Area Police Say Alarming Pot Arrest Rates Are Misleading

OCEAN CITY — An ACLU report released earlier this month lists Worcester County at more than eight times the national average for marijuana possession arrest rates, based on information collected by the FBI and census data for 2010. There is some disagreement, however, over how much that statistic is warped by the seasonal nature of the county and the huge population shifts it goes through from winter to summer.

According to the report, Worcester County had 2,132 marijuana possession arrests per 100,000 residents in 2010. That’s 8.3 times the national average and five times higher than the state average. The next closest county to Worcester’s rate mentioned in the report is Kleberg, Texas, which had roughly 800 less arrests per 100,000 than Worcester.

Local law enforcement advises readers to take those statistics with a grain of salt since the ACLU report doesn’t account for the huge population boom that Ocean City, and by proxy the county, goes through every summer.

“The rate that you see for Worcester County, Md. is actually a gross over representation of the actual arrests because they calculate the county’s population against the number of arrests,” said Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Lt. Ed Schreier, “but they don’t take into consideration the summer influx of up to 300,000 more people. So the rate is higher, not the number of arrests but the rate per capita. So we get over-represented in the arrest rate, which is a proportional thing.”

Local attorney John Phoebus agreed that the influx of hundreds of thousands or even millions of visitors every summer will distort the rate. He quoted a page from the ACLU report directly on his blog where the writers of that document acknowledge that Worcester does have reason to have a higher-than-average arrest rate, but Phoebus argued that Worcester’s place at the top of the chart is still highly unusual given the fact that other tourist destinations didn’t have similar rates.

“This statistic is also being compared to every tourist area in the entire country. Panama City Beach is a perfect example,” he said. “For a couple of weeks in spring, they’re going to have millions more residents of students that are there on spring break than they are year-round. But you don’t see Panama City Beach with the off the charts thing.”

In fact, several of the top 10 areas listed are metropolitan including Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Bronx, N.Y. It is fair to note that areas with much smaller populations like Cole, Mo. and Dare, N.C. also show up in the top 10.

“If you just look at that as a comparison between Ocean City and every other resort town that doesn’t have a large year-round population but does swell in the summer it’s still off the charts high,” he said.

The theory Phoebus offered is that Worcester’s spot at the top is a combination of the population flux as well as tighter laws and policing in the area.

“I think there are two things that go into that number: one part of it is the increase in population but the other part, I think, is aggressive policing on the part of the Ocean City Police Department [OCPD],” he said.

Phoebus was quick to clarify that he wasn’t accusing the department of anything illegal but only arguing that the approach in Worcester can be more forceful than some other areas.

“Many vacationers and students working in Ocean City for the summer come from states that have much laxer marijuana laws and are often surprised at the level of enforcement they encounter,” he wrote.

The OCPD doesn’t make it a secret that they’re paying extra attention during the summer months when the city becomes crowded. Public Affairs Specialist Lindsay O’Neal explained that June in particular tends to see a high volume of undercover officers out of the streets.

“We always have a big effort going towards drug enforcement but typically in June the problem seems to get worse so our narcotics officers really crackdown then,” she said. “Our narcotics officers, they do undercover drug enforcement operations and they really focus on combating the problem because we know it’s a problem, everyone does, so they really step-up their drug enforcement for the summer months.”

This month, the OCPD, in cooperation with the Sheriff’s Office, made 12 arrests and confiscated $1,600 in cash along with drugs and paraphernalia through use of undercover narcotics agents. Likewise, the Sheriff’s Office, also sharing credit with OCPD, announced that the culmination of a six-month investigation has recently resulted in another five arrests with over $30,000 seized as well as 7.5 pounds of marijuana confiscated.

A simple Internet search for pot possession arrests for a typical summer weekend in Ocean City yielded more than 50 results. From Friday June 7 through Sunday June 9, 26 arrests were made for marijuana possession and an additional 32 citations were issued for the same offense.

