By Greg Ellison

Staff Writer

(Nov. 14, 2019) Following the recent submission of annual reports by Ocean Pines Association advisory committees, the Executive Council last Wednesday examined some of the top issues mentioned in them.

OPA President Doug Parks, who presented the Aquatics Committee report, said major updates completed to the Sports Core Pool heating unit made the Clear Comfort System at that location unnecessary.

The committee reported a substantial improvement in air dryness after an Aaron heating unit was installed in February at the Sports Core Pool, making it pointless to continue renting the Clear Comfort System.

Parks also said the committee reported that a leak at the Mumford’s Landing Pool was traced to a skimmer line that was subsequently repaired. That prompted a question about embracing a proactive, rather than reactive, maintenance approach.

“Should we be asking operations to look at the maintenance levels of the other pools and see if there’s something that we need to think about in regard to the reserve study?” Parks asked.

Parks also told the committee that General Manager John Viola is smoothing out issues tied to unused pool access card balances.

“I think we’re pretty close to a solution on that one,” he said.

Budget and Finance Committee member John O’Connor said the groups’ primary charge involves providing annual budget guidance, which culminates with a multiday meeting in January that involves the general manager and board of directors.

“We get to work on the details of the budget as it’s proposed and then the subsequent monthly review of performance of the budget,” he said.

O’Connor said that tracking negative and positive budget variances, and providing potential corrective actions, also fall under the committees purview.

He said among the group’s major undertakings this year were updates to resolutions F-03/F-04, as well as guidance on selecting the new Northstar financial system and assisting in c

ompleting a reserve study.

“Now the chief financial officer will have a tool … to make sure that our reserves are consistent with what the board wants,” he said.

Bylaws & Resolutions Committee Chairman Jim Trummel reported that one task being addressed this year relates to process.

“We started recognizing difficulties to amendments to resolutions and how they were being processed,” he said.

Trummel said an attachment to resolution B-01 to clarify the reporting process to the board would be presented soon.

“To add some outline information on how to introduce new or amended resolutions,” he said.

Among the ongoing tasks delegated to the bylaws committee is  maintaining a resolution spreadsheet that outlines effective dates and scheduled reviews. That includes alerting responsible parties as pending deadlines approach.

Matters under review by the bylaws committee involve several resolutions, most notably M-01, tied to compliance with Declaration of Restriction guidelines.

“The violation compliance process is under significant review and changes will be coming I’m sure,” Trummel said.

Clubs Committee Chairman Gary Miller said the group’s major purpose is to assess public opinion.

“We listen to both praise and criticism of what’s going on at all the clubs,” he said.

Starting with the yacht club, Miller said the groups’ annual report included numerous suggestions pitched in previous years that remain unaddressed.

“In some cases, money was appropriated but the work was never done,” he said.

Miller said acoustical challenges at the yacht club have made some form of sound suppression there a pressing need.

“Sound bounces off the glass a lot so it’s very noisy,” he said.

In hopes of exercising volume controls, the committee has continued to suggest adding sound baffles for the ceiling and upper wall edges, Miller said.

“It’s especially bad in the ballroom,” he said.

Parks noted any forthcoming sound improvements would be coordinated with the Matt Ortt Companies, which are under contract to manage food and beverage operations.

Wet weather and handicap access concerns from residents using wheelchairs or walkers, following building renovations at the yacht club, are also under consideration, Miller said.

“We had talked about a covered entrance from the new entrance to the dining room to the parking lot,” he said. “Right now, in bad weather, people are getting soaked.”

Installing either a push button or motion-activated handicap entrance is being examined, Miller said.

At the beach club, addressing longstanding maintenance issues remains the top priority, Miller said.

“The main concern about the beach club is the lack of ongoing maintenance,” he said.

The matter has been in the committee’s sights for about the last four years, Miller said.

“The decking at the beach club is atrocious,” he said.

Miller said residents have shared similar concerns, which also tie to potential safety issues.

“Something needs to be done to keep the maintenance up,” he said.

O’Connor said the beach club building is the last of the Ocean Pines structures that have been historically neglected.

“This is the last of the buildings that Ocean Pines has let deteriorate over the last 40 years,” he said.

Communications Committee Chairwoman Jenny Cropper Rines said the groups’ multi-year effort to mark the OPA’s half-century point has finally run its course.

“We are finally wrapping up the 50th Anniversary [Committee] stuff, which has been about four years worth of work,” she said.

Slightly revamped town hall meetings introduced this year, which now intersperse questions submitted online with in-person inquiries, have been well received Rines said.

“You get to know what your problems are going to be right out of the gate,” she said.

Looking ahead, the committee is discussing introducing an online “virtual resident’s academy,” Rines said.

The concept is piggybacking an earlier residents academy introduced a few years ago by former General Manager Bob Thompson.

“We also thought it would be a neat orientation for someone who wanted to participate on the board or a new committee chair,” she said.

Elections Committee Chairman Steve Habeger said informational pursuits were the groups’ most important goal this year.

“We put a lot of effort into educating the voters and reducing the number of mismarked ballots,” he said.

While those efforts were deemed successful, other areas, most notably reducing post-deadline ballot submissions, continue to need attention.

“We’re seeing a good improvement on the way that voters respond, except voters don’t respond,” he said.

While varying a notch or two annually, voter participation rates have hovered around 40 percent, Habeger said.

“We sent out more ballots than last year and got fewer ballot returns,” he said.

Turning to upcoming elections, Habeger said the committee is evaluating changing balloting systems, with specific recommendations to be vetted at the group’s next meeting on Nov. 22.

Environmental & Natural Assets Committee member Marty Clarke highlighted the group’s previous work to develop and coordinate a working relationship with agencies at the county, state and federal levels.

Clarke said the focus has been, “To work together with them thinking our number one environmental asset is the waters around us.”

To that end, Clarke said close ties have been forged with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program.

Looking back to land, the committee is also initiating a mailbox pavilion design plan to revamp several of the more than 40 letterbox groupings located throughout Ocean Pines.

“We want to get three up so people can see them,” he said.

Ending with the Marine Activities Committee, member Gerald Horn noted the group is looking to volunteer with forthcoming canal dredging preparations.

“Canal dredging is eventually occurring [and] our committee would like to help with a preliminary depth survey,” he said.

In addition to assisting with locating areas requiring spot dredging, the group could also help track the frequency of complaints from individual property owners.

“Some of that is really predictable, but some of it not so predictable,” he said.

Committee members would volunteer to use their own vessels to identify areas that need dredging.

Parks noted a comparable effort proved useful just after the turn of the century.

“If it hasn’t been done in 16-17 years, maybe it’s time to do that,” he said.

Horn also reported that the committee is continuing to work on addressing parking and access issues at the White Horse Park boat ramp, with hopes of developing a systematic survey to track usage next year.