(July 14, 2016) Ocean Pines Association General Manager Bob Thompson has a message for homeowners in the community: things are actually going pretty well.
That’s not always the message coming out of the election forums, as 10 men and one woman vie for three seats on the board of directors, which serves as Thompson’s boss. And while he has been something of a punching bag during the last several election cycles, the numbers appear to tell a different story – one of moderate financial success and a homeowners association that has quietly become one of the safest communities in the state.
That information, Thompson said, should not be lost on the public.
“I think with everything going on right now and the lack of accurate information, I thought it was probably time to at least try to get on the record with accurate information – not partial information or pieces of information,” he said.
“Despite what you hear, things are actually very good,” Thompson continued. “That’s what’s really strange, when you sit back and you look at this time of year and certainly with this election cycle, we finished this recent [fiscal] year as the best-performing year for amenities, as a whole, in two decades. You’ve got to scratch your head and go, ‘what’s wrong with that?’ I hear things are so bad, but the team did a fantastic job in each of their areas and the amenities rocked it this year.”
A year ago all amenities, which include the yacht club, beach club, golf, aquatics and racquet sports, finished close to $200,000 in the black. According to Thompson, the unaudited results from fiscal year 2016 show a close to $500,000 profit at the amenities, representing the best finish in about 20 years.
“It’s amazing to me, when you hear things are mismanaged or things aren’t going well or people are upset – I don’t think the majority of our membership knows what’s out there. All they’re hearing is the white noise,” Thompson said. “There’s no question, from a numbers standpoint, the team is doing a great job. The numbers show a tremendous movement in the right direction for us.”
Critics often single out the yacht club as being a drag on the association. Thompson suggested much of that criticism comes from those who didn’t want the new building, which opened in 2014.
“For whatever reason, if you don’t like the decision that was made to get us there you’re going to do your very best, if you live in a negative world, and try to continue to pick at it,” he said. “The yacht club actually had a tremendous year last year, when you look at the bottom line finances. They cut more than in half the year-over-year losses, and that’s a big move for the club.”
Thompson credited Yacht Club Manager Jerry Lewis with the turnaround, and said the hardest part of that improvement has been managing payroll costs. To address that, staff is being reduced sooner as the volume starts to drop, and scheduling has generally been more appropriate as opposed to the “running tons of bodies and hoping it works” approach that was favored two years ago.
“Is it perfect? No, but I don’t think any place is,” Thompson said. “But, I’m real proud of what’s out there and I’m real excited about the direction we’re heading with it. It not only sets us up for today, but well into the future.”
Thompson said he “absolutely” expects the positive trend there to continue.
“Every year if you learn a little bit from what went well and what didn’t go well, and you improve what didn’t go well and you stick with what did go well, at some point you’re going to hit that sweet spot. I absolutely believe we’re moving in the right direction,” he said.
He said he is “extremely encouraged and excited” about the operations at aquatics, where again he credited the amenity manager, Colby Phillips, and her team. Specifically, he said strong customers service has helped turn the amenity into a profit generator.
“I said that the first day when I walked in this building – we don’t make anything. Everything we do is about guest experience; what does that member or that guest feel when they come through the door, whether it’s administrative, police, rec and park or walking into the club,” Thompson said. “Everything we do is service related. You don’t walk away with a widget that we’ve made for you.”
Damage to the beach club done by a nor’easter earlier this year has been repaired, and Thompson said that amenity – generally the most profitable in the Pines – is set up to have another strong year.
An RFP to renovate the bathrooms there has gone out, with repairs targeted for fall or winter, meaning the peak season will not be interrupted and work should be completed in time for a spring reopening.
Golf, Thompson admitted, is something of a wildcard. Management there has been outsourced for several years, and he publically spoke out against the board’s decision to fire Billy Casper Golf and instate Landscapes Unlimited in that role last year.
“I didn’t want the first outside management company, but what my preference would have been is not relevant once the board makes the decision. It’s my job to figure it out from there and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Thompson said. “There have been some cost management improvements with the new company, which is great, but we need to continue to put some more focus on the revenue generation.”
With outside management, Thompson said his role is to “provide oversight,” with the board providing additional oversight of his role.
“It’s just a layered approach to running the course,” he said.
Thompson said he did not have a timetable for racquet sports improvements, essentially converting two tennis courts for pickleball use. He said “some” work had been done at the Manklin Meadows Racquet Sports center, but not as much as he would like.
“Weather has slowed a lot of things this year,” he said. “A lot of the projects and a lot of the things going on have taken a little bit longer, but you just adapt and kind of go with it.”
Addressing complaints that an area near the swim and racquet club was being used as a staging ground for bulkhead repairs – meaning construction equipment has had a regular presence there – Thompson said weather again played a factor.
“Just because action doesn’t get taken right away doesn’t mean it’s not a concern,” he said. “It took a little longer [this year]. We were running ahead of schedule and then we had all that rain, and it slowed everything down. Was some of the stuff down there a little longer than last year? Absolutely. But it wasn’t because we ignored it.”
