Officials break ground on major drainage improvement project in Ocean Pines

(March 18, 2021) Worcester County, Ocean Pines and other stakeholders on Wednesday officially broke ground on the Bainbridge Pond project designed to reduce flooding in an area considered among the worst in the community in terms of drainage.  

Officials touted the partnerships that made the endeavor possible, and said they were hopeful this would be the first of many similar projects designed to tackle drainage problems. 

The Bainbridge Pond project was largely funded by a $549,000 grant from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, with Ocean Pines contributing the rest of the estimated $800,000 total price tag.  

The grant was made possible thanks to a partnership with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program and help from Worcester County. 

Drainage improvements at Bainbridge Pond will include replacement of storm drain inflow and outflow pines, construction of a new forebay, re-grading the perimeter of the pond and installing aquatic benches, and building a new weir to control water levels and slow flooding during larger storms.  

Present during the groundbreaking were Worcester County Commissioners Chip Bertino and Jim Bunting, Worcester County Director of Environmental Programs Bob Mitchell, Vista Design Director of Engineering Rich Polk, Maryland Coastal Bays Program Watershed Coordinator Steve Farr, and Ocean Pines Association President Larry Perrone, Vice President Colette Horn, and Director Doug Parks.  

“I think this is an opportunity to show how the community can come together [with] the county. We had a lot of good people who put this together,” Bertino said, singling out Mitchell, Eddie Wells and Colby Phillips from Ocean Pines, and Sen. Mary Beth Carozza.  

“Our community is better for it,” Bertino said. “It just goes to show when people look at the same thing and come up with ideas, anything’s possible.” 

Mitchell credited Bunting with earlier efforts to improve drainage in Section Three of Ocean Pines, and he said Bertino joined the cause upon his election in 2014. Mitchell also said Vista Design was instrumental on the project.  

“I really hope this works for the Ocean Pines Community,” Mitchell said. “We’re all working together for the same end goal here – that’s the citizens of Ocean Pines. At the end of the day [the project should] help with flood resiliency and also help with cleaning up the bay, so, it’s a win-win. 

Polk said the project would not have happened “without the help of everybody standing here.”  

“The greenlight thinking every time there was something that came up, [and] the ability to work through issues as a team and resolve them as a team, is why we’re here today,” he said.  

Perrone thanked the Worcester County Commissioners and Mitchell, as well as Parks, who during the project acted as a liaison to the Ocean Pines Board. 

"Let’s not forget our engineers who put all this stuff together, and DNR who provided all this grant money for us,” Perrone said. “Ocean Pines is very appreciative and we’re hoping that this is just the first of many [drainage improvement projects] that we can take care of, because this is a big issue.  

“Also, our Public Works people, Eddie [Wells] and Nobie [Violante], have done a great job for us and I know they’re going to keep on top of this project as we move forward. Thank you to all of you,” he added. 

Parks recalled a lunch meeting four years ago with then Maryland Coastal Bays Program Director Frank  Piorko, who suggested using grant funds to help with water abatement and water quality projects in Ocean Pines.  

“We kept those discussions going over the past couple of years and it started to get some momentum, to the point where we involved the county for their insight and their support,” Parks said. “We also brought in Vista to [look at it] from an engineering perspective. The folks at Maryland Coastal Bays helped to guide us through the process, and it was a collaborative effort between the Maryland Coastal Bays folks, the county, and everybody else that was involved. 

“And I want to thank the county, because we as an HOA … could not apply for the grant money, so we had to have somebody who was an advocate for us,” Parks continued. “If it wasn’t for that collaborative effort, we wouldn’t be here today.” 

Parks also thanked Ocean Pines staff, who he said were vital to the project’s success.  

“I’m looking forward to getting this thing started and getting it completed, and seeing how well we’ve done,” he said.