The new ability for officers to either make an arrest or issue a citation for eligible offenders holding marijuana is something that Phoebus claimed can be a double-edged sword. While it allows greater convenience for both officers and violators by not forcing an arrest for marijuana possession under a certain amount, Phoebus explained that some people might not treat a written citation with the same gravity as actually being placed in handcuffs and therefore might ignore the infraction, which does require a mandatory court appearance, just like an arrest would.

Luckily, Phoebus said that law enforcement in the area seems to be making a special effort to make people understand that a citation for possession is still a serious thing.

Schreier and O’Neal maintained that while there is a crackdown on drugs during the summer it is always done by the book and strictly for the safety of the community. Schreier underlined the healthy working relationship between agencies in the area and promised that drug dealers will not be safe by crossing county or municipal lines.

“[Ocean City] is part of our county. We go in there and we’ve assisted Ocean City in their investigations and some of our investigations have carried over into Ocean City,” he said.

That kind of vigilance will lead to a high arrest rate, admitted Schreier, but not because of aggressive policing. Worcester’s extreme arrest rate, he insisted, is only an anomaly because of the population influx.

Undercover Sting Nets 12 Arrests

OCEAN CITY — With the influx of hundreds of thousands of visitors, undercover drug enforcement operations in and around the resort area have been stepped up with a dozen arrests in the last several days alone.

The Ocean City Police Criminal Investigation Division and Narcotics Unit, along with the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Enforcement Team, has conducted multiple undercover drug enforcement operations at various locations in Ocean City. Thus far, the plainclothes drug investigations have resulted in 12 arrests and the seizure of various drugs, paraphernalia and cash. During the operation, undercover detectives have seized roughly $1,600 in cash and multiple narcotics.

Among those arrested during the recent operation was Kassahun Assefa Kassa, 20, of Alexandria, Va., who was charged with conspiracy to distribute marijuana; Maurice George Gay, 26, of Washington, D.C., who has been charged with possession, distribution and conspiracy to distribute marijuana; and Gervon William Norris, 19, of Capitol Heights, who has been charged with possession and distribution of marijuana.

Also arrested and charged with possession and distribution of marijuana were Keith Aaron Ruffin, Jr., 18, of Harrisburg, Pa.; Patrick Marquis Clemons, 19, of Baltimore; Christopher Joseph Benedetto, 22, of Ocean City; Andres Salvador Collier, 28, of Amityville, N.Y.; Isadora Marie Thomas, 20, of Ocean City; Arius Kajuan Marcelin, 22, of Salisbury; Beau Brandon Fitzgerald, 20, of Severn; Desmond Njemsen Acha, 18, of Westminster; and Justin Andrew Parsons, 18, of Narvon, Pa.

The department is reminding citizens that undercover officers will continue to conduct undercover buy-sell operations on the Boardwalk and throughout the resort for the rest of the summer.

Resort Adds Fire Boat To Public Safety Fleet

OCEAN CITY – After years of anticipation, Ocean City’s new and one-of-a-kind fire/rescue boat has been delivered.

On Tuesday afternoon, Ocean City Fire Chief Chris Larmore, Moore Boats, LLC President Leighton Moore and Vice President Mike Early, along with members of the Ocean City Fire Department (OCFD), were on the scene at the new Ocean City Fire Rescue Boat berth on 13th Street and the Bay.

The new vessel has a unique ability to respond to fire and EMS incidents through areas normally deemed unnavigable to traditional fire boats. It was built specifically for its intended use as a fire/EMS operations platform in the Ocean City area and is designed to transverse sandbars with depths as shallow as six inches. The boat has become the department’s first vessel designed from the ground up to support the OCFDs daily mission on the area’s waterways.

“We have worked closely with Moore Boat throughout the building process,” Larmore said. “We are excited for the recent delivery of the vessel and proud to offer our residents and visitors such a special service in Ocean City’s uniquely shallow environment.”

According to OCFD Captain Josh Bunting, the process dates back to April of 2008 when the Ocean City Volunteer Fire Company (OCVFC) commissioned a study by the Band-Lavis Division of CDI Marine, out of Annapolis, to document the current waterborne fire/rescue responsibility and future needs of the OCVFC.

