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OPA adminstrators being talks for 2013

OCEAN PINES — The Ocean Pines Association administration took its first step in organizing major plans for next year at last Wednesday’s Board of Directors meeting.
The board revisited a presentation OPA General Manager Bob Thompson gave last year that ranked every facility the association owns by necessity of maintenance. It was this list that revealed that the Yacht Club was in serious disrepair, leading property owners two weeks ago to approve a referendum on whether to build a $4.3 million facility.
Accompanying the presentation was a three-inch-thick binder full of documents establishing Thompson’s vision of campus management.
Multiple facilities located close together were considered as campuses, such as the Yacht Club, which is close to the Mumford’s Landing Pool, as well as the Community Center, White Horse Park, the administration building and skate park that are all next to each other.
"The concept behind it is to build synergy between the buildings and create a vision and mission for each of those campuses," board President Tom Terry said.
Sharyn O’Hare, newly elected member of the OPA Board of Directors, said she thinks the campus concept is an excellent opportunity that could add extra revenue to facilities.
"Imagine marketing food at the Yacht Club when people come in to fill their boat up with gas," she said.
Thompson will come to next month’s meeting with a plan that estimates when work would be done to all facilities.
Among structures that remain at the top of the list are the Ocean Pines Country Club, Beach Club and the community’s bridges.
Wednesday’s discussion also turned to budgeting, albeit in the earliest of stages. Each year, the board members give the general manager guidance and guidelines.
No major changes for budget were discussed, but the board did lay out a meeting calendar of when every board meeting will take place from now, until August of next year.
The most apparent change in the normal calendar structure was multiple meetings that will take place on Saturday morning.
"Previous boards have tried various different ways to allow more people to attend the meetings," Terry said.
This year, the board has attempted night meetings on weekdays, but the goal of having a high number of attendees was generally not reached.
All advisory committees and their respective board liaisons were also approved. No previous positions were changed, but the Aquatics Committee was reinstated after meetings ceased a few months ago.
A reaffirmation of the OPA’s vision and mission statement was approved and neither document was changed at all.
As these plans have a major impact on the future of Ocean Pines, no objectives are concrete until Thompson and the board thinks over its ideas.
"I think the board is moving forward in the right direction," O’Hare said.
"Coming up with a long-range plan, we need input from the public as to what their thoughts on the community’s priorities," she said.
A more comprehensive list of options for the future will be revealed at the Oct. 27 meeting at 9 a.m. in the Ocean Pines Community Center.