(Feb. 18, 2016) Although it might have appeared that the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors agreed two weeks ago to create a committee to work on traffic questions tied to the new Delmarva Health Pavilion, that is not the case, OPA board President Pat Renaud said in a phone interview last Friday.
Following the public March 5 meeting, the board did seem to agree that a committee might be helpful, but Renaud said the board is taking a “wait and see” approach, at least for now.
“I would like to see the results of the summer traffic coming through,” Renaud said. “I think we ought to wait for any decision to see what happens.”
Renaud said a traffic study could be helpful, adding that he was not in favor of developer Palmer Gillis’s proposal, introduced during the meeting, to build an access road to Ocean Parkway. Currently, drivers can only make right turns in and out of the pavilion.
“I think there’s a lot of danger in it,” Renaud said. “I still think it’s a matter for the county and particularly the State Highway administration.”
He said he agreed with Board Vice President Cheryl Jacobs, who suggested widening a portion of Route 589 to allow left-hand turns into the facility. Renaud also cited Director Bill Cordwell, who said Ocean Pines residents should simply adapt their behavior to the center, and take the long way around Ocean Parkway and use the existing traffic patterns.
“I don’t really think it’s a problem from the standpoint of traffic – I don’t think it’s a serious issue,” Renaud said. “As far as making a solution now, I think it’s a wait and see kind of a solution.”
Renaud added that, for now, he did not intend to form a committee to explore the issue further.
“I don’t have any plans right now, and I don’t know of any other directors who have any plans,” he said.
He went on to say he was bothered by Gillis’ implication that future development could be halted if Ocean Pines did not allow access to Ocean Parkway.
“I don’t like that at all. I don’t like threats and I’m not sure that PRMC [who anchors the pavilion] wants that either,” Renaud said. “Giving them access to Ocean Parkway would make it even worse. I can’t imagine up to 1,000 cars coming in and out of Ocean Pines every day. That would be a nightmare.”
For his part, Gillis admitted he was more than a little blindsided by the format of the meeting, which he expected to be an address to the board of directors. Instead, dozens of residents and nearly two hours of public comments greeted him last week. All of them were negative, and some of them became personal.
“My first response was, I thought public flogging was outlawed years ago,” he said. “I really, honestly was there to ask for input. I didn’t know I was having a public meeting. I was totally unprepared for the public meeting. That said, I really totally get [the residents’] point of view.”
When he first purchased the property, more than six years ago, Gillis said the county was pushing him to develop a large residential complex.
“That’s not what the neighbors should want there,” he said. “And I’m not putting a strip club or a tattoo parlor or whatever either – I’m putting in high-level medical services.”
He went on to say it was by design that he waited until now to address traffic concerns.
“The question kept coming up, why didn’t I [find a solution to the traffic issues] six years ago. Well – I didn’t have PRMC six years ago,” Gillis said. “People like to feel, touch and see, and I waited strategically for this time because I wanted people to see who was going in there. But, more importantly, I wanted them to see the facility. I wanted them to get comfortable with what we were building.
“A drawing on a piece of paper doesn’t mean anything to anybody, but if they can walk up to it and walk in the building, it really, truly means something,” he added.
Now, Gillis said he is offering funding solutions to problems Ocean Pines would be having, with or without a new medical facility going up near its north gate.
He said his team of traffic engineers is also creating four options to present to the State Highway Administration. Gillis would not comment on the specifics, but said, “Donnie [Drewer, SHA district engineer] mentioned during the meeting that even a full access is probably not unreasonable at this stage.”
“What’s ironic here is, people complain about public entities not doing the right thing. All Donnie is trying to say, in his wisdom, is the taxpayers are going to have to solve this problem later on if you don’t solve it today,” Gillis said. “Today, you have a developer who is going to pay for it. Tomorrow, it’s going to be the public that’s going to have to pay for it.
