News

GM report focuses on open positions, Bainbridge Park one year later

Monday, January 23, 2023

(Jan. 23, 2023) General Manager John Viola on Saturday used his monthly report to the Ocean Pines Board to talk about the effect of open positions on the budget and associated financial reports.

Viola said the current budget favorability of just over $1 million was "mainly due to revenue growth, reallocation and cost efficiencies."

"But we also have open positions," he added.

Viola said open staffing positions are often offset by a decrease in revenue, citing the Aquatics and Recreation and Parks departments as examples.

Turning to Public Works, Viola said four open positions there have been more than offset by outsourced work, which currently equals about nine full-time equivalent (FTE) positions.

"There's a lot of maintenance going on [and] there is a lot of renovation ... [and] we're using outside contractors," Viola said.

Viola said it was a "bold move" to outsource some of the work, and that eventually led to major savings for homeowners on initiatives including drainage, bulkheads, roads, and T-dock replacement.

That also included several innovative projects, including new drainage pipe liners, that had never been done before.

"[It] was a little bit of a risk ... but we did what we had to do to be successful," Viola said.

"[There has been] tremendous amount of savings. It is reflected in the open positions, but we have outsourced," he continued. "The money is being spent somewhere else."

On current initiatives, Viola said work to replace the Marina gas docks should start this week with fabrication of the new structure. Installation is slated for mid-March, with a total project cost of $633,500. He said the gas docks should be ready before the busy season starts in May.

Viola said safety is a top priority, and noted the Association now has 19 automated external defibrillators installed across more than a dozen Ocean Pines facilities. He said an additional unit will be ordered for the outdoor portion of the Racquet Center.

Two years ago, a bartender and a manager at the Clubhouse Grille helped save a customer's life using one of the AEDs. Viola said Aquatics Director Kathleen Cook helps to oversee the AED safety program.

Senior Executive Office Manager Linda Martin supplied an update on the Bainbridge Project, which wrapped up in Oct. 2021.

Martin said the project started in March 2021 and was partially funded by grants, with Ocean Pines paying $314,783 of the total cost of $717,337.

"The main purpose of this project was filtration for better water quality out to the bay – it was not for flood control," she said, adding the impact to area flooding was only minimal.

Martin said Viola gave regular updates on the project from April to Oct. of 2021.

Viola reiterated that the project focused on improving filtration.

"It's a great project ... but a lot of people [were under the impression] that this would solve drainage," he said. "I truly believe that the drainage is better, but it depends on any given day and where you live."

Viola added that several other projects, including ditch maintenance and new drainage pipes and pipe liners, probably did more to help improve drainage in that area.

To view slides from the presentation, visit https://www.oceanpines.org/web/pages/board-of-directors#:~:text=Jan.%2021%2C%202022%20GM%20Presentation.

To view video of the presentation, visit https://youtu.be/zkr_Vlwbjy8?t=162.

News

GM report focuses on open positions, Bainbridge Park one year later

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