(Aug. 25, 2016) Tom Herrick, last year’s leading vote-getter, was elected president of the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors during an organizational meeting on Monday. The vote totals were not announced, as the seven-member board elects officers by secret ballot.
Also during the meeting, Dave Stevens was elected vice president and two newly elected directors, Slobodan Trendic and Pat Supik, were confirmed as secretary and treasurer, respectively.
Stevens was also confirmed as the parliamentarian. Supik was appointed liaison to the budget and finance committee, which she formerly chaired, and Trendic was appointed liaison to the elections committee. All other liaison positions were postponed until Herrick could gather feedback from the individual directors as to their preference.
Gene Ringsdorf and Art Carmine were confirmed as assistant treasurers, and Michelle Bennet was confirmed as the assistant secretary.
At the start of the meeting, outgoing President Pat Renaud announced he would not run for president again, instead nominating Cheryl Jacobs.
“She’s worked with me for the whole year,” Renaud said. “She’s learned an awful lot … and has been my right arm in many of the situations that we’ve come across.”
Stevens then nominated Herrick for president, and the vote was held, which was presided over by attorney Joe Moore.
When it came time to name legal counsel, which has traditionally gone to Moore, Trendic motioned that the directors defer that decision until they “comply with the bylaws and conduct an open, competitive procedures” for both that position and for the auditor.
“I hope Mr. Moore would be one of those to respond to the [request for proposal] process once the board has an opportunity to put one together,” Trendic said.
That vote passed 5-2, with only Jacobs and Renaud opposing.
The board also agreed on three upcoming board meetings, and reinstated the previous practice of holding work sessions. All sessions will be open to members of the association.
Work sessions will be held on Sept. 19 at 9 a.m., Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. and on Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. Board meetings will be held on Sept. 24 at 10 a.m., Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. and Dec. 9 at 9 a.m. No November meeting was scheduled.
Additionally, a special working session will be held on Aug. 26 at 4:30 p.m. to address a motion proposed by Trendic and passed after an amendment. He had moved that General Manager Bob Thompson “halt any new or currently board-approved projects from starting, including but not limited to any work at the Manklin Meadows area, the White Horse Park bathrooms, the beach club bathrooms and the country club related project work.”
Supik worried that the motion would set a precedent, saying the next board could also halt any in-progress or not completed projects approved by this board.
“Are we going to halt those all while the new board gets up to speed again? It doesn’t seem like that’s very productive for the community,” she said. “If there are particular issues with some of the projects that are questionable, then that’s a different story.”
Trendic insisted that his motion was not meant to set a precedent, but was rather meant to address controversies associated with some of the projects, and to allow the new board to evaluate “what the previous board has done.”
Moore cautioned that the directors be careful to not break any existing contracts.
“If contracts have been let, whether work has begun or not, the association has a contractual obligation to go forward with those. I don’t care who the board members are who voted for it,” he said. “It should be very carefully noted that if any obligation has been made … in my judgement that is a breach of contract.”
General Manager Bob Thompson said work had indeed begun at White Horse Park, and that bids had been received for renovations at the beach club, but no contracts were signed. Elsewhere, an engineering study was being updated at the country club, and he said no contracts were signed regarding work at Manklin Meadows.
Brett Hill proposed an amendment that left out the White Horse Park bathrooms and added “until close of business on Aug. 29.”
“We have a limited window … suspending any work,” Hill said.
That motion, and the original motion as amended, passed 5-2 with only Jacobs and Renaud voting “no.”
Also likely to be on the agenda during the Aug. 26 session are three motions proposed, but then tabled, by Hill.
They include a motion to remove the food truck from the fiscal year 2017 operating budget, to “immediately mobilize an objective, third-party licensed plumber” to address a persistent odor at the yacht club, and to authorize the general manager to address “unattractive growth” at a residence on 39 Westfield Circle.
On Sept. 21 at 9 a.m. the board will also meet with the budget and finance committee to start work on the next fiscal year budget. No locations were named for the meetings.
