cancellations as a result,” said Susan Jones, Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association executive director. The Alaska Stand on Ninth Street and the Boardwalk took a break this past weekend, after its staff faced extremely disrespectful behavior, owner Jodi Renner said. After closing early on Sunday, staying closed Monday and reopening on Tuesday, Renner said she wanted to focus on moving forward, and stressed that Ocean City is still a safe and great place to visit. “We want people to come here,” Renner said. “We think people who come here are better than this, and we’re just asking everybody to be kind, patient, empathetic and respectful — especially after what everybody has gone
through lately [the pandemic].” Bull on the Beach also issued a statement on its Facebook page, announcing its Second Street location on the Boardwalk would closing early at 8 p.m. because of the violence and unruly behavior. “This is to ensure the safety of our staff and customers. We wholeheartedly regret having to go to these extreme measures, but the safety of everyone is our main goal,” the Facebook post said. John Gehrig Last Wednesday, the Ocean City Police Commission held an emergency closed meeting, and on Thursday police spokeswoman Ashley Miller told WBOC that the resort would be partnering with allied agencies, such as the Worcester County Sherriff’s office and the Maryland State Police to increase enforcement not only on the Boardwalk, but also throughout the city and in neighborhoods. The following morning, the police department posted a video to its Facebook page with a message from police Chief Ross Buzzuro assuring residents the police would not tolerate the behavior. Nevertheless, many attending Mon-
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day’s meeting wanted more from the city and its police force, particularly open communication and collaboration. “This happens every June,” Laura Gulyas said. “I’m not talking about H2Oi, I’m not talking about any other weekend. Just with the beginning of June it seems like everybody PHOTO COURTESY JODI RENNER from the western side of Maryland and the Alaska Stand on Ninth Street owner Jodi Renner stressed that north and south of Ocean City is a safe and great place to be, and she hoped that peoMaryland come here ple would remember to be kind, patient, empathetic and respectful — unlike how some seemed to have behaved this past week or two. and it seems like their sole purpose is to destroy the town.” Many on the council agreed with Resident, and former police officer, Gehrig’s sentiments, and offered more Larry Yates used H2Oi as an example of solutions. the council’s failure to effectively comMayor Rick Meehan and Councilmunicate with the public. woman Mary Knight said cheap hotel “We have heard nothing since Sep- rooms needed to end immediately. tember,” Yates said. Meehan also explained that little had Yates said he had been told that the been said about H2Oi action because lack of communication had been attrib- city officials had been waiting on special uted to covid-19 and other events, but event zone legislation to pass the MaryYates pointed out that the pandemic land General Assembly. had not hit until March. It did so in early March, with Gov. The council did not have to share Larry Hogan’s final approval in May. every iota of what its planning to do, but The bill greatly increases penalties “you need to tell people, ‘Listen, we are for behind-the-wheel actions that enseriously working on this and we will get danger visitors, residents and law enback to you we’re doing our best,’ and forcement officers. we believe you, we have all of the faith Knight said the city also needed to in the world in you,” Yates said. “We will create a rumor control page, as this support you, but don’t leave us hanging week was plagued with misinformation from September until now and I’m still that elevated fears. angry about that. Not heard one word.” The police department set up a “True Yates then highlighted a statement or False” post on its Facebook page made by Councilman John Gehrig dur- Wednesday to answer questions. ing an October council meeting, postCouncilman Dennis Dare said the H2Oi. council needed full support from the “Mr. Gehrig said, ‘Hold us account- business community in order to move able. We are your people that lead this forward. town … and we shall be and should be Several years ago, when Dare was held accountable [by] you,’ and we do chairman of the police commission, it hold you guys accountable,” Yates said. had unanimously agreed on a set of proCouncil members responded with a cedures to address and quell the aforepledge to be more proactive and trans- mentioned behavior. Local business parent. leaders and members aggressively op“Everybody is right here,” Gehrig posed it, he said. said. “This is not a huge surprise. June “If we’re going to move forward, [if] comes ever year, and the same prob- we’re going to be bold and [if] we’re lems happen every year.” going to regain control during some of Gehrig said the council needed to these events, we need the full support of look deeper into the issue and find so- the business community,” Dare said. lutions to attack the cause. As a task force is created, as plans are “Some people say we just need more hashed out and as a solution is slowly police officers,” Gehrig said. “That’s like realized, the public may expect, should we have a gaping wound on our arm expect, open dialogue and collaboration that’s infected and it’s not healing and with its elected officials. saying just throw more police officers at “I’m done talking about it behind the it is like saying I need more bandages. It scenes, frankly because it gets us treats the symptoms, but we need major nowhere,” Gehrig said. “We do strategic surgery — we may need to amputate planning [and] it goes nowhere. I’m just that arm.” going to talk, right open in public, I In addition to creating a task force, guess. I’m pissed too, we should all be Gehrig said the city needed to get its pissed, we should all be embarrassed. business development operations un- There’s a lot going on the world and it’s derway and hire a ground force to “sell nobody’s fault. We’re not the bad guys, the town” and attract visitors the city but at the same time … the solution is desires. on us — that’s why we were elected.”