The study recapped several maritime fire and rescue challenges the OCFD faced, such as shallow and difficult navigation due to changing sandbars, heavy pleasure boat traffic in main channels during peak season, a densely populated shoreline with many buildings, numerous marinas and West Ocean City having a large opportunity for brush and marsh fires with limited access and hydrant water supply.

At that time, Ocean City Grant Coordinator Wayne Pryor began pursing grant opportunities and secured three successive annual Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Waterway Improvement Grants totaling $150,000 that required a 50/50 city match, which was covered by the OCFD and the city’s apparatus fund.

In July of 2009, a Fireboat Workgroup was assembled that included representatives from OCFD, the United States Coast Guard (USCG), and Natural Resources Police (NRP), who were tasked with evaluating current OCFD marine resources, reviewing CDI Marine recommendations for vessel specs, coordinating with USCG and NRP to avoid duplication of capabilities and developing preliminary specifications and cost estimation to begin sourcing.

By spring of 2011, the workgroup had developed a comprehensive Request for Proposal (RFP) for the project to go out to bid that was approved by officials. Moore Boats was ultimately awarded the contract in May of 2011 and began building immediately.

A comprehensive location study was then conducted by OCFD staff to evaluate potential locations for the berth of the boat. After statistical incident locations, land and waterway access, staffing availability and costs were evaluated, it was determined 13th Street and the bay was the best location, as it was a city-owned street end.

The town applied for a DNR Waterway Improvement Grant to cover the cost of the dock, fencing, lift and equipment at the berth but the grant was not awarded. Moore stepped up to the plate along with Denny Sharp of High Tide Marine Construction and donated the dock, lift and installation at no cost to the taxpayers of Ocean City.

Between May 2011 and May 2013, Moore Boat built the vessel with input from OCFD Fireboat Workgroup members. Numerous features were upgraded and provided by Moore Boats at no additional cost in an effort to not only improve the end product as Moore Boats’ “flagship” vessel in their Fire/Rescue Line, but to provide the OCFD with the latest technology to support the department’s fire/rescue mission on the surrounding waterways. The total project cost is over $539,000.

Ocean City Fireboat 1 is a Moore Boat 32 model that holds twin Yanmar 8LV-350 diesel engines and twin American Turbine SD 301 Pumps for propulsion and fire pumping capability’s that will pump 1,250 gallons per minute. There is an integrated 25-gallon FoamPro AFFF Foam System for flammable liquid fires. Electronics include a radar/GPS, Sonar standard depth finder, FLIR Infrared Camera and VHF marine and 800 Mhtz fire department radio.

For safety, the vessel carries a cabin security system for high water, a smoke alarm and break in protection, engine compartment fire suppression system, redundant bilge pumps, a corrosion monitoring system, and a standard USCG Safety and Navigation equipment.

The boat also features on board EMS/patient care equipment, 500-pound Davit System, on-board rescue swimmer equipment, integrated dive equipment storage, LED scene lighting and diver/rescue swimmer platform with a dive ladder.

“Ocean City wanted a fire boat, and I wanted a challenge … we bid low enough to get the project and then spent whatever money it took to get the job completed to my satisfaction and to the fire department’s satisfaction,” said Moore, who is also the owner of Seacrets Bar & Grill. “We had a lot of fun designing and inventing something that was never done as far as the firefighting methodology of the pumping system, as well as storage and rescue capabilities. So, after Seacrets, this gave me the chance to build the most complicated boat I could imagine and that’s what we have there. It is complicated, it’s inventive, and it’s one of a kind.”

Moore pointed out prior to the new fire/rescue boat, OCFD was using a small skiff with a portable gas motor to cover the nine marinas in Ocean City’s fire district, which is home to 688 public boat slips and 465 boat racks.

Marinas store in excess of 54,000 gallons of gasoline and 93,000 gallons of diesel fuel during the tourist season. Also, 2,000 waterfront properties, nearly all residential with boat slips, are now safeguarded, officials said.

