JULY 25, 2024
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BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
Berlin leans to Gillis for building sale After chasing him away with shifting demands, council revisits his vision
PHOTO COURTESY LASER LES LATTIN
FAMILY TIME A new foal on Assateague Island takes a morning snooze on the beach near the surf with its parents, Starlight and Theodore, who relax as well.
Safety group seeks Rt. 589 trail Bike & Pedestrian Coalition outlines accomplishments, plans and intentions for OP By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (July 25, 2024) Worcester County Bike and Pedestrian Coalition Chair Patti Stevens updated the Ocean Pines community on the group’s accomplishments and priorities at last weekend’s Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors meeting. The organization was formed in October last year to increase road safety for walkers and bikers. “[Safety] has been an issue that
has come out in community surveys, as there has been an increase nationally and state-wide of traffic incidents for bikers and pedestrians,” Stevens said on July 20. In Ocean Pines, General Manager John Viola nominated Chief of Police Tim Robinson and Public Works Director Eddie Wells to participate in the coalition. Stevens said with their help, the safety group has “gotten to work.” Since the coalition’s founding, crosswalks and yellow bike and pedestrian warning signs have been added to the five roads that the Sherwood Forest Trails cross, including Robin Hood Trail. Robinson has also
installed speed monitors along Ocean Parkway, which Stevens said have deterred residents and visitors from driving over the limit. In February, a crosswalk was also implemented on 589 from the South Gate Pond to the Racetrack Road and Manklin Creek intersection. Stevens said that since the path was completed, she has seen OPA residents biking to Food Lion and kids crossing with fishing poles often. The 589 project was not created solely due to the coalition but rather a collaborative effort from Stevens and her group and citizen, county, and police input. The safety organizaSee GRANT Page 7
By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (July 25, 2024) The Berlin Mayor and Council unanimously voted to enter extended negotiations with Palmer and Sandy Gillis of Coastal Ventures Properties regarding purchasing and redeveloping Heron Park’s parcel 57. Councilmembers Steve Green, Jack Orris, and Jay Knerr voted to move forward with the Gillises at the Monday, July 22 meeting of the Mayor and Council. Vice President Dean Burrell and Councilmember Shaneka Nichols were absent from the gathering. Though he does not have a vote, Mayor Zack Tyndall said he supported the direction. A year’s worth of negotiating with Coastal Venture Properties (CVP) ended last summer in a 3-2 vote with Knerr, Burrell and Nichols in favor of moving away from the Gillis direction and Green and Orris in favor of continuing on with CVP. On Monday, the Mayor and Council heard casual presentations from the Gillises and local developer Jack Burbage on each party’s intention to re-engineer the former Tyson Foods processing plant on parcel 57 at Heron Park, which is currently undergoing demolition. The venture comes as the town hopes to improve the site’s aesthetic and usability. A minimum price of $1.2 million was set for the space to include 15 sewer EDUs. At the July 8 meeting, the group discussed potential uses for the area. Initially, they determined that businesses that would compete with downtown Berlin, like retail and restaurants, were off the table. However, upon further conversation, the See BERLIN Page 6
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