By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(July 2, 2026) Ocean Pines officials say construction of the community’s new southside firehouse remains on schedule despite requiring more extensive site preparation than originally expected.

During the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors meeting Monday, OPA General Manager John Viola

updated residents and the board on the project, saying crews have completed the necessary soil work and are preparing to move into the next phase of construction.

“We had more work than we thought on site preparation,” Viola said. “We identified it, we addressed it. I believe we will have a good solid foundation.”

According to Viola, crews brought in more than 190 truckloads of material to raise the site’s elevation and achieve proper soil compaction after testing uncovered conditions that required additional work. He said all compaction testing has now been completed.

The association recently received the project’s final construction plans and intends to meet with contractor, The Whayland Company, and the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department next week before submitting applications for the next round of construction permits.

“The next step is to meet with [The Whayland Company] and the fire department next week so we can submit the permits for the next stage, which is the construction permits,” Viola said.

Despite the additional groundwork, Viola said the anticipated project timeline has not changed.

“To me, it’s still on track,” he said.

He added that construction will take approximately 60 weeks once foundation work begins.

The latest update follows concerns expressed this spring after demolition of the former firehouse uncovered soil density issues beneath the site.

In May, Viola reported that testing required under modern construction standards revealed more work than originally expected. Initial estimates called for roughly 20 truckloads of replacement material. However, more than 100 truckloads were needed to meet compaction requirements.

To help reduce costs, Ocean Pines leased heavy equipment and completed portions of the site work using its own staff in collaboration with the outside vendors.

Viola said at Monday’s meeting that some of that equipment has continued moving between the firehouse site and the public works yard. This has contributed to the association’s decision to keep the public works yard closed to residents for the rest of the summer.

The new southside firehouse, located at 911 Ocean Parkway, will replace the aging station built in the 1980s. The updated facility will include separate bunk rooms for male and female firefighters, a dedicated decontamination area, two apparatus bays, expanded parking, and other operational improvements.

The firehouse is expected to cost about $6 million. The upgraded station was made possible with a $1.52 million state grant approved in April 2022. OPA as agreed to contribute $3.4 million, approved via referendum by the majority of homeowners last summer. The Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department is responsible for funding the remainder of the price tag.