OCEAN PINES – Discussions on the use of a hybrid meeting format highlighted a recent association board meeting.
Last week, Director Amy Peck presented the use of a hybrid live video format for the board’s consideration.
While in-person board meetings are currently videotaped and placed on the association’s YouTube channel, she argued livestreamed meetings would allow working and part-time homeowners to make public comments and view discussions in real time.
“An important goal for me, as I serve on the board, is to increase community involvement …,” she said. “We still try to have meetings on Saturdays and Wednesday evenings, but using a live hybrid approach would allow people at home to still call in and have remote public input.”
Peck noted that the results of a recent homeowner survey showed that residents wanted more say in the community.
“One of the challenges they wanted us to address is transparency,” she added, “and having live meetings would help with that.”
General Manager John Viola told board members last week association staff were looking at two rooms for a potential hybrid meeting system: the Assateague Room at the Ocean Pines Community Center and the Clubhouse meeting room.
“We used it for the budget process last year and I thought it was great,” he said of the hybrid system. “The question comes up can we do this in a big room like this, so that we can have the video be live.”
Viola said staff recommended working with Mid-South Audio, the company that installed audio equipment in the Administration Building’s board room. He noted that cost estimates for outfitting the Clubhouse room totaled roughly $15,000, while cost estimates for the Assateague Room totaled roughly $30,000.
“The Assateague Room we would need to include a projector and screen,” he said.
Peck said last week that the association was looking to add doors and acoustic panels to the Clubhouse meeting room. To that end, she recommended the space for a potential hybrid system.
“In doing my research I believe that this room is the best room to test it out because the cost isn’t as much,” she said.
Peck added that meetings would continue to be recorded and posted online. The hybrid system, however, would allow the association to hold both virtual and in-person meetings.
“I think we can come up with a friendly system for the community and a cost-efficient way to do this if we concentrate on this room,” she said.
President Larry Perrone said he had concerns about using the Clubhouse room.
“My concern about using this room are the occasions when we do have a large board meeting …,” he said. “If we’re going to go ahead and setting this up, my preference is the Assateague Room.”
He also noted concerns regarding the room’s acoustics.
“In the past, acoustics is why we stopped doing live broadcasts, because they were problematic,” he said.
Director Doug Parks said he supported a hybrid format for board meetings. He also encouraged staff to consider the use of the community channel.
“I’m all for this,” he said. “I think it would be beneficial to have the ability to have a livestream and the ability to interact with membership.”
Officials ultimately agreed more work needed to be done ahead of any board vote.
“We will continue on this,” Viola said. “Obviously, because its $15,000-plus, unless I get it under we would need board approval.”
