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Kelly Slater – Healthy eating

Brian Stoehr
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I came across this interview with Kelly on eating like a PRO.  Super interesting and can be found at

http://www.theinertia.com/surf/eat-like-a-pro-health-tips-from-kelly-slater/

It wasn’t until my early 20’s that I became conscious of what I was eating. I often think how much better my teenage years would have been if I had a better diet. I never really drew the correlation between my diet and my health, but as I got older and started traveling and competing, I became really on top of my eating. I still make sure I read about different diets, foods and the effects they have on the body. As a professional athlete, you are always looking for that edge. You don’t ever want to have to question it. You want to do the work early and know that it is there.

 

I first seriously learned about nutrition when I bought a tape for $1 in a health food store called “Dead Doctors Don’t Lie.” It had all this stuff on it about the effects of food, degenerative diseases and lack of nutrients. It was the first time I truly realized that if you don’t have the right diet, it can cause so many problems. On top of that, in 2003, my father died of cancer and I’ve had a lot of friends who have been either sick or died from a lot of diseases. All those situations made me become passionate about my health and longevity and being careful of what I put in my body. I read the ingredient panel of everything I buy. I think it’s hugely important. I can’t understand why someone wouldn’t want to read them.

 

Eating clean to me means not eating too many different types of foods all at once. I also try and eat a wide variety of the same nutrient. For instance, if you are into eating protein, I don’t think you want to always eat the same protein. You want to vary the types of amino acids you are eating. I’ve been eating chia for a number of years, but last year I was working out with a friend in Hawaii who said you can soak chia in coconut water overnight and eat it for breakfast. He said it has all the essential fats (Omega 3) you need and the amino acids. So I started doing that, then added berries and some nuts. It has become a staple for me.

 

I think when you hear the word fat, people think it’ll make them fat. Americans have the lowest fat diets in the world and have the biggest and most obese people. There is a correlation between the two. People don’t realize the positive effects of healthy fats on your brain, digestion and joints. We have good fats too. People talk about coconuts and avocados being fatty. Avocados, coconuts, and chia seeds are natural foods. They just grow on the earth as they are. They’re unprocessed and they’re some of the healthiest foods in the world for you.

 

Food, for me, is about being able to know where it comes from. When I visited The Chia Company farms, I obviously learned a lot about the local area, the irrigation systems, the water, the wet and dry seasons, but for me it’s about the farmers and the passion the farmers have for the product. I really don’t like to work with things I’m not passionate about and that don’t have a place in my life. I don’t want to just stamp my name on things. I like to work with people who have similar visions to me.

Day the ocean stood still

Clara Vaughn, Ocean City Today
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Day the ocean stood still

(Jan. 17, 2014) Imagine a lunar landscape speckled with house-sized blocks of ice and sub-freezing temperatures and you might conjure an image resembling Ocean City during the winter storm of 1979.

Locals still recall the February freeze that year, which led to the pier’s collapse and “freezing” of the ocean.

The Ocean City pier stands collapsed from damage during the ice storm of 1979. It has been replaced several times since, but never to its original T-shape, said Ocean City Life-Saving Station Curator Sandy Hurley. (Photo by Scott Murrell courtesy of The Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum)

“We had a real bad cold snap,” said Sandy Hurley, curator at the Ocean City Life-Saving Station Museum.

“It was fun,” Hurley said. “Of course, I don’t think we were out very long.”

According to the Feb. 22 edition of the Maryland Coast Press from that year, about 15 inches of snow fell during a multi-day spurt of unusually cold weather.

Locals said temperatures didn’t dip below those brought by last week’s polar vortex, but lasted longer, causing the ocean to freeze.

“You could actually walk out onto the surf,” said Scott Murrell, a realtor at Coldwell Banker who was living on Trimper Avenue at the time. “It was deadly quiet, you know? There was no pounding of the surf or the waves.”

Like many, Murrell and his roommate made the trek on foot — the roads were closed — to see the inlet in its deep freeze.

The notion the ocean froze over is not entirely correct, however. As Hurley explained, the fresh water in the Delaware Bay froze during the cold spell. When it disbanded, the ice drifted to Ocean City and turned the sea into slush “just as for as you could see,” she said.

“You could see it on the horizon —a band of ice in the distance, and the following day it had moved in where the entire ocean was frozen,” Murrel said.

House-sized blocks of ice floating in the saltwater smoothie made their way into the mix, pounding the pilings of the iconic pier until it collapsed into the water, he said.

The winter of ‘79 was not the only year the ocean “froze,” though, said Hurley. She remembers pulling sleds and building snowmen on the bay during the winter of 1961, and the Life-Saving Station Museum holds photos from the same event in 1948 and 1917, she said.

According to the Maryland Coast Press, the Tuesday following the ’79 blizzard and ice storm saw a sunny, 40-degree day, melting much of the ice and snow that coated the city.

“After the storm passed, it was nice,” Hurley said. It was so nice, she and her husband and several friends ventured out to pose with the seven-foot-tall ice blocks that took “awhile” to thaw, she said.

Condo owners from Baltimore and Washington came to the city to see the icescapes and take photos, she said. “It was pretty awesome.”

More than three decades later, the event still marks the minds of those who were here last time the sea stopped in its tracks.

Murrell keeps his photo of the pier collapsing into ice in his desk at work.

On the back, it reads, “The day the ocean froze.”

YEAR IN REVIEW — BUSINESS

Clara Vaughn, Ocean City Today
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(Dec. 27, 2013) New businesses cropped up while veteran restaurants, nightclubs and motels celebrated milestones in Ocean City this year. From a boom of new craft breweries to sky-high thrills a new jetpack operator brought to the city, here are some of the resort’s 2013 highlights in business:

 

Ocean City:

• Ocean City Square got a major facelift at the start of 2013 with new siding, glass fronts, signage, landscaping and lighting at the uptown building.

The shopping center includes businesses such as Food Lion, Dunkin Donuts, Burger King, Sherwin-Williams, Minuteman Press and Long & Foster Real Estate.

• Owner Linda Merryman celebrated Ocean Greenery’s 40th anniversary Jan. 19. Around 150 attended the flower shop’s grand opening at its original 31st Street location on Jan. 27, 1973. The shop later moved to 48th Street.

• Six Ocean City restaurants and individuals were finalists in the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s annual awards. Captain’s Table, Macky’s Bayside Bar & Grill, Dead Freddies Island Grill, Chef Travis Wright of The Shark Restaurant, Restaurateur Shawn Harman of Fish Tales, and RestaurateurWayne Odachowski of de Lazy Lizard made the cut.

“I was thrilled when I found out the list of nominees,” said Susan Jones, executive director of the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association. “We are very fortunate to have so many award-winning restaurants and business leaders in our town.”

• Owner Justin Schaub opened Peaky’s Rooftop Restaurant & Bar in late February after a month of renovations to the former Skyline Bar and Grill on 138th Street.

• Bonita Beach Hotel on 81st Street became the fifth property managed by the Carousel Group in mid-February. The group planned to renovate the building before the start of summer 2013.

• Ira Mensh opened Supremo Cheese­steaks on 118th Street in April.

“We’re all about the cheesesteak. That’s all we do — that’s why we do it the best,” Mensh said.

• Warren Rosenfeld opened Rosenfeld’s Jewish Deli on 63rd Street in April. The delicatessen serves traditional ­Jewish fare as well as popular diner dishes.

• The Greenhouse opened on 15th Street this spring, bringing healthy and fresh dining options to Ocean City.

“So many people say they’d love to eat [healthier]. Now they can come here and get home-cooked, fresh food,” said owner Nancy Bolt.

