JOSH DAVIS/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Ocean Pines Association General Manager John Bailey last Thursday provided updates on projects including drainage, country club renovations, repairs at the crabbing pier, and the reopening of the yacht club.

By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(May 31, 2018) Ocean Pines Association General Manager John Bailey last Thursday provided rapid updates on the status of drainage remediation, the yacht club reopening, country club renovations, crabbing pier repair options, disclosure packets for real estate sales, and what’s happening with the summer newsletter.

Bailey said a drainage working group has held three meetings. He said the group included himself, Public Works Director Eddie Wells, Facilities Manager Kevin Layfield, Worcester County Commissioner Jim Bunting, and residents and additional public works and county staff.

He said the first meeting was a strategy session with only county representatives, and the second was a brainstorming session with residents and staff.

“We came up with over 40 different areas that we’ve identified that we want to address in a report on drainage in Ocean Pines,” Bailey said, adding the third meeting, two weeks ago, was to develop an outline of that report.

He said the next meeting is scheduled for June 12 at the public works building and a report with specific recommendations probably would be issued at the July board meeting.

Bailey said the yacht club is “rolling” after reopening two weeks ago.

“There are always hiccups, but we haven’t heard or seen too many of those,” he said. “The food has been very good. I hope you can talk about that with each other, and that we can move beyond what has transpired over the last year.”

Bids would soon be reissued for country club renovations, Bailey said. The directors had hoped to have the project mostly finished in time for the current golf season, but initial bids came back much higher than expected, in the $840,000 to $880,000 range, he said.

He added costs could have climbed to more than $1 million, because the disruption of golf operations would have required rental trailers for the golf shop and food operations, as well as onsite bathrooms.

Bailey suggested discussing phase two renovations and a plan for possible phase-three renovations at a board meeting in July. Phase one renovations, which only included the first floor of the two-story building, occurred last year.

“It may be a long time before we do phase three … but at least we’ll have an idea of what that [cost] might be,” he said.

Bailey and staff met with a handful of homeowners to talk about repairs to the sanctuary crabbing pier, which is currently closed “for safety considerations,” he said. He said the owners recommended removing the structure entirely.

“Thus, before proceeding any further, the question of whether we want a crabbing pier in this neighborhood – or another location – needs to be determined by the board,” Bailey said.

Director Slobodan Trendic said the sample size of homeowners, apparently just four, was too small. He asked for a public hearing to discuss options for the pier.

Bailey said there are questions about recent changes to the process for disclosure packets “related to the sale of any property in OPA,” adding Section 11B-106 of the Maryland Homeowner’s Association Act “Provides specific language regarding disclosures and notice for resale of lots” in Ocean Pines.

Apparently, not all of the state rules were being followed. Bailey said changes to the process were made “in order to reduce for the potential for liability.”

Regarding the newsletter, Bailey said $34,000 in budget cuts would not affect distribution of the summer issue.

Ocean Pines has published four quarterly newsletters and three activity guides each year, mailing all seven to all homeowner addresses. This year, four quarterly newsletters and two activity guides will be produced and published online, and hard copies will be mailed upon request, Bailey said.

“We will still provide hard copies that are available pickup at all of our various locations throughout the community, such as here at the community center,” Bailey added.

However, because of the importance of the summer newsletter, which includes coverage of the board of directors’ election, Bailey said $15,000 in the marketing budget would be reallocated to mail those “for all of the membership at all addresses, both within and without our physical boundaries.”