“When you have the world’s largest White Marlin tournament in your city, as well as numerous other waterborne activities and tournaments, or a fire could present itself in one of the bayside buildings, condominiums or houses, this boat would address all those needs,” Moore said.

A formal dedication of the Ocean City Fireboat 1 will take place on Thursday, June 27, at 2 p.m. Further information will be provided in the near future.

Downtown Armed Robbers Nabbed

OCEAN CITY — Four men are being held on armed robbery charges this week after allegedly robbing victims at gunpoint on a downtown street.

Around 2:20 a.m. on Monday, Ocean City Police responded to the area of 12th Street for a reported armed robbery that had just occurred. The victims told police they were walking along 12th Street when they were confronted by four male suspects who robbed them at gunpoint.

Officers broadcasted the descriptions of the suspects and their vehicle, which was located a short time after the initial lookout was posted. The vehicle was occupied by four males, who were detained until the victims were brought to the scene to identify them. The victims positively identified the four suspects.

The suspects are Dominique L.A. Paul Pratt, 20, of Waldorf; Derrell Levon Prince, 19, of Waldorf; and John Riley, 23, of Washington, D.C. The investigation revealed a third suspect, identified as Darien Xavier Britton, 18, of Waldorf, acted as the group’s driver.

Officers recovered the victims’ stolen property, which included two wallets containing roughly $500 in cash and two IPhones from the suspects’ vehicle. Also discovered was a handgun believed to have been used during the robbery. A check of the weapon’s serial number revealed it had been stolen in Charlotte, N.C.

Pratt and Prince were charged with two counts of armed robbery, two counts of first-degree assault and use of a firearm in the commission of a violent crime. Riley has been charged with two counts of armed robbery, possession of a dangerous weapon with intent to injure and second-degree assault. Britton has been charged with two counts of armed robbery and transportation of a handgun. Charges for the stolen handgun are pending. All of the suspects were taken before a District Court Commissioner and each was ordered to be held on a $500,000 bond.

County Robotics Club Wraps Up Successful 2nd Year

BERLIN — The Worcester County Beach Bots robotics club capped off its second season by landing one of the most prestigious coaching awards, some fresh volunteers and and a generous $3,000 donation from a local resident.

On Wednesday morning, the club visited the Ocean Pines Community Center to demonstrate its robot, nicknamed “Nemo,” to members of the Greater Ocean City-Ocean Pines Kiwanis Club. Safety was a major concern for the Kiwanis, with several members asking about the protocol around building and operating Nemo.

“We go through the full safety instruction with all [members],” promised Beach Bot Safety Chief Gary Qian.

As student safety chief, Qian explained that he made sure that all standards and operating procedures were met whenever the robotics club worked with the machines. This can include everything from wearing goggles or hardhats to knowing how to use a fire extinguisher. The bots are also carefully built to minimize the chances for accidents, said Qian.

“Every single sharp edge on the robot is filed down … we do a lot on and around the robot to prevent any accidents from happening,” he said.

The Beach Bots took Nemo, a disc-slinging automaton, to a regional tournament in Baltimore in April. Though they only finished in the middle of the pack, the team was impressed with the performance and design of Nemo, with Coach Michele Kosin stating that it has clearly improved since last year’s model.

“I think technically the robot was much better and more advanced than last year,” she said. “I think our students are definitely more confident than last year and they mentored a lot of other teams.”

This was the first year for the county’s Lego League team, which was mentored by the high school students who make up the Beach Bots. That team went on to win several competitions over the year.

They were not the only ones receiving accolades, however, with Kosin winning the prestigious regional Woodie Flowers award this year.

Given to mentors who are nominated by their students, the award only goes to those who have shown extraordinary guidance to their teams and sparked greater interest in robotics and engineering.

“The award recognizes an individual who has done an outstanding job of motivation through communication while also challenging the students to be clear and succinct in recognizing the value of communication,” read the official award criteria. “As such, it is very important that this is a student led effort and a student decision.”

