March 2014 progress by Ocean Pines Progress

March - Early April 2014

Vol. 9, No. 12

410-641-6029

www.issuu.com/oceanpinesprogress Residents cry foul over removal of problem geese

THE OCEAN PINES JOURNAL OF NEWS & COMMENTARY COVER STORY

STAYING THE COURSE Board super majority opposed to leasing golf course Negotiations over management agreement with Billy Casper Golf continue

By TOM STAUSS Publisher t appears that the Ocean Pines Association will be in the golf business for at least another year, as five members of the Board of Directors in a work session March 5 indicated their preference for continuing to run the course through Billy Casper Golf, the company that’s been directly in charge of managing the course for the past three years. Director Marty Clarke told his colleagues that he plans to offer a motion later in March that would require the OPA to draft a Request for Proposal (RFP) inviting golf course management companies or even

OPA President Tom Terry meets with three corporations and one individual to explore lease option, contending that interest wanes when financial information is disclosed. Clarke says Terry’s effort was half-hearted and vows to pursue lease effort because he fears the alternative, possible closure of the course resulting from a referendum of property owners. groups of golfers to submit proposals to lease the course from the OPA, with the purpose of relieving Ocean Pines property owners of costs related to subsidizing persistent operating losses and related expenditures at Ocean Pines’ 18hole Robert Trent Jones golf course. But because of timing and other concerns, a super majority of directors pushed back against the proposed RFP and its defeat seems virtually assured should Clarke present it for a vote at the board’s March 19 regular meeting, as he said he would do. Only Director Jack Collins still seemed interested in joining Clarke to pursue the lease option, and he, too, told the Progress that he has concerns about launching an effort to solicit proposals through the RFP process this close to the launch of another season of golf. OPA General Manager Bob Thompson told the directors that even discussing the possibility of leasing would be sending the wrong message out in the marketplace, just as Ocean Pines’ reputation as a golfing destination is recovering from a rocky few years of course disruption, including a

green reconstruction project that closed nine holes of the course in beginning in 2012 through June of last year. He called the idea of pursuing lease proposals at this time short-sighted and the messaging “horrible” and also an insult to members of the course who have been loyal to Ocean Pines throughout a difficult period of million-dollar-plus investment in the golf course. He also said that it would jeopardize the continuation of solid spring bookings from golf promoters such as Pam’s Golf. He said should the course be leased out, the OPA would be morally bound to return the fees paid by lifetime members – at last count there are 20 – whose contributions helped pay for the green replacement project that cost roughly $900,000. Thompson further argued that last year’s $500,000 operating loss was no surprise, that the directors knew there would be a financial hit from closing nine holes at a time for an extended period of time. Not known was the extent of it, he said. “We should stay the course for one year,” Thompson said, with only Clarke among the directors arguing passionately for a course correction. OPA President Tom Terry told the board that, after a meeting with Ocean To Page 17

A proposal to reduce the goose population at the Ocean Pines Association’s ponds by euthanizing many of the birds that now call the community home has many residents honking in anger. The option of killing geese in order to control their numbers is just one of several alternatives under consideration by the OPA, but it is the only one that residents are calling “fowl.” ~ Page 3

GM cuts two months from Country Club winter schedule When Ocean Pines Association General Manager Bob Thompson opted in early February to shut down the food and beverage operation on the upper level of the Ocean Pines Country Club, he did so to cut his losses. That he did so without first clearing the decision with the OPA Board of Directors caused a flurry of attention on oceanpinesforum.org, a Web site devoted to opinion about the Ocean Pines community, and a negative reaction from one OPA director, frequent Thompson critic Marty Clarke. ~ Page 18

Board adopts some fee increases, lowers assessments

All of General Manager Bob Thompson’s proposed amenity fee increases were adopted when the Ocean Pines Association budget for Fiscal Year 2014-15 was approved Feb. 22 by the Board of Directors. At the same time, the directors actually lowered the base lot assessment from $914 to $909, the first time ever in the history of Ocean Pines that a board has reduced assessments year-over-year. Aquatics membership fees will remain as is, while golf and tennis are on tap for across the board increases. Board of Directors. ~ Page 24

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OCEAN PINES

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

Residents cry foul over removal of problem geese By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer proposal to reduce the goose population at the Ocean Pines Association’s ponds by euthanizing many of the birds that now call the community home has many residents honking in anger. The option of killing geese in order to control their numbers is just one of several alternatives under consideration by the OPA, but it is the only one that residents are calling “fowl.” OPA President Tom Terry opened the Feb. 22 board of directors meeting by addressing “the hottest item on the street.” He said the “non-demise yet of the geese” has prompted numerous phone calls and emails from residents to board members. “There’s all kinds of things spinning out there,” he said of rumors about the board planning to kill many of the geese, but “there is no motion in front of this board. There is no plan.” Despite recent news reports that suggest the OPA is close to or has even made the decision to thin the goose population, the momentum seems to be in the direction of saving the resident waterfowl while figuring out how to discourage migrating Canadian geese from taking up residence in Ocean Pines and

Giant pooper scooper may be one way to deal with waterfowl waste; directors signal desire to avoid euthanasia of migrant Canadian geese becoming a problem. During the public comments section of the board meeting, residents offered their thoughts on the local geese. “I’m here to support the geese,” said Edna Martin, who had in recent weeks presented the OPA with a way to address the issue of the mountains of goose feces that is damaging the ponds and fouling the common areas. She recognized that the “main problem is the goose poop,” saying it is in the pond, causes pollution, and even walking the dog is a problem as a result. But killing the geese is not the solution, she said. So what is? A giant goose pooper scooper, according to Martin. “It’s a long term solution. It takes care of the population, keeps the park clean,” she said. “At least it’s worth a try.” Martin said using the word “euthanize” makes it sound like the geese will have a “nice peaceful” death but in reality “it’s anything but. It’s a long agonizing death for every goose, and they do nothing to harm us.” She encouraged the board to consid-

er her alternative of removing the goose waste material. If necessary, she said there are other methods of reducing the goose population sanctioned by the National Wildlife Foundation, including birth control and shaking their eggs. Terry agreed with Martin that “euthanizing is too easy a phrase to say.” In fact it is “killing geese.” That’s not something we want to vote to do.” He said the board has received a lot of contact from residents about the geese, but “Enda has actually brought forward something that may actually help us solve the issue.” He encouraged anyone else who may have a potential solution to the problem to contact the OPA. Resident Mike Addelman also spoke up at the meeting, saying he was there “in defense of the remaining 17 domestic geese in Ocean Pines.” He said their numbers are continuing to dwindle, with five killed by cars in the last few years, and if that rate of attrition keeps up they will be completely gone in the next few years. He said he believes the migrating

Canada geese cause problems at the ponds. He encouraged the board to protect the resident geese while it tries to determine how to rid the community of Canadas. In December, the OPA’s environment and natural assets committee presented a report to the board saying that something needs to be done about the Canada goose population, which has gotten too large to be sustainable and is causing damage to the ponds. Those waterfowl are fouling up the area around the Worcester County Veterans Memorial, causing traffic jams and polluting the water at the ponds. Excessive goose waste in the ponds was one of the reasons the OPA experienced a fish kill in 2012. The nutrients that the geese put into the pond cause vegetation and algae growth that blocks out sunlight and causes a drop in the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water, and then the fish die. Terry said that committee investigated the various options for controlling the goose populations and “suggested it may be time to thin the flock.” The committee recommended euthanizing some of the geese and using them to feed the homeless as one alternative. To Page 5

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OCEAN PINES

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

Canada geese From Page 3 He said this is not a decision that will be taken lightly by the board. “We’re not seconds away from pulling the trigger on that,” he said. “We’re looking for all kinds of solutions.” He said the association is not going to rush into taking action against the geese without completing full due diligence on the issue. “I don’t hate the geese any more than anybody does.” OPA General Manager Bob Thompson during his monthly report said while the goose issue was brought up by the committee, his office receives the majority of the calls on it. As a result, he said the OPA has been investigating several methods of goose control, including sound machines like the Super BirdXpeller Pro, which is a sonic bird repeller that emits naturally recorded bird distress calls and predator cries that frighten, confuse and disorient pest birds within the effective range up to six acres. Other potential control methods are the use of dogs to scare away waterfowl, wires across waterways to prevent the geese from landing and chemical repellants. “It’s something that apparently sends out a noise that scares” the geese, Thompson said of the Super BirdXpel-

The Super BirdXpeller Pro may provide one alternative for detering Candian geese that are at Ocean Pines ponds.

ler Pro, adding that it “makes the geese uncomfortable and they migrate elsewhere.” The committee said there are numerous methods of goose control that could be used in Ocean Pines, but the only truly effective way is to permanently eliminate the problem through a euthanasia program. That is why it recommended working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to have a contractor catch, kill and remove geese in order

to reduce the resident population. The effort would take place in June when the only birds in the area are permanent residents as the seasonal influx of birds has ended for the summer. The eliminated geese are then used to feed the homeless. The committee said an elimination program will typically help to control the resident goose population for a three to five-year period. According to the DNR, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects Canada geese,

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their nests and eggs. This federal law prohibits capturing or killing Canada geese outside of legal hunting seasons. However, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service allow property owners to conduct certain control methods with the appropriate authorization. Most permits are issued to destroy nests and to oil and addle eggs; authorization is also given to kill geese on farms or other agricultural facilities where geese damage commercial crops; and in some cases, permits may be given to landowners suffering damage. At qualifying sites, communities are issued federal permits for goose roundups; and the meat is processed and donated to food pantries. Euthanasia of Canada geese was used as a large-scale damage control measure for the first time in the U.S. in 1996. This technique involves the roundup of geese when they are undergoing their annual feather molt. The meat from the geese is usually given to local food banks. The capture and destruction of geese requires a federal permit. Landowners are encouraged to hire USDA Wildlife Services or a state-licensed private nuisance animal control company to carry out this work. Capture and euthanasia operations are conducted during the summer flightless period in late June and early July.

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OCEAN PINES

March - Early April 2014

OCEAN PINES BRIEFS The Ocean Pines Association’s Board of Directors during its Feb. 22 monthly meeting once again postponed discussion of resolution M-09, which would establish guidelines for the Search Committee that solicits candidates to run for the Ocean Pines Association’s governing body. Director Marty Clarke, liaison to the Bylaws and Resolutions Committee, asked that the item be removed from the meeting agenda and discussion be delayed until March. “We’re going to push it off to next month. Just because... Just because,” he said. The board debated the resolution for more than an hour during its Feb. 5 work session, with the primary snag being at what point the names of property owners who are interested in running for election to the board should be released publicly. Directors were concerned that since the Search Committee is required to hold meetings that are open to the public, names of property owners who are being solicited to run for the board or who have expressed interest in doing so would be mentioned during those open meetings. Following that discussion Clarke offered a motion, which passed unanimously, to revise the resolution to state that the Search Committee is not authorized to release any application, potential candidate or candidate information.

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His motion also included a date change stating that the OPA secretary will notify applicants of acceptance or rejection as a candidate prior to the public release of candidates’ names, no later than June 1. The Search Committee resolution was proposed and drafted by the Bylaws and Resolutions Committee and has been in the review process for almost two years. Currently there is no resolution that outlines the responsibilities of the Search Committee, which replaced the OPA’s old Nominating Committee. While the Nominating Committee was charged with actually vetting candidates and recommending a slate, the Search Committee does not have that responsibility. Any property owner can file for election; the Search Committee’s job is to encourage property owners to do so. Currently the Search Committee is only referred to in the bylaws, which say the OPA president will appoint members by Feb. 1, and the committee will solicit a minimum of two candidates for every board vacancy. It is required to submit a list of candidates to the OPA secretary by May 10.

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Tom Terry, Ocean Pines Association president, made appointments to

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March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS 7

OCEAN PINES Drainage committee still trying to get going

OCEAN PINES BRIEFS From Page 6 various standing advisory committees during the board of directors’ Feb. 22 meeting. With board concurrence, Terry appointed Barbara Coughlan to the Environment and Natural Assets Advisory Committee for a first term, Skip Schlesinger to the Recreation and Parks Advisory Committee and John Wetzelberger to the Aquatics Advisory Committee.

General Manager Bob Thompson during his Feb. 22 monthly report to the board of directors said he was trying to schedule a first meeting of a drainage committee that was appointed to help resolve the stormwater woes that plague the Ocean Pines Association. He said he was hoping to schedule that initial meeting for either March 6 or 12. Thompson said the drainage committee’s first meeting will be to simply review all of the work that has been done

in the past relative to stormwater management in the community. He said he is “just gonna be there to recap what’s been accomplished over recent years” for the committee members, who include county representatives, Ocean Pines residents and members with stormwater management expertise. In an effort to expedite a study of drainage woes that plague the community, the board decided in December that creating a drainage committee to work with Thompson was necessary. Meanwhile, Thompson has already received several bids from engineering

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Clarke wants update on delinquent accounts

Director Marty Clarke during the Feb. 22 board of directors meeting asked about the status of a report on the number of property owners who are delinquent on their annual Ocean Pines Association property assessments. “We’re down to a week,” before a report is due to the board, he told General

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OCEAN PINES

March - Early April 2014

OCEAN PINES BRIEFS From Page 7 Manager Bob Thompson. The process for handling of delinquent assessment accounts is supposed to start with Thompson providing a report on the status of those accounts to directors by March 1. Thompson replied that the report will be finished by the deadline and sent out to all board members.

Further, under the process, any property owner who has not paid the OPA assessment, which is due on May 1, will be sent an initial late payment notice on July 1 and a second in August. In September delinquent property owners will receive a certified letter that the OPA intends to file a lien on the property and in October such notices are posted on the property itself. In November the OPA actually files liens and by the following year legal pro-

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ceedings get under way. By February the most egregious cases are selected for action and foreclosure. In an effort to reduce the number of delinquent accounts, the OPA has made enhancements to its collection process in the last few years, including trying to contact property owners who are in arrears by phone and additional mailings, searching county records and websites and even performing Internet searches to locate absentee owners. All of that is done to try to at least get them on a payment plan with the OPA. The OPA also offers property owners the opportunity to take advantage of a prepayment plan to pay their current assessments in segments prior to the May 1 due date.

Yacht Club update shows significant interior work

Inside and outside, construction work on the Ocean Pines Association’s new Yacht Club is nearing completion. As of Feb. 28, bathroom and kitchen tile work on both floors and walls as well as installation of the kitchen epoxy floor on the second level is complete. Drywall, painting of the walls and door frames and staining of interior trim is nearing completion. On the mechanical side nearly all work is finished as is gas line rough-in.

Heating, ventilation and air conditioning units are on site, and lines are being installed. Masonry is more than half finished. Construction of the tower window is finished, and exterior deck work on both the south and west sides is just about done.

Sun causing brief gaps in cable television signals

Through March 12, Mediacom cable television subscribers in Ocean Pines may notice brief interruptions in television service due to sun outages. Twice each year, the sun is positioned directly in line with the ground-based satellites used to receive television programming. This positioning causes short programming interruptions as the sun’s energy overpowers the signals transmitted by the satellites, Mediacom announced in a recent email blast to customers. These interruptions can cause the picture to become snowy, pixilated, completely blank or display a message such as “channel not available” or “One Moment Please”. This will happen several times throughout the day and normally lasts no more than 15 minutes each time. Service restores itself afterword. Depending on location, the timing of interruptions varies.

