Page 22 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch September 27, 2013 Council Agrees To Pull Back Berlin Park Ordinance By TRAVIS BROWN STAFF WRITER BERLIN – A new ordinance for park rules and regulations in Berlin is headed back to the drawing board for some tweaks after a lively discussion, including one elected official reminding staff members their job is to carry out policy dictated by the council. During the public hearing on a new ordinance, which creates new guidelines for the town’s parks, local personal trainer Pamela Green asked whether she would be able to continue to conduct group exercise programs in Stephen Decatur Park. Green does not hold all of her sessions in the park but told the council that the people she trains specifically enjoy working out there. “I think that’s what is so great about our park is that we’re promoting fitness,” said Green. “We have these wonderful fitness stations and we’d just like to be able to use them.” Working out with usually less than a half-dozen people, Green said she causes a minor impact on the park and does her best to stay out of the way of other patrons. “If I see someone walking over to the tennis courts, I move as far away as I can, I move over to the grass, I go over to the wooded ar- Welcome to Ocean City e Welcom Golfers! Breakfa s Sandwic t hes All Day! 9403 Coastal Hwy., Ocean City, MD • 410-524-4400 CONVENIENT DRIVE-THRU OPEN 6 a.m. Open late Friday & Saturday till 11 p.m. Featuring Espresso Based Beverages - Hot and Iced. Café Mocha, Caramelatte. Caffe Latte. Cappuccino. Blended Beverages Frappalatte. Fruit smoothies. Specialty Teas. Cocoa Signature Sandwiches. Bakery Items. Visit our other store in Berlin 10231 Old Ocean City Blvd., Ste 103 410-629-1235 ea,” she said. “I do everything I can to not cause problems because obviously we love it there.” Green has been working out with clients at Decatur Park for several years and had received permission from former Planning and Zoning Director Chuck Ward to do so as long as she was not advertising it and posting signs. She even inquired about the need for a business license and was told it was unnecessary. But with the town looking to implement a new ordinance that would restrict use of the parks for business-related activity without the “express written permission of the Mayor and Council,” Green decided to make an official request Monday. The council initially seemed to only want Green to make her request in writing. But Councilman Dean Burrell revealed that he was opposed to Green using the parks to train others. As a personal trainer with paying clients, he didn’t feel that Green should be allowed to conduct any of her sessions at Decatur Park. “I’m on record as being opposed to for-profit making individuals utilizing public facilities for their personal gain,” said Burrell. “I’m going to have a problem with this and when you bring that request here you can expect me to vote no. I don’t think that it’s right.” The rest of the council was less hardline. There is a big difference between a business selling goods or services in the middle of the park and a trainer helping people exercise, said Mayor Gee Williams. The parks are there for people to be active, he added. “The parks, of course, we want to be very safe and also conducive to activity, the more the merrier,” Williams said. Perhaps more important than personal opinion on business in a public space is the question of enforcement of any rule forbidding a trainer to hold sessions in a park, according to Dave Engelhart, planning director for Berlin. “This is an extremely hard thing for enforcement … I have a feeling, people would think, ‘here’s that stalker again,’ ” he said. Attempting to keep trainers out of the parks would basically fall back to the honor system, Engelhart continued, with officials stuck asking people who are exercising together if money is changing hands or if it’s just a group workout. “I don’t believe there’s any provision in the zoning ordinance to prohibit that activity. Parks are for the public use. People pay taxes and reside in the town,” he said. “As far as the license as a vendor, I could see that if someone wanted to sell ice cream sandwiches or balloons in the park while the kids were there.” Resident Laura Powell, who trains with Green, took much the same line. SEE NEXT PAGE Family-Friendly Authentic Italian Cuisine For Over 25 Years! EARLY BIRD SPECIAL UNTIL 5:30 P.M. Great Selection Of Premium Wines Starting At $20 A Bottle! 3-Course Fall Prix Fixe Menu Dinner Includes A Selection From Each Category As Well As Our House Antipasta, Warm Italian Bread And A Non-Alcoholic Drink $20 DaVinci’s House Italian Salad ENTREES GAMBERI MARINARA CRAB ALFREDO Pappardelle topped with lump crab and our homemade alfredo Coastal Drug Institutional Pharmacy 10231 Old Ocean City Blvd. Berlin, MD • 410-629-0089 (On The Campus of Atlantic General Hospital) Jumbo gulf shrimp sauteed with mushrooms, olive oil and garlic, then simmered in marinara, served over a bed of linguini EGGPLANT PARMIGIANA Our fresh eggplant breaded and topped with marinara and mozzarella, served with a side of spaghetti VEAL PARMIGIANA Annual Flu Clinic Available Every Day 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the pharmacy Free to seniors with standard Medicare. We bill all insurances. Cash price is $29.99. Our Remote Clinics: A classic dish and DaVinci's is the best! CHICKEN PARMIGIANA Like our veal parmigiana, this is a classic! CHICKEN MARSALA Boneless chicken breast and fresh mushrooms sauteeed in garlic and imported Marsala wine FLORENTINE & BLEU CHEESE RAVIOLI Jumbo ravioli filled with a mixture of garlic, spinach and ricotta with a hint of bleu cheese DESSERTS Cannoli • Cheesecake The Woodlands in Ocean Pines - Sept. 25 • 10-2 p.m. Berlin Senior Center - Oct. 2 • 10-2 p.m. 10129 Old Ocean City Blvd. GOLFER SPECIAL: 10% DISCOUNT ON ENTIRE BILL WITH TODAY’S SCORE CARD DINNER 4 P.M.-10 P.M. DAILY • FULL MENU AT WWW.DAVINCISOCMD.COM 410-289-2974 • 15TH STREET AND BOARDWALK