BERLIN – Renovations at the Ocean Pines Country Club appear to be back on track following a decision by the Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors last week.
Last Friday, the board voted to spend up to $40,000 for amended architectural drawings of changes proposed for the second floor of the country club. While renovations at the facility started last year, they were halted abruptly.
Cheryl Jacobs, vice president of the board, made the motion to approve the expenditure, citing the need to have the building usable as soon as possible.
“The reason that I asked for this motion is because I feel very passionate that we have to move forward and get the second floor completed,” Jacobs said.
She said management had recommended hiring Davis Bowen & Friedel Inc. to handle new drawings and that she was hopeful that renovations could be complete prior to the association’s 50th anniversary golf tournament June 30.
“After careful consideration of the needs and functionality of the country club, current management has developed a redesign of the layout for the second floor that required amending the prior drawings,” she said.
Davis Bowen & Friedel’s Chris Cullen told the board the new plan for the second floor included breaking the expansive space up into several areas. He said there would be a large meeting room as well as two smaller meeting rooms whose size could be adjusted by movable partitions. There would also be a bar and seating area. Cullen said the existing deck would be raised so that its floor was at the same level of the interior floor.
General Manager John Bailey said that the plan included eliminating some of the large columns on the second floor of the country club to create more floor space. He said the proposed renovations would not address the facility’s kitchen, which he expected to be part of a future phase of improvements.
Bailey expected the country club to be a suitable site for buffet style dinners but that the yacht club would be the place for extensive plated meals.
“If the group wants a plated sit-down dinner or lunch, it’s yacht club,” he said.
Board member Tom Herrick asked why the association was pursuing additional drawings when some had been completed last year. Board member Ted Moroney agreed.
“It’s something to investigate,” he said.
Bailey said he would find out what he could and send any pertinent information to Davis Bowen & Friedel. The firm is expected to complete the drawings within six weeks. The association will then issue a request for proposals to find a company to handle construction.
