By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

(Aug. 13, 2026) The Ocean Pines Association has spent the previous year maintaining the community’s amenities, advancing capital projects, and repairing neighborhood infrastructure, officials reported at the association’s annual meeting Saturday.

In addition to gathering to hear the election results, members also are brought up to date on association business and activities.

OPA Senior Director of Administration Linda Martin said the aquatics division had the patio paved at the Sports Core pool last fall and saw the facility’s fence reinstalled last spring.

At the Mumford’s Landing pool, a concrete pad was installed ahead of summer. The bathrooms at Swim and Racquet were also renovated. Additionally, while swim lessons at the Sports Core pool are at capacity, those interested can contact the association to enroll in fall and winter sessions.

Martin noted that the community struggled to secure participation for its swim lessons for some time. However, the offering has once again gained popularity.

“The swim lessons are now at capacity,” Martin said. “For years there was a lull, but now they’re back at capacity.”

At the Ocean Pines Beach Club on 49th Street in Ocean City, OPA General Manager John Viola said that palm trees were installed ahead of the warm-weather season, and repairs were done to the building’s decking. Damaged boards were replaced, loose panels were nailed down, and painting was touched up.

Viola also reiterated the association’s beach club renovation plans. This fall, work will begin to revamp the outdated structure. The general manager said that demolition on the club’s exterior and interior is slated for phase one of the project.

Decks and a glass railing are planned for phase two; a set of accordion doors leading out to a new upstairs deck will be installed as part of phase three, and the integration of an ADA-compliant elevator will wrap up the initiative.

The beach club will also receive new windows as well as updated plumbing and electric configurations. In addition, the association’s restaurant operator, Touch of Italy, will install a new upstairs kitchen to increase the beach club’s food options.

“There will be an upstairs deck off the room that hasn’t been used for decades,” Viola explained at last weekend’s meeting. “There will be a restaurant up there. The deck up there will overlook the beach. Downstairs, we’re enhancing that deck…The kitchen will be redone downstairs, and siding will also be redone on the building…We will have to replace plumbing, electrical, windows…and of course we need an elevator.”

The OP Beach Club renovation project has gained momentum this summer.

In July, the OPA Board of Directors unanimously greenlit the interior and exterior demolition of the facility. Absolute Demolition will handle the structure’s demo on the outside for $51,616, while the inside work will be completed for $49,957 by My Hands Handyman.

Saturday’s report continued with an update on the community’s marinas.

Martin said that the Yacht Club Marina was named an official Maryland Clean Marina by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for a fourth year in a row.

According to DNR’s website, “the Maryland Clean Marina Initiative recognizes and promotes marinas, boatyards, and yacht clubs of any size that meet legal requirements and voluntarily adopt pollution prevention practices.”

As for Ocean Pines’ recreational facilities, community officials reported that over the past six years, $759,615 has been spent at the racquet sports center.

The most recent work included crack repairs last fall, a shade structure installation in spring 2026, and a light fixture restored on court number eight.

Martin said that as forecast, the neighborhood’s food and beverage operations ended the fiscal year with a positive balance, covering both depreciation and expenses.

Additionally, Touch of Italy and OPA collaborated on a new Tiki Kitchen this spring to improve service at the Yacht Club pool and outdoor patio. The project was approved at a budget of $316,500, yet only $261,150 was spent on the initiative.

On the public safety side, the police department has experienced a lull in staffing, with only eight officers currently employed on the Ocean Pines force.

The association has approved salary increases to address the recruitment problem. Earlier this summer, Viola recommended raising the pay for fresh hires who have not yet graduated from the police academy from $63,500 to $72,000. Certified officers were also given a boost, going from $67,945 to $73,500 per year.

The general manager added that the cell tower, proposed last year to improve unreliable cell phone reception, is moving along. According to Viola, the structure will be built by contractor Milestone Towers, who is currently working through the permitting process.

For roads, an emergency sinkhole repair was completed on Ocean Parkway in May for $27,325, and another is rescheduled this month on Westfield Circle for $34,736.