OC Today WWW.OCEANCITYTODAY.NET
JULY 22, 2016
SERVING NORTHERN WORCESTER COUNTY
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OC STAPLE RECOGNIZED Trimper’s Rides has been named the oldest familyowned amusement park in the world – Page 49
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Boat hits swimmer, keeps on Participant in resort’s Ocean Games suffers deep cut from prop
PHOTO COURTESY DAN COLLINS
Swimmers dash into the water during the Swim Ocean City portion of Ocean Games last Saturday to compete in the one-, three- or nine-mile courses. Paddleboarding events and Ultimate Frisbee games also took place in downtown Ocean City.
Golden Sands clear of legionella New chlorine injection system costing more than $100,000 installed by condo association
By Greg Ellison Staff Writer (July 22, 2016) After reports last month that two cases of legionnaires disease were linked to the Golden Sands condominium on Coastal Highway in Ocean City, Jim Thomas, who owns three of the 360 units in the 22-story building, said extensive work has been done to address the issue. Thomas said this week that initial testing last November found unacceptable levels of the bacterium legionella in the building’s water supply. “The initial test was performed on Nov. 6,” he said. “We got the results back
approximately two to three weeks after that and they discovered they they had some pretty high levels.” Of the 19 sites tested within the building, two showed no signs of the bacterium, Thomas said, but several ‘The highest were above the reading at all was threshold of 10 1.7, the OSHA colony-forming threshold is 10, so units, or CFU’s, esit’s well below any tablished by the Oclevel of concern. cupational Health and Safety Adminis— unit owner tration. CFU proJim Thomas vides an estimate of the number of viable bacteria cells in a given sample. “They have to take a sample, it’s incubated for a certain period of time and they look at it and make a determination
of how much is there and you get the reading,” he said. After learning of high levels of legionella in November, the condominium association began addressing the situation, Thomas said. “The first thing they did was put bleach into the system, sodium hypochlorite,” he said. “They put that in the tanks going into the building.” The maintenance staff at the Golden Sands then opened water faucets in each unit, a similar approach to addressing issues with well water. “If a well became contaminated, you put a gallon of bleach down there, wait a while, go into the house and you open the faucets one by one until you can smell the bleach,” he said. “You just have to disinfect the system.” See CONDO Page 3
By Kara Hallissey Staff Writer (July 22, 2016) Police continue their search for the boater who ran into 44-yearold Heather Gehron-Rice of Lancaster, Pennsylvania as she competed in the threemile swim portion of the fourth-annual Ocean Games on Saturday. The Coast Guard veteran was struck by a boat near Ninth Street within sight of the finish line and immediately noticed her hand was injured. Maryland authorities said Gehron-Rice suffered a severe cut to her left hand, which was most likely ‘I can’t think caused by a of anything boat's promore peller. irresponsible “She has a than not long road to recovery with stopping.’ a deep wound — Candy Thomson stretching the length of her palm,” said Candy Thomson, the Natural Resources Police spokesperson. “We have no suspect vessel and I can’t think of anything more irresponsible then not stopping.” Several boats were in the water at the time of the race. Two officers are working on the case and have been visiting boat ramps hoping to jog someone’s memory. It is believed the boat was travelling in the opposite direction of Gehron-Rice, who was swimming south. “We need the public’s See POLICE Page 3