March 2017 ocean pines progress by Ocean Pines Progress

Clarke says he’ll run for OPA board if health allows

March 2017

COVER STORY

COURSE CORRECTION In-house management returns to Ocean Pines golf amenity

Board approves $11.8 million 2017-18 budget

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The Board of Directors during an anti-climactic Feb. 25 meeting approved a balanced $11.813 million budget for 2017-18 that kept the base assessment at $921 and the rate paid by most waterfront property owners at $1,386, called for $1.82 million in capital spending not including bulkhead repairs and replacement, and adjusted fees for golf and the Beach Club. The vote approving the budget was 5-2, with Directors Tom Herrick, Brett Hill, Cheryl Jacobs, Brett Hill and Dave Stevens in favor. Voting against were Slobodan Trendic and Doug Parks, the latter of whom is expected to be running for re-election this summer.

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Acting general manager hires new course maintenance superintendent, but OPA and Director of Golf John Malinowski and OPA reach new employment agreement By TOM STAUSS Publisher fter almost six years of contract management of the Ocean Pines 18-hole Robert Trent Jones golf amenity, the Ocean Pines Association has made a sharp course correction, returning to in-house management under the direct supervision of Acting General Manager Brett Hill. The Board of Directors made the decision to return to inhouse management in February after a series of closed meetings of which the announced purpose of the executive session was discussion of the golf management contract with Landscapes Unlimited, a company based in Lincoln, Neb., with a presence in the mid-Atlantic region. LU has actively directed

golf course operations since May of 2015. Prior to that, Billy Casper Golf managed the course for roughly four years. Golf operations have been a perennial political issue in Ocean Pines throughout the BCG and LU tenures. LU was hired by the OPA despite sharp differences among the directors about the wisdom of terminating the BCG contract. After LU was hired and in place, it endured rocky relations with then-general manager Bob Thompson and a board majority during the 2015-16 board term. “They were treated unfairly by the old board,” OPA Director and Vice-President Dave Stevens told the Progress recently. Former OPA President Pat Renaud, an LU critic in To Page 27

Trendic, Supik swap competing views on lower assessments

During discussion prior to a Board of Directors’ vote Feb. 25 on the 2017-18 Ocean Pines Association budget, some directors expressed varying misgivings about the document. Slobodon Trendic offered a comprehensive indictment of the budget in explanation for why he voted against it. He was countered by Director Pat Supik, the OPA treasurer, who didn’t so much endorse the budget as offer a critique of Trendic’s desire to cut it.

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A view of the Ocean Pines Country Club from the ninth hole tee box.

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Clarke says he’ll run for OPA board if health allows

OCEAN PINES

March 2017

Former Ocean Pines Association Director Martin D. “Marty” Clarke recently said he would be running for the Board of Directors this summer if the current board adopted the 2017-18 budget that, as it turned out, was approved without any of the changes that Clarke had urged the board to make. Clarke, who said that in other ways the current board has made some good decisions, objected to the approved financial plan on a number of fronts. He found fault with the $650,000 in supplemental funding for the Major Maintenance and Replacement Reserve, without which he said the annual lot assessment could have been decreased significantly. He also objected to the $25 increase in Beach Club parking passes that he termed “gouging,” changes in the bundled Beach Club parking-pool package that he said “fixes what ain’t broke,” and what he called unrealistic revenue projections in the Yacht Club and Beach Club food and beverage operations. He was in a hospital bed in late February recovering from a serious illness when he issued a statement to the local media that he was intending to run for the board if the budget passed without changes he was calling for. He later jok-

OCEAN PINES BRIEFS ingly told the Progress that he was on a “morphine drip” when he issued that statement, but on a more serious note said he ‘meant what he said” about his intentions. Since then, he’s giving himself some wiggle room. He said he still is planning to run for the board if his health permits. “I want to be sure I’m in fine health before I make a final decision,” he said. With the retirement of six-year veteran director Dave Stevens from the board in August, Clarke said the board would be losing much of its “institutional memory” and that would be one of the motivating factors in a final decision to run. Clarke said that he appreciates much of what the current board has accomplished. “It’s a good board but a bad budget,” he summed up. “I believe I can move the budget in a more positive direction if I’m elected.”

OPA board to study land purchase options

Although it’s by no means a certainty or even a probability, and it might be a stretch even to call it a possibility. But at the request of Acting General Manager Brett Hill, who brought the matter to

the attention of the Board of Directors at the Feb. 25 board meeting, information about the availability of land for purchase near the North and South Gates will be given to the board for review. When Hill asked the directors whether they were sufficiently interested in the possibility of acquiring additional land, several said they wanted at least to review the parcels available. As a result, Hill said he would be assembling the material and making it available for review. Although Hill did not identify the properties that could be purchased, one of the parcels at issue probably is the old “pig farm” property adjacent to and just north of the North Gate on Route 589. The other property could be an 11.5acre parcel on Route 589 just south of Ocean Pines, located adjacent to a fruit and vegetable stand and just west of property that Developer Marvin Steen is developing as a new section of Ocean Pines. Steen said the parcel in question is over-priced, maybe worth $400,000 but on the market with an asking price of $1.5 million. He advised the board against buying either of two properties.

Hill ends employment of OPA facilities manager

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In an action that surprised and saddened some members of the OPA’s Board of Directors, Acting General Manager Brett Hill in late February terminated the employment of Facilities Manager Jerry Aveta, whose work load had substantially increased as Hill and the board embarked on an aggressive program of repairing and renovating various OPA assets and undertaking some projects, including improvements to the Manklin Meadows racquet sports complex. Hill told the Progress that he felt it was necessary to replace Aveta, saying that there’s a lot that has to be accomplished to make sure various projects are completed in time for the summer season. He said he expected a replacement to be on board by the end of the month. A source told the Progress that a new facilities manager has been hired but needed to give his employers in Worcester County government sufficient notice before taking on new duties in Ocean Pines. The individual is said to have a lot of experience in project management. Director Dave Stevens said he felt sorry for Aveta, with whom he has collaborated on a number of board-level projects, when he learned of Hill’s decision. While he declined to specify the reasons for Hill’s decision, he said a contributing factor could have been a recent visit to the former facility manager’s office in the Country Club that Stevens made with OPA President Tom Herrick. “We went in to inquire about a project near and dear to my heart, platform tennis courts at the racquet complex,”

Stevens said, adding that they wanted to obtain updates on the status of storm-water mitigation that might be necessary before new platform tennis courts can be located there. The two directors came away without the answers they were looking for, Stevens acknowledged. Aveta is the latest department head hired by or who worked under the previous general manager, Bob Thompson, to exit Ocean Pines, for a variety of reasons, including resignations and new jobs elsewhere. But Hill, since assuming the position of acting general manager last August, has not been reluctant to implement personnel changes he believes are necessary.

Ocean Pines tops safest cities list

The National Council for Home Safety and Security has announced its list of the safest cities in Maryland for 2017. Ocean Pines, Taneytown, Glenarden, Bowie, and Hampstead are in the top five, with Ocean Pines leading the pack. The council combined data from the most recent FBI Crime Reports, population data, and their own research to create its rankings. The report was formally released on March 6, 2017. Denise Sawyer, the marketing and public relations director for the Ocean Pines Association said, “Ocean Pines Police Chief Dave Massey and his department work hard to ensure Ocean Pines is a safe community, offering exceptional value and quality of life to property owners and guests.” According to the report, Ocean Pines’ violent crime rate is 0.49 per 1,000 people, which is significantly lower than the state average of 5 per 1,000 people. “The recent report conducted by the National Council for Home Safety and Security reflects the continuation of our efforts to move our community forward and to provide our membership with a family-friendly environment,” said Sawyer. The National Council for Home Safety and Security is a trade association comprised of home security professionals across the United States. The council advocates for safe communities and home safety.

GM provides update on capital projects

During his Feb. 25 general manager’s report, Brett Hill provided an update to the Board of Directors on numerous capital projects that are under way within the Ocean Pines Association.

At the Mumford’s Landing restaurant at the Yacht Club, heaters have been installed in the second floor kitchen, security gates are now in place on both bars at the amenity, a new countertop is in the works for the first floor bar, and a point of sale system upgrade is in process. When Director Cheryl Jacobs complained about the Yacht Club bar not being open on a Thursday night when she

4 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

OCEAN PINES

March 2017 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

OCEAN PINES BRIEFS From Page 4 visited the restaurant, Hill called it an anomaly. He said the bar was not in use for a few days because the bar tops were being replaced. At the Country Club, major renovations are under way to expand the Tern’s Grille on the first floor. Hill said the new walls were being framed to redefine the restaurant and bar areas. He anticipated the renovations will be completed and the revamped facility will be open in late March. Despite problems with termite damage that were discovered during demolition, construction of new bathrooms at the OPA’s Beach Club in Ocean City is still expected to wrap up on time. Hill said the association is holding the contractor the original timeline that specified a May 1 turnover to the OPA. He anticipated that the facility would be fully open and operational by Mother’s Day weekend. Construction of a new playground in Huntington Park is complete, with all equipment, mulch and signage in place. “It’s a beautiful facility,” Hill said. All equipment has also been ordered for a new playground that will replace the deteriorated community-built playground at the Manklin Meadows recreation Complex. Hill said the contractor is addressing Americans with Disabilities Act compliance with Worcester County permitting officials. Construc-

tion is expected to get under way in April with completion set for early May. Equipment for a pirate ship-shaped playground at Mumford’s Landing was due for delivery to the OPA in March. Hill said an Amish contractor is building the play structure and will install it on the site near the Yacht Club. Fencing will be provided around the play area. Meanwhile, a new bathroom facility opened in White Horse Park in time for the weekly farmer’s market. For now, Hill said, the recreation and parks staff bathrooms will unlock the bathrooms the only for that event. Come warmer weather, the new facilities will be available throughout the week as well.

OPA endorses contract for mosquito control

At the request of Interim General Manager Brett Hill, the Board of Directors unanimously approved a contract with the Maryland Department of Agriculture for mosquito control in Ocean Pines during calendar year 2017. The contract provides funding for spraying for mosquitos in neighborhoods within the community. The $19,000 mosquito control budget includes $16,500 designated for adult mosquito surveillance and control and $2,500 for integrated mosquito management. The OPA’s portion of the cost if $18,000 with the state chipping in only $1,000.

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Water main installed to serve cancer center

Traffic restrictions were scheduled for March 2 along Seafarer Lane in Ocean Pines through March 6 while crews worked to install a 500-foot pipe underground. The project was a scheduled water main installation for the new comprehensive cancer services center, Richard A. Henson Cancer Institute, now under construction at Route 589 and Cathage Road. The restrictions were in place between Pirate Place and Yeoman Court along Seafarer Lane. Gillis Gilkerson of Salisbury is building the 20,000-square-foot cancer facility, which is expected to be complete within 12 to 15 months.

OPA president makes advisory appointments

With the support of the Board of Directors, President Tom Herrick made a series of appointments to Ocean Pines Association advisory committees at a Feb. 25 meeting. On the Recreation and Parks Advisory Committee, the board appointed Jerome “Tres” Dink and Marie Gilmore for a third term, and Skip Schlesinger for a second term. Jay Spata was appointed for a second term on the Environment and Natural Assets Advisory Committee. Steve Cohen was appointed for a third term on the Comprehensive Plan Committee.

OPPD soliciting ofﬁcer applications

The Ocean Pines Police Department is accepting applications for the position of Police Officer on its year round force. Applicants must be at least 21 years of age, be a U.S. citizen, possess a high school diploma or GED, and have vision correctable to 20/20. Applicants must also have a valid driver’s license with a satisfactory driving record and have no felony convictions or misdemeanor convictions involving perjury, false statement, moral turpitude or domestic violence. A post-offer physical exam and drug test will be required. Starting salary is $38,714 for non-certified applicants, but can be adjusted for applicants who are currently certified as police officers in the State of Maryland. There is an excellent fringe benefit package, including night differential pay, health insurance, 401K retirement plan, plus personal and sick leave. The application deadline for this position is April 14. To obtain an application or additional information concerning this position, contact the Ocean Pines Police Department at 410-6417747 or request an application from their website at www.oceanpines.org Applications may also be picked up in person at the Ocean Pines Police Department at 239 Ocean Parkway in Ocean Pines.