• Café Mirage reopened under new ownership on May 2 in the 128th Street Montego Bay Shopping Center. Owners Jay and Krista Ball created a new menu of American fare “with a twist” and added outdoor seating that overlooks Northside Park.

• Hooked opened on 80th Street in May, making it the first River Seafood Company restaurant to open outside of Delaware.

• Old Prof Golf celebrated its 50th anniversary in the resort May 4. Owner Herb Schoellkopf offered games for 50 cents a round at Old Pro centers around Ocean City to celebrate.

• After a cold, rainy spring, Memorial Day brought a welcomed boom in business in the resort.

“Business-wise, everyone did pretty well,” said Jessica Waters, communications manager for the Town of Ocean City. “It was a good way to kick off the summer.”

• The 1st Street Bistro opened in mid-May and quickly became known for its low prices and good portions.

“They can feed their family in here for $20 and that makes their experience more enjoyable,” said Don Quackenbush who runs the bistro that sells everything from Belgian waffles to cold-cut subs and garden salads.

• The Bank of Ocean City opened in a new building on 59th Street just in time for the summer season.

“We’re glad to be back here,” said Jason Parker, branch manager and assistant vice president. “All of our customers are glad we’re back open.”

• Treasure Island — “A Wild and Wacky Women’s Boutique” — opened in the Inlet Village on the Boardwalk last summer.

Delmar Smith, who owns Treasure Island with his wife Dena, called the business “a fun, trendy stop for women.”

• The family-owned and run Lankford Hotel on the Boardwalk got a makeover on the Travel Channel’s “Hotel Impossible” show in June. The show aired late in the summer, with by physical and managerial updates to help the Sally Rutka’s business.

• Shorebilly Brewing Company opened on the Boardwalk over the summer with two homebrews and soon expanded its offerings to five craft beers.

“I felt there was a pressing need for Ocean City to have its own beer — a local, homemade beer with local ingredients to call its own,” Owner Danny Robinson said.

• The Angler restaurant on Talbot Street celebrated its 75th anniversary in June.

Owners and sister Jayne Kendall and Julie Smith marked the event with some major overhauls, including the addition of a new boat-shaped bar and deck overlooking Route 50.

• Seacrets celebrated 25 years of business on June 29 with live entertainment and  an anniversary fireworks show.

Originally a small, private club seating about 100 people, Leighton Moore’s business has become one of the resort’s quintessential nightspots with 18 bars, six indoor and outdoor dining sections and a lineup of nationally recognized acts hitting its stages each summer.

• Boardwalk pub and restaurant Shenanigans also celebrated its 25th anniversary last summer, with plenty of Guinness and its signature green Shillelagh to go around.

Since he opened the business, Greg Shockley has more than doubled Shenanigans’ outdoor dining area on the Boardwalk and refocused its emphasis from drinks to food.

• The Kite Loft was the first Worcester County business to benefit from impact funds generated at the Casino at Ocean Downs. Owners Jay and Mary Lynn Knerr received a loan for $64,000 for their new 67th Street location in July.

• The new 67th Street TownCenter officially opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 11.

Peck and Petti Miller’s mid-town Boardwalk features nine businesses, including Ron Jon Surf Shop, SweetFrog Premium Frozen Yogurt, Dolle’s Candyland and the Longboard Café.

• The Drunken Noodle opened at 45th Street on July 17, bringing sushi, noodle dishes and other Asian cuisine to the resort’s mid-town. The eatery serves more than 20 sakes and flavored sakes and dishes under $12, said General Manager Jeff Burton.

• De Lazy Lizard Brew Pub opened on First Street in July, bringing patrons 20 beers on tap, 50 bottled craft beers and three brews made in house.

“The whole craft brew market… is extremely hot in the Ocean City area,” Owner Wayne Odachowski said.

• Just in time for the end of the summer season, Odyssea Watersports opened the Jetovator for business.

The water-powered jet bike takes riders up 30 feet in the air over the water for an “unreal feeling,” said Jetovator pilot and co-owner Sean Crosariol.

• Seacrets launched its Seacrets Service transporter in September. The free shuttle service takes patrons to and from Seacrets from any location in Ocean City, West Ocean City, Ocean Pines and Berlin.

• The restaurant that won “Best Burger in Baltimore” opened on 126th Street in Ocean City this summer. Abbey Burger Bistro lets diners build their own burger for $10, with Maryland-raised beef or more unusual meats like bison, kangaroo and camel on the menu.

“You won’t get anything like you get here,” Owner Eric Leatherman said.

• The Coffee Beanery opened on 94th Street this summer, bringing the first drive-thru coffee shop to Ocean City.

“From day one, whether it’s tourists or locals, people have found out we’re here and have turned us into their ‘office away from home,’” co-operating partner Dana Gottloeb said.

• The Flamingo Motel on 31st Street celebrated 50 years in business in 2013. Over the years, the business grew from 23 to 112 rooms, adding telephones, TVs and air conditioning along the way, said owner Rose Brous.

• Buck Mann celebrated 40 years in the community management business at his company Mann Properties, Inc. in 2013. The 16th Street business oversees about 90 properties from the inlet to the Delaware state line.

 

West Ocean City:

• Pier 1 Imports opened at the White Marlin Mall in February, bringing customers “rustic, yet modern open bazaar-meets-antiques shop” finds for the home, said state manager Frank Pileggi.

Diakonia’s Route 611 thrift shop Used To Be Mine expanded into a third unit in early 2013, tripling its original size.

“We really wanted to offer large furniture and now with the additional space we can do that,” Diakonia’s Executive Director Claudia Nagle said.

• Counseling residents and longtime acquaintances Katherine Smith, Debra Dotson and Amy Ginnavan converted two units in the Blue Heron Shopping Center into Seaside Counseling & Wellness Center early this year.

“We love the community and we’re excited to help strengthen individuals and families,” Dotson said.

• Chris Wall and Lloyd Whitehead celebrated 20 years as owners of Harborside Bar and Grill on April 7 with food and drink specials, prize giveaways, live music and a pig and bull roast.

• YogaVibes opened on Route 50 on April 1, bringing hot yoga to the area. More than a dozen instructors work at the studio, which sold out some classes and added more in its first month.

• Fin City Brewery, housed in Hooper’s Crab House, rolled out its first bottled beers at Peabody Heights Brewery in Baltimore on Oct. 10.

Stores around the state, and eventually across the coast, will carry the West Ocean City brews, said brewer Vince Wright.

• Twenty-five-year old Wyatt Harrison opened Plak That, a business that make custom prints on wooden plaques, on Sunset Avenue.

Harrison bought a printer to do his work in-house, thanks to a Video Lottery Terminal (VOLT) Small Business Loan, funds from Ocean Downs Casino available to small, minority and female-owned businesses in Worcester County.

• Waterman’s Seafood Company reopened with a ribbon-cutting on Nov. 1, just over a year after a fire gutted the 30-year-old restaurant.

The updated building is a “bright, beachy… modern fish house,” said co-Owner Jamy Davy.

• Family-operated Martin Fish Company on the West Ocean City waterfront began offering a carryout menu this fall. Boat-to-table meals such as fried flounder sandwiches, shrimp salad and fish tacos are avilable, said Owner John Martin.

The everything-Christmas shop Christmas Pointe closed at the end of 2013 after serving Ocean City for more than 40 years. Owners Chuck and Linda Dondero closed their store in the Tanger Outlets center to retire.

 

Delaware:

• Harpoon Hanna’s celebrated 30 years in business in April with live music, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, free food and happy hour specials.

More than 500 diners ate at Hanna’s on opening night, April 10, 1983 — a number Owner Frank Hannah Sr. though he’d never top. Today, the restaurant serves between 1,800 and 2,000 on summer nights.

