Rick Farr is elected as the new president of the Ocean Pines Association.

Position seemed unlikely back when he was suing  to validate his candidacy

By Cindy Hoffman, Staff Writer

(Sept. 21, 2023) Ocean Pines Association’s new president, Rick Farr, has come a long way since his rocky election to the board of directors in 2021, when he was disqualified because the property in which he lived was held in the name of his family trust instead of his name.

He ultimately prevailed in the courts after spending $35,000 in lawyer’s fees.

Two years later he became the heir apparent to Doug Parks.

“Doug Parks mentored me throughout the year,” Farr said.

In Farr’s professional life, he is the chief human resources officer for the Town of Easton in Talbot County and served in the U.S. Air Force for 22 years.

He considers his leadership style to be collaborative. He hopes that under his leadership, the board will work together in a cohesive way in the best interest of the community.

So far, the board members have been receptive, he said.

“I want to get buy-in from everybody and be one group with one voice.”

He also wants to focus on transparency and open communication. He plans to do a lot of back-end work to hear member’s thoughts before meetings. That was clearly the case during its first meeting, when they unanimously elected officers on the board.

“I think we have some good directors, they are very talented in every way,” he said.

He has some priorities for the board to focus on, including the new fire house and the irrigation system for the golf course.

He has already engaged with the plans for the fire house. He said he has learned that the bays of the fire house are solid, which will save thousands of dollars in construction.

The board will be considering the irrigation system for the golf course in the next couple of months. The funding for this will come from general funds. He said the replacement of the system will be done in sections off-season and will take a couple of years to complete.

He also has his eye on the beach club, which was built in 1971. He wants to look at renovations to the building, noting that the footprint cannot be changed.

He has high regards for the work of Matt Ortt. Ortt Companies run all of the restaurant venues in Ocean Pines, including the golf club, the yacht club and the beach club.

Regarding the beach club, Farr said he will see what Ortt needs to be successful.

“I will do everything possible to extend Matt Ortt’s contract through the foreseeable future.”

Farr said he also wants to make sure the amenities have what they need.

Farr may be busy with his day job and his board activities, but he also makes time for volunteer work. On Oct. 8, he will join other volunteers at the Yacht Club to assemble care packages for military troops. Steel Blu Vodka is sponsoring the event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Farr invites folks to join him to assemble the boxes and enjoy live entertainment by Cup o’ Joe and happy hour food and drink specials.