BERLIN – Questions remain following a proposal from Ocean Pines Association management for the installation of new bathrooms at White Horse Park.
Members of the Ocean Pines Association (OPA) board of directors opted to postpone a decision on the construction of new bathrooms at White Horse Park. Board member Dave Stevens was particularly concerned with the $98,000 proposal presented by General Manager Bob Thompson.
“It’s not that I’m against the White Horse Park bathroom. It’s that I’m against talking about something without having an accurate idea of what we’re talking about,” Stevens said.
During the general manager’s report at Thursday’s regular meeting, Thompson presented bids he received the day before for the construction of new bathrooms for the park. The bathrooms, he said, would be constructed near the pavilion and would serve as replacements for the aging restrooms located behind the craft shop.
After reviewing the bids, Thompson recommended Beach Construction, which, including a 15 percent contingency to cover the cost of connecting to water and sewer and electric, would cost just under $100,000. He pointed out that $145,000 had been set aside in the current year’s budget for the project.
In response to a question from board member Cheryl Jacobs, Thompson explained the bathroom would include three toilets for women and two toilets and one urinal for men. He said it would be configured in such a way that it would include some extra storage space, eliminating the need for OPA to install another small storage shed on the property.
Stevens said he was aware that the project had been included in the budget but said it hadn’t yet been discussed in detail. He said he had no idea what would happen to the existing bathrooms (behind the craft shop) when the new ones were built.
“You are presenting a budgeted item,” he said. “In the normal course of events, budgeted items are discussed in some detail. This never was. You’re showing us slides that were just developed last night.”
Thompson said a decision regarding what to do with the current bathrooms hadn’t yet been made.
Stevens was not ready to consider approving the project. Thompson said the board was welcome to table the matter to investigate it further.
“That does not take away the fact that this is an unacceptable way of presenting this to the board,” Stevens said. “This is being slipped in under the wire.”