(March 31, 2016) It’s no secret that the road to redevelop the Manklin Meadows complex in Ocean Pines has been long and arduous. The discussion has lasted more than two years – including three meetings this month alone – without a single shovel going into the ground.
The debate reached something of a turning point during a special meeting on Monday in the administration building, however, as two directors appeared to come close to exchanging more than words over the project.
During that session, Director Tom Terry moved that the board instruct General Manager Bob Thompson to “move forward with the expansion and resurfacing” of the parking lot at Manklin, repair and relocate the current playground and community gardens, and install fencing around the area, as outlined in a separate proposal during a March 24 board meeting.
The cost included in the motion was “not to exceed $150,000.”
Last year, the board budgeted $250,000 for the entire project, which included a number of new platform tennis and pickleball courts. When estimates came back, however, the lone bid showed a ballooned cost of about $750,000.
Thompson introduced a proposal on March 24 to start phase one of a scaled-down version of the development, which included construction of four new pickleball courts and building a “revised community parking lot” for $207,000.
A vote on that was delayed, and an alternate proposal, which became the basis of Terry’s motion, was apparently discussed during a closed meeting, also on March 24.
During Monday’s session, Director Jack Collins questioned the dollar amount in Terry’s motion.
“I just want to know how you come up with your math, because you tend to trivialize a lot of things,” Collins said.
He went on to say he believed the result of the closed meeting was “to empower the general manager to scale down the project looking at just the playground itself.”
“Suddenly, we’ve got this motion, which is not in line with my understanding as to what we agreed to,” he said.
Board Vice President Cheryl Jacobs disagreed with that assessment.
“I was at the meeting. That is not my understanding of what we agreed to,” she said. “Tom put forth, let’s go ahead [and] take care of this part of the project, because he has an idea of how we can do the rest of it in a more economical manner. We all said that’s a good idea, we’ll take a look at that later, but let’s move forward on this. It was a unanimous vote of the six people who were here, and that’s what we were moving towards doing.
“Now, all of the sudden it’s all blown up, and everything’s different” she added.
“Because it’s $150,000, Cheryl,” Collins said. “That’s why.”
Jacobs appeared to ask if Collins would prefer an alternative, but was cut off.
“What a false choice,” Collins said. “I would prefer that we look for other avenues that are much more economical that provide the proper representation to these people, sitting around this room, who pay their assessments on a regular basis. We have a fiduciary responsibility to everybody sitting around here, to make sure that they get the biggest bang for the buck.”
Collins then moved his chair towards Director Bill Cordwell, who had said little at that point, got in his face, and screamed, “I’m not so sure that $150,000 is the right number.”
“You’re playing with fire,” Cordwell said. “If you get in my face again, I might have to put you through a wall.”
After Board President Pat Renaud restored order, Jacobs sought to respond directly to Collins.
“First of all, I don’t need you to lecture me on being fiscally responsible to the community, thank you very much, Mr. Collins,” she said. “I don’t understand what has transpired between the time we left this meeting, in unanimity, about how we were going to move forward, and now all the sudden all these red flags are being thrown.
“We had all agreed we were going forward with that portion [of the project] and we would deal with the courts later,” Jacobs added.
Collins answered that his rationale was “very simple.”
“This is the first step toward a $750,000 investment. If we spend $150,000 now … we’re in,” he said, adding that it would be much easier to green light additional phases once the board approved preliminary parts. “That’s my concern. It’s plain and simple as that.”
Director Tom Herrick proposed an alternate motion to direct the general manager to change the current configuration of the Manklin Creek Racquet Sports Facility by converting two of the 12 existing tennis courts into pickleball courts, and building two new platform tennis courts.
Before work on that could start, Herrick said, Thompson would “have to investigate the pricing … and come back to us with the numbers.”
“It’s not like I’m just saying, ‘go ahead and do this,’” Herrick said. “I’m directing the general manager to look into this, do the cost, find the scope of the project, come to the board with the numbers, and before you put the shovel in the ground we know exactly what it’s going to cost.”
Cordwell sarcastically categorized the entire debate as “Ocean Pines at its best.”
“We’re talking about a playground [and] a parking lot that’s been talked about for years now,” he said. “The playground needs to be refurbished … we’ve said on numerous occasions that the pillars are all rotten. Let’s get it done. That’s all we’re asking to do. I don’t know why we’re even talking about these other courts. I’m talking about [all that].”
Herrick’s motion fell 3-4, with Herrick, Collins and Director Dave Stevens voting in favor. Terry’s motion, which included the playground renovations, passed 4-3, along the same lines. Cordwell, Terry, Jacobs and Renaud voted with the majority in both instances.
Terry then suggested Herrick make his motion again, amending the language from “to direct” the general manager to, “to investigate changing.”
