OP GM announces completion of the Police building one month early and $100k under budget

(Aug. 3, 2020) After more than a decade of talking about renovating the cramped and outdated Ocean Pines Police headquarters, officers this week will finally move into a newly expanded and modernized space. 

The revamped Police quarters, next to the Ocean Pines Administration Building on Ocean Parkway, is estimated to finish construction at a cost of $1.162 million, or about $100,000 below budget. It’s also a month ahead of the original completion date of September 2020. 

The Whayland Company of Laurel, Delaware oversaw construction, but many helped in moving the project from the planning stages to the final product, including the Ocean Pines Public Works and IT departments, local builders Marvin Steen and Bill Stamp, and designer Tobie Jacobs.  

Fittingly, Leo Ehrisman officially took over as the new Ocean Pines Police Chief on Aug. 1, just in time to make the move into the new offices. Ehrisman said the renovated space totals about 5,300 square feet, while the old quarters was much smaller, at just 1,700 square feet.  

He said the old space was built for six people. The Ocean Pines Police Department currently has a staff that’s four times larger.  

“The original building was built when Ocean Pines was still a ‘special police department.’ And it was a construction building – it wasn’t a public safety building,” he said. “The new one has been designed and built as an actual public safety building. It meets the state requirements as far as holding facilities, as well as all the other safety regulations and federal ADA regulations.” 

One of the main benefits for Police, according to Ehrisman, is separating “good guys from bad guys.” 

“In the old building, if we locked somebody up, they were basically in the same work area as civilians and dispatchers. In this building, that’s completely independent,” he said. “It has a processing area and a holding area that is separate from the officers’ workspace and the civilians’ workspace – as a public safety building should be.” 

Public Works Director Eddie Wells agreed that safety was the biggest concern.  

“It’s a lot safer building now,” Wells said. “Before, if you brought a prisoner in, they would walk right back and sit at a table where an officer was doing work. Now, it’s all separated. The safety and security is just so much better.” 

Wells said the renovation also helped update the heating and air conditioning systems of the old offices, built around the late 1970s or early 1980s, as well as supply a much-needed technology upgrade. 

For example, Ehrisman said new phone and computer systems can now tie into the Worcester County dispatch through a universal 911 hookup. That means, in case of an emergency, Ocean Pines Police could work from the county offices in Snow Hill, or vice versa.  

There are also many everyday uses for the new systems, which should help to strengthen partnerships with other law enforcement agencies. 

“Before, if a Worcester County deputy had an arrest out on Route 589, they would have to transport the person to Snow Hill just to process and fingerprint, and then come all the way back to Ocean City to see a commissioner, and then go back to Snow Hill again if the subject was to be placed in the county jail,” Ehrisman said. “Now, if they have an arrest in the north end of the county, they can just come directly to our office, tap into their own system, do the processing, and go right across the bridge to Ocean City.” 

Steen, who toured the building last week, said he couldn’t be happier with the results. 

“It turned out great!” he said. “They've been working on it so long – at least 10 years – and during that time they thought about this and that and they looked at other places, and they were able to include all of those things they needed. And that really helped, big time.” 

Steen consulted on the renovation and helped to connect Ocean Pines with the Whayland Company. That partnership has now resulted in two successful construction projects. The new Ocean Pines Golf Clubhouse, also built by Whayland, wrapped construction earlier this year and at a similar cost savings. 

“I grew up in Dagsboro and I knew who they were, and it’s just a great company,” Steen said. “They did a great job, they really did. Everybody in Ocean Pines worked really well with them.” 

Jacobs’ involvement began as a designer, but she also became an important consultant on the project. After an early meeting, she said it was clear that the layout still needed some work. 

“My background was very valuable in completing this project,” she said. “I have 30-plus years of security and investigative experience in government and private sector. During this period, part of my duties were the handling and security of evidence and property during criminal prosecutions. Officer safety has also played an integral part in my life, and my martial arts background led me to be a state-certified self-defense tactics instructor for multiple police agencies in Maryland.” 

Among the changes credited to Jacobs are moving the evidence room to the front of the temporary detention area, building a storage area for uniforms and supplies near the armory, reconfiguring locker rooms for male and female officers, creating more efficient works stations for each officer, and using local and commercial vendors to help cut costs. All told, she estimates those changes saved more than $54,000.  

“This project was especially rewarding to me because I was able to blend my knowledge of security, investigations and interior design to create a functional, safe and beautiful space,” she said.  

General Manager John Viola, who oversaw the renovation, said he is most proud of the value Ocean Pines got for its money.  

“One of the best things I ever did was reach out to Marvin Steen and Bill Stamp, and also to Tobie Jacobs, who is much more than a designer,” he said. “It’s a compliment to the team and everybody contributed, including all the work done by Ocean Pines IT and Public Works. And, of course, it’s a credit to Whayland. They built us two really good buildings and they were great to work with.” 

In an interview two years ago, former Ocean Pines Police Chief David Massey called the old police station cramped and unsafe, and an architectural afterthought.  

“I’ve been trying to get them to upgrade what we have since 2006,” he said at the time. “It’s frustrating ... Just about every police facility in this county has been upgraded." 

In an interview last month, Massey again underscored the importance of building a safe and modern home for Ocean Pines Police, and he expressed his gratitude to those who helped make that dream a reality. 

“The old police station was not designed by criminal justice experts. So, it didn’t take into consideration some of the safety concerns of our officers,” he said. “We had a prisoner once who basically pulled his handcuffs out of the wall and ran out the back door. 

“The facility that we’re getting ready to open – thanks to the Board of Directors and our General Manager – is state of the art, it’s going to be high security, and it’s going to provide for our citizens for many, many years with a safe environment for police officers and a safe environment for them,” Massey continued. “I’m very grateful, for all of that.” 

Ehrisman said it’s a rarity for a new chief to be able to move into a new headquarters, and it’s also a fitting end to Massey’s nearly two-decade legacy in Ocean Pines.  

“The fact that the building is done the first week of August and Massey is leaving Aug. 1 is a plus for him, because he’s completed his goal. And, it’s a plus for me, because I get to start a new job in a new office in a new building, all at the same time. As far as timing, it’s just perfect.”