Next week at Pocomoke City Hall-

 

DOWNTOWN POCOMOKE TRAFFIC & CONSTRUCTION UPDATE

 City of Pocomoke City

There are several upcoming State Highway Administration projects planned for Downtown Pocomoke City. Here’s what residents, businesses, and visitors need to know.

DOWNTOWN DRAWBRIDGE CLOSURE – BEGINNING SEPTEMBER 8

The US 13 Business drawbridge over the Pocomoke River is expected to close to vehicle traffic beginning September 8 for approximately 60 days while the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration completes cleaning and painting of the bridge.

The project is expected to be completed around November 8, weather permitting.

During the closure, motorists will be detoured using MD 364 (Market Street), US 13 (Ocean Highway), MD 250A (Old Virginia Road), and US 13 Business (Market Street). Detour signage will be posted to assist motorists.

The drawbridge will remain open during the project, allowing marine traffic to continue along the Pocomoke River.

ADA COMPLIANCE SIDEWALK UPGRADES

SHA is also planning pedestrian accessibility improvements along US 13 Business between the Pocomoke River and Front Street.

The project will reconstruct existing sidewalk ramps and construct new ramps at several locations near Vine Street and Front Street. These improvements will bring pedestrian access along this section of US 13 Business into compliance with State and Federal accessibility requirements.

Residents, businesses, and visitors should anticipate temporary changes to traffic patterns and pedestrian access as these projects move forward.

Downtown Pocomoke City businesses will remain accessible throughout these improvements. We encourage everyone to continue visiting, shopping, dining, and supporting our downtown businesses during construction.

Thank you for your patience as these important infrastructure and accessibility improvements are completed.

Neighborhood Outreach Initiative-

Due to incoming weather the Thursday, August 20 Ask Us Anything Neighborhood Walk was cancelled.

With the school year getting into full swing over the next week and a half, we will be taking a break from our Ask Us Anything neighborhood walks until spring.

We want to sincerely thank everyone who has taken the time to talk with us during our walks. We have appreciated the conversations, questions, ideas, and feedback you've shared with us. These conversations are exactly why we started this initiative.

Even though the walks are taking a break, we still want to hear from you!

Have a question? An idea? Something you'd like to see changed in Pocomoke City?

Stop by the City's Community Outreach Table at 4th Friday, or reach out to Amanda Russell at arussell@pocomokemd.gov.

Thank you for welcoming us into your neighborhoods and taking the time to talk with us. We truly appreciate all of you and look forward to continuing to work together to build a better Pocomoke City.

We'll see you in the spring!

Mayor Nock's public safety meeting-

..... I convened a regional conversation (Friday, Aug. 7) focused on youth violence, public safety, prevention, accountability, and the future of our young people. This meeting came directly from the open letter I sent following the recent shooting of a 15-year-old in our community, and I was encouraged by the response. Every elected official addressed in my letter either personally participated or sent representation from their office, with the exception of Delegate Kevin Anderson.

(View Mayor Nock's full statement about the meeting)

https://www.facebook.com/CMToddJNock/

Mayor Nock's letter to officials-

 

8/3/26 (Mayor Nock's Facebook page)

Governor Wes Moore, Senator Alsobrooks, Rep. Andy Harris, M.D., Senator Mary Beth Carozza and Delegate Kevin Anderson,

I never thought I’d write a letter such as this.

Twenty years ago, there was a kid that walked to church by himself along what we called the back burner. This kid played endless hours of basketball in the yard on the corner of 4th and Laurel Street with his cousins and neighbors. He went to Mitchells market to buy a sandwich and drink. All of these locations would be known as "the hood" to most people. That kid was me.

The incredible thing is that I wasn’t scared. Neither my cousins nor my parents were ever fearful. We were able to roam freely due to the safety of our community. Growing up, we believed that as long as we worked hard, treated others respectfully and remained focused, we could become anything. Pocomoke City truly felt like the safest little city in the world.

Now today, that same little boy now serves as mayor of the city he grew up in and barely recognizes it. Today, our children are getting shot in plain sight by other children. Now, parents are reluctant to allow their children to go out and play. Citizens do not feel the peacefulness that previously characterized our community. Trauma is slowly becoming an accepted part of life and that should frighten each of you.

Perhaps the saddest aspect is that so many times the young people committing these crimes are arrested and then released back onto our streets in short order to resume their terrorizing of neighborhoods still trying to recover. Local governments and law enforcement agencies are unable to provide reassurance to traumatized citizens while having neither the authority nor resources available to implement meaningful changes.

I’m writing because we need your help. In my role as Mayor, we’ve invested in sidewalks, roads, neighborhood beautification projects, community events and establishing a local government that represents and serves all members of our community. In addition, we have enhanced our partnership relationships with our churches, schools, police department, and various community based organizations. At present, we are searching for every way possible to improve Pocomoke as a place to live.

However, I have come to a difficult conclusion. Regardless of how many roads we pave, How many sidewalks we repair, How many festivals we host, How many times we celebrate diversity within leadership, None of those things individually will keep a teenager from picking up a gun. Our largest infrastructure gap is no longer made of concrete.

It's hope.

