By Ally Lanasa, Staff Writer

(Jan. 28, 2021) The Berlin Mayor and Town Council on Monday agreed to disband the Heron Park Advisory Committee and make it an ad-hoc committee as needed because of a lack of funds for suggested projects.

“It’s no surprise to anyone that the funding that was associated with Heron Park and the money that we had earmarked for some of the projects and development has gone to the chemical spill that occurred, and there’s really no funding left in that project to be able to make many of the suggestions come to fruition from the

ALLY LANASA/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
The Berlin Town Council agreed on Monday to disband the Heron Park Advisory Committee and make it an ad-hoc committee as needed because of a lack of funds for suggested projects following the chemical spill at the park on Old Ocean City Boulevard.

committee,” Mayor Zackery Tyndall said.

“Rather than having the committee continuing to churn their wheels and generate ideas that are very good but also have very little likelihood at the present moment making it to fruition, I’m asking the council to consider dissolving the Heron Park Committee for the time being.”

Tyndall added that he offered committee members the opportunity to serve on other boards and commissions where vacancies exist.

“One thing I would ask is that if you agree to disband the committee that we retain the minutes and ideas that have been generated through the committee, so the work is not lost and that when future funding becomes available and we’re looking to do some things on that site that we can go back to those ideas and hopefully progress right where the committee left off,” he said.

The mayor also suggested writing a joint letter to the committee members to thank them for their service.

Responding to Councilman Dean Burrell, Tyndall said the committee would have to be re-established in the future when funding becomes available.

He added that several current members wanted to step down from the committee and there are too many councilmembers serving on the committee.

With the council’s approval to disband the committee, town staff agreed to maintain the past meeting minutes on the town’s website at https://berlinmd.gov/government/boards-commissions-and-committees/.