The Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors voted to reinstate the single sports fee membership structure for racquet activities after previously approving to only offer a combo three-sport package for Fiscal Year 2025.
Tina Vincent expresses her concerns with a proposed elimination of the single-racquet sport fee structure in favor of a three-sport combo package at the Feb. 29 special board meeting in Ocean Pines.
Tara Fischer/ Bayside Gazette
Combo package still available
By Tara Fischer, Staff Writer
The Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors voted to reinstate the single sports fee membership structure for racquet activities after previously approving to only offer a combo three-sport package for Fiscal Year 2025.
The OPA board hosted a special meeting on Feb. 29 to address concerns that homeowners could only buy a tennis, platform tennis and pickleball combination package rather than individual memberships. The governing body agreed to keep the three-sport choice and reestablish one-sport options. They also voted to increase the yearly and daily rates by 10% for each sport and 5% for the combo selection.
Vice President Stuart Lakernick discussed the thought process to initially include only one yearly option, arguing that many individuals are taking advantage of the center.
“I thought during the budget process that a one racquet membership made the most sense,” he said. “We are supposed to, by our governing documents, run these amenities like a business, and we are not capturing fees the way we are supposed to. We have folks paying for pickleball, then walking over and playing tennis. We also have people jumping the fence and playing for free.”
Public comments were welcomed at the assembly, and Ocean Pines homeowner Tina Vincent expressed her grievances with the original budget. She explained that her family has a pickleball membership, as do a few of her friends, and they feel uncomfortable paying for sports they do not participate in.
“We do not want to pay a membership fee for sports we do not play,” she said. “Our family pickleball membership fee would increase from $295 to $475, and so we ask that you reinstate the single-sport membership fee structure as is currently in place.”
Ocean Pines resident and tennis instructor Darryl Noble echoed Vincent’s sentiments. He said he and his wife moved to the community because of the racquet center and the ability to get three sports — tennis, pickleball and platform tennis — in one location. Noble approved including the three-sport membership to the individual options but believes racquet players should have several choices.
The approved fees were also discussed at the meeting, and Vincent urged board members to reconsider the 10% increase for racquet sports. She believes the rate rise presents an equity issue, as it is higher than the approved upsurge for other activities. Swim memberships, for instance, were raised 3.3%, from $300 to $310 for the year.
Noble articulated his confusion with the 10% increase as well. “It was fair to increase all three sports the same,” the tennis instructor said. “That was one of the biggest objections when it came out you were only increasing pickleball, and the other sports were not being increased at all. So now you’re increasing them all equally. But I am not sure where the 10% came from. I did a little research, and according to the Consumer Price Index, published by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the inflation rate in 2023 was 3.4%, which is a lot different than ten.”
Despite the dismay of meeting attendees, the board maintained the 10% rate increase. At a Feb. 7 budget town hall meeting, John Viola, OPA general manager, explained that the raised fee is in accordance with court upkeep, such as filling in cracks and annual care assessments. However, the group voted to increase the multi-sport combo by only 5%.
“It’s great to throw out percentages, but you also have to look at the actual dollar increase,” Board Director Elaine Brady said. “I do feel like some folks have gotten hung up on percentages. We are looking at it by the actual dollar amount.”
“The 10% sounds like a lot of money until you see it’s 20 bucks,” Lakernick agreed.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the board voted 6-1 in favor of a revised racquet sports fee structure that includes a 10% increase for all pickleball, tennis and platform tennis yearly memberships, as well as the daily rates and a 5% increase for the multi-sport option.
The pickleball family membership will increase from $295 to $325, and the pickleball individual choice will rise from $180 to $200. The tennis family option will go from $420 to $465, and the tennis individual will surge from $265 to $295. The platform tennis family will be raised to $325 from $295, and the platform tennis individual is going from $180 to $200.
The three-sport family option will increase from $655 to $690, and the three-sport individual package will be raised from $420 to $440. The entire racquet sports center fee structure can be found on the Ocean Pines Association website under the Latest News subheading.