By Tara Fischer

Staff Writer

Two new bocce ball courts are coming to Ocean Pines this spring for a cost that community officials claim will pay for itself within seven years.

At an Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors meeting last week, the governing body approved proceeding with a staff recommendation of $50,692 to an outside contractor, Southwest Greens Delaware Valley, to build two bocce courts at the Yacht Club, where a current play area currently sits. The project is expected to be completed in May. OPA General Manager John Viola said that with registration, the initiative should yield a return on investment within seven years.

“With memberships, a projection of 100 members…they will break even somewhere around the sixth year, the seventh year,” Viola said.

The general manager added that the courts could pay for themselves even sooner because of ancillary income from bocce members’ food and beverage purchases.

“I will update over the years on what we believe, working with the food and beverage, what we believe is the ancillary income from having [the courts] at the Yacht Club and what [bocce players] purchase at the Yacht Club,” he said. “If we factored that in, [return on investment] would probably only be around two years.”

Southwest Greens Delaware Valley will complete the installation process in time for the summer season. The association weighed the pros and cons of creating courts with either synthetic or natural materials. Officials opted to build synthetic bocce spaces, as they require less maintenance than their natural counterparts.

“The two courts we are proposing to build are synthetic,” said Mike Galello, the Ocean Pines bocce ball club director. “We are doing it right, so we have 10 years on this court before it even needs maintenance. That’s the advantage of going synthetic versus natural. Natural, you need constant maintenance like you need to roll it. Synthetic is where we need to be.”

Viola says the soon-to-be-installed play areas will be standard, professional, club-sized courts.

Galello formed an Ocean Pines Bocce Ball Club earlier this year. The initiative took shape in late 2024, and an inaugural club meeting was held in January.

“[Bocce] is something I grew up with,” Galello said in a December press release. “It was a neighborhood activity, and it has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.”

Galello envisioned the bocce league as a casual game to be enjoyed by anyone.

“[Bocce] is perfect for people who may have graduated from more physically demanding sports but still want to stay active and engaged,” he added in the release. “This is a game for everyone. It’s fun, strategic, and social – and I think it’s something the Ocean Pines community will enjoy.”