Berlin, Ocean Pines News Worcester County Bayside Gazette
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Jan. 17, 2019) General Manager John Bailey on Saturday introduced a proposed fiscal 2020 budget that would raise the basic annual assessment $31, or about 3.3 percent, to $982. Last Monday, Bailey proposed a budget that would have kept assessments flat, but that was changed after three days of public hearings… Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Jan. 10, 2019) If Ocean Pines General Manager John Bailey has his way, community assessments will not increase this year, based on a budget draft released last Friday. The proposed budget, developed by Bailey and his staff, would keep assessments at the same level as last year and cut another $100,000… Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Jan. 10, 2019) Day one of public hearings for Ocean Pines’ fiscal year 2020 budget was rocky for General Manager John Bailey, as he tangled with several association members over many of the details of his proposal. To start, Budget and Finance Committee Chairman John Viola, who ran the meeting, began… Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Jan. 10, 2019) Like the Berlin Shoe Box before it, the closing in March of Walt’s Train Shop and retirement of owner Walt Dennison will mark the end of an era – and an industry – in the Town of Berlin. The one-of-a-kind business has been an institution in the town… Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Jan. 10, 2019) Fifteen local restaurants are taking part in the 2019 Berlin Restaurant Week, which began on Monday and will continue through Sunday. The event began in 2016 to encourage patrons to try new eateries and to dine during the offseason, as restaurants offer special menus and discounts in an… Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Jan. 3, 2019) The next Town of Berlin budget will probably include property tax and utility fee increases, and public discussions related to how and to what levels that would occur could have implications on the next decade or more. Last month, representatives from Ocean City firm PKS & Company, in… Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Jan. 3, 2019) A decades-long local holiday tradition continued last month, as Santa Claus and one of his top elves visited the Cedar Chapel Special School in Snow Hill to deliver presents to students. The school has 55 students between the ages of 3 and 21 with moderate to severe disabilities…. Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Jan. 3, 2019) Just before going on Christmas break, students and faculty at Buckingham Elementary in Berlin unveiled a new mural at the school. Planning for the months-long project began last year and in October muralist Amanda Pellerin from the Baltimore based Young Audiences program began working with students to put… Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Jan. 3, 2019) Members of the Delmarva Poultry Industry trade association are seeking a delay in the rollout of environmental regulations they contend will inflict severe financial damage on local farmers. DPI officials said they are concerned by the “Phosphorus Management Tool” that was developed a decade ago by University of… Read more »
By Josh Davis, Associate Editor (Dec. 27, 2018) Hiring of the Matt Ortt Companies this year to oversee Ocean Pines food and beverage operations was the linchpin of a remarkable fiscal turnaround for an association entity that had lost $1.6 million over two years. About $1 million of those losses were attributed to bad budgeting –… Read more »