By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

The Ocean Pines Association’s Aquatics Advisory Committee aims to strengthen its working relationship with community staff and the board of directors to ensure facility excellence, following a recent situation in which a member of the volunteer group made unsolicited recommendations to pool professionals.

The Ocean Pines Aquatics Advisory Committee met last week, where they discussed the duties and responsibilities of the group in relation to the pool operations team and the OPA Board of Directors. Ocean Pines’ advisory groups are made up of homeowner volunteers who act as the eyes and ears of certain aspects of OPA life, like the pools, the golf course, elections, and strategic planning, among others. They operate separately from OPA paid staff, observing the department’s ongoing operations from a resident perspective.

According to Aquatics Committee Chair Gary Miller, the guidelines conversation was scheduled after a situation in which a member of his team noted a few maintenance issues at the pools. The error was made when the individual interacted with pool employees, pointing out items that she believed needed to be addressed.

The Aquatics Advisory Group is not meant to make recommendations directly to the aquatics operations. Instead, they are to submit charging documents along with their suggestions to the community’s board of directors, who forwards them to OPA General Manager John Viola, who may then speak with the pool staff. Decisions are made on whether to take the advice or not, based on whether it’s realistic, if there’s room in the budget, or if the general manager and operations believe it’s a necessary measure.

The rule to have the committee and pool employees operate separately is in place to ensure that advisory members do not interfere with staff dealings and to ensure the committee acts in a strictly advisory fashion. Final say is up to Ocean Pines staff.

“We are allowed to look at things, and even to take photographs,” Miller said. “We are not allowed to talk to any of the staff specifically. So any issues that we find, be brought here to the committee, we’ll discuss it, we will either decide to send information to the board, or we’ll decide to send something to info@oceanpines.org.”

Miller added that any concerns that pose a safety risk and require immediate attention should be emailed to Ocean Pines at info@oceanpines.org. Items sent here often yield a quicker response time, the committee chair maintained.

“It might not be in a day, but within a day or two, you are usually getting a response,” he said.

Members of the aquatics committee said that they feel their relationship with pool staff is an “adversarial one.” The volunteers believe that part of their advisory role is to address concerns as poolgoers, particularly during the height of the season when staff members, such as Viola or Michelle Hitchens, the aquatics director, are extra busy. The committee believes that the pool staff views these recommendations as a suggestion that they are not performing their job correctly. The advisory volunteers maintain that this is not the case, and note that there are several instances, reflected in previous meeting minutes, in which they commend staff for their excellent work.

This strained relationship, committee members say, has made it feel like they cannot provide adequate input into what would improve aquatics operations and their facilities. To address the disconnect, Miller noted that committee member recommendations should be handled by taking photos, bringing them up at the advisory team’s next meeting, or emailing Ocean Pines if it poses an immediate safety risk. The entire volunteer group will discuss suggestions and may be sent to the board for consideration.

“I think part of the issue was more the fact, not just with our committee but other committees that also had issues with their members inappropriately interacting with staff,” Miller said. “To some extent, it’s justifiable that both the board and [Viola] have tried to tighten things up so that staff don’t feel like they’re being confronted or anyone is angry with them.”

At last week’s aquatics meeting, Miller reviewed the group’s actual responsibilities, as outlined in OPA’s governing documents. Moving forward, they vow to stay within these guidelines. The chair added that the meeting is recorded, and if the board or community staff believe their interpretation of these standards is flawed, they can bring their corrections to the committee.

According to Miller, per the governing documents, one of the Aquatics Advisory Committee’s functions is to “advise the board on methods of promoting interest in aquatics.”

“In our original interpretation, we felt that this implies that anything that increases membership and/or interest in aquatics is open for review, including the appearance of the aquatics facility,” Miller said. “Appearance and safety concerns are important factors for residents who are considering the purchase of a pool membership…In my mind, that’s why this is important, and everything related to keeping people interested in aquatics as a whole is something we should examine.”

Another guideline says that the volunteer team is responsible for “advising the board regarding aquatic policy and operations, including recommendations for improving the aquatic operations.”