Though Kosin has participated in robotics clubs for more than a decade, she admitted that she was completely shocked to receive the distinction.

“I honestly thought I’d never win,” she said.

The good news continued on Wednesday. After meeting with the Kiwanis Club, the Beach Bots had two engineers sign on as volunteers and mentors. The team also received a $3,000 donation towards next year’s program from a resident who asked to remain anonymous. Such unexpected funding is a huge boon, said Kosin, because the robots are expensive to build every year and the team also has to deal with travel costs.

Her son, Austin Kosin, the current team captain, confirmed that the initial kit for a new competition bot costs about $6,500, which drops to $5,000 a year after that as some, but not all, parts can be recycled from old machines. While some money comes in through grants, Austin Kosin admitted that funding is also tricky and community support is vital.

“There are some hardships with funding,” he said.

Luckily, with the $3,000 donation and other grants the team hopes to expand the program next year to involve more students and take place in more events. Starting next year the team will be led by Qian, with Austin Kosin passing the torch to his teammate before departing for college in the fall, where he said his experience with the Beach Bots helped shape his decision to dual major in Electrical Computer Engineering and Robotics.

Berlin’s New Administrator Coming From California

BERLIN — Berlin leadership cast a wide net this spring seeking a new town administrator, and Mayor Gee Williams confirmed Thursday that one has been found and will migrate to Berlin all the way from Colma, Calif.

“As of yesterday, we have signed a contract with our new town administrator,” Williams said. “She will be visiting Berlin this weekend right through Monday to become familiar with the community and to spend time with the current town administrator [Tony Carson].”

Carson’s replacement will be Laura Allen, currently the city administrator for Colma, Calif., a suburb of San Francisco with a population of about 1,800 residents. For reference, Berlin has about 4,000 residents.

Williams was confident that moving to a larger town will be an easy transition for Allen, with the mayor stating that her application stood out from the dozens the town received after Carson announced his resignation early last month.

“She had done a lot of research on Berlin and that impressed us as well,” Williams said of Allen.

While Colma might be tiny, Allen said it was never dull.

“There are very few cities in California that are smaller than Colma, but Colma has a very big heart,” she said. “So it’s been a great place to work.”

Allen also has roots in the area. She is from Easton and still has relatives in Berlin.

“One of her motivations to come here is that she’s been looking for a long time for the right opportunity to come back to the shore,” said the mayor.

Born into a military family, Allen lived in Easton at a young age but moved frequently, often leaving relatives behind. Returning to the Eastern Shore is something of a homecoming, she said.

“I’m really excited. I’ve enjoyed my time in California but I’m looking forward to coming home,” Allen said. “This is a unique opportunity for me to be close to family members I haven’t been close to in a while and it gives me a chance to come back to the Eastern Shore which has always felt like home to me.”

Allen has served as the Colma city manager since 2008 and has extensive experience in government finance. Before serving as city manager, she was assistant manager and has also served as finance director.

“In Colma, as the assistant city manager, I’ve served as the finance director and I’m also the finance director as the city manager,” she said. “It’s one of the multiple hats I get to wear.”

Allen has nearly 20 years of experience working in the public sector and has held positions in cities much larger than either Colma or Berlin.

“In my career, I’ve had about 18 years of public sector experience. Most of that is public budgeting focused. I’ve worked in the city of Berkeley and I also worked in Phoenix, Ariz.,” she said.

The selection process behind picking Allen was somewhat different than in years past. The Internet communication application Skype was used to conduct interviews across the country. Williams and the Town Council were able to video chat with all of their finalists, which the mayor said was “just like talking to someone in person” because of the large screens and up-to-date technology available in the council chambers.

“I think we’ll use [Skype] from now on. It does level the playing field a little bit I think,” said Williams. “We live in a more global society and therefore it doesn’t put people who don’t live in the immediate area at a disadvantage. It puts everybody on the same playing field.”

However, he added that town leadership is excited to meet Allen in person this week and will take her on a tour of the area as well as acquaint her with all town departments.