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March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

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Board pressures contractor to ensure quality fix to Mumford’s pool Directors approve reallocation of Sports Core funds so amenity will be ready for use this summer By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer

cean Pines directors during their Feb. 22 monthly meeting debated the need for a pressure test of piping prior to making repairs to the Mumford’s Landing swimming pool that are supposed to occur before the pool reopens for the 2014 summer season. The purpose of the pressure test is to determine whether there are previously unidentified leaks in the pool infrastructure. The board ultimately approved the necessary repairs, with the stipulation that the contractor retained to complete the job do a pressure test before beginning any work, which includes changes to the Mumford’s baby pool to make it ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliant and new fencing to accommodate the baby pool’s new sloped “zero entry” ramp. Bob Thompson, Ocean Pines Association general manager, presented a request for a reallocation of funds to cover the $50,300 cost of making repairs to the pool. Thompson said he received two bids for the work, one that included conducting a pressure test of the piping and one that did not; He initially recommended accepting the low bid that did not include the pressure test. But he acquiesced in the additional pressure testing on the recommendation of Director Sharyn O’Hare, the board’s liaison to the Aquatics Advisory Committee, and the committee. Members had informed O’Hare earlier that a pressure test is necessary

to determine if there are other issues or leaks in the system that will require fixes. The Mumford’s Landing pool project is not included in either the current fiscal year’s budget or the FY 201415 budget that goes into effect May 1. But Thompson recommended reallocating $60,000 that had been budgeted this year for repairs at the Sports Core swimming pool to the Mumford’s Landing facility instead. New funds for Sports Core pool repairs have been included in the 2014-15 capital budget, but it’s unclear whether Thompson will be ready to make Sports Core pool fixes this summer. The Mumford’s Landing pool has a floor crack running the entire width of the pool and several vertical cracks on the pool walls running from the floor to the coping tile, Thompson said. One of the cracks involves a pool skimmer. The contractor will cut and grind out the cracks, repair the expansion joint that adjoins two separate sections of the pool and re-tile the affected areas. The entire pool then will be resurfaced with a Diamond Brite finish, Thompson said, similar to that at the new Yacht Club pool. Thompson said the main crack is actually caused by the pool’s expansion joint “that really should not have been quite finished the way it was, according to “what two of the engineers told us.” As initially conceived, pool repairs were to include hydraulic pressure injection of concrete sludge slurry under a section of the pool that has subsided, to

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OCEAN PINES Mumford’s pool From Page 10 “bring the pool up to the level it should be,” Thompson said. But there has been recent concern that such an injection might cause other problems, including possible stress on the expansion joint, so the approved project apparently will not attempt to address the subsidence condition. O’Hare was the first to broach the issue of the pressure test. Citing recent committee discussion, she said she was concerned that it was not included in the bid that Thompson recommended for acceptance. Thompson explained that one bidder felt that it was necessary in order to warrant its work on the pool, and the other did not. He recommended accepting the bid from the contractor who did not feel it was necessary and would warrant its work without the pressure test. That bidder, Pool and Spas of Milford, Del., was in the middle of the three bids or proposals received for the pool work. Aquatics committee member Gary Miller, invited to address the board by O’Hare, said there are “a couple of issues” with the Mumford’s Landing pool, one of which is that the expansion joint has been covered over with plaster by a pool service company that previously had done work on the pool. He said the aquatics committee feels “pretty sure” that the expansion joint itself hasn’t been a source of leaks but nonetheless needs to be fixed so it functions as it’s supposed to. However, Miller added “we are losing water from somewhere,” and that is why the committee recommended a pressure test “to see if water is leaking through some of the pipes rather than the pool itself.” He said there was also concern on the part of the committee that jacking up the sagging end of pool could actually create additional problems by making the expansion joint less flexible. Miller said most of the settlement on the southeastern corner of the pool happened within a relatively short time after the pool was originally installed, and that apparently no further settlement has occurred in the last three or four years. Therefore, it “may not be as big an issue,” he said. Director Jeff Knepper wondered whether the board should be second guessing the contractors who submitted bids on the work. “If they are willing to stand behind their work without pressure testing the main, do we know better?” he asked. “I get nervous when we go against recommendations of people who know.” Thompson said the OPA staff takes “a lot of input from the aquatics committee, which is comprised of people who have worked in pool-related industries. “It’s not just people who like to swim. They are people who have industry ex-

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS perience,” he said. Still, he said, clearly one contractor who submitted a bid felt the pressure test was necessary and the other did not. The OPA can, however, require the second contractor to perform a pressure test for an additional fee if awarded the contract, he said. OPA President Tom Terry agreed and said the committee feels that there is a need for a pressure test in order for the association to know for certain that “the work that is being done might actually fix the problem.” Terry suggested the board move forward with awarding the bid for the pool work but ask the contractor to perform a pressure test as part of the contract. “I think we ought to do the test. We really should,” he said.

O’Hare offered a motion to approve the contract for the pool repairs with a pressure test, up to a cost of $53,000, including changes to the Mumford’s baby pool with a zero entry access in order to comply with a requirement of the ADA. The contractor will install a zero entry ramp, replace the drains, collars and sleeves, and resurface the existing pool and the ramp. The fences at the Mumford’s Landing pool also need to be replaced at a cost of about $18,000 to accommodate the zero entry ramp. The main fence around the entire facility is in need of repair or replacement. The project involves installing about 430 feet of fencing, one double gate, one single gate and posts set in concrete, clearing and hauling away the existing

fence, and patching the concrete where needed. Thompson said he only received one bid for the fence work but that it came from a reputable company that has completed the majority of the work at the OPA’s other pools. Clarke also made the motion to approve the fence contract, saying he is not a fan of sole sourcing but that this is a “great contractor.” Thompson’s response to the easily secured motion from Clarke was, “Really? Holy smokes.” Finally, Clarke queried Thompson regarding the purchase of an off-season cover for the Mumford’s Landing pool. Thompson concurred, and said he will start getting prices on covers for several of OPA’s pools.

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OCEAN PINES

March - Early April 2014

GM commits to replacing Swim & Racquet Club baby pool with new splash pad amenity General manager to appoint internal group to study needs for police department space By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer

nstead of redesigning the baby pool at the Swim and Racquet Club to make it handicap accessible, the Ocean Pines Association is opting to replace it with a new splash pad. The Board of Directors during its Feb. 22 monthly meeting unanimously approved the change in plans that could save the OPA more than $130,000. General Manager Bob Thompson during monthly an update on pending capital projects for fiscal year 2014-15 said the American Disabilities Act requires the Swim and Racquet Club’s baby pool to have a zero entry access. Instead of making changes necessary to create the zero entry access, Thompson recommended replacing the children’s pool with a splash pad, otherwise known as a spray park, that would satisfy the ADA requirement and elimi-

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nate the need for a lifeguard at the site. The pad features and spray patterns will be configured to meet the footprint of the existing pool. “We thought replacing the baby pool with this was a good step,” Thompson said. While the OPA initially had budgeted $30,000 for a re-designed zero entry baby pool, the change to a splash pad will cost just $38,800, according to the latest estimates. The approved capital budget actually includes $175,000 for the splash pad, based on an earlier estimate, but a low bid obtained by the OPA is for the lower number, for a roughly $130,000 savings. “We feel this gives us a good option,” Thompson said, adding that the project will reuse as much of the existing pool equipment, including pumps, as possible. Because this is a small project, it is an ideal way to test having a splash pad

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instead of a zero entry for the pool, he said. There will still be a baby pool at the Mumford’s Landing pool for those who prefer it over a splash pad. Director Sharon O’Hare, the board’s liaison to OPA’s Aquatics Advisory Committee, said she was “very impressed” with the proposal for a splash pad. She said the pad area is rubberized pad and the water features are very gentle for children age six and under. The committee has endorsed the splash pad as an alternative to retrofitting the baby pool with zero entry access for ADA compliance. Director Marty Clarke asked about the timing for the project. “We need it this summer,” he said. Thompson said with board approval to proceed, planning for the project can get under way immediately. Since this is a small project for the contractor it should be completed by June, in the new fiscal year. The OPA does, however, have to make other changes to comply with ADA but the work will be completed in-house by the public works department at a cost of just $4,700. That project at the Swim and Racquet Club involves construction of a wooden handicap ramp that will extend from the club deck to the lower location of the new splash pad. The board unanimously approved the bid for the splash pad construction from Best Aquatic, as well as building the handicap ramp. Another capital project that is on the list but just in the formative stage is a new police station. The only action take so far is for Police Chief David Massey to form an in-

ternal team to identify the challenges the department faces in the current facility. Once that step is complete, then additional members will be added to create a design team. During the project planning and pre-design phase, the OPA will conduct a space needs analysis, evaluate facility options including whether to renovate the existing police station, expand it or build a completely new facility. If the team concludes that either expansion or relocation is necessary, then site evaluations will be conducted. Budgeting and funding the project comes at phase three after development of a preliminary project design, which will be driven by the space analysis. Then the OPA can develop a request for proposals for designing and building the new police station and evaluate submitted bids. Director Jack Collins wanted to know construction will begin on this project. “Its’ going to depend on what we decide to do with the project,” Thompson responded, but he added that if the selected option is to remodel the existing police station, then that will occur more quickly than either expansion or building a new facility. “If we’re moving to a different location, it becomes a completely different project,” Thompson said. Also on the capital projects list for FY ‘15 is reconditioning of the eight sprinkler-irrigated Har-Tru tennis courts at Manklin Meadows at a cost of $11,245. The reconditioning includes cleaning, leveling the surface, top dressing with the Har-Tru surface, laying lines on the courts and clean up of the job site.

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GM recommends design/build option for new computer system architecture Knepper concurs that traditional way of buying and installing computer hardware is not the way to go By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer

ith no one on the Ocean Pines Association’s staff skilled at designing computer architecture, General Manager Bob Thompson has recommended a design/build contract for a project that will upgrade and link the systems at all of the OPA’s facilities. During the Board of Directors’ monthly meeting Feb. 22, Thompson said the upgrades will allow the OPA to “take a pretty big leap forward with the technology.” The OPA has been talking about taking that leap that for nearly 15 years. A proposal to upgrade and connect all association offices and facilities was first presented in 1999. Whether the latest effort will fare better than that failed effort in 1999 remains to be seen. Thompson said the OPA is starting to have multiple computer system failures with servers going down. He said there is no funding in the current fiscal year budget for system improvements.

But by forgoing the purchase of another piece of equipment that he did not identify, he said the OPA will be able to shift the funding necessary to create a computer system that will serve the OPA’s current and future needs. The upgrade will be phased in over two years, he said. The general manager said that staff has reviewed and evaluated all of the existing software used by the various departments and is trying to determine what they really need to do their jobs most efficiently. In trying to draft a request for proposals, he said “we’re trying to tell them in an RFP (request for proposals) exactly what we want” but he added that “we are not qualified” to do that. The design-build approach allows a prospective bidder to both design and build a system using equipment chosen by the bidder. Thompson enlisted new OPA Director Jeff Knepper, who has a background in the computer industry, to help with the project. Knepper concurred with Thompson’s evaluation of the situation.

“We can talk about the requirements, what we need; we have not a clue as to how you could accomplish it,” he said, adding there are many different ways to design a computer system, and the OPA has no one on staff who can do it properly. Knepper said the better approach is to solicit a design/build RFP and then select a contractor, who will evaluate the OPA’s needs, develop the system and build it, based on qualifications and past work. He said the design and construction cannot be bid separately for several reasons, including the fact that companies will only want to bid on the total project. “The approach is about the only one that has a chance of really working,” Knepper said. Director Marty Clarke asked why the OPA would not just write an RFP or a scope of work and get three legitimate bids. He said the scope can be “fix our computers.” “We’re not technically competent to write a scope,” Thompson responded.

“We’ve defined as far as we can go with what we know, how everything works behind it; and how to feed everything to each facility is foreign to most of us.” He said the OPA needs the experts to determine how to best achieve a total system architecture. “This stuff can be insanely complex,” Knepper said, adding that small differences in design can make a real difference in how the system operates. “I don’t think we give a ‘whatever’ about how it gets done,” he said, adding “I think the results will end up being much better than if we try it the traditional way.” Director Jack Collins suggested using residents of the community who have expertise in computers to help design the system. Knepper said that isn’t practical because whoever designs the system has to have extensive experience in network design and engineering, and must be up to date on the latest advances. Clarke then asked what it would cost to hire one of the local “computer companies to come in and tell us what to do?” Knepper said “That’s what this will do.” “Clearly this is over my head,” Clarke conceded. No formal action was taken on the proposal and no cost estimate was available; Thompson will present a formal recommendation at a later time.

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS 15

16 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

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OCEAN PINES Golf course From Page 1 Pines resident and developer Marvin Steen and reading a flier that Steen was intending to distribute around Ocean Pines in late February, he decided to investigate the possibility of leasing out the course. Steen told Terry that there was real interest in the possibility of leasing the course and he supplied the names of several interested parties. The flier, subsequently posted on oceanpinesforum.com, invited the directors to pursue the lease option but said that, should they be unable or unwilling to secure a lease deal in an unspecified period of time, Steen would launch a petition drive under the Coalition for Ocean Pines Equity (COPE) banner to force a referendum of property owners on the issue of whether to close the golf course. While Steen did not distribute the flier around Ocean Pines because he thought Terry would make a good faith effort to investigate possibilities, he authorized its release to the online forum when he heard from Clarke that the effort was not going well. He also placed the flier in the March-Early April edition of the Progress as a full-page advertisement as a way of informing the greater Ocean Pines community of a pending petition and referendum effort. The possibility of a petition drive and effort to give property owners the option to close down the course was cited by Clarke as a reason to pursue the lease option. He said he was unwilling to risk the possible closure of the golf course through a referendum and that, by declining to pursue a lease, his colleagues were signaling their willingness to do so. Terry said he had pursued the lease option as requested by Steen but concluded after meetings that lasted up to an hour with potential tenants that their interest waned considerably when provided with financial data showing how much the OPA golf course has lost in recent years. Three of the four parties he met with declined to pursue the matter further and the fourth had not gotten back to him, probably indicating

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS a lack of continuing interest, Terry said. Clarke told the Progress even before the May 5 work session that Terry’s efforts investigating possible leases would fail because, in the face of determined opposition from the general manager, the effort would be half-hearted. He said that both Clarke and Collins had volunteered to help coordinate the effort but was rebuffed by Terry. “It will fail because they want it to fail,” Clarke said. He later said he would produce a formal letter from an interested lessor indicating continued interest in a lease. Even if he follows through on that, it would appear that a super majority of directors will be unwilling to give it much consideration, if any. When Clarke seemed to question the veracity of Terry’s account of his efforts to identify real interest in leasing the golf course, Collins suggested that Terry produce a written report on those efforts to be shared with the board and the community. Terry agreed. Collins also asked during board discussion what the downside would be to soliciting RFPs for a golf course lease. Terry said that it would send a message into the marketplace that Ocean Pines is in “turmoil again.” He said Ocean Pines, if it had been interested in leasing out the course, should have gone down that route at least a month earlier. Terry said he was not opposed to the concept of leasing in principle and that it should be kept on the table for consideration at a later time. Director Sharyn O’Hare agreed with those sentiments. “I’m not opposed to the concept, but the timing,” she said. Director Terri Mohr seemed less interested in keeping the lease option on the table for later consideration, telling her colleagues that it hasn’t been that long since the golf course was brought into good condition. “It takes people awhile to come back,” she said, adding that she would oppose any OPA action to close the golf course after the millions of dollars invested in it. The OPA would be “dumping that investment down the drain” if property owners vote to close it, she said. Clarke responded that he, too, wants

the course to stay open but that property owners can no longer be counted on to subsidize a losing operation. He said that operating losses have ranged from $250,000 to $500,000 per year for the last three years, and that according to OPA annual audit reports, funded depreciation expense related to golf last year cost property owners about $420,000. When annual golf-related capital expenditures are factored in, Clarke said that golf in Ocean Pines is costing Ocean Pines property owners more than $1 million per year in subsidies. The directors seemed to take the prospect of a petition drive and referendum seriously and no one was critical of Steen for having raised the issue of a leasing out the course. But most of them seemed to suggest that should Steen and his COPE organization succeed in collecting the sig-

natures of roughly 850 property owners willing to take the issue to referendum, then the OPA would have to make the best case possible for keeping the course open. Former OPA Director Pete Gomsak told the board that Steen’s flier contained misinformation, citing its failure to mention that in addition to roughly 250 golf members in Ocean Pines, there are another 1500 or so who play the course as non-members. He promised to obtain accurate numbers on the number of non-member property owners who play the course. Similar promises have been previously but so far no one has been able to come up with credible numbers, or to verify them, which perhaps explains why Steen did not feel it necessary or useful to quantify play by non-members who are also Ocean Pines property owners. www.edwardjones.com

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OCEAN PINES

March - Early April 2014

GM cuts two months from Country Club’s winter schedule

Directors debate whether Thompson had authority to close the facility without board approval to come back to the board” before making that decision, Collins queried during the board’s Feb. 22 regular monthly meeting. He called his question a pro forma one, not one intended as an “indictment” of Thompson for acting as he did. Two other directors, Bill Cordwell and Jeff Knepper, defended Thompson while OPA President Tom Terry steered a more middle-of-the-course, suggesting that if the board had wanted to restrict Thompson’s ability to act in the way he did, the directors should have adopted a more precise resolution last September. At the board’s Sept. 18 meeting, the directors voted to authorize Thompson to shift food and beverage operations from the Yacht Club, closed as a new facility is under construction, to the Country Club, as a temporary measure. Billy Casper Golf operated the second level of the Country Club last winter on a limited basis but opted not to do so again this winter, primarily out of concern for likely losses. Cordwell defended the general manager’s decision as the correct one given the fact that residents were not availing themselves of the opportunity to patronize an amenity with a heating problem. “It was freezing in there,” he said.

