By Josh Davis, Associate Editor

(Jan. 11, 2018) The discovery of mold at the Ocean Pines Yacht Club apparently has led to the club’s closing for up to three months and numerous staff layoffs.

A press release issued last Friday said the club, its restaurant and banquet facility were closed “after a recent inspection revealed a substantial amount of cladosporium, a common mold that can be found in areas with humidity, moisture and/or water damage.”

“The association’s top concern is the safety of its customers and employees,” the release said. “Consequently, Ocean Pines is working swiftly to ensure that proper measures are taken to remove the mold and to prevent any further problems.”

The facility will remain closed for 60-90 days “as the association undergoes a proposal selection and remediation process,” the release said. “The current estimated cost of the remediation effort will likely exceed $50,000, thus requiring the general manager to seek other proposals for competitive bid.

“The closure of the facility for such an extended period has also forced the layoff of most of the remaining food and beverage employees. Efforts are being made to contact those customers that have special events at The Cove scheduled during the period of closure to provide any assistance possible with options for relocating.”

A separate release issued Monday added, “It should be stated that General Manager John Bailey had been considering the possibility of closing the facility in an effort at reducing operating losses in the current fiscal year.”

“The closure of The Cove at Mumford’s restaurant and banquet hall … coincides with Mr. Bailey’s evaluation of the overall food and beverage (F&B) operational approach. This comes at the Ocean Pines Board of Directors’ direction and includes the possibility of outsourcing the management of F&B operations.

“Mr. Bailey is preparing a report and recommendation on the F&B operations, to include a recommendation for the Board to consider at the Jan. 27 Regular Board Meeting.”

The Gazette reported in December that a small amount of mold had been found, but it was not believed to be hazardous to the air quality. At the time, Bailey said remediation costs were believed to be negligible and weren’t likely to disrupt normal winter hours.

Association Vice President Cheryl Jacobs on Monday, however, said, “It turns out that we’re going to need some more remediation than we originally thought.”

“Apparently, it has to do with a leak last year that wasn’t addressed properly. That created some problems in the attic,” she said. “Unfortunately, when you don’t take care of things, these things happen.”

Jacobs said the severity of the problem “came as a surprise.”

“What we were told was, and this was absolutely the case, there wasn’t anything injurious to anyone’s health, so we had no concerns from that regard,” she said. “But, to take care of the problem properly, we need to take this extra step and get inside the walls and fix this properly.”

She said remediation on the second floor, the primary area of concern, could have occurred while business continued on the first floor.

“That’s not terribly conducive to having people downstairs,” she said. “At the same time, [Bailey] is reevaluating the whole food and beverage operation, so that’s tied in with this closure.”

Jacobs said one local company has replied and another is expected to reply to requests for qualifications regarding consulting at the yacht club.

She confirmed some “staff were laid off” and said it was unclear whether high level workers, including the head chef, would return.

“Let’s say we do lease it out to a management company, then they would be making decisions on who to hire, because they would be in charge or doing it the way they think is best for it to be successful,” she said.

“The bright side is we have an experienced, competent general manager who will address matters appropriately,” Jacobs added.