By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(April 2, 2026) The Ocean Pines Board of Directors agreed this week to spend more than $300,000 to build an outdoor kitchen at the Yacht Club to improve patio service and food quality this summer.

In an email vote on March 18, the board agreed to hire My Hands Handyman to construct an outside kitchen at the community Yacht Club for $316,500. The email poll was announced at the governing body’s meeting on Saturday, March 28. According to Director Jeff Heavner, the vote was unanimous.

“After previous unanimous consent to vote by email, [Board President] John Latham made the motion to vote in favor by an email vote to approve $316,5000 for the contractor My Hands Handyman to build the tiki kitchen at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club,” Heavner said. “This vote needed to be unanimous, and it passed with a unanimous vote, and it is being announced for recording in the board meeting minutes.”

The director maintained that voting by email, rather than in a public forum as is typical, complies with the association’s bylaws and the Corporations and Associations Article of the Maryland Code, so long as all directors agree.

Officials say that the initiative will enhance the service at the community’s eatery.

The tiki kitchen will be erected on the Yacht Club’s outdoor premises. Its purpose is to serve the patrons at the establishment’s pool and patio area.

Bob Ciprietti, owner of Touch of Italy, the restaurant group that oversees the site’s food and beverage operations, said last year that the summer presented challenges in getting orders to customers while keeping service quick and food fresh.

An influx of the warm weather crowd, he said, made it difficult for staff to juggle the inside patrons and the poolside guests. Touch of Italy hopes that the additional kitchen outside will supplement the indoor galley.

The endeavor has been moving through the approval processes since 2025. In October, the board unanimously agreed to spend $40,800 for engineering designs from Vista Design.

A request for proposal (RFP) for the tiki kitchen was issued in February. OPA General Manager John Viola said this week that his team evaluated five RFPs and ultimately recommended the now-approved My Hands Handyman for $316,500. The general manager added that the structure is expected to be finished in time for summer.

“I think it’s a very good initiative,” Viola said. “We have a kitchen that takes care of the Yacht Club, the inside. That’s a big effort when 200 people come all at the same time … We are very, very happy and excited about what’s going to happen over the next month.”

He added that the effort is a collaboration between OPA and Touch of Italy. The restaurant group will pay for the structure’s interior, like the kitchen equipment, while Ocean Pines is responsible for the construction of the building.

“This was Touch of Italy’s idea, which we’ve embraced,” Viola said “…I look at this as a hybrid. Ocean Pines, we’re responsible for the structure. It’s our building, it will always be our building. They, TOI, are putting money into the interior, into the kitchen … I’ve been hearing a lot of different things. No, we did not give TOI $316,500. That’s our money invested, and it will be part of our assets.”

Improvements are also expected at the community’s Clubhouse Bar and Grille this year. Officials said in February that while these projects are upcoming, their progress has slowed due to recent priorities, such as the new firehouse and the winter storm cleanup effort.