September-Early October 2014
Vol. 10, No.6
410-641-6029
www.issuu.com/oceanpinesprogress Stevens moves quickly for board procedural changes
THE OCEAN PINES JOURNAL OF NEWS & COMMENTARY COVER STORY
OPA waiting on Harkins to complete Yacht Club Construction implementation team is negotiating with contractor on change order that would reduce the amount owed in final payment. Team member Ted Moroney has already identified $49,000 in charge-backs but said much more will emerge before a final agreement is reached. Meanwhile, the Yacht Club is not yet complete. Still to be done: cupolas on the roof, installation of a flagpole, and replacement of the warped second floor decking, along with a punch list of relatively minor items. By TOM STAUSS Publisher
T
o the untutored eye, it appeared as though the new Ocean Pines Yacht Club was complete when it opened for business full-time Memorial Day weekend. In fact, it really wasn’t, although it was in good enough shape to pass inspections and serve the public. Even so, three months later, there are three key items that have yet to be done, Yacht Club implementation team member Ted Moroney told the Progress in early September. Those items are the roof cupolas that were prominently featured in the promotional drawings of the Yacht Club, a flag pole, and replacement decking on the second floor of the facility overlooking the harbor. None of these items had much to do with how customers experienced the Yacht Club this summer. “It’s warped,” Moroney said of the second story decking. “No one really knows why. So Harkins has agreed to replace it, probably with a completely new material.” Harkins Construction of Salisbury has a contract to build the Yacht Club for a cost that is currently worth about $4 million, but that’s a flexible number that will be changing be-
fore the contractor receives its final payment, Moroney said. There’s more than $700,000 in additional Yacht Club costs that aren’t part of the Harkins contract. As anyone in the construction business knows from experience, change orders can work both ways. In the case of the new Yacht Club, change orders generally have cost the OPA money while another one in particular, change order seven, is doing the reverse. That’s the one that is a current subject of discussion between the OPA and the contractor In addition to the three major items that remain, Moroney said the contractor is working through a punch list of relatively minor items. With the Yacht Club going to a five-day schedule post-Labor Day – the amenity is closed Monday and Tuesday, with Wednesday likely to be added by the end of the month – it will be easier for contractors to work through the punch list without disturbing customers, Moroney said. As for change order seven, it reflects $49,009 in items in the original contract that the contractor did not perform. The To Page 27
Newly elected Ocean Pines Association President Dave Stevens has some ideas for improving the functioning of the Board of Directors and of General Manager Bob Thompson in his interactions with the board. One of his first actions out of the box as president was to craft a motion putting those ideas into effect. ~ Page 8
Golf course leasing on track despite board changes
Although one member of the three-member team of Ocean Pines Association directors that has been looking into the possibility of leasing of the Ocean Pines golf course is no longer participating, having been defeated in his reelection bid this summer, the effort is alive and well. With the departure of Jeff Knepper and OPA director Tom Terry no longer serving as OPA president, the nominal leadership of the group has passed to Director Jack Collins. Terry remains as a member of the group. ~ Page 16
Board approves new rolling extension of Sandpiper contract With the Ocean Pines Association and Sandpiper Energy apparently at an impasse over a new franchise agreement allowing the company to continue providing propane and natural gas services to Ocean Pines through its underground pipeline system, it’s not at all clear when the long-anticipated roll-out of natural gas conversions will begin in Ocean Pines. With conversions already having taken place in Berlin and the nearby Glen Riddle development, Ocean Pines under normal conditions might be the next logical target for Sandpiper. ~ Page 23