OCEAN PINES – Concerns over safety, cost and environmental impacts highlighted a town hall meeting this week to discuss a new disc golf course at Bainbridge Park in Ocean Pines.
In a hybrid town hall meeting held Monday, General Manager John Viola, Recreation and Parks Director Debbie Donahue and Eastbound Disc Golf representative Brian Dean came before community members to hear arguments for and against a disc golf course at Bainbridge Park.
While Viola said Eastbound Disc Golf – a local nonprofit – had installed the course on a trial basis, with no upfront cost to the Ocean Pines Association, nearby residents said they had not been informed of the course until after it was established.
“This was not brought to a group within the community,” said resident Mark Jacobs, “and I don’t think that was fair.”
Jacobs told officials this week the association had plans to install a handicap-accessible playground, but that the work had yet to be completed. He also questioned if the disc golf course had any impacts on the surrounding wetlands.
“To me there looks to be some environmental impact,” he said.
Dean said plans for a course at Bainbridge Park was first presented to Donahue earlier this year. Following a walkthrough with Donahue and public works officials, a 10-hole course was installed.
“Having received the go ahead from them, we went with our first installation, which was the baskets you all see now,” he said.
Donahue noted there were still plans to install an accessible playground at the park, but that the course was simply an added amenity. She said claims that she made the decision on her own to install the course were not true.
“I had a conversation with Brian and the general manager, and we thought it was a great idea to try and see how it would go,” she said. “It’s temporary, same as it is in Berlin and in other places. We have the opportunity to keep it if we so choose to. But if not, it can all be removed.”
Last year, the Berlin Town Council approved a nine-hole disc golf course at Stephen Decatur Park. The pilot program, introduced by Eastbound Dis Golf, will allow equipment to remain in the park through September 2022.
While he acknowledged he had explored other parks in the community, Dean said Bainbridge offered the best layout for a course. He added that he had also walked the park with local conservation consultant and former Maryland Coastal Bays Program executive director Dave Wilson.
“I walked the course with him and his conclusion at that time was there was zero to no impact on the surrounding wetlands,” he said.
One resident said he was most concerned about transparency.
“I understand that many of these things need to be approved by the board, and when I asked that question, the board they also didn’t know anything about it,” he said.
Viola told association members this week had had reached out to board representatives regarding the course.
“Because it is a trial basis, I spoke to the board representatives about it,” he said. “We looked at it … and we didn’t have to have board approval for something like this because it wasn’t going to cost us anything.”
Resident Joe Reynolds, however, said residents near Bainbridge Park should have been informed.
“We have an HOA, and all of this stuff is owned by all of us,” he said. “But I’m a great believer when you are going to do something that’s going to impact an area, the greatest consideration should be given to the people in the immediate area.”
Reynolds argued the board should’ve considered the matter.
“I don’t think this is an operational issue … we’re talking about a new amenity that obviously has some controversy in this community …,” he said. “To me, this is a matter of policy. What is our policy about establishing a new amenity?”
A majority of the concerns voiced this week centered on the safety aspects of having a disc golf course in an area where people walk and children play.
“Nobody here is against disc golf,” one resident said. “It’s just the wrong location.”
Resident Art Berman agreed.
“Why should I have to be looking out for a disc when I’m walking my dog, or when my grandchild is out there?” he said.
Resident Noah McAleer, however, said he supported the disc golf course, as it gave his children an opportunity to partake in a free amenity.
“I can see the park from my backyard,” he said. “It’s not like White Horse Park where there are 50 kids on a playground at a time. It’s not a crowded park … It’s not like you are walking in a war zone, with discs flying at every turn.”
Resident Matthew Laick said he also supported the amenity.
“It’s expensive to go to the pool, it’s expensive to go to the golf course. This is something where we don’t have to pay to go out …,” he said. “This park is a community park, it is not the Bainbridge Association’s park.”
When asked if establishing a permanent course at Bainbridge would cost the association, Donahue said it wouldn’t. She noted the community would seek business sponsorships and funding.
“If we get the sponsorships, the funding and we decide that it’s going to stay, we would purchase our own baskets …,” she replied. “It wouldn’t be [Brian’s] responsibility anymore.”
Following comments from several residents, Jacobs urged the association to build consensus on the disc golf course before any decisions are made.
“The hard work is building consensus,” he said, “and I think we need to come together before we move forward and build out this thing.”
