October - Early November 2015
443-359-7527
www.oceanpinestoday.com
Vol. 11, No. 7
www.issuu.com/oceanpinesprogress Jacobs questions proposed capital rollover policy The the Budget and Finance Advisory recently proposed a rolling, multi-year capital budget, in which items contained in one fiscal year’s capital budget but not started or completed could carry-over to the next fiscal year without new board authorization. At the board’s regular meeting Sept. 24, Director Cheryl Jacobs weighed in as a skeptic of the proposal, and explanations offered by Director Tom Terry, General Manager Bob Thompson and others did not seem to sway her. ~ Page 6
THE OCEAN PINES JOURNAL OF NEWS & COMMENTARY COVER STORY
Ocean Pines ponders options for bridge repairs, replacement Construction could use timber, steel or concrete materials
Committee suggests fee for outsiders use of rec programs The Ocean Pines Association’s Budget and Finance Advisory Committee is suggesting that if non-members of the Ocean Pines Association want to participate in paid activities and classes sponsored by the OPA Recreation and Parks Department, they should be required to purchase a ‘membership’ fee of a so far unspecified amount for the privilege of doing so. ~ Page 18
Planning board oks expansion of Manklin Meadows With site plan approval from the Worcester County Planning Commission now in hand, the Ocean Pines Association anticipates releasing a request for proposals later this month for redevelopment of the Manklin Meadows Recreation Complex with additional racquet sports courts. Plans call for reconfiguration of the playground, community gardens and parking to make way for more platform tennis and pickleball courts.. ~ Page 25
By ROTA L. KNOTT Contributing Writer aced with two deteriorating bridges, the Ocean Pines Association is moving ahead with plans to make immediate repairs while still weighing its options for replacing the aging structures. The bridges on Ocean Parkway and Clubhouse Drive have both fallen below the state standards and the OPA is preparing to solicit a request for proposals (RFPs) for short-term fixes. Ultimately, however, the bridges may need to be replaced. Bob Thompson, in his Sept. 24 general manager’s report The Clubhouse Drive bridge. to the Board of Directors, provided an overview of some of the actions OPA President Pat Renaud said the necessary to address the problems with repairs need to be made very soon. “It bridges in Ocean Pines. The report in- behooves us to have a plan in place for cluded a listing of immediate and pri- repairs,” he said, ority – or longer term – improvements Both the Ocean Parkway and Clubfor both structures, a timeline for action house Drive bridges over the canal are items and cost estimates. a single span concrete bridge with an “It’s our intent to keep forward with asphalt surface and timber abutments the repair work because it needs to be and wing-walls. The bridges are part of done,” he said, adding that he plans to the Worcester County roads inventory. bring the RFP for bridge repairs to the When the bridge safety rating of a strucboard for approval in October. While ture drops below 50 on the scale used $175,000 per bridges is included in the by the state, then the county can begin fiscal year 2016 budget, he said the cost investigating its replacement, with the estimate for the work is now $250,000 help of state and federal funds. per bridge, because work needs to be Because the bridges are located withdone to both the super structure above in Ocean Pines, the OPA is taking the water and the substructure below. lead on planning for the bridge repairs
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and is working closely with county’s Public Works Department to address both the improvements and the cost of making them. Using an engineering firm recommended by the county, the OPA is working on parallel paths pursuing both repairs and replacement of the bridges based on a 2014 evaluation and report on their condition, Thompson said. Immediate action items are those repairs the OPA can make now while priority items will be addressed sometime in future. The repair process for both bridges is focused on the super structure, the part of the bridge that is above the water level, Thompson said. Based on engiTo Page 14
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