The Ocean Pines Board of Directors discussed the following during its May 25 meeting:

Purchase requests

The association unanimously approved two purchase requests. One was for culvert pipes for the Bainbridge project — priced at $13,676.00 for Beaconhill Road pipes, $12,236.00 for Pinehurst Road pipes, and $12,236.00 for Sandyhook Road pipes by Deppe Brothers Excavation. The other was for the replacement of mailbox cluster units and pedestals for $60,987 from Salisbury industries.

Tree removal 

The board unanimously passed new procedure and penalty guidelines for homeowners who eschew Ocean Pines Association rules for removing trees from their property. The OPA has long been dealing with residents who hire contractors on their own and have trees removed with no input or consent from the association. These violations often get tied up in the association and can even progress to Worcester County courts.

From now on, permits for tree removals will include a notarized signature from the property owner, a move that the association hopes will do more to include the property owner in the process directly and thus educate them on the steps that must be taken.

Open violations

The board unanimously passed the declaration of the existence of multiple open violations that in turn suspend the voting rights and use of amenities for the violators, as long as the cases remain open. Six of these open cases have gone to litigation, OPA Secretary Rick Farr said.

“This (motion) will shorten the timeline, save (the association) money and provide a better forum for property owners to work out their problems as opposed to the Worcester County court system,” Farr said.

Geese control

Environment and Natural Assets Committee Chair Sharon Santacroce gave a presentation to the board about the committee’s plans for addressing the health of area ponds due to overabundant Canada geese populations.

The plan largely deals with plant and tree buffers, which help deter geese because of the risk of lying-in-wait predators, Santacroce said.

Santacroce said that the committee’s research could lead to a “50 to 70 percent” deterrence of Canada geese.

This story appears in the print version of Bayside Gazette on May 26, 2022.