Knepper, who was not a board member when the decision to shift operations to the Country Club was made, said he attended the Sept. 18 meeting nonetheless and believes that Thompson’s February decision was consistent with the earlier board decision. In effect, he suggested that “authority” to open the Country Club implied authority to reverse that decision if for whatever reason it didn’t work out. Thompson, not directly addressing the policy issue on whether he had the authority to close Country Club operations without board approval, explained that business generated at the facility didn’t warrant keeping it open. One recent Sunday only produced $22 in revenue, Thompson told the directors, and the decision to close will produce savings of roughly $6,000 in both February and March. Beginning in April, the general manager said he anticipates that Billy Casper Golf will be reopening the downstairs Terns Grille. Discussion about keeping the Country Club open this winter arose during board discussion this past August, when Thompson informed the board that he wanted to shift the Yacht Club staff over

to the Country Club because BCG was not planning to operate even a limited food and beverage operation at the Country Club this winter. On the suggestion of Director Dan Stachurski, Thompson was directed to come back to the board in September with an estimate of the operation’s financial impact on the Yacht Club budget, what Stachurski called a business plan. At the Sept. 18 board meeting, the general manager told the board that operating the Country Club during the November through March period would only cost the OPA about $14,000 in additional losses for the year. With that estimate in mind, the directors unanimously voted to authorize the winter Country Club operation, a three-or-four day-a-week schedule, with Monday nights included during the professional football season. Thompson said the club would be open Friday nights, Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 8 or 9 p.m., Sundays from 10 a.m. to whenever football games end, and Monday nights for football. The projected $14,000 additional loss “isn’t as bad as it could have been,” Director Sharyn O’Hare said at the time in reaction to Thompson’s estimates, adding that Ocean Pines residents “want a place to meet their friends” over the winter. Director Bill Cordwell agreed, noting

By TOM STAUSS Publisher hen Ocean Pines Association General Manager Bob Thompson opted in early February to shut down the food and beverage operation on the upper level of the Ocean Pines Country Club, he did so to cut his losses. That he did so without first clearing the decision with the OPA Board of Directors caused a flurry of attention on oceanpinesforum.org, a Web site devoted to opinion about the Ocean Pines community, and a negative reaction from one OPA director, frequent Thompson critic Marty Clarke. Clarke said that while the decision to close the Country Club was probably a good one, it nonetheless was a policy issue that should have been run by the board before it became official. He said the decision was made just two days after the board met in a regular meeting and that Thompson must have known the decision was imminent. Clarke seemed to be suggesting that the general manager could have informed the directors of his pending action at that meeting. One other director, Jack Collins, phrased his concern about whether Thompson had the authority to close the Country Club without board authority more diplomatically. “Does the GM have the responsibility

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OCEAN PINES Country Club

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

From Page 18 that last winter, when Casper Golf operated a limited schedule at the Country Club, headlined by a popular chicken dinner prepared by Tern Grille chef Charles, attendance grew from about 30 people at the launch to about 175 at its peak. “It became more popular,” he said, adding that OPA residents “need a gathering-place” and that it doesn’t need to be open seven days a week, something Thompson never had any intention of implementing. OPA President Tom Terry also spoke up in favor of a winter schedule at the Country Club, although he suggested that it may not be possible to offer the fried chicken special at the same low price that Casper offered last winter. During the board’s discussion that followed Thompson’s presentation of budgetary impacts, the directors did not directly cite another reason for why Thompson had initially suggested shifting operations to the Country Club over the winter. Thompson had said that by doing so, Yacht Club Food and Beverage Manager David McLaughlin could keep Yacht Club staff employed and provide training in anticipation of the new Yacht Club in the spring. That rationale met some resistance from property owners during the August

meeting and from one or two directors, who said that possible benefit might not in the end materialize. In the end, it was the desire to provide a meeting place that carried the day. As explained by Thompson during the board’s Aug. 28 special meeting, BCG’s decision to close down the Tern Grille and the fact that the Yacht Club will probably be demolished by November means the OPA would be temporarily out of the food and beverage business after the first part of November. “We wouldn’t have any facility open,” Thompson told the board, telling members that he thought it should be a “board decision” whether to operate a limited food and beverage operation at the Country Club in the run-up to the opening of the new Yacht Club in the spring. “It’s up to you all” to decide, Thompson said, candidly telling the directors that there would be a cost to do so – an unbudgeted operational loss that he was not then prepared to estimate. His approach seemed to be to put the ball in the board’s court as to whether directors were willing to accept an operating loss in order to stay in the food and beverage business over the winter months. During the Aug. 28 special meeting, Thompson seemed to be asking the board for a quick decision on keeping the Country Club open, in the hopes of

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Kiwanis donations At the weekly meeting on Feb. 19 of the Kiwanis Club of Greater Ocean Pines - Ocean City, President Dick Clagett presented a donation of $350 to Sonya Bounds, director of Ocean Pines Parks and Recreation Department, for the annual Summer Concerts in the Park

avoiding a second move of the some of the former Yacht Club’s kitchen equipment to the Country Club. If the board had accommodated the general manager during the Aug. 28 special meeting, he said he would have been prepared to move the kitchen equipment directly to the Country Club. Thompson said that one rationale for operating the Country Club as a food and beverage venue over the winter months was that it would allow time for the staff to ramp up and train for the new Yacht Club opening. Initial reaction by a majority of directors seemed positive, with the exception of Clarke and Jack Collins, who seemed to side with Clarke when he expressed

concerns about the operating losses that would result. Still, both Clarke and Collins voted with the majority on Stachurski’s motion directing Thompson to produce a business plan with cost estimates for keeping the Country Club open. The motion passed on a 5-2 vote, with directors Sharyn O’Hare and Terri Mohr opposed. They seemed prepared to give Thompson the immediate go-ahead to proceed with moving kitchen equipment and didn’t seem particularly concerned that the general manager had not submitted a business plan with projected losses. Also voting for the motion were Terry and Cordwell.

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20 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

By TOM STAUSS Publisher member of the Ocean Pines Association’s Budget and Finance Advisory Committee recently offered a provocative assessment of the way the OPA handles money from its allocated reserve funds: He says that if regulators from the State of Maryland ever were to audit OPA reserve spending, they would find violations of state law. Committee member Dale Buley, during the committee’s February monthly meeting, did not he assert that the violations would be egregious enough to result in OPA officials being arrested and prosecuted. In a follow-up interview with the Progress, Buley said that the OPA has over the years spent money out of its major replacement reserve fund for purposes other than replacement of assets. State law is very specific on that point, he said. In the 2013-14 budget just approved by the OPA Board of Directors, Buley said there are examples of certain planned capital expenditures that are more accurately described as new capital projects which he said should be funded out of next year’s assessments rather than out of the replacement reserve. According to the capital expenditure project list, the funding source for four new pickleball courts and two new platform tennis courts is the replacement reserve. None are replacing existing assets. In addition, the board has approved a new splash pad at the Swim and Racquet Club from the replacement reserve;

OCEAN PINES

March - Early April 2014

B&F committee member hits OPA handling of reserve funds Says in some instances the OPA is violating state law at least in this instance, the approved splash pad is replacing the old baby pool. Buley said that when an existing amenity is upgraded, the upgraded amenity should be paid for as “new capital” out of current assessments rather than the replacement reserves. That is the policy in the Parke section of Ocean Pines, he said, and the OPA should follow suit. The approved list also contains two capital expenditures, bridge repairs and a new or remodeled police station, which show the five-year-plan funding stream as their funding sources. The five-yearplan funding stream is one of two funding components of the major maintenance and replacement reserve. Previously, OPA President Tom Terry has insisted that the five-year-plan funding stream is restricted in its use, to be used only to finance the construction of the new Yacht Club, consistent with pledges made to property owners in the run-up to the referendum that approved $4.3 million for a new Yacht Club. Buley said the OPA has not yet resolved the difficult question of how much funding should be in the OPA’s allocated reserve funds over a 30-year period. He said it’s time that the OPA hire experts to conduct another reserve study to resolve that issue, once and for all. Another committee member, Gene

Ringsdorf, questioned the in-house loan funding mechanism that is being used to pay off the $200,000 Sports Core pool enclosure loan principal. The board approved the in-house borrowing scheme in February as a way of reducing the OPA’s interest expense on the pool enclosure by roughly $2,000 per month for the remaining three years on the loan. The savings is brought about by replacing the current 7 percent commercial loan with in-house financing of about 1 percent. Ringsdorf asked OPA Controller Art Carmine what “pot of money” is being used to pay off the SunTrust Bank loan. Ringsdorf later said he had not gotten a clear and concise answer from Carmine on the funding source, but the answer to that question appears to be unallocated operational cash in OPA checking accounts or CDAR accounts which are not specifically earmarked or allocated to the OPA’s reserves that are detailed in the reserve summary published in the Progress every month. Contrary to the impression given by the motion that produced the approval of the in-house financing scheme in February, the $200,000 loan won’t be paid out of any of the OPA’s allocated reserves, such as the major maintenance or replacement reserve or the future projects reserve.

It also won’t be treated as an operating expense that would turn the OPA’s projected surplus for the current fiscal year into a deficit, Carmine told the Progress recently. OPA Director Jack Collins offered the most lucid explanation to date of the inhouse financing scheme in comments to the Progress after the committee meeting. He described the SunTrust loan pay-off as a balance sheet transaction in which the operating cash line item will be reduced by the loan repayment amount of $200,000. Carmine has said that the loan will be paid off in this fiscal year, on or before April 30, and will be duly recorded in the audit report to be completed later this calendar year (normally released by the August annual meeting of the OPA). In addition, Collins said the remaining loan principal will be shown on the balance sheet, as an asset on one side of the ledger and a liability on the other, though he referred the specifics of that to Pete Gomsak, one of two OPA assistant treasurers. Gomsak told the Progress that indeed the in-house financing mechanism is a balance sheet transaction as described by Collins.. In other committee activity, former chairman Dennis Hudson handed off the chairmanship reins to committee member Pat Supik, who had been appointed to the committee last year. Hudson said his one regret as chairman is the failure to follow through on an effort to reduce the board’s spending authority from the current 20 percent of the money collected from annual lot assessments.

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March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

22 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

March - Early April 2014

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

March - Early April 2014

Board lowers assessments by $5, adopts some amenity rate increases Golf, racquet sports and Beach Parking pass fees increased as recommended by staff By TOM STAUSS Publisher ll of General Manager Bob Thompson’s proposed amenity fee increases were adopted when the Ocean Pines Association budget for Fiscal Year 2014-15 was approved Feb. 22 by the Board of Directors. At the same time, the directors actually lowered the base lot assessment from $914 to $909, the first time ever in the history of Ocean Pines that a board has reduced assessments year-over-year. Aquatics membership fees will remain as is, while golf and tennis are on tap for across the board increases. Beach Club parking and marina boat slip rent-

al fees will all increase when the budget is approved by the Board of Directors. The merits of increased golf rates were extensively debated by the directors, but in the end the board agreed it was best to accept increases recommended by Thompson and Billy Casper Golf, the golf course management company. Annual golf family rates for residents will be increasing from the current $2,205 to $2,300 and the individual rate from $1,260 to $1,315. The resident family golf cart rate allowing unlimited cart usage will increase from $1,800 to $1,900, and the individual rate will increase from $1,200 to $1,300.

Approved OPA bugdet summary for Fiscal Year 2014-15

The “after 12” resident rate for families will increase from $1,310 to $1,365 and for individuals from $840 to $875. The limited golf rate (30 rounds or fewer) will increase from $1,350 to $1,425 for resident individuals, including cart; there is no limited golf rate for families. Stand-alone cart and greens fees will rise under the approved budget. Cart fees will increase from $10 to $12 for nine holes and from $20 to $22 for 18 holes. Combined in-season rates for non-member owners and guests will increase from $60 to $62 for play before noon, from $50 to $52 from noon to 3 p.m., and from $40 to $42, for 18 holes. Nine hole rates will increase $2 as well: from $35 to $37 before noon, $25 to $27 from noon to 3 p.m., and from $23 to $25 after 3 p.m. Resident tennis annual membership fees for individuals and families will not be increased, consistent with staff recommendations, remaining at $525 for families and $315 for individuals. But the afternoon rate for resident families will increase from $130 to $160 and for individuals from $80 to $100.

OCEAN PINES Platform tennis rates will increase from $115 to $150, and a new family rate, previously unavailable, will be established at $250. Also new will be a pickleball rate, at $150 for families and $100 for individuals. Daily rates for use of the tennis courts at Ocean Pines Manklin Creek Road complex will not change. Thompson has said that increases in golf and tennis reflect the views of member groups. Aquatics rates will remain at $580 and $370 annually for families and individuals, $315 and $190 for summer memberships, and $445 and $290 for winter-only memberships. Beach Club parking pass fees will increase under the approved budget, from $55 to $75 for those purchasing other amenity memberships and from $160 to $175 for households up to four people buying parking passes only. Weekly rates will increase from $50 to $55. Marina boat slip renters will also be paying for the privilege of mooring their boats at the Yacht Club and Swim and Racquet club marinas. The fee for boats up to 25 feet in length will increase from $1,660 to $1,745. The rate for boats from 26 to 39 in length will increase from $2,265 to $2,380 and for boats from 40 to 44 feet in length, and live-aboards, from $3,195 to $3,355. At the Swim and Racquet Club, fees for all slips will increase from $1,200 to $1,260, and storage rates will increase from $400 to $420.

Final capital expenditure list decreases authorized spending by $296,000 Mysterious ‘sewer machine’ costing $60,000 surfaces in Public Works Department capital budget approved by the board of directors By TOM STAUSS Publisher he final capital expenditure list in the 2014-15 Ocean Pines Association budget approved by the Board of Directors Feb. 22 departs from the original draft proposed by General Manager Bob Thompson in several areas but, for the most part, retains his spending priorities. Inclusion in the approved budget does not mean the proposed spending will actually occur. The items on the approved list are more accurately described as place-holders that require additional steps, including project initiative by the general manager and board funding approval. Normally, inclusion in the approved list is a required first step, although emergencies have on occasion resulted in a project occurring in a year when it was not included in the budget. The approved capital list includes $3,190,348 in projected costs, down from the $3,486,348 in costs and projects that

were part of Thompson’s draft proposal presented to the board in January. That’s a $296,000 decrease in authorized spending for next year, reflecting a number of deletions in proposed projects that the board made during the budget review process. Deleted projects included the paving of Sports Core/Veterans Memorial trails, for a savings of $126,000; Swim and Racquet Club baby pool improvements, in the amount of $30,000; and Beach Club parking lot paving, for a savings of $200,000. But the approved capital list includes a new $60,000 item that was not included in Thompson’s initial capital list and indeed was not discussed during the budget review process. The item is a so-called “sewer machine” in the Public Works Department’s capital budget, even more mysterious because the OPA does not operate the community’s water and sewer system. q

24 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

OCEAN PINES Capital expenditures From Page 24 OPA Director Marty Clarke told the Progress in early March that he doesn’t know why the item, which he said was approved by the board in an email exchange prior to the Feb. 22 budget vote but not disclosed to the membership, is called a “sewer machine” in the approved capital budget. “I believe it’s a piece of equipment now used by the county to blow out culvert pipes” clogged with debris, Clarke said. Thompson later confirmed that. It will be used by what Thompson has promised will be an invigorated effort to improve drainage in Ocean Pines by keeping roadside ditches and larger stormwater drainage ditches open, supported by a four-person crew dedicated to that purpose. During budget discussions, the county was praised by Thompson for its responsiveness in responding to OPA requests for assistance in removing obstructions in Ocean Pines extensive network of ditches. Apparently, the opinion now is that the OPA needs to have this piece of equipment in its inventory. According to the capital summary sheet included in the approved budget [and reproduced below], the so-called “sewer machine” will be purchased from the general fund rather than out of any

