Sparks fly at Wicomico council meeting over Delmar Jeep event

Residents of the Delmar area may see a Jeep event on the calendar following a Memorandum of Understanding from the Office of the County Executive presented recently to the Wicomico County Council.

The bevy of concerns about the off-roading event by the council ranged from the overall setup and teardown of the production, security and traffic, and how the memorandum was even introduced.

What is Safari at the Quarry?

The discussions with Brad Hoffman of Live Wire Media, LLC during the Tuesday, Dec. 5, regular legislative meeting were regarding Safari at the Quarry, a new Jeep event tentatively scheduled for May 4-5. Hoffman has spent an estimated 35 years producing events up and down the East Coast including in Maryland.

"I'm a good neighbor and I treat any facilities and venues like it's my house with respect and value my relationship with the community," Hoffman said during the meeting. "We're expecting 100 to 150 jeeps and that's about 400 people. It will be a multiple-day event, and these will be street-legal (vehicles). These will not be modified like what you would see in mud hop or drag strip."

The event, which is set for a property that abuts the neighborhood of Shadow Hills near Delmar, would allow drivers to maneuver over off-roading terrain in the quarry area, simulating a safari-style setting. The event was recently announced on its Facebook page.

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According to Hoffman, the decibel level would not exceed 35, with the vehicles not surpassing 15 miles per hour. On average, a whisper is 20 decibels, the noise level in a suburban residential neighborhood is 50 decibels, a heavy truck is 90 decibels, and a commercial plane taking off is 120 decibels. Beyond 130 decibels, there is potential damage to hearing.

"The noise during the week while crews are working back there (prior to the event) will be higher of course," Hoffman said. "If there was any food allowed back there, it would be through the county's approved food trucks if at all. I bring in security that would work the event all weekend long. We also bring venue managers and people to work the street to deal with traffic backups."

Hoffman confirmed they would also work with the county sheriff's department to assist at the event.

Sheriff's office will be involved in event safety

According to County Executive Julie Giordano, area law enforcement has already been notified of production.

"The sheriff has already been made aware of the event and said only to be notified to have staff out there," Giordano said. "We wanted to get more familiar with the numbers concerning who's registered and that would determine how many deputies would be needed. Depending on who would be on that shift, if it's an overnight event, that is already in the sheriff's budget."

While deputies would be compensated by the department, the department is also reimbursed by special events producers for the additional cost of providing such security. Hoffman agreed to such terms and said he is well familiar with that aspect of planning.

Hoffman also told council members the county would not incur any costs for setting up or bringing down structures following the conclusion of the event.

"When this first came up, some community members were concerned people were still getting onto the location," said Bunky Luffman, County Director of Administration. "So we have asked our people to secure the location to avoid vandalism on some of the equipment that's out there. One of the good things about the community feedback is that we've stepped up our efforts to secure the site. That's not just for this event, since we've had vandalism there."

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Vendors expected to attend are offroad outfitters for Jeeps, and events typically run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with no afterhours events to follow. There is also no alcohol on site during the event as well. Hoffman cited, through google mapping, the nearest home to the event location is almost a length of a football field away.

Giordano confirmed to the county council the target dates of May 4-5, saying many local businesses are looking forward to influx of potential business.

Council members raise questions about noise, safety

"My only concern is the noise level and I think there should be a test event, and I'm 75% against it. I'm looking at the traffic and taxpayers we also need to support. The (public) wasn't notified or educated on what you wanted to do, and I think there needs to be a meeting with them to get their blessing from the people that live there," said District 1 Councilmember Shanie Shields.

District 2 Councilmember Jeff Merritt questioned how safe the location can be when not in use.

"I've been back there, and I've seen evidence (it's not secure). There's trash and beer bottles, and old campfire remains," said Merritt. "So someone is going back there. So how do we prevent that?"

Councilmember Holloway questions county's role in manpower

Finally, District 5 Councilmember Joe Holloway, who represents where the event is slated to take place, noted the memorandum originated with the Office of the County Executive. He argued the time allowed of 364 days to plan, approve, and hold the event is a specific number that would legally preclude it from even coming before the council at all.

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While Giordano defended her decision to place that number of days on the memorandum as within her power under the charter, she assured the council the event would be a success and added she would aspire to sign a multi-year deal with Hoffman to continue the event.

"When it was signed under a year, the neighboring community didn't have an opportunity to know about it," said Holloway. "The only way they found out about it was on Facebook. That's why Mr. Hoffman is here, because of the way it was done. The MOU states the event won't 'interfere with county operations,' but that's contradicted later in the (document) when it says the county will provide equipment and manpower for the setup."

Holloway concluded by saying the MOU was unclear as to the extent that the county was going to provide either money or manpower and whether the event would only remain Jeep vehicles given past statements by Hoffman. County Council President John Cannon characterized the way the memorandum was drafted as an end around the oversight process.

This article originally appeared on Salisbury Daily Times: Jeep event set for Delmar area in May. What to know