FEBRUARY 12, 2026
BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
FREE
Berlin seeks sports plex site change Officials tell resort leaders community doesn’t want it so thanks but no thanks
BETHANY HOOPER/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Berlin Town Council member Shaneka Nichols makes a point during Saturday’s discussion of Ocean City’s proposed sports complex next door to Stephen Decatur High School between Route 50 and Flower Street just outside Berlin. At her immediate right is Berlin Mayor Zack Tyndall, and next to him is Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan.
Sports plex pitch misses target Neighborhood sees benefit to Ocean City but nothing beneficial coming their way By Bethany Hooper Associate Editor (Feb. 13, 2026) It’s not the facility. It’s the location. That’s the message community members delivered Saturday during a contentious meeting on the sports
complex the Town of Ocean City proposes to build west of Stephen Decatur High School, on a parcel of land owned by the Harrison family. While city officials told attendees they were seeking comments and suggestions that they could incorporate into a site plan, those along Flower Street and in adjacent communities were quick to share their opposition to the proposed project. “This will only benefit Ocean City
– not Berlin, not Briddletown – so why would this community be in favor of it?” resident Greg Purnell said. “It’s not the facility that they don’t want, it’s the site where you want to build it.” Mayor Rick Meehan began Saturday’s meeting by declaring Ocean City’s desire to work with the Flower Street community in developing a sports complex on the 95-acre site, See RESIDENTS Page 6
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By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (Feb. 12, 2026) Berlin officials have formally asked their counterparts in Ocean City to end their push to build a sports complex on a site near Flower Street and Stephen Decatur High School just east of town. Citing the strong community opposition expressed during a public meeting last week, the Berlin mayor and council on Monday sent a letter to Ocean City leaders expressing their dissatisfaction with the proposed site for a sports complex. The correspondence, addressed to Ocean City Mayor Rick Meehan, reads, “On behalf of the Mayor and Council of the Town of Berlin, we would like to thank you for hosting the recent Sports Complex community meeting on Saturday, February 7, at Stephen Decatur High School. “We appreciate the opportunity for the Berlin community to share their thoughts pertaining to a potential recreation facility in Briddletown and Flower Street Neighborhood.” The letter continues, “Following that meeting and after considering resounding feedback expressed by community members in attendance, the Town of Berlin respectfully requests that the property commonly known as 'Home Farm,' located directly west of Stephen Decatur High School and Stephen Decatur Middle, be removed from consideration as the potential site for the proposed sports complex. See SPORTS Page 7
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