That amendment passed 4-3, with Stevens, Collins and Cordwell voting “no.” The revised motion passed 6-1, with Cordwell voting against.
The debate reached something of a turning point during a special meeting on Monday in the administration building, however, as two directors appeared to come close to exchanging more than words over the project.
During that session, Director Tom Terry moved that the board instruct General Manager Bob Thompson to “move forward with the expansion and resurfacing” of the parking lot at Manklin, repair and relocate the current playground and community gardens, and install fencing around the area, as outlined in a separate proposal during a March 24 board meeting.
The cost included in the motion was “not to exceed $150,000.”
Last year, the board budgeted $250,000 for the entire project, which included a number of new platform tennis and pickleball courts. When estimates came back, however, the lone bid showed a ballooned cost of about $750,000.
Thompson introduced a proposal on March 24 to start phase one of a scaled-down version of the development, which included construction of four new pickleball courts and building a “revised community parking lot” for $207,000.
A vote on that was delayed, and an alternate proposal, which became the basis of Terry’s motion, was apparently discussed during a closed meeting, also on March 24.
During Monday’s session, Director Jack Collins questioned the dollar amount in Terry’s motion.
“I just want to know how you come up with your math, because you tend to trivialize a lot of things,” Collins said.
He went on to say he believed the result of the closed meeting was “to empower the general manager to scale down the project looking at just the playground itself.”
“Suddenly, we’ve got this motion, which is not in line with my understanding as to what we agreed to,” he said.
Board Vice President Cheryl Jacobs disagreed with that assessment.
“I was at the meeting. That is not my understanding of what we agreed to,” she said. “Tom put forth, let’s go ahead [and] take care of this part of the project, because he has an idea of how we can do the rest of it in a more economical manner. We all said that’s a good idea, we’ll take a look at that later, but let’s move forward on this. It was a unanimous vote of the six people who were here, and that’s what we were moving towards doing.
“Now, all of the sudden it’s all blown up, and everything’s different” she added.
“Because it’s $150,000, Cheryl,” Collins said. “That’s why.”
Jacobs appeared to ask if Collins would prefer an alternative, but was cut off.
“What a false choice,” Collins said. “I would prefer that we look for other avenues that are much more economical that provide the proper representation to these people, sitting around this room, who pay their assessments on a regular basis. We have a fiduciary responsibility to everybody sitting around here, to make sure that they get the biggest bang for the buck.”
Collins then moved his chair towards Director Bill Cordwell, who had said little at that point, got in his face, and screamed, “I’m not so sure that $150,000 is the right number.”
“You’re playing with fire,” Cordwell said. “If you get in my face again, I might have to put you through a wall.”
After Board President Pat Renaud restored order, Jacobs sought to respond directly to Collins.
“First of all, I don’t need you to lecture me on being fiscally responsible to the community, thank you very much, Mr. Collins,” she said. “I don’t understand what has transpired between the time we left this meeting, in unanimity, about how we were going to move forward, and now all the sudden all these red flags are being thrown.
“We had all agreed we were going forward with that portion [of the project] and we would deal with the courts later,” Jacobs added.
Collins answered that his rationale was “very simple.”
“This is the first step toward a $750,000 investment. If we spend $150,000 now … we’re in,” he said, adding that it would be much easier to green light additional phases once the board approved preliminary parts. “That’s my concern. It’s plain and simple as that.”
Director Tom Herrick proposed an alternate motion to direct the general manager to change the current configuration of the Manklin Creek Racquet Sports Facility by converting two of the 12 existing tennis courts into pickleball courts, and building two new platform tennis courts.
Before work on that could start, Herrick said, Thompson would “have to investigate the pricing … and come back to us with the numbers.”
“It’s not like I’m just saying, ‘go ahead and do this,’” Herrick said. “I’m directing the general manager to look into this, do the cost, find the scope of the project, come to the board with the numbers, and before you put the shovel in the ground we know exactly what it’s going to cost.”
Cordwell sarcastically categorized the entire debate as “Ocean Pines at its best.”
“We’re talking about a playground [and] a parking lot that’s been talked about for years now,” he said. “The playground needs to be refurbished … we’ve said on numerous occasions that the pillars are all rotten. Let’s get it done. That’s all we’re asking to do. I don’t know why we’re even talking about these other courts. I’m talking about [all that].”
Herrick’s motion fell 3-4, with Herrick, Collins and Director Dave Stevens voting in favor. Terry’s motion, which included the playground renovations, passed 4-3, along the same lines. Cordwell, Terry, Jacobs and Renaud voted with the majority in both instances.
Terry then suggested Herrick make his motion again, amending the language from “to direct” the general manager to, “to investigate changing.”
That amendment passed 4-3, with Stevens, Collins and Cordwell voting “no.” The revised motion passed 6-1, with Cordwell voting against.