GM update includes drainage, software, financials

(April 23, 2021) General Manager John Viola on Wednesday covered Northstar, drainage, hybrid meetings and the financial picture during his monthly report to the Ocean Pines Board of Directors.  

Viola said the administration building’s board room will soon be upgraded with a new audio/visual system to allow for hybrid meetings.  

Public Relations and Marketing Director Josh Davis led the project and received three bids. He recommended the low bidder, Mid South Audio, which Viola approved at a cost of $10,922.  

The company has previously worked with Ocean Pines to upgrade audio systems in the Ocean Pines Community Center, Yacht Club and Golf Clubhouse. 

“Two years ago, the board room was basically a closet,” Viola said, adding that audio systems in the community center and elsewhere were previously very poor. “We have upgraded it … [and] you’ve seen vast improvements.” 

Viola said the obvious next step was to look into hybrid meetings, which could include both in-person and virtual participants. 

“I don’t want to say [it’s] the future, it’s actually the present,” he said. “Basically, with the push of a button, the users will be able to join a true hybrid meeting.” 

Viola said Davis would also train Ocean Pines Recreation and Parks staffer Kyle Jarmon as a backup to help run the Association's audio/visual systems. Jarmon has a background in audio production.  

On the proposal to spray treated effluent to irrigate the Ocean Pines Golf Club, Viola said the next step would be a town hall meeting. He said Worcester County Water and Waste Water initiated the project and that Ocean Pines has received preliminary concept plans for the proposal.  

Viola said he and representatives from the Ocean Pines Golf Club, including Golf General Manager John Malinowski and Golf Superintendent Justin Hartshorne, recently met with Worcester County Deputy Public Works Director John Ross and a designer for the project.  

“They gave us an estimate on what it would cost and what it would look like. Obviously, now this has to be vetted,” Viola said. “I did have a town [hall] meeting on this in the very beginning, obviously before COVID. I do want to set up another one … working with John Ross and his team, and the golf team, to educate and answer questions.” 

On the maintenance side, Viola said work on the Beach Club, including exterior painting and replacing of bad deck boards, is tracking favorably to budget estimates.  

He said bulkhead work is on schedule, or perhaps running a week behind. The current phase of construction started on Sept. 8, 2020.  

Viola said bulkhead wall construction would wrap by April 30, with backfilling and final grading of topsoil set to finish the first week of May, and the whole project estimated to end by May 7. Those dates could change, based on weather conditions and the availability of materials.  

The Bainbridge Pond drainage project is still on schedule, Viola said, with an estimated completion date of June 30. The total project cost is $800,000, with $482,337 coming from a Department of Natural Resources grant.  

Viola said the Association is “moving in the right direction” with Northstar, the company that runs Ocean Pines’ website and financial systems.  

“I’m feeling good, for one of the first times,” Viola said. “Overall, [we’re] moving in the right direction.” 

He credited a new Northstar account manager with helping to improve conditions, and said the company has upgraded or stabilized systems related to financial reporting, budget visibility and bank reconciliation. 

“They did assign a new account manager [and] apparently that seems to be working,” Viola said. “There are efficiencies gained in the departments … [which means] less re-work on our end.” 

Viola added the Ocean Pines website is a “poster child,” with the homepage now loading in about 1.5 seconds.  

“There was pain. There was a lot of challenges,” Viola said. “But we’re seeing improvement.”  

He said the Association is working with Northstar on a final “punch list” for food and beverage systems, and that the company had previously run into “capacity issues.” 

“The way it was defined and the way that they’ve done this system was basically for fine dining for a country club, which had limited capacity,” Viola said. “It’s going to take time … [but] the needle’s starting to move.” 

On the financial side, Viola said the Association closed March almost $200,000 ahead of budget estimates. For the year, Ocean Pines is now ahead by just over $1.3 million. 

Viola said the Association is still waiting to hear whether the $1.143 million grant from the federal Paycheck Protection Program would be forgiven, or whether it would be treated as a loan.  

Ocean Pines’ fiscal year closes on April 30.   

To view slides from the report, visit /documents/20124/122622/4-21-21%20Meeting%20Power%20Point.pptx/300b67ff-a8df-4f3e-6040-8b7789b63ffd.  

To view a video of the report, visit https://youtu.be/kxxigQE84gs?t=331.