OCEAN CITY, M.d - A proposal for a new sports complex in Worcester county was voted to advance.
The site is the second proposed area, and is twice the size of the originally proposed area.
The complex was originally supposed to be behind Stephen Dectaur High School, but Berlin leaders said they wanted the site removed from consideration.
The search for the new site began again back in February of this year.
Approximately 198 acres will be used to develop the complex. It will offer areas for both indoor and outdoor sports, with hopes to take a step forward towards supporting year-round tourism.
The project will be funded through room tax; the revenue the town collects from its visitors. It will be at no cost to Worcester county residents.
Mayor Rick Meehan says he was fortunate enough to negotiate a contract with the property owner.
“We looked at well over 100 different locations,” he says. “We had looked at a property previously that was owned by this particular land owner. We knew that they had other land available. It wasn't listed for sale, but we worked with them. We felt that this was the best spot for us to be.”
Chris Bunting flies banner planes right over the proposed site. He says he and his planes aren’t going anywhere.
“Our flights aren't going to stop,” he says. “They can't make us stop, and it's going to be directly over top of every single one of those fields. They're not going to be able to hear anything.”
Mayor Meehan says the City Council will have a reading of the first ordinance Monday night.
There is no set schedule of when development will begin.
