May 2022
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OCEAN PINES
PROGRESS THE OCEAN PINES JOURNAL OF NEWS & COMMENTARY
COVER STORY
OPVFD estimates cost of Southside station renovation, expansion at $7 million State awards grants totalling $1.6 million By TOM STAUSS Publisher he Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department recently received a $1.35 million grant from the State of Maryland to renovate and expand the Southside fire station. Another $250,000 is pledged from the state’s capital budget, bringing the total financial package to $1.6 million State Senator Mary Beth Carozza told the Progress that the two grants are not conditional on any particular cost estimate for the project. Should the OPVFD find a way to lower costs, it shouldn’t affect the amount of the grants, she said. “I’m not aware of any reductions in funding of other projects [once pledged],” she said. The OPVFD plans to discuss more details about the project during a town hall, which had been tentatively scheduled for sometime in May. A date for the town hall had not been announced prior to press time for this edition of the Progress. Ocean Pines Director Amy Peck said in late April that May is not assured for a town hall. “It’s TBD (to be determined),” she said. The grant was announced in a recent Ocean Pines
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Association press release, which also contained an eye-opening number, an estimated cost of $7 million for the Southside station’s renovation and expansion. While that number has not generated any public opposition by members of the Ocean Pines Association’s Board of Directors, it has prompted questions drafted by one director with the support of other directors. A former OPVFD president, Lee McClaflin, who served in that capacity during the 1980s and 1009s when the last renovation and completion was completed, in an exclusive interview with the Progress has questioned a renovation/expansion costing $7 million. He said he believes $1.6 million in grants should more than cover the cost of what essentially is a new building. [See article on Page 8 for details.] OPA board member questions have been forwarded to the OPFVD, with the expectation that the department will have adequate time to come up with answers prior to a town hall. [See article on Page 6 for details.] The state grant and a similar contribution by the OPVFD would leave the project short of funding somewhere between $4 million and $4.5 million. The OPVFD To Page 3
Trendic named spokesman for petition drive Ocean Pines resident and former Ocean Pines Association Director Slobodan Trendic has agreed to be the official spokesman for a group of county residents who are launching a petition drive in opposition to a $11.1 million county bond issue related to a proposed sports complex on Route 50 adjacent to Stephen Decatur High School. ~ Page 36
Helvey tells why he’s running for county commission
Grant Helvey some months ago was thinking about running for the county commission in District 5, representing a large portion of Ocean Pines. What decided it for him was his involvement in a little known group called United Frank Daly for Freedom Maryland, whose Facebook page declares its intention to recruit like-minded candidates to run for local office under the banner of restoring constitutional norms in government. ~ Page 37
Water taxi to carry customers to and from Yacht Club
Hoping to attract new customers to the Yacht Club restaurant and provide residents with an alternative mode of transportation to Ocean City’s hot spots, the Ocean Pines Association has signed an agreement with OC Bay Hopper to bring a water taxi to Ocean Pines. ~ Page 14
Ocean Pines awaiting results of by-laws referendum ~ Page 26