By Greg Ellison

Advisory group discusses pending and future needs for various pool facilities

(Nov. 19, 2020) Reconvening for the first time since the onset of coronavirus, the Ocean Pines Aquatics Committee last Tuesday finalized its annual report and charted plans for next year.

Chairwoman Kathy Grimes said the meeting — marked by social distancing and a facemask requirement — was the committee’s first since March.

“We picked back up,” she said.

The meeting concentrated on finalizing the groups’ annual report, which was later submitted to the OPA Executive Council.

“We have a lot of catch-up to do,” she said.

Committee members also found time to rank the tasks ahead in order of importance.

“We’re looking at different pools in Ocean Pines and what their needs are … what we thought were the most important so we could zero in where we want to start,” Grimes said.

Plans are to begin the inspection process with the Sports Core Pool, which remains in operation, while inspections of facilities shuttered for the offseason would probably take place during 2021.

“We don’t know what summer is going to bring,” she said. “As the pools open, we’ll go around and visit … see the lifeguards and talk to the staff and just see what they need and how things look.”

Grimes said with the exception of the Sports Core Pool, obtaining an operational view of the closed outdoor pools would be challenging because they have covers on them.

Next spring as outdoor pools are preparing to reopen, Aquatics Committee members will inspect the sites to see what repairs might be needed.

“Sometimes you have a tile fall off,” she said. “You never know what the winter brings with freezing and thawing.”