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2017-18 OPA BUDGET

March 2017

Hill, Aquatics staff one step away from Sports Core pool addition If the bids exceed the budgeted amount, or for any other reason, the directors are not obligated to authorize the project’s go-ahead. Hill said he is hopeful the board will authorize the Sports Core expansion. The addition is to include a new party/ training room and enclosed space for possible future expansion of the existing pool, but in the short term some of the space will be used to store equipment such as aqua bikes, trampolines and other equipment that Phillips and her

Hill anticipates two-week closure in late summer for project’s final phase By TOM STAUSS Publisher ith the inclusion of $225,000 in the 2017-18 capital budget for an addition to the indoor Sports Core swimming pool enclosure, Acting General Manager Brett Hill and the Aquatics Department are a step closer to making the project a reality. Aquatics Director Colby Phillips persuaded Acting General Manager Brett Hill to include the proposed addition in his draft budget, and Hill in turn was able to defend the project in budget review discussions in January and February. No director raised objections against the proposal, and the proposed expenditure made it into the final capital budget approved by the board in February. In Ocean Pines’ two-step process for capital expenditures, budgetary approval simply gives the general manager the authority to solicit bid proposals for various projects. Once staff recommends a particular proposal from among the minimum of three bids that are supposed to be obtained, the board has final authority over whether to authorize the spending.

al closure for cleaning and water replacement in late August or September. He envisions a two-week closure, with Ocean Pines’ four outdoor pools available for use during that period. During initial phases of construction of the addition, the pool would not need to be closed, Hill said. Once the addition is completed, the wall between the existing enclosure and the new structure will be removed. “For safety reasons, this final phase will require the pool to be closed,” he said.

Board okays indoor, outdoor fees for pickleball players Club members predict loss of membership revenue from two-tier fee structure

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General Manage Brett Hill in his draft budget in January. It’s $100 for individual resident and property owners of Ocean Pines and $175 for families. The drop-in rate for play at the Community Center gymnasium is $3 for residents and $5 for those who don’t live or own property in Ocean Pines. As of the first week March, the pickleball courts planned for the Manklin Meadows racquet sports complex are not yet ready for play. Hill told the Progress that the contractor that is restriping two tennis courts for pickleball, American Tennis,

needs two weeks of constant 60-degree weather to do the work. The hope is that April weather will cooperate, he said. Meanwhile, it remains to be seen whether the board decision to levy dropin fees on top of membership fees will affect membership, as pickleball club officers predict. Club officers have suggested that the board update board resolution M-02 to list pickleball as an annual fee-based amenity. M-02 states the capital cost for amenities, such as the Community Center, are born by all OPA members

By TOM STAUSS Publisher ith pickleball club members predicting a loss of membership revenue, the Board of Directors has approved a two-tiered system for assessing pickleball players for the privilege of playing their favored sport in Ocean Pines. Annual memberships that cover the use of pickleball courts at the Manklin Meadows complex were set during a board meeting Feb. 23 and were the same as had been proposed by Acting

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staff uses for aquatics-related programming. A New-England based company, Structures Unlimited, built the Sports Core pool enclosure roughly ten years ago for a little over $1 million. Hill said he and his staff are determining whether the addition would require the same company to do the expansion, or whether some other contractor can accomplish it. He said the goal is to accomplish the work this summer, at the same time the pool would be closed for its semi-annu-

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2017-18 OPA BUDGET Pickleball From Page 6 through annual assessments. Operating costs for fee-based amenities are covered by revenue charged to become a member of the amenity. The pickleball amenity is allocated a share of the operating costs for the facilities its members use. According to club members, income generated by membership and clinic fees more than covers the cost of operating the amenity. Hill disagrees. He says on Sundays in particular pickleball players are the only ones using the gym, and the dropin fees are needed to cover the costs of opening the building. A board majority – with Director Slobodan Trendic on record as siding with the pickleball club – backed Hill in setting separate fees for outdoor and indoor play. Recently, Hill suggested that the board consider constructing a pole building with pickleball courts at the Swim and Racquet Club. If that project gains traction, the pickleball courts at Manklin Meadows would be repurposed back to use as tennis courts or, perhaps, for platform tennis. The pole building option is still in the idea stage and won’t affect the restriping of the pickleball courts at Manklin

March 2017 Ocean Pines PROGRESS Meadows this spring. Club members have said they find Hill’s pole building suggestion to be “intriguing” but that it was not based on any input from the club. Members say they have not pushed for an additional large expenditure. They have also expressed concern about the proposed court location at the Swim and Racquet Club and its effect on surrounding homes. Club members say that they would like to be fully engaged in conversation with the acting general manager regarding conversion of two tennis courts at the Swim and Racquet Club facility for an indoor pickleball facility. When Director Dave Stevens offered a motion later at a recent board meeting to allocate funding for an engineering study related to construction of new paddleball courts at the Manklin Meadows Recreation Complex, some other directors initially balked. Director Cheryl Jacobs said she wouldn’t support Stevens’ motion because the paddleball proposal is tied to the proposed changes at the Swim and Racquet Club to accommodate pickleball courts. “I don’t think we have all of that information yet,” she said. OPA President Tom Herrick said the paddleball engineering study is the first piece of the puzzle in planning for both

Crafter of the month

The Pine’eer Craft Club of Ocean Pines is recognizing Ginger McGovern as its crafter of the month for March. Her specialties are painted brick door stops and lighted bottles, available for purchase in the club’s gift shop in White Horse Park Saturdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The shop features jewelry, stitchery, doll clothes, shell creations, and a potpourri of hand crafted items. amenities. Stevens said he wants to consider the option of constructing pickleball courts at the Swim and Racquet Club on its own merits. “I don’t want it tied to this,” he added. He said he is neither for nor against Hill’s pickleball proposal at this point but simply doesn’t want that issue to hold up planning for paddleball improvements. Meanwhile, the acting general manager has provided some relief to the pickleball players at the Community Center gym by adding two hours on Sundays during which the facility is open to

players. He acknowledged that the additional hours haven’t satisfied the pickleball players, who still want three courts added back to the gym. Hill told the Progress in an early February telephone interview that company representatives who have looked closely at the gymnasium contend that only two courts properly sized with adequate clearance between courts and room for spectators can fit on the floor. He said the two courts as configured conform to national pickleball association standards and that three courts as advocated by the pickleball club would be unsafe.

8 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

March 2017

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2017-18 OPA BUDGET

March 2017 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

No assessment increase, amenity fee adjustments part of 2017-18 spending plan By TOM STAUSS Publisher he Board of Directors during an anti-climactic Feb. 25 meeting approved a balanced $11.813 million budget for 2017-18 that kept the base assessment at $921 and the rate paid by most waterfront property owners at $1,386, called for $1.82 million in capital spending not including bulkhead repairs and replacement, and adjusted fees for golf and the Beach Club. The vote approving the budget was 5-2, with Directors Tom Herrick, Brett Hill, Cheryl Jacobs, Brett Hill and Dave Stevens in favor. Voting against the budget were Directors Slobodan Trendic and Doug Parks, the latter of whom is

expected to be running for re-election this summer. Stevens said he had reservations about the budget, particularly its optimistic revenue projections for food and beverage operations at the Yacht Club and Beach Club, but he voted for it anyway. In his sixth year as a director, he’s term limited and can’t run for reelection. Another prominent Ocean Pines resident, former Director Martin D. Clarke, also let it be known that he opposed the budget as written. Clarke disclosed prior to the board meeting that if the budget passed as drafted, he would run for the board this summer in the hopes of reversing certain policies reflected in the budget.

Board OKs associate memberships at $250 By TOM STAUSS Publisher n an eleventh hour flurry of activity, the Board of Directors approved a package of membership options in February designed to encourage those who neither own property nor live in Ocean Pines to buy associate memberships in Ocean Pines amenities. In a major change from prior years, the board has abolished individual associate memberships pegged to individual amenities. In its place, the directors approved a new $250 associate membership that entitles those who purchase it to buy any amenity package at the same rates that property owners and long-term renters can buy. The board also has created a new weekly associate membership for the Beach Club for $10 per week. It entitles to holder to purchase a weekly parking pass and to purchase al-

cohol at the Beach Club. The OPA technically is violating its Class B liquor license if its Beach Club staff sells alcohol to non-members, a technicality this new associate membership is designed to remedy. These Beach Club-only associate memberships will be sold on the premises by Beach Club staff. In proposing these new associate memberships, Acting General Manager Brett Hill said they are designed to encourage outsiders who neither live nor own property in Ocean Pines but who want to enjoy Ocean Pines’ amenities to have more skin in the game by helping to support the cost of running the amenities. In the same vein, daily user fees to visit Ocean Pines’ swimming pools for those who neither live nor own property in Ocean Pines have been increased, while fees paid for by property owners and long-term renters remain constant.

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He later said he would run if his health permits, which would make him the first candidate to emerge in an election season that concludes in August. Trendic, Parks and Clarke questioned the $650,000 that the board majority approved in supplemental funding for the Major Maintenance and Replacement Reserve. With that funding included, that re-

serve’s balance is projected to be at $4.2 million at the end of the 2017-18 fiscal year in April of 2018. Had the board simply gone along only with the budget’s conventional funding for that reserve, the full funding of depreciation of OPA capital assets at $1.6 million, the replacement reserve’s April 2018 balance would have been projected at a still-comfortable $3.6 million. Trendic called the budget a missed opportunity to reduce the budget and assessments for property owners. He sparred with Director Pat Supik,

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10 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

2017-18 OPA BUDGET

March 2017

OPA budget From Page 9 the OPA treasurer, over whether reducing the assessment would have resulted in cutting services for Ocean Pines property owners. Since the $650,000 in supplemental reserve funding is totally divorced from operational spending, Trendic called out Supikâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s defense of the budget. [See separate story in this edition of the Progress for details.] At the Feb. 20 budget presentation, this year hosted by Hill as acting general manager, key components of the budget were listed. Hill said that: â&#x20AC;˘ the reserve balance at the end of next year is expected to be within 5 percent of this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s closing balance, at the same time that the board is including large capital expenditures (at the Country Club, administration building, and Sports Core pool) in the budget â&#x20AC;˘ the capital budget includes a 24 foot by 80 foot addition to the Sports Core pool enclosure to allow Aquatics Director Colby Phillips to introduce child care and after-school programs at the amenity. The additional space will also accommodate parties and lifeguard training. Most of the anticipated programming will be generating revenue for the OPA. The addition is budgeted at $225,000, with work expected to occur in late summer, during a period when the pool is otherwise closed for annual maintenance. Hill anticipates a twoweek closure of the pool when outdoor

pools are still open. â&#x20AC;˘ Traditional associate memberships for individual amenities have been abolished for those who donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t own property or live in Ocean Pines. In their place, the OPA has created a new flat-rate associate membership of $250, which entitles the holder to buy any individual amenity membership available to Ocean Pines property owners and long-term renters. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If associate members want to use our amenities, they have to be fully engaged by buying a membership,â&#x20AC;? Hill said. â&#x20AC;˘ The budget creates a new Associate Beach Club membership at $10, giving holders access to the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bathrooms and food and beverage facility. An alternative for weekly renters is a $55 weekly membership with a $150 pool membership good at any OPA pool. Weekly renters can also pay daily user fees at the outsider rate. â&#x20AC;˘ Core amenity rates for property owners and long-term renters remain the same for aquatics, platform tennis and the Yacht Club marina, while tennis rates have been lowered by 20 percent and pickleball (not including drop-in fees at the Community Center) rates have been lowered by 30 percent. Golf rates are lower by 10 percent. Also new in the fiscal year beginning May 1 is an all-amenities household package at $2500, giving members full pre-paid access to all of OPA amenities inclusive of racquet sport courts, swimming pools and the Ocean Pines golf

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Shepherdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nook volunteers, who work for the Community Church of Ocean Pinesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; thrift shop, donated 50 bags of clothing to American Legion Post #166. Shep The clothing was donated to the MCVET organization in Baltimore by Legion volunteers. Pictured are Phil Lassiter, Legion volunteer; Charlene Mertz, BJ Hupman, and Judy Stinebiser, Shepherdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nook volunteers. Not pictured: Dave Smith, Legion volunteer. course. Riding carts for play at the golf course are not included but will be available for use at the going rate. In a 4-3 vote, the board authorized a new individual golf membership entitling holders of a debit card to play 30 18-hole rounds or 60 nine-hole rounds. Range balls are not included in the

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The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch

