By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

Due to the Ocean Pines Association’s estimated $3.4 million share of the volunteer fire department’s new southside station, the community’s board of directors agreed to move forward with a referendum coinciding with the annual election to garner community approval of OPA’s financial contribution to the replacement fire station.

At a May 24 OPA Board of Directors meeting, General Manager John Viola updated the community on the initiative to build a new South Fire Station for the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department at 911 Ocean Parkway, Ocean Pines.

The project will see the construction of a nearly 15,000 square foot facility to replace the existing, deteriorating South Fire Station. According to Viola, an assessment of the current structure, built in 1981, was completed in 2020. The evaluation revealed size and capacity issues, safety concerns, design flaws, crumbling conditions, and outdated infrastructure. At the time, a recommendation was made to replace the building with a new station.

The project has been progressing, with ongoing work group meetings between OPA officials, OPVFD President Joe Enste, and Chief Joey Widgeon. Architectural drawings are expected to arrive next week. Construction is estimated to begin in October, with a completion estimate of 65 weeks.

Viola said that pending a study of the community’s finances, he recommends that OPA use the HOA’s general reserves to fund their portion of the firehouse rebuild. An evaluation will be completed in August or September, and a final funding method will be decided.

“I mentioned we have a goldilocks situation, which means everything is good, I believe, but we need that evaluation,” Viola said. “That evaluation will either tell us we are right on target with our funding reserves, or it might say we need more. It might even say we need less. But we need to go through that process.

“I’m recommending to the board today that this very important initiative to fund this building comes through our general reserves … If the study comes in and it says we are well funded, then it would come out of the reserves. If it says we are not where we should be, it will probably hit the assessment.”

At a February board meeting, officials said that during construction of the South facility, OPVFD’s career team will relocate to the North Station to avoid additional costs incurred by temporary facilities like trailers. OPA’s public works group will also provide additional space.

The project has been an ongoing discussion for a few years, making concrete steps toward a replacement structure last summer.

In July of last year, OPA and the OPVFD inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining each party’s role in the project, including the funding responsibilities, as a milestone step to advance the new facility.

The contract determines that the fire company will use “grant and bond funds previously secured toward the project’s construction cost. The department shall also utilize funds raised through charitable fundraising efforts or otherwise available for the Department for the project.”

Ocean Pines will be responsible for the remaining costs, “subject to OPA having exclusive control over the ultimate cost and scope of the project, as well as management after that,” the MOU reads.

OPA’s estimated financial contribution to the project is $3.4 million, with a 10% contingency for unforeseen expenses. Per the board’s approval, a referendum on matters pertaining to the South Fire Station’s funding will take place in accordance with this year’s board of directors’ election.