He said he tried to get the staging ground moved several years ago, but could not find an alternative site. However, current bulkhead repairs are only scheduled to run another year.
“After that, it’ll be done for a couple years before we get started again,” he said. “When we reach that point, that launch area will be dramatically declined in use – if at all. So, do we want to spend a lot of money trying to push somewhere else when we only have one more year?
“I’m not taking away from what the folks around there have to look at, but we have been very responsive and very engaged in trying to make things happen over the years,” Thompson continued. “It’s always ‘what have you done today’ as opposed to looking at the bigger picture sometimes. I understand it – it’s the nature of the beast – but that’s what makes it hard.”
Thompson said the new yacht club and major renovations of all five pools during recent years were evidence that the administration was being proactive and responsive to the needs of the homeowners. Similarly, a contract to repair two major bridges was recently awarded, with construction scheduled to start in the fall.
“We’ve been on it and things have been good,” Thompson said. “We have had a very limited increase in assessments in recent years, we have more programing, we have a better performance from the amenities, and we’re getting third-party recognition.”
He said that included a “Best Residential Community” nod from Coastal Style, for two consecutive years. The yacht club was named “Best Wedding and Banquet Facility” by multiple publications, recreation and parks received recognition from Maryland Recreation and Parks, and the Public Relations Society of America gave top honors to the Ocean Pines website.
Thompson also pointed to community organizations like the Worcester County Veterans Memorial Foundation, which hosts events and raise awareness of veteran’s affairs in local schools, association-sponsored programs like bulk pickup and junior lifeguard water safety training, and recreation and parks offerings that include one of the largest summer camps in the county, and the concerts in the park and movies in the park series.
Not to mention that Ocean Pines consistently has one of the lowest crime rates in the state.
“That’s a phenomenal thing,” Thompson said. “It shows the effort, in this case, that the police department does each and every day keeping us safe. Being the safest city, especially at this time when things are really tough nationwide, that’s a big deal. We’re real proud of the work they do.
“We’re pretty aggressive in trying to make this community better in so many ways, and we’re seeing the improvements,” he continued. “Unfortunately, you get the vocal minority that want to focus on things that may not be 100 percent where they should be yet, or they want to take a snippet of information and use that as the narrative, which is unfortunate because that’s not who we are.
“Things are going well, folks. They’re not perfect – we recognize there’s always work that needs to be done, but we can’t lose sight of everything that’s going well. We have a lot wonderful people doing a lot of wonderful things in the community,” Thompson said.
That’s not always the message coming out of the election forums, as 10 men and one woman vie for three seats on the board of directors, which serves as Thompson’s boss. And while he has been something of a punching bag during the last several election cycles, the numbers appear to tell a different story – one of moderate financial success and a homeowners association that has quietly become one of the safest communities in the state.
That information, Thompson said, should not be lost on the public.
“I think with everything going on right now and the lack of accurate information, I thought it was probably time to at least try to get on the record with accurate information – not partial information or pieces of information,” he said.
“Despite what you hear, things are actually very good,” Thompson continued. “That’s what’s really strange, when you sit back and you look at this time of year and certainly with this election cycle, we finished this recent [fiscal] year as the best-performing year for amenities, as a whole, in two decades. You’ve got to scratch your head and go, ‘what’s wrong with that?’ I hear things are so bad, but the team did a fantastic job in each of their areas and the amenities rocked it this year.”
A year ago all amenities, which include the yacht club, beach club, golf, aquatics and racquet sports, finished close to $200,000 in the black. According to Thompson, the unaudited results from fiscal year 2016 show a close to $500,000 profit at the amenities, representing the best finish in about 20 years.
“It’s amazing to me, when you hear things are mismanaged or things aren’t going well or people are upset – I don’t think the majority of our membership knows what’s out there. All they’re hearing is the white noise,” Thompson said. “There’s no question, from a numbers standpoint, the team is doing a great job. The numbers show a tremendous movement in the right direction for us.”
Critics often single out the yacht club as being a drag on the association. Thompson suggested much of that criticism comes from those who didn’t want the new building, which opened in 2014.
“For whatever reason, if you don’t like the decision that was made to get us there you’re going to do your very best, if you live in a negative world, and try to continue to pick at it,” he said. “The yacht club actually had a tremendous year last year, when you look at the bottom line finances. They cut more than in half the year-over-year losses, and that’s a big move for the club.”
Thompson credited Yacht Club Manager Jerry Lewis with the turnaround, and said the hardest part of that improvement has been managing payroll costs. To address that, staff is being reduced sooner as the volume starts to drop, and scheduling has generally been more appropriate as opposed to the “running tons of bodies and hoping it works” approach that was favored two years ago.
“Is it perfect? No, but I don’t think any place is,” Thompson said. “But, I’m real proud of what’s out there and I’m real excited about the direction we’re heading with it. It not only sets us up for today, but well into the future.”
