Pines Board Votes To Move Ahead With Capital Projects

BERLIN – After some minor changes, the new members of the Ocean Pines Association’s board of directors agreed to move quickly ahead with several capital projects.

In a special meeting Sept. 9, the board — which now includes four new members — voted to move ahead with plans for new bathrooms at White Horse Park, changes to Manklin Meadows and moving a field at Huntington Park.

At Manklin Meadows, Pines officials have planned for some time to repurpose some of the tennis courts to allow for pickleball. They also had plans to move the existing playground and replace its vertical components, which are in poor condition, with new composite materials. The association has already purchased the new materials for the structure.

On Friday, board member Brett Hill, who is also serving as the association’s interim general manager, recommended leaving the playground where it is and simply installing the new composite parts.

“I’m asking not to move it and leave it where it is,” he said.

Hill said that by not moving it, the association wouldn’t have to pay the $150,000 in stormwater mitigation costs associated with relocating it. He also suggested that rather than having the public works department install the new parts, the association explore hiring a professional playground company. Hill said it would take four Pines employees between two and three months to do the work.

“We’re going into the time of year where we’re going to begin leaf cleanup and drainage ditch maintenance,” Hill said. “The staff is already fairly well tasked going into fall. We have a very strained department.”

Board member Slobodan Trendic pointed out that the public works crew didn’t have experience replacing playgrounds.

“By getting competitive bids from a third party company that’s experienced in playgrounds they’re up to speed in current safety issues and standards,” he said. “They’re familiar with what the country regulations are which we are not in house.”

The board agreed both to leave the playground where it was and to seek bids for the installation of the new components.

In north Ocean Pines, Hill said the association’s recreation and parks department had recommended converting a field at Huntington Park from a softball diamond to a field that could be used for soccer and lacrosse. He said the department’s soccer and lacrosse programs currently didn’t have enough fields to use, as both programs had grown substantially in recent years.

The board approved converting the field and also agreed to move a playground at the park. While the field conversion is expected to cost $29,000, officials agreed to again seek bids from professionals on the playground installation.

The board voted unanimously to move ahead with the replacement of the bathrooms in White Horse Park. The project is expected to cost $130,000, less than the $145,000 budgeted for the work.

About The Author: Charlene Sharpe

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Charlene Sharpe has been with The Dispatch since 2014. A graduate of Stephen Decatur High School and the University of Richmond, she spent seven years with the Delmarva Media Group before joining the team at The Dispatch.