Ocean City Today
JUNE 19, 2020
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Indoor dining helps, but staffing still problem OC restaurant owners and operations find mixed bag after reopening last week By Josh Kim Staff Writer (June 19, 2020) Indoor dining brought both blessings and challenges this past weekend, as restaurateurs were ecstatic to serve guests in a somewhat normal capacity, but struggle to do so as staffing continues to be in low supply. “Everyone was thrilled to be able to open with some indoor dining,” said Susan Jones, Ocean City Hotel-MotelRestaurant Association executive director. “[The] town was certainly busy, so staffing remains an enormous challenge.” Eastbound traffic on Route 50 and the bridge was at a standstill most of Saturday, and at one point extended to the Blue Heron Shopping Center in West Ocean City, or about 3.6 miles
from the downtown entry point into the resort. The beach and Boardwalk were packed, with little room to spare for social distancing and facemasks again a rare sight — although facial coverings remain optional in outdoor public spaces. For businesses, particularly those with no or little outdoor dining space, the heavy crowds were a godsend, although sales for some remain incomparable to past years. “We were very busy, very busy,” John VanFossen, owner of Assateague Crab House in West Ocean City, said. VanFossen’s small, family-owned restaurant has been closed since last summer, as the cost of opening partially with outdoor dining outweighed the revenue. With Gov. Larry Hogan’s announcement last Wednesday reopening indoor dining at 50 percent capacity, however, VanFossen was
able to open for service this summer, and satisfy residents’ and visitors’ seafood cravings. Phillips Crab House on North Philadelphia Avenue was also excited to reopen, as it too did not have outdoor seating available. “It was very exciting,” Michelle Torres, Phillips’ corporate director of marketing and business development, said. “We were packed the entire weekend.” Torres said guests were excited to enjoy meals indoors again — an act they were barred from doing for the last four months or so. Kyler Taustin, manager and coowner of BLU Crab House, agreed, and said everyone was thrilled to dine indoors and worked with the restaurant to ensure operations ran smoothly. Taustin said BLU has always been 80 percent outdoor seating, so with the reopening of indoor dining plus additional outdoor seating in the parking lot, the restaurant has managed to maintain its normal capacity, even with social distancing protocols. Nonetheless, not all restaurants have outdoor space to capitalize on, as sales climbed, but did not soar. VanFossen and Jeb Vetock, general manager of Harrison’s Harbor Watch restaurant on the Boardwalk, reported sales at 50 percent, give or
take, compared to normal weekends, while Phillips saw 37 percent of its usual sales. Restaurants such as BLU and Phillips faced an additional challenge, as the two entities were not able to offer a key component of their respective dining experiences: buffets. VanFossen lamented his inability to continue “all-you-can-eat” services, which has been a main draw for many of his customers. On the upside, most customers continue to follow indoor dining social distancing and face covering guidelines. “There were some instances where people just were not aware, or thought it was necessary to take it to the extreme … they just didn’t think that you needed a mask or it was necessary to social distance,” Torres said. She said some customers would come in and request tables to be put together for parties larger than six. Under Hogan’s order no more than six are allowed at a table. “We received multiple calls a day and multiple groups that just walked up expecting it to be business as usual,” Torres said, but noted that the groups were quick to comply once the regulations were explained. Capacity limits, service restrictions and guideline ignorance aside, what See VARIETY Page 8
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JUNE 19, 2020
Arcades prepare for reopening this weekend Continued from Page 1 As for safety measures, Langrall said Jolly Roger has installed sanitizer stations throughout the park, and signs on the ground remind visitors to social distance. “We’re wiping down the rides on a very diligent schedule so everything is disinfected,” Langrall said. “We got all of that in place before it even opened.” For now, Jolly Roger will not be limiting capacity, according to Langrall.
