By Greg Ellison

Staff Writer

(Jan. 16, 2020) Residents on Watertown Road in Ocean Pines may experience slight delays through next week due to a scheduled pipe replacement that will close portions of the road for through traffic until completed.

Director of Amenities and Operational Logistics Colby Phillips said work on the drainage improvement project began on Monday.

“We’re finishing out this fiscal year plan,” she said. “At the Feb. 5 board meeting, I’m going to be doing a drainage presentation on projects completed and … our upcoming plans.”

Murtech Marine Division of Salisbury has been retained to complete the updates at a cost of roughly $100,000.

Phillips said the current scope of work on Watertown Road includes replacing drainage pipes dating back four decades.

The deteriorating infrastructure will be updated with lightweight

Residents on Watertown Road in Ocean Pines may experience minor delays as work continues through next week to replace 40-year-old deteriorating drainage pipes with higher durability ADS Polyflex pipe6

, which are chemically resistant and provide greater longevity, along with replacing catch basins.

Phillips emphasized the importance of informing the community regarding neighborhood projects and, in this instance, ample lead time permitted direct contact.

“I dropped off letters on Monday to the homeowners,” she said. “I had a couple reach out by email.”

Phillips said in light of the additional drainage improvements on tap during 2020, assuring residents are informed is vital.

“We do really appreciate everybody’s patience, because it can be frustrating when you’re used to one way and you’re a little bit inconvenienced,” she said. “In the big picture, it’s working toward a better good.”

Phillips encouraged interested homeowners to attend the next board meeting on Feb. 5 where a wealth of information on upcoming drainage work will be reviewed.

“Keeping everybody in the loop with what’s going in because drainage is an ongoing effort,” she said. “It’s really important to the team that we keep it flowing, literally.”

For questions about the project, contact Phillips at cphillips@oceanpines.org.