Greg Ellison/Bayside Gazette
Last week the OPA Communications Committee concluded there was no conclusion thus far about converting to digital messaging signs as work to clear regulatory hurdles and obtain sufficient price quotes continues.

By Greg Ellison

Staff Writer

(Jan. 23, 2020) In addition to discussing the status of replacing community marquees with digital message boards, the OPA Communications Committee last week reviewed efforts to develop orientation protocols for advisory board members and reimagining the new residents academy.

Committee Chairwoman Jenny Cropper Rines reported discussions are continuing with Worcester County officials regarding a changeover to electronic message signs.

“We’re not in an immediate rush, because we don’t know if we’re going to be allowed to do it,” she said.

The committee began thinking about the switch in September, as it weighed the possibility of eliminating more than a dozen of the manually updated signs with a fewer number of electronic ones. One obstacle that has yet to be resolved, however,  is whether the county zoning code, which restricts sign placement and content, will allow it.

Rines and committee board liaison Dr. Colette Horn met with county officials after going before the board of directors October and being advised that a code amendment could be the answer.

“Colette and I went down and talked to [Worcester County Director of Development Review and Permitting] Ed Tudor,” she said. “He was happy to work with us on the language but it’s going to be a process.”

County officials said the only option would be to pursue a code amendment specific to Ocean Pines.

“It needs to be well thought out,” she said. “They have concerns with this new federal content-neutrality situation.”

In its June 2015 Reed v. Town of Gilbert ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court said the sign code enacted in Gilbert, Arizona violated the First Amendment freedom of a local church by placing more restrictions on its messages than it did on political and other ideological signs.

“It basically renders them [so] they can’t monitor anything that’s on electronics,” she said. “They don’t have any objection to helping us but there’s no guarantee and it could take from three months to a year.”

OPA IT manager Steve Grabowski said the legal hurdles should not be a factor.

“It’s not commercial,” he said. “We’re not advertising something; we are providing information to the community.”

Rines said while OPA staff is working on the county zoning paperwork, the committee has yet to establish more precisely what the project would cost.

After meeting with an area sign vendor months ago and using a rough example of what kind of sign might be appropriate, Rines said the committee received a ballpark figure of between $30,000-$40,000.

Grabowski said besides determining the sign dimensions, the committee also needs to consider how much information it wants to display and at what intervals to get a solid price.

“It might help the vendors if we gave them more information about our requirements,” he said.

On other fronts, Horn also said a task force formed to address new committee orientation procedures is scheduled to meet on Jan. 29.

“There were three board members, in addition to myself, who wanted to be part of that,” she said. “People have a lot of opinions … but everyone’s in favor of it.”

The communications committee had recommended creating a work group to develop content for the annual orientation of new chairs and board liaisons.

Horn also reported on committee efforts to create an online “virtual resident’s academy” that would build on a concept introduced a few years ago by former General Manager Bob Thompson.

Horn said after broaching the subject with fellow board members, there was a sentiment to retain face-to-face interactions with OPA staff for new community members.

At this juncture the matter is being handed back to the committee to take the lead, Horn said.