March 2017Ocean Pines PROGRESS 11 February 24, 2017

12 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

2017-18 OPA BUDGET

March 2017

Trendic, Supik swap competing perspectives on 2017-18 OPA budget

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miums. He later told the Progress that across the board the OPA pays its department heads more than other prominent homeowner associations in the state do. He cited Colombia and Montgomery Village on the Western Shore as examples. He also said that the Ocean Pines chief of police makes more than the elected sheriff of Worcester County, who is in charge of larger department. Supik responded that while she might like to reduce assessments, a large portion of them go toward providing services to property owners. She said she was “not sure” what services could be cut to reduce assessments. “What I hear most often (from property owners) is that we’re not doing enough,” she said. “Public Works needs to ratchet it up,” as an example. She said she wasn’t sure “it’s reasonable or responsible” to reduce assessments and that doing so would be “a huge disservice” to property owners. As for health insurance costs, she said there was insufficient time to deal with Trendic’s assertions that the OPA is too generous in paying 100 percent of the health insurance premiums of dePRSRT STD partment heads and the general manSTD ager. She said that theUSPOSTAGE issue PRSRT should be USPOSTAGE tackled outside the 2017-18 budget proPAID cess. There has been no indication that, PAID MAILMOVERS as OPA treasurer, she is in favor of makMAILMOVERS ing changes in the benefits’ packages the OPA offers its employees. After calling the budget “just a guideline” on what the OPA expects to do financially in the coming year, she called it a “fairly reasonable” projection and said she would support it. Trendic responded that he hoped the board would make timely progress in

By TOM STAUSS Publisher uring discussion prior to a Board of Directors’ vote Feb. 25 on the 2017-18 Ocean Pines Association budget, three directors expressed varying misgivings about the document. Dave Stevens called parts of it “highly speculative” or “completely unrealistic”, but he voted for it anyway. Doug Parks, who joined Slobodan Trendic voting against it, said he was “apprehensive” about some of the budgetary revenue assumptions, but he went even further by expressing criticism about a $800,000 increase in projected labor costs. It was Trendic who offered a more comprehensive indictment of the budget in explanation for why he voted against it. He was countered by Director Pat Supik, the OPA treasurer, who didn’t so much endorse the budget as offer a critique of Trendic’s desire to cut it. Trendic, who said he was representing the views of property owners who had contacted him about the budget draft, called it a “missed opportunity” to reduce spending and OPA assessments needed to fund it. He said early on the board had directed the acting general manager, Brett Hill, to draft a budget around the concept of no assessment 11029 Racetrack Rd. increase, when it should have been fo1 1029MD Racetrack Rd. Berlin, 21811 cused on ways to make operations more Berlin, MD 21811 efficient and less expensive. Trendic said the board could easily have reduced or eliminated $650,000 in supplemental funding for the Major Maintenance and Replacement Reserve’s legacy component. He also questioned the “huge increases” in labor costs in the budget, in particular citing what he called an overly generous funding of department head health insurance pre-

2017-18 OPA BUDGET

March 2017 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

Beach Club parking, pool pass compromise approved Trendic, Stevens, Parks’ preference for ‘decoupling’ fails By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer he cost of a Beach Club parking pass is increasing for the 2017 season but the $200 price tag comes with a bonus. As part of a last minute compromise during a Feb. 25 meeting, the Board of Directors agreed to tack onto the parking pass either a family Beach Club pool membership or a $120 swipe card for daily use of any of the Ocean Pines Association’s swimming pools. The board approved the motion in a 4 to 3 vote with Director Brett Hill, Tom Herrick, Pat Supik and Carol Jacobs in favor and Slobodan Trendic, Dave Stevens and Doug Parks opposed. Hill, acting OPA general manager, presented the board with a staff recommendation to give any member purchasing a Beach Club parking pass a choice of a complimentary family membership to that amenity’s pool – it would be limited to members of a household with photo ID for verification purposes -- or a pool pass worth $120 for use by anyone. The pool pass option would allow up to five daily visits for two adults, at the $7 fee, and two children, at the $5 fee. It’s designed to accommodate children

Perspectives

From Page 12 looking at ways to trim personnel costs, including making revisions in the way the OPA provides health insurance. He later said he hopes the board will seriously consider outsourcing key services, including grounds maintenance, which he said Montgomery Village does effectively. “What we don’t seem to grasp is that by outsourcing, you save considerably in employee cost,” he said, while in some or even many cases improving the level of service. Trendic told Supik that he did not “subscribe to the idea that reducing assessments reduces services.” The $650,000 in supplemental reserve funding, for instance, could have been reduced or eliminated with no effect on services at all since it involves capital expenditures in future years, he told the Progress. Director Cheryl Jacobs weighed in on the side of Supik, telling her colleagues that she appreciated “what Pat says.” She said the budget should have been built from the ground up and that the board should not have started with the premise that the assessments should be lowered. Indeed, it was not. It was premised on the notion that the assessments would not be increased, a position taken early on by Tom Herrick, the OPA president, and Brett Hill, the acting general manager, both of whom voted for the budget with no assessment increase.

and grandchildren of property owners who have used the four pool passes bundled with parking passes in prior years. Those four bundled pool passes without photo ID have been eliminated. Hill said that in 1993 the cost of a Beach Club parking pass with no pool access was just $100. Since then the annual charge has increased by just $75 during that 25-year period to the fiscal year 2016-17 rate of $175, which included the four pool passes to the Beach Club swimming pool. Directors pondered, and ultimately approved, a $25 increase for Beach Club parking passes to $200 as part of the fiscal year 2018 budget process. For those who have another amenity membership, the fee increases from $75 to $100. The proposal initially met resistance from some Ocean Pines community members who said they do not want access to the Beach Club’s pool, just its parking lot. Directors received numerous emails and calls from members who said they only purchase Beach Club parking memberships so they can go to the beach and to the ocean. They did not want a daily pass card for the pool included with their parking membership. Parks said providing members with the option of a complimentary Beach Club pool membership or $120 card swipe card for daily pool access is a good option. But, he said, that pre-supposes that a member wants to use the Beach Club swimming pool. Some members just park at the Beach Club when they go to the beach or stop for lunch at the club, but never use the pool. Therefore, the option of a an ID pool pass or swipe card pass does not hold any value for them, he said. “Whenever we increase something I think we really need to make sure that we exhibit and can convey the value to the membership, and I’m just not sure we’re there yet,” he said. Stevens said there were two issues for consideration by the board. One concern is that of members who want to park at the Beach Club in order to access the beach and ocean. The other is that tying pool memberships to the parking passes. He supported “decoupling” the parking and pool memberships. Trendic suggested revising the staff proposal to allow members to use the complimentary ID passes at any OPA aquatics facility, not just the pool at the Beach Club. In order to “bring this subject to closure,” Hill said allowing use of the free passes at any pool might be the best option. Jacobs said the proposal addresses what community members reported to the board as a concern. Currently, members who purchase a Beach Club paring pass receive a complimentary membership for that pool, but if they never use it that is up to them. That would not change under the current proposal. “It’s no different now except it’s slightly

more expensive,” she said. “I agree with you,” Parks said, adding that the onus is on the purchasers to decide whether they will take advantage of the pool passes. “You accept that responsibility.” Supik said also addressed the perceived value added for members purchasing Beach Club parking passes at a higher rate in 2017-18. She said the association intends to extended hours at the facility this summer and is in the midst of significant upgrades to the amenity. She said those extended hours of operation and facility renovations bring that additional value to members who will be paying a little more in FY 18. “That’s huge for me,” she said, adding that “the extension of the hours and the renovations support that kind of an increase this year.” She also supported Trendic’s proposal to allow use of the free daily passes at any OPA pool. As did Herrick, who said he believes that is a good compromise. He said it is a fair and equitable option for members “while at the same time protecting the bottom line of the association.” The added value is also in the passes that can be used at any pool in the community, he said. Hill offered a motion to establish a

board policy of levying a $200 fee for a Beach Club parking membership for FY18, with the option of either a family pool membership for that amenity (with photo IDs) or a $120 pool swipe card that can be used to pay daily rates at any OPA pool. Supik gave a second to the motion. While those who choose the family membership for the Beach Club pool will have photo identification cards for the amenity, the daily pass card can be used by anyone. Once the $120 value of the card is depleted, the OPA member to whom the card was given as part of the Beach Club parking package will have to “re-up” the card, according to Hill. Trendic supported that part of the motion, saying it addresses the key issue expressed by members regarding the loss of flexibility to use the passes at pools other than the Beach Club. “I feel the board is responding to those concerns,” he said. As for decoupling the parking pass from the pool passes, Trendic said he would like to discuss the issue further. He said the board needs to develop an amenity fee structure that is attractive to more homeowners. Because Hill’s motion did not decouple the parking and pool passes, Trendic joined Stevens and Parks in voting against it.

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14 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

2017-18 OPA BUDGET

March 2017

Board ratiﬁes Beach Club parking, pool pass changes By TOM STAUSS Publisher n the 2017-18 Ocean Pines Association budget approved Feb. 25, the Board of Directors ratified previous decisions making significant changes in fees affecting Beach Club parking, aquatics, racquet sports and golf. While basic membership fees in Aquatics for families and individuals remain unchanged, the board subsequently voted to increase the Beach Club parking pass from $175 to $200, with the additional $25 in revenue to be allocated to the Aquatics Department. The parking pass fee for those with other kinds of memberships would increase from $75 to $100. In a significant change from prior summers, the new Beach Club parking/ pool passes will contain photo IDs of household members. The four pool passes that previously were bundled with the parking passes have been eliminated, with the parking pass/photo IDs to be bundled as a family parking/pool membership in the Beach Club limited to those living in a household. Each family member will be given a swipe card with a photo ID. As an alternative to the photo IDs for

Beach Club pool use, the board during its meeting Feb. 25 approved the issuance of a $120 debit card that parking pass purchasers can buy and distribute to family members such as children or grand-children or friends who visit during the summer months. This $120 debit card won’t include a photo ID. {See separate article in this edition of the Progress for details.] The board also approved a proposal by Director Slobodan Trendic to allow anyone holding the photo ID cards to use them at any of Ocean Pines’ five swimming pools. The photo ID option is designed to prevent the passes being used by those other than family members, an unintended consequence which has been exploited by some to avoid paying fees that otherwise would be required to park in at the Beach Club and use the pool there. Property owners who as landlords rent out their homes by the week during the summer, or rental agents representing owners, will be unable to recycle these photo ID passes to new renters as they come in for the week. A new renters’ package for landlords or their rental agents has been designed to accommodate renters in a way that

will allow the OPA to capture more revenue when renters use the Beach Club and its pool this summer. The new landlord/rental agent package, designed as an add-on to existing weekly memberships, has been priced at $600 for a six-week period or $1000 for the summer. It will include one Beach Club parking permit and four pool passes, good for one week, activated on the first use. The pool passes will expire one week after the initial activation. The cost covers new weekly passes to be distributed to landlords or their rental agents with every new batch of weekly tenants. The landlord/rental pool passes will be good at the Beach Club pool and any of the OPA’s four mainland pools, an upgrade from the Beach Club-only usage for the legacy bundled package. OPA officials hope the expanded availability will offset some of the sting from what, for many, will be a steep increase in fees. Landlords or rental agents who are Ocean Pines property owners, some of whom may be unwilling or unable to purchase the new seasonal package for $600 or $1000, can always buy discount coupon cards for their weekly clients, still priced at $35 for adults and $25 for children.