At the 30th Street location, he said both miniature golf courses and the gokart track were open last weekend, but none of the rides. He hopes that at least some of them will be open tonight. “It’s a work in progress,” Langrall said. “We have to get them certified and approved by the guys from the state (safety inspectors) so we’re not really sure.” He said he thinks Jolly Roger is one of the safest places to be.
ELIZABETH BONIN/OCEAN CITY TODAY
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for customers that still do not feel comfortable touching machines,” Mohr said. “They can request to wear gloves that they have to dispose of … after they play the games.” Marty’s will also be operating at half capacity, which Mohr said will be about 400 people. Like Funcade, Marty’s is short on employees with about 20 when it normally has about 35. Mohr said it’ll be enough for now, but that he is looking for more to hire. Mohr said Marty’s is finally ready to open after waiting for all the various signs and sanitizers to come in since the supplies were in such a high demand. He said he wants all guests to feel safe. “I recommend that if they feel unsafe at all, they need to share that with our employees so that we can make sure their safety is our first priority,” Mohr said. Jerry Greenspan, owner of Sportland, said the arcade will take similar measures as Marty’s Playland and Funcade, such as the signs and swipe card system. “On top of that, we’re going to be fogging the whole arcade with a biocide, a chemical they’re using in hospitals to decontaminate viruses and covid,” Greenspan said. “It’s an electrostatic sprayer and it fogs all the equipment in the arcade.” He said the biocide will be sprayed every day before opening and then again in the middle of the day. Employees will also wipe down machines throughout the day and bleach the floors at night. Occupancy will also be controlled by a manager monitoring the entrance. “Normally, we can hold up to 750 [people], but we’ll be probably around 250 to 300 people,” Greenspan said. “We have a rather large arcade and our aisles are all about seven feet wide, so social distancing shouldn’t be a real issue.” Finally, Sportland will employ a security guard to monitor safety for guests and employees. “We’re concerned for people’s safety and at the end of the day, we want people to have a lot of fun,” Greenspan said.
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“The safety of our guests and the safety of our employees are paramount,” Langrall said. “We’re not going to sacrifice that for anything else.” Stephanie Meehan, operator of Funcade on the Boardwalk, said she feels the arcade is ready to open tonight. “We’ve been preparing for quite a while,” Meehan said. “Not knowing when our date would be to open, every week we kind of set up and get ready, and when we find out we can’t open, we would start all over again and do a few more things.” Funcade has purchased a special cleaner to regularly sanitize the machines, Meehan said. There will also be alcohol pads and wipes available for customers if they wish to wipe down the machines themselves. Everyone will be required to wear masks. “We also have put up Plexiglass in front of our redemption counter,” Meehan said. “We have gone to a swipe card system on most of our games so our customers can use swipe cards instead of using quarters.” A host will stand at the entrance to explain rules to guests, as well as keep track of how many are entering and leaving. Funcade will operate at half capacity, which will be about 50 to 60 guests plus employees, according to Meehan. Some of the games will also be shut down to encourage social distancing, but Meehan isn’t yet sure which games those will be. Although Funcade typically has 14 employees at this time, it only has seven right now, and is looking to hire more. Meehan said the most important thing to know is that Funcade is open and here. “We’ve cleaned and we’ve gotten prepared for their visit,” Meehan said. “We just want them [guests] to have a great experience and feel safe and comfortable when they come in to Funcade.” Joe Mohr, manager of Marty’s Playland, said the arcade has similar safety measures, such as signs, guidance for standing in line, a mask requirement and employees wiping down equipment. “We’ve also added boxes of gloves
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Ocean City Today
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