GM succession plan could give boost to Colby Phillips A newly released planning document to govern the process to select a successor to General Manager John Viola contains some favorable language for the possibility that Colby Phillips will be well positioned to succeed Viola when his contract expires in June of 2022. The planning document was released by Director Frank Daly and included with the Board of Directors Sept. 9 meeting informational packet, available on the OPA Web site. Daly serves on a succession task force with board colleagues Colette Horn and Camilla Rogers. ~ Page 5
Board wrangles over alleged ‘gifts and gratuities’ violation Director Tom Janasek told his colleagues he was ready and willing for a full and frank discussion in public about an alleged violation of the OPA’s “gifts and gratuities” regulation. At the Sept. 9 board meeting, four of his colleagues voted instead to discuss the issue in closed session. ~ Page 6
September 2020
www.issuu.com/oceanpinesprogress
THE OCEAN PINES JOURNAL OF NEWS & COMMENTARY
COVER STORY
OPA drainage project split into two phases At $805,000, first phase costs significantly less than referendum threshold of $1.8 million By TOM STAUSS Publisher etails of a two-phase drainage project emerged during the Sept. 9 meeting of the Board of Directors, with Ocean Pines Association General Manager John Viola and Director of Amenities and Logistical Operations Colby Phillips sharing the spotlight
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Alleged effort to ‘squeeze out’ Viola fizzles While it’s not clear and probably isn’t true that any director was ready to vote to oust John Viola as general manager, one director at an Aug. 17 special meeting of the Board of Directors meeting said she thought that there was an effort under way by some directors to “squeeze out” Viola from a job he’s held for roughly a year and a half. ~ Page 15
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in providing details. A key take-away from the presentation is that a referendum for a total project cost of $2.26 million apparently won’t be necessary. That’s because funds are already in hand or identified for the first phase, which carries a price tag of $805,000. That’s roughly $1 million less than the spending threshold needed to require a community-wide referendum. In the current fiscal year, estimated costs for the OPA have been whittled down to $250,000 to $275,000 for the project’s first phase. There is no guarantee that a second phase will even happen. State grant funding of $549,000 and OPA contributions budgeted this year exceed the first phase cost. According to OPA Director Frank Daly, the OPA has received advice from counsel Jeremy Tucker that referendums are only required when funds exceeding the referendum amount have to be raised in advance from OPA members for spending on a capital project. The first phase includes improvements in Sections 1,2,3,5 and 7, with much of that in the area of the Bainbridge Park pond. The state funding would cover the Section 1 and 2 improvements while the OPA would cover the estimated cost of improvements in Sections 3, 5 and 7. The second phase includes improvements such To Page 22
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