OCEAN PINES—The
Ocean Pines association Board of Directors got a bit of a shock during their
Nov. 6 work session—sticker shock, when General Manger Bob Thompson told them
that equipment costs may have to be sharply increased because of the condition
of equipment that was slated to be transferred from the old facility to the new
Yacht Club.

Yacht Club Implementation
Advisory Committee facilitator Ted Moroney attended the work session meeting
via speakerphone. Thompson briefed the board on how kitchen-related costs for
the new Yacht Club could increase from $234,300.00, as projected in the
original contract, to $690,030.70, as recommended by the professional kitchen
design firm Savoy/Brown Consultants of Baltimore.

Dishwashing equipment planned for
the new facility will be leased and therefore was not included in the projected
costs for the new kitchen equipment, according to Thompson. It will be included
in the OPA’s operating budget, he said.

Thompson reminded the board that
the redesign was prompted by the board’s directive that he hire a professional
kitchen design agency, which he did—Savoy/Brown Consultants, of Baltimore.

As the equipment was being
removed, much of the equipment was determined to be in significant states of
disrepair, Thompson reported. While the items looked salvageable from their
fronts, deterioration was discovered when they were removed from the walls,
such as the walk-freezer, which had deteriorated insulation and a rotted floor.

Over the years the department kept
patching broken items, but never replaced them, he said.

Thompson presented the board with
a list of replacement costs for equipment items deemed no longer functional,
including the old Yacht Club’s refrigerators, ice makers, sandwich preparation
coolers, Vulcan stoves, convection ovens, Frymasters, steamers, food slicer,
and three-compartment sinks. The value of the items recommended for discarding
totaled $215,000, according to briefing documents distributed to the board.

To keep the contract on schedule
a decision would be needed from the board no later than the first week of
December.

Former Yacht Club equipment items
that were relocated for use at the OPA Country Club included a reach-in
refrigerator, four glass-door coolers, a large mixer, and two Rinnai hot water
heaters. The value of the repurposed items totaled $47,500.

According to the documents,
$30,200 worth of equipment was removed from the old Yacht Club and is being
held in storage for installation in the new facility. Those items include wire
shelving units, hand sinks, a water filter, ice bins, and work tables.

Thompson said he would wait for
direction from the board on how to resolve the equipment issue.

The kitchen consultant’s design
was approved as compatible with the layout specifications done by subcontractor
AWB Engineers, he said.

Thompson said all new furniture would
be used on the first floor and the existing chairs and tables would be
refurbished and repurposed for use on the second floor.