DECEMBER 8, 2022
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BERLIN • NORTH WORCESTER COUNTY• OCEAN PINES
County sports complex strikes out New commissioner majority delivers 4-2 knockout blow to would-be public project By Jack Chavez Staff Writer (Dec. 8, 2022) What a difference an election can make. After holding on for years on a razor-thin 4-3 majority, Worcester County’s aspirations to build a sports complex in the northern half of the county were promptly and summarily dashed at the end of the first commissioners meeting with new commis-
sioners Caryn Abbott and Eric Fiori. In a 4-2 decision with Commissioner Ted Elder abstaining, the commissioners voted to direct the county administrator to cancel the land purchase contract on the Route 50 parcel known as the Harrison property and to cancel any consulting contracts concerning it. The board also instructed the staff to cease any studies or planning involving the county in purchasing land, project design, construction or operating a sports complex in Worcester County. The new president of the county
commissioners, Chip Bertino of the Ocean Pines district, said the motion to halt all sports complex-related work was not intended to discourage any private developer from pursuing such a project. Bertino and other likeminded commissioners had said at the outset that they only objected to spending public money on a sports facility of that scope and had no objections to a privately funded venture. The beginning of the end of the county’s pursuit of a tournamentquality facility next to Stephen Decatur Highway came in July when Fiori won his primary election. Fiori,
who faced no opposition in the general election, replaced retired commissioner Bud Church, a sports complex supporter. That move in itself flipped the 4-3 split that had kept the proposal alive. But then Caryn Abbott defeated incumbent Josh Nordstrom in the southern Worcester district contest last month to eliminate his pro-complex vote and create a new majority. “It’s done. Done,” Commissioner Joe Mitrecic, who had spearheaded the support among the commissioners for the sports complex, said afterSee SPORTS Page 5
Parking impact fees topic of future talks Business growth, additional apartments put more strain on vehicle space inventory By Gee Williams Contributing Writer (Dec. 8, 2022) Discussions on the potential of establishing parking impact fees in downtown Berlin were proposed at the mayor and council’s most recent regular meeting. The discussion of the possibility of more discussions began when the council was advised by Planning Director Dave Englehart that the renovation of the second floor of the Burbage properties on Main Street would expand the number of apartments upstairs from three to 10. The council quickly turned to where parking would be available for the additional apartments. Englehart said the Berlin code has a section that provides for allowing for businesses that can’t meeting parking requirements to pay into a parking impact fund. The provision for establishing a parking impact fee was created by the town years ago.
“The whole idea back then is I think they saw the need to have some fund for additional parking, possibly to acquire a parcel to make a parking lot,” Englehart said. He explained that if new businesses did not have sufficient parking they would pay a fee, but an impact fee for each parking space has never been set by the mayor and council. He added that the impact fee is not supposed to go into the general fund but grow over time to provide additional downtown parking. “Since 2014 the number of business licenses townwide have increased to 250. Downtown businesses have gone-up more than 50 percent in that time,” said Ivy Wells, Berlin director of Economic Development. In recent years, there has been encouragement for town staff to park in the underutilized St. Paul’s Episcopal paved lot across from the church. “We also have the potential for parking partnerships with the Berlin Fire Company and the Buckingham Presbyterian Church to help alleviate the problem,” Wells stated. “I have See TOWN Page 3
GEE WILLIAMS/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
DANCE ACADEMY
Members of Seaside Dance Academy participate in Berlin’s 51st annual Christmas parade last Thursday.
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