By Greg Ellison

(July 29, 2021) Looking to save money and avoid damage to golf course turf, the Ocean Pines Board of Directors on Wednesday approved an emergency expenditure to replace 500-plus feet of bulkhead by the bridge on the third green.

General Manager John Viola presented a request to spend roughly $198,000 from bulkhead reserves during the board meeting.

“This is scheduled to [repair] in October but we could get in there earlier,” he said. “It is pretty bad. Honestly, this should have been done three years ago.”

Viola said the bulkhead section, which dates back more than 40 years, has been patched over the decades but never replaced.

Three weeks ago, Viola discussed the problem with Dean Fisher of Fisher Marine, whose firm completed the most recent bulkhead updates.

Fisher estimated repairs would take roughly a month to complete.

“He said he would be able to get right in there if approved,” Viola said.

By moving the scheduled work up a few months, cost savings are obtainable, Viola said.

“He’s willing to do it at the same price that he’s done it before,” he said. “Which is lower than what we would get on the outside and specifically next year.”

Fisher Marine quoted $355 per linear foot of vinyl bulkhead, which comes out to just over $190,000 for the 537 feet required.

Overall project costs are just over $198,000, which includes $8,000 for topsoil and sod.

Timing was another perk highlighted by Viola.

“Normally we shut down the bulkhead replacement because this is the time of year everybody wants to enjoy their houses and waterfronts,” he said.

Director Doug Parks was on board with the request.

“I am 100 percent behind it,” he said.

Still, Parks raised concerns shared by several waterfront residents needing comparable repairs, who might take issue with the emergency spending.

“They’re going to say, ‘you guys went ahead and spent money on fixing the bulkhead at the golf course, yet my bulkhead is still falling into the canal,’” he said.

Viola said the bulkhead replacement program is on a four-year cycle that winds up in 2022.

“We are working on the next four-year plan where they go out and review everything,” he said.

Residents with failing bulkheads should be included with the next round of repairs, which are priority rated in similar fashion to road repairs, Viola said.

Director Tom Janasek said several waterfront lot owners have reached out regarding other canal repairs.

“I’ve gotten two calls from people in Ocean Pines that are completely silted and can’t get their boat out,” he said.

Janasek, while acknowledging dredging work requires approvals from the Army Corps of Engineers that haven’t been issued for several years, questioned the optics of the emergency action.

“We’re heavy on golf,” he said.

Viola countered,“This has nothing with golf, this is a bulkhead.”

“We’re doing emergency work on the bulkhead for the golf course, so we don’t lose land on the golf course,” Janasek replied. “That’s basically what the bulkheads do.”

While not minimizing the importance of replacing the failing bulkhead near the golf course, Janasek said other emergency issues also warrant attention.

Dredging canals for excessive silt deposits has been sidelined due to permitting delays, but remains a project on the horizon, Viola said.

“We’ve put in for it … but there has been a hold-up on it,” he said. “If I can do it, we’ll do it as soon as it opens up.”

Association President Larry Perrone concurred with Viola’s assessment.

“We can’t just go in and dredge,” he said. “It all has to go to [Corps of Engineers] and we can’t do anything until they give us the permit.”

Viola noted the section of bad bulkhead is being supported by temporary pilings.

“We do have money in the budget,” he said.