(Aug. 24, 2017) The Ocean Pines Association Clubs Advisory Committee welcomed a new member, Larry Bohanan, and elected a new chairman, Gary Miller, at its meeting in the community center last Thursday.
Miller and Donna Hickey are at the end of their respective first terms on the committee and have reapplied, but have not yet been confirmed by the association board of directors.
Former committee Chairman Les Purcell was not at the meeting because his third term has ended. Miller said Purcell would also reapply to stay on the committee.
Miller, at the start of the meeting, asked the other committee members if they would like him to remain. He recently resigned from the aquatics committee because of the fallout from letters to the editor Miller had published in this paper, and because he is starting a working group to explore options for returning the Oasis pool to an adults-only facility, which he said would present a conflict.
The board, last month, considered removing Miller from both committees because of his letters, but that effort failed because of a deadlocked vote. Miller has been critical of interim General Manager Brett Hill.
“There has been a lot of publicity lately about me and comments I made about the board and the GM,” Miller said. “I tried to make those in a way that did not reflect on either of the committees.
“I want to throw it out and make sure that everybody is comfortable with me staying on the committee,” he added. “Brett Hill wanted me to get removed from the committees because of my comments in the paper about some of the dysfunction that’s been going on. No hurt feelings if you decide otherwise, but I want to make sure that it’s OK with everyone on the committee that I stay on.”
The committee members enthusiastically agreed that Miller should stay.
“I, for one, absolutely want you on the committee. One hundred percent,” Hickey said.
“You are, really, our voice,” D. Gail lynch said. “You articulate very well and you present things to the board [on behalf of the committee]. You should stay. You should be chair.”
Hickey nominated Miller to chair the committee. He was appointed by unanimous consent.
Also during the meeting, Bohanan spoke about his two decades of experience in the restaurant industry in Northern Baltimore. He owned and operated three restaurants, two catering companies and a deli, including the Hunt Valley Country Club in Phoenix, Maryland.
Bohanan said he approached former General Manager Bob Thompson “to no avail” to offer advice about the yacht club. More recently, he went to the club and waited two hours for his food to be served, he said.
When Hill was seated at a table nearby, Bohanan said he approached him and said, “You know, you’ve got some major problems here.”
“I said I observed numerous things that can be corrected very easily, but it’s apparent that your service people are not trained,” he said. “He says, ‘do me a favor and make an appointment … I want to talk to you.’”
According to Bohanan, he waited about 20 minutes after the appointed time and Hill did not show up, although Food and Beverage Manager Brian Townsend eventually did.
“I told him what I observed and his response to me was, ‘Well, Bo, I guess we just can’t satisfy you.’ And that was it,” Bohanan said. “With that, I just decided I’m not going to be back to [the club]. And I haven’t since.”
While working for a management consulting company based in Chicago, Bohanan said he was told “you’re going to run into a lot of people in business that have huge egos and they’re not going to want to listen to what you have to say, despite the fact the business is failing.”
“I just put [Hill] in that category,” Bohanan said. “He’s been in business. He’s been successful with what he does, but when you go into the restaurant business, there’s too many things that are different than running any other type of business.”
“You’ve described exactly the frustration that we’ve all felt over and over and over again, and we’re all hopeful that, with the new GM and the new board, that things might change,” Miller said. “It does get frustrating when you come up with ideas and you make suggestions and nobody wants to listen.”
Despite all the difficulties at the yacht club, Bohanan said he is not in favor of closing it down entirely during the winter months.
“If you operate on a limited basis [during] the winter months and still have enough promotions to bring people in, they will support it,” he said. “If you give these people quality food and good service, they will come. I’m convinced they will come.”
Miller and Donna Hickey are at the end of their respective first terms on the committee and have reapplied, but have not yet been confirmed by the association board of directors.
Former committee Chairman Les Purcell was not at the meeting because his third term has ended. Miller said Purcell would also reapply to stay on the committee.
Miller, at the start of the meeting, asked the other committee members if they would like him to remain. He recently resigned from the aquatics committee because of the fallout from letters to the editor Miller had published in this paper, and because he is starting a working group to explore options for returning the Oasis pool to an adults-only facility, which he said would present a conflict.
The board, last month, considered removing Miller from both committees because of his letters, but that effort failed because of a deadlocked vote. Miller has been critical of interim General Manager Brett Hill.
“There has been a lot of publicity lately about me and comments I made about the board and the GM,” Miller said. “I tried to make those in a way that did not reflect on either of the committees.
“I want to throw it out and make sure that everybody is comfortable with me staying on the committee,” he added. “Brett Hill wanted me to get removed from the committees because of my comments in the paper about some of the dysfunction that’s been going on. No hurt feelings if you decide otherwise, but I want to make sure that it’s OK with everyone on the committee that I stay on.”
The committee members enthusiastically agreed that Miller should stay.
“I, for one, absolutely want you on the committee. One hundred percent,” Hickey said.
“You are, really, our voice,” D. Gail lynch said. “You articulate very well and you present things to the board [on behalf of the committee]. You should stay. You should be chair.”
Hickey nominated Miller to chair the committee. He was appointed by unanimous consent.
Also during the meeting, Bohanan spoke about his two decades of experience in the restaurant industry in Northern Baltimore. He owned and operated three restaurants, two catering companies and a deli, including the Hunt Valley Country Club in Phoenix, Maryland.
Bohanan said he approached former General Manager Bob Thompson “to no avail” to offer advice about the yacht club. More recently, he went to the club and waited two hours for his food to be served, he said.
When Hill was seated at a table nearby, Bohanan said he approached him and said, “You know, you’ve got some major problems here.”
“I said I observed numerous things that can be corrected very easily, but it’s apparent that your service people are not trained,” he said. “He says, ‘do me a favor and make an appointment … I want to talk to you.’”
According to Bohanan, he waited about 20 minutes after the appointed time and Hill did not show up, although Food and Beverage Manager Brian Townsend eventually did.
“I told him what I observed and his response to me was, ‘Well, Bo, I guess we just can’t satisfy you.’ And that was it,” Bohanan said. “With that, I just decided I’m not going to be back to [the club]. And I haven’t since.”
While working for a management consulting company based in Chicago, Bohanan said he was told “you’re going to run into a lot of people in business that have huge egos and they’re not going to want to listen to what you have to say, despite the fact the business is failing.”
“I just put [Hill] in that category,” Bohanan said. “He’s been in business. He’s been successful with what he does, but when you go into the restaurant business, there’s too many things that are different than running any other type of business.”
“You’ve described exactly the frustration that we’ve all felt over and over and over again, and we’re all hopeful that, with the new GM and the new board, that things might change,” Miller said. “It does get frustrating when you come up with ideas and you make suggestions and nobody wants to listen.”
Despite all the difficulties at the yacht club, Bohanan said he is not in favor of closing it down entirely during the winter months.
“If you operate on a limited basis [during] the winter months and still have enough promotions to bring people in, they will support it,” he said. “If you give these people quality food and good service, they will come. I’m convinced they will come.”