• Irish pub-gone-sports bar Smitty McGee’s celebrated its 24th anniversary in June with a new look.

Owner Dawn McGee used her favorite vacation spot, the Florida Keys, to inspire the renovations, which she said brought a “Key West flair” to the restaurant off Route 54.

• Drivers of Jet Skis, boats and cars stopped and stared when Relentless Watersports brought water-powered jetpacks to Ocean City this summer.

The business located in the Harpoon Hanna’s parking lot brought the Jetlev to thrill seekers over the summer, hoisting them up to 10 feet in the air over Montego Bay.

What is Craft Beer?

Anthony Towey
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Craft beer breweries have been taking Ocean City by storm, but what exactly separates craft beer from standard brews?  Below we breakdown the ins and outs of craft beer, as defined by our friends at brewersassociation.org:

–  The term ‘craft beer’ refers specifically to brews made by small, independent brewers, using fine local ingredients.  To be considered a true craft beer brewery, annual production cannot exceed 6 million barrels.

–  Being made in a small brewery is vital, but the most defining characteristic of craft beer is innovation.  Brewing in small batches gives microbreweries leeway to experiment with new techniques, flavor profiles, and styles- luxuries larger breweries don’t have.  Modern interpretations and unusual twists on historic styles often result in one-of-a-kind craft beer recipes that are unique to a specific brewery.

–  Much craft beer is made using traditional ingredients like malted barley and hops, but it is also common for brewers to rely on non-traditional ingredients, like local fruits, honey, or chocolate, to add distinctive flavors to their beers.  The combination of taking unique approaches and using local ingredients is essential for brewers to maintain the independence and integrity of their craft beers.

–  The life of a craft beer brewer does not end with creating unique suds.  It is an unwritten rule that craft beer breweries take hands on, philanthropic approaches within the local community.  Many breweries offer volunteer services around town, sponsor community events, and make regular donations to charitable organizations.  Craft beer breweries are also very devoted to their customers and tend to be innovative when  marketing their brand and building relationships with patrons.

–  Most Americans live within 10 miles of a craft beer brewer.  If you are in Ocean City, you are within 10 miles of many craft beer breweries.

The Margarita: America’s favorite cocktail

Hardcore Foodie
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The Margarita has become synonymous with having a good time in bars and restaurants across this country and rightly so.  This classic cocktail is refreshing, full of flavor and carries a potent kick, all the things needed in a party drink.  But it is also a deceptive drink to make correctly; as we have all found out at friends parties or bars that can’t just get it quite right.  To understand how to make a great Margarita let us first talk about its history.  The most commonly told story of the drinks’ origin is that it was invented one slow, business day in October 1941, by bartender Don Carlos Orozco in the city of Ensenada, Mexico at Hussong’s Cantina.  It seems that Carlos was experimenting with different combinations when Ms Margarita Henkel came in and asked for something cool and refreshing.  Well, being that Ms Henkel was the daughter of the German Ambassador and thus a VIP, Carlos named his new drink after her because she was the first person to try one.  The drink that Carlos invented that glorious day was equal parts Tequila, Damiana Liquor and fresh lime juice served over ice with a salted rim; the rest, as they say, is history.  The Margarita went through some changes when it arrived in the States, mainly the substitution of Cointreau (a bitter sweet orange liquor) mainly due to the unavailability of the Damiana Liquor.  After Prohibition the Margarita has steadily grown to become the most popular cocktail in the United States and one of the most popular in the rest of the alcohol drinking world as well.

The problem that has arisen with this popularity is the bastardization of the original recipe.  I am not talking about flavored or frozen Margaritas, I mean the outright changes to the basic recipe for economic and time saving reasons or regional quirks.  The modern day ClassicMargarita recipe is genius in its simplicity; 2 ounces silver Tequila, 1 ounce Cointreau Liquor, 1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice shaken over ice and served in a glass with or without a salted rim.  This combination marries the potent earthiness of tequila with the fresh, tart brightness of lime juice with just a hint of bitter orange which is unique to Cointreau.  Notice how orange juice is not mentioned at all.  For some reason orange juice has become an almost universal addition to the recipe by bartenders in our area to “balance the bitterness” of the lime juice.  That reason might make sense except that 95% of those bartenders don’t even squeeze their own lime juice.  Most bars use a bottled Sour Mix which, while being less expense and a time saver, is also so full of chemicals that it causes heartburn after the second cocktail.  That is where the unwanted “bitterness” comes from and the first and most egregious mistake in the making of a perfect Margarita.

Now let me explain one basic thing, when you go to Mexico and order a Margarita they do not use the Persian limes we have here in the States.  Mexican limes are closer in flavor and size to Key limes, which are smaller and sweeter than Persians.  Anyone who has ever gone to Louie’s Back Porch in Key West and ordered their Margarita can attest  to the difference that Key limes make.  The answer to the problem of “bitterness” is not orange juice but a touch of simple syrup.  This quick and easy solution balances the Margarita without affecting the flavor, color or point of the cocktail.  Simply put, if you want orange juice with your tequila make a Tequila Sunrise, just keep it far away from my Margarita.  Also, if a bartender starts going for the Rose’s Lime Juice cancel your order immediately and order a beer.

The three places that I have found in Ocean City that use fresh squeezed lime juice are The Sunset Grille,  The Shark on the Harbor and The Harborside Bar and Grill all conveniently located on the Fishing Harbor in West Ocean City.  All three establishments have comfortable bars and offer a great view of the West Ocean City Marina and Fishing Harbor.  On a hot summers day or any other time of year there are few places that are as inviting as these three bars.

Making sure that your favorite bar uses fresh lime juice is only the first part of the battle.  Secondly, you have to make sure your bar carries Cointreau and then, ask for it in your drink.  It will be a dollar or two more expensive, but the difference in flavor is worth it.  Triple Sec is used instead of Cointreau in many bars, mainly for economic reasons,  but it does not have the depth of flavor of the original.  Thirdly, you must ask for a quality silver Tequila, after all it is the main ingredient in a Margarita.  Finally, tell your bartender to keep their orange juice to themselves.  Fortunately, or unfortunately, Ocean City, Md is the only place where I have come across this habit of adding orange juice to a Margarita but we must all keep a vigilant watch.  After all, a perfect Margarita is a precious thing and should be cherished wherever you can find it.  So don’t be afraid to tell a bartender how you want your Margarita made!  Say It Loud and Say It Proud! No OJ! No Sour Mix! Salud, Amigos.

Try these Ocean City Restaurants for a great margarita!

The Shark on the Harbor in West Ocean City:   410-213-0924; 

Harborside Bar & Grill in West Ocean City:  410-213-1846

Sunset Grille in West Ocean City, 410-213-8110

Decatur boys’ finish season 12-10, head into playoffs

Lisa Capitelli, Ocean City Today
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(Feb. 22, 2013) The Stephen Decatur boys’ basketball team wrapped up regular-season competition last week with an eight-point loss to the Indian River Indians. There’s no time to dwell, though, as the 12-10 Seahawks gear up for the first round of 3A East Regional tournament action Tuesday.

“We went from playing a really good game to playing a really poor game. We were flat and every loose ball they came up with. [Indian River] was quicker than us that night,” Decatur Coach Mark Engle said of his team’s 77-69 loss on the road last Saturday. “We had two bad quarters and a number of turnovers. We had some trouble handling their man-to-man defense and they out-rebounded us in a big way.

“We kind of fell apart and didn’t play smart,” he said.

Decatur gained a 17-8 advantage by the end of the first quarter, but the home team tallied 26 points in the second and held the Seahawks to 10, to lead 34-27 at halftime.

The Berlin squad put 24 points on the board in the third quarter, while the Indians netted 16 to pull ahead 51-50.