While it only took a month from Carson’s announcement of resignation to signing a contract with Allen, the town will be left without an official administrator for most of the summer. Carson will be leaving for his new job in Ohio after June 30, but Allen won’t be starting until sometime soon after Labor Day. Williams explained that the time in-between those two dates will be used to get Allen situated and the transition in order. In the interim, Deputy Town Administrator Mary Bohlen will step in to fill the gap.

The town has complete confidence in Bohlen filling in until Allen takes over, said Williams, especially since Bohlen has performed in that capacity previously.

Berlin will next be turning its attention to filling the position of planning and zoning director left vacant last month.

“As soon as we get [Allen’s visit] done, that will become the next priority. So next week we will begin reviewing them more carefully,” said Williams.

Like the town administrator spot, planning and zoning director has received a heavy stack of applications, and the mayor said the plan is to include Allen in the process either in person or via Skype.

Public’s Help Sought In Resort Stabbing

OCEAN CITY — An unidentified 22-year-old Washington, D.C. man is reportedly in stable condition this week after getting stabbed repeatedly during a large fight on the Boardwalk early Sunday morning.

Around 3:35 a.m. on Sunday, Ocean City Police and paramedics responded to the Stowaway Grand on the Boardwalk at 21st Street for a reported stabbing incident. Upon arrival, OCPD officers located the victim, a 22-year-old male from Washington, D.C., in the hotel’s lobby.

The victim, whose name is not being released, was bleeding from numerous stab wounds, according to police reports.

The preliminary investigation revealed the victim had been involved in a fight on the Boardwalk at 21st Street. According to witnesses, roughly 30 individuals were involved in the fight, during which the victim was repeatedly stabbed and then helped into the hotel’s lobby by unidentified citizens.

The victim was treated at the scene by Ocean City EMS and was later transported to PRMC for further treatment. As of Monday morning, the unidentified victim was reported to be in stable condition.

OCPD Forensic Services Unit personnel processed the crime scene for evidence and detectives are continuing to investigate the incident. Ocean City Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact the OCPD Criminal Investigation Division and Det. David Whitmer at 410-530-5390.

Wanted Man Caught In Salisbury

BERLIN — One day after assaulting a Berlin police officer during a traffic stop and touching off a manhunt through the town, authorities located the suspect in the case in Salisbury.

The Berlin Police Department enlisted the help of a fugitive task force last week in its effort to locate DaMar Collins, 26, of Berlin.

Collins was sought after eluding police when the vehicle he was driving was pulled over near Artisan’s Way last Wednesday afternoon. After the traffic stop, an officer attempted to place Collins under arrest for driving while suspended, but Collins fought the officer and kicked him in the face. The police officer sustained non-life threatening injuries, but the officer needed medical care.

Collins was able to flee the scene and head down Jefferson Street in Berlin to Washington Street, touching off a massive manhunt throughout Berlin, resulting in road closures and police stationed through the downtown corridor.

At one point, residents along Washington Street reported Collins was seen jumping fences and running through backyards. It was around this point that police reportedly lost sight of Collins.

At some point, while fleeing police, Collins reportedly broke a window in a residence on N. Main Street and entered the home briefly before exiting.

Later last Wednesday evening, property owners in Berlin reported police were searching their outbuildings for Collins, who police said witnesses had reportedly spotted along Broad Street. Properties nearby were searched with officers and a K-9 participating, and residents were ordered to remain inside while it was conducted. Police Chief Arnold Downing said at that time he believed it was an accurate sighting.

Maryland State Police troopers, a MSP Aviation Unit and deputies from the Worcester County Sheriff’s Office assisted Berlin police in the unsuccessful search during Wednesday afternoon and evening.

Last Thursday evening, the local fugitive task force located Collins in Salisbury and he was arrested without incident. He has been charged with assault, burglary, driving while suspended and fleeing and eluding.

Collins is no stranger to law enforcement. Collins was sentenced to three years in jail in 2010 after being found guilty of distribution of crack cocaine. He was released earlier this year and was to be on three years of probation. Court records indicate Collins was charged with second-degree assault on April 15 and is to appear in court in Snow Hill on June 25.

