Feb. 20 Board meeting briefs

(Feb. 22, 2021) The Ocean Pines Board discussed the following items during a public meeting on Saturday: 

Two capital purchases approved 

Board members unanimously approved a $1.095 million contract with Fisher Marine Construction for bulkhead replacement work scheduled to be done in fiscal year 2021-2022. Just under $1.6 million was budgeted for the work. 

General Manager John Viola said the rate, $365 per linear feet, was in line with past spending.  

The scope of work includes bulkhead replacement on Pintail Drive lots 8-50, and Crab Cay Court lots 3-12.  

Directors also voted 7-0 to approve a $207,167.47 contract with Pelican Underground LLC for CIPP liners for drainage pipes. 

Viola said the approval would allow Ocean Pines to use a new process to address flooding problems, mainly on pipes that cross Ocean Parkway. If successful, similar projects could follow in other parts of the community.  

"It is a process that is well known [and] that comes highly recommended," Viola said, adding that county officials suggested it to Public Works Director Eddie Wells. Vista Engineer then reviewed the proposal and made an endorsement, Viola said. 

He said the contract amount is a significant savings to what the Association was planning to spend on drainage improvements in that area.  

"This is coming in well above a 50% savings, compared to the conventional method that we have been using all along," he said. 

Short-term rental guidelines 

Director Frank Daly said an Ocean Pines work group drafted proposed changes to Association architectural guidelines on short-term rental properties, specifically those that can be rented for 28 days or less.  

He said data from the work group shows at least 180 short-term rentals exist in the community, with that number only expected to grow.  

Before writing the guidelines, Daly said the work group met with the Architectural Review Committee, Association police chief and CPI (Compliance, Permit and Inspections) staff, local fire marshal and fire chief, county zoning officials, homeowners, retail property owners, and Ocean Pines' attorney.  

"Although the vast majority of these properties cause no problems whatsoever, a small number have caused extreme problems to the neighboring homes that have resulted in repeated complaints of excessive noise, unsightly trash, lewd behavior, parking issues and generally disturbing the peace of the neighborhood," he said.  

He added the proposed guidelines "strike a balance between property owner rights and responsibilities, maintaining peace and calm in the neighborhoods, and maintaining homeowner values." 

Those guidelines are available in the Feb. 20 Board meeting packet, starting on page nine: /documents/20124/70275/2-20-21%20Board%20Packet%20WEB.pdf/54d17b74-bdd8-f639-5637-6a5f6a88bd58.   

Daly said the guidelines are now in the hands of Ocean Pines' attorneys for final review. After that, the document will go to the Architectural Review Committee for review, followed by possible Board adoption in March.  

"Once that's done, that governs short-term rental properties in Ocean Pines," Daly said. "We will take an additional step, to approach the County Commissioners to ask them to incorporate this in the county code for Ocean Pines, which will give another potential level of enforcement if we have somebody that violates the guidelines." 

Veterans Memorial Donation 

Board members voted unanimously to approve a $1,000 donation to the Worcester County Veterans Memorial, to help offset costs of the Wall that Heals exhibit coming to the community in April.  

Association President Larry Perrone said the exhibit costs roughly $30,000.  

For more information, visit /web/pages/news_content?announcementId=575&backURL=/web/pages/opa-news.   

Referendum update  

Perrone said the Board reached a settlement with Slobodan Trendic on his petition to have a referendum related to Board spending limits. 

"The Board is in the process of having the referendum question crafted and reviewed by council. The next steps will be to establish a hearing date, and we have not yet done that," Perrone said, adding that would happen after the question has been crafted and the Board has prepared a statement on their position. 

"Once we have that, we will set a date for the hearing, and the appropriate documents will be sent out and a referendum will take place," Perrone said.  

Mosquito control contract approved 

Board members voted 7-0 for a "not to exceed" $19,000 contract for mosquito control done through the Maryland Department of the Environment.  

Perrone said he was unsure how often spraying occurs. Association Vice President Colette Horn requested that information, so she could respond to homeowner questions.  

Communications Committee update 

Horn supplied several updates from recent Communications Committee activities, including on digital signs and the Ocean Pines Academy. 

First, she said the Worcester County Council unanimously approved a text amendment to allow for up to eight digital signs in Ocean Pines.  

"Obviously, there are many steps involved in going from the approval process ... to actually making any change in the community," Horn said. She thanked Brian Reynolds, Cheryl Jacobs, and Jenny Cropper Rines for leading that effort, and Public Relations and Marketing Director Josh Davis for offering staff support.  

Horn said Marketing Coordinator Julie Malinowski is leading the Ocean Pines Academy project, with rollout expected in early spring, prior to the next Board of Directors election.  

"I certainly encourage the members to keep on the watch for that, because I think it's going to provide some excellent information for people who may consider stepping up and participating either in our advisory committees, or running for the Board," Horn said.  

Horn said the Communications Committee would next work to archive historical documents and artifacts related to Ocean Pines.  

"I know we have a lot of history buffs in this community, and the Communications Advisory Committee is looking for additional volunteers to help with that effort," Horn said.  

Lastly, Horn said the Ocean Pines YouTube channel is an important resource for the community "that is currently underutilized" and has few subscribers.  

As of Monday, Feb. 22, the channel has only 260 subscribers. Horn said if that number reaches 1,000, Ocean Pines may be able to livestream future Board meetings, once those return to an in-person format. 

"I encourage the membership to subscribe to our YouTube channel, so that we can get those numbers up and get more full-functionality out of that," she said.  

To view the channel, visit www.youtube.com/oceanpinesassociation1.