But will get costs and start small with one installation

By Cindy Hoffman, Staff Writer

The Ocean Pines Board of Directors voted to pursue costs for four electronic signs to be placed at three entrances and at the community center. The signs would have not back lighting and would save staff time in regularly changing letters on the manual signs.

(Nov. 23, 2023) The question of whether Ocean Pines’ old signs should be replaced with programmable digital signs has been debated repeatedly during board meetings. But on Saturday, the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors decided  to seek proposals to determine the costs for four digital signs to be placed in the community.

Residents have asked if these signs would be too bright or commercial looking in the residential area.

But OPA Director Elaine Brady assured the board and residents that the signs will appear exactly like the current signs and will be retrofitted into the current frames used now. There will be no backlighting to the signs.

“The lighting will be exactly like it is now,”

 “There is no change to the look and feel of the signs we have today,” Brady said.

Brady outlined some of the downsides of the current signs. There are a dozen of these manual signs around the community, all except for two are two-sided. Each sign has messages and each message is different.

“Unless you are willing to drive from The Point down to the North Gate Bridge and then back, you will never see all of the messages. So, you are seeing the same message over and over again,” Brady said.

She also noted that a driver cannot read all of the messages on the signs because they are too long.

Digital signs will allow the association to consolidate all of the messages from 22 boards onto four digital signs. She proposed having new signs placed at all three of the exits, North and South Gates, Cathell Road and at the community center.

The digital messages would rotate so drivers could see more of the messages. Late-scheduled events, changes in events or emergencies could be posted easily.

Currently, the Public Works and Rec and Park departments have to take staff away from their other work  to manually change each sign.

All other signage except the one at the Yacht Club entrance will be removed, which is maintained by the Matt Ortt Company.

Maintenance on the signs would be no different than with the current ones.

“But we will only be cleaning four signs instead of 22,” Brady said.

The board approved having General Manager John Viola look at the costs and get proposals to the board.

Brady suggested that OPA could purchase one sign for this fiscal year and have the Communications Advisory Committee request funding for the other three signs.