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS of OPA’s allocated reserves. That means it’s affecting next year’s base lot assessment, reduced $5 from last year’s $914 to $909. Had the “sewer machine” not been included in the budget this year, the budget could have been reduced another $5 to $904. Aside from these changes, the approved capital budget is identical to Thompson’s original proposal. Perhaps the most noteworthy of all the projects that Thompson is proposing is $500,000 for a new police department annex that could be attached to the existing police department wing in the OPA’s administration building in White Horse Park. Under Thompson’s plan, the existing police station area would be refurbished into a meeting room. It’s also possible that a free-standing building will be proposed by Thompson as a replacement for the existing space. OPA Director Jack Collins has proposed negotiating with the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department to use a portion of the Northside firehouse, but it’s difficult to see that option gaining much traction. The OPVFD, though partially funded by the OPA, is an independent non-profit corporation. The approved funding source for a police annex or new building is the fiveyear plan component of the OPA’s major maintenance and replacement reserve, although that is subject to revision later. OPA President Tom Terry has said that

“I believe it’s a piece of equipment now used by the county to blow out culvert pipes” Director Marty Clarke discussing the mystery “sewer machine” he believes the five-year-plan funding stream should be reserved exclusively for funding the new Yacht Club. Also retained in the project list approved by the board is $135,000 for new White Horse Park bathrooms and $250,000 for a revamped public boat ramp in White Horse Park. Other noteworthy items in the Parks and Recreation capital budget approved by the board are $150,000 for replacement lights at the Manklin Meadows ballfield and $65,000 for new flooring in the Community Center gymnasium. The Public Works Department’s capital budget includes $175,000 in bridge repairs; $125,000 for a new dump truck and snow plow, $130,000 for two new Ocean Pines golf course fairway mowers, $58,000 for a brush chipper and $32,000 for a new pick-up truck. Racquetball sports have been funded in the amount of $135,000 for four new pickleball courts and two platform tennis courts. OPA directors have told Thompson that even though there are

space challenges in the Manklin Meadows tennis complex, he should redesign a previous site plan for the tennis complex to include the new courts. The general manager had suggested that the pickleball courts could be set up on the existing tennis courts at the Swim and Racquet Club, with wind screens, but pickleball advocates have told OPA directors that the sport requires courts set well back from water-generated breezes. The approved capital budget includes several aquatics items, including $175,000 for a new splash pad at the Swim and Racquet Club, and $45,000 in pool resurfacing and pump room improvements at that facility. The directors had authorized deleting $30,000 in ADA-related improvements at that facility’s baby pool, as it will be replaced by the splash pad instead. Other aquatics projects on the approved capital budget include $100,000 for pool resurfacing and $50,000 for deck resurfacing at the Sports Core indoor pool. It remains to be seen whether Thompson will be able to accomplish long delayed Sports Core pool improvements in the 2014-15 fiscal year, despite their inclusion in the capital budget. Also approved is furniture for all the pools at $75,000 and $40,000 for Beach Club restroom and related improvements.

March - Early April 2014

Ocean Pines ‘entry’ fee, rental license fee not included with approved 2014-15 budget Moore likely to highlight problems with deviating from ‘uniform’ assessment standard By TOM STAUSS Publisher cean Pines Association directors, in approving the 2014-15 fiscal year budget, opted not to include what has been described as an entry fee for first-time homeowners in Ocean Pines. The fee was proposed by the OPA Budget and Finance Advisory Committee during the just completed budget process, which also produced a related proposal to assess property owners who own rental property in Ocean Pines a licensing fee. The directors, while electing to adopt neither proposal as part of the budget for the new fiscal year that begins May 1, called on OPA General Manager Bob Thompson to check with OPA general counsel Joe Moore about whether the board even has the authority under articles of incorporation or restrictive covenants to impose the fees. By the end of February, Moore had not formally submitted his findings to Thompson, but it is likely, based on previous findings by Moore over his 30-plus years as general counsel, that he will determine that the proposed fees are

problematical. In a brief discussion with a reporter after a budget meeting in January, Moore recalled that he had a lengthy debate over many years with the late George Denham over a similar add-on fee that would have been imposed on a minority of property owners. Denham served for many years on various advisory committees, including Bylaws and Resolutions, and Moore said his findings then did not sit well with Denham. Moore’s determination over many years has been that the OPA’s founding documents, with a few notable exceptions, establish uniformity among property owners for purposes of imposing assessments and fees. Other than the waterfront differential, imposed on waterfront property owners for purposes of bulkhead maintenance, and estate lot assessments, imposed on a few larger Ocean Pines property owners at a rate roughly one-and-a-half times the base lot assessment, OPA assessments are uniform. This requirement for uniformity means the OPA could not impose lot assessments using the valuation-based methodology used by Worcester Coun-

ty in levying property taxes. Moore has also determined previously that the requirement for uniformity means the OPA cannot impose higher assessments or fees on one class of property owner. It would probably apply to those who have just purchased property in Ocean Pines or owners who rent out their homes, assuming that Moore applies the same logic and rule to the more recent proposals. Previously, Moore has said the OPA could change this rule of uniformity by changing the articles of incorporation and restrictive covenants that are in place for each Ocean Pines section. But that isn’t easy. Amending the restrictions requires a majority of property owners in each section to agree to the change, and obtaining such a majority probably would require expensive, multiple mailings to property owners, many of whom would probably object to the OPA obtaining new revenue sources at their expense. Among the directors, only Director Sharyn O’Hare expressed a strong opinion on the merits of the so-called entry fee, and that was in opposition. O’Hare,

OCEAN PINES the OPA vice-president who is in line to become the OPA president next year, is an active real estate agent. Real estate professionals are likely to oppose the entry fee en masse should its imposition become more likely or imminent. O’Hare said that the entry fee for new homeowners would set Ocean Pines apart from most subdivisions, communities or condominiums in the greater Ocean City area. Most do not impose such fees, she said, and for Ocean Pines to do so would place sellers of homes in Ocean Pines at a competitive disadvantage with most of their neighboring communities. One exception to the rule, she said, is the Parke community in Ocean Pines, which has had a new owner fee since its inception, having been explicitly established by its developers, Balfour Holdings and Centex Homes. The Parke’s new homeowner entry fee is $1,000. The issue for the OPA is whether an entry fee, or a renter license for owners of investment property, can be imposed after all these years without one and without explicit authority in the OPA’s founding documents, most notably the restrictive covenants or DRs (declaration of restrictions), as they are sometimes called. If the DRs do not permit them, the OPA would have to go through the arduous process of amending them section by section, adding explicit authority to impose any new fees. A maq

26 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

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OCEAN PINES

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

OPA FINANCES

OPA Net Financial Operations through Jan. 31, 2014

OPA records seventh straight positive operating variance Cumulative surplus through January is almost $120,000 By TOM STAUSS Publisher he Ocean Pines Association’s financial report for January, nine months into the 2014 fiscal year, resulted in another positive operating fund variance, the seventh consecutive month the OPA has performed better than original budget forecasts. January’s operating variance was $23,163. Revenues were under budget by $17,934, but total expenses were under budget by $41,097, a result that adds to the cumulative surplus for the year so far. According to the financial summary for January prepared by OPA Controller Art Carmine and distributed to the Board of Directors in mid-February, the variance to budget through Jan. 30 of this year is a positive $119,268, up from the cumulative surplus of $96,105 recorded through December and November’s $78,768. All the fee-based amenity departments were in deficit for January, as expected this time of year, but two of the three high-profile departments, golf and the Yacht Club food and beverage operations, performed better than budget. The Yacht Club, with operations temporarily shifted over to the Country Club’s upper level until early February, produced a $289 positive variance to budget for the month. Golf operations produced a $6,128 positive variance. Aquatics was the worst performing department compared to budget, with a $10,052 negative variance. Of the three major amenity departments, golf and related food and beverage lost the most in December, $63,026 in the red. Cumulatively, nine months into the fiscal year, golf has lost $181,909, with a $101,544 negative variance to budget. q

Entry fee From Page 26 jority of property owners would need to approve them before they would go into effect. Director Terri Mohr seemed ambivalent on the issue, at one point suggesting that it would be a bad idea to impose another cost on prospective homeowners in what remains a soft market for home sales in Ocean Pines. Later, however, she said the OPA ought to at least consider new revenue streams as Ocean Pines closes in on 50 years of existence as a community. OPA President Tom Terry at one point said that he thought it was more likely that the proposed entry fee would pass legal muster than the renter license fee.

OCEAN PINES

March - Early April 2014

OPA finances From Page 27 Aquatics lost $32,975 in January, compared to the budgeted $22,924 loss. For the year so far, aquatics has an operating deficit of $118,909 and a negative variance to budget of $49,105. Yacht Club operations lost $25,847 for the month. Yacht Club operations originally had been projected to lose $26,136 for January. Cumulatively, the Yacht Club’s actual operating deficit for the year is $107,354, and its negative variance to budget is a relatively modest $9,393. Tennis, marinas, Beach Club parking and Beach Club food and beverage operations are for the most part closed for the season and Carmine’s report shows only minimal or no financial activity for them. Status of reserves – The reserve summary released as part of the January financials shows that the OPA’s allocated reserve balance stood at $4,508,280, a million dollar decrease from December’s balance of $5,584,632 and November’s $5,922,921 balance. The balance in October stood at $6,114,039 and at $6,721,113 in September. Expenditures related to the new Yacht Club account for the decrease. Lot assessment dollars flow into the reserves at the beginning of the new fis-

cal year in May, boosting reserve totals that then decline over the course of the fiscal year as expenditures occur. The balance in the roads reserve through Jan. 31 was $66,970, virtually unchanged from prior months. The bulkhead and waterways reserve through January stood at $730,164, compared to 857,992 in December, $899,332 in November and October’s $1,028,043 balance. The golf drainage reserve carried a $672,910 deficit through January, the future projects reserve was $59,995 in the red, and the operating recovery reserve stood at zero. The major maintenance and replacement reserve remains as the OPA reserve most flush with earmarked assessment dollars. Its Jan. 31 balance was $4,444,051, comprised of $5,260.941 in funded depreciation (the so-called “historical” funding stream) and an $816,890 deficit in the five-year funding plan’s revenue stream. This reserve will be substantially reduced by the end of the year as expenditures related to the new Yacht Club continue. Status of balance sheet – The January balance sheet showed operating cash in the amount of $3,180,465 and shortterm investments totaling $2,040,581. The OPA had $28,776,929 in assets as of Jan. 30.

Three quarters into the ﬁscal year, OPA general manager and controller predict that OPA will produce a $153,000 surplus for the year, about $54,000 better than the mid-year forecast By TOM STAUSS Publisher projected year end forecast for the Ocean Pines Association’s current fiscal year released by OPA General Manager Bob Thompson in late February indicates that the OPA should generate a healthy operational surplus when the fiscal year concludes at the end of April. The end-of-year forecast, developed by Thompson and Controller Art Carmine, projects the OPA will produce a $153,000 positive variance for the year. That’s about $54,000 better than the mid-year forecast issued by the administration in November. It also compares favorably to the $5,063 surplus predicted at the conclusion of the year’s first quarter and the $19,493 surplus projected in the original fiscal year budget approved in February of last year. Thompson released the three-quar-

ter year forecast during the OPA Board of Directors regular monthly meeting Feb. 22. While the projected bottom line looks healthy for the year, driven mostly by positive variances in general administrative and public safety expenditures, high-profile amenity operations continue to be troubling from a fiscal perspective, led by golf ’s projected loss for the year of $237,536, a very slight erosion from the $235,000 loss projected in the mid-year forecast. Even so, that’s a considerable improvement over last year, when golf operations were about $500,000 in the red. The approved budget for the year called for a $150,000 loss for the year, and it’s looking as if Billy Casper Golf, the management firm that runs the golf course and Country Club food and beverage operations, will miss that target

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OCEAN PINES

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

Directors debate prohibition against parking on streets By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer rked that one resident regularly parks a car on the grassed road rightof-way directly in front of a neighbor’s home, Ocean Pines Association president Tom Terry wants to know what the OPA can do about it. The answer, apparently, is not much. While he said he broached the issue simply for discussion during the Feb. 22 board of directors meeting, Terry was clearly agitated about the problem, which surfaced when one resident complained to the OPA recently about the parking habits of another. Terry said that despite the resident’s direct request to the neighbor to stop parking on the grassy area along the street in front of his home, the parking problem persists. “It’s not easily enforceable,” Terry said of the OPA prohibition against parking cars on any street in Ocean Pines. The regulation is part of the restrictive covenants of all original sections of Ocean Pines and most newer sections, too, according to Director Marty Clarke. It simply states that no vehicle shall be parked on any street in the subdivision. “This is written in here because we have very small streets,” he said. Clarke said all OPA members who purchased a lot in the sections of Ocean Pines with that restriction received those covenants and should know they can’t park on the streets. He added, however, that common sense has to be used under special circumstances like when a resident hosts a party. While Clarke construed the language in the restrictive covenants to include a ban on parking in the right-of-way along the roadside, Terry disagreed with that interpretation. “Technically speaking this car is not

Financial forecast From Page 28 by less than $100,000. At the same time, the Ocean Pines Yacht Club is now projected to lose $158,448 for the year, a deterioration from the $150,488 loss that had been projected mid-year and the $190,985 loss projected in the first quarter forecast. Yacht Club food and beverage operations were shifted temporarily to the Country Club this winter, but Thompson pulled the plug on those operations at the beginning of February. Property owners and residents didn’t support the amenity as they did last winter when Billy Casper Golf operated a limited food operation on the second floor of the Country Club. This winter, BCG opted not to attempt to run a food and beverage operation in the facility, which is difficult to heat during winter months. Aquatics operations in the latest projections are forecast to lose $171,690 for

violating the rules,” Terry said, adding, “Unfortunately this person is off the road and on the grass” so the regulation noted by Clarke does not apply. He said he doesn’t want the staff of the Compliance, Permits and Inspections Department to become traffic cops but that the OPA needs to find a way to “tell a member to stop doing this.” In the case that brought the issue to the forefront, Terry said the offending residents have a cement driveway but, because they do not want to have to move around cars to get in and out of the driveway, they park on the grass in front of their neighbor’s house. “It’s a case of common courtesy,” Director Jack Collins said. However, he added that “if it’s wrong to do it in this instance, it’s wrong” with no caveat for special circumstances like parties or events at someone’s home. Terry said “our legal department,” presumably long-standing attorney Joe Moore, says that since the streets of Ocean Pines are included in Worcester County’s roads inventory, then cars can park on them because they are considered county roads. Clarke asked “Do we have that in writing?” and added as an aside, “I haven’t seen it.” Terry argued that “somewhere along the line there has got to be some level of common sense,” and said he wanted to bring up the issue to board members for consideration. He said the board needs to find a way to address the situation. “The bottom line is, folks this, in my opinion, is wrong,” Terry said. He offered no solution, however, and Clarke’s implied solution, enforcing the restrictions through ticketing or towing or some other means, probably would have encountered resistance among his colleagues. the year, a slight improvement over the $179,556 mid-year projection. Revenue projections for the department haven’t come in as forecast, and expenses, while less than projected, haven’t quite managed to drop enough to offset the lost revenue. Recreation, which in Thompson’s bythe-numbers chart includes the Recreation Department, Beach Club parking and marina operations, is projected to produce a $33,179 surplus for the year, a modest improvement over the midyear forecast of $30,114 and much better than the first quarter forecast, when Thompson and Carmine were forecasting a $22,062 loss. Another winner in the six-month forecast is the Beach club food and beverage operation, with an $80,279 projected surplus for the year, unchanged from mid-year. At the first quarter mark, the projected surplus was $68,340. Administration, public works and public safety departments are all projected to produce positive variances to budget for the year.

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30 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

WORCESTER COUNTY

March - Early April 2014

OPA seeks more than $1.07 million in county funds Board requests money to help fund police, roads and bridges maintenance, tourism and recreation and parks programs

and parks, $250,000 for roads, another $54,639 in county street grant funding and $65,000 in a restricted fire department grant. “The minimum amount we receive is surprising when you compare the per capita dollars allocated,” OPA General Manager Thompson said. Although Ocean Pines contains more than 7,700 homes and a year-round population of 11,700 residents, or 23 percent of the county’s year-round population, Thompson said the per capita funding coming to the OPA is lacking. He said Ocean Pines receives only a minimal amount of funding when compared to

the funding provided to other communities by Worcester County. “Our funding request involves four distinct needs, public safety, roads and bridges, tourism and recreation. To gain some perspective on the financial picture between Ocean Pines and the rest of the county, we have captured several of the critical elements directly from the county budget as they pertain to the Ocean Pines community,” Thompson said in his funding request letter to the commissioners. For several years the county has provided the OPA with a grant that has been used to fund the police department.

