Berlin, Ocean Pines News Worcester County Bayside Gazette
Mayor, council present plan to go from 68 to 80 cents By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer (May 2, 2019) After months of debate and presentations, members of the Berlin Town Council now appear to favor a tax increase much lower than the harshly criticized 29 percent. When next year’s budget was introduced last week, Mayor… Read more »
By Morgan Pilz, Staff Writer (April 25, 2019) Ocean Pines Golf Committee members were not thrilled with information shared about golf clubhouse operations during former board member Slobodan Trendic’s town hall meeting on Monday. On Tuesday, committee members shared their frustrations about what they saw as inaccuracies being distributed to homeowners. “All of this misinformation… Read more »
Business owners, residents again storm Town Council meeting to voice opposition By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer (April 25, 2019) Despite strong opposition from residents, organizations and businesses, the Berlin mayor and Town Council presented a 20-cent increase in the property tax rate on the first reading of the enabling ordinance Monday night. Nearly every seat in… Read more »
By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer (April 25, 2019) Buckingham Elementary School unveiled its new outdoor classroom at a ribbon-cutting ceremony last Thursday after taking steps to go green over the past several years. “It’s been a joy to watch this vision grow as more people become invested,” said second grade teacher April Eichelberger. Eichelberger, the green… Read more »
Berlin youth group proposal gets $1,400 for Dr. William Henry Park improvements By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer (April 18, 2019) Dr. William Henry Park on Flower Street in Berlin will get an environmental facelift through a $1,400 grant won last Friday by the Strengthening Adolescent Boys with Education and Resources (SABERS). The Worcester Youth and Family… Read more »
By Morgan Pilz, Staff Writer (April 18, 2019) The Ocean Pines Board of Directors has released rough drawings of the proposed clubhouse to replace the existing building at Ocean Pines Golf Club. The building is designed to provide space for golf operations and community use. The 7,400-square-foot structure would be half the size of the original… Read more »
Options range from painful to stretching out payments By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer (April 18, 2019) Budget discussions continued Monday evening as the Berlin mayor and council tackled the utility fund budget. Finance Director Natalie Saleh said the overall utility budget for fiscal year 2020 consists of $9.1 million, down $2 million, or 18 percent, from… Read more »
By Morgan Pilz, Staff Writer (April 18, 2019) Although Slobodan Trendic resigned from the Ocean Pines Board of Directors last week, he is not getting out of community politics. This week he said he wants to “make Ocean Pines great again” with a town hall meeting at the Ocean Pines Library on Monday. Elected in… Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (April 11, 2019) A year ago, all eyes were on the Matt Ortt Companies as they prepared to take over operations of the Ocean Pines yacht and beach clubs, which had just finished losing nearly $800,000 in the preceding 12 months. This fiscal year, under Ortt, the facilities project to break… Read more »
Tax objections continue at Town Council mtg. By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (April 11, 2019) For the last several months, Berlin officials have fought criticism of proposed tax and fee increases by advancing the notion they didn’t know public opposition was so strong because so few people attended council meetings. On Monday night, the latest in a… Read more »