October 2016
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THE OCEAN PINES JOURNAL OF NEWS & COMMENTARY COVER STORY
COURSE CORRECTION? Board adopts Hill recommendation to jumpstart Country Club repairs Directors seem to be leaning in favor of a phased repair and renovation rather than a new building By TOM STAUSS Publisher etting aside at least temporarily a more vexatious debate on whether to build a new Country Club or renovate the existing one, the Board of Directors in September seemed inclined to accept a recommendation by Acting General Manager Brett Hill to begin significant repairs instead, perhaps to be followed by some sort of planned, phased renovation that occurs over a number of years. In a lengthy discussion at a Sept. 19 work session, Hill identified long-deferred maintenance that needed immediate attention, with mold remediation, water mitigation, and a failed HVAC system topping the list. The mold remediation and water mitigation issues involve major roof repairs, to plug various leaks that have contributed to the mold issue. The HVAC system is basically shot, needing complete replacement, according to Hill. Some water mitigation on the exterior of the building has already occurred, begun during the tenure of the previous general manager, Bob Thompson. Ongoing repairs are addressing flooding in the women’s locker room and the office of Director of Golf John Malinowksi. “There is damage inside caused by problems outside,” Hill said. The Public Works Department has been deployed to fix the exterior leaks, he said, also noting that OPA employees have made some other cosmetic improvements to the lower level. New wrought-iron furniture has finally arrived for the covered patio area just outside the pro shop, and the dreary meeting area attached to the Tern Grille has been opened up. Dark blinds from the windows have been removed and old carpeting removed, which has had the effect of creating an almost new, brighter space with a good view of the pond. Hill has identified more problem areas that he said need
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immediate attention, all identified in an updated engineering report by the Becker Morgan engineering firm of Salisbury. He said some mold remediation, which he authorized under the general manager’s $15,000 spending authority, has already occurred, but he said the mold will return if the OPA does not repair all the areas where there’s been water intrusion. A leaky roof is a major source of water intrusion, he told his board colleagues. Hill’s approach to the Country Club appears to deviate significantly from that of Thompson, who seemed unwilling to spend large sums of money repairing a building that he thought should be replaced with a smaller, more golf-centric building, combined with a cart barn on the lower level. Hill said there is a lot of long-deferred maintenance of the building that can no longer be ignored. “We don’t need a replacement (Country Club),” he said, staking out a position polar opposite from that of his predecessor. “But we need to invest a lot of money to fix” a laundry list of items identified in the updated Becker Morgan report. The acting general manager told his colleagues that the report emphasizes the need to completely replace the electric, plumbing, and HVAC systems in the building, and “the roof needs replacement.” The HVAC system alone will cost $150,000 to replace, he said. “We’ve got to get the mold out” and repair all the damage caused by leaks and prevent the leaks and mold from returning, he said. The question will be “how much do we want to spend” to restore the building to full functionality, Hill said. He said the board will need to “identify uses” for the building going forward and these uses will help the board in deciding what kind of renovation that needs to be done. The board will need to develop a plan for the various repairs and To Page 31
Beach Club project downsized by board The Board of Directors during a September work session accepted a recommendation from Acting General Manager Brett Hill to abandon two possible options for dealing with poorly maintained Beach Club bathrooms, a major renovation or a new, separate building. Instead, the board opted for cosmetic improvements costing $200,000 or less to be accomplished in-house by the Ocean Pines Public Works Department. New flooring and showers are among the improvements expected for completion by next Memorial Day weekend. ~ Page 12
Directors suspend bulkhead program The Ocean Pines Association’s decades-old bulkhead replacement program has been temporarily put on hold while the Board of Directors re-envisions the ongoing effort to maintain the support structures along the community’s waterways. During a Sept. 24 regular meeting, directors voted unanimously to suspend the program and redirect funding designated for bulkhead replacement in the bulkhead and waterways reserve to the general operating fund, where it will be used for any emergency bulkhead repairs. ~ Page 16
Board temporarily halts road repaving Repaving of roads in the community has been temporarily halted by the Ocean Pines Association in favor of making repairs to streets that have been cut during utility work. The Board of Directors during a Sept. 24 regular meeting unanimously approved a motion by Director Brett Hill, who is also acting as interim general manager, to halt the road repaving program and reallocate associated funds for repair work instead. ~ Page 22
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