By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(July 30, 2026) The Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors has approved moving forward with about $100,000 of demolition work to the association’s Ocean City beach club building in an effort to modernize and enhance the structure.

On Monday night, the OPA board unanimously approved the demolition of the club on 49th Street in Ocean City. Absolute Demolition will handle the job on the outside for $51,616, while the inside work will be completed for $49,957 by My Hands Handyman.

OPA General Manager John Viola said that the beach club renovations will kick off around Labor Day, when the summer season starts to wind down.

“First stage, we need to demo the outside,” Viola said. “All the decks will come down…inside will have to be demolished because Touch of Italy will be putting in some new kitchen equipment. We’re going to have to reinforce the floors. With material, kitchen, stoves and all that, we believe we will have to reinforce the floors.”

The initiative is a collaboration between Ocean Pines and the association’s restaurant operator, Touch of Italy. While OPA is responsible for the structure itself, as well as installing a new, ADA-compliant elevator, TOI will put in a new upstairs kitchen to expand the club’s offerings.

Stage two of the endeavor will see the replacement of the building’s pilings and a new deck and glass railing on the structure’s second floor. During the third step, accordion doors leading out to the new outdoor platform will be added, plumbing and electrical will be revamped, and the facility’s siding and windows will be replaced. The final phase is the creation of an elevator.

“We have been saying we’re going to focus on the beach club and we have,” Viola said.

Assovciation officials and staff are hoping the project is completed by Memorial Day 2027.

“We’re trying to get permits…let’s say we start right after Labor Day,” the general manager added. “We are striving to be done by Memorial Day…but it is a big undertaking.”

According to Viola, the association had planned to renovate the beach club in some capacity, but the top-floor kitchen is only possible because of the partnership with TOI.

“This was all planned; we were going to do this,” he said. “Obviously we would not have done a kitchen. At most, maybe upstairs we would have liked to have had a bar. Having Touch of Italy as a partner has given us the ability to put a kitchen upstairs.”

OPA Board of Directors President John Latham added that the collaboration will provide expanded services to Ocean Pines Beach Club patrons.

“The partnership we have with Touch of Italy is wonderful,” Latham said. “In our reserve study, we were slated to spend a lot of money…but doing this with a partner is a huge benefit to our community. I don’t know the last time someone used that upstairs. I’m excited to see that, and I know a lot of people are.”

Additional updates will be provided to the community as the project continues to move forward.