“I really, truly feel that widening the [North Gate] bridge or replacing the bridge is the right way to go,” he continued. “That being said, it’s up to the citizens and the leadership of Ocean Pines to make that decision. I can’t keep knocking on the door and having them close it on me.”
Following the public March 5 meeting, the board did seem to agree that a committee might be helpful, but Renaud said the board is taking a “wait and see” approach, at least for now.
“I would like to see the results of the summer traffic coming through,” Renaud said. “I think we ought to wait for any decision to see what happens.”
Renaud said a traffic study could be helpful, adding that he was not in favor of developer Palmer Gillis’s proposal, introduced during the meeting, to build an access road to Ocean Parkway. Currently, drivers can only make right turns in and out of the pavilion.
“I think there’s a lot of danger in it,” Renaud said. “I still think it’s a matter for the county and particularly the State Highway administration.”
He said he agreed with Board Vice President Cheryl Jacobs, who suggested widening a portion of Route 589 to allow left-hand turns into the facility. Renaud also cited Director Bill Cordwell, who said Ocean Pines residents should simply adapt their behavior to the center, and take the long way around Ocean Parkway and use the existing traffic patterns.
“I don’t really think it’s a problem from the standpoint of traffic – I don’t think it’s a serious issue,” Renaud said. “As far as making a solution now, I think it’s a wait and see kind of a solution.”
Renaud added that, for now, he did not intend to form a committee to explore the issue further.
“I don’t have any plans right now, and I don’t know of any other directors who have any plans,” he said.
He went on to say he was bothered by Gillis’ implication that future development could be halted if Ocean Pines did not allow access to Ocean Parkway.
“I don’t like that at all. I don’t like threats and I’m not sure that PRMC [who anchors the pavilion] wants that either,” Renaud said. “Giving them access to Ocean Parkway would make it even worse. I can’t imagine up to 1,000 cars coming in and out of Ocean Pines every day. That would be a nightmare.”
For his part, Gillis admitted he was more than a little blindsided by the format of the meeting, which he expected to be an address to the board of directors. Instead, dozens of residents and nearly two hours of public comments greeted him last week. All of them were negative, and some of them became personal.
“My first response was, I thought public flogging was outlawed years ago,” he said. “I really, honestly was there to ask for input. I didn’t know I was having a public meeting. I was totally unprepared for the public meeting. That said, I really totally get [the residents’] point of view.”
When he first purchased the property, more than six years ago, Gillis said the county was pushing him to develop a large residential complex.
“That’s not what the neighbors should want there,” he said. “And I’m not putting a strip club or a tattoo parlor or whatever either – I’m putting in high-level medical services.”
He went on to say it was by design that he waited until now to address traffic concerns.
“The question kept coming up, why didn’t I [find a solution to the traffic issues] six years ago. Well – I didn’t have PRMC six years ago,” Gillis said. “People like to feel, touch and see, and I waited strategically for this time because I wanted people to see who was going in there. But, more importantly, I wanted them to see the facility. I wanted them to get comfortable with what we were building.
“A drawing on a piece of paper doesn’t mean anything to anybody, but if they can walk up to it and walk in the building, it really, truly means something,” he added.
Now, Gillis said he is offering funding solutions to problems Ocean Pines would be having, with or without a new medical facility going up near its north gate.
He said his team of traffic engineers is also creating four options to present to the State Highway Administration. Gillis would not comment on the specifics, but said, “Donnie [Drewer, SHA district engineer] mentioned during the meeting that even a full access is probably not unreasonable at this stage.”
“What’s ironic here is, people complain about public entities not doing the right thing. All Donnie is trying to say, in his wisdom, is the taxpayers are going to have to solve this problem later on if you don’t solve it today,” Gillis said. “Today, you have a developer who is going to pay for it. Tomorrow, it’s going to be the public that’s going to have to pay for it.
“I really, truly feel that widening the [North Gate] bridge or replacing the bridge is the right way to go,” he continued. “That being said, it’s up to the citizens and the leadership of Ocean Pines to make that decision. I can’t keep knocking on the door and having them close it on me.”