(Oct. 1, 2020) Plans are firming up for a frequently discussed room addition at the Ocean Pines Sports Core Pool.

Ocean Pines Director of Amenities and Operational Logistics Colby Phillips said the concept of building an adjacent area separated from the pool deck has been batted around for the past four years.

“The original idea for the room was because we’ve outgrown our space,” she said.

Various incarnations of the project caught fire and subsequently fizzled prior to the OPA creating a new capital reserve fund last fall.

Earmarked out of the $167,000 initial allotment for the new reserve fund approved for the current fiscal 2020/2021 budget is $100,000 intended as partial funding to construct a room addition onto the Sports Core facility.

“Last year when the board approved doing this fund, the room addition, because it had been off and on … for the last four years, it came back up again as one of the first projects,” she said.

Although final plans have yet to be approved by the board of directors with additional funding likely required next budget year, the current proposal involves building a 30-by-30-foot enclosed area to accommodate current needs and permit expanded marketing potential for private affairs.

“We have instructors that do CPR, AAD [Appropriate Athlete Development] and lifeguard certifications,” she said. “We have a lot of people on staff that can teach these types of classes that need a room to teach in.”

In addition to offering space to book private parties and provide expanded training areas the proposal would include office space.

“It would be temperature-controlled separate from the pool deck,” she said.

Previously considered childcare ventures are not included with the current plan.

“We’re not looking to do an afterschool program,” she said. “We’ve taken that off the table.”

The inclusion of a fitness room has been put on the backburner for now but Phillips said the idea continues to be talked about in the community, she said.

Phillips said Sports Core Pool project cost estimates are currently being sought with a status update scheduled for the OPA Budget and Finance Committee meeting in November.

“The team has a lot of new capital ideas across the board that we’ve brought up and looked at over the years,” she said. “It’s great that we’re setting aside funds to do those projects.”