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This year in the area of public safety, the OPA is asking the county for funding of at least $600,000. The total budgeted cost to Ocean Pines to operate the police department during the fiscal year exceeds $1.5 million. “We are appreciative of the financial support given to us by the commissioners and trust that you will be able to continue this extremely valuable and much-needed support for our police services during the coming fiscal year,” Thompson said in his letter to the county. Last year the OPPD handled more than 11,500 calls for service, directly assisted the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department and Maryland State Police with more than 200 calls for service in the areas surrounding Ocean Pines. Continued growth in the Route 589 corridor places increased demands on the 15-member police agency. Thompson said the OPA has seen a dramatic increase in calls for service in the past five years and anticipates future growth in public safety demands to keep pace with development. In an effort to reduce demands on the county and the state police, the OPA agreed to assume all public safety calls for service on Manklin Creek Road. In addition, in response to recent events, the police department is called upon to provide patrols and visits to the various schools in the area. “While we do not mind being called upon to support the residents outside of Ocean Pines, it does put additional strain on our already stretched resources,” Thompson said. To ensure that the Ocean Pines bridges and roadways remain safe the association requested county funds of $250,000. In previous years the county provided funding in the average amount of $500,000 annually, but that money was passed through from the state’s highway user funds, better known as the gas tax. “We acknowledge the county’s loss of liquid fuel funding that has restricted your ability to provide Ocean Pines needed road maintenance dollars for paving, drainage, bridges and similar projects,” Thompson acknowledged in his letter. The OPA has budgeted this year to spend $175,000 on bridge repairs that were identified in the county’s recent inspection of the bridges in Ocean Pines. The approved capital budget also includes $300,000 in road resurfacing. “Our roads and bridges are an important part of our infrastructure. Safe passage of emergency vehicles, school buses and county wastewater vehicles are just a small part of daily activities on our roadways and bridges. Funding for roadways and bridges are vitally important to the wellbeing of our community.” The OPA is also seeking $6,000 in county funding for promotional purposes. Thompson said tourism is of vital q

By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer mphasizing that the Ocean Pines Association supports the largest year-round population in the county, the board of directors has asked the Worcester County Commissioners to provide more than $1.07 million to help cover the cost of its services and programs. OPA representatives on March 4 presented the association’s requests for funding for fiscal year 2014-15 budget to the commissioners. The request includes $600,000 for public safety, $6,000 for tourism, $95,000 for recreation

WORCESTER COUNTY

COUNTY BRIEFS County approves RFP for Pines collection system

Worcester County is seeking proposals for engineering services for the preparation of a final design for $5.3 million in collection system improvements in the Ocean Pines sanitary service area. During a Feb. 18 meeting, the Worcester County Commissioners approved the RFP. This project will provide a final design report identifying the mechanical improvements necessary to the system but is only a first step in the process for implementing collection system improvements being funded under an upcoming county bond issue. The report will build on information provided in a 2012 pumping station design report that shows the need for extensive rehabilitation of many of the stations and upgrades to the force mains. The proposed improvements include $300,000 for pump station B wet well replacement, $800,000 for the force main replacement from Station A to the treatment plant, $400,000 for pump station A rehabilitation, $300,000 for pump station E rehabilitation, $400,000 for pump station F rehabilitation, and $400,000 for reconstruction of pump stations S and P. Proposed wastewater treatment plant facility improvements include $400,000 to repair treatment unit 3 aeration system, $400,000 for a new operations center, $150,000 for repairs to the sludge greenhouse, and $50,000 for generators at stations I and G. Water system repairs include $300,000 for blue tubing replacement. Other estimated expenses include $600,000 for engineering and other soft costs and $800,000 for project contingencies.

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

Pines requests From Page 30 importance in Worcester County and the OPA supports various activities that attract participants of all ages who reside in and out of Ocean Pines. He argued that its efforts to provide amenities like boat ramps, marinas, the Yacht Club, the Robert Trent Jones golf course, Worcester County Veterans Memorial and Beach Club in Ocean City all contribute and add value to the tourism industry in Worcester County. “We would appreciate your consideration of a small portion of tourism funding to help us in our efforts to provide amenities and programs that highlight the benefits of visiting Worcester County,” Thompson said. He asked the county to assist the OPA with covering the costs associated with its Fourth of July celebration, which is

budgeted this year at $13,000. He said this event is one of the biggest holiday activities of the year, swelling the community population to more than 25,000. The OPA wants funds to help cover the expense associated with providing the fireworks display that serves not only Ocean Pines residents but also guests and visitors from all across the north end of the county. The event is so well attended that it has to be held at the county’s Showell Park on Route 589. For recreation and parks, the OPA wants $95,000 to assist in providing the various recreational programs and facilities. That represents just 6 percent of the OPA’s annual budget for recreation and parks, including the aquatics department, exceeding $1.5 million. “Our programs provide an essential service to many Worcester County residents, yet the vast majority of those expenses are paid by our OPA member-

ship,” Thompson said. “Despite that fact, 37 percent of our recreation and parks program participants are non-Ocean Pines residents.” He said the recreation and parks department is open seven days per week to meet the needs of residents, visitors and tourists in the county. It offers many free amenities and activities including concerts, tennis, fireworks, marinas, boat ramps, basketball courts, soccer fields, playgrounds, walking trails and more that are open to the public. “We understand the very difficult task of selecting where and how to allocate financial resources with so many competing elements,” Thompson said, adding that even if the county were to approve all of its funding request, Ocean Pines would still receive less than 50 percent of what the next comparable community receives.

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Seven high school seniors participated in the Worcester County Commissioners’ Students in Government Day event on Tuesday, Feb. 25. Two students from each of the county high schools and one from Worcester Preparatory School posed as commissioners during a mock open session to review and act upon many issues that have recently affected the county. Participating in this year’s event were Katherine Collins and Gary Quian from Stephen Decatur, Kirn Begum and Amirah Russell of Snow Hill, Danny Nguyen and Taylor Zimmerman of Pocomoke and Elizabeth Truitt of Worcester Preparatory School. The county officials provide students with the opportunity annually to have a glimpse of the inner workings of local government. Regardless of whether the students are considering a career in government, county officials say that the experience will help encourage them to become active participants in government at all levels and to understand that their input does make a difference.

21-23

New discipline regs aim to keep students in school School calendar revised to start after Labor Day By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer

WORCESTER COUNTY

March - Early April 2014

he Maryland State Board of Education has adopted new regulations guiding student discipline that differ sharply from the way Worcester County has traditionally handled disciplinary actions. “We will be looking very closely at those regulations,” Superintendent of

School Jerry Wilson said during his Feb. 18 report to the Board of Education. He said he will be assembling a team to review the changes handed down last month by the state. Wilson said the purpose of revised discipline regulations is “to keep more kids in school.” But, he said, they are a departure from some of Worcester County’s earlier practices regarding zero

tolerance, resulting in students dropping out of school or becoming incarcerated for criminal activity. According to MSDE, the regulations are designed to keep students in school and maintain progress toward graduation, while strengthening school safety. “More studies have shown that the biggest danger that leads to students being incarcerated as an adult is the dropout rate,” Wilson said. As a result the state is attempting to increase student retention by revising the disciplinary regulations. “I think we’ll see more students that are disciplined in the school than outside of the school.” The regulations require local school

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systems to adopt policies that reduce long-term out-of-school suspensions and expulsions, and use such actions only when a student poses an imminent threat of serious harm to other students or staff, or when a student is engaged in chronic or extreme disruptive behavior. Also, the regulations seek to expedite the student discipline appeal process by allowing local boards of education to hear and decide school discipline appeals with an opportunity to extend that time period in complex cases. “Safe schools grow out of a positive school climate,” State Board President Charlene M. Dukes said. “Maryland is dedicated to maintaining safety while increasing student achievement. In order for students to achieve success, they must be in school.” The regulations also seek to eliminate the disproportionate impact of school discipline on minority students and students with disabilities. MSDE will develop a method to analyse local school discipline data to measure the disproportionate impact on minority and special education students. Local boards of education will be required to update their student discipline polices based on the new regulations by the beginning of the 2014-15 school year. The Board of Education at its February meeting also adopted a 20142015 post-Labor Day calendar. The school year will begin Sept. 2, 2014, and the last day of school is scheduled to be on June 16, 2015. Three inclementweather days have been added to the end of the calendar, and if they are not used, they will be subtracted from the school year. Board President Bob Rothermel said that Worcester County Public Schools was the last school system in Maryland to move to a pre-Labor Day start five years ago and with Labor Day falling at the very beginning of September, the school system was willing to be the first to return to a post-Labor Day start. To help accommodate the numerous inclement weather days that cancelled school so far this year, the Board of Education also voted to change the first day of spring break on April 17 from a full vacation day to a half-day of school. Since half-days are considered full-days for the purpose of satisfying the 180 school day requirement, the modification will serve to shorten the already extended school year. The last day of school is temporarily scheduled for Monday, June 16. Wilson will likely ask for a one-day waiver based on the Snow Emergency Plan issued on Jan. 29; however, with winter storms still possible the waiver request will be delayed due to the possibility of additional inclement weather days. Representatives from Berlin Intermediate School discussed its Reaching for the Stars guided reading program. Guided reading takes place in every 

32 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

WORCESTER COUNTY

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

FILING DEADLINE PASSES

Contested commissioner races shaping up for Pines districts Bunting faces Busick again, multiple candidates seek retiring Boggs seat By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer n abundance of candidates is seeking election to the seven Worcester County Commissioner seats up for grabs in November’s general election, including one ousted former representative of the largely Ocean Pines District 6 who is looking to snag back her spot and a handful of newcomers seeking to stake a claim in Ocean Pines District 5. Meanwhile, an incumbent state senator will face some stiff competition to hold onto his seat, and a newly created north county state delegate seat is wide open for the taking. With lone candidates filing for some seats and single-party face-offs slated for others, many of the upcoming races could be decided early in the election season. Some could be determined in the June 24 primary with other battles likely to drag on until the very last second of the Nov. 4 general election. In any race where a lone candidate has filed, the other political party has an opportunity until March 3 to select an opponent. As of the Feb. 25 filing deadline, Republican candidates seeking the District 5 seat being vacated by long-time Commissioner Judy Boggs include former Ocean Pines Association Director Ray Unger, newspaper publisher Chip Bertino and Grant Helvey, founder of stopagenda21maryland.co, an organization opposing land use policies of county, state and federal governments. The winner of that primary race will take on Democratic challenger Tom Wilson, current board chairman of Diakonia homeless shelter, in the general election. In District 6, incumbent Commissioner Madison “Jim” Bunting will repeat his battle against former elected official Linda Busick, whom he unseated to earn his spot on the county’s governing body in the 2010 election. A s both candidates are Republicans, that race will be decided in the June primary. No Democratic party candidate is seeking the District 6 seat at this time. As only one Republican and one Democrat have filed, the minority-majority District 2 voters will get to choose between candidates of opposing parties in the general election, but candidates that still have “Purnell” in their name. Republican Lorraine Purnell-Ayres will go up against Democrat Diana Purnell for the seat currently held by Commissioner James Purnell, who is not seeking reelection. In the primarily West Ocean City

and Berlin area District 3, Republican incumbent Commissioner James “Bud” Church has no competition in the primary but will come up against Democratic challenger Michael Stewart Maykrantz in the general election. District 4 Commissioner Virgil Shockley, a Democrat, has no competitors in the primary but has a bevy of Republicans looking to unseat him. Republicans filing for the position are local winery owner Kathryn Danko-Lord, school bus contractor Ted Elder and arts and calendar magazine publisher Molly Hilligoss. Two commissioner seats may have already been locked up from single candidates in districts 1 and 7. In the Pocomoke area District 1’s only incumbent Republican Merrill Lockfaw has filed, and in District 7, where longtime Commissioner Louise Gulyas is retiring, the lone candidate is Republican Ocean City Councilman Joseph Mitrecic. Also up for grabs are four of the nonpartisan Worcester County Board of Education positions, those for districts 1, 4, 6 and 7, and three incumbents are hoping to retain their seats at the table come November. In the partially Ocean Pines District 6, local insurance broker Bob Hulburd is hoping to hold onto his position but is facing a challenge from Eric Cropper. Most of the competition is in the western District 4 with six candidates

all trying to best each other and capture the open seat; those candidates are Curtis Andrews, Scott Baker, Joyce Elder, Bill Gordy, Thom Gulyas and Ben Nelson Jr. District 7’s incumbent, Robert Rothermel, current Board of Education president, will face off against two contenders, JeriLyn Holston and Al Schroeder, while District 1 incumbent Doug Dryden is unopposed in his bid for another four years in office. There are also contested races for Worcester County State’s Attorney, Clerk of the Circuit Court, Sheriff and Judge of the Orphans’ Court. Only incumbent Charlotte Cathell, a convert from the Democratic party to Republican several years ago, is unchallenged in her bid for another term as Register of Wills. With Steve Hales not seeking another term as Clerk of the Circuit Court, five other hopefuls have decided to try to secure the seat for themselves. Republican candidates are Susan Braniecki, Mary Burgess and Eric Mullins, while Democrats filing are J. Marie Bodley and Valerie Gaskill. A sixth candidate, Marty Pusey, filed but withdrew from the election on Feb. 26. Republican incumbent State’s Attorney Beau Oglesby will have to defeat Democrat Michael Farlow, a former Worcester County deputy state’s attorney, to retain that job. Who will be the county’s next sheriff

will be determined in the Republican primary election, as incumbent Reggie Mason will battle newcomer George Truitt. Candidates for three positions as Judge of the Orphans’ Court are largely Republican; they are Linda Hess, J. Franklin Knight, Jack Shook Jr., Dale Smack and Donald Stifler. The only Democratic candidate is Bill Shockley. At the state level, incumbent Democratic State Senator Jim Mathias is being challenged by current Republican Delegate Michael McDermott for his District 38 seat. McDermott’s House District 38-B boundaries were redrawn and divided among three different districts for this election, so he opted to try to secure the Senate position instead. A new District 38C that includes Worcester County and the eastern part of Wicomico County was created by the state as part of its redistricting effort. Trying to capture the new District 38C seat in the House of Delegates are Republican Mary Beth Carozza, of Ocean City, who will take on the winner of the Democratic primary race between Judy Davis, of West Ocean City, and Mike Hindi, of Ocean Pines. At the south end in District 38A, Republican incumbent Charles Otto is being challenged by Democrat Percy Purnell, mayor of Crisfield. District 38B has been shifted entirely into Wicomico County and incumbent Democrat Norm Conway will take on Delmar mayor Carl Anderton, a Republican.