Also during the meeting, Dave Stevens was elected vice president and two newly elected directors, Slobodan Trendic and Pat Supik, were confirmed as secretary and treasurer, respectively.
Stevens was also confirmed as the parliamentarian. Supik was appointed liaison to the budget and finance committee, which she formerly chaired, and Trendic was appointed liaison to the elections committee. All other liaison positions were postponed until Herrick could gather feedback from the individual directors as to their preference.
Gene Ringsdorf and Art Carmine were confirmed as assistant treasurers, and Michelle Bennet was confirmed as the assistant secretary.
At the start of the meeting, outgoing President Pat Renaud announced he would not run for president again, instead nominating Cheryl Jacobs.
“She’s worked with me for the whole year,” Renaud said. “She’s learned an awful lot … and has been my right arm in many of the situations that we’ve come across.”
Stevens then nominated Herrick for president, and the vote was held, which was presided over by attorney Joe Moore.
When it came time to name legal counsel, which has traditionally gone to Moore, Trendic motioned that the directors defer that decision until they “comply with the bylaws and conduct an open, competitive procedures” for both that position and for the auditor.
“I hope Mr. Moore would be one of those to respond to the [request for proposal] process once the board has an opportunity to put one together,” Trendic said.
That vote passed 5-2, with only Jacobs and Renaud opposing.
The board also agreed on three upcoming board meetings, and reinstated the previous practice of holding work sessions. All sessions will be open to members of the association.
Work sessions will be held on Sept. 19 at 9 a.m., Oct. 17 at 9 a.m. and on Dec. 5 at 9 a.m. Board meetings will be held on Sept. 24 at 10 a.m., Oct. 22 at 10 a.m. and Dec. 9 at 9 a.m. No November meeting was scheduled.
Additionally, a special working session will be held on Aug. 26 at 4:30 p.m. to address a motion proposed by Trendic and passed after an amendment. He had moved that General Manager Bob Thompson “halt any new or currently board-approved projects from starting, including but not limited to any work at the Manklin Meadows area, the White Horse Park bathrooms, the beach club bathrooms and the country club related project work.”
Supik worried that the motion would set a precedent, saying the next board could also halt any in-progress or not completed projects approved by this board.
“Are we going to halt those all while the new board gets up to speed again? It doesn’t seem like that’s very productive for the community,” she said. “If there are particular issues with some of the projects that are questionable, then that’s a different story.”
Trendic insisted that his motion was not meant to set a precedent, but was rather meant to address controversies associated with some of the projects, and to allow the new board to evaluate “what the previous board has done.”
Moore cautioned that the directors be careful to not break any existing contracts.
“If contracts have been let, whether work has begun or not, the association has a contractual obligation to go forward with those. I don’t care who the board members are who voted for it,” he said. “It should be very carefully noted that if any obligation has been made … in my judgement that is a breach of contract.”
General Manager Bob Thompson said work had indeed begun at White Horse Park, and that bids had been received for renovations at the beach club, but no contracts were signed. Elsewhere, an engineering study was being updated at the country club, and he said no contracts were signed regarding work at Manklin Meadows.
Brett Hill proposed an amendment that left out the White Horse Park bathrooms and added “until close of business on Aug. 29.”
“We have a limited window … suspending any work,” Hill said.
That motion, and the original motion as amended, passed 5-2 with only Jacobs and Renaud voting “no.”
Also likely to be on the agenda during the Aug. 26 session are three motions proposed, but then tabled, by Hill.
They include a motion to remove the food truck from the fiscal year 2017 operating budget, to “immediately mobilize an objective, third-party licensed plumber” to address a persistent odor at the yacht club, and to authorize the general manager to address “unattractive growth” at a residence on 39 Westfield Circle.
On Sept. 21 at 9 a.m. the board will also meet with the budget and finance committee to start work on the next fiscal year budget. No locations were named for the meetings.