Ocean Pines current fiscal year expected to finish out roughly $400,000 in black

By Greg Ellison

(March 12, 2020) In addition to reporting capital project figures are on course so far, Ocean Pines Association General Manager John Viola said Saturday that he the believes the budget year would close out more than $400,000 in the black.

Viola updated progress on several building initiatives, and reported revenue and expense figures, during the Ocean Pines Association Board meeting on Saturday.

Golf course improvements are rolling along, with Viola noting the clubhouse project should be wrapped up no later than May 1.

“We’re hoping for a soft opening before that in April,” he said.

The clubhouse was budgeted at $1.6 million, with just over $1 million spent to date, which Viola said is under constant review.

“I do it daily and I have oversight by several members of the board,” he said. “At this time we’re on track [for] the spend to be below $1.5 million.”

Viola said food operations at the golf course, formerly run as

Ocean Pines Association General Manager John Viola unveiled strong year-to-date budget figures during the Ocean Pines Association Board meeting on Saturday.

, have been reimagined as the Club House Bar Grille.

“There will be a 14-foot wide deck going almost the length of the building,” he said. “There will eventually be an awning on there.”

The new golf cart barn should be completed within a week, Viola said.

The cart barn was budgeted at $430,000 with roughly $291,000 spent to this date.

“I can tell you pretty confidently that that number will probably be around $310,000 … or $315,000,” he said

Viola said further information about golf course upgrades would be provided during a town hall meeting about spray irrigation [today] March 12 at 5 p.m. in the Ocean Pines community center.

Turning to the recently begun police building expansion, Viola said about $283,000 of the $1.2 million budgeted total has been spent so far.

“We just started that a couple months ago,” he said. “I’m putting down a completion date of September.”

The renovation costs for the closely associated administration building are also on target, Viola said.

“We have in the budget $220,000 in [fiscal] 2020/21 and as of now a projection of $175,000 for the room and siding,” he said.

Looking at monthly financials compared to budget for this January, Viola said although revenues were unfavorable by roughly $8,000, countering that were expenses favorable by approximately $26,000.

“For a net number for the month of $18,000 of positive operations,” he said.

Looking at year-to-date figures, Viola said with three months remaining in fiscal year 2019/2020, both revenues and expenses are favorable to budget by approximately $431,000 and $211,000 respectively, for a positive net operating variance of $661,00.

Those numbers will be slightly tempered during the last quarter of the budget year, Viola said.

“We’ll definitely cover the $250,000 the board earmarked to pay off the operating deficit which was reflected by not being part of the assessment,” he said. “We’re estimating we should be favorable around $450,000.”