Collins is being held at the Worcester County Jail on a $25,000 bond.

Tweaks Ahead For Sidewalk Regs; Berlin Council To ‘Tighten’ Rules

BERLIN — Town merchants turned out in force Monday for a public hearing on sidewalk obstructions and exceptions in Berlin.

After nearly an hour of comments, the Mayor and Council chose to table voting on the ordinance until their next meeting and to look at ways to “tighten” the language in the document as well as consider the requests made by merchants.

The most popular request made during the hearing was for merchants who were located off-Main Street to be allowed two sandwich-board signs. Currently, all vendors in town are only allowed a single sign. While this may be adequate for the businesses located on Main Street who catch the most foot traffic, Berlin Chamber of Commerce Secretary Mike Wiley told the council, “The merchants off of Main Street have a visibility problem.”

By allowing the more secluded merchants the option of a second sidewalk sign, Wiley said the chamber expects a significant number of visitors to further explore the town and find shops they may have never encountered otherwise.

Shelly Bruder, owner of Bruder Hill, agreed, saying, “We have a hard time not being on Main Street.”

Bruder’s current sandwich-board sign has already brought in much more business than she believes would have visited otherwise. Since the town began taking a renewed look at sidewalk obstruction over the past month, Bruder said that she has been polling new customers. A huge number of them only found the store because of its sign. Allowing off-Main Street vendors a second sign could provide an economic boost without creating an unreasonable amount of clutter, according to Bruder.

Though the merchants were united in asking for a second sign option, the town’s Historic District Commission (HDC) opposed the idea.

“We support our merchants; we want them to do well. We want people to shop in their stores, to eat in their restaurants,” said HDC Chair Carol Rose. “We want everyone to do well. That being said, there should be standards with these sidewalk signs.”

Rose listed four standards that the HDC recommends the town work into any new sidewalk obstruction ordinance. The HDC suggests that sandwich-board sign only be made of wood, stay at the current dimensions allowed, be painted and be regulated to only one sign per business.

Furthermore, HDC member Joel Todd asked that whatever standards the town adopts that the HDC continue to serve in its role reviewing sign applications. Todd emphasized the need for “enforceable standards,” the likes of which he hasn’t seen in the most recent draft of the ordinance. As it is currently written, Todd pointed out that there is “ambiguity” in the language that does not even limit signs that can be placed in Berlin to town businesses. He offered a hypothetical where the Red Light District located off Route 50 could ask to put their sandwich-board sign in downtown Berlin.

When asked by a merchant in the audience why the HDC didn’t support a second sign for off-Main Street shops, Todd replied the commission was only going on what it believes the current code allows as interpreted to them by a town staff person. Should the town decide to allow two signs for some vendors then the HDC will adapt, he promised.

“I have learned through this process that my personal opinion doesn’t matter,” said Todd. “If the town says two signs are approved, then we will apply whatever guidance and ordinance that the town gives us whether that comports with our personal opinions or not.”

Mayor Gee Williams told the merchants he understood why they would want an additional sign if they were located away from the usual visitor foot traffic. However, allowing some businesses the privilege while denying it to others would be a bit of a “double-standard,” he said. If the town decided to allow all businesses that second sign, the mayor added that the sidewalks would fill up fast.

“I hate to think of what the nightmare would be if we had two signs for every business,” said Williams, who did not dismiss the two-sign concept outright.

Another issue that the town might look into is a business directory sign, according to Michele Harrington, co-owner of Oh My Hair.

“There’s not a sign anywhere that’s a directory of businesses, per se, is there?” she asked, adding such a directory might work well placed in a parking lot downtown.

The council agreed to table a vote on the ordinance until their next meeting. Councilwoman Lisa Hall asked that the language be “tightened up” and clarified. The council also told merchants that their comments will be considered in further crafting the document.

One topic that didn’t receive much discussion was what should be done with tables and chairs that some restaurants have placed outside of their doors. The first draft of the ordinance would require the business owners to seek special permission from the council to put tables on the sidewalk. For the time being, Williams noted the council has not asked any merchants to remove tables that might already be out and there are no plans to do so at this time.

