September 2017
Country Club removed from fire watch
The Country Club’s second floor renovation project is on pause pending the arrival of new general manager John Bailey, who will be given some time to review the status of the project, newly anointed Ocean Pines Association President Doug Parks has confirmed. Placed on a “fire watch” earlier this summer by the Worcester County Fire Marshal because the upstairs sprinkler fire suppression system had been prematurely removed, the building recently had that somewhat embarrassing status revoked.
~ Page 11
Parks wants to move past negativity of board infighting
While it remains to be seen whether the Board of Directors will be able to leave the bitter infighting of recent months behind for good, that’s clearly the goal of newly elected Ocean Pines President Doug Parks. Parks, who had said after he was the top voter in this summer’s board election that he was not interested in the OPA presidency, bowed to the pressure of a board majority that felt that he would be the best person among the seven directors to serve in that role.
~ Page 19
Hill’s purchase of vehicle from Hi-Tide stokes board review
A controversy largely contained within the Board of Directors apparently has been “closed” with Director and former Acting General Manager Brett Hill surviving an ordeal in which his personal integrity was at issue. One OPA Director, Slobodan Trendic, isn’t ready to let the issue die.
~ Page 22
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THE OCEAN PINES JOURNAL OF NEWS & COMMENTARY COVER STORY
Bailey arrives in Ocean Pines as new GM; Parks to assume traditional role as board liaison New OPA president wants to give new chief executive 30 to 45 days to get a feel for the terrain and to develop his own priorities By TOM STAUSS Publisher is arrival much anticipated as the supposed antidote to months of Board of Directors dysfunction and infighting, John Bailey’s first official day on the job Sept. 11 will be spent introducing himself to staff and beginning the process of acclimating himself to the role, learning the issues, and preparing recommendations for the host of challenges he inherits. Ocean Pines Association President Doug Parks told the Progress in an early September interview that Bailey will be given a reasonable amount of time to get up to speed on those challenges before he will be asked to make recommendations to the board for action. Under a plan he was drafting and planning to send to the board in early September, Parks said he would be “front and center” in the process of transitioning from the administration of acting General Manager Brett Hill, who’s held the position for about a year, to Bailey’s. “I’ve been in touch with him,” Parks said, adding that Bailey and his family have been in the area looking for a home in Ocean Pines. Parks said he would like to develop a “bold plan” for transitioning to Bailey without encumbering him with a lot of board opinions in the early stages. “My recommended approach will be to lead the transition,” Parks said. “I won’t assign that role to the acting general manager or a working group. I want to establish that relationship.”
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END-OF-SUMMER SUMMER
In effect, Parks was asserting for himself as OPA president the traditional role of board liaison to the general manager. It’s essentially the same working relationship that his two predecessors, Dave Stevens and Tom Herrick, had with Hill this past year. It’s the same relationship with the GM that most board presidents have had since the earliest days of Ocean Pines. Parks said the transition plan he is working would allow him to advise Bailey on the areas he and the board thinks he should be looking at, but without preconceptions. “I don’t want to prioritize for him,” Parks said, addTo Page 30
It’s a John Bailey meet and greet ....
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he Ocean Pines Association invited OPA members to meet and greet its newly hired General Manager John Bailey on Monday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. The event will be hosted on the second floor of Mumford’s Landing, otherwise known as the Ocean Pines Yacht Club. Coffee and light desserts will be served. There are unconfirmed rumors circulating that OPA Directors Brett Hill and Slobodan Trendic will engage in a free-style pie fight for charity during the event, with Bailey serving as acting referee. -- Tom Stauss