By Greg Ellison

(Oct. 28, 2021) Following final edits on Monday, the Berlin Town Council approved a request for proposals to lease or buy parcels 57 and 410 in Heron Park, with the solicitation going out on Nov. 1.

Town officials are seeking lease or purchase offers for the pair of parcels that total 16 acres of the overall 63-acre Heron Park.

Berlin purchased Heron Park for roughly $2.5 million in 2015 from Berlin Properties North, which counts Councilman Troy Purnell among its ownership.

Berlin is paying $200,000 annually through 2045 to clear the debt incurred from purchasing the former Tyson poultry plant located on Old Ocean City Boulevard.

Mayor Zach Tyndall said since the document was last reviewed during the Town Council meeting on Oct. 12, a number of language tweaks were executed.

“Staff have been compiling notes from the last meeting,” he said.

Councilman Jack Orris inquired about inserting language proposed by Planning Director Dave Engelhart related to conveyance of infrastructure.

“I didn’t see the language in there,” he said.

Tyndall said Engelhart made a good point about the town avoiding infrastructure or roads tied to development projects falling under its purview.

“We put something in the document about the level of infrastructure that’s passed along to the town,” he said. “It was so well phrased that we wanted to insert it verbatim.”

Orris quoted Engelhart’s earlier statement, “Nothing in this agreement shall encumber the Town of Berlin to accept any dedication of town infrastructure [or] roadways without the approval of the Mayor and council.”

Tyndall asked Orris what an ideal insertion point in the RFP would be.

Orris proposed adding the language under the “scope of work,” section.

“I apologize for overlooking that,” Tyndall said.

A pre-proposal meeting and site tour is scheduled on Nov. 15 at Town Hall.

“Site tours are open to people interested in bidding on one or both parcels,” he said. “It’s not a general tour.”

In terms of dates to open RFPs, Tyndall said although a period of 180 days was previously discussed, that timeframe might be longer than appropriate.

Tyndall proposed trimming the window to 120 days with RFPs slated to be opened on Feb. 15

“With the holidays it gives people a little bit of time,” he said.