JULY 16, 2026
BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
FREE
Council gasps at high price of furnishings New furniture for renovated Town Hall exceeds $250K
STEVE GREEN/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
NOW IN SEASON One of the most popular vendors at last Sunday’s Berlin Farmers Market was Bennett Orchards, which was stocked with peaches for the summer.
Heron Park project finally gets moving No settlement but town has approved site plan for one stage of Tyson plant project By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (July 16, 2026) A push to transform the dilapidated and dormant Tyson’s poultry building on Old Ocean City Boulevard into a vibrant commercial center is finally gaining
some momentum now that the project has received site plan approval. The Berlin Planning Commission last Wednesday endorsed the final site plans submitted by developer Palmer Gillis of Coastal Ventures Properties (CVP) for the first phase of a project to revitalize land that was once home to a Tyson Foods poultry processing facility. Under the applicant’s plans, the 8.64-acre property known as parcel
57, which was part of the Heron Park parcel, will house three buildings and a landscaped community garden. Last week’s approval was for phase one only, which includes two of the campus’ intended structures. Medical offices are slated for the facility situated at the back of the land, while a retail or restaurant business will move into the front establishment. Gillis, along with his development See PHASE Page 8
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By Tara Fischer Staff Writer (July 16, 2026) A quarter-milliondollar furniture package proposed for Berlin’s renovated Town Hall was tabled this week after councilmembers and residents expressed concerns that the expenditure is an irresponsible use of taxpayer dollars. Up for consideration before the Town Council Monday night was a $252,773 request to outfit the municipality’s Town Hall, a building currently undergoing extensive renovation. The town is working with OMNIA Partners for the furniture part of the project. The company provides government agencies with competitively priced equipment and, for Berlin’s Town Hall remodel, has secured products from the supplier Teknion. An itemized breakdown of the proposed furnishings were: • 138 seats for $55,166 at an average of $400 a piece; • 20 desks for $55,244 at $2,762 each; • 12 secondary desks for $6,326 at $527 each; • 10 bookcases for $4,001 at $400 each; • 14 tackboards and whiteboards for $4,728 at $338 each; • six conference tables for $4,602 at $767 each; f • our council chamber desks for $1,919 at $480 each; • three lobby tables for $1,049 at $350 each; • one lectern at $753; • 18 filing shelves and pedestals for See COUNCIL Page 6
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