Indian River secured the victory in the final quarter, outscoring Decatur 27-18.

Junior Tyler Hunter led Decatur with 21 points and seven rebounds. Senior captain Dimir Andrews had 15 points and four steals.

Two days earlier, on Feb. 14, the Seahawks traveled to Salisbury to battle the Parkside Rams and came home with a 59-50 win. They led 20-16 at the end of the first quarter and 33-26 at halftime. Both teams scored 13 points in the third quarter, but Decatur outscored Parkside 13-11 in the fourth.

“It was one of our more well-played games of the year,” Engle said. “We controlled the game from start to finish. It was a really good win for us.”

Senior captain Jesse Engle logged 27 points and seven assists. Junior PJ Copes chipped in with 12 points.

The Seahawks finished the season 12-10. The four teams with the best records in the 3A East Region were seeded and the remaining squads received their bracket placement by random draw. Decatur landed in the No. 10 spot and will play the No. 7 Centennial Eagles on Tuesday in Ellicott City in first-round action.

“We need to rebound better and control the tempo of the game. We can’t control the tempo if we don’t control our turnovers,” Engle said.

Ladies upset undefeated Parkside

Lisa Capitelli, Ocean City Today
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(Feb. 22, 2013) The Stephen Decatur girls’ basketball team earned two major wins at the close of its regular season, and the Lady Seahawks are now pumped up and ready for 3A East Regional tournament competition next week.

Decatur hosted the undefeated Parkside Rams last Thursday and sent their rivals home with a two-point loss.

“It was a huge win for us,” Coach Amy Fenzel-Mergott said after Decatur’s 62-60 victory. “I was so proud of my girls and how they played.”

Parkside held a 13-12 advantage at the end of the first quarter and led 31-28 at the halftime break.

The Rams went into the fourth quarter on top 48-40.

Fenzel-Mergott kept senior captain Abbey Schorr and freshman Dayona Godwin on the bench in the third quarter because of foul trouble, but the two returned to the court in the fourth.

“Abbey came alive and started running the floor and they couldn’t contain Dayona. They kept fouling her and she made her shots,” Fenzel-Mergott said.

The home team chipped away at the lead, outscoring Parkside 22-12 in the final eight minutes for the come-from-behind victory.

“We kept our composure at the end of the game,” the coach said. “I knew our defense was going to win the game for us. We were so smart on defense.”

Sophomore Ali Beck was given the job of guarding Parkside senior Makya Alexander, who scored 36 points when the two teams previously met. Beck held her to 12 points Thursday.

Schorr netted 29 points and had eight rebounds. Godwin recorded 19 points and six assists.

Fenzel-Mergott was also pleased with her players’ performance two days later on the road against the Indian River Indians. Decatur led 12-4 after the first quarter and 22-17 at halftime. The Seahawks added 20 points in the third quarter and held the Indians to 12. The visitors won 61-48.

“I was impressed with the girls’ hustle that game. We did a lot of really good things,” Fenzel-Mergott said.

Schorr needed 26 points to earn her 1,000th career point. She finished the game with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Godwin contributed with 13 points and six steals.

The Seahawks go into the post-season 20-2. Decatur received the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye and will host the winner of today’s game between the No. 10 James M. Bennett Clippers and No. 7 Wilde Lake Wildcats on Monday at 5 p.m.

Playing at home offers a significant advantage to the Seahawks, Fenzel-Mergott said.

“We’re going to take one game at a time. We were 20-2 and now we’re back to 0-0,” she said. “We look really good. Our press is becoming more effective, we’re rebounding better and we’re making shots we missed in the past. The girls are doing really well and I’m proud of them.”

Schools to press county for teacher raises; health costs still unknown

Zach Hoopes
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(Feb. 22, 2013) The Worcester County Board of Education will be requesting a $1.5 million increase in its level of funding from the county commissioners for the upcoming budget year, largely to pay for a second round of teacher pay raises to compensate for the salary stagnation that took effect from 2009 to 2012.

The results of the schools systems’ annual parent surveys, and allocation recommendations from individual schools’ parent advisory groups, show “a strong desire to maintain our support for outstanding classroom teachers,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jerry Wilson at this week’s board meeting.

The request will allow the schools to grant step-scale pay raises, based on experience, to eligible staff. In Worcester County, teachers’ pay scales are divided into 16 steps, each equating roughly to one year of experience. After step 16, pay increases cease to be structured. For non-teacher support staff, a 12-step scale is used.

The funding also allows for all school employees – even those who have advanced beyond the step-scale – to receive a one percent cost-of-living raise.

When the worldwide financial crisis hit at the end of 2008, local governments were already into the 2009 fiscal year’s budget, which began that July. For the three budget periods after that – fiscal years 2010, 2011, and 2012 – Worcester County enforced, as did many jurisdictions, a wide-scale pay freeze.

Only in this past fiscal year 2013, whose budget was decided on last spring, did the county grant a $1.2 million allocation for teacher pay increases, although the board had requested $1.9 million. This was largely offset, however, by a drop in per-pupil funding of more than $850,000 for FY13 because of decreased enrollment.

Although quasi-independent from the rest of the county government, Worcester’s school system receives about 80 percent of its revenue from appropriations by the county commissioners, who have final authority over its budget.

Under Maryland law, however, county governments must contribute the same amount of money per-student to their schools each year to cover teaching costs and in-classroom expenditures. This policy is known as the “Maintenance of Effort” formula, and counties face steep cuts in state funding if they go below the established MoE level.

With a marginal increase in enrollment, the county is expected to give a minimum of $23,186 more this year, according to the school system’s Chief Financial Officer Vince Tolbert.

One of the largest variables in the school budget, however, will not be entirely resolved for at least another two months. Employee health insurance rates are expected to rise roughly five percent, which would raise costs by $574,000, according to Tolbert.

“Those rates won’t be finalized until May and they could turn out to be more, could turn out to be less,” Tolbert said.

Last year, the school system saw a windfall savings of $1.3 million after premiums fell 5.8 percent, largely out of good experience credit because fewer school employees filed major insurance claims.

The proposed budget for the 2014 fiscal year also includes a further $400,000 in one-time costs, Tolbert said. Of that, $100,000 is dedicated to conducting a feasibility study for the renovation or reconstruction of Showell Elementary School, which the board has identified as the next priority for major capital improvement after Snow Hill High School, where work is scheduled to begin by the end of this year.

The rest of the one-time costs are for technology improvements, namely upgrading the district’s broadband system, its payroll and finance database, and purchasing tablet computers and “cloud” data servers for classroom use.

Other major financial changes, according to Tolbert, will be a $366,000 increase in county revenue to cover teachers’ pensions – the burden of pension funding was partially shifted this year from the state to the counties – as well as a $417,000 increase in state funding to cover services for special education and students living in poverty. In the latter case, there are more students this year who qualify. The budget also allows for a two percent increase in bus contractors’ rates.

Tolbert is also projecting $703,000 in savings for FY14 over FY13. Much of this is from reduced costs in physical materials such as books and papers, which have been replaced by computers and electronic resources.

But more than half of the savings results from early retirement incentives. The county has encouraged more experienced and costly staff to retire and replaced them with new, lower-earning employees, a point driven home at the end of the meeting, when Assistant Superintendent for Administration Louis Taylor read for the board’s approval the names of several dozen retiring teachers and staff.

“We’ve had a lot of people here [on the departure list] who are veteran employees,” said board President Bob Rothermel. “I do worry about brain drain. But I trust that we’ll be working hard to recruit qualified people … so that we have a whole new stable of beloved teachers 20 or 30 years from now.”

