Monthly GM report includes updates on drainage, bulkheads and Northstar

(March 22, 2021) General Manager John Viola on Saturday included several notable project updates during his monthly report to the Ocean Pines Board:  

Playground replacement 

Viola said the Association recently demolished the old playground at Robinhood Park, with replacement of that equipment set to start on March 22. He said Ocean Pines budgeted for two new playgrounds, also including one at Bainbridge Park, where drainage improvements have just begun.  

Ocean Pines Academy wraps 

Viola said a team led by Marketing Coordinator Julie Malinowski recently turned in materials for the Ocean Pines Academy, a “virtual, self-paced civic education course about the Ocean Pines Association.”  

A workgroup led by Malinowski started work on the project in December.  

“Every department was involved,” Viola said, including Public Relations and Marketing Director Josh Davis, who produced video segments for the Ocean Pines Academy. 

“We’re looking at a rollout [soon],” he said. “There’s a lot of information there about every department [and] every amenity. It’s been put together to give an education to the homeowners … as well as future or current Board candidates that are looking to get information about Ocean Pines.” 

Northstar updates 

Viola said the Ocean Pines website was down at several times last week. Northstar, the company that hosts the website, moved the entire site to a new server on Wednesday. The hope is that the new server helps make the site more stable.  

“In layman’s terms, Northstar was having issues with capacity … [and] they are working on it based on our calls,” he said.  

Northstar also supplies Ocean Pines financial software, and Viola said a Northstar point-of-sales system was recently taken out of the Clubhouse Bar and Grille because of technical issues. A backup system was installed instead.  

Viola said Ralph DeAngelus, cofounder of the Matt Ortt Companies that runs Ocean Pines’ food and beverage operations, is comfortable with the backup. 

“The [Northstar] point-of-sales system goes back into the sandbox ... for review,” Viola said. “Food and beverage has given me resources to help with it as we try to get it functional, but it will not be implemented without discussions between Ralph and myself, and then signoffs from everybody to make sure this thing works. I don’t anticipate [using the Northstar system] in the current season.” 

Viola said Ocean Pines staff continues to work through issues with Northstar. 

“Every member of the team [and] of the workgroups have embraced this project. We understand that we need to get it operational, but it is a challenge,” he said.  

Drainage updates 

Viola said work on the Bainbridge Pond drainage project started last week and is scheduled to run through the end of June. The total project cost is estimated at $800,000, with $549,000 of that coming from a Maryland Department of Natural Resources grant.  

Based on recent communications and updates, Viola said he has “complete confidence in the team and the contractor.”  

“I think everybody is going to see a lot of improvement there,” he said.  

Additional drainage improvements will start on April 12, with contractor Pelican Underground LLC set to start installing new pipes at several locations. Those include Ocean Parkway near Route 90, 215 Ocean Parkway, 159 Ocean Parkway, 736 Ocean Parkway, 30 Offshore Lane, 102 Robin Hood Trail, Fosse Grante, and the four-way intersection at the south gate. 

Viola said the improvements would use “a new type of pipe” after receiving recommendations from Worcester County and others.  

“The big thing with these pipes [is] we don’t have to cut into the road,” he said. “We’ve gotten some really positive feedback … and it’s also saved money.” 

Nobie Violante and Justin Riner from Ocean Pines Public Works will oversee both drainage improvement projects, with Public Works Director Eddie Wells coordinating with Worcester County and the contractors.  

Bulkhead replacement 

Ocean Pines has moved into phase two of a bulkhead replacement project, now focused on Pintail Drive and North Pintail Drive. Addresses included in the work are 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 37, 39, 41, 43, 45, 47 and 49 Pintail Drive, and 4, 8, 12, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38 and 39 North Pintail Drive.  

Viola said Ocean Pines budgeted $1.192 million for the project. The contract amount for the work is $1.182 million, with about $665,000 paid so far. 

Construction is scheduled to run through April 30 and include a total of 3,330 linear feet of bulkheads.  

“I did get some calls [and] I did receive emails ... on the bulkhead,” Viola said. “I am working with Julie and others on putting out a communication this week with a lot of detail and numbers for the bulkheads, so that everybody can see it and understand where we are.” 

He said that communication would include the reason for assessment increases for bulkhead owners. 

Financial report 

On the current financial picture, Viola said Ocean Pines closed February about $17,000 below budget estimates.  

Year to date, the Association is ahead of budget by $1.13 million. Viola said that was largely because of $1.143 million in grants received through the federal Paycheck Protection Program.  

With two months to go in the fiscal year, Viola said he expects that $1.13 million positive balance to decrease, although there has been good financial news of late.  

“I don’t have a crystal ball on what’s going to happen with the pandemic, but today I feel better … on the forecast that we may not have to shut down in April, which would have a big [impact] on our amenities,” he said.  

To download the February financial report, visit /documents/20124/118434/OPA%20February%202021%20Financials%20%281%29.pdf/d1a4230d-6389-51fe-e589-b1bd0244a80f.  

To view slides from the meeting, visit /documents/20124/70275/3-20-21%20Meeting%20Power%20Point.pptx/7b50b2ff-98aa-0ec9-1423-382987d59a6c.  

To view a video of the meeting, visit https://youtu.be/mSvbbPvZtYQ.