Ocean City Debating Ad Presence On Official Website

OCEAN CITY – The resort’s Tourism Commission discussed going against the grain of competing destinations this week by enhancing the town’s official website’s advertising opportunities.

OCocean.com is the official website of Ocean City, the Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and the Tourism Department. According to the website, every year eight million people visit Ocean City, and in 2012 OCocean received over 6.5 million page views by 1.4 million unique visitors. CVB members and their business are posted on the website and receive exposure on OCocean.com for the price of $200 a year.

Tourism Commission member Todd Ferrante, who owns Park Place Jewelers, brought to the commission’s attention the opportunity to enhance OCocean by adding advertising for CVB members. Currently, CVB members are either listed under the Dining and Nightlife tab on the website, or on the Things to Do tab that then offers a scroll down menu with various categories, such as shopping.

“When people come to Ocean City, they come for the beach and they come for the Boardwalk but they also come for the shops and restaurants and other places so it is important that they are able to see that,” Ferrante said. “I think we can give a clearer picture of what we have to offer.”

According to Tourism Director Donna Abbott, in 2010 the town’s advertising agency, MGH, presented a proposal for advertising on OCocean but nothing ever came of it. At that time, MGH proposed each advertiser would receive an estimated minimum of 190,000 impressions for the first year. A banner advertisement would run about $1400 a year, and an advertorial would cost about $600 a year. After the first year, rates would increase to $2,900 and above. However, the website’s popularity has grown significantly since that time, and it is unknown what the market would bear today.

Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association (OCHMRA) Executive Director Susan Jones has researched the Outer Banks, Virginia Beach, Atlantic City, Wildwood, Ft. Lauderdale and the Keys, and she concluded none of them have advertising on their official tourism websites.

Jones agreed with adding more images, for example to the shopping section, to enhance interest but did not want to see OCocean’s homepage become cluttered with advertisements.

“It’s a big picture,” Ferrante said. “We are all part of Ocean City. We need to see more than just this … we need to have more than just a logo.”

Councilman Dennis Dare was also opposed to adding advertisement banners to OCocean’s homepage, stating the city spends $5 million to drive visitors to OCocean and wouldn’t want people to get on the site just to click through it with an advertisement.

Dare added it takes $200 for a business to be posted on OCocean, but there could be options to enhance a listing with advertisements by a tiered cost option.

“So if you see value in our website that is spending $5 million to draw people you could invest as much as you wanted to but at least for the $200 you have a basic mention in it,” he said.

Commission member Tom Perlozzo pointed out that digital magazines are becoming popular, combining both news and advertising, and being accessed via Internet, especially through smart phone apps. Perlozzo explained the magazine could be distributed by email or linked to OCocean.com to share advertisements.

Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melanie Pursel reminded the commission the chamber already executes a magazine digitally and by print that could easily be added to OCocean’s homepage as a link.

“I think we need to look outside the box,” Perlozzo said. “If you want to distribute a magazine … we want to access a third-party partner that has a huge database that can send out this magazine for us as a partner, so that we can grow.”

The potential to add advertisements to OCocean’s mobile app could be promising with the rapid increase of downloads every month, Abbott said. Last month the app had 4,000 downloads to iPhones alone, bringing the total number of iPhone downloads over 108,000. There were 1,900 Droid downloads, bringing the total number over 43,000.

“I would like to see more retail and more restaurants belong, and I think the value to the site is in the mobile apps for the people that are already here and are trying to figure out where they want to shop or where they want to eat,” she said.

The Tourism Commission came to a consensus to have Abbott work with MGH on CVB membership postings on OCocean and the potential to delve deeper into advertising with tiered cost options as well as exploring the option of partnering with a digital magazine database to expand advertisement opportunities, versus using local databases and resources, such as the chamber’s digital version of the Vacation Guide or the OCHMRA’s Inside Ocean City digital listing of restaurants, shopping and services.