Baltimore Avenue: city confirms street built off-center

Zach Hoopes
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(Feb. 22, 2013) Much like the discovery this week of the bones of Richard III – revealed, to Shakespeare’s credit, to have suffered from severe scoliosis – beneath a parking lot in Leicester, Ocean City has recently confirmed its own case of historic malformation beneath its pavement.

After more than a century of growth, the town has only now finalized property surveys that conclusively show that Baltimore Avenue is, in fact, built cockeyed.

City Public Works Director Hal Adkins submitted land plats to the county records office last month that clearly show that the portion of the avenue above North Division Street was not built – and is not currently situated – parallel to the right-of-way strip that was established in the late 19th century.

“The paved surface of the road and the two sidewalks next to it are not installed parallel to either side of the right-of-way, as it’s drawn,” Adkins said. “The improved portion of the roadway is improved at an angle. If you went up in a helicopter and were to look down, you could tell that it’s slanted.”

When the original land division for the municipality was established in 1875, the city’s limits stretched only from North Division to South Division Streets. Between these two, the city claimed a 50-foot-wide easement for Baltimore Avenue.

When the town annexed further land to the north and south some years later, towards the end of the century, this right-of-way was widened to 75 feet for those portions. Since the storm of 1933, the bulk of the southern section – below South Second Street – has been underwater, beneath the inlet.

However, the city did not use all of its allotted easement when it laid down and upgraded the roadway over the years. While the unpaved sections retained the city’s rights of use, they were typically incorporated into adjacent properties as front yards, parking spaces, or porch extensions.

“What you have is a large amount of unimproved right-of-way that appears, to the passerby, as private property,” Adkins said.

Furthermore, the road itself was not laid down straight through the easement zone, but rather diagonally across it. At North Division Street, all of the city’s unused right-of-way lies on the west side of the road; but as one progresses north, the road slants west, gradually shifting the excess space to the east side of the road. The direction of the road and right-of-way then abruptly changes at 15th Street, above which Baltimore Avenue was built much later in the 20th century.

Once the Baltimore Avenue corridor had been fully built out with hotels and homes, and the bed of the modern roadway set, the road angle became less of an issue. But although most modern property owners are unaware of the situation, those who built the original foundations of the corridor definitely were.

“Clearly, when these buildings were built, they knew about the historic easement,” Adkins said. On the new survey maps, he point out, one can clearly see that the porches of the old houses along Baltimore Avenue, between North Division and 15th Streets, line up perfectly with the boundaries of the original right-of-way and are not parallel, if one looks closely, to the actual edge of the sidewalk.

When the town rebuilt Baltimore Avenue in 1991, the road was widened to take up the exact space of the 50-foot easement that existed between North Division and South Division. Below South Division, the road was aligned with the east side of the original right-of-way, leaving the unimproved excess all along the west side

“That section is dead-on because I rebuilt the whole thing in 1991, and I made sure to put it dead-on,” Adkins said. Some properties had sections of porches or steps protruding into the road, Adkins said, which were removed and rebuilt to the side or rear of the buildings by the city, at no cost to the property owners.

The city could, theoretically, do the same thing with the rest of the 75-foot right of way that exists north of North Division Street and south of South Division Street. Because of this, it has been the city’s policy to only allow minor structures such as signs, walkways, and parking lots to be placed in the right-of-way whenever properties along Baltimore Avenue are renovated or rebuilt.

Recently, however, this policy was tightened to specify that nothing except landscaping be allowed in any easement zones.

“The mayor and council instructed staff to not issue any more building permits that would obstruct that right of way,” said city Zoning Administrator R. Blaine Smith. “They don’t want to encumber those areas any more for the future.”

This has put somewhat of a squeeze on rebuilding in the area. At last month’s Board of Zoning Appeals hearing, the board again rejected a proposal to build a five-story condo on the northeast corner of Baltimore Avenue and 10th Street because the structure’s size violated the specified property setbacks, which expand from five feet to 10 feet once a building rises above three stories.

However, a representative for the property’s owner, Ardeshir Sassan, claimed that his client was forced to build up because the lot’s substandard size made it financially impossible to invest in a rental property that would otherwise be so limited in space.

Since 1970, the city’s minimum lot size has been 5,000 square feet. However, the lot in question is only 3,500, largely due to the fact that the westernmost 30 feet of the property is city right-of-way, even though it appears to be part of Sassan’s lot.

The Ocean City Development Corporation – the city-backed nonprofit that sponsors downtown revitalization projects – also requested that Sassan not be given any leeway, as it appeared that he simply failed to understand the restrictions involved with the lot before he razed the building that was previously located there.

“It would appear that the bulk of the building is causing the need for these requests,” OCDC Executive Director Glenn Irwin told the board. “The requests for the variances seem to be self-imposed hardships to accommodate a larger and taller building.”

Another project in the works that may be affected by the right-of-way is the proposed construction of a miniature golf course on the property that used to house Trimper’s Tank Battle amusement ride, on Baltimore Avenue below South First Street.

The city’s Planning and Zoning Commission recently gave a favorable recommendation to City Council to add miniature golf as a conditional use in the downtown zoning district, which would allow Trimper Amusements to appeal the city for the rights to build a course granted that its design did not adversely affect the neighborhood. The course would be constructed and operated by Old Pro Golf.

However, the Tank Battle lot – located just south of the historic Henry Hotel – features roughly 32 feet of what appears to be the front of the property but is, in fact, the remainder of the city’s 75-foot right of way. In fact, the corner of the Henry Hotel itself protrudes into this area, which appears to be the building’s front lawn.

Because so many of the easement areas are currently used for parking, in a neighborhood that is already pressed by traffic, “it would have a tremendous impact if the city ever reclaimed that space,” Irwin said.

Although OCDC has no development plans that would use the remaining right-of-way, “it should be an important discussion when the city wants to have it,” Irwin said.

BOARD BACKS REQUEST FOR OFFICERS IN SCHOOLS

Zach Hoopes
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(Feb. 22, 2013) Mirroring a demand that has been sweeping the nation since the killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, the Worcester County Board of Education voted unanimously on Tuesday to support a Worcester County Sheriff’s Office request for funding to place armed officers in all of the county’s schools.

The move follows the completion last month of extensive safety audits of each of the county’s school facilities by school safety committees and a task force of local law enforcement representatives.

Under the recommendation from school administrators, the sheriff’s office will be asking the county commissioners to include it its fiscal year 2014 budget the additional money needed to hire and train 13 new School Resource Officers, who will cover all 14 of the county’s institutions. Because Snow Hill Middle School and the Cedar Chapel Special School share a campus, one officer will cater to both schools.

According to Col. Doug Dods of the sheriff’s office, first-year costs per new officer — including salary, equipment, and training — average $120,989. Second-year costs come to $63,436 per officer.

The recommendation also supports a number of smaller capital and infrastructure improvements to increase school security, with an estimated price tag of $218,500.

“The sheriff’s department has submitted a budget to fund the 13 officers,” Assistant Superintendent for Administration Louis Taylor said. “These [capital improvements] are things we need to secure funding on as soon as possible.”

In addition to the officers’ presence, the safety plan involves the installation of electronic buzzer entry systems with cameras and two-way intercoms on the front doors of all county schools, as well as the central administration office. The cost of that aspect of the plan is $65,000.

Nine entry systems requiring access cards are also proposed to be installed on the exterior doors of the portable classroom trailers that are used at five of the county’s schools, with a total price tag of $63,000.

Further, the funding request will include a provision for all 14 schools, as well as the central office, to receive visitor identification and badge printing systems that will scan visitors’ drivers’ licenses and issue them a photo ID sticker for their visit to the school.