These discount cards, good for five visits at any of the pools, won’t have photo IDs on them and therefore can’t be restricted to family members. Their sale is limited to property owners and residents, however. Many rental agents active in the Ocean Pines market are Ocean Pines property owners, so for them this limitation won’t be a problem. Alternatively, renters can purchase access to any of Ocean Pines’ five pools by paying daily user fees. Hill said that the non-resident rate (paid by those other than property owners and residents of Ocean Pines) will be increased $1, from $9 to $10 for adults and from $7 to $8 for children under 12. The daily property owner/long term renter rate remains unchanged at $8 for adults and $6 for children. Hill also said there’s a carve-out exception for time-share units at the Borderlinks Condominiums, whose owners and owner agents will be able to purchase the new seasonal parking/pool passes at 50 percent of the $600 and $1000 seasonal rate in effect elsewhere. He said that imposing the full rate on the Borderlinks would be too much of a shock for owners and their clients. The Borderlinks rate works out to $40 To Page 16

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

March 2017 Ocean Pines PROGRESS 15

Board approves watered-down motion supporting 50th anniversary committee Meetings with department heads to be coordinated through board liaison Cheryl Jacobs and GM By TOM STAUSS Publisher revised motion that says that the Board of Directors supports and endorses a committee of volunteers in the planning of next year’s 50th anniversary of the founding of Ocean Pines was unanimously approved by the board at its Feb. 25 monthly meeting. The motion, offered by Director Doug Parks, referred to the appointment of Director Cheryl Jacobs to serve as the committee’s board liaison. Jacobs will “facilitate the coordination and implementation of (committee) activities by working with both the general manager and various staff representatives necessary for the successful execution of the celebration.” The approved motion is a watered-down version of a more muscular motion offered by Director Slobodan Trendic at the board’s Jan. 28 meeting that, depending on how it was interpreted and implemented, could have required department heads to meet with committee members in planning for various anniversary activities next year. His motion included wording to instruct

the general manager to allow the committee access to OPA department heads as needed. Trendic, at the time the board’s committee liaison, was later replaced by OPA President Tom Herrick as liaison by Jacobs. Herrick said that the message of the board’s full endorsement of the committee’s efforts was not getting through to the group and that Jacobs had “graciously” agreed to step in to replace Trendic. Parks’ new motion stops well short of mandating that department heads meet with committee members, but nor are such meetings precluded. Indeed, the wording suggests that Jacobs, working through the acting general manager and his eventual replacement, will coordinate meetings with department heads as needed. Acting General Manager Brett Hill, during board discussion in January, had said that meetings with department heads by committee members needed to be coordinated through him. He regarded the original Trendic motion as an attempt to burden department heads with unscheduled and inconvenient meet-

ings, something Trendic said was never intended. In any event, the revised motion by Parks would seem to bring unanimity to the board and clarity with respect to the way that department heads and

anniversary committee members will interact in the planning of anniversary events. At the Jan. 28 meeting, Trendic described the anniversary committee as “a grassroots, volunteer effort with a goal to help in the planning and successful delivery of the golden anniversary celebration programs.” He expressed disappointment when other directors, at Hill’s prompting, did not support his motion as drafted. He argued there is a clear need for the committee to collaborate and coordinate its activities with the OPA staff.

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16 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

March 2017

By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer roperty owners purchasing amenity memberships or paying their annual Ocean Pines Association dues using a credit card will to be charged up to a 4 percent convenience fee for the ability to choose plastic over paper. The Board of Directors during a Feb. 25 meeting voted 6-0 with one abstention to approve a resolution levying the fee as permitted in the OPA declaration of restrictions. Director Brett Hill, who offered the motion to approve the resolution, said the practice of charging up to a 4 percent convenience fee on credit card transactions is already in place. However, as interim OPA general manager he felt it was necessary for the board to adopt the resolution as a “paperwork clean-up.” Hill said the primary purpose of the OPA accepting credit cards is for transactions related to the sale of amenity memberships. The board agreed to allow use of credit cards several years ago in an attempt to boost membership sales by giving property owners a way to join the amenities without having to fork over the full amount in cash at one time. Hill said the OPA would be obligated to accept a credit card payment from property owners for their annual assessments if asked. This represents a change in policy, as the board previously has balked at taking that extra step. Director Slobodan Trendic, the lone abstention on the vote, said he was concerned about allowing property owners to pay their annual assessment via credit card. He said he feels the issue needs more research and clarification and suggested tabling consideration of the motion. Director Doug Parks wanted to know how a convenience fee for the use of credit cards for assessment payments would be implemented for those on payment plans. Director Pat Supik said it should be a simple matter of division. A portion of the convenience fee would be pro-rated along with the original charge. The resolution authorizes levying of a convenience fee as determined by the OPA general manager annually, but not to exceed 4 percent.

Compromise From Page 14 per week per unit if they’re purchased in advance for the full season. The traditional associate membership available for each of the amenities – aquatics, racquet sports and golf – have been abolished in favor of a new annual OPA membership for non-residents and non-property owners costing $250. For that $250, any non-resident or non-property owner will be entitled to purchase memberships at the same rates available to property owners or residents, which include longer-term renters who produce a copy of a lease to prove long-term residency in Ocean Pines.

Board adopts 4 percent convenience fee for amenities dues paid by credit card Hill says choosing plastic over paper applicable to assessments, too Trendic questioned whether it was appropriate to give the general manager the authority to set the rate. He said most credit card companies require that a convenience fee be a fixed dollar amount not a percentage of the specific transaction. Therefore, the full convenience fee would be assessed on each transaction made, even if it’s for only partial payment of dues, he suggested. Supik said the convenience fee is a charge made by the OPA to the property owners for allowing them the ability to pay by credit card. “This is not the fee that credit card

company charges Ocean Pines to do the transaction,” she said. Hill said the language giving the general manager the authority to establish the rate of the convenience fee was included in the resolution to allow some flexibility to make corrections as needed. He said credit card companies frequently change their rates and package offerings. Without an established cap on the convenience fee, the board would have to adjust routinely the rate based on the offerings and fees of the credit card companies. “We can’t operate like that,” he said.

Director Cheryl Jacobs was concerned about language in the resolution that allows members to charge the primary payment to a credit card but to pay the convenience fee by either credit card or cash. She said payment of the fee should only be via credit card. “Maybe this will cut down even further on our collectibles by offering people the ability to pay by credit card,” Jacobs said regarding payment of assessments. Stevens agreed and said the process should be as administratively simple for OPA staff as possible. He said “nothing in this resolution” says how the credit card can be used, such as for monthly payments of a portion of property assessments. That, he said, can be determined later. Supik also said the board could decide separately what constitutes a reasonable payment plan. OPA President Tom Herrick, who gave a second to the motion for approval, said the resolution just sets the fee.

Stevens’ proposal for individual 30/60 golf debit card passes 4-3 Directors differ on card use restrictions, driving range access , but agree that restoring individual option could bring back nine-hole golfers By ROTAL. KNOTT Contributing Writer ndividuals purchasing a limited 30/60-round golf package at the Ocean Pines Association’s golf course will receive many of the benefits of full membership. As part of fiscal year 2018 budget discussions, the Board of Directors on Feb. 25 approved the new 30/60 membership option that allows members to play either 9 holes or 18 holes of golf at the OPS course. The board passed the proposal in a 4-3 vote, with OPA President Tom Herrick, and directors Dave Stevens, Slobodan Trendic and Doug Parks in favor, and Brett Hill, Pat Supik, and Carol Jacobs as dissenters. The vote was somewhat of a milestone, because it is a rare instance in which Herrick has differed with Hill on a matter of substance. Stevens proffered a motion to implement the 30/60 option as an individual membership that offers all of the same benefits as other golf memberships except for “free” driving range privileges. A debit card will be issued to members. In the end it seemed that driving range privileges, as opposed to the merits of a limited play membership, divided the directors. So did the issue of whether the cards can be used to debit guest play on the course. Stevens said the OPA offered a 60-round limited membership in the past for nine-hole players, but management retained by the OPA to operate the golf course eliminated it in recent years, to the dismay of nine-hole golfers, some of whom dropped their membershups in Ocean Pines as a result. He said that the principal point of his motion was to reestablish the option for members to play just 9 holes of golf. More and more golfers in Ocean Pines are playing just 9 holes, and those who only want to play 9 holes will not purchase a 30-round 18-hole only membership, he said. “It’s a good addition, I believe,” he said. “We want to show growth in membership,” Hill said, adding “this is a good way to do that.” When all of the rounds are used the benefits that come with them, which include priority tee times, a 20 percent discount at the pro shop and a golf cart, should also end, he said. Come the off-season, however, Hill said there is no reason for individuals to purchase the 30/60 membership because the daily course rates will already be lower than the per-round cost under that membership option. “You’re better off just paying the daily rate and not being a member,” he said. Stevens apparently believes that golfers who purchase the 30/60 individual package will do so early enough in the season to take full advantage of it. Herrick said the OPA hopes that offering the limited individual membership will ultimately entice more people to purchase full year-round golf memberships. He said the 30/60 option is really a “summer membership for snow birds” who are not year round residents of the community. Additionally, Herrick said the new membership option would benefit the ladies’ 9-hole golf group, which is comprised of individual golfers who only want to play 9 holes. He said that group lost several members when the opportunity to play only nine holes was eliminated at the OPA’s course. He said this change might stimulate growth in that group’s membership too. Parks asked for clarification regarding whether only the person who purchases the membership could use the 30/60 rounds of golf. He asked if the purchasing member could bring their spouse, other family or friends to play using rounds on their limited membership. Hill, who serves as acting OPA general manager, responded that was under consideration by the board at an earliTo Page 20

March 2017 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

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March 2017

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

March 2017 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

March 2017

By TOM STAUSS Publisher proposed motion that would amend Board Resolution M-06 to improve transparency in the Ocean Pines Association election process, to clarify instruction to board candidates in the preparation of election materials, and to announce election results on the same day that ballots are counted was supposed to be offered for consideration at the Board of Directors’ Feb. 25 regular meeting. Instead, the board liaison to the Elections Committee, Slobodan Trendic, pulled the motion from consideration, informing his colleagues that some eleventh hour issues had been identified during a review of the proposed M-06 changes by the association’s Bethesda-based attorneys. He said he expected that the two committees with an interest in the matter, the Elections Committee and the Bylaws and Resolutions Advisory committee, would be coming back to the board at its March meeting with the motion to amend M-06. Trendic told the Progress in a recent telephone interview that the primary issue identified by the attorney with the Lerch law firm in Bethesda concerned the committees’ recommendation to

Golf debit card From Page 16 er meeting but was not included in Stevens’ motion. Supik also said she thought the board had agreed previously to allow a member to use their rounds for anyone. “We talked about it but didn’t make any decision,” Stevens responded. He added that if the 30/60-round membership is used “as a swipe card” allowing access for anyone then “you don’t have a membership, you have a swipe card.” He opposed allowing guests or friends of the card to use the card to pay for a round of golf. Hill also questioned the exclusion of driving range access for the person purchasing the membership. He seemed to favor including it as part of the package. Herrick opposed including the driving range for no additional charge in the proposed option because he said it is a “limited membership” and should not carry the benefits of a full membership. He said a limited membership with limited membership privileges might encourage someone to upgrade to a full membership in the future. Trendic pondered aloud the difference between the two options, limiting the use of rounds to just the individual who purchases the membership or allowing the buyer to provide rounds for friends and family. He wondered which one would ultimately achieve the desired result of enticing more players to become full members at the OPA golf course. “Which one is going to be more attractive, more appealing to our homeowners?” he asked rhetorically, seemingly coming to a conclusion in support of

Motion to disclose results of OPA elections on day of vote count delayed Lawyer says proposed change might violate OPA bylaws allow for the outcome of annual board elections to be announced on the same day the votes are counted, traditionally the Friday in August before the annual meeting of the OPA. Trendic said that the attorney informed the committees of jurisdiction that there were provisions in the OPA bylaws that could require announcement of the election results at the annual meeting, rather than on the same day that ballots are counted. Trendic said his initial reaction to that opinion was that the attorney did not cite the provision in the OPA bylaws to back up his opinion. He added that the chairman of the Elections committee, Steve Tuttle, shared that reaction, with neither Trendic nor Tuttle persuaded by the lawyer’s opinion. “We cannot find anything in the bylaws that would require withholding of

election results,” he said, but he said in an abundance of caution he wants the issue to be fully vetted before the proposed M-06 revision is brought to the board for first reading. “We want to be able to assure the board that the attorney’s opinion was fully considered,” he added. Trendic said the Bylaws and Resolutions Advisory Committee, chaired by Martin D. Clarke, a former OPA director, was scheduled to meet March 6 to discuss the lawyer’s opinion. But Clarke in a telephone interview told the Progress that his committee didn’t take up the issue because it had nothing new in writing to review. Trendic said if both committees continue to agree that M-06 can be amended to include same-day announcement of election results, he expects the committee’s proposed revisions will be offered up for first reading in a motion for con-

more flexibility and benefits. As a non-golfer, Trendic said to him both options seem to have advantages and disadvantages, but he finally came down in favor of the Stevens’ position. Supik also said she believes the 30/60 rounds membership option will increase the number of rounds played at the golf course. She said someone “like me” who plays little golf may be inclined to purchase a limited option. “To me this would be a very popular type membership to have,” she said. Parks pointed out that even without the full benefits of driving range use, the 30/60 membership provides flexibility for members because it returns the option for 9-hole play and that should boost the number of rounds. He added that by having members pre-pay for the 30/60 round membership the OPA reaps that revenue whether or not the member actually plays all of the rounds. The reduced rate motivates members to buy the package up front and puts the money in the OPA coffers immediately. Conversely, members who “pay as you go” are likely to play fewer rounds, he suggested. Supik said the OPA has struggled for many years to build membership at the golf course. “And maybe that’s not the future of our golf course,” she added, suggesting that a flexible play plan like the 30/60 membership and ability to use the rounds for whomever they want might be more appealing to many residents. It is an attractive option for people that are not interested in membership, she said. But, Stevens maintained that is not a

membership but rather just an offering of a reduced rate for anyone who wants to pre-pay for a package of rounds. Under that scenario, he said, a 30/60 package could be used to pay for play for a group of 16 golfers. Sure, he said, that may bring in more golfers to the course, but it will also significantly lower the non-member rates for play. “You think people won’t figure that out?” he said of Supik’s idea. Jacobs responded “but at least we’re bringing people in who might not have played here before and they might come back.” She said the play might entice them “to at least come here and try our golf course.” “I believe it’s a mistake,” Stevens said of more flexible use of the debit card. Hill said the golf course, like many

sideration at the board’s March regular meeting. The two committees’ proposed M-06 revisions are posted on the OPA Web site, under the board packet information for the Feb. 25 meeting. One of the proposed changes amends several references to an association-sponsored candidates’ forum, changing forum to forums to allow for more than one such forum during the election process. Another proposed change is to M-06’s Attachment A, a document pertaining to elections and referendum voting procedures. New proposed language calls for each candidate in a board election to provide a written informational/biographical statement not to exceed 200 words to be included in election materials sent to property owners, in both hard and electronic copies. In the current Attachment A, it says only that the “voting package” shall include candidates’ information sheet of no specified length. Trendic, a successful board candidate last summer, said one candidate took advantage of the lack of specificity on word length and submitted an information sheet that far exceeded 200 words.

