By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

This summer, Ocean Pines’ Swim and Racquet Pool will be open a few more hours a week than in years past.

Beginning May 24, the Swim and Racquet Pool will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday. In a deviation from previous years, the hours are extended until 8 p.m. on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.

In 2024, Swim and Racquet closed at either 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. daily. The Ocean Pines Association’s Aquatics Advisory Committee hopes the new hours will give residents more time to enjoy the amenities. Still, they said they intend to push for additional weekday hours next year.

Committee Chair Gary Miller said they were hoping for at least one of the pool hours to be stretched on a weekday rather than just the weekends. The community’s summer 2025 activities guide, recently published, revealed that this suggestion had not been met. Instead, Swim and Racquet will close at 8 p.m. Fridays through Sundays but shut down operations at the usual 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays.

In a charging document sent to the board, the aquatics committee asked that per “numerous verbal requests from residents who would like to be able to use the pools in the evenings when they get home from work,” at least one of the pools’ shut-down time is extended a few hours on a weekday night.

The request form emphasized that OP demographics have gotten younger. As such, more and more community members are still working and would like additional time to access the summertime amenity. While Swim and Racquet will be open a few more hours on the weekends, OPA did not grant the weekday ask.

“This is something that is going to remain an issue with a lot of the people who are still working,” Miller said at an April 10 aquatics committee meeting.

The team maintained that while the request was not accepted for this summer, they plan to recommend later weekday hours in the future.

“It’s something that I think we will bring up again,” the aquatics committee chair continued. “Since everything is already set for this season, it doesn’t make sense to bug the board anymore this year, but I think toward the end of this year, when they start looking at the budget process again, that would be a good time for us to resubmit a charging document suggesting that one of the pools be open during the week a little bit later.”

The Beach Club and the Mumford’s Landing Pool will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Yacht Club Pool will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. The pools officially open for the warm-weather season on Saturday, May 24.

Also on the aquatics docket this summer is a new outdoor evening water aerobics class. The sessions are set for Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. from July 1 to August 21 at the Mumford’s Landing Pool. No instructor has been designated yet, but staff said at an executive meeting last month that a teacher may be assigned should the class yield enough interest. Currently, the sessions are to act as self-taught and group-led.

Prices for the aerobic class are $48 for swim members, $60 for Ocean Pines residents, and $77 for non-residents. The drop-in costs are $7 for swim members, $8 for OP residents, and $9 for non-residents.

The summer 2025 activity guide on the community’s official website provides more information on the upcoming aquatics and other neighborhood programs.