By Greg Ellison

(March 3, 2022) The Ocean Pines Communications Committee continued to discuss the installation of electronic message boards and how to catalog historical community items, and previewed two town halls slated for March during its meeting last Wednesday.

Committee Chair Cheryl Jacobs said board of directors discussions last month about upgrading existing marquees with electronic message boards put the proposal in doubt.

Discussions on the topic during the board meeting on Jan. 22 revealed that Worcester Development, Review and Planning Deputy Director Jennifer Keener reportedly stated that installing any electronic signs would require removal of all existing marquees.

“I don’t recall that being a requirement,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs said earlier conversations did not involve an agreement to remove old signs.

“It was never, ‘you put in electronic and they all have to go,’” she said. “We need to pursue that further.”

Committee member Jenny Cropper Rines said that during initial talks on the matter removing existing signage was a goal but not a requirement.

“During the process, we thought the language was ambiguous enough that we should be able to have eight signs period,” she said.

Jacobs said she recently spoke with former Worcester  County Planning Commission member Mike Diffendal, who failed to recollect the all-or-nothing aspect being included as a condition when a favorable recommendation was given in Dec. 2020.

“We need to pursue this with [Commissioners Chip] Bertino and [Jim] Bunting,” she said.

Rines recalled earlier conversations about removing existing signs.

“In terms of the language of the law, it wasn’t part of it, I don’t believe,” she said.

In February 2021, the county commissioners approved a related amendment to zoning regulations to permit Ocean Pines eight signs in the community.

Committee member Marlene Ott also recalled that the commissioners’ approval would have allowed up to eight signs.

Ott also concurred with Jacobs’ suggestion to contact Bertino and Bunting.

Rines noted electronic signs would allow the association to post real-time emergency information, including Amber Alerts.

Jacobs agreed, but said those perks were not the primary motivation to install newer technology.

“We’re not saying spend this kind of money just so we can have emergency alerts,” she said.

Ott agreed to contact Keener to confirm details on sign counts, with Jacobs on board to contact Bertino and Bunting.

“It didn’t make it to this year’s budget, so we’ve got plenty of time to work on this,” she said.

In other business, Rines provided an update on plans to contact officials at the Nabb Research Center located at Salisbury University regarding preservation of historical Pines items.

“They do have climate control,” she said.

Despite the HVAC advantage, Rines said doubts surfaced after learning more about the NABB Center’s mission.

“I don’t think that’s the direction we’re moving in,” she said.

Jacobs said if the NABB Center was not a viable option another avenue to catalog and preserve historical items would need to be pursued.

“It would be lovely if we could get some sponsors to build us an annex to the craft center,” she said.

Jacobs said the site could serve as a “historical museum” to display relics for the community to inspect.

Rines agreed with the concept but questioned the timing.

“I like the idea, but it sounds like a future goal,” she said.

In the meantime, Rines suggested finding volunteers to unpack boxes of Pines historical items.

“I’ve never seen it all out of the box at once,” she said. “We can certainly aim for a location to display it, but we’ve got to really know what we’ve got.”

Jacobs suggested recruiting high school students living in Ocean Pines to assist with the effort.

“It would work for community service obligations,” she said.

Rines said organization is a crucial element.

“The first step is going through and storing it better,” she said.

Jacobs also previewed a pair of town halls scheduled in March.

Communications Committee members are assisting the Strategic Planning Committee during a town hall meeting on March 2 to recap results from the recent property owners’ survey.

Also on March 19 at 9 a.m. a town hall is being held to review proposed bylaw changes.

Both town halls will be held virtually, with the March 19 meeting held at the Golf Clubhouse.

The next Communications Committee meeting is scheduled on March 17 at 10 a.m.