JOSH DAVIS/BAYSIDE GAZETTE
Ocean Pines officials this week said building a new country club has not been taken completely off the table, but would only be considered if renovation estimates come in much higher than expected.

By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(Dec. 13, 2018) Addressing poor conditions at the Ocean Pines Golf and Country Club has become a top priority for the association board of directors, although a decision on what to do next has now dragged on for well over a year.

Originally thought to cost around $500,000, renovation estimates for the second floor now exceed $1 million and some are wondering how high costs have to escalate before other options are considered.

“Ocean Pines, right now, is committed to doing the renovation. That’s what we’ve bid. That’s what we’ve spent money on drawings for. That’s why we’ve investigated all of the other problems on the outside of the building – including the full envelope of the building – so we can eliminate the additional leaking going on downstairs,” Director Ted Moroney said. “So, we’re committed to doing this.”

There is, however, a caveat.

“If the number is tremendously out of the ballpark and is not a sustainable number for what we get at the end, then I believe the board would at least look at the possibility of [building] a smaller facility,” Moroney said. “That smaller facility could be golf only – which I doubt would be done – or could be a combination of golf and meeting rooms, just done on a single level with a much more efficient layout and modern construction and HVAC.

“At this point, the board is not considering, or have they bid anything on a new building. Certainly, that has been floated around for a number of years but, given the problems downstairs, we’ve got to fix the entire outside of the building – that’s first and foremost,” he added.

Asked what “tremendously out of the ballpark” might be, Moroney said anything over $1.5 million would probably warrant additional discussion.

“You’re then in that area of wanting to decide, is this the best long-term solution for Ocean Pines,” he said, adding several years ago a previous board and general manager did estimate a $2 million to $2.2 million cost for a smaller new building.

“Was that golf only? Was that golf and meeting room space?” Moroney asked. “If, for some reason, the number were out of the world and we were going to go a different direction, I would not be in favor of a golf-only rebuild.

“If we end up having to consider that, I would want the building to have enough space to be used by a large bulk of the community for things other than golf. I would still want to look in that direction,” he said.

According to General Manager John Bailey, costs are already soaring toward the warning track.

“I believe the total costs for the project – the bid numbers plus contingency and upfitting costs – will be between $1.6 and $1.7 million,” Bailey said, adding that anything above $1.7 million “would require referendum approval by the membership.”

“As for a new build, the answer all depends on the size/square footage,” he continued. “One also has to factor in the cost of full demolition and additional planning and design costs.

“In the end, it’s probably not necessarily cheaper to build new. However, to build new may be the better investment of our dollars as well as for the future of the amenity,” Bailey said. “This applies not just in terms of its impact on golf, but also to its value added concept of the facility’s design, and availability to be utilized by the entire community for meetings and gatherings that are not related to golf at all.”

During a board meeting on Dec. 1, Bailey said five contractors attended a pre-bid meeting related to country club renovations in November. He said engineering firm Davis, Bowen & Friedel Inc. has been in contact with 13 contractors said to be interested in the project.

The bidding deadline is Dec. 14.

“The review of the proposals will take place later in the month … and then it will be up to the board to consider the next steps with that project, some time in January,” Bailey said at the time.