September 20, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 31 N.J. Fire Raises Safety Questions For Ocean City Officials Maintain Inspection Safeguards In Place By SHAWN J. SOPER NEWS EDITOR Regional Digest FROM PAGE 30 bat bite occurs when a person is sleeping. OCEAN CITY – Investigators announced this week the massive fire that devastated a large section of the boardwalk in coastal New Jersey was caused by aging, faulty wiring compromised by saltwater and sand during last fall’s Super Storm Sandy, prompting questions about whether a similar situation could possibly occur in Ocean City. Last Thursday, a massive fire began under a couple of old businesses on the boardwalk in Seaside Park and Seaside Heights in New Jersey and the wind-swept flames destroyed around 50 businesses and other structures before the blaze was brought under control. The fire occurred in the New Jersey resort towns still slowly recovering from Super Storm Sandy last October, and this week it was learned the storm ironically had a hand in the latest destruction. Ocean County, N.J., prosecutor Joseph Coronato on Tuesday announced the multi-agency Fire Investigation Task Force determined the massive fire was caused by aging wiring compromised by saltwater and sand during Sandy under the ice cream parlor and candy store where it originated. Coronato called it a cautionary tale and urged business owners and homeowners in those communities and others affected by the storm to have their electric systems inspect- ed. “Scene examination preserved and isolated the electrical system servicing the originating structures and the team is in complete consensus that a failure of energized electrical equipment and wiring located under the boardwalk and sub floor of the originating structures compromised by Sandy flood waters contributed to the fire,” Coronato said in a statement this week. “We strongly recommend to all Sandy-affected business and homeowners that they take measures to have any floodsubmerged electrical systems inspected and replaced if necessary.” Clearly, Ocean City and Delaware beach resorts did not see the extensive flooding during Sandy that beach resorts to the north did during the storm, but the ominous report released this week raised questions about the safeguards in place in Ocean City. Floodwaters did inundate some low-lying areas in Ocean City during Sandy and other storms in recent years, raising the possibility there could be some concerns under aging structures in the downtown area. Ocean City officials this week said there are safeguards in place to ensure a similar situation does not occur here.“In any post-storm situation, the various city departments do damage assessments and make lists of buildings compromised by flooding,” said Ocean City Deputy Chief Fire Marshal David Hartley this week. “They do assess- ments of everything for potential damages to electrical systems to structural damages in any poststorm situation. Clearly, saltwater and electricity don’t mix, so it’s a big concern for us.” Hartley said there are back-up safeguards in place to ensure inspections are completed following major storm events. As previously mentioned, the city does its own inspections of buildings compromised during storm events and private property owners also have inspections done as part of the insurance claim process. “It’s not a failsafe system, but we’re pretty confident the overlapping inspection process would find any problems,” he said. “When property owners file a claim, insurance companies come in and do their own inspections. They have to in order to be able to pull permits for repair work.” As far as the Boardwalk itself, Ocean City Engineer Terry McGean said this week all of the wiring under and around the structure was replaced during the extensive renovation project carried out over the last two years. “We replaced all the wiring with new conduits as part of the reconstruction project the last two years from 4th Street to 15th Street,” he said. “The rest was replaced when we rebuilt the south end. Any time someone thinks wiring might have been submerged in saltwater, they should have an electrician check it.” Witness Tampering In Striped Bass Case? SALISBURY – A Lower Shore commercial waterman this week was arrested on charges of witness tampering and retaliation in connection with an investigation into the alleged illegal harvesting of striped bass. The U.S. District Attorney’s Office for Maryland on Wednesday charged Michael D. Hayden, 41, of Tilghman Island with witness tampering and retaliation. According to the District Attorney’s Office, Hayden, is a licensed commercial fisherman who operates commercial vessels on the Chesapeake. During an investigation into the illegal harvesting of striped bass in the bay, agents of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Maryland Natural Resources Police learned Hayden allegedly attempted to manipulate some witness testimony while trying to prevent the testimony of others. The criminal complaint filed on Tuesday alleges that in at least one incident, Hayden threatened to retaliate against a potential witness he believed as cooperating with investigators. If convicted, Hayden faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for each of witness tampering and witness retaliation. Wicomico Scores Funds SALISBURY – The Maryland Board of Public Works this week approved Program Open Space grant funding for multiple recreational projects around the state including a couple in Wicomico County in Delmar and Fruitland. The three-member Board of Public Works, which includes Gov. Martin O’Malley, Comptroller Peter Franchot and Treasurer Nancy Kopp, on Wednesday approved numerous projects eligible for Program Open Space funding. Through Program Open Space, a portion of a real estate transfer tax in each county is set aside to provide funding for recreational projects in each jurisdiction. “Whether with family, friends, pets or one-on-one with nature, Program Open Space ensures that Marylanders have safe, convenient places to enjoy the great outdoors,” said O’Malley this week. With the approvals announced on Wednesday, Delmar will receive $29,700 to remove and replace the existing little league concession stand with a new 600-square-foot concession stand and press box at Gordy Park. Fruitland will receive $13,500 to construct a building at the Fruitland Recreation Complex for a park meeting facility, training area and storage. . . Lankford HotelFeatured On TVMonday FROM PAGE 4 producers promise the episode will reveal significant changes. Naturally, the show’s producers revealed little about the episode in advance of its airing, but given the recent history of Hotel Impossible, significant differences will likely be unveiled. The three-and-a-half story Lankford, with its familiar Tuscan-inspired column facade, is a Boardwalk landmark at 8th Street. The hotel was built and operated by Ocean City pioneer Mary Quillen, who named it in honor of her aunt, Amelia Coffin Lankford, from whose inheritance she funded the project. It has remained in the family ever since with current owner Sally Rutka and her family now operating the hotel. At the time of the episode’s taping in June, Rutka said she reached out to Hotel Impossible on the advice of her children. “We’re not a modern hotel,” she said. “This is about getting an outside person’s thoughts on what we can be doing better. We’re kind of stuck in the traditions of how this is run. The girls have made updates and upgrades, but we’re a little stuck in our ways and it doesn’t hurt to bring in somebody from the out- Hotel Impossible host Anthony Melchiorri is pictured with crews working on the Boardwalk hotel during the summer project. Photo by Travel Channel side to look at it from a different perspective. We can say, ‘well, our father did it that way and his father did it that way before him,’ but it doesn’t work that way in the modern world.”