By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(Oct. 1, 2026) The Ocean Pines Association is proceeding with a roughly $260,000 drainage improvement project at 903 Ocean Parkway, continuing an effort that staff said has brought the community’s investment in major pipe work to nearly $1 million over the past six years.

The Ocean Pines Association’s Board of Directors unanimously approved two capital requests related to the project during its meeting last Saturday.

The first request, for $212,000, will go to New Orleans-based company Pelican Underground to install a cured-in-place pipe liner inside an existing stormwater pipe. The method allows the community to rehabilitate the pipe without excavating the roadway, according to OPA General Manager John Viola.

Viola said that Pelican Underground has performed similar work in Ocean Pines over the past several years and was the lowest bidder.

The project involves one of Ocean Pines’ main drainage pipes. Viola said the work is part of an effort to address aging drainage infrastructure throughout the community.

Cured-in-place pipe lining involves installing a liner inside the existing pipe and curing it in place, allowing the pipe to be rehabilitated without removing the road above it.

Viola said the approach can save the community more than half the cost of replacing a pipe entirely. He pointed to previous work near the Yacht Club as an example, where repairs and replacement would have required significantly more work and a heftier price tag.

“It’s more than half of savings,” Viola said.

He added that through this method, the community also avoids the traffic disruptions associated with digging up roads.

Director Amy Peck asked whether a previous sinkhole at the project location was related to the pipe’s condition.

Viola confirmed that there was a correlation. He said the repair associated with the sinkhole alone cost at least $40,000.

“That repair was at least $40,000 just for that,” the general manager said. “So, you can see what we’re in for if we don’t do this.”

Peck also asked whether the extent of the pipe’s failing conditions could prevent it from being relined.

Viola said the pipe could still be rehabilitated with a liner, adding that staff has encountered similar, and worse, situations before. If crews uncover an unexpected issue during the work, he said, he will return to the board with a new recommendation.

The second request, for $50,000, was approved for the Virginia-based Fisher Marine Construction to install a cofferdam as part of the drainage project.

Both requests were approved unanimously.