20 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

amenities, is experiencing a period of declining memberships. “I think the board in this year is taking decisive action across all of our amenities to make strong efforts to increase membership and increase utilization of members of association of our amenities,” he said. Ultimately, the board approved Stevens’ motion as submitted. Following the vote, Parks said that approval doesn’t preclude the board from further discussing options for allowing alternate use of the 30/60 rounds. Stevens agreed and said there are a number of different ways the OPA can alter a swipe card or pre-payment for rounds at the golf course that could attract new members and offer similar benefits for guests. “Nothing in this motion precludes doing that,” he said.

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22 Ocean Pines PROGRESS OPA elections

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

March 2017

From Page 18 In perhaps the most significant proposed change in Attachment A, the Elections Committee would eliminate a reference in the current text that says the counting of ballots in OPA elections is the responsibility of the Elections Committee, “in closed session, with the assistance of a computer consultant and Association staff.” The amended draft preserves the committee’s responsibility to count ballots, but removes the reference to opening and counting ballots in a closed meeting of the committee. Trendic and Brett Hill, a current board member and acting general manager of the OPA, both ran for the board this past summer on the issue of greater transparency in the election process, advocating for a count open to OPA members and disclosure of election results on the day of the count. “The ballot counting operation may be observed by any association in good standing,” the revised draft reads. “In case of space limitations, candidates or their designated representatives may be accorded priority and other members asked to leave the room. In such cases, the decision of the Chairman of the Elections Committee will be final.” To avoid a chaotic situation in the room in which ballots are counted, the draft revisions says that “observers will be able to witness the ballot counting process but will not be privy to vote to-

Authors among us

The Ocean Pines-Ocean City Kiwanis Club recently discovered that resident Barbara Witherow, retired from the Worcester County School system as a public relations manager, is an aspiring author. She was guest speaker at the March 1 meeting and explained the intricate process of writing her first book, a romantic thriller titled “Twelve Days to Paradox.” Pictured, left to right, are Club President-Elect Ralph Chinn, Witherow and Speakers & Programs Chair Jack Caldwell. tals during the counting process nor engage in any way with the ballot counting process, Elections Committee, consultants or Association staff.” The draft says that the committee may request the assistance of a computer consultant or designated OPA staff in the counting process. In the other significant proposed change in M-06, the draft indicates that the “final vote count will be attested to” by Elections Committee members present during the counting, and “the results

of the election will be announced at the conclusion and certification of the vote.” This would replace language in the current M-06 that specifies that two copies of the final vote count “shall be prepared and signed by the chairperson and computer consultant. Those copies shall be locked in the Committee cabinet until removed for announcement at an annual or special meeting of the members.” Finally, the revised draft of M-06 specifies that at the annual meeting

of the OPA membership, “the Election Committee chairperson shall validate in person the results for the election of directors and any referendum issue on the ballot. A copy of the certified results shall be included in the minutes” of the meeting. This language would replace current text that specifies announcement of voting results at the annual meeting and that the committee chairperson “shall certify in writing the results” of the board election or referendum.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer n an effort to spur timely payment of annual property assessments while recouping funds expended to collect those in arrears, the Ocean Pines Association is applying a 20 percent per annum interest rate on delinquent accounts this coming year. The Board of Directors at a Feb. 25 meeting adopted a resolution authorizing the hefty fee on late assessment payments in a 6-1 vote, with only Director Slobodan Trendic opposed. Director Brett Hill, who is the acting OPA general manager and offered the motion to approve the resolution, said the association has been levying the late charge on delinquent property assessments for years. But, he wanted board approval for the 20 percent late fee to remain in effect until the board decides otherwise. Director Slobodan Trendic balked at the 20 percent interest rate. He said it is unusually high as compared to that charged by the homeowners associations in Columbia and Montgomery Village, both which he said charge 6 percent per annum. Trendic added that charging a high interest range has little impact on the rate of delinquencies.

By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer ff and on for nearly three years, the Ocean Pines Association has attempted to coerce the owner of 745 Ocean Parkway in north Ocean Pines into repairing a deteriorating house on the property, to no avail. The owner has taken no action to repair any of the multitude of problems that include extensive structure damage. Brett Hill, director and acting general manager, said there have been problems with the property since mid-2014. It was brought to the board’s attention in both 2014 and 2016, with the latest action being a board decision to enter onto the property and make repairs. However, when that was attempted last year the OPA discovered that the damage is far more extensive than initially believed and the association was unable to make the repairs. Now, the Architectural Review Committee is requesting board action to turn over the matter the legal counsel for resolution. At the board’s Feb. 25, directors approved the request, but Director Slobodan Trendic was concerned that there have been no attempts made by the association to contact the owner since February 2016. “Really no effort has been made by the association other than public works doing the inspection,” he said. He suggested sending another certified letter to the owner. Director Pat Supik pointed out that will be the first step the OPA’s attorney will take to try to resolve the matter. She said a letter from the attorney may have more impact than another from the association. At 1 Beaconhill Road, the owner failed

March 2017 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

Board adopts 20% rate for delinquent accounts Trendic opposed, cites other large homeowner associations in state with a 6 percent rate “It appears the interest rate we do charge doesn’t seem to be effective in solving the problem,” he said, adding that the association still writes off hundreds of thousands of dollars in past due property assessments per year. Director Pat Supik, the OPA treasurer, rejected a reduction in the interest rate charged on late assessments. She said there is a cost to the OPA in attempting to collect those back dues, including staff time and legal fees. “I would support 20 percent this year,” she said, adding that she would also like a breakdown of the actual cost to the OPA for attempting to recoup funds from delinquent property owners. “It takes a lot of time. A lot,” she added. Director Dave Stevens agreed, and said he would like more information about the actual costs to the OPA as

tional related costs to the OPA. Trendic said he reviewed some of the OPA largest delinquent accounts and found most of them are current on their Worcester County property taxes. So, they are paying the county but not the association, he said. Also, he said in many cases delinquent property owners owe more in interest than they do in principal.

well. He also wondered how much of the 20 percent late fee the association is actually able to collect. He said it is unlikely that lowering or raising the rate will make a difference to property owners who are in arrears. However, he said “we can negotiate” and reduce the rate on an individual basis for property owners who make payment arrangements. He implicitly suggested that while the OPA is authorized to collect up to 20 percent, the actual rate will depend on what sort of arrangement the delinquent property owner works out with the OPA/ Director Cheryl Jacobs suggested the OPA be more aggressive in trying to collect unpaid fees. She said there are ways to do so other than by charging interest, including garnishing wages of the property owner. She added that more aggressive efforts to collect will result in addi-

Hill challenged Trendic’s comments and said there are no accounts where the interest accrued on late assessments exceeds the principal balance. He said there is no correlation between the amount of interest collected on delinquent accounts and the value of accounts written off annually, although both are in the range of $200,000. Even if the OPA reduces the interest rate, it will still be writing off years of assessments, he said. At this time every delinquent assessment regardless of what’s owed is in collection, Hill said. That has not always been the case, adding that in past years the board wanted the OPA staff to focus collection efforts on outstanding debts of $5,000 or less. “I think we’re taking the right measures now,” he said.

CPI violations spark OP action on homes with missing fascia

have run afoul of the OPA for failing to replace missing fascia. At 59 Moonshell Drive, Hill said the owner has been in violation of the restrictive covenants since November 2016 because of a strip of missing fascia on the garage. The owner has failed to respond to correspondence on the matter from the ARC, so the board found the owner in continuing violation and agreed to send the issue to legal counsel for resolution. At 3 Beach Court, a violation has existed since November 2016 for missing fascia on the home. Hill said CPI staff left a message at the phone number on file for the owner but there was no response to either the call or letters. The board found the owner in continuing violation of the restrictive covenants and voted to forward the matter to legal counsel for action.

to properly install screening around a propane tank on the property. Hill said the OPA has made several attempts to contact the owner by phone and mail, but there has been no response. ARC recommended, and the board approved, sending the violation to legal counsel for action. Director Cheryl Jacobs what action the attorney will take to encourage the owner to bring their property into compliance. Hill responded that the action would be to ask the courts to compel the owner to install the proper screening around the propane tank. Jacobs said the board should weigh

the cost of paying an attorney to address the issue versus “slapping up a screen ourselves” and charging the property owner for the expense. “Can we put up a screen, legally?” Director Pat Supik asked. Hill said the OPA can make the improvements if that’s the action the board approves. Director Doug Parks opposed entering onto the property to install screening because of the risks involved with going onto private property. He said the issue should be referred to the attorney as is typically done with such violations. Two other property owners, at 59 Moonshell Drive and 3 Beach Court,

March crafts

Members of the Pine’eer Craft Club in Ocean Pines recently created two sets of favors to be distributed to clients of Meals on Wheels in Worcester County. Members of the club are pictured with Louis Dixon, who is responsible for the Northern Worcester County Meals on Wheels. From left: Barbara Stilwell, Olive Hanes, Barbara O’Connor, Louis Dixon, Beverly Johnson, and Louise Lassiter.

24 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

March 2017

Novak Group meets with OPA board Hill expects new chief executive to be in place by late spring, early summer By TOM STAUSS Publisher he Novak Group, hired by the Board of Directors in January to assist the Ocean Pines Association in finding a new general manager, was in Ocean Pines March 9 for the day to meet with department heads in the morning and then with the board in the

afternoon to discuss the position. Acting General Manager Brett Hill said the meetings were designed to help the company determine what the need is before it began soliciting for candidates. Hill said the “90-day clock” anticipated for the process to fill the GM vacancy starts once the Novak Group actually begins the search.

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That means a new GM won’t be hired and on board in Ocean Pines until late spring or early summer, Hill said. In January, on a motion by Director Doug Parks, the board unanimously voted to hire the Novak Group, a national executive search firm, from among three companies that had submitted proposals after a board-authorized process begun several months ago. The board selected the Novak Group because of its recent success in helping Cambridge, Md., and Rehoboth Beach, De., find city managers. The other firms considered were the Mercer Group and Adelman, Inc. Novak submitted a bid proposal for $20,300 to cover most of its services, not including additional expenses such as advertising, background checks and travel. The company envisions a threemonth process leading to the successful hiring of a new general manager. Hill has been serving in the unpaid capacity of acting general manager since this past August, when the then new board voted to terminate the contract of former General Manager Bob Thompson. Before embarking on the process that led to the selection of Novak Group, the board considered a proposal by Direc-

tor Slobodan Trendic to appoint a management restructuring task force that would have evaluated the possibility of hiring an outside management firm in lieu of an in-house general manager. It also would have assisted the board in vetting candidates for the GM position, It became clear after several months of board discussion that Trendic’s task force proposal was gaining no traction, and the board instead posted on the OPA Web site an RFI (request for information) from executive search firms. That effort produced proposals from three firms, of which one Novak. According to OPA Vice-President Dave Stevens, only four of the seven OPA directors met with Novak officials March 9 in closed session. He said that the board is yet to determine a salary range for prospective general managers. Trendic told the Progress recently that he thought the position has been generously over-funded and that the salary range should be comparable to what similar positions are paid on the lower Eastern Shore. Trendic said the Novak Group would narow the list of candidates down to ten candidates, and, after telephone interviews, would then narrow the list to five or so candidates. Stevens said the board would be “intensely involved” in interviewing the five or so finalists, with Novak officials very much involved as well. “The final decision is ours,” he said.