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34 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

WORCESTER COUNTY

March - Early April 2014

LEGISLATIVE WRAP-UP

Mathias, McDermott press for bills with local impact as session heads for close in early April By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer ith the General Assembly wrapping up the 2014 session in early April, local legislators are busy trying to push their bills through the Senate and House of Delegates and lobbying other elected officials for support. “So far, this legislative session has been very busy, and as we approach the halfway mark before we adjourn for the year, it is only going to get busier,” District 39 Senator Jim Mathias said. The Eastern Shore Legislative Delegation met with Gov. Martin O’Malley in February to discuss a variety of topics and pending legislation that could have an impact on Worcester County. Proposed nutrient management regulations for farmers, formally known as the Phosphorous Management Tool, or PMT, and their impact on the state and the Eastern Shore dominated the meeting. “It appeared that some of the information we confronted him with was being heard for the first time or at least in a context that required some degree of reflection,” District 38B Delegate Mike McDermott said. He told the governor that he was ‘a bold governor’ and that his actions were often not built upon a foundation properly laid for those who the regulations and changes fall upon. McDermott also told O’Malley that farmers and watermen fear his administration and felt their futures were uncertain as a result of his actions. According to McDermott, O’Malley said that perhaps his administration had moved too fast in some areas. McDermott said that the governor did appear to be genuinely concerned on the loss of confidence the Eastern Shore appears to hold in regard to his policy proposals and enactments. The delegation spoke at length with the governor about the proposed PMT fiscal impact study that is going to be conducted and is due for completion by July. McDermott asked the governor to carefully consider the impact statement when it is completed. Mathias spoke about the importance of the proposed economic impact study on the PMT and how critical it is that a thorough study be undertaken before any changes are made to the Phosphorous Site Index. The delegation also advocated for an increase in the funding levels that are being applied to the community colleges verses the funding levels being provided to the four-year

Mathias

McDermott

schools. The governor expressed a desire to build up the community colleges and recognizes their importance to local jobs. At another Eastern Shore Delegation meeting in February, Ray Hoy, Wor-Wic Community College president, and Barbara Viniar, Chesapeake College president, spoke about the importance of fully funding community colleges under the CADE formula. The CADE formula provides funding as a percentage of what the state provides to state universities. That formula used to pay 26 percent, but given the economic difficulties of the state, that percentage has been lowered to 19.7 percent. In the current proposed state budget that funding would be lowered to 19.2 percent. Secretary Robert Summers from the Department of the Environment addressed the delegation at Mathias’ request about creating round-table discussions between the department and the businesses they inspect. Mathias’ concept was to allow businesses the opportunity to ask questions and work to correct any potential violations before a formal inspection is conducted, and to help develop a relationship between the department and the businesses. Finally, Delmarva Home Relief spoke with the delegation about its work on preventing home foreclosures and keeping people in their homes through loan modification, coordinating short sales, and foreclosure mediation. Earlier in February the Eastern Shore delegation met with Earl “Buddy” Hance, secretary of the Department of Agriculture, to discuss updates to the manure transport program, including funding for this program being increased to $1.2 million in this year’s budget proposal. “This program is essential for our poultry farmers and will make it easier for them to move their poultry manure to other locations where it can be utilized,” Mathias said. Mathias said his SB 641, the Kathleen A. Mathias Oral Chemotherapy

Improvement Act of 2014 “will give people battling cancer the peace of mind that insurance companies will cover their chemotherapy treatments.” The bill extends the protections of the Kathleen A. Mathias Chemotherapy Parity Act of 2012 to include insurance policies sold through the Maryland Healthcare Exchange, and require that they provide coverage for oral chemotherapy. Mathias said that SB 642, which relates to health insurance and will repeal both a 2015 termination date and a final 2014 reporting date related to the assignment of benefits and the reimbursement of non-preferred providers A hearing was held in February on HB858, sponsored by McDermott. Currently, a judge in Maryland is restricted as to the probation time period they may impose for persons convicted of crimes. There are a few crimes where probation may be extended by several years if the judge determines it would be appropriate. This bill would add the charges involving child pornography to the list of charges where probation could be extended at the courts discretion. There was no opposition to the bill and McDermott was joined at the table by the State’s Attorney’s Association, and victim advocates. House Bill 31 “Alex’s Law,” sponsored by McDermott, passed unanimously in the House. The bill, which codifies the right of crime victims to deliver impact statements in court, was initiated after a Maryland mother was denied the opportunity to address the court on behalf of her son, the victim of a car accident that led to brain injuries and ultimately his death. “Alex’s mother simply wanted the opportunity to tell the court what happened on that day her son’s life was transformed forever. Being permitted to personally express how the crime had impacted her family would have been an important milestone in her healing process,” said McDermott, who is once again sponsoring the bill after it stalled in the Senate at the close of last session. In February bill hearings were held on bills sponsored by Mathias this session. The first of these hearings was on abolishing the Worcester County Bingo Board and transferring its responsibilities to the Worcester County Department of Development Review and Permitting. This legislation was requested by the Worcester County Commissioners and would save the county up to $3,000 annually. It passed unanimously out of the Senate and is now awaiting passage in the House of Delegates.

Another second hearing was on Mathias’ bill to allow local boards of election to include municipal offices on state ballots. This legislation was requested by the Ocean City mayor and town council. Allowing state ballots to include municipal elections would save municipalities money since they will not have to incur the costs of holding an additional election. House Bill 43, entitled “Criminal Law - Harassment - Revenge Porn Bill,” passed the House of Delegates. McDermott’s bill, House Bill 204 was merged into House Bill 43 and he joined the efforts to support House Bill 204, one of the so called “Revenge Porn” bills that the Judiciary Committee heard this year. HB 43 makes it a misdemeanor for a person to disclose sexual images of another person without the consent of that person. However, this bill does not address the extortion issues that McDermott sought to address in HB 204. His bill made it illegal for any individual to hold a person’s sexual image against them in return for goods or services, accounting for the emotional damage upon the extorted person. McDermott argues in the House for a special order for HB-296, which names thousands of acres currently owned by the state as State Wild Lands. If passed, it would change the designation on thousands of acres on the lower shore and would place them off limits from any type of future development. He is hoping to determine if the bill can be amended to allow for more activities. “It would also limit the impact allowed by man and would eliminate the ability to use any motorized equipment on the land and would not allow for any additional roads or trails. In fact, you would not be allowed to ride a bicycle on these lands if they are so designated,” McDermott said. Worcester County officials sent a letter to the state also objecting to this designation. McDermott offered amendments to HB-296, which would require the Department of Natural Resources to maintain trails and roads that exist in the lands affected by this bill in Worcester County. He was concerned that over time without maintenance all of the access trails would be erased by which hunters and other recreational seekers would not be able to utilize the land which is currently being used by the public. Mathias announced that following a promise from O’Malley to veto it, HB 905, which would have established a five cent tax on each chicken a grower produces, that bill was withdrawn from the House of Delegates. Also, HB 145, which would have allowed the Department of Natural Resources to amend fishery seasons by public notice, rather than the normal regulatory process, was referred to an interim study.

LIFESTYLES

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

Belloso, Schisler, Hassler featured at OC Art Center

he Art League of Ocean City on Friday, March 7 from 5-7 p.m. at the OC Center for the Arts on 94th Street, bayside, will host the opening reception of the March exhibits, which include an eclectic mix of mediums and styles including oils, sculpture and watercolors. Guest artists Leslie Belloso, John Schisler, and Pete Hassler are featured in the Thaler Gallery and Jan Bain will be the artist in residence for the month. “People” will be the focus of the Galleria exhibit in a 2D all media artwork competition by Art League members and local artists. Laura Era of Troika Gallery, Easton, will be the judge and cash prizes will be awarded. On display in the Members Spotlight Gallery will be a group show by the “Thursday Drop in Painters”. Artist Leslie Belloso rediscovered her passion for oil painting in 2001 after a ten-year hiatus from art, during which time she completed an internal medicine residency. At the urging of her husband, she started taking painting workshops and has not looked back since, forging on with her new career. Currently she paints almost exclusively from life: still life, portraits, figures, and landscapes. Her oil paintings are filled with lively

brushstrokes and her style has been described as contemporary realism with an abstract approach. John Schisler has studied the techniques of the Dutch Masters since he began painting at age 17. His style is classical realism and in keeping with the tradition of the old masters, he learned to make and use “black oil”, which is used as a basis for the mediums of such masters as Titian, Rubens, and Rembrandt. In early 2011, John began to pursue a full time career in art. Along with painting, he also teaches his traditional painting techniques at his home studio in Georgetown, DE. Pete Hassler will be showing his stone sculptures, although he is also an accomplished painter. After majoring in painting in college, Pete saw an artist carving stone and knew that’s the direction his artwork would take. He took a six-month course to learn the basics and the rest is self-taught. After retiring, Pete converted his garage into a carving studio and now sculpts full time. Much of his work is inspired by the Ocean City area and his proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Artist in Residence, Jan Bain is a very talented watercolorist. Recently retired as a school district administrator, teacher, and as a children’s librarian

in New York State, she was looking for that perfect hobby, which would enrich her life and retirement, and was lucky enough to discover it in watercolor painting. She enjoys painting landscapes and vibrant sunsets. She will host a meet and greet and painting demonstration on Saturday, March 15, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and from 1-3 p.m. that day. She will be in studio E on Fridays and Saturdays during the month and welcomes the public to watch her work. The Members’ Spotlight Gallery will highlight the work of several members of the Art League of Ocean City who regularly gather to paint at the OC Center for the Arts on Thursday mornings. Artists Judy Benton, George Hamaty, Stasia Heubeck, Connie Kelleher, Barbara Stitcher and Jody Veader can be found painting at the art center on most Thursday mornings. These artists are oil, acrylic and watercolor artists with variety of backgrounds and experience. Those interested in joining these artists are welcome to bring their own supplies on Thursdays from 10am-1pm for open studio time. The cost is $3 and is open to all ALOC members. The Ocean City Center for the Arts is run by the Art League of OC. The galleries are open daily 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Youth art on display The artwork of middle and high school students from public and private

schools in Worcester County, Md. will be on display at the annual Shirley Hall Youth Memorial Art Show being held at the Ocean City Center for the Arts at 502 94th Street bayside from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, March 8 and Sunday, March 9. For more than 20 years, the Art League of Ocean City has organized and presented the art show in cooperation with Worcester County Schools. The art show is named in memory of former Art League of Ocean City board member Shirley Hall, who was instrumental in bringing this exhibit to the Art League. Originally, the exhibit was presented by the Ocean City Women’s Club and hosted at the Art League. Shewas a member of both the Women’s Club and the Art League and always coordinated the art show. When the Women’s Club dissolved, the Art League decided to continue the yearly contest. It was renamed the Shirley Hall Show when she passed away. The judges of the show are Shirley’s daughters, Betsy Hall-Harrison and Barbara Shade. In conjunction with the art show, on Saturday, March 8, from 1 to 3 p.m. there will be a “Family Clay Day”. Participants will make clay lighthouses in the pottery studio at the OC Center for the Arts. The cost is $25 for ALOC members, $30 for non-members and all clay, materials, glazing and firing are included. Sign up online www.artleagueofoceancity.org or call 410-524-9433.

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36 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

Friday, March 7 Chili cook-off, Ocean Pines Community Center. Supporters of Tom Wilson’s campaign for county commissioner will prepare chili for sampling and to vote on. Also corn bread, salads, desserts, beer, wine, soda, water. Music. $25 donation per person to support the Wilson campaign. Pay at door or call 410-208-3891 for details. Saturday, March 8 Ocean Pines Anglers Club, monthly meeting, 9:30 a.m., Ocean Pines library. Department of Natural Resources resident biologist and fish scientist Steve Doctor, on coastal and offshore fisheries, regulations, trawl and seine surveys and how he became the current state record holder for Golden Tilefish. All welcome. Sunday, March 9 Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, Strings Concert, Community Church of Ocean Pines, Racetrack Road, Ocean Pines. Optional pre-concert lecture discussing the composers and their compositions, 2:15 p.m. Featuring MSO Music Director Julien Benichou’s premier of “Three Seasons of Chicago,” Argentinian composer Astor Piazzolla’s “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires,” and Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings.” Featured MSO soloists Nicolas Currie and Dana Weiderhold. Tickets $35 online or at the door. 888-846-8600 or www.midatlanticsymphony.org. Safari Adventure at Old Pro Golf, 136th Street, Ocean City, fundraiser to benefit Relay For Life, 2-4 p.m. $10 per person includes drink, silent auction, 50/50, raffles, bake sale. Vendors, artists. Call Eileen Dudley for details 443880-7180 Wednesday, March 12 Worcester Chorale, beginning of spring concert rehearsals, home of the Chorale’s musical director, pot-luck dinner, music read-through. Rehearsals to continue Wednesday evenings at Atlantic United Methodist Church, 4th Street, Ocean City, 7-9 p.m. for June 29 concert. 410-208-4707 for details. Thursday, March 13 4th Annual Ocean Pines Chamber of Commerce Business Expo, 4-7 p.m., Route 50, across from Stephen Decatur High School, 4-7 p.m. No fee to attend. Complimentary food, beer, wine and beverages. Displays of local products and services. 410-641-5306. Worcester County Tea Party meeting, 7 p.m., Ocean Pines Community Center, Assateague Room. Guest Speaker: Michael Pertouka, founder of The Institute on the Constitution, on the American View of Law and Government. Worcester County sheriff candidate introductions: Sheriff Reggie Mason and George Truitt. Tuesday, March 18 Worcester County

LIFESTYLES

March - Early April 2014

Commis-

HAPPENINGS sion for Women, monthly meeting, 5-6:30 p.m., Marlin Room, Ocean Pines Community Center. The purpose of the WCCW is to promote social, education, and economic equality for women in Worcester County. The meeting is open to the public and women of all ages are invited. Donna Main, 410-632-5040.

100 each seating at tables of 4. Tickets: adults $10 and under 12 $5. RSVP Ralph Chinn at 410-208-6719. Includes spaghetti and meatballs, salad, dessert and ice tea. DeNovo’s will have a cash bar. Carryout also available. Benefits youth of the community. www.kiwanisofopoc.com.

Friday, March 21 Kiwanis Club of Ocean PinesOcean City’s second annual wine tasting party and Chinese auction, Ocean Pines Community Center, Assateague Room, 4-7 p.m. Donation of $15 includes samples of wine, hot and cold hors d’oeuvres, desserts, soft drinks, coffee and water. No one under 21 admitted. All proceeds benefit Kiwanis scholarships to local graduating and deserving high school senior students. 410-641-7712 or cwarner4411@verison. net. See what we do on our web page at kiwanisofopoc.com.

Friday, June 12 Ocean Pines Garden Club’s annual garden tour. The club is asking Ocean Pines homeowners to consider placing their garden on the tour. Large or small, cultivated or “natural,” formal or informal -- all gardens are given consideration. Homeowners will be given the opportunity to have an artist painting “plein air” in their gardens during the tour and will also be invited, as guests of the garden club, to the luncheon immediately following the tour. Those interested in placing their garden on the tour or with questions about doing so, contact Marian Bickerstaff, 410-208-2508.

Saturday, March 22 A Magical Evening, hosted by the Ocean City Development Corporation Public Arts Committee featuring world champion magician Will Fern, and sculptor David Turner, Captain’s Table Restaurant, Courtyard by Marriott Hotel, 15th St. and Baltimore Avenue, Ocean City, MD. $70 per person includes two drink tickets and buffet. Proceeds benefit installation of the Dolphin Statue at the foot of Rte. 90. Cocktail attire requested. Sunday, April 6 Kiwanis annual Italian dinner, Denovo’s Restaurant, Ocean Pines South Gate in Manklin Station. Three seatings: 5, 6 & 7 p.m. Space limited to

Ongoing Pine Tappers free adult tap dance classes, Tuesdays, 2-3:30 p.m., Ocean Pines Community Center. Exercise and have fun with choreographed tap dancing routines. From 2-2:30 p.m., brush up on basic techniques and a review of the routines, then join the regular class from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Every week or drop-in as convenient. Lori at 410-251-2162 or tntandcompany@gmail. com. Ocean Pines Ping Pong Club, Ocean Pines Community Center, Monday noon to 2 p.m, Wednesday and Friday noon to 3 p.m. In the summer schedule changes to evenings. All levels of players welcome. Neil Gottesman,

732-773-1516. Suicide Grievers Support Group, 3rd Wednesday every month, 6 p.m., Worcester County Health Department, Healthway Drive, Berlin, adjacent to Atlantic General Hospital. Open to anyone who has lost a friend or loved one to suicide. Free of charge. Quiet listening, caring people, no judgment. 410-629-0164. The Kiwanis Club of Greater Ocean Pines - Ocean City meets weekly at 8 a.m. on Wednesdays in the Ocean Pines Community Center. Doors open 7 a.m. October through April. Sanctioned duplicate bridge games, Ocean Pines Community Center, Sundays 1 p.m., Mondays noon, Tuesdays 10 a.m. Partners guaranteed. $5, special games $6. Third Sunday of every month is Swiss teams (no partner guaranteed for teams). Felicia Daly, 410208-1272; Pat Kanz, 410-641-8071 The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Flotilla 12-05, meets the first Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. in the U.S.C.G. Station, Ocean City. Visitors and new members are welcome. Dennis Kalinowski, 410-208-4147. Web site http://a0541205.uscgaux.info. Kabbalah class with Saturday services, coffee, juice and bagels, 9:30 a.m., Saturdays, Temple Bat Yam, 410641-4311. Life after loss support group, second and fourth Tuesday of each month at the Community Church at Ocean Pines, 11227 Race Track Road, Berlin, 11 a.m. Help in coping with any type of loss. 410-641-5433. Worcester County Democratic Club meeting, fourth Thursday of each month, 7 p.m., Marlin Room of Ocean Pines Community Center. No December meeting. Club membership is not required. All those interested in Democratic platforms and agendas are welcome.

