3/28/2007

Community Center dominates OPA meeting
By Dolores E. Pike

According to Director Dan Stachurski, who chaired the March 21 meeting of the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors in the absence of President Glenn Duffy, there are two questions that are uppermost on the minds of Ocean Pines residents.

The first: how much has been invested in the new Community Center to date.  He replied that this matter is currently being researched but the figure is fast approaching $1 million.

The second: if we have to delay and then decide to build again are there going to be changes in the contract price and will the cost of the building go up?  According to SPN, the company overseeing the building of the Community Center, their escalator calls for four percent per year, calculated for each month the project is on hold.  The board has also been advised by Blades Construction that the steel order has not been placed yet and there may be a price increase later this year that looks to be in the order of one to two percent.

Mr. Stachurski went on to say that the site permit will require some changes in order to relocate the sediment pond with regard to the Worcester County Veterans Memorial. The civil engineer needs to rework the plans and refile with the county.  The building permit process has been in the works for nearly three months and according to SPN there are about 30 days left to complete.  It has been recommended to the board that the process continue in order not to have to pay a reactivation fee.

Now that the design for the new Community Center has reached the point where it can be built, Director Stachurski announced that he is stepping down as "point man."

"Thank you for letting me be point man.  I had a lot of fun, spent a lot of hours, caused a lot of trouble and heartaches and got us partly to where we are and it has been a pleasure," he said.

With the exception of Director Duffy all members of the Board of Directors were present at Wednesday's meeting.  They unanimously passed a motion to hold a public hearing on the upcoming referendum to seek membership approval of the revised cost of a $5.4 million Community Center.  This public hearing will be held on April 14 at 9 a.m. at the Ocean Pines Country Club.  According to Director Bill Zawacki this Saturday date, previously in place for a town meeting, will be a good time for a maximum number of people to attend.

The referendum package will be sent out early in April and will include a cover letter, list of commonly asked questions and answers, voting instruction sheet and a ballot.  The ballots will be due back to the administration's office by Tuesday May 15 at 5 p.m. and the board expects to announce the outcome of the referendum at the start of the OPA monthly meeting of May 16.

Considerable time was spent by board members reviewing the language of the documentation to be included in the package.  Director Tom Sandusky said, "We need to yield to openness right now," and believes the referendum must be an educational effort in all aspects of financing.  He said it needs to address how the OPA will pay for the new center should there not be enough revenue up front and what short falls will be made up with commercial financing.

During the public comments section of the meeting six residents directly commented, pro and con, on the need for a new center.  Resident Mike Graves after stating the referendum "should have been done a long time ago" admonished the board for wastefully spending money in 2005 on advertising.  "Let the people decide on their own," he said. 

Whereas John Abent, pastor of Faith Baptist Church in Berlin, took the board to task when, from what he is hearing, he said, "The objection is not the center but the way the board has handled this.  How are we going to pay for it is really the question.  People are not sure.  Tell us in the referendum how we are going to pay for this." 

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