“When it checks your drivers’ license, we’ll also have the opportunity to see if you’re a sex offender, or have other criminal records like that which would show up on your license,” said Steve Price, the schools’ head of transportation and facilities management, who has hence become the county’s de-facto school security coordinator.

The cost for the ID system will be $20,425, plus an additional $5,000 annually for software licensing.

“I have spoken to vendors who are very anxious to provide these products to us, but we need money to proceed,” Price said.

The safety proposal also allocates $25,000 to add eight more security cameras to the district’s current 328. Another $25,000 is allocated to tint windows at four schools that have parking lots or roads providing a close view into classrooms, and another $20,000 is to be put towards installing oversized planters or traffic bollards in front of six school entrances that are at risk of being rammed by a vehicle.

“The sheriff’s department was very concerned about intrusion by a vehicle in some of our schools,” Price said.

School officials said that the proposed safety budget was a good compromise of common-sense measures that were not overbearing. They had received comments from many parents, they said, some of whom desired more strict security and some who desired less.

“There may be some inconveniences involved with some of the security measures, but everyone needs to understand that the inconvenience is necessary to ensure the safety of our students,” Price said.

Several parents of county students attended the board meeting, all of whom advocated stronger security measures. Although side entrances are locked after the school day beings, parent Jacqueline Cutlip asked, “Why the front doors are still open, even now?”

“We’ve still not made a decision on whether we’re going to lock those doors or not,” Taylor said, stressing that manual locks meant staff would have to physically open the doors for each entrant if they were locked.

“We have to make sure we have a practical procedure in order to do that,” said Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jerry Wilson. Having no timely means of access could present an issue for fire and EMS personnel.

Cutlip also questioned why the implementation of the new school deputies was estimated to take until the 2014-2015 school year.

“That’s what it takes if you’re sending them [officers] to the academy after hiring them right off the street,” he said.

The safety plan and its expenditures will likely be brought before the County Commissioners at their March 5 session for approval.

HUMPHREYS NAMED 2012 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Lisa Capitelli, Ocean City Today
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(Feb. 22, 2013) Carolee Humphreys was recognized for her years of service and named the 2012 OC Recreation Boosters Volunteer of the Year last Wednesday at Northside Park on 125th Street.

“Carolee is one of a kind. She is a quiet, soft spoken person who has a heart of gold,” said Kate Gaddis, recreation superintendent for the Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department. “We are so fortunate to have her as a member of our Boosters organization for many reasons. Her smile brightens the room and although she is one little lady, she does the work of many.”

Humphreys has been a member of the OC Recreation Boosters for about 10 years; she’s currently serving as the organization’s vice president.

The Ocean City resident has worked on every Booster-related event, said President Reba Felty, from selling hot chocolate to St. Patrick’s soccer tournament T-shirts. She has also volunteered her time during youth holiday parties and summer concerts at Sunset Park, and helped out in the wine and beer tents during the Springfest and Sunfest celebrations.

“She puts in countless volunteer hours and is the kind of person who is always quietly helping out, never saying ‘no.’ She’s hardworking, devoted and her loyalty and love for others is unmatched,” Felty said. “Carolee is 73 years young, but to know her spirit and hard work you wouldn’t think her a day over 37.”

Humphreys first found out she was the recipient of the annual award during the Boosters’ appreciation party in late January.

She is a member of the Volunteer of the Year committee and found it unusual when the group was not discussing nominees. That was because they knew she would be the one receiving the award.

“They kept it a secret from me,” Humphreys said.

When Felty announced Humphreys was the 2012 Boosters Volunteer of the Year last month, she was shocked.

“I was just surprised and honored,” Humphreys said. “I enjoy doing things for the kids and giving back to the community. What’s most important is that we’re able to raise funds for the programs here.”

In addition to her work with the Recreation Boosters, Humphreys is a member of the Quota Club of Ocean City, the Montego Bay Association and was a past Ocean City Chamber ambassador.

Humphreys is the mother of three, grandmother of four, and great-grandmother of three.

She was presented with the Volunteer of the Year Award plaque last week and Ocean City Councilman Joe Mitrecic gave her a key to the city.

The OC Recreation Boosters, a nonprofit, independent group, has chosen a volunteer to receive the annual award for the past 14 years. The group works throughout the year to raise money to help offset the cost of recreation programs. The organization is always looking for additional volunteers.

During Wednesday’s ceremony, Mitrecic also read a proclamation from Mayor Rick Meehan, who was unable to attend, stating that February is Sportsmanship month in Ocean City.

Sportsmanship was again emphasized during the Ocean City Recreation and Parks Department’s winter boys’ and girls’ basketball and indoor soccer leagues. The department’s “Sportsmanship Counts!” campaign, now in its fourth year, focuses on five specific characteristics: respect, fairness, integrity, responsibility and perseverance.

Athletes chosen by their coaches and coordinators who exemplified good sportsmanship while participating in the basketball and indoor soccer leagues received certificates on Wednesday.

Sara Mitrecic, 13, a Stephen Decatur Middle School student, and coach Brian Shockley, were presented with the 2012 Mid-Atlantic Recreation and Parks Sports Alliance Good Sport Awards.

Ocean City Councilman Joe Mitrecic presents Carolee Humphreys, the 2012 OC Recreation Boosters Volunteer of the Year, with a key to the city during a ceremony last Wednesday at Northside Park on 125th Street.

Many summer employers will not evade health care mandate

Zach Hoopes
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(Feb. 22, 2013) Despite the federal government’s granting of a seasonal leniency for short-term employers, local agents say most of the resort area’s more sizeable businesses will still meet the dreaded “large employer” threshold under the national Affordable Care Act, which will put them into the “pay or play” system for health insurance provisions.

“We’re looking at their numbers, and they’re obviously over in June, July, and August, but they also have a lot of people on in May or September,” said local insurance agent Chris Keen. “A lot of places depend on the shoulder season and that’s what puts them over.”

Although the full effect of the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as “Obamacare,” won’t go into effect until January of 2014, the employment numbers used to determine what regulations apply to businesses will be drawn from 2013.

“You should be doing this calculation now,” Keen told local business representatives at last week’s Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting at the Carousel Hotel.

“2013 is the calculation year for whether or not you’re a ‘large employer,’ which means you’ll have to ‘pay or play’ when January of 2014 comes around.”

Together with Atlantic/Smith, Cropper & Deeley Vice President Chris Carroll, Keen, who owns West Ocean City’s Keen Insurance, has been working to help resort businesses hash out their 2014 insurance obligations in a new system that often has very slim margins.

“That’s one of the most unusual parts of this subsidy system and this law, is that there are a series of cliffs built into it,” Carroll said.

The first cliff comes with the determination of whether or not one is a “large employer” under the law’s definition. The ACA specifies such a business as one that has 51 or more full-time employees, or the equivalent in part-time employees.

A full-time employee is someone, according to the law, who is either salaried or a waged worker clocking 130 hours or more in a given month.

In the case of part-time employees, the law requires that all their hours in a month be added and divided by 120 to determine the number of full-time equivalent employees the business has in a given month.

Businesses that only go over 50 employees for four or less months will be exempt from the “large employer” classification. But given that most Ocean City businesses begin hiring in the spring and retain employees through September and October, they are sized out of the seasonal exemption.

For those who are “large employers,” the ACA institutes a so-called “pay or play” system, whereby businesses can either provide a qualifying health insurance plan, or pay an annual penalty of $2,000 per employee.

Although every employee counts for the purpose of calculating penalties to “large employers,” every employee does not have to be insured if said employer provides a health plan. Only those “reasonably expected” to work 30 or more hours per week must be offered insurance – and that insurance does not have to kick in for up to 90 days after employment, a grace period that eliminates short-term workers from the

“You don’t have to provide them insurance, but you do have to include them in the calculation,” Carroll said.