MSO spring concert set for March 9 at Community Church of Ocean Pines

he Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra will host its spring concert called “Seven Seasons” on Sunday, March 9, at 3 p.m. at the Community Church of Ocean Pines on Racetrack Road, preceded by an optional pre-concert lecture at 2:15 p.m. The concert will feature 15 MSO string musicians, including soloists Nicholas Currie and Dana Weiderhold. MSO music director Julien Benichou will conduct and will also host the pre-concert lecture on the concert’s composers and their works. Benichou will premier his “Three Seasons of Chicago” as the first piece in the concert, a short three-movement work dealing with realities of northern Illinois – snow, rain and road construction. The concert’s second piece will be Argentian compose Astor Piazolla’s “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.” His set of four compositions, a tribute to Vivaldi, were written between 1965 and 1970 and have been called “an electrifying blend of the fire and passion of traditional tango with the vast resources of modern harmony, texture and sonority.” Piazallo has been

described as the single most important figure in the history of the tango. The concert’s third piece will be Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Serenade for Strings,” written in the same year, 1880, when he composed his better known 1812 Overture. Tchaikovsky is said to have preferred “Serenade for Strings” over the 1812 Overture. Both featured soloists are accomplished musicians. Canadian-born Currie is concertmaster of the MSO, associate concertmaster of concert artists of Baltimore, and assistant concertmaster of the Annapolis Symphony. Weiderhold is assistant concertmaster of the MSO, principal second violinist with the Lancaster Symphony Orchestra, and has played with many regional symphonies. Tickets for the concert are available online and at the door. Tickets are $35 for adults. A limited number of free tickets are available online for those 18 years and younger, in advance of the concert. For downloadable ticket purchases, the MSO Web site is www.midatlanticsymphony.org.

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

FORECLOSURE SALE OF REAL ESTATE IN CAPTAIN’S COVE

March 12, 2014, 2 PM

To be held at the Marina Club in Captain’s Cove Subdivision 3323 Dock Court, Greenbackville, VA 23356 The following properties will be auctioned:

Section/Lot: 1-0648, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A10100064800 Assessed Value: $2,500.00 Minimum Bid: $1,300.00

Section/Lot: 10-0051, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A60200005100 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,300.00

Section/Lot: 16-0064, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90300006400 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,000.00

Section/Lot: 3-1605, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A30100160500 Assessed Value: $143,900.00 Minimum Bid: $127,000.00

Section/Lot: 1-0772, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A10100077200 Assessed Value: $15,000.00 Minimum Bid: $2,700.00

Section/Lot: 12-0153, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A70200015300 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,000.00

Section/Lot: 16-0115, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90300011500 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 7-0106, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A60100010600 Assessed Value: $135,400.00 Minimum Bid: $75,000.00

Section/Lot: 2-0092, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A20100009200 Assessed Value: $17,500.00 Minimum Bid: $2,100.00

Section/Lot: 13-0026, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A70100002600 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 17-0078, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90200007800 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 5-2564, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A40300256400 Assessed Value: $17,500.00 Minimum Bid: $99,000.00

Section/Lot: 3-1413, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A30100141300 Assessed Value: $81,400.00 Minimum Bid: $2,700.00

Section/Lot: 13-0180, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A70100018000 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,000.00

Section/Lot: 17-0081, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90200008100 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 9-0044, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A50400004400 Assessed Value: $17,500.00 Minimum Bid: $1,600.00

Section/Lot: 3-1487A, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A302001487A0 Assessed Value: $7,500.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 13-0181, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A70100018100 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,300.00

Section/Lot: 17-0085, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90200008500 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 9-0045, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A50400004500 Assessed Value: $137,000.00 Minimum Bid: $165,000.00

Section/Lot: 3-1502A, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A302001502A0 Assessed Value: $7,500.00 Minimum Bid: $1,300.00

Section/Lot: 13-0289, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A70100028900 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,300.00

Section/Lot: 17-0102, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90200010200 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 3-1650, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A30100165000 Assessed Value: $181,500.00 Minimum Bid: $203,000.00

Section/Lot: 3-1508A, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A302001508A0 Assessed Value: $7,500.00 Minimum Bid: $5,800.00

Section/Lot: 13-0298, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A70100029800 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 17-0104, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90200010400 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 9-0181, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A50400018100 Assessed Value: $17,500.00 Minimum Bid: $42,000.00

Section/Lot: 3-1583A, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A302001583A0 Assessed Value: $7,500.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 13-0301, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A70100030100 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,000.00

Section/Lot: 18-0020, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90100002000 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 3-1755, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A30100177500 Assessed Value: $7,500.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 13-0325, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A70100032500 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 18-0064, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90100006400 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,000.00

Section/Lot: 3-1756, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A30100175600 Assessed Value: $7,500.00 Minimum Bid: $1,300.00

Section/Lot: 13-0326, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A70100032600 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 18-0078, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90100007800 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,000.00

Section/Lot: 3-1775, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A30100177500 Assessed Value: $7,500.00 Minimum Bid: $1,300.00

Section/Lot: 13-0357, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A70100035700 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 18-0087, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90100008700 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 4-1953, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A40100195300 Assessed Value: $17,500.00 Minimum Bid: $2,000.00

Section/Lot: 13-0385, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A70100038500 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,300.00

Section/Lot: 18-0107, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90100010700 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,000.00

Section/Lot: 7-0052, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A60100005200 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,000.00

Section/Lot: 13-0387, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A70100038700 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,000.00

Section/Lot: 18-0109, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90100010900 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 9-0212, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A50400021200 Assessed Value: $17,500.00 Minimum Bid: $1,400.00

Section/Lot: 14-0116, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A80100011600 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 18-0155, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A90100015500 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 10-0023, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A60200002300 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $1,000.00

Section/Lot: 15-0038, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A80200003800 Assessed Value: $4,000.00 Minimum Bid: $900.00

Section/Lot: 3-1616, Captain’s Cove Tax Map No. 005A30100161600 Assessed Value: $17,500.00 Minimum Bid: $54,000.00

TERMS: Announcements made at auction time take precedence over any print, electronic, or verbal information, including but not limited to the Minimum Bid. Successful bidder will be required to deposit with Trustee a deposit (non-refundable) in an amount equal to Minimum Bid or 10% of successful bid (whichever is greater) in cash or certified funds at time of sale, with the closing to occur within thirty days of the date of said sale. Written one-price bids will be accepted for any of the properties pursuant to the terms set forth in Va. Code § 55516. There is no warranty relating to right, title, interest, or the like in this disposition. Property is being sold pursuant to Va. Code § 55-516, and title will be conveyed pursuant to statute and subject to all liens or encumbrances as provided in said statute. All information for review by appointment only or one hour prior to auction time at auction location. Notwithstanding the Minimum Bids set forth above, the Trustee reserves the right to accept and/or reject all offers. Time is of the essence. Other conditions may be announced at the sale.

TRUSTEE:

Pender & Coward, P.C., 222 Central Park Ave., Virginia Beach, VA

Phone: (757) 490-6261 Email: capcove@pendercoward.com

38 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

CAPTAIN’S COVE

March - Early April 2014

Next round of foreclosure sales set in Captain’s Cove By TOM STAUSS Publisher he latest auction of properties whose owners owe money to the Captain’s Cove property owner association or to the Captain’s Cove Utility Company is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12, at 2 p.m. in the main meeting room of the Marina Club in Captain’s Cove. About 50 properties are scheduled to be sold, subject to revision downward if property owners come forward to eliminate their indebtedness. Handling the sale for the Cove association will be the Virginia Beach law firm, Pender and

Coward. The list of properties available for purchase is published elsewhere in this edition of the Progress. Successful bidders will be required to deposit with the trustees a non-refundable sum equal to the minimum bid or 10 percent of the successful bid (whichever is greater) in cash or certified funds at time of sale, with the closing to occur within thirty days. The original list of lower cost properties to be auctioned include two from Section 1; one from Section 2; seven from Section 3 that are valued at $7,500 and once valued at $17,500; one in Section 4,

Skip Lyons

SKIP LYONS, REALTOR, & MD. REALTOR VA &VA.MD

Cell: 443-235-0200 • Office: 1-888-241-9590

valued at $17,500; one in Section 7; three in Section 9, all valued at $17,500; two in Section 10; one in Section 12; eleven in Section 13, all valued at $4,000; one in Section 14, one in Section 15, two in Section 16, and five in Section 17, all valued at $4,000. There are 7 properties in Section 18 to be sold, all with assessed values of $4,000. Higher end properties to be sold include one in Section 2, with an assessed valuation of $81,400; two in Section 3, one with an assessed valuation of $143,900 and the other valued at $181,500; one in Section 5, with an assessed value of $17,500 but with a min-

imum bid of $99,000; one in Section 7, with an assessed valuation of $135,400; and one in Section 9, with an assessed value of $137,000. If past auctions are any indication, many of these properties won’t attract bidders and will become the property of the association, to be sold later. In other cases, only one bidder will surface to obtain title to a property at minimal cost. The higher end properties conceivably could attract more interest because of location or other factors. Miller resigns from board -- Bob Miller resigned from the Cove association’s board of directors effective Feb. 8. During their Feb. 22 meeting, the directors discussed the process for filling the vacancy, including promoting the alternate board member to the position. Because the current alternate, Charles Williams, is unable to commit to the promotion, the directors decided instead to solicit applications from among the membership. According to a posting on the Cove Web site, candidates should be able to participate in all board activities including service on advisory committees. The term ends in November of this year. The Web site also includes an application form. Those interested in serving should email the form to communications coordinator Justin Wilder at jwilder@captscove.comor via fax at 757824-0379.

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TURNKEY MODEL Greenbackville, VA 23356 PACKAGES

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The WAHOO

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The DOLPHIN

Ranch Style Home has 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, Living Room, Ranch Style Home with 3 kitchen, Dining Area, and Rear Bedrooms 2 Baths, Screened Ranch-style home withDeck. 3 bed1 Car Garage Porch, and Appliance Package. Ranch-style home with 3 bedrooms, rooms,$119,173 2 baths, kitchen,1349 dining SQFT $126,590 1304 SQFT

The

2 baths, screened porch, and appliance package. 1304 sq. ft. $120,273

area, great room, 1-car garage and rear deck. 1404 sq. ft. $145,644 The TARPON The SAILFISH

The SAILFISH

Ranch Style Home has 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, Kitchen, Dining Area, Great Room, 1 Car Garage, and Rear Deck. 1408 SQFT $145,644

TARPON 2012

The GRAND TARPON

The DOLPHIN 2012

Ranch Style Home has 3 Bedrooms, 2 Baths, Living Room, Ranch Style Home with 3 Ranch Style Home has 3 BedTwo-story Contemporary Home Two-story Contemporary Home MODEL OF THE MONTH kitchen, Dining Area, and Rear rooms, 2 Baths, Kitchen, Dining has 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, Living has 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, Living Bedrooms 2 Baths, Screened area, Breakfast Nook, Great Room, Room, Kitchen, Dining Area, Loft, Room, Kitchen, Dining Area, Loft, Ranch-style contemporary Deck. Car Garage Ranch-style home with2 Car 3 bedGarage,Package. and Rear Deck. Rearhome Deck and 2 Car 1 Garage. Family Room. Porch, and Appliance 1527 SQFT SQFT $155,625 2300 SQFT $224,802 home $166,412 with 3 bedrooms,1696 2 baths, rooms, 2 baths, kitchen, dining 1349 SQFT living room, kitchen, dining area, area,SQFT breakfast nook, great room, 1304 $119,173 Turn Key on Your $126,590 Captain’s

$156,625*

loft, rear deck, great room, 12x24 2-car garage and rear deck. 1527 The MARLIN The BARRACUDA garage. 1496 sq. ft. $152,088 sq. ft. $166,412

Cove Lot

(Lot Clearing by Owner)

• 100% Stick Built • 1696 Sq. Ft. The BARRACUDA The MARLIN • Quality in Every Detail • Two-story Contemporary • Master Suite • 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths • Volume Ceilings • Circle Top Window • Energy Star Appliance Package Two-story Contemporary Home has 4 • Screened 2 story Contemporary Home has 4 Porch • Loft • 2-Car Garage

The SAILFISH

Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, Living

The TARPON

Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, Great * Ocean PinesRoom, Prices Higher Due to Worcester County’s Sprinkler System requirement

Room, home Formal Dining Room, kitchen, Kitchen, Dinette, Dining Room, Two-story contemporary Two-story contemporary home Dinette, Rear Deck and 2 Car Garage. home with 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, home with 4 bedrooms,Loft, 2.5 Rear baths,Deck and 2 Car Garage. 1874 SQFT $170,309 2050 SQFT $188,559 Home/Lot Packages living room, formal dining, kitchen, great room, kitchen, dinette, dining Ask us about dinette, rear deck, 2-car garage. 1874 Note: Above room, loft, rear deck and 2-car gaprices include all appliances and builders standards, but do not include cost of lot and are subject to change. sq. ft. $170,309 rage. 2050 sq. ft. $188,559

available

Home/Lot packages with 100% financing CallHome Skip Lyons 443-235-0200 Ranch Style has 3 BedTwo-story Contemporary Home 2012 BRER Affiliates, Inc. An independently owned and operated broker member of BRER Affiliates Inc. Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are registered service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc., and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Used under license with no other other affiliation with Prudential. Equal Housing Opportunity. Prudential PenFed is an independently owned and operated member of BRER Affiliates, Inc. PenFed membership is not required to conduct business with Prudential PenFed Realty rooms, 2 Baths, Kitchen, Dining has 3 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths, Living OTHER MODELS AVAILABLE

The WAHOO

Resident liaison – The board during its Feb. 22 meeting took steps toward the creation of a so-called member resident liaison to the board, on a trial basis, perhaps to be established on a more permanent basis in November after a new board takes office. In a recent memo to his colleagues, Cove President Tim Hearn acknowledged that, since a significant restructuring on the board about a year and a half ago, many full-time residents feel “marginalized” with what he called the board’s “new diversity.” Non-resident owners and those with developer ties now control the board, a situation brought about because a large number of Cove lots are developer owned, and those votes can be cast on a three-forone basis. Resident homeowners, who controlled the board through much of Captain’s Cove existence, now can only be elected to the board if the board’s majority bloc is willing to support them. With Miller’s resignation, the seven-member board has only two full-time residents, vice-president Tom Nagle and secretary Patricia Petrino. Though relations between the board and full-time residents who attend board meetings are generally civil, friction occasionally surfaces, with one or two residents willing to challenge the prevailing wisdom, sometimes to the irritation of Hearn. Former Director John To Page 41

Ranch Style Home has 3 B rooms, 2 Baths, Kitchen, D ing Area, Great Room, 1 C Garage, and Rear Deck. 1408 SQFT $145

The GRAND TARP

Two-story Contemporary H has 4 Bedrooms, 2.5 Baths

PenFed Realty March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

Cindy Welsh 302-381-6910 (cell) 888-241-9590 (Ofﬁce)

PO Box 28, 37054 State Line Road, Greenbackville, VA. 23356

candhwelsh@aol.com

For A Virtual Tour of Captain’s Cove, Please Visit My Web site at captainscoveproperties.com

Captain’s Cove -- Hidden Treasure on Virginia’s Eastern Shore 2247 Smugglers Way • $128,700

2396 Captain’s Corridor • $151,900

3BR/2BA • 1202 sq. ft. • Concrete driveway

2255 Bounty Court• $175,000

3BR/2BA • 1-car garage • Front & Screen Porch

2129 Buccaneer Blvd.• $178,900

New Listing

New Construction

3BR/2BA • 1-Car Garage • Screen Porch

3BR/2BA •1-car Garage • Screened Porch

3393 Starboard St. • $259,000

37309 Davey Jones Blvd. • $278,300

CANAL FRONT

3BR/2.5BA • New carpet and fresh paint

3BR/2BA • On cul-de-sac • 2-car Garage

New Listing

$79,900 3/1448 Cleared Canal, W & S (487414)

2000 Wheelhouse Dr. • $169,900

SOLD

REDUCED

3928 Captain’s Corridor •$159,900

UNDER CONTRACT

2BR/2.BA • 2-car Garage • Loft • Sitting Area

3BR/2.5BA •2420 sq. ft. • Great room • 2-car garage

REDUCED

$79,900 3/1443 Cleared $79,999 1/1195 Cleared Canal, W & S (477567) Canal, W & S (487087)

WATERVIEW LOTS

$15,000 2/427 Cleared, W & S (484213) REDUCED $59,900 1/1238 Cleared, W & S (464021)

GOLF COURSE LOTS

$4,000 2/377 Cleared, Alt Septic (481223) $13,500 2/107 Wooded, Septic Approved (484793) $13,888 2/453 Mostly Cleared, W & S (472279) $13,900 2/340 Cleared, Septic Approved (484451) $14,000 2/136 Wooded (468729) $15,000 2/221 Cleared (487847) $15,000 2/206 Cleared, (487826) $28,500 2/125 Wooded, Septic Approved (463848) $28,500 2/150 Wooded, Septic Approved (463847)

