Ocean Pines is working in partnership with Maryland Coastal Bays Program to restore Jenkin’s Point to provide protection for the Ocean Pines community and the OP Yacht Club and Pine’s Point Marina. The restoration effort will also provide habitat for native wildlife. Courtesy Google Earth

By Bethany Hooper, Contributing Writer

(Jan. 25, 2024) The Maryland Coastal Bays Program, or MCBP, will host a meeting on the Jenkins Point restoration project on Monday, as community members will be updated on the project and asked their opinion of a revised design.

The 6 p.m. meeting will take place in the Ocean Pines Clubhouse, Association President Rick Farr said during last Saturday’s board meeting. “There will be more news on that on social media, so take a peek at that for those details.”

In 2020, MCBP applied for funding from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to reestablish the eroding Jenkins Point Peninsula, in the Isle of Wight Bay just offshore of the Ocean Pines Yacht Club. As part of that effort, the agency also approached the association with plans to pursue grant funding for the project.

While MCBP was not successful in its quest for a grant, officials were encouraged to reapply. And later that year, the Ocean Pines Board of Directors voted to provide a $10,000 cost share as part of the reapplication process.

In 2022, Maryland DNR announced MCBP was awarded funds for the project. In a meeting last May, coastal bays Executive Director Kevin Smith said $62,000 would be used to proceed with the design and permitting phase.

“If everything were to fall together perfectly, we could potentially be under construction for a project like this in December of 2024,” he said at the time.

Once an unbroken peninsula, Jenkins Point is now a fragmented strip that includes two small islands near Ocean Pines and other waterfront communities near the Route 90 bridge.

Officials say once it is restored to its original state, Jenkins Point has the potential to protect residential properties and community infrastructure in those areas filled with residential development and recreational amenities, including the Yacht Club, the Osprey Point condominium community and the Pines Point community.

A link to attend the meeting virtually can be found on the association’s website. The meeting will also be recorded and available for viewing at a later date.