Vision for town park finally taking shape

Some observers probably thought they would never see the day when Palmer and Sandy Gillis and the Town of Berlin would finally settle on their 8.6-acre slice of Heron Park.

Given the years of arguments over price and disputes about utility permits and property boundaries, it is not difficult to suspect that the principals in this week’s sale felt the same way.

Considering all the troubles that threatened this deal, it is a wonder that one side or the other didn’t give in to frustration and walk away. But to everyone’s credit, the town and the Gillises persevered through the five-plus years it took to reach this elusive agreement.

The town, obviously, will benefit immensely. Not only will the sale knock $1.2 million off the remaining balance of what the town owes for the overall 68-acre parcel purchased in 2016, but that shabby, depressing fortress of decrepitude on Old Ocean City Boulevard will finally be transformed into something new and inviting.

As of this past July, Coastal Venture Properties—the Gillises’ development company—secured the planning commission’s endorsement for a site plan featuring three buildings and a community garden.

In a way, this week’s agreement validates the 2016 decision by then-Mayor Gee Williams and the Town Council to purchase the land from then-Councilman Troy Purnell, who had been unsuccessful in his own attempts to redevelop it.

The Gillis settlement, combined with the excellent news from two weeks ago that the proposed skate park project will receive more than $700,000 in federal and state funding, shows the vision is finally coming together.

What is about to happen on the property now is what proponents of the purchase envisioned a decade ago. There were plenty of bumps, obstacles and disruptions – including a costly chemical spill – along the way, but it now appears that good things are finally on the horizon.