On the other hand, the ACA also stipulates that any health plans provided by employers must meet criteria of coverage and affordability by having premiums of no more than 9.5 percent of an employee’s annual household income, and being able to pay for at least 60 percent of average annual health costs.

In cases of employees on the edge, it may be cheaper to increase their pay so that their insurance costs stay below the 9.5 percent threshold, instead of not offering a plan and paying the penalty.

For those who do not have health insurance the ACA mandates the establishment of group health exchanges in order to pool the purchasing of insurance and bring premium costs down.

Such exchanges are organized by state, although some, such as Virginia, are defaulting to the federal government to administer their programs. But with a detailed, online insurance interface set to go live this fall, Maryland is “leading the country in insurance exchange programs,” Carroll said.

Under federal statute, anyone making up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level will have their insurance exchange purchase subsidized on a graded scale, limiting their costs to a certain percentage of their income. But this also presents another cliff, as those making more than 400 percent abruptly lose the subsidy, forcing them to pay full market rate in a climate where rates may have risen drastically.

Those making 133 percent or less of the poverty level will be eligible to go on Medicaid, and Maryland has elected to bump this level up to 138 percent. According to Carroll and Keen, this will put an additional 160,000 to 170,000 Marylanders on Medicaid beginning in 2014.

In order to control rate disparity between insurance demographic groups – particularly between the young and the old – Maryland had placed a three-to-one ratio cap on the lowest and highest rates offered on the exchange. But this is now proposed to be widened to five-to-one.

“The states don’t believe that the young and invincible are going to enroll in the exchange if their rates are that much higher,” Keen said.

COUNSELING CENTER OPENS

Lisa Capitelli, Ocean City Today
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(Feb. 22, 2013) Katherine Smith, Debra Dotson and Amy Ginnavan have known each other for about 10 years, and they have all worked together. The women had been counseling residents, but it wasn’t until recently that they decided to start their own business.

“It’s exciting to take everything we’ve learned and bring it together to benefit the community,” Dotson said. “We love the community and we’re excited to help strengthen individuals and families.”

They found two units in the Blue Heron Shopping Center on Route 50 in West Ocean City and started renovating the spaces in September. The trio opened their business, Seaside Counseling & Wellness Center, and began seeing clients in December.

With more than 30 years combined experience, Smith said, “We all have a different niche we like to focus on.”

“We complement each other nicely,” she said. “We’re all very passionate about what were doing.”

Individual, family and group counseling sessions are offered. They will also visit local schools to meet with students/clients during the day.

“It makes it easier on families if they can’t bring their kids here,” Smith said.

Added Dotson, “What I enjoy about our center is that we are … focused on clients’ strengths and building on those.”

Ginnavan said the women are trained to work with all age groups, from young children to senior citizens.

Community wellness classes and continuing education courses for social workers and other professionals will also be available. They plan to offer stress relief, nutrition and meditation classes, among others, as well as social media assistant for parents.

Once the weather gets warmer, the women would like to offer “walk and talk” therapy sessions, on the Boardwalk, beach, Assateague Island, or at any other outdoor location.

“I think people are more willing to open up [in that type of environment],” Smith said.

A grand-opening celebration is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 28, from 3-6 p.m. A ribbon cutting will take place at 4:30 p.m. All are invited to attend. Refreshments will be served.

For more information about Seaside Counseling & Wellness Center, call 410-213-7875 or visit www.seasidecounselingandwellness.com. Referrals are currently being accepted. The company works with all major insurance companies. A sliding scale is in place for those without insurance or who wish to self-pay.

Day, weekend and evening hours are available by appointment.

“Our mission is to be available when our clients need us,” Smith said.

Welcoming guests to Seaside Counseling & Wellness Center, located in the Blue Heron Shopping Center on Route 50 in West Ocean City, are business partners, from left, Amy Ginnavan, Katherine Smith and Debra Dotson.

City sees good and bad effects of economy, plan changes on retiree trusts

Zach Hoopes
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(Feb. 22,2013) With employee benefits having been a hot political topic over the past two years – and already acknowledged to be the key issue in the current contract negotiations between the city and its public safety unions – actuarial reports of the city’s retiree pension and health care funds for the final quarter of 2012 indicate that some of the anticipated benefits and drawbacks of recent plan changes may already be coming to fruition.

Consultants from Morgan Stanley, which manages the investment of the city’s employee benefits trust funds, presented the city’s Board of Pension Trustees with their quadrennial report this week, indicating a strong showing for the city’s investments over the past year.

The general employees’ fund gained 9.72 percent over the year, and the public safety employees’ fund 9.64 percent. The employee healthcare fund gained 8.91 percent, and gains for the current year are on target.

“The markets are really off to a great start and your portfolio is participating in that fully,” said Morgan Stanley’s Michael Holycross.

Since 1991, the city’s public safety employees have had a separate fund from the city’s general employees, due to the different retirement norms for public safety work. General employees pay five percent of their salary each week into the pension fund, with an identical match from the city. After 30 years of service, they become fully vested, meaning they will receive the maximum post-retirement benefit of 50 percent of their salary. Retiring earlier provides a somewhat lower payout.

For public safety employees, the vesting term is 25 years, and the benefit is 60 percent of salary, but they must contribute 8 percent of their pay while they work.

Despite this year’s excellent performance, none of the three plans have enough funding to fully cover their projected expenses in pension and insurance payouts – few municipal govern-

ments’ plans are fully funded.

Much of the reason for this is that the future value projections for the funds assume an investment return of 7.5 percent. While this was a normal – or even somewhat low – average rate at the time the plans were designed, the recent economic recession has reversed that dramatically.

Further, no new employees are paying into the funds, since they were controversially closed out two years ago in favor of individual 401(a) packages.

Even with this year’s excellent performances factored in, the average rate of gain over the past five years has only been 1.83 percent for the general employees’ fund, and 1.84 percent for the public safety fund.

The medical benefits fund has fared better, but only because it was conceived later; the Government Accounting Standards Board only began to require a separate retiree health benefits fund in 2009. As such, the health fund has made 7.4 percent since inception, but still only covers about 20 to 25 percent of its projected future costs.

Ocean City currently pays 80 percent of retiree health premiums, with the former employees themselves paying 20 percent. Spousal coverage is not offered.

In all cases, the city routinely bolsters its funds with additional capital, on top of what it normally pays in per employee paycheck, amortized over a period of 25 years to reach full funding.

This scenario may soon become more urgent, however, as the GASB has become more conservative in its recent rule revisions involving asset smoothing and gain assumptions.

Estimated gains or losses of the funds’ value are phased in over five-year periods, to keep the contributions levels from fluctuating wildly. But this also masks, according to the GASB, investment market drops that may not be fully accounted for by the time the fund money is needed to pay for retirements.

Additionally, with a long, slow economic recovery looming, investment return rate assumptions have been lowered from 7.5 to 7 percent, and may be required to drop further. With a large percentage of Ocean City’s workforce nearing retirement age, the city may be paying out of a pot whose paper value is overstated.

Fortunately, however, the city has already been able to reduce some of its medical liability through plan changes. Last spring, the council voted to introduce a high-deductible health plan — as opposed to more expansive PPO plans — that would also come with a city-incentivized Health Savings Account. It also decided to cap any increase to the city’s insurance premium contribution at three percent, to guard against the town taking the lion’s share of future rate increases.

“The reason why the costs are going down is because you made those plan changes for new hires,” Kay Moran of Bolton Partners, the city’s insurance advisor, told the trustees. “Instead of estimating based on market trend, you’re using a flat three percent, and that eliminates any potential fluctuation.”