Thompson said he “absolutely” expects the positive trend there to continue.
“Every year if you learn a little bit from what went well and what didn’t go well, and you improve what didn’t go well and you stick with what did go well, at some point you’re going to hit that sweet spot. I absolutely believe we’re moving in the right direction,” he said.
He said he is “extremely encouraged and excited” about the operations at aquatics, where again he credited the amenity manager, Colby Phillips, and her team. Specifically, he said strong customers service has helped turn the amenity into a profit generator.
“I said that the first day when I walked in this building – we don’t make anything. Everything we do is about guest experience; what does that member or that guest feel when they come through the door, whether it’s administrative, police, rec and park or walking into the club,” Thompson said. “Everything we do is service related. You don’t walk away with a widget that we’ve made for you.”
Damage to the beach club done by a nor’easter earlier this year has been repaired, and Thompson said that amenity – generally the most profitable in the Pines – is set up to have another strong year.
An RFP to renovate the bathrooms there has gone out, with repairs targeted for fall or winter, meaning the peak season will not be interrupted and work should be completed in time for a spring reopening.
Golf, Thompson admitted, is something of a wildcard. Management there has been outsourced for several years, and he publically spoke out against the board’s decision to fire Billy Casper Golf and instate Landscapes Unlimited in that role last year.
“I didn’t want the first outside management company, but what my preference would have been is not relevant once the board makes the decision. It’s my job to figure it out from there and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Thompson said. “There have been some cost management improvements with the new company, which is great, but we need to continue to put some more focus on the revenue generation.”
With outside management, Thompson said his role is to “provide oversight,” with the board providing additional oversight of his role.
“It’s just a layered approach to running the course,” he said.
Thompson said he did not have a timetable for racquet sports improvements, essentially converting two tennis courts for pickleball use. He said “some” work had been done at the Manklin Meadows Racquet Sports center, but not as much as he would like.
“Weather has slowed a lot of things this year,” he said. “A lot of the projects and a lot of the things going on have taken a little bit longer, but you just adapt and kind of go with it.”
Addressing complaints that an area near the swim and racquet club was being used as a staging ground for bulkhead repairs – meaning construction equipment has had a regular presence there – Thompson said weather again played a factor.
“Just because action doesn’t get taken right away doesn’t mean it’s not a concern,” he said. “It took a little longer [this year]. We were running ahead of schedule and then we had all that rain, and it slowed everything down. Was some of the stuff down there a little longer than last year? Absolutely. But it wasn’t because we ignored it.”
He said he tried to get the staging ground moved several years ago, but could not find an alternative site. However, current bulkhead repairs are only scheduled to run another year.
“After that, it’ll be done for a couple years before we get started again,” he said. “When we reach that point, that launch area will be dramatically declined in use – if at all. So, do we want to spend a lot of money trying to push somewhere else when we only have one more year?
“I’m not taking away from what the folks around there have to look at, but we have been very responsive and very engaged in trying to make things happen over the years,” Thompson continued. “It’s always ‘what have you done today’ as opposed to looking at the bigger picture sometimes. I understand it – it’s the nature of the beast – but that’s what makes it hard.”
Thompson said the new yacht club and major renovations of all five pools during recent years were evidence that the administration was being proactive and responsive to the needs of the homeowners. Similarly, a contract to repair two major bridges was recently awarded, with construction scheduled to start in the fall.
“We’ve been on it and things have been good,” Thompson said. “We have had a very limited increase in assessments in recent years, we have more programing, we have a better performance from the amenities, and we’re getting third-party recognition.”
He said that included a “Best Residential Community” nod from Coastal Style, for two consecutive years. The yacht club was named “Best Wedding and Banquet Facility” by multiple publications, recreation and parks received recognition from Maryland Recreation and Parks, and the Public Relations Society of America gave top honors to the Ocean Pines website.
Thompson also pointed to community organizations like the Worcester County Veterans Memorial Foundation, which hosts events and raise awareness of veteran’s affairs in local schools, association-sponsored programs like bulk pickup and junior lifeguard water safety training, and recreation and parks offerings that include one of the largest summer camps in the county, and the concerts in the park and movies in the park series.
Not to mention that Ocean Pines consistently has one of the lowest crime rates in the state.
“That’s a phenomenal thing,” Thompson said. “It shows the effort, in this case, that the police department does each and every day keeping us safe. Being the safest city, especially at this time when things are really tough nationwide, that’s a big deal. We’re real proud of the work they do.
“We’re pretty aggressive in trying to make this community better in so many ways, and we’re seeing the improvements,” he continued. “Unfortunately, you get the vocal minority that want to focus on things that may not be 100 percent where they should be yet, or they want to take a snippet of information and use that as the narrative, which is unfortunate because that’s not who we are.
“Things are going well, folks. They’re not perfect – we recognize there’s always work that needs to be done, but we can’t lose sight of everything that’s going well. We have a lot wonderful people doing a lot of wonderful things in the community,” Thompson said.