For years, we have begged for assistance in building a community center that will provide our young people with a safe location to receive education, learn recreational activities, participate in mentorship programs, gain job training skills and simply just be kids. However, small rural towns similar to Pocomoke face competition for limited grant funds from much larger cities with large departments of professionals whose sole responsibility is grant writing. We cannot possibly compete fairly.

My staff does the work of four people working on a cup of coffee and prayers. We’re committed; however, being committed isn't going to compensate for lack of capacity. Rural municipalities throughout Maryland’s Eastern Shore require technical support, specific funding sources and fair access to both state and federal resources.

The Eastern Shore is often overlooked in discussions related to violence prevention; yet, the reality is that many rural communities are facing similar problems as larger metropolitan areas. Therefore, we need investments that take into account the distinct needs of rural communities rather than programs developed specifically for larger urban areas with dramatically greater populations and infrastructure.

This is not simply about law enforcement.

It is about prevention.

Prevention through mental health.

Prevention through mentorship.

Prevention through recreation.

Prevention through workforce development.

Prevention through providing children with a belief in their future that they will want to protect.

Yes, it is also about assuring that our justice system provides our communities with real options to intervene in meaningful ways when repeat violent offenders pose serious threats to public safety. Our residents deserve assurance that the safety of law-abiding families continues to be the top priority while providing young people with legitimate opportunities for rehabilitation before they enter into a cycle of violence.

I did not write this letter to assign blame. I wrote this letter because I refuse to accept that what is occurring in Pocomoke City has to become the norm for generations moving forward.

On Friday at 10:00 AM, I am holding a Microsoft Teams meeting regarding strategies (both immediately and long term) to combat youth gun violence and methods by which local, state and federal officials can collaborate to alter the course of Pocomoke City. It would be a privilege if you or a representative from your office would join us during this time.

I have never written a letter such as this before.

Perhaps that is precisely why I needed to. Because what we have been doing up until now is no longer sufficient. I don’t want the next generation to hear stories about the Pocomoke I grew up in. I want them to grow up here.

Please let me know if you’re able to attend, my staff will get you the link. 

Regards,

Todd

(UPDATE) Monday's Pocomoke work session was cancelled-

 

Cancellation

 Cancelled..Cancelled..Cancelled

Today in Pocomoke City history-

 

(Undated photo)

It was a super-store of its day.  The new J.J. Newberry opened in Pocomoke City on July 21, 1955, moving from its former location on the west side of Market Street to the new store at the northeast corner of Market and Second Streets.

Was Don Woodward the only manager they had? Inquiring people want to know.

Your friend,
Slim

tk for ppe says: 

Slim-

While this doesn't fully answer your question, AI had this to say:

Carl Woodward was a well-known manager of the J.J. Newberry store in Pocomoke City, Maryland. He stepped into leadership right around the mid-1950s transition period when the business opened its major, brand-new location on the corner of Market and Second streets on July 21, 1955. 

Historically, the store's leadership in the decades surrounding that era included:

• William Weller managed the original, older location on the west side of Market Street up through 1954.
• Carl Woodward then took over management duties, overseeing operations during the peak "five-and-dime" era of the late 1950s and into the 1960s

Meeting cancelled-

 

NOTICE is hereby given by the Mayor and City Council of Pocomoke City, that a meeting of the Planning & Zoning Commission has been cancelled for:

THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2026 at 6:30 PM

(AI says the cancellation is due to lack of pending agenda items or applications required for the board's review.)

Large response to potential training partnership-

Pocomoke City is exploring a potential partnership with Wor-Wic Community to bring Commercial Driver's License (CDL) training closer to home.

a new career put you on the road to earning $50,000+ a year?

City of Pocomoke City

The response has been incredible—thank you!

We're amazed by the amount of interest and support we've already received for the possibility of bringing CDL training closer to home through a partnership with Wor-Wic Community College.

If you've been thinking about a career in commercial driving but haven't reached out yet, there's still time! We're continuing to gauge community interest as we explore this exciting opportunity.

Reaching out does not commit you to enrolling in a future program. It simply lets us know you're interested and helps demonstrate the demand for local CDL training.

To learn more or add your name to our interest list, contact Amanda Russell:

Phone: 410-957-1333 ext. 102

Email: arussell@pocomokemd.gov

Know someone who might be interested? Please share this post and help us continue building new career opportunities close to home.

Could a new career put you on the road to earning $50,000+ a year?

Pocomoke Neighborhood Outreach Initiative rescheduled-

 

POSTPONED: Neighborhood Outreach Initiative Rescheduled to July 16

Due to weather concerns, Pocomoke City's Neighborhood Outreach Initiative scheduled for Thursday, July 9, was postponed.

The event has been rescheduled for Thursday, July 16, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM.

We still look forward to meeting with residents in the neighborhoods surrounding:

8th St.

Oxford St.

Bank St.

6th St.

Gray St.

4th St.

3rd St.

2nd St.

Vine St.

Clarke Ave.

Front St.

Linden Ave.

Our goal is to step out of City Hall and into our neighborhoods to hear directly from you. Whether you have questions, concerns, ideas, or simply want to learn more about what's happening in Pocomoke City, we hope you'll stop by and chat with us on July 16.