Back in 2004, a major political issue in Ocean Pines was a proposed new indoor pool the YMCA would build on property adjacent to Ocean Pines. A local developer donated the land. In return, the developer was to gain water and sewer connections for future home construction in what was an area outside Ocean Pines. A referendum was held to decide the entire issue. It passed by around 12 votes after a recount.

The OPA Board of Directors supported the deal, 100%. Directors said the agreement would save OPA members the cost of financing an indoor pool. The final contract included language that OPA would be given the land in question if the YMCA did not have a building permit within five years or so.

What happened? Everyone received what they wanted except OPA. The YMCA never built anything. After five years they did obtain a permit to build a wildlife viewing platform on the property, said that complied with the contract, and rode off into the sunset.... owning the land. The land remains undeveloped. OPA went to court .....and lost. Bad contract language written or approved by OPA was to blame.

Adding insult to injury, years later OPA did build a cover over the Sports Core Pool, sending OPA's aquatic operations into a financial tailspin that has probably cost OPA members $6 million or more in losses.

The above is history. However, reading contemporary discussion from 2004 about the issue on OceanPinesForum.com, is somewhat of an eye-opener, and, to an unsettling degree, a reminder of how wrong OPA boards and OPA board members can be.

In the aftermath of the referendum approval, on June 13, 2004 I wrote, "I suspect most of us will be six feet under long before that YMCA opens."

Past OPA Board member Chris Llinas responded to me on the same day, writing, "You suspect wrong. Go see Phyllis East at the OPA Admin Building and read the agreement. If the YMCA is not built within 5 years of the date of the agreement, the land upon which it would be built, along with all of its outlying field space, will become the property of the OPA outright. That won't happen, however, as the YMCA is right on schedule. We'll be seeing it before you know it."

Llinas also wrote the following, "As well, our Board never negotiated any agreement with Marvin Steen. Dave Ferguson and Joe Moore did, and I can tell you, Dave and Joe are easily a match for Marvin and his lawyer, Harry Groton, in the negotiation realm."

There are thousands of similarly ridiculous comments in the dustbin of OPA's history.

I did have one thing wrong, however. I said most of us will be six feet under before that YMCA opened. A correct statement would be, "all" of us will be six feet under before that YMCA opens.

The entire exchange with Llinas is in a thread started by then board candidate Norm Katz.