Members of the Ocean Pines Clubs Committee this week had a brief meeting with representatives from the Matt Ortt Companies, recently inked to run the association yacht and beach clubs. A town hall meeting with Matt Ortt is scheduled for April 19.

By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(April 12, 2018) Details are few on exactly how the Matt Ortt Companies plan to turn around the Ocean Pines yacht and beach clubs after historically poor performances last year, but the restaurant consulting group, which recently signed a two-year deal to manage the facilities, will apparently take part in an upcoming town hall meeting on April 19.

The meeting, hosted by the Ocean Pines Board of Directors and described as “a communitywide town hall meeting for the Membership of the Association,” is scheduled for 7 p.m. in the Assateague Room of the community center on 235 Ocean Parkway.

Ahead of that public meeting, members of the Ocean Pines Clubs Committee met with some representatives from Matt Ortt Companies on Monday.

“The clubs committee is very excited and enthusiastic about what we heard and what’s happening,” Gary Miller, committee member, said. “We’re encouraging people to go to the town hall meeting … because they’re going to tell the rest of Ocean Pines a lot of what they told us.

“They’re really doing a nice job and the changes they’re making, I think everybody is going to be enthusiastic about,” he added.

Miller said the tone of many previous clubs committee meetings was “discouraged and frustrated” by operations at Ocean Pines food and beverage facilities.

“That’s not the case right now,” he said. “If they’re able to do everything they’re planning, I think this is going to be a real big success.”

During the meeting, Miller said committee members stressed their capacity was strictly as an advisory committee.

“We want to help with suggestions and when we hear comments we might bring them to their attention, but I made a point of letting [Matt Ortt] know that the clubs committee in no way can demand or request any particular changes,” he said. “All we’re going to be able to do is keep them informed of what’s going on and hopefully take whatever they’re saying to us out to the public and encourage them to come back.

“It sounds like [the committee and operator relationship] will be like it was before Brett [Hill] came to play,” Miller added. “I have to say that both Matt and his partner were very outgoing and … they were very encouraging to us and looking forward to us being able to help bring people back.”

The management contract included mention of customer satisfaction surveys with results provided to the board once per month. The clubs committee had been working on such a survey before management was outsourced, but Miller said those details were not discussed during the meeting on Monday.

“The clubs committee hopes that we’ll be able to be a part of that process,” he said.

Reached for an interview request last Friday, Matt Ortt responded in an email, “We are having a town hall Thursday April 19th for the Ocean Pines owners. We would prefer all interviews with media take place after that event.”