By Greg Ellison

(Oct. 21, 2021) Ocean Pines General Manager John Viola provided updates on a number of ongoing initiatives during the Board of Directors meeting on Saturday.

Pickleball court

Viola said county and state approvals are still coming for a proposed pickleball court addition at the Ocean Pines Racquet Center on Manklin Creek Rd.

“I have received a lot of questions on this,” he said.

Issues currently stymying permitting include the potential requirement of 68 square feet of mitigation, either onsite at the tennis center or at an alternative location. Also, potentially altering bioswale — landscape depressions intended to reduce pollutants from storm water runoff in lieu of piping — which may eliminate impacts to non-tidal wetlands.

“I’m being told that we are close,” he said. “I hope to come forward at the next board meeting with the proposed pickleball court that was approved in the budget.”

DMA study

Viola said progress continues on updating a reserve study, which was revised in 2018 following its creation in 2015 by Richmond-based Design Management Associates.

In 2015, the OPA board paid Design Management $31,800 to ascertain the level of reserves it should maintain based on assets.

“It’s a very valuable tool,” he said. “I had it as a key objective.”

Viola described the latest reserve study as “DMA Lite,” with costs of roughly $16,000, or about half of the initial investment in 2015.

Viola said association office manager Linda Martin was assigned lead on the project.

“She’s very coachable and I’m happy to have her on the team,” he said.

Martin has partnered on the reserve study update with Viola, Director of Finance and Operational Logistics Steve Phillips, Accounting Manager Julia Johnson and the Budget and Finance Committee.

Martin said since receiving the first draft of the reserve study in July from DMA, department heads performed document review, with amendments submitted in August.

After the final draft of the reserve study was received last month, copies were distributed to the Budget and Finance Committee.

After reviewing the reserve study, committee members will submit questions prior to a work session on Nov. 10 with DMA officials.

Viola said the reserve study would be presented to the board during its November meeting.

Golf course bulkheads

Viola said work to replace 500-plus feet of bulkhead by the bridge on the third green at the Ocean Pines Golf Course, which commenced on Aug. 16, wrapped up on Oct. 8.

“Those … are pretty much general bulkheads but just happen to be by the golf course,” he said.

Viola said the board approved the emergency expenditure from bulkhead reserves, which totaled roughly $200,000, during its July 21 meeting.

On other bulkhead fronts, Martin said replacement work should be completed within a week at Goldeneye Court, with upcoming repairs slated for Pintail Park and the adjacent Crab Cay Court.

Clubhouse interior doors

To address concerns about noise and distractions at the meeting/banquet room at the Ocean Pines Golf Clubhouse, Viola said new glass doors would be installed.

“They’re similar to the doors at the front,” he said.

Total material costs are roughly $7,900, with public works lined up to do framing and installation.

Viola said the double doors would reduce noise when the room is in use and would not interfere with bathroom access for patrons at the Clubhouse Bar and Grille or the Golf Pro Shop.

“The feedback was that it was open in there,” he said.