By Greg Ellison

(Nov. 12, 2020) Before hearing annual reports from committee representative last week, the Ocean Pines Association Executive Council discussed revived attempts at strategic planning.

The executive council, which is comprised of advisory committee chairs, opened its meeting last Wednesday by examining progress on the reestablished Strategic Planning Committee.

Strategic Planning Chairman Moe Delcher said an email invitation was sent to other committee chairpersons to attend the groups next meeting on Nov. 19.

“It’s relatively all new members, including myself,” he said. “We need input from the committees to see what else is out there.”

Delcher said the six-member group, which is still seeking participants, has already held a pair of initial meetings.

“We can investigate initiatives ourselves but also need input,” he said.

Expressing hesitancy was Environmental and Natural Assets Chairman Ken Wolf, who noted a comparable attempt was made more than a half dozen years ago.

“The environmental committee spent a tremendous amount of time putting together a document that we researched,” he said. “Nobody paid any attention to it [and] we never got one word of feedback.”

Calling the past experience a wasted effort, Wolf questioned investing further time to develop proposals that may fail to gain traction.

OPA President Larry Perrone said the board’s composition has gone through  several turnovers since the past failed attempt.

“I can tell you this board is committed to the strategic planning process,” he said.

In terms of environmental topics, Perrone said the board has made a financial commitment to the ongoing Bainbridge drainage project.

“From a budgetary standpoint, we are looking to address that yearly as we go forward,” he said. “Right now we’re probably looking at pumping another $300,000 into drainage for next year.”

Wolf said the environmental committee was instrumental in forming close ties with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program and Worcester County officials to help secure more than a half million in state grant funding for the Bainbridge project.

“It all came from us and our work,” he said.

“We built a relationship and brought it forward.”

Perrone concurred with that assessment.

“That’s what these committees are about: is for stuff to percolate from the bottom up,” he said. “I feel sorry that eight years ago you felt ignored.”

Wolf said the initial information provided by Delcher as the committee takes flight again has been realistic and practical.

OPA Vice President Dr. Colette Horn said while there are obvious reasons strategic planning would seek other committee’s perspectives, suggestions would also be forthcoming from the board based on community opinion.

“You are viewed as the resident experts in your area,” she said.

OPA Secretary Camilla Rogers said the larger concern is charting plans in accordance with residents’ sentiments.

“How do the initiatives that are bubbling up or … back down fit in with the overall expectations of the community,” she said.

While enthused by the still evolving strategic planning process, Rogers noted the importance of gauging community satisfaction.

Perrone said the function of the strategic planning committee is not to approve future initiatives.

“They’re there to gather the information and see if it fits the overall strategic plan,” he said. “The responsibility for planning this falls to the general manager.”

Perrone and Horn have already consulted with General Manager John Viola about the still developing planning process.

The picture is being split between long and short-term concerns, Perrone said.

“Smaller issues that can be dealt with immediately or [the] near future become more John’s reasonability to deal with on an operational level,” he said. “Ultimately, the board has a say in that …  all the committees should have a say, as well as the community.”