By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(Oct. 22, 2026) An engineering problem with the foundation has delayed work on the Ocean Pines cell phone tower, pushing the project’s expected completion back a few weeks.

Ocean Pines Association General Manager John Viola told the Bayside Gazette this week that the community’s new cell tower should now be finalized sometime in early December, rather than November as initially anticipated.

The delay involves concern discovered when foundation work began earlier this month. Viola said when workers began digging a hole for the tower’s installation, the sides caved in, prompting Milestone Towers, the Virginia-based contractor overseeing the project, to call in professionals to reengineer the site’s configuration.

“At the time of implementation of the footings and the foundation, the outside company felt that they needed to go back and bring in the engineer, which is now in progress,” the general manager said.

As of earlier this week, engineers still had not returned to address the issue. However, Viola said the holdup is “not a terrible thing,” and the initiative is expected to get back on track shortly.

Once the problem is corrected, Viola said construction should take six to eight weeks. The tower will be situated behind the maintenance facility at the Ocean Pines Golf Course. OPA officials said they chose the site for its central location.

The roughly 150-foot structure will be designed to look like a tree to preserve the forested neighborhood’s natural character. Viola has stated at previous OPA Board of Directors meetings that homeowners have been concerned the tower will be an industrial blight on the community. However, he maintained it should blend into the wooded areas.

Milestone Towers is building the tower at its own expense and paying Ocean Pines a one-time fee of about $20,000.

Officials also expect the project to generate regular revenue for OPA. Cell phone carriers will pay rent to use the tower, with 40% reserved for Ocean Pines. The major companies plan to come on board, and Ocean Pines estimates this could generate about $35,000 annually.

The new cell phone tower aims to improve unreliable mobile service in Ocean Pines. Former Ocean Pines Police Chief Tim Robinson spearheaded the effort after noting how difficult it can be to make calls, particularly during the summer and busy holiday weekends.

Representatives from Milestone Towers and Verizon held a public informational session last year to explain the project and how it would work.

While some residents worried the cell tower would improve connectivity for only a few Ocean Pines homes, project leaders maintained that most citizens should see at least some improvement.

Homeowners within a one-mile radius of the golf maintenance facility will be in the tower’s direct path and will see the most relief. However, the tower will also relieve congestion on other nearby towers, improving signal strength for the rest of the community.

OPA plans to continue providing updates as the cell tower’s construction continues.