JANUARY 26, 2023
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BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
Heron Park prospect has added time to negotiate Town agrees to extension of exclusivity agreement with Coastal Ventures By Jack Chavez Staff Writer (Jan. 26, 2023) The Town of Berlin is extending its exclusive negotiation privilege agreement with Coastal Ventures Properties — the developer assessing Heron Park — by 180 days. The mayor and Town Council discussed the idea Monday night before voting 3-1 in favor, with Councilmember Burrell opposed and Councilmember Shaneka Nichols absent. The pre-vote discussion included a
suggestion from Councilmember Jack Orris to shorten the window to 90 days. “I feel like another six months is just another six months to drag it on,” he said. Mayor Zack Tyndall said 90 days runs the risk of having to renew the agreement for a second 90-day period if progress were to stall, which would ultimately waste more time. Besides, he added, Coastal Ventures is already in agreement on 180 days. Burrell suggested they don’t extend the period at all. “I think the council has been briefed on some level with memos as to where our agreement stands or neSee PROSPECTIVE Page 3
Cleaning local waters with help from mighty mollusks ‘Oyster gardening’ does more than people realize by filtering out nutrients
CINDY HOFFMAN/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
TABLE FOR ONE
A heron examines its dining options while standing on a fish-cleaning station in Ocean Pines.
Rt. 90 bridge repairs to begin (Jan. 26, 2023) The State Highway Administrationwill begin routine maintenance work on the Route 90 bridges over the St. Martin River and the Assawoman Bay on Monday. Crews will make repairs to the bridge deck and substructure to prepare for the summer season.
Work is expected to be complete by late spring. Crews will work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each weekday. Motorists can expect intermittent single-lane closures with a work zone and flagging operation. The work zone will accommoSee RT. 90 Page 3
By Cindy Hoffman Staff Writer (Jan. 26, 2023) Dave Allen began raising oysters off his dock in Ocean Pines last February after hearing a presentation by Joe Jankowski about how to help clean the St. Martin’s River. Jankowski, who also lives in Ocean Pines, works with the Protectors of the St. Martin’s River on the Oyster Restoration Project. He attended a Marine Advisory Committee in Ocean Pines to promote the idea of canal owners raising oysters to help improve the health of local waterways. That might sound like using a toothbrush to sweep Ocean Parkway in terms of scale, but the filter-feeding oyster is one mighty mollusk in terms of its cleaning ability. Research See SINGLE Page 2
CINDY HOFFMAN/BAYISIDE GAZETTE
Dave Allen with a seed oyster.
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