(June 2, 2016) The Ocean Pines’ Comprehensive Planning Committee will undergo some changes, including one at the leadership position.
During an Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors meeting last Thursday, President Pat Renaud and the other directors expressed disappointment with the committee’s performance and leadership over the past several months and agreed that change was needed
Renaud said he called the chairman, Steve Cohen, and gave him the opportunity to resign or else “be asked to leave.”
“He opted to resign,” Renaud said.
In an email to the board, Cohen said was stepping down “due to time constraints on [his] job.” He added that he would like to remain on the committee.
Renaud said Frank Daly, who had been taking on a leadership role during recent committee meetings – and is a candidate for the board this year – would take over as chairman.
He also commented on the termination of the contract with Salisbury University group BEACON, which was working on a community survey designed to gather data for the comprehensive plan. Renaud is the liaison to the committee.
“We’re all disappointed that we didn’t have the survey questionnaire that we could send out to [the board’s] liking,” Renaud said. “We’re going to work hard on that and try to get that resolved.”
Director Dave Stevens said the board was not unanimous in removing Cohen, and suggested suspending the activities of the entire committee until the board could agree on its direction.
Stevens also asked when the board would make a public statement about “what happened between [the board] and BEACON.”
“I don’t think we’re supposed to mention anything,” Renaud said.
“You have to read what the opinion was and read what the contract said, and then you will see, if you look at the last line, that this is what we can say,” Stevens said. “And it’s very simple – it’s just one sentence. All you have to do is put it [out] so people know what happened after all this time. You just put it on the webpage. That’s a pubic statement.”
Director Tom Terry suggested the directors not make that statement right there, “on the fly.”
“I don’t think we should either, but on the other hand we as a board owe it to people to get to what happened,” Stevens said.
Terry added that the full board would have to approve Daly’s chairmanship, although no vote was taken on that matter.
“As far as what we do with this committee … they’re trying to figure that out. I think we need to figure that out,” Terry said.
The comprehensive planning committee was scheduled to meet on Thursday, May 26. That meeting was rescheduled for June 1, after press time.
Daly said the committee would be discussing an outline he drafted for the comprehensive plan, which it approved in April, as well as vote on an “action plan and schedule” of committee activities that included identifying how the group would gather data to inform the comprehensive plan and to make a recommendation to the board on, potentially, developing a new survey.
“I don’t expect any problems in it passing, as it is the plan we are currently working to,” Daly said in an email. “I have also sent it to all board members.”
During an Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors meeting last Thursday, President Pat Renaud and the other directors expressed disappointment with the committee’s performance and leadership over the past several months and agreed that change was needed
Renaud said he called the chairman, Steve Cohen, and gave him the opportunity to resign or else “be asked to leave.”
“He opted to resign,” Renaud said.
In an email to the board, Cohen said was stepping down “due to time constraints on [his] job.” He added that he would like to remain on the committee.
Renaud said Frank Daly, who had been taking on a leadership role during recent committee meetings – and is a candidate for the board this year – would take over as chairman.
He also commented on the termination of the contract with Salisbury University group BEACON, which was working on a community survey designed to gather data for the comprehensive plan. Renaud is the liaison to the committee.
“We’re all disappointed that we didn’t have the survey questionnaire that we could send out to [the board’s] liking,” Renaud said. “We’re going to work hard on that and try to get that resolved.”
Director Dave Stevens said the board was not unanimous in removing Cohen, and suggested suspending the activities of the entire committee until the board could agree on its direction.
Stevens also asked when the board would make a public statement about “what happened between [the board] and BEACON.”
“I don’t think we’re supposed to mention anything,” Renaud said.
“You have to read what the opinion was and read what the contract said, and then you will see, if you look at the last line, that this is what we can say,” Stevens said. “And it’s very simple – it’s just one sentence. All you have to do is put it [out] so people know what happened after all this time. You just put it on the webpage. That’s a pubic statement.”
Director Tom Terry suggested the directors not make that statement right there, “on the fly.”
“I don’t think we should either, but on the other hand we as a board owe it to people to get to what happened,” Stevens said.
Terry added that the full board would have to approve Daly’s chairmanship, although no vote was taken on that matter.
“As far as what we do with this committee … they’re trying to figure that out. I think we need to figure that out,” Terry said.
The comprehensive planning committee was scheduled to meet on Thursday, May 26. That meeting was rescheduled for June 1, after press time.
Daly said the committee would be discussing an outline he drafted for the comprehensive plan, which it approved in April, as well as vote on an “action plan and schedule” of committee activities that included identifying how the group would gather data to inform the comprehensive plan and to make a recommendation to the board on, potentially, developing a new survey.
“I don’t expect any problems in it passing, as it is the plan we are currently working to,” Daly said in an email. “I have also sent it to all board members.”