(Sept. 7, 2017) The John Bailey era in Ocean Pines officially starts Monday, Sept. 11, more than one year after the previous permanent general manager was fired on Aug. 26, 2016.
At that time, newly elected Director Brett Hill stepped into the role. The board of directors, which included only one member, Dave Stevens, who had served for more than one year, had a mostly hands-off approach in its guidance of Hill.
Hill spearheaded efforts to reinvigorate the yacht club and country club, and attempted to extend the season and hours of operation at the beach club. Traditionally, with beach club parking, the beach club is one of the biggest moneymakers in Ocean Pines.
All three club buildings underwent significant renovations and work continues at the country club. A snafu involving fire safety systems caused construction on the second floor of the country club to stop, as the fire marshal ordered twice-hourly inspections until sprinkler systems were reinstalled. The situation took several weeks to resolve and reportedly cost $500 per day in staffing costs.
Last month, it appeared the board was close to awarding a more than $500,000 contract to Willow Construction LLC to restart the country club renovations, at Hill’s request and without seeking other bidders, but that did not happen.
Meanwhile, returns at the yacht club and beach club have been unusually poor during what are traditionally two of the most robust months, June and July.
The beach club posted a net operating loss of $34,288 in June and a $5,647 loss in July. The facility made $22,141 in June 2016 and $81,408 in July 2016.
The yacht club had a net operating loss of $115,537 in June and a $15,499 loss in July, against profits of $12,867 in June 2016 and $66,027 in July 2016.
Some board members accused Hill of fostering poor working conditions, namely conducting video and audio surveillance of various Ocean Pines facilities, including the administration building, without notifying employees.
The surveillance reportedly led to the resignation of at least one department director. Nearly a dozen high-level employees have either been fired or resigned during Hill’s tenure as interim general manager.
In May, Director Cheryl Jacobs said at some members of the board were excluded from any conversations regarding the surveillance.
“I can respond that it was without the knowledge of some directors, myself included,” she said at the time.
Along with righting the ship at the beach and yacht clubs, Bailey will have to find a way to get the country club construction back on track. An expansion of the police facilities in the administration building would be next, because meeting space from one building was supposed to move to the other.
He will also face restarting the bulkhead maintenance program that paused for one year, addressing decades-old stormwater problems and, potentially, reexamining options for the formerly adults-only Oasis pool, a particularly sore subject with many of the older homeowners.
What’s more, budget season generally starts in September in Ocean Pines, when the general manager and department heads begin work on a draft that is reviewed by the board in January.
Parks, after the election, said getting all the directors on the same page in support of Bailey is his highest priority.
“I think that is the first and foremost thing that we have to do collectively,” he said. “I think other things will fall in place based on his leadership and our support of him.”
Bailey, most recently the general manager of the Skyline Plaza condominium association, in Falls Church, Virginia, was the general manager of the Brandermill development in Richmond, Virginia from 2013-2016, and general manager of the Lake of the Woods homeowner’s association in Locust Grove, Virginia from 2001 to 2009.
At that time, newly elected Director Brett Hill stepped into the role. The board of directors, which included only one member, Dave Stevens, who had served for more than one year, had a mostly hands-off approach in its guidance of Hill.
Hill spearheaded efforts to reinvigorate the yacht club and country club, and attempted to extend the season and hours of operation at the beach club. Traditionally, with beach club parking, the beach club is one of the biggest moneymakers in Ocean Pines.
All three club buildings underwent significant renovations and work continues at the country club. A snafu involving fire safety systems caused construction on the second floor of the country club to stop, as the fire marshal ordered twice-hourly inspections until sprinkler systems were reinstalled. The situation took several weeks to resolve and reportedly cost $500 per day in staffing costs.
Last month, it appeared the board was close to awarding a more than $500,000 contract to Willow Construction LLC to restart the country club renovations, at Hill’s request and without seeking other bidders, but that did not happen.
Meanwhile, returns at the yacht club and beach club have been unusually poor during what are traditionally two of the most robust months, June and July.
The beach club posted a net operating loss of $34,288 in June and a $5,647 loss in July. The facility made $22,141 in June 2016 and $81,408 in July 2016.
The yacht club had a net operating loss of $115,537 in June and a $15,499 loss in July, against profits of $12,867 in June 2016 and $66,027 in July 2016.
Some board members accused Hill of fostering poor working conditions, namely conducting video and audio surveillance of various Ocean Pines facilities, including the administration building, without notifying employees.
The surveillance reportedly led to the resignation of at least one department director. Nearly a dozen high-level employees have either been fired or resigned during Hill’s tenure as interim general manager.
In May, Director Cheryl Jacobs said at some members of the board were excluded from any conversations regarding the surveillance.
“I can respond that it was without the knowledge of some directors, myself included,” she said at the time.
Along with righting the ship at the beach and yacht clubs, Bailey will have to find a way to get the country club construction back on track. An expansion of the police facilities in the administration building would be next, because meeting space from one building was supposed to move to the other.
He will also face restarting the bulkhead maintenance program that paused for one year, addressing decades-old stormwater problems and, potentially, reexamining options for the formerly adults-only Oasis pool, a particularly sore subject with many of the older homeowners.
What’s more, budget season generally starts in September in Ocean Pines, when the general manager and department heads begin work on a draft that is reviewed by the board in January.
Parks, after the election, said getting all the directors on the same page in support of Bailey is his highest priority.
“I think that is the first and foremost thing that we have to do collectively,” he said. “I think other things will fall in place based on his leadership and our support of him.”
Bailey, most recently the general manager of the Skyline Plaza condominium association, in Falls Church, Virginia, was the general manager of the Brandermill development in Richmond, Virginia from 2013-2016, and general manager of the Lake of the Woods homeowner’s association in Locust Grove, Virginia from 2001 to 2009.