Committee member Karen Kaplan noted that this standard would include suggestions like a swipe card, a recent recommendation discussed by the group to ease bathroom and pool entrance lines.

“Most of our recommendations have been about things that we feel would improve the overall operations and gain more members,” Miller added.

Another role of the volunteer members is the “development of budget proposals and programs, activities, facilities, and staff as it pertains to aquatic activities.”

Miller said that there have been a few instances when the committee has brought maintenance issues to the board, and they have been immediately addressed. Other times, he added concerns are not addressed, and the group does not hear back about their suggestion.

Members of the committee stated that when their recommendations do not elicit a response from the board, they feel as though their role on the volunteer team is useless. If a suggestion is not taken, it is up to the board of directors to tell the aquatics advisors why that decision was made.

“It would be nice for a committee that has worked in good faith on a proposal to understand why,” said Aquatics Committee member Vivian Koroknay. “It’s not like we sit here and dream this stuff up. Other association members come to us. We are supposed to be the eyes and ears of the association. If I make a recommendation in a proposal format and I submit it to the board, who may or may not submit it to [Viola. The answer comes back, ‘We don’t think it’s necessary.’ I’m sorry, that’s like saying to an association member, ‘nah, not know.’

“I would think that you would talk to the people who have put you on the board in a way that shows a level of respect, and say, we’re not going to go through with that, or we don’t think it’s necessary at this time. I don’t need a long,  drawn-out thing, but just something other than ‘nope, not necessary.’ It strengthens the relationship. We’re doing the best we can; we listen to what people say and accept their feedback. We submit it to the board in the best way we know how. I just need a response.”

In response, OPA Board of Directors President Stuart Lakernick maintained that every charging document sent by a committee to the board is received by that body’s liaison, a member of the board of directors assigned to oversee the volunteer group. However, he added that communicating with the advisory committee can be made a higher priority.

“Every charging document from every committee goes to the liaison,” Lakernick said. “I get them all, and then I forward them all to [Viola’s] team, and then [Viola] communicates back, and 99% of the time, it’s something they’ve already done or are already working on. But I understand the point about maybe communicating back that they’re already on whatever concern.”

An additional guideline stipulates that the aquatics advisory committee is “monitoring the condition, care, and maintenance of the aquatic facility and to advise the board and aquatic professional of any specific problems or concerns.”

Miller said that this standard is the one that has caused issues.

“This is the one that I think has inadvertently caused us the most pushback, because every time that we have looked at the facilities and talked about issues that are either safety related or maintenance related or whatever, we’ve been told that that is not our purview,” the committee chair said. “It says so right here that that is something we’re supposed to be looking at, and then advising the board, hey, you should be aware that this is an issue.”

Committee members added that this type of collaboration could cause strife among the pool staff because, under the committee’s current setup, there are two sides: the advisory groups and the department employees. This can make it seem as if recommendations are a suggestion that a job is not being completed correctly.

The advisory team states that this is not the intended outcome of their feedback. Instead, they view their role as being able to see and hear what OPA homeowners are most concerned about, adding another protective layer to facility and department maintenance.

Going forward, the aquatics team stated that they will do their best to stay within the bounds above and refrain from directly addressing pool employees about issues or concerns.

“If we do the job, we follow the guidelines that are written down, we’re doing what we’re supposed to do,” Miller said. “We’re not supposed to get involved with telling people how to do the operational part of it. We’re not supposed to tell people, ‘hey, you should get this fixed.’ It’s all a matter of ensuring that we, as a committee, understand what the resolutions say and follow them. Hopefully, the board, after reviewing this, will also follow the rules. If the rules have changed, they can notify us. Otherwise, let us do what we’re supposed to be doing.”

The group will also take steps to ensure that the board is required or strongly encouraged to respond to charging documents submitted by advisory committees. This action will help to strengthen the volunteer team’s relationship with OPA officials.

“If we do send a recommendation, whatever the decision is, is fine, but let us know what that decision is,” Miller added.