Ocean City approves boardwalk repairs, building demolition

Three topics were on the agenda at the Jan. 3 regular meeting of the Ocean City Mayor and Town Council — a new initiative called "Light Up OC," a project to repair worn segments of the boardwalk and a first reading of an ordinance to finance the purchase of downtown property. A fourth issue related to the town's attempts to discuss a tax differential from the Worcester County Commissioners.

Boardwalk repair effort

Public Works Director Hal Adkins presented results of a recent Boardwalk inspection that revealed that boards are splintering and delaminating in high traffic areas. He said that the scope of the work is larger than originally thought, and the project will have to be outsourced due to a lack of manpower. Bids ranged from $38,000 to well over $400,000.

Adkins supported the $38,104 low bid of Kade Construction of Berlin, citing a previous working relationship with them and that company's experience with similar projects. Also, $10,000 of an unexpected tax windfall from the State of Maryland will be used to offset some of the expense.

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The council clarified that this is the beginning of an ongoing refurbishment project, that the expected lifespan of the wood was only about nine years beginning in 2011, and that they can expect to outlay $30-40,000 each year until about 2020, or a much larger amount in that fiscal year to replace the entire Boardwalk surface.

The council unanimously approved to accept Kade's bid.

Light Up OC

Light Up OC is a project of the Ocean City Downtown Association that was presented at the meeting by Kevin Gibbs, the project chair. Light Up OC has been responsible for the Christmas lights on the Beach Patrol station and at the Veterans Memorial on the Boardwalk. Gibbs described his vision to bring "new life" to Ocean City over the winter season by expanding the Winterfest of Lights, now focused entirely at Northside Park. He described phase one of his project as returning a drive-through light display to the inlet parking lot.

He cited similar town projects like Lewes' new Winter WonderFEST and Williamsburg, Virginia's Christmas Town as examples of what he thinks Winterfest can become. His presentation described ways that the Northside Park exhibition could be modernized and how older displays could be re-purposed with little additional cost, in addition to other cost-saving and fundraising measures.

Council members were generally receptive to Gibbs' presentation and agreed to move the issue to the Recreation and Parks Committee for further discussion.

Ordinance to finance purchase of 200 St. Louis Avenue

A first reading of a new ordinance to issue a general bond to finance the purchase was proposed by City Manager Doug Miller. The property at 200 St. Louis Avenue consists of three rental units that can be demolished to provide paid seasonal parking downtown.

Council members Wayne Hartman and Dennis Dare were upset that an issue that had been the subject of months of discussion in closed meetings was suddenly on the agenda at a public meeting, citing numerous issues that require further discussion and action before the project can move forward.

Council members tried to table the reading and approve the ordinance so that it could be discussed further in closed session, but Dare opposed approval in a six to one vote, citing additional questions about the viability of the project and its relationship to similar downtown projects.

Worcester County tax differential for Ocean City

Worcester County Commissioner Joe Mitrecic announced during the public comments period that County Commissioners had tabled discussion of Ocean City's request for a county tax differential.

Mitrecic, who was sympathetic to the council's concerns, agreed with Mary Knight that the commissioners "just don't get (the issue)." Mitrecic said that the commissioners had recognized a large discrepancy in the amount of county tax levied against Ocean City residents, but said they were not willing to alter the tax table to eliminate what is effectively a double payment.

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Dare said it was "disheartening" that the OC Council were described as "bullies" when the commissioners won't discuss Ocean City's concerns and refuse to respond to communication efforts.

The council voted unanimously to explore legal avenues to address the issue.