Vol. 9, No. 6
September-Early October 2013
410-641-6029
www.issuu.com/oceanpinesprogress Terry to head up OPA for another year as president
THE OCEAN PINES JOURNAL OF NEWS & COMMENTARY COVER STORY
‘FAREWELL, OLD GIRL’ Ocean Pines says goodby to 40-year-old Yacht Club By SUSAN CANFORA Contributing Writer icrophone in hand in a festive atmosphere, Ocean Pines Association President Tom Terry dubbed the aging Yacht Club “the old girl” and said the end had come. It has indeed. The building, opened in 1975, closed on Labor Day, earlier than planned due to worsening plumbing and electrical problems. “It just gave out,” Terry said. So, at 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 2, the day before doors closed and about two weeks before demolition, Terry stood on the deck in front of a band on a sunny afternoon to say a few words. “The old girl has worked hard and it’s time for her to retire,” he said, looking over his shoulder at the sagging building, once a popular meeting place, deemed “iconic” in an OPA press release, with bars and restaurant, weddings and parties and a lovely view of the bay. In the early days, a waiter delivered a
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A view of the Yacht Club farewell party from the second floor balcony on Sunday, Sept. 2.
rose on a pillow to your dinner date, local Realtor John Talbott remembered. He got a round of applause after being introduced by OPA board member Sharyn O’Hare, since he was one of the original salesmen when lots were being sold in the new community. He also attended the ribbon-cutting in May of 1975 when the building was open for business the first time. O’Hare spoke sentimentally about the end of the Yacht Club era, but was one of many whose heart strings were tugged. Memories, she said, “are the pages in our mind and get sweeter like good aged wine.” She urged the crowd to raise a glass for a final toast, and many did, but others kept chatting, drinking and loading plates with hot dogs, baked beans and cole slaw, the parting $2 meal. Still, she continued. “Like a Phoenix, the new Yacht Club is going to arise in her dust. Raise your glass. Think of your To Page 22
A LOOK BACK: 1973-2013
Terry making history as OPA president with most consecutive years of service In a year of anniversaries, the OPA is celebrating its 40th as an association controlled by property owners. This year is also the 40th anniversary of the ground-breaking of Ocean Pines’ original Yacht Club, scheduled for demolition later in September. The year 1973 was notable for other key events in the history of Ocean Pines, including the ground-breaking for a community center in White Horse Park and the establishment of the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department. Also creating some history is OPA President Tom Terry, whose consecutive years in the role will surpass that of a 1970s-era president. By TOM STAUSS Publisher cean Pines Association President Tom Terry, who has served in that role for three consecutive years, was re-elected to the position for a fourth year in a row at the board of directors organizational meeting Aug. 20. Once he completes his term in August of next year, Terry will have the record for the most number of consecutive years served as elected
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OPA president, previously held by the OPA’s first elected president, Evan Anderson, who served in the position from the fall of 1973 to the fall of 1976. Anderson served in an appointed role as president from January until October of 1973, when he became the first president of the OPA under the control of property owners. He was elected by his board colleagues in October, previously having been appointed to the To Page 23
Ocean Pines Association President tom Terry delivers remarks at the Yacht Club farewell party Sept. 2 from the second floor balcony.
Ocean Pines Association President Tom Terry, who has served in that role for three consecutive years, was re-elected to the position for a fourth year at the board of directors’ organizational meeting Aug. 20 by vote of his board colleagues. Terry, reelected to the board in balloting that concluded in August, won the presidency in a contested ballot over newly elected director Jack Collins, the top-voter in this summer’s balloting. Collins nominated himself, an unusual if not unprecedented occurrence in the annals of Ocean Pines. Collins had no expectation of ousting Terry as president. ~ Page 6
Stachurski suggests way Casper could extend golf contract With the clock ticking on Billy Casper Golf’s three-year contract to manage the Ocean Pines golf course – it officially expires in spring of 2014 – it is generally thought that the Ocean Pines Association board of directors will decide whether it wants to keep the management company in place soon after the fall package play season is complete. Sometime after September or October, OPA officials have said, it should be clear whether BCG is on a path to meet its budgeted deficit target for the fiscal year. That budgeted loss is $150,000, a substantial improvement over last year’s $500,000 loss. ~ Page 9
Bank of WIlliards aquires Points Reach Clubhouse in sale The Bank of Willards, protecting its interest in the unfinished Points Reach clubhouse in far south Ocean Pines, acquired the property in a foreclosure sale that the bank had scheduled for the courthouse steps in Snow Hill on Aug. 27. A spokesman for the bank said that other than bank officials, no one showed up at the courthouse to bid on the clubhouse, which has been languishing unused on a picturesque bayfront parcel adjacent to the Points Reach condominiums in Ocean Pines’ Section 17. The building had been owned by Bankers Development Corp. LLC, whose principal owner, David Meinhardt, developed the Point subdivision, including the Points Reach condominium. ~ Page 16