(May 7, 2015) A motion by OPA Vice President Marty Clarke concerning the possible winterization of the community’s new yacht club fell to a 6-1 defeat during a public board of directors meeting on April 30.
Were it not for language that offered the possibility of closing the club from October to April – and not accepting any banquets or other special events during that period – his call for increased scrutiny of the operation might have had a better chance.
“The problem I have, and certainly the GM [General Manager Bob Thompson] has, is the second part [of the motion] where we turn down the banquet business,” Board President Dave Stevens said.
Treasurer Jack Collins also objected, saying, October is “one of the prime months … for package plans for golfers. They come down to Ocean City, they play various courses, and hopefully we should be able to capture some of that business.”
Clarke’s motion was to direct the general manager to investigate options to improve the club’s bottom line. That investigation would include considering the possibility of closing and winterizing the facility from “or around the first week of October 2015 … until April of 2016.”
The motion included a stipulation that no new banquet or catered events could be booked in the facility during that timeframe, “Until such time at the GM can provide a report on these options.
“The board of director’s fiduciary responsibility to our membership does not include providing a ‘Gathering Place’ during the offseason,” Clarke said in the motion, adding that the has lost $224,962 in just the last six months.
Several members of the community at the meeting almost uniformly panned the notion of closing the facility during public comments.
So, too, did the other directors.
Parliamentarian Tom Terry said General Manager Bob Thompson was already exploring options for the facility.
“There’s no question that there’s a big issue as to how well the yacht club performs and activities that make the offseason [and] shoulder season more successful. That’s the focus of where energies need to be spent. They’re already being spent,” Terry said.
If passed, Terry warned, the motion could cripple the yacht club’s ability to book events in the future.
“I can just see the headlines now, ‘Ocean Pines Board votes to possibly close yacht club,’ because that’s exactly what this does if you start failing to accept catering and banquet events while some research study is going on,” Terry said. “The damage will be done immediately in the public eye.
“You do not announce that you may close something based on some study that may be coming,” Terry added. “If I’m a bride, I’m walking away from the yacht club right now if this board of directors passes a motion that even comes close to announcing the yacht club is going to be closed … My position is, you pass this motion you have irrefutably damaged the image of our yacht club.”
Clarke countered, however, “That ship has sailed. We’ve lost a quarter of a million … in the last six months and you’re worried about damaging our reputation? Dear God.”
Terry defended the yacht club’s performance, saying special open-to-the-public events, including trivia nights, were “filling up our restaurant on Sunday nights.”
“The numbers don’t agree,” Clarke said. “You talk about trivia and we’re doing all these wonderful things. For five weeks, starting Feb. 22, on Sundays, gross sales [averaged] $3,590. For God’s sakes, Pickle’s Pub would shut their door if they had a day like that. We’re not doing anything, guys. It’s getting worse and worse and worse.”
Secretary Pat Renaud also warned the motion could cause the facility to lose its chef, manager and much of the staff.
“All of the quality people are going to look for employment right now, and when you reopen again in June you’re going to have a hamburger flipper and a couple of people off the street running it, and that’s noting going to be acceptable at all,” he said.”
Clarke continued to fight back, saying other facilities in Ocean Pines, including the beach club, shut down for the winter.
“We have a fiduciary duty to be good stewards of our membership’s money – not our year-round residents,” he said. “We don’t have a fiduciary duty for a gathering place. This isn’t a retirement community in Virginia. The open-for-business plan is great [but] you’ve got to have the business part of it.”
Stevens had the final word, saying he could not accept the motion as written, adding, “I believe [Clarke] is right in that we have not had a serious look.
“Last September I made a motion [to] examine what’s happening closely,” Stevens said. “What they basically gave us was a bunch of opinions. There’s no data … we don’t have any hard information at all.
“I don’t accept what Tom says … but at the same time, Marty, I can’t vote for this motion because I can’t shut down,” Stevens added.
Were it not for language that offered the possibility of closing the club from October to April – and not accepting any banquets or other special events during that period – his call for increased scrutiny of the operation might have had a better chance.
“The problem I have, and certainly the GM [General Manager Bob Thompson] has, is the second part [of the motion] where we turn down the banquet business,” Board President Dave Stevens said.
Treasurer Jack Collins also objected, saying, October is “one of the prime months … for package plans for golfers. They come down to Ocean City, they play various courses, and hopefully we should be able to capture some of that business.”
Clarke’s motion was to direct the general manager to investigate options to improve the club’s bottom line. That investigation would include considering the possibility of closing and winterizing the facility from “or around the first week of October 2015 … until April of 2016.”
The motion included a stipulation that no new banquet or catered events could be booked in the facility during that timeframe, “Until such time at the GM can provide a report on these options.
“The board of director’s fiduciary responsibility to our membership does not include providing a ‘Gathering Place’ during the offseason,” Clarke said in the motion, adding that the has lost $224,962 in just the last six months.
Several members of the community at the meeting almost uniformly panned the notion of closing the facility during public comments.
So, too, did the other directors.
Parliamentarian Tom Terry said General Manager Bob Thompson was already exploring options for the facility.
“There’s no question that there’s a big issue as to how well the yacht club performs and activities that make the offseason [and] shoulder season more successful. That’s the focus of where energies need to be spent. They’re already being spent,” Terry said.
If passed, Terry warned, the motion could cripple the yacht club’s ability to book events in the future.
“I can just see the headlines now, ‘Ocean Pines Board votes to possibly close yacht club,’ because that’s exactly what this does if you start failing to accept catering and banquet events while some research study is going on,” Terry said. “The damage will be done immediately in the public eye.
“You do not announce that you may close something based on some study that may be coming,” Terry added. “If I’m a bride, I’m walking away from the yacht club right now if this board of directors passes a motion that even comes close to announcing the yacht club is going to be closed … My position is, you pass this motion you have irrefutably damaged the image of our yacht club.”
Clarke countered, however, “That ship has sailed. We’ve lost a quarter of a million … in the last six months and you’re worried about damaging our reputation? Dear God.”
Terry defended the yacht club’s performance, saying special open-to-the-public events, including trivia nights, were “filling up our restaurant on Sunday nights.”
“The numbers don’t agree,” Clarke said. “You talk about trivia and we’re doing all these wonderful things. For five weeks, starting Feb. 22, on Sundays, gross sales [averaged] $3,590. For God’s sakes, Pickle’s Pub would shut their door if they had a day like that. We’re not doing anything, guys. It’s getting worse and worse and worse.”
Secretary Pat Renaud also warned the motion could cause the facility to lose its chef, manager and much of the staff.
“All of the quality people are going to look for employment right now, and when you reopen again in June you’re going to have a hamburger flipper and a couple of people off the street running it, and that’s noting going to be acceptable at all,” he said.”
Clarke continued to fight back, saying other facilities in Ocean Pines, including the beach club, shut down for the winter.
“We have a fiduciary duty to be good stewards of our membership’s money – not our year-round residents,” he said. “We don’t have a fiduciary duty for a gathering place. This isn’t a retirement community in Virginia. The open-for-business plan is great [but] you’ve got to have the business part of it.”
Stevens had the final word, saying he could not accept the motion as written, adding, “I believe [Clarke] is right in that we have not had a serious look.
“Last September I made a motion [to] examine what’s happening closely,” Stevens said. “What they basically gave us was a bunch of opinions. There’s no data … we don’t have any hard information at all.
“I don’t accept what Tom says … but at the same time, Marty, I can’t vote for this motion because I can’t shut down,” Stevens added.