Berlin, Ocean Pines News Worcester County Bayside Gazette
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 28, 2019) The Ocean Pines Board of Directors finalized a $12.8 million fiscal year 2020 budget on Saturday, and set the basic annual assessment at $986 per homeowner. Assessments fluctuated wildly throughout the budget process, from a low of $951 with the proposed budget released on Jan. 4, to a… Read more »
By Rachel Ravina, Staff Writer (Feb. 28, 2019) Former Berlin Police Department officer David Lockwood Sr., 70, walked into the new station on Decatur Street last Wednesday to share some history. Much to the surprise of members of the department, including Chief Arnold Downing, Lockwood had found an old newspaper article tucked behind his high school… Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 28, 2019) Town of Berlin budget work sessions for fiscal 2020 began last Thursday with rate increase recommendations for utility fees and property taxes, with the latter possibly going up by a third or more. Stormwater fees are recommended to double for residents – from $50 annually to $100 –… Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 28, 2019) Five years ago, this week, former Anne Arundel County firefighter Mike Wiley went to his volunteer post at the corner of Route 50 and Main Street with a special purpose: to announce that Berlin had been named “America’s Coolest Small Town.” Wiley, a Berlin resident, has been in… Read more »
GM Bailey departure follows rocky 2019 budget process By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 21, 2019) Ocean Pines General Manager John Bailey has departed that post, following a tumultuous six-month budget process that had yet to conclude as of the middle of the week. According to a statement released Tuesday by the association, “The Board… Read more »
No consensus, but as a membership drive mtg. success By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 21, 2019) Little progress was made in terms of a public consensus on the future of the multipurpose building at last Friday’s Berlin Community Improvement Association meeting, but, as a general membership drive, the session could be called a success. BCIA… Read more »
Honor also commemorates Stephen N. Parker By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 21, 2019) Jolly Roger founder Buddy Jenkins on Friday received the inaugural Stephen N. Parker Conservation Legacy Award, named in honor of the former Nature Conservancy director and given in recognition of Jenkins’ help in preserving more than 3,500 acres of Eastern Shore… Read more »
Parks confident board will finalize budget on Saturday By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 21, 2019) The Ocean Pines Board on Saturday failed to pass a fiscal 2020 budget, despite a self-imposed deadline to do so. However, after a grueling budget schedule that officially began on Aug. 22, Association President Doug Parks on Monday said… Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 14, 2019) Snow Hill Mayor Stephen Mathews, who replaced Charlie Dorman after his resignation in October, has had an interesting time on the job. No stranger to the role, Mathews replaced another former Snow Hill Mayor in 1998, when Craig Johnson was removed from office by a council vote and… Read more »
Board still looking for ways to cut assessments ahead of Saturday adoption vote By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Feb. 14, 2019) A basketball game was going on next door, with scoreboards buzzing and crowds cheering, but the real sporting event Saturday morning was in the adjacent Marlin Room of the Ocean Pines Community Center, where… Read more »