The recently completed Racquet Club building in Ocean Pines is pictured.

By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

An upgraded racquet center sports building, new bocce ball courts, ongoing landscaping and maintenance, and additional operational services are just a few ways the Ocean Pines Association is gearing up for the busy summer season.

At a recent board of directors meeting, OPA General Manager John Viola presented his report on ongoing and new initiatives. According to the official’s update, the enhanced racquet center sports building was recently completed.

Viola said that his team’s goal of having the enhancement work finished before Memorial Day was met. The project scope primarily included improvements to the structure’s bathrooms and the front pro shop. Still, the general manager maintained that unexpected upgrades to the facility also had to be completed.

“We did have to do more than we initially thought,” Viola said. “Once we opened the walls and saw what was there, it was clear that we needed to basically do a new building, which the board approved, and this association has paid for. That is one solid building down there.”

Viola added that while he still has a few final bills coming in for the new racquet center sports building, the final cost estimate is around $275,000.

Two new bocce ball courts at the Yacht Club are also coming along. Viola said that Southwest Greens Delaware Valley, the company contracted to complete the project, began installing the play spaces on May 19. The work was briefly delayed by weather, but the courts will be completed within the next two weeks.

The general manager said the two courts coincide with a new community bocce league. Over 100 people have signed up, and play is set to begin next month. Kickoff and introduction meetings were held on May 14. The cost of the new bocce ball courts is around $50,000.

“We’re all excited about this,” Viola said.

With registration from the new bocce league, the general manager said in March that the enhanced courts should yield a return on investment within seven years.

The new play areas will be professional synthetic bocce spaces. Officials weighed the pros and cons of natural versus synthetic materials, but they opted for synthetics because they require less maintenance.

“The two courts we are proposing to build are synthetic,” said Mike Galello, the Ocean Pines bocce ball club director earlier this year. “We are doing it right, so we have 10 years on this court before it even needs maintenance. That’s the advantage of going synthetic versus natural. Of course, you need constant maintenance, like rolling it. Synthetic is where we need to be.”

As the summer season arrives, the community has increased its landscaping efforts, said OPA Senior Director of Administration Linda Martin. For instance, more palm trees were added to the North Gate, the Yacht Club, and the Beach Club.

Per a request, Martin added that a new gazebo is planned for the dog park. The pavilion will be added as a rain structure with seating for 12 to 15 people. The new structure will cost around $6,000 and be delivered by the Bishopville-based Woodland Sheds in six to eight weeks.

The new gym floor at the Community Center at White Horse Park was also completed before the busy season. Martin said the work to replace the surface began on May 12 and was finalized on May 17, followed by a week of curing time.

Dynamic Sports Construction completed the floor at a total cost of $62,300. A leak damaged the former hardwood, identifying the need for an entirely new surface.

The new installation, a DynaForce System, incorporates a poured floor with padding underneath. The improved surface has been implemented in spots like the Salisbury Salvation Army, and is beneficial when playing sports like basketball, as it is shock-absorbing to the body.

“It’s quite impressive,” Martin said of the new floor.