JULY 3, 2025
BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
FREE
Directors weigh cell tower site Location would help some, but not all residents of OP who can’t get good signal
PHOTO COURTESY OLGA BISULTANAVA
HAMMERHEADS IN ACTION Members of the Ocean Pines Hammerheads Swim Team are pictured competing in a recent swim meet at the Swim and Racquet pool. The team features 140 swimmers spread out over a variety of age groups.
Candidates hold forth at forum Four director candidates for three open board seats field host of questions By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (July 3, 2025) The four candidates running for the three open seats on the Ocean Pines Association’s Board of Directors sparred at a questionand-answer forum last week, with each candidate vowing to prioritize safety and the financial integrity of the community. Candidates Stuart Lakernick, Monica Rakowski, Steve Jacobs, and Amy Peck stated their cases to Ocean Pines homeowners ahead of the election that begins next Tuesday and ends at noon, Aug. 6. Three seats up for election have been held this past term by incum-
Stuart Lakernick
Monica Rakowski
bent Lakernick, Rakowski, and Jacobs, while Peck is seeking to break into the governing group by besting any one of them. The winners of the race will serve three-year terms. The candidates were allotted three minutes to speak in all forum rounds, including opening statements, randomly selected questions compiled by the OPA Elections Committee, and two randomly chosen community submitted questions sent to and held by the elections team. The candidates also were allowed to ask a question of
Steve Jacobs
Amy Peck
one of their competitors. Lakernick has been on the board for three years. He served one year as director, the next as vice president, and most recently, as president. In his opening statements, Lakernick touted the board’s accomplishments during his tenure. These included constructing a pavilion at the Worcester County Veterans Memorial Park. That job was completed in November. “One of the things that I hold dear See OPA Page 20
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By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (July 3, 2025) A cell phone tower proposed for Ocean Pines may help some residents of the community, but the extent to which it will benefit all residents remains unknown, according to a presentation last week by tower construction company Milestone Towers. Ocean Pines Police Department Chief Tim Robinson has been working with Milestone Towers on a plan to construct a cell phone tower in Ocean Pines to address spotty cell service. The project has been discussed at Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors meetings since the fall. Robinson proposed building a cell site in Ocean Pines last year. He said that last summer, he noticed that he was unable to make phone calls during the season’s busiest weekends. This was particularly concerning in emergency situations, Robinson said, adding that police can’t respond to an emergency if the person experiencing that emergency can’t call a 911 dispatcher. Last week, Matt Forkas, project manager at Milestone Towers, discussed the cell tower’s location, impact, and design with the board of directors and staff. If the tower is approved, Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile will offer service from that location, Forkas said. He also said Milestone Towers would put up the structure at its cost and that Ocean Pines would not incur any expense. Forkas also told the board that each carrier would pay $2,500 a See TOWER Page 4
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