Legacy cards bought prior to May 2019 would have extra time to use balances

By Greg Ellison

(Feb. 6, 2020) Included among a host of proposed changes for Ocean Pines’ new fiscal year is a one-year extension of the Beach Club parking and pool coupons set to expire this April. The change is intended to streamline parking passes and pool coupon processes.

Ocean Pines Association President Doug Parks said the proposal would apply to legacy coupons or cards obtained prior to last May.

“The ones that were purchased prior to May 1, 2019 that had balances on them, we felt that it was important to have them not expire this year,” he said. “We thought that April 30, 2020 was just too soon.”

If the terms under consideration are approved during the budget process, residents with remaining balances on legacy cards obtained prior to May 2019 would need to contact the OPA Administration Membership Department to take advantage of the bonus year.

Unreturned cards would expire on April 30, 2020 and the offer would not apply to cards purchased since last May.

“The cards that were purchased from May 1, 2019 going forward … it was made very clear to people that were buying them these cards expired on April 30, 2020,” he said. “If you purchase one right now, it’s going to expire April 30, 2020.”

Based on a board request to differentiate parking and pool passes at the beach club, a work group was formed by OPA leadership comprised of Senior Executive Secretary Michelle Bennett, Aquatics Manager Kathleen Cook, Membership Supervisor Ruth Ann Myer, Director of Amenities and Operational Logistics Colby Phillips and Director of Finance and Operational Logistics Steve Phillips.

Among the workgroup’s recommendations are increasing the price of beach club parking-only passes from $165 to $180, while beach club parking passes purchased with wider memberships would increase from $115 to $125.

The workgroup also recommended discontinuing selling beach club parking passes with pool coupons, along with abandoning Realtor bundles.

If adopted, the workgroup plans would permit beach club pool access through traditional pool memberships, cash entry or via coupons loaded onto membership cards.

While the recommendations are still under discussion, Parks espoused the merits of providing residents an extra year to burn off previous legacy card balances.

“People weren’t instructed there would be an expiration date and it wasn’t fair to the membership for that approach,” he said. “We figured another year would give everybody enough time to use up the passes.”