The city’s premiums have also been going down, due to its insurers suffering fewer claims from town employees.

“There were a lot of reasons for that, mainly because we’ve been altering plan designs and we put in the high-deductible health plan,” Moran said.

At the same time, one of the arguments made by city officials and employees against the plan changes – that providing more individual and less group benefits would jeopardize employee retention – seems to also be occurring. While the number of current general employees eligible for post-employment benefits dropped by 30, the number of retirees using the plan did not correspondingly increase. In fact, it decreased by two.

“Which suggests,” Moran said. “that the older, longer service – and more expensive – employees stayed, and the younger employees were the ones that left.”

On the public safety side, active eligibility increased by 42 employees, and retirees by eight.

“So you added more public safety, and they’re under that new rule,” Moran said. “That increased your liability, but not as much as would’ve been if you hadn’t made that plan change.”

How are those wetsuits holding up? Spring is around the corner!

Brian Stoehr
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We are crossing the mid February point where spring is finally insight.  We have had a few teaser days that are making all of the anticipate the warmer weather to come.  I do have to tell you guys, I have surfed a few times in February WITHOUT a hood…  Crazy but true.  Hoping for a great spring with decent waves…

For all of you looking for wetsuits, this is a great time to buy!  Most of the shops have great deals on winter wetsuits and really all fullsuits.  I always have bought my suits for following year at the end of the winter season!  Make sure you stop in and check out the goods.  Support your local shop and check out there suits.

If you want my input on the suits i wear…  Ive been sporting the new Rip Curl Fireskin suits!  I love them.  The technology has come so far and makes winter (or cold water in general) surf a thing of the past.  They keep me warm as can be and they dry in no time at all.  Ive also seen great things from Hurley, Oniel and Xcel.

AND THE FINALISTS ARE…

Lisa Capitelli, Ocean City Today
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(Feb. 15, 2013) The dining public had until Feb. 5, to nominate a favorite restaurant, bar, tavern, chef, wine, beverage, craft brew program and food truck for the Restaurant Association of Maryland’s annual awards.

The votes have been tabulated and on Tuesday, the association revealed that six Ocean City businesses are finalists in several categories.

“I was thrilled when I found out the list of nominees. We are very fortunate to have so many award-winning restaurants and business leaders in our town,” said Susan L. Jones, executive director of the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association.

Voting will begin Monday, Feb. 18, and end March 8. To cast a vote, visit www.marylandrestaurants.com.

The winners will be announced during the 59th annual Restaurant Association of Maryland’s awards gala, spon-

sored by McCormick and Company, on April 15, at Martin’s West in Baltimore.

Here are the Ocean City finalists:

n Favorite Restaurant: Captain’s Table

Captain’s Table Restaurant is located on the third floor of the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel on 15th Street, between the Boardwalk and Baltimore Avenue.

In 1956, Willye Conner Ludlam, the grandmother of Lauren Conner Taylor and her brother, Edmund Conner, opened the Santa Maria Hotel and on the first floor was the Captain’s Table Restaurant. The 15th Street hotel and restaurant were family run until both closed in the fall of 2004.

The original project included the restaurant and condominium complex. When home and condo sales began to drop, the course changed. The new project included the Captain’s Table and hotel. After being closed for nearly five years, the family owned and operated restaurant opened in the hotel in July 2009.

Taylor said she is “thrilled” Captain’s Table is one of five finalists for “Favorite Restaurant.”

“It’s nice to know our efforts to produce high quality food has been recognized and that people appreciate what we do,” she said. “It’s a huge honor because it’s statewide and just that we were nominated is tremendous.”

Taylor said customers enjoy the restaurant because it has a relaxed atmosphere and families feel comfortable there. There are also many choices for diners on the menu.

n Favorite Bar & Tavern: Dead Freddies Island Grill and Macky’s Bayside Bar & Grill

Macky’s Bayside will celebrate its 20th season in business on 54th Street when it reopens in late April.

Macky Stansell, who owns the restaurant on the bay with his wife, Pam, said “It’s always nice to be honored by customers and your peers.”

“Just to be chosen is an honor and speaks volumes for what our staff has done,” he said. “The location is good and the staff is the best in town. Food is also a big part of the experience, but service is very important.”

The Stansells take pride in the fact that the restaurant offers top-notch customer service.

The view is also a big reason people come to Macky’s, which sits on the bay. Patrons can enjoy lunch or dinner on the beach, in the dining room or bar area.

“The atmosphere is what it’s all about. It’s a wonderful place to be,” Stansell said.

Dead Freddies opened on 64th Street in May 2010. Managing partner Jay Bosley was pleasantly surprised by Dead Freddies making the finalist list.

“It’s a big honor for us to be recognized because we’re new to Ocean City. We appreciate being accepted by the community,” he said. “We have something for children of all ages. It’s not just about the bar scene, we have a playground for the kids and a great kid’s menu.”

Bosley said adults can come one day with their children and the next night enjoy music, cocktails and take in the sunset on the deck without the little ones.

As far as being nominated in the “Bar & Tavern” category, Bosley said customers like the variety of specialty drinks and other fun items offered.

n Chef of the Year: Travis Wright

Wright and his wife, Jody, opened The Shark Restaurant on 46th Street in Ocean City in May 2000. In February 2008, the eatery was relocated to Sunset Avenue in West Ocean City and named Shark of the Harbor.

In 2010, Wright was a finalist in the “Restaurateur of the Year” category.

Wright was also surprised to be named one of five finalists in the “Chef of the Year” category for the 2013 awards.

“We’re such a collaborative establishment that individual accolades, while nice, are really not usually on our radar,” he said. “I’ve worked in restaurants since I was in college. Becoming a chef was sort of a progression for me. I’ve always worked in and loved this industry and always appreciated fine food and restaurants. I guess you could say I became a chef because I like to eat well.”

Wright and his kitchen staff prepare food from scratch and he said they work hard to source locally and use organic and all-natural ingredients whenever possible.

“We take pride in serving the freshest seafood sourced largely from the boats docked right outside our back door,” he said. “I hope people can feel how much we care about serving our area the best we can and how lucky I feel everyday to be able to do what we do.”

n Restaurateur of the Year: Shawn Harman, Fish Tales; Wayne Odachowski, de Lazy Lizard

De Lazy Lizard, located on the bay at First Street, was the winner in the “Favorite New Restaurant” (open two years or less) category, last year. The Ocean City downtown hotspot opened June 28, 2010.

Odachowski considers his nomination for “Restaurateur of the Year” to be an honor.

“Owning and running a successful restaurant business is truly a team effort. I couldn’t have been nominated if it weren’t for the extraordinary effort of my business partner, Todd Hays, our loyal management team and our dedicated staff,” he said. “There have been great restaurant owners and managers that have been nominated and won this award in the past. This year is no exception. I am in great company with the other nominees.”

Odachowski said de Lazy Lizard’s loyal patrons enjoy the open, beach-feel venue and the child-friendly restaurant appeals to parents. Youngsters have the own play area and a menu specifically for them.

Fish Tales is a family-owned and operated restaurant on the bay at 22nd Street. In 2011, Fish Tales took home the top award in the “Favorite Bar & Tavern” category. The bayside hotspot will celebrate 18 years in business this summer.

Harman said there is something for all age groups at Fish Tales, which has a casual, laid back atmosphere. Customers can dine at tables in the sand or in the bar areas. There is also a playground for children.

To be a finalist for “Restaurateur of the Year,” Harman said, is “incredibly humbling.”

“The restaurant is my life. I end up getting the credit, but it’s not because of me the restaurant is successful, it’s the staff and my wife (Donna),” he said.

Restaurant Association of Maryland members, not the dining public, will choose the recipient of this award.

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