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26 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

OPA FINANCES

March 2017

OPA maintains negative operating fund variance for FY16-17 Yacht Club recorded a $72,000 loss in January, but Acting General Manager Brett Hill says February will perform much better because of improving revenues

By TOM STAUSS Publisher he Ocean Pines Association remained in negative territory three quarters into the 2016-17 fiscal year relative to budget. January financial results indicated that the OPA has a cumulative negative operating fund variance to budget of $231,917, up from December’s deficit of $191,866. January’s negative operating variance was $79,609, a negative $97,560 if new capital expenditures are included. While the OPA is falling behind budget forecasts for the year, actual results indicate that the OPA is still in surplus after nine months. The surplus is $1.75 million, compared to a forecasted $1.98 million. The difference is a negative $231,917, excluding new capital expenditures and loan principle. With various transfers – new capital expenditures and loan principle – included, the net surplus drops to $1.54 million, while the negative variance to budget increases to $289,000. According to Director of Finance Mary Busack’s January report, the $97,560 negative operating fund variance to budget for the month was driven by revenues over budget by $16,002, total expenses over budget by $95,611, and new capital over budget by $17,951. Through January, the cumulative operating fund variance is a negative $189,605, on revenues under by $284,843, total expenses under budget by $52,927, and new capital over budget by $57,689. There are essentially three ways to look at OPA financial performance. One is to measure actual results against budget, with either positive or negative variances possible. Another is simply actual results, which can be surpluses or deficits. Both measurements are presented in OPA financial reports for a particular month and cumulatively for the entire fiscal year. The monthly financial reports posted on the OPA Web site under documents also include detailed break-outs for each amenity and assessment-funded department, along with year-to-date numbers for the current and previous year, making year-over-year comparisons possible. Year-over-year performance is the third way to measure financial performance. The OPA runs its fiscal year from May 1 through April 30 of the following year. Amenity performance in January was typical for this time of year. All three racquet sports, aquatics, golf operations, the Beach Club, and Beach Club parking recorded losses for the month, as they did in December. Marinas, which are closed for the year, registered a slight surplus of $203. For the second month in a row, the Yacht Club racked up a record loss, on the heels of a similar loss in December. The Yacht Club’s loss was $71,847, vir-

tually identical to the $71,932 loss in February. The amenity missed its budgeted loss by a negative $17,275. The amenity, which was closed for business most of the month, recorded $16,624 in gross revenues and $12,270 in net revenues after food and beverage costs. But wages and benefits reached $55,538, services and supplies came in at $14,198, and utilities cost $11,739. Acting General Manager Brett Hill told the Progress that wage and benefit costs were high for the month in part because of recent hiring and employee training that occurred throughout January. Services costs were inflated because royalty payments for music performed at the club were paid out that month. For the year, the Yacht Club is $78,943 in the red and $203,307 behind budget. A year ago through January, the amenity had recorded a $75,119 surplus. Hill said that February results will be much better, with revenues approaching $60,000, the best February in some time, possibly ever. Golf operation recorded a $46,493 loss in January, virtually identical to December’s bottom line. But that was $9,080 better than budget. For the year, golf is in the red by $103,144, and behind budget by $101,049. A year ago through January, golf had recorded a $38,582 operating deficit. There have been two major changes in operations at the golf course that will affect the bottom line. Hill and the board last month terminated the management contract with Landscapes Unlimited. The two sides reached a compromise settlement that will reduce the OPA’s outlays to the company for the duration

of the fiscal year. While Hill reached an agreement with the Director of Golf John Malinowski to continue in the same role he held under LU, he was unable to reach an employment agreement with Rusty McClendon, the golf course superintendent under LU and its predecessor management company, Billy Casper Golf. As a result, McLendon is no longer in the employ of the OPA. All other major amenities remain in the black for the first eight months of the year. Of the amenities which are still open for business during the winter months, Aquatics remains the most profitable for the OPA, with a $68,382 surplus through January. For January, Aquatics lost $30,131, slightly ahead of the budgeted $30,550 loss. Through the same period a year ago, Aquatics was $71,943 ahead of budget. All three racquet sports lost money nominal sums for the month – all under $1,000 --- but were close to budget. All three are in the black for the year – tennis by $6,025, platform tennis by $2,259, and pickleball by $6,462. While tennis is behind budget by $3,524, the amenity is outperforming last year’s results through January. A year ago, the tennis surplus was $1,737. Platform tennis is $2,284 behind budget and is slightly off last year’s surplus through January of $3,437. Pickleball is behind budget by $1,667. Its surplus through January a year ago was $8,790. Three amenities that are shuttered for the winter all recorded robust surpluses during late spring, winter and early fall and for the most keep those

surpluses in the winter months, with some modest erosion. Beach Club parking through January is in the black by $391,223, marinas operations are ahead by $215,096, and Beach Club food and beverage operations recorded a $143,640 surplus through January. All three won’t change much for the remaining months of the fiscal year. Reserve Summary – The OPA through Jan. 31 had $6.76 million allocated to reserves, down from $7.39 million at the end of December. The reserve balance was composed of $4.41 million in the Major Maintenance and Replacement reserve at the end of January, down from $5 million in t December; $1.84 in bulkheads and waterways, little changed from December; and $508,525, down about $40,000 from December. The operating recovery reserve was zeroed out in September. There are two components of the maintenance and replacement reserve. One, the so-called historical reserve, composed of funded depreciation, had a balance of $5,126,757 as of Jan. 31. The supplemental legacy reserve, once known as the five-year-plan, carried a negative balance of $710,752. Balance Sheet – As of Jan. 31, the OPA had total assets of $33.94 million, well above the $31.14 million for the same time in the prior year. The assets were matched by $1.55 million in liabilities and $31.39 million in owner equity. Cash on hand for operating purposes as of Jan. 31 was $1.62 million, with short term investments totaling $6.57 million.

COVER STORY

March 2017 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

Course correction From Page 1 the latter part of his term, said that Thompson had indicated his interest in assuming control over golf operations from LU. With the election of new directors in August of last year joining carry-over directors more sympathetic to LU, as well as Thompson’s exit that same month, relations between the OPA and the company improved. But warmer feelings could not sustain the business relationship. According to both Landscapes President Tom Everett and Ocean Pines Association President Tom Herrick, the decision to terminate the management agreement was wholly amicable, as significant operational strides were clearly made during the last 22 months. “Ultimately,” Everett said in a recent OPA press release, “the new Board and interim general manager wanted to consolidate all operations under one roof.” “Landscapes Unlimited has some of the best people in the industry and worked really hard to achieve the objectives that were laid out for them, but in the end we felt it best that we control our own destiny going forward,” Herrick said, in the same OPA press release. “Resident play increased under Landscapes’ leadership, but membership sales had not taken off like we had hoped. I will give them credit, however: They laid the groundwork for the golf club to continue to improve the club atmosphere for Ocean Pines residents,” he added. When the OPA hired the company two years ago, it did so with a board majority clearly impressed with LU’s promise to build membership, something that has occurred modestly but not in sufficient numbers to offset membership losses. Total memberships, including lifetime memberships that were sold to raise money for green replacement during the BCG tenure, are less than 140 currently. At the time of LU’s hiring, one of the company’s executives even said that if they company didn’t deliver the mem-

bership increase, he would expect the OPA to terminate the agreement. In another sign that the OPA and LU were not on the same page on at least one critical policy area, the directors recently voted to reduce membership fees by roughly ten percent against the recommendation of LU regional management. Pushed by Herrick as a way to make Ocean Pines rates more competitive with area golf course, the fee reductions are designed to make golf more affordable for Ocean Pines golfers. In another recent move that was generated from within the board rather than from LU, the directors approved a proposal offered by Director Dave Stevens for a reduced-rate debit card for individuals allowing 30 18-hole rounds or 30 nine-hole rounds. The approved motion allows purchasers to obtain a 20 percent discount in the pro shop and advanced tee times, with carts included in the $1290 cost. Weather didn’t work in LU’s favor in the 22 months it managed the Ocean Pines golf course. Everett said that LU grew operating profit at the golf club in the first 12 months of its tenure in Ocean Pines compared to the previous year under BCG, but he conceded that LU was hampered by 27 less playable days over the course of the next ten months. That has left the golf amenity significantly behind budget for the 2016-17 fiscal year that ends this coming April 30. Although LU finished its tenure with a successful January compared to budget – it notched a $9,000 positive variance to budget – for the year through January golf operations were $103,144 in the red and $101,049 behind budget. A year ago through January, the cumulative loss was only $38,582, meaning that there’s been a year-over-year negative swing in results of more than $60,000. “We reached out to Landscapes and asked if they would consider relinquishing operations to the OPA and the General Manager and they agreed to do so,” Acting General Manager Brett Hill said. “They really wanted to continue what they started, but understood the Association’s predicament.”

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Hill declined in a telephone interview with the Progress to further define the OPA’s predicament, but OPA Vice-President Dave Stevens in a telephone interview said that, in the almost two years the company was in Ocean Pines, “they hardly met expectations.” He said the directors had to consider whether, under continued LU management, the golf course would “get better results.” He said that if the directors couldn’t be confident that the better results would be forthcoming, “sometimes it’s best for the parties to move on.” Stevens said that the board exercised its option in the contract to terminate with a 60-day notice to LU. Under a settlement agreement with the LU, Stevens said that the OPA will be paying the company less than it would have under the remaining days of the contract. The OPA will not be obligated to pay LU any management fee in the fiscal year beginning May 1. The original contract specified a management fee of $6,500 per month, with three percent increases in subsequent years of the contract. According to the OPA press release, OPA management was anticipating that the existing local management team inherited from LU would remain in place. That turned out to be somewhat optimistic. Hill was able to secure the services of Director of Golf John Malinowski, who also is the head golf pro, with little difficulty, but he hit a snag when he sat down with course superintendent Rusty McLendon to negotiate employment terms. “He (Hill) was unable to reach a satisfactory agreement (with McLendon),” Stevens said, “so Brett quickly moved on,” with Stevens describing himself as “not unhappy” with the failure to secure McLendon’s services. McLendon’s almost six-year tenure in Ocean Pines began under BCG, and it was not a propitious beginning. Stevens recalls a catastrophic failure of OPA greens which he said was caused by a toxic mix of chemicals applied to greens under McLendon’s supervision. That in turn resulted in a decision by

the board to replace the greens – rather than simply repair them with new sod – at a cost of roughly $900,000. Stevens didn’t blame that decision on McLendon, as that was entirely the board’s doing. “After that initial screw-up, the course has been generally well-maintained,” Stevens said, although he also recalled that, under BCG management, there was a catastrophic damage to irrigation equipment because BCG didn’t have the information it needed on how deep the irrigation equipment was buried under ground. While the former director of golf under OPA in-house management, Harlin Goldman, was blamed by some directors for the damage – he reportedly had left Ocean Pines without leaving any asbuilt designs of the irrigation system – Stevens said that Goldman was unfairly blamed. BCG essentially came in and fired all the top management, bringing in its people to manage operations. That left new personnel not knowing where, stored on a computer hard drive, asbuilt drawings of the irrigiation system might have been stored. The first golf pro hired by BCG lasted about a year. Malinowski followed, remaining, as did McLendon, when LU was hired about two years ago. Stevens said a lot of institutional knowledge was lost when BCG arrived and replaced key personnel. That loss of institutional knowledge was a factor in the damage to the greens and the irrigation system under BCG, Stevens said. One of those individuals that BCG replaced about six years was Andre Jordon, who had 20 or so years of experience maintaining the golf course under several superintendents. Hill recently disclosed that Jordon, who has been working in the Ocean Pines Public Works Department ever since BCG arrived in Ocean Pines, has been named the new course superintendent. “He has the knowledge and experience we need to keep the course in top condition,” Hill said, adding that there probably will be greater integration between Public Works and golf course maintenance staff with the return to inhouse management.

