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R C Edition OCEAN PINES • WEST OCEAN CITY • BERLIN MD
February 1, 2025
Volume 2, Issue 3
‘What I take issue in is, essentially, getting called a liar’
Pines resident upset after objecting to OPA Board’s plans to construct new cell phone tower and being told his information is ‘patently false’ By David Bohenick Staff Writer Speaking to the Ocean Pines Board of Directors at the Jan. 25 meeting, resident Dave Tanner argued against the construction of a new cell phone tower. But after he spoke, board members told the audience there was never any plan to build a tower. “Dave, I don’t know where you got this information but it’s absolutely patently false,” Board President Stuart Lakernick said. Tanner said he learned about the plans from the OPA’s quarterly newsletter, Ocean Pines Report. On page 28 of the Dec. 2024 edition, Police Chief Tim Robinson reported ongoing talks with Milestone Towers to possibly construct the new tower at the company’s expense. Additionally, at the Nov. 23 board meeting, Robinson said viable property locations were being reviewed. He also said initial plans would require Milestone Towers to pay a onetime fee before building the tower, including a monthly 40 percent revenue share for Ocean Pines.
After the recent board meeting, Robinson clarified plans, telling ROC Edition, “We are still in the stage where we are talking with different contractors about what is possible here in Ocean Pines to make sure that we do the best for our community.” But Tanner said he remains upset about the board’s response to his concerns. “I love Ocean Pines. I love the people. Sometimes you won’t agree with everyone. You don’t have to agree. What I take issue in is, essentially, getting called a liar,” Tanner said. Lakernick, during the meeting claimed Robinson was only looking at ideas to improve connectivity for emergency services. “Folks, there is no plan to construct a cell phone tower at this time. There is no planned construction. There is no planned site. The only thing our chief decided to look into was the safety issue of getting through to 911. If you can’t call 911 without service, it is a safety issue. But at this time, there is absolutely no planned construction, no site, no contractor,” Lakernick said. Board Member John Latham
agreed with Lakernick. “We’ve had zero conversation, and a lot of folks now believe this is happening, which it’s not. I just don’t know where you get the information, and it just causes some angst with folks in our community. There’s no reason for it,” Latham said. Tanner told ROC Edition he took a stand against the idea of a cell tower because he does not see it as an immediate concern for Ocean Pines. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of Emergency Services, all wireless phones, even those not subscribed to or supported by a specific carrier, can call 911. Calls to 911 on phones without active service do not deliver the caller’s location to the 911 call center. The call center cannot call such phones back to determine the caller’s location or the nature of the emergency. If disconnected, the 911 center has no way to reach the caller. “All I’m asking is to put a stop to (the cell tower.) They can disagree with me, but don’t say there was no discussion about it,” Tanner said.
ROC Edition • Sherrie Clifford, Publisher
A tower such as this one has been discussed by Ocean Pines Police Chief Tim Robinson at board meetings and written about in the community’s quarterly newsletter.
Bird flu reaches Ocean Pines; Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources collects 19 dead birds near South Gate Pond; Chicken Ass’t rep says still OK to eat chicken By David Bohenick Staff Writer The Maryland Department of Natural Resources confirmed the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service personnel collected 19 dead birds near the South Gate Pond in Ocean Pines on Tuesday, Jan. 28 and Wednesday, Jan. 29. The birds include eight domestic geese, four Canada geese, one cormorant, two common mergansers, one gull, one grackle and two black vultures. The birds had not
yet been tested by press time, but DNR officials emphasized the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza virus is endemic in wild bird populations. Previously, laboratory testing provided preliminary confirmation of Highly Pathogenic H5 Avian Influenza (bird flu) in seven snow geese carcasses in Worcester and Dorchester counties and in several Eastern Shore poultry farms. The Department of Natural Resources had expanded its contract with the Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service by $30,000 the week of
Jan. 17. With the increased funding, more wildlife technicians will visit the state to dispose of wild bird carcasses that could be carrying bird flu. Additionally, the Department’s Wildlife and Heritage Service and Maryland Park Service staff are trained to dispose of the carcasses at the direction of the federal agency. Bird carcasses are collected by wildlife technicians and double bagged. They are then taken to landfills per required standards, according to a department spokesman. Bird flu can be spread between
See BIRD FLU page 2
ROC Edition • Sherrie Clifford, Publisher
More than a dozen dead birds were taken from the South Gate Pond in Ocean Pines and tested for bird flu.