A new capital facilities planning document released in Ocean Pines on Jan. 4 outlines more than $29.5 million in proposed new capital projects, spread out over the next decade.
According to the document, which the Gazette obtained last week, the last such plan was updated in November 2014.
The plan noted that several of the outlined projects were ongoing, including repairs to the Ocean Parkway and Clubhouse Drive bridges, as well as the Manklin Meadows Racquet Center and improvements in stormwater along St. Martin’s Lane and the community center.
Two other studies – a reserve study conducted by Design Management Associates Inc. and a comprehensive plan being developed by an internal OPA committee with help from Salisbury University group BEACON – are also under way, and contributed somewhat to the report.
No authors were attached to the study, although it is believed to have originated from the administrative office and General Manager Bob Thompson.
Specific “areas of need” mentioned in the report include bridges, information technology, the country club and golf cart barn, beach club, police department, White Horse Park restrooms, Sports Core Pool and the Manklin Meadows complex. The study also mentioned the need for community meeting space.
Bridges are apparently in the planning stage for repair, although, it was noted, “within the next decade, it is likely both bridges will need to be completely replaced.”
Existing IT systems in Ocean Pines have “already surpassed its useful life,” the report said, adding that Ocean Pines made “continual short-term investments to keep the system up and operational.”
The document also stressed, “serious consideration must be given to the replacement” of both the country club and golf cart barn, adding that combining both facilities could save money in construction and “long-term maintenance.”
At the Beach Club in Ocean City, the restrooms and parking continue to be issues. The report advocated building a parking garage to add new spaces, noting that, “a creative design [would] incorporate space for new restrooms.”
The current lease with Secrets could also be revisited, the document suggested, noting that doing so could “provide for some unique opportunities.”
Perhaps the most radical approach advocated in the study were repurposing the existing community center to focus almost exclusively on “movement and exercise,” while also altering the administration building to provide meeting spaces for various groups in Ocean Pines.
A new “Administrative/Public Safety Building” could then be built on association-owned land near Taylor Bank that would include office space for administrative work, fire and police.
The report said the current police department inside the administrative building, gives “minimum consideration” to safety operations, offering no secure prisoner processing areas or prisoner sally ports, and inadequate holding cells, dispatch facilities and waiting areas. Storage and other basic amenities were also deemed absent or inadequate.
While the fire department is working on plans for a new south side fire station, “a new joint use facility would be uniquely located to maximize capabilities,” according to the document.
The need for bathrooms at White Horse Park that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and replastering and repairing the deck of the Sports Core Pool, were also outlined.
During the next two years, the improvements listed in the plan would cost the community $3.94 million, including $1.78 million during the 2016-17 fiscal-year period, and $2.16 million during the following fiscal year.
That would cover the Manklin Meadows complex, bridge repairs, improvements to bulkheads and roadways and renovations at the pools.
The next phase, three-to-five years, would total $12.91 million and include replacement of two bridges and a new country club, as well as engineering studies at several other sites.
Long-term projects, identified as five-plus years, add another $12.7 million and include replacement of the Beach Club and Sports Core facilities, and replacement of both North Gate bridges.
According to the document, which the Gazette obtained last week, the last such plan was updated in November 2014.
The plan noted that several of the outlined projects were ongoing, including repairs to the Ocean Parkway and Clubhouse Drive bridges, as well as the Manklin Meadows Racquet Center and improvements in stormwater along St. Martin’s Lane and the community center.
Two other studies – a reserve study conducted by Design Management Associates Inc. and a comprehensive plan being developed by an internal OPA committee with help from Salisbury University group BEACON – are also under way, and contributed somewhat to the report.
No authors were attached to the study, although it is believed to have originated from the administrative office and General Manager Bob Thompson.
Specific “areas of need” mentioned in the report include bridges, information technology, the country club and golf cart barn, beach club, police department, White Horse Park restrooms, Sports Core Pool and the Manklin Meadows complex. The study also mentioned the need for community meeting space.
Bridges are apparently in the planning stage for repair, although, it was noted, “within the next decade, it is likely both bridges will need to be completely replaced.”
Existing IT systems in Ocean Pines have “already surpassed its useful life,” the report said, adding that Ocean Pines made “continual short-term investments to keep the system up and operational.”
The document also stressed, “serious consideration must be given to the replacement” of both the country club and golf cart barn, adding that combining both facilities could save money in construction and “long-term maintenance.”
At the Beach Club in Ocean City, the restrooms and parking continue to be issues. The report advocated building a parking garage to add new spaces, noting that, “a creative design [would] incorporate space for new restrooms.”
The current lease with Secrets could also be revisited, the document suggested, noting that doing so could “provide for some unique opportunities.”
Perhaps the most radical approach advocated in the study were repurposing the existing community center to focus almost exclusively on “movement and exercise,” while also altering the administration building to provide meeting spaces for various groups in Ocean Pines.
A new “Administrative/Public Safety Building” could then be built on association-owned land near Taylor Bank that would include office space for administrative work, fire and police.
The report said the current police department inside the administrative building, gives “minimum consideration” to safety operations, offering no secure prisoner processing areas or prisoner sally ports, and inadequate holding cells, dispatch facilities and waiting areas. Storage and other basic amenities were also deemed absent or inadequate.
While the fire department is working on plans for a new south side fire station, “a new joint use facility would be uniquely located to maximize capabilities,” according to the document.
The need for bathrooms at White Horse Park that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, and replastering and repairing the deck of the Sports Core Pool, were also outlined.
During the next two years, the improvements listed in the plan would cost the community $3.94 million, including $1.78 million during the 2016-17 fiscal-year period, and $2.16 million during the following fiscal year.
That would cover the Manklin Meadows complex, bridge repairs, improvements to bulkheads and roadways and renovations at the pools.
The next phase, three-to-five years, would total $12.91 million and include replacement of two bridges and a new country club, as well as engineering studies at several other sites.
Long-term projects, identified as five-plus years, add another $12.7 million and include replacement of the Beach Club and Sports Core facilities, and replacement of both North Gate bridges.