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Hoopla, U-Tube, Crackle (movies) and Pandora (music). Hill said the FTS and Think Big team is willing to begin construction once 350 homes have committed to the service. As of the first week of March, Hill said roughly a third of that goal has committed even before any serious marketing has been launched. “I’m confident that we will get there,” he said. With 1,000 homes as potential customers but no competition for highspeed Internet – that is not the case in Ocean Pines – the goal would seem to be achievable. “If the momentum continues, we could start as early as this summer, and be in and out in a couple of months,” Hill said. He told the Progress that the investment in fiber optic and equipment needed to provide high speed Internet to the Cove would be somewhere between $4 million and $5 million. As part of its request to the Cove board, Hill’s company is requesting use of three Cove-association-owned lots geographically spread out around the community to house communication cabinets roughly 20 by 40 feet in size. The equipment would be fenced and screened with shrubs, bushes and trees so the equipment “would not be visible to neighbors,” Hill said in his proposal.

Fiber optic exec pleased with response to proposal by Cove board, residents Directors prepared to cooperate if enough homeowners commit to service

quest for an easement from the OPA to lay fiber throughout Ocean Pines. Hill described the reception at the Captain Cove property owner association’s board meeting as enthusiastic and welcoming. “It certainly was a lot better than in Ocean Pines,” he said, somewhat facetiously. Hill maintains an office in West Ocean City. Think Big Networks is based in Chestertown, Md. According to a Feb. 14 proposal from Hill to Cove association President Tim Hearn, FTS Fiber is seeking a public utilities easement from the Cove association to lay fiber optic cable throughout Captain’s Cove, in order to provide highspeed Internet service to the community. Think Big Networks would be the Internet service provider, but the so-called “dark fiber” to be installed by Hill’s com-

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pany could also accommodate technologies such as emerging 5G cellular services, voice-over Internet protocol, and small cell technology. Think Big Networks is promising upload and download speeds up to 150 megabits per second (mbps), for a monthly fee of $84.95 and an initial upfront equipment fee of $200, including a wireless router. The $200 fee could be replaced with a rental charge of $9.95 per month. Customers would be asked to commit to a two-year contract. Streaming devices that would be compatible with the service include Apple TV, smart Tvs, Amazon Fire tv stick, Roku and Chromecast. Streaming services available by subscription include Amazon Prime, Netflix, Holu, Directv Now, and Sling. Free streaming services include

By TOM STAUSS Publisher hen FTS Fiber and its Internet service provider partner, Think Big Networks, appeared before the Captains’ Cove board of directors Feb. 23 with a proposal to bring high-speed Internet service to Captain’s Cove, they probably wondered whether the reception would be similar to that in Ocean Pines. That presentation, though by no means hostile, hasn’t received any meaningful follow-up by the Ocean Pines Association, FTS Fiber chief executive office Brett Hill told the Progress recently. Perhaps some of the silent treatment is because Hill is an OPA board member and the OPA’s acting general manager. Hill is recusing himself from any involvement in his and his partner’s re-

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High-speed Internet From Page 29 Hearn told the Progress that while association-owned lots are not available, there is plenty of common area throughout the community to accomplish the same goal. He confirmed that easement papers are being drawn up to accommodate the request for “transmission” areas and for the laying of cable.

Think Big Networks is also looking for space in the community for a showroom to display its service, with an initial request for a 24-month, no-cost lease in the sales office at the entrance to the Captain’s Cove. That request could be challenging to fulfill, as the building is developer-owned and is currently leased by a real estate company. Hearn said that Think Big will need to negotiate with the developers for that

– Michael Glick and Jim Silfee, both of who are Cove board members. “I am deliberately staying out of that one,” Hearn said. The agenda for a Cove board meeting scheduled for March 23 includes an update on Hill’s proposal. Aqua Virginia update – The State Corporation Commission of Virginia has scheduled a public hearing on proposed rate increases for water and wastewater treatment services in Captain’s Cove on

May 16, in a location to be determined but most likely in Accomack County. Hearn told the Progress that the May public hearing will be followed up by another meeting in Richmond in August, in which the rate increase will be addressed. Hearn added that he doesn’t expect the issue to be decided in August. “There could be more meetings after that,” he said, calling the entire pro

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CAPTAIN’S COVE Aqua rate increase From Page 30 cess a “waste of time and money, and a real disservice to water and wastewater treatment customers in Captain’s Cove” served by Aqua Virginia, the company that purchased assets from Captain’s Cove Utility Company more than a year ago. When the process finally concludes, he said he doubted that the rates would be substantially changed, if at all. Previously he has called rates proposed by Aqua to be fair and reasonable. The hearing is a response to a petition filed with the commission by more than 250 customers, representing roughly a quarter of Cove homeowners. The proposed rate increases received relatively little attention at a public town meeting hosted by Aqua at the Marina Club on Feb. 27, attended by more than 300 residents. Aqua officials described its program aimed at significantly upgrading both drinking water quality and sewage collection and treatment systems in Captain’s Cove. Construction of new wells and stateof-the-art filtration equipment will address a nagging problem with Cove drinking water. The current water is not a health issue, but is cosmetically unpalatable because of high concentrations of naturally occurring organic matter, Aqua officials said. According to a recent summary of the meeting posted on the Cove Web site by resident George Dattore, issues on the sewer side received the most attention during the meeting. A major change in the collection system will require approximately 280 current customers to purchase, install and maintain grinder pumps on their property. Expenditures of between $4,500 and $6,000 by each customer will be required, depending on the equipment purchased and contractor costs, Dattore wrote. When Aqua purchased the utility assets from the previous utility company in December of 2015, Dattore recalls that the Captain’s Cove Utility Company “was required to work with each customer” to provide grinder pumps at cost, and contract labor to install. The old utility company has been mum on any such program, according to Dattore. Hearn, also president of the CCUC, said Dattore’s comments amounted to “throwing me under the bus” for what Hearn said was his company’s deliberate policy of not promoting grinder pump replacement financing options with homeowners, until such time as a new force main to serve the affected 280 sewer customers “went live.” “We wanted to be sure that the company had delivered what they said they would before we went ahead with contacts with individual homeowners,” he said. The force main “went live” on March

March 2017 Ocean Pines PROGRESS 8, Hearn said, and that triggers an initial 90-day window for customers to have grinder pumps installed on their properties. Letters to homeowners will be sent out shortly to advise them that will need to act promptly. Some of the affected homeowners have already contracted for grinder pump installation, he said. “They (critics) talk as if they’ve just heard about all this,” he added. “It’s been out there for some time.” Hearn said that the Cove’s communications director, Justin Wilder, posted new information about the grinder pumps on the Cove Web site on March 8. “Hopefully this will correct some of the misinformation out there,” he added. CCUC, largely on the sidelines since Aqua’s asset purchase, will work with homeowners who need financing to cover the cost of grinder pump installation, Hearn said. Two local banks have stepped up to provide reasonably priced financing, he added, “at rates less than what we thought” initially. Homeowners have the option of purchasing pump grinders from manufacturers of their choice. According to Dattore, the message to the 280 users during the town meeting was that “you’re own your own to find, purchase and install this equipment, and you will be given a firm deadline by which this must be done to maintain service.” He said that message was not well received by customers. “Some loudly objected to the costs and what they regarded as lack of help and information from both companies to date,” he wrote. The Aqua president, John Aulbach, promised to do a better job of communi-

cating about these issues in the future, according to Dattore. Fiscal 2016 audit report – The annual audit report for the Captain’s Cove property owners association indicates that on revenues of $5,060,868 and expenses of $4,340,848, the Cove generated a $720,020 operating surplus for the year ending Sept. 30 of last year. That compares to a surplus of $178,500 in FY 2015. Hearn said the better result in part was brought about by a one-time payment to the Cove association of about $200,000 of loans. He said capital reserves are still about $200,000 less than what they should be, but that overall the Cove is in much better financial shape than it has been in recent years. “We’re making good progress,” he said. The audit report was included as an attachment to materials included as part of the Feb. 23 meeting agenda and is posted in the member’s area of the Cove Web site. Organizational documents revision – Cove president Tim Hearn several months back began a process that could lead to a significant revision of Cove organizational documents and a referendum later this year. As part of that process, proposed changes have been submitted to the Cove’s law firm, Inman and Strickler, for review, to determine whether any changes conflict with Virginia law. The law firm is scheduled to give a presentation of its findings at a scheduled meeting of the Cove association’s board on March 23. The meeting begins at 6 p.m. Billy Casper Golf management agreement – Also included in the Feb. 23 meeting materials was a copy of the

Billy Casper Golf contract extension, details of which were described by Hearn at a recent board meeting. Essentially, the new agreement curtails the management responsibilities of BCG somewhat, limiting them to the golf course, the Marina Club restaurant, and the golf clubhouse and snack bar. Responsibility for Cove-owned swimming pools and other amenities, formerly under BCG’s operating purview, have returned to in-house management. The monthly fee under the new agreement, which was effective Jan. 1, is $5,000 per month. The pact runs for three years, and includes an incentive provision. BCG will receive 20 percent of the food and beverage operating margin in excess of the annual operating margin threshold, which in 2017 has been calculated at $162,500. The threshold under the agreement is to increase by 10 percent each year. Traffic control proposal – At its scheduled March 23 meeting, the Cove board will hear details of a proposal by the Traffic Group for a study of ways to improve safety on Captain’s Corridor and high traffic streets Jolly Roger Drive and Navigator Drives. Hearn said although no contract with the Traffic Group has been signed, the company probably will be awarded the job, at a price to be determined by whatever list of services the board selects from “an ala carte” menu of options. So far there appears to be a board consensus that the scope of work will include traffic count studies at key locations during the school season and the peak summer season. The board is chosing from several companies that submitted proposals for traffic safety studies, with the Traffic Group emerging as the apparent choice.

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32 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

March 2017

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OPINION

March 2017 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

COMMENTARY Beach Club parking pass compromise a good solution Hill was very generous in sharing the credit for this compromise, which no director objected to in board discussion in late February. In fact, it was Director Slobodan Trendic who suggested that pool ID cards be expanded to be usable at all Ocean Pines’ pools, not just the Beach Club. But it was Aquatics Director Colby Phillips who, according to Hill, came up with the compromise debit card idea. This is not a trivial fact. It means that one Ocean Pines department head reacted promptly and astutely to a legitimate concern of Beach Club parking pass purchasers. It also means she was able to persuade the hardcharging acting general manager, Brett Hill, who sets high expectations for his department heads, about the wisdom of her compromise idea. Perhaps it didn’t require a whole of persuasion. The thing about good ideas is that, in retrospect, they often seem to be kind of obvious. Even so, it takes someone to come up with the good idea, and it cannot be presumed that, in every instance in which a good idea is needed, someone is around to summon one. It does not take much to imagine a scenario in which a truly horrific idea is summoned and implemented, making matters worse or at least no better. Exhibit A for that would be the six-year experiment with a pastel version of out-sourcing management of the Ocean Pines golf course. No doubt others could be conjured from Ocean Pines’ rich history of “good” ideas gone awry on implementation. Java Bay anyone? Changing anything about the Beach Club parking-pool pass bundle is inherently risky because the package has been a cash cow for the Ocean Pines Association over many years.