INTERIOR LOTS $500 1/1060 Wooded (478966) $2,000 7/231 Wooded (486735) $2,500 3/1804 Wooded (482476) $3,000 10/131 Wooded (487432) $3,500 3/1713 Wooded ( 486468) $3,500 1/1111 Wooded (486541) $3,500 4/2266 Wooded (486812) $3,500 3/1837 Wooded (482446)

$82,500 1/941 Cleared canal, W & S (487306)

$85,000 1/1196 Cleared Canal, W & S (487234)

$85,000 1/943 Cleared Canal, W & S (472439)

$3,500 3/1840 Wooded (482447) $3,500 3/1841 Wooded (482448) $3,500 7/200 Cleared (482473) $3,500 7/203 Cleared (482445) $3,500 1/841 Wooded (482485) $3,500 4/1886 Wooded (482489) $3,500 4/1900 Wooded (482490) $3,500 4/1902 Wooded (482492) $3,500 1/1077 Wooded (483044) $3,500 5/2383 Wooded (486810) $3,500 6/41 Wooded, Alt Septic (482474) $4,800 4/2294 Wooded,Septic Approved (484100) $4,900 5/2442 Wooded, Septic Approved (482063) $5,000 11/101 Wooded, Septic Approved (487852) $5,000 4/1962 Wooded, Septic Approved (487851) $5,000 4/2002 Wooded, Septic Approved (487849) $5,000 6/17 Wooded, Septic Approved ( 487828) $5,000 10/74 Wooded Septic Approved ( 486805) $5,000 9/20 Cleared (477718) $5,000 7/275 Cleared (482630) $5,000 11/85 Wooded (482330) $5,000 11/7 Wooded (482334) $5,000 4/2092 Wooded (482488) $5,000 11/17 Wooded (486803)

$99,900 1/940 Cleared $99,900 1/1191 Cleared Canal W & S (482548) Canal W & S (482992)

$5,000 11/58 Wooded (486807) $6,000 6/12 Wooded ( 487426) $6,000 4/2213 Wooded (487421) $6,000 4/2154 Wooded (487419) $6,000 1/1250 Wooded, W & S (483681) $6,000 6/45 Wooded, Septic Approved (481154) $6,500 8/51 Cleared Septic Approved (488387) $7,000 14/83 Cleared, Septic Approved (482888) $7,000 5/41 Wooded, Septic Approved (486399) $7,900 4/2177 Wooded, Septic Approved (483968) $8,000 5/2438 Wooded, Septic Approved (478432) $8,000 2/89 Wooded (484423) $8,000 9/38 Cleared, Septic Approved (486725) $8,500 8/38 Cleared (479204) $8,500 11/2 Wooded (479198) $8,500 11/3 Wooded (479197) $8,500 11/4 Wooded (479200) $8,500 11/14 Wooded (479199) $8,500 9/101 Wooded (479207) $8,900 3/1723 Wooded, Septic Approved (478995) $8,900 11/10 Wooded, Septic Approved (478998) $9,000 7/99 Cleared (487429) $10,000 3/1640 Cleared, Septic Approved (482892) $10,000 5/74 Wooded, Septic Approved (486850) $11,500 1/ 1252 Wooded, W & S (481587)

2014 BRER Affiliates, Inc. An independently owned and operated broker member of BRER Affiliates Inc. Prudential, the Prudential logo and the Rock symbol are registered service marks of Prudential Financial, Inc., and its related entities, registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Used under license with no other other affiliation with Prudential. Equal Housing Opportunity. Prudential PenFed is an independently owned and operated member of BRER Affiliates, Inc. PenFed membership is not required to conduct business with Prudential PenFed Realty

40 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

March - Early April 2014

Professional Services Cleaning Services

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PROGRESS Attorneys

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OPINION

March - Early April 2014 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

COMMENTARY The Ocean Pines two-step

t was hardly surprising that the recent effort by the Ocean Pines Association to investigate the possibility of leasing out the Ocean Pines golf course achieved little traction. OPA President Tom Terry, responding to a suggestion from prominent Ocean Pines resident and developer Marvin Steen and a group of concerned property owners calling themselves COPE (Coalition for Ocean Pines Equity), met with three golf course management companies and one individual in late February to see if there was any possibility of concluding a timely lease deal. According to Terry, the effort didn’t pan out; initial declarations of interest turned into expressions or indications of disinterest once details of Ocean Pines golf operations’ financial performance in recent years came to light. OPA Director Marty Clarke, an advocate of leasing, doesn’t trust the intensity of Terry’s effort or that those expressions of disinterest were defacto rejections. He has said he will introduce a golf course lease Request for Proposal (RFP) resolution for board consideration later in March. Based on board discussion at the March 5 work session, indications are that it will receive scant support. It almost doesn’t matter whether Terry’s COPEinspired effort was half-hearted, programmed to fail from the onset, or whether interested parties indeed were no longer interested after looking at the books, or whether the truth lies somewhere in between these two possibilities. There is evidence to suggest that even had a legitimate offer to lease the course emerged from the process, there would have been resistance to it, led by OPA General Manager Bob Thompson, who made no secret of the fact that he thinks that leasing is a horrible idea. Under almost any conceivable scenario he would have been able to count on a board majority, probably a supermajority even, to resist changing course. So it would appear that all that’s left to do is to complete negotiations on a management contract extension with Billy Casper Golf, the management company that’s been running golf operations in Ocean Pines for the past three years. The best that can be hoped for is that OPA negotiators and BCG agree on a contract that results in real “skin in the game” for Casper or one that reduces the

Captain’s Cove

From Page 38 Ward is perhaps the most visible critic, frequently questioning claims about improvements in Cove finances and operations and, more recently, questioning the manner in which consent agenda items are handled during board meetings. Hearn provided further context for the creation of a resident liaison in his memo. He said the former general manager, whose position was eliminated early in 2013, had among his

It almost doesn’t matter whether Terry’s COPE-inspired effort was half-hearted, programmed to fail from the onset, or whether interested parties indeed were no longer interested after looking at the books, or whether the truth lies somewhere in between these two possibilities. monthly guaranteed management fee of roughly $5000. What is just as likely is something akin to a tempoary extension without any change in terms. The OPA would not appear to be negotiating from a position of strength. BCG could decide it’s had enough of Ocean Pines . Or it could rise to challenge and decide that if all the investment in time and treasure will yield a satisfying return. Meanwhile, though, the board’s inability or unwillingness to secure a lease agreement that eliminates the need of Ocean Pines property owners to subsidize golf course operating losses increases the risk that Steen and COPE will succeed in a petition effort that could lead to the closure of the Ocean Pines golf course as early as next year. It was the overhanging threat of a COPEled petition and referendum drive that prompted Clarke to urge his colleagues to initiate a lease RFP process. If this process leads to a referendum vote to close the Ocean Pines golf course, converting it into a park or open space, then this current board

duties the role of communicating with resident homeowners. That role to some extent has been shifted to Wilder, the communications coordinator, who has a wide range of responsibilities with an emphasis on serving the board. “Justin has done quite a good job in that regard,” Hearn wrote, adding that the Cove association has taken other steps to improve communication with members, resident and non-resident alike, from Web site improvements, video streaming of board meetings, to a transcription of board meetings posted

will bear a portion of responsibility for that result. Indeed, the inability or unwillingness to produce a lease agreement no doubt will be cited by COPE as an indication that the OPA intends to continue to manage the course as it has indefinitely into the future. The apparent demise of the lease option at the board level clarifies and simplifies matters for the COPE petition effort. If it’s launched in coming weeks and succeeds in obtaining the 850 or so signatures needed to force a referendum, it then will become a choice of whether OPA members want to close the course and convert it into open space and a park with walking and bike trails that can be used by all. The debate will be a fascinating one. Both sides will have facts on their side and arguments to promote; both sides will have plenty of cash available to make their best case to the membership. COPE will have the added advantage of being able to argue that their assessment dollars are being used to promote a point of view with which it differs. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to anticipate the competing set of arguments. In the end, it will come down to whether a majority of property owners see enough value in having a Robert Trent Jones golf course in their midst that they are willing to absorb subsidies that in some years have exceeded $1 million, if funded depreciation and capital expenditures are included in the equation. There will be contentious debates about the extent of interest in golf among the membership and the extent to which a golf course contributes to property values to a degree that could not be replicated by open space and a park system. There will also be discourse over costs associated with keeping the newly created park system mowed and maintained versus the cost of operating a golf course. These are momentous questions, answers to which will factor into decision-making in thousands of households in Ocean Pines should a referendum come to pass. That is as it should be. Property owners really ought to be the ones to decide whetherTothey Nextwant Page to stay in the golf business or put the golf course to some other use. – Tom Stauss

on the Web site. “Clearly, in terms of members who are solely lot owners, investors, etc., the availability of additional data via the Internet has made a huge difference in terms of their connection,” he wrote. “While that is also the case for fulltime residents, the absence of an onsite person who they feel ‘is one of them’ to discuss their personal issues about items in the community is an ongoing concern.” Hearn said the resident liaison would be the resident homeowners representative in dealing with the board

and Billy Casper Golf, the company that manages the Marina Club and other amenities in Captain’s Cove. He said the resident liaison would become a non-voting member of the board, as a vice-president, unless he already served on the board as an elected member. It would be an unpaid position, as is the case with all Cove directors. The next step in the process will be to appoint a selection committee to find an individual willing to serve in the position.

42 Ocean Pines PROGRESS

OPINION

March - Early April 2014

Media hype about geese stirs the natives

aybe the Ocean Pines Association should hire a public relations firm to help guide it through a crisis of its own making, a crisis that never should have happened, a crisis that could have become the proverbial one- or two-day story if anyone had been in charge of managing perceptions of what the OPA intended to do about goose over-population at the South Gate. Granted, media hype if not outright blatant inaccuracy didn’t help matters. Even after the OPA Board of Directors managed to walk back the possibility of goose genocide during its Feb. 22 meeting, some local press outlets were determined to get the story wrong: Headlines and articles continued to report on the theoretical possibility of a massive round-up and euthanasia of geese as if it were one step away from happening. This, despite the fact that OPA President Tom Terry talked extensively about alternatives and praised the efforts of local resident Edna Martin and friends for their valiant efforts to save the geese and propose practical solutions. If the intent is to wait until June and then round up the geese late at night, then to be gassed and fed to the homeless, Terry and the rest of the board deserve an ensemble Oscar for feigned sympathy and cynical manipulation

Save the geese

When Bob Thompson, General Manager of Ocean Pines, was interviewed on WBOC, he stated that the geese might have to be “euthanized,” which brings to mind a peaceful, painless death. The euthanizing of the geese would be anything but peaceful and painless. They would be taken in June or July, while they have their young, are molting, and cannot fly; they and their babies would be put in crates, where some of them would die, and be taken to be gassed. Because the geese have a large lung capacity, being gassed would be a long and painful death. Another From Page 41reason for not euthanizing the geese - it will NOT work, as stated by the Humane Society and all animal rights groups. As soon as you kill the existing geese, another flock will come, and the cycle starts all over again. While I have heard the excuse for this slaughter is the high number of geese, the real reason is goose poop. I have done some research and have found a Goose Poop Machine, from Tow and Farm, which literally sweeps up the goose poop. I have talked with a gentleman in Toronto who has used this machine to clean parks for several years. He can’t say enough about the quality, dependability, and the excellent job this machine does. It does such a good job that he has been hired to clean nine more parks, and will be buying more machines. This

For someone who occasionally grouses because the local media fail to glorify Ocean Pines to the extent he believes it should, dwelling on what he calls “negAn excursion through the curious cul-de-sacs An excursion through theby-ways curious and by-ways and cul-de-sacs ative” news about the community he’s of Worcester County’s County’s most densely community. of Worcester mostpopulated densely populated community. doing his best to manage, the GM conBy TOM STAUSS/ By TOM Publisher STAUSS/Publisher tributed to what may be the worst pubof good-hearted elderly residents. Jarbe dealt with in a sanitary and humane lic relations drubbing Ocean Pines has experienced in, say, the past five years. ed Leto, these cross-dressing volunteer way. Moreover, the story has festered for politicians will have bested you on the Perhaps the OPA’s new four-member stage, and you will have to send your drainage crew will need some diversion weeks if not months, for no better reabest supporting actor Oscar to Ocean from the arduous task of unclogging son that no one in charge really seems Pines for display somewhere in the new ditches using the OPA’s new $60,000 able to get out in front of it. Perish the Yacht Club. Sewer Machine, slipped into the 2014- thought that someone could actually But it won’t come to that, of course. 15 capital budget at the last minute, draft a reasonably coherent press reAt this late stage in the unfolding dra- and won’t mind some extra-curricular lease explaining what the OPA will do ma, the geese are safe because the out- activity on the GPM. Come to think of it, or won’t be doing with respect to its rescry against the alternative would sim- our hard-working GM, who’s had a turn ident and itinerant goose population. ply be too intense and unforgiving. Our or two behind a snow plough this win- Then again, maybe it’s lurking someelected and unelected officials are not ter, could try his hand at the GPM. He where in the depths of the OPA’s tarted so callow, hypocritical or cruel to imply would no doubt be an inspiration to the up Web site. The last couple of board meetings they are being responsive to residents working stiffs who toil for Public Works. while secretly plotting to thin the herd Even allowing for media distortion, could, with time, and media cooperation, when supposedly no one is looking. the GM never should have permitted cause this story to fade away. At least until the GPM arrives on the Besides, the Save the Geese continhimself to be captured by a local televigent has done the research – who says sion film crew seeming to countenance scene. Then, Ocean Pines’ newly hired the most venerable among us can’t masthe possibility of a goose round-up. public relations firm will schedule a ter the Internet! – and discovered the Who knows what mischief occurred in Photo Op, dutifully calling in Salisbury’s existence of something called a Goose the digital editing room, but that real- intrepid TV news hounds for another lap Poop Machine, from Tow and Farm, ly is no excuse: Television news is by around the South Gate ponds. The geese will be there, of course, as which literally sweeps up or, perhaps nature shallow, reductive and, often, more accurately, hoovers, goose leavings. quite wrong, driven by the need to cram they always are. Maybe blocking traffic, for the sheer So the proximate cause for pollution and an oversimplified story into the video fun of it. fish kills in the South Gate ponds can equivalent of a Twitter message.

LIFE IN THE LIFE INPINES THE PINES

LETTERS would answer all concerns voiced by the Ocean Pines Environmental and Natural Assets Committee who are advising the Ocean Pines Board of Directors. The parks would be clean, there would be no pollution of the ponds from goose poop, and the geese would be saved. The geese are a real asset to the Ocean Pines Community. Many people who visit Ocean City come to Ocean Pines during their vacation just to see the geese! The geese are gentle, very trusting, and will eat out of your hand. There is one group who loves people and has terrific traffic sense. I have seen them wait on the side of the road until there is no traffic, or the traffic has stopped, before stepping off the curb. They always bring a smile to my face. Geese mate for life and raise their young together - what better model for children. I can’t imagine Ocean Pines without the geese, nor do I want to. I hope that you will send a letter to the Board of Directors (directors@oceanpines.org), to Bob Abele, Chairman of the Environmental and Natural Assets Committee (r.abele@mchsi.com), and to expressing your support for the geese, and your horror of slaughtering them. Many, many thanks for anything that you can do to help. Edna Martin Ocean Pines

I am a resident of Ocean Pines and I am writing to save lives; the lives of the geese that inhabit the Ocean Pines Community ponds. I do not know if the surrounding communities are aware of the recent decision made by the Ocean Pines Board of directors to euthanize the geese due to “the mess” they cause. The residents of Ocean Pines were informed of this decision and despite many emails from us calling for the repeal of the decision, the Board remains firm. There are other options, such as relocation or investment in machines that would better maintain these common areas. The ponds are now home to a variety of ducks, geese, and other birds all living together. I personally feel they should be left where they are. My husband and I enjoy all the local wildlife, from the wild ponies, to the deer, fox, and yes, the geese. I appeal to all animal lovers to express your outrage over this cruel and unnecessary plan to eliminate these geese and have your family, friends and neighbors do the same. Rick and Chris Criss Ocean Pines Editor’s Note: Despite some print and television reporting, a fair and accurate reading of recent meetings of the Board of Directors suggests no such decision has been made. In fact, it would appear that most OPA directors are eager to find some other solution.

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 submissions should be sent via email only. We do not accept faxes or other submissions that require retyping. Letters should be original and exclusive to the Progress. Include phone number for verification. 127 Nottingham Lane, Ocean Pines, MD. 21811

PUBLISHER/EDITOR Tom Stauss tstauss1@mchsi.com 410-641-6029

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