Operating on all cylinders

A message from General Manager John Viola

The following appeared in the fall 2021 issue of the Ocean Pines Quarterly Report:
 
As the summer recently came to a close, Labor Day weekend was a big success for us all in Ocean Pines. We saw record crowds at our Yacht Club and Beach Club, and busy amenities across the board, including the Marina, Golf, Aquatics, and Racquet Sports. Our Recreation and Parks Department enjoyed a great season, with many full camps for children and fun activities held for people of all ages. For all of us in the community, it was a much-needed return to normal after the pandemic halted many of our activities a year ago.

Aquatics and Racquet Sports are both favorable to budget, thanks to organic growth on the revenue side and cost savings on expenses. Credit to Kathleen Cook and her team at Aquatics for producing, even while facing issues with staffing that were seen all across Worcester County. At Racquet Sports, several big tournaments are scheduled this fall. Terry Underkoffler and Tim McMullen have successfully grown our lesson program across multiple sports at the center, and they continue to demonstrate their strong customer service skills.

Golf Course maintenance efforts have been successful, and the course is in possibly the best shape in a decade, thanks to Course Superintendent Justin Hartshorne and his team there. Justin has put his education and experience to good use, and the results are easy to see. The reviews have been great, and people continue coming out to play our course.
Public Works is helping to oversee bulkhead replacement, now in the third year of a four-year plan to address those areas most in need of repairs. In this next phase, we will replace bulkheads with contractor Fisher Marine, who continues to be a strong partner for us. Fisher will also install our new T-docks for the Marina, which will be ready for next Memorial Day weekend.

Debbie Donahue, with assistance from Public Works, is overseeing beautification efforts that includes the North Gate, Wood Duck I and II, and the White Horse Park campus. Teal Bay and Bay Colony are next on our schedule, as we focus on landscaping and beautification efforts all around the Pines.

A partnership with the Ocean Pines Volunteer Fire Department and Worcester County is helping to maintain fire hydrants in the community that were difficult to find in case of an emergency. As of mid-September, that effort has helped clear 96 of the 176 hydrants that we have identified as issues.

The Finance team and Linda Martin from CPI are working on the DMA reserve study. A final draft of the reserve study will be reviewed by the Budget and Finance Committee and then presented to the Board in October.

Linda continues to work with Julie Malinowski from the Marketing and Public Relations Department on our customer service initiative, using the [email protected] email to answer questions in a timely and professional manner. The Public Relations Department is also helping with the community survey that was developed by the Comprehensive Planning Committee, and is now available.

Ocean Pines remains one of the safest communities in the state, thanks to the hard work and dedication of our Police Department and the fine leadership of Chief Leo Ehrisman. We are all grateful for their efforts.

Overall, the team continues to operate on all cylinders, with our latest financial results for August, showing a $1.1 million positive variance to budget at this time. We hope to keep up that success throughout the fall, as we move into budgeting season.