In addition to abolishing the four pool passes that heretofore have been distributed without restriction in summers past, Hill and the board have gone ahead to raise the price of the parking passes by $25, to $200 for those who purchase the passes without any other amenity membership. The cost will be $100 for those with types of amenity memberships. It’s been the case over many years in Ocean Pines that when boards raise the cost of any amenity, or make any change in what that membership includes, affected memberships tend to drop. This is bound to happen with Beach Club parking with the increased fees, and indeed has been anticipated for budgetary purposes. But Hill makes a good point that the higher fees and limitations placed on the parking passes may discourage some of their use by those who are neither residents nor property owners in Ocean Pines, but rather weekly renters who flock to the beachfront amenity on busy summer weekends, contributing to long waits by those who truly pay the costs associated with Ocean Pines amenities – property owners. What Hill is suggesting that any less demand for parking spaces on sunny, summer weekends at the Beach Club would be appreciated by the folks who truly pay the bills. Three directors – Trendic, Dave Stevens and Doug Parks – favored a different approach to the parking pass-pool pass issue at the Beach Club. They urged a complete decoupling of pool passes from the parking passes, an idea that has some merit but which, even more so than the plan to be implemented this summer, risks dinging up the Beach Club parking cash cow to a significant degree. If this summer’s bold experiment doesn’t pan out this summer, decoupling could always be tried at an

cean Pines directors have not been shy in tackling difficult issues in their relatively short time together as a board. Reaching consensus has not always been easy. Acting General Manager Brett Hill’s ambitious restructuring of Beach Club parking and pool pass options hit some turbulence in the days after details were first disclosed in the local media, in part because the reporting, though generally accurate, didn’t always cover the fine print. But some of push-back by residents was fact-based and quite legitimate. The essence of the objections was that, as proposed, changes in the traditional free-wheeling distribution of Beach Club parking pass bundled with complimentary pool passes were going to make them much less user-friendly or, for grandparents especially who would lend them to visiting children and grandchildren, not useful at all. Photo IDs were to be the preferred mechanism for greater OPA control and revenue collection. They remain in the final, approved package for Beach Club pool use, for those who elect to purchase them. But in a significant compromise, which addresses the concerns of grandparents with visiting kids and grandkids, or other family members, or even just friends, those buying a Beach Club parking pass will be given the option of accepting a debit card in the amount of $120 usable at the Beach Club or any of Ocean Pines’ four other swimming pool. That’s enough to provide for five adult or seven child visitations to the Beach Club or other pools this summer, an adequate if not overly generous allocation. That’s why it’s a compromise. Compromises tend not to be completely satisfying by their very nature. For those who want additional pool visits once the $120 is used up, the card can be replenished at modest cost.

The Ocean Pines Progress, a journal of news and commentary, is published monthly throughout the year. It is circulated in Ocean Pines, Berlin, Ocean City, and Captain’s Cove, Va. Letters and other editorial submissions: Please submit via email only. Letters should be original and exclusive to the Progress. Include phone number for verification.

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34 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

OPINION

March 2017

Trendic clear winner in budget spat with Supik would be about $4.2 million. Consider that for a moment. Can anyone with a straight face say that An excursion through the curious cul-de-sacs An excursion through theby-ways curious and by-ways and cul-de-sacs a $4.2 million balance as opposed to $3.55 balance is any way significant? of Worcester County’s County’s most densely community. of Worcester mostpopulated densely populated community. Would anyone notice or care about the By TOM STAUSS/ By TOM Publisher STAUSS/Publisher difference? Actually, they might, if the lower amount resulted in an assessment disservice” to property owners. with assessment dollars. That’s where the conversation decrease of $77. He cited one close-to-home example: But more to the point, transfers in The Ocean Pines chief of police makes descended into cringe-worthiness. Supik, the OPA treasurer, surely and out of the replacement reserve more than the elected sheriff of Worcester County, who is in charge of a knows that Trendic has no interest in represent capital spending activity reducing services needed by property that is unrelated to operations. Surely larger department. No offense directed at Chief Massey, owners and that even if he did, reducing Supik knows the difference between but is crime-fighting in Ocean Pines that services – that is, cuts in operations operations and capital expenditures? much more onerous and challenging that anyone would notice or care about One would hope. To be sure, a pattern of shortthan in the hinterlands? No one doubts – are not needed to reduce overall OPA Ocean Pines’ status as one of if not the spending or the assessments collected to changing capital expenditures over decades could in theory affect operations “safest” community in Maryland, but pay for it. At best, she was being disingenuous at some point, should assets be allowed is this necessarily the function of the in her invocation of the specter of to deteriorate to such a state of police chief ’s salary? Reasonable people can have service cuts. At worst, she was engaging decrepitude that no one would want to reasonable differences of opinion on in duplicitous deflection, hoping that play cards, pickleball, ping pong, golf, or Ocean Pines property owners are too to swim or swing a racquet in facilities that one. The board-level discussion turned ignorant of the way the OPA budgets are that have been allowed to descend into such a sorry state. truly dicey when Supik tried to mix it crafted to see through her commentary. But that’s not what is happening now The aforementioned $650,000 in up with Trendic. Supik unconvincingly told everyone supplemental reserve funding was oft- in Ocean Pines, and surely Supik knows that while she might like to reduce cited during the budget review process that, as she is one member of a board assessments, that would be very difficult as ripe for cutting. Directors Trendic, that is aggressively trying to bring because such a large portion goes toward Stevens and Parks all said so. Was she various Ocean Pines amenities and other assets up to a minimal standard not paying attention? providing services to property owners. Had it been cut as Trendic wanted of acceptability. She said she was “not sure” what And the happy reality of it is that the services could be cut to reduce to do, the projected result at the end of fiscal year 2017-18 – that’s roughly 13 current board is doing so frugally, opting assessments. “What I hear most often (from months from now – would have been a for sensible repairs and renovations property owners) is that we’re not doing replacement reserve balance of about rather than the expensive replacements that those of the Supik mindset probably enough,” she said. “Public Works needs $3.55 million dollars. With the $650,000 supplemental prefer. to ratchet it up,” as an example. She At least she did while running as a said she wasn’t sure “it’s reasonable funding included in the budget and or responsible” to reduce assessments allocated to the replacement reserve, the board candidate. With the prevailing and that doing so would be “a huge projected balance at the end of 2017-18

LIFE IN THE LIFE INPINES THE PINES

here were a few cringe-worthy moments in protracted 2017-18 budget discussions that finally produced a budget in late February. The silver-lining behind audiochallenged video streaming of live Board of Directors meetings is that sometimes it’s not always possible to decipher what some directors are saying. A case in point was the exchange between directors Slobodan Trendic and Pat Supik during the Feb. 25 board meeting in which a board majority voted 5-2 for the budget. Trendic offered a cogent and compelling explanation for why he voted against it. Supik offered less of a heartfelt endorsement of it but more of a carping critique of Trendic’s desire to collect and spend less of property owners’ annual lot assessments. Trendic said the board could easily have reduced or eliminated $650,000 in supplemental funding for the Major Maintenance and Replacement Reserve’s legacy component, which the board sensibly is killing off for good next year while keeping most of the revenue attached to it. A nimble bit of budgetary footwork, to be sure. Trendic also questioned the “huge increases” in labor costs in the budget, in particular citing what he called an overly generous funding of department head health insurance premiums. He later told the Progress that across the board the OPA pays its department heads more than other prominent homeowner associations in the state do. He cited Colombia and Montgomery Village on the Western Shore as examples of HOAs that are less generous

Commentary

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From Page 33 other time. Granted, and the directors heard from them as this matter was debated, there are those in Ocean Pines who aren’t interested in pool passes that have been distributed with parking passes since the 1990s. They care more about access to the beach, the snack bar, and the bathrooms at the Beach Club. What the directors who endorse decoupling can’t know is the extent to which those people who don’t use the swimming pool and don’t want the pool passes are offset by those who do and who very much appreciate the perceived pool pass “freebie.” Clearly, since there was somewhere in the neighborhood of 22,000 swipe cards visits to the Beach Club pool last summer, there is a substantial number of individuals who have benefited from the bundled package. A board majority opted for the less risky approach this summer. – Tom Stauss

OPINION

March 2017 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

LETTER

Life in the Pines From Page 34 sentiment preferring a more frugal approach, she knows better than to play a losing hand. The budget Supik voted for included $1.9 million in new capital spending next year, roughly $300,000 more than what the OPA will collect in reserve revenues related to the funding of capital asset depreciation. By collecting the supplemental funding of $650,000, the OPA is collecting more than $300,000 above and beyond that which is envisioned in the budget for capital spending next year, excluding bulkhead replacement. Which isn’t particularly relevant because bulkhead repair and replacement is funded out of its own reserve fund, bulkheads and waterways, not the maintenance and replacement reserve at issue here. It really amounts at best to collecting more money than you need out of misplaced fear that it won’t be enough to cover what you might, in theory, need if the world comes apart, all at once. But at worst it amounts to gouging, collecting more than is needed because you can. The terms of two directors sympathetic to Trendic’s views on reserves, Dave Stevens and Doug Parks, both expire in August. These two seats will be contested in this year summer’s board election, with much at stake. Stevens is term-limited and can’t run for re-election. Parks is presumed to be a candidate. Former Director Marty Clarke, displeased with the budget approved by the board, has declared his intention for a new three-year this summer. Only poor health might convince him not to run. Clarke would be a Trendic ally on spending generally, particularly as it relates to that supplemental $650,000 for the replacement reserve. Nor should anyone give up on OPA President Tom Herrick. He told the Progress some time ago that while he couldn’t agree with eliminating the $650,000 supplemental funding in 2017-18, it could be reduced the year after, especially if a new capital improvement plan is in place that identifies actual capital needs in the near-, mid- and longer-term. Hill might come around, as well. Supik and her most reliable ally on the board, Cheryl Jacobs, no doubt will have supporters and financiers helping candidates who they believe would allow Supik and Jacobs to be part of a new board majority sympathetic to their more – let’s not sugarcoat it – liberal inclinations for extracting assessment dollars from property owners. The way the pendulum swings back and forth in Ocean Pines, anything can happen. Property owners will need to be vigilant this summer, if they want what has been a good board to be even better.

Taking the board to task on pickleball

The pickleball issue within Ocean Pines has become intolerable to say the least. There has to be a path to make this Board of Directors understand that there is a better way to move forward than just merely continue being the most recent group whose sole talent is to explain away continuing losses in terms of, “ Great! We only lost X amount of dollars this year as opposed to X amount of money last year. We’re making progress!” I would say the ivory soap comparison is the best term to describe losses of the two biggest drains the community has had to endure over the last three to four decades. We would know this since we have been here that long. Obviously this approach of “managing losses” and then trying to explain them away hasn’t worked very well for us. We’ve had almost 40 years using that method. Seems not much progress has been made. Maybe a new way should have been considered concerning dealings with the board. Of course much of this is now passé since the sitting board has basically succeeded in assassinating the pickleball club in the Pines. Perhaps addressing the board in a humanistic way would have proved more useful. In our case pickleball has had a profound influence in our lives and also the lives of many of our OP pickleball friends. We could have enumerated the positive aspects of what pickleball has accomplished here. The list is long. To date all the board has done is to ensure that pickleball will make considerably less money next fiscal year, widen the already significant gap between the resident racquet sports groups, drive

members away who are significant contributors to our club (not speaking of their already high non-resident fees), and helping create an atmosphere of trying to humble those upstart pickleball players. This is just as little list that could be much longer. After 3+ years of trying to get our dedicated courts, I have to believe this was done purposely. I’m sure there are association members who disagree. Rather little-minded don’t you think? Perhaps we should have done nothing more than just tout the positive aspects and its uplifting effects in the community. Then we would be able to ask why they have chosen to ruin the great thing that has begun here? We are having a terrible time trying to rationalize what they have already done to ruin something that has been positive for so many. And I believe our membership continues to grow. Over the years boards have consistently tried to lure nonresident members into every amenity to offset losses. I believe we continue to do so. But in pickleball they have chosen to drive non-residents away. Those members, whom we will/have lost, contribute so much to our club that has nothing to do with money. They continued to do one small thing after another to undermine the success of our program. One just has to ask, “Why have you done this?” I thought taking the board of directors to task was the best way of getting our dedicated courts. Our club board, at the time, wanted to approach the task of getting the courts by a kind and gentle approach with the board. Their thought was the board would be able to see the amount

of time and effort that was being put in to make pickleball a great new amenity for the Pines. The club, supported by the members, utilized that approach. Our club responded in-kind. Many many people (also think non-resident members) worked tirelessly to make all understand what a great addition pickleball would be to our community. Without naming names, can you even imagine how some of that initial core group feel after giving so selflessly to promote (and still do) this new amenity only to experience abject failure at the final vote? We understand selfless input when we see it, and we support it wholeheartedly. But today, one has to ask, “How did that work for us?” We still have a great thing going in pickleball. As mentioned many of our people have worked tirelessly to make it happen. We need to respect that work and make the group that chooses to ignore our input accountable for their decisions. We are hemorrhaging association dollars at the the golf course (with a membership of less than 200 members at last count) and the recent Yacht Club debacle. We have been doing this since the inception of Ocean Pines. Now this board of directors concentrates on getting those pickleball rogues in line. Seems like business as usual to me. Are you kidding? Again we ask, “Why are you doing this?” All this has done is to make us understand through all the little things the recent board has done to humiliate pickleball is the notion that some of the recently elected members are really quite small. Terry Gibbons Ocean Pines

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March 2017

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