4/25/2007

This is the fourth and final installment of opposing views on construction of the new Ocean Pines Association community center:

Against:

Time to mend our fences
By Marty Clarke

I would like to take this opportunity to thank The Courier newspaper for allowing the opportunity for this debate by both sides of the new Community Center issue. Hopefully all of the membership has voted for, or against the referendum by now. If you haven't, there is still time. I would guess that a majority of our membership has marked their ballot and dropped it in a mailbox, so this dividing issue is probably one for Bud Rogner's history book.
I would also like to thank and commend our new General Manager Tom Olson for his participation in this four week exercise. He has been a worthy adversary in this debate. I can only hope that Mr. Olson will continue to be open and informative to the entire Ocean Pines Association (OPA) membership, especially the majority that does not live here.

New Community Center or not, we need to move forward as good neighbors and friends.  There is an election for four OPA directors, a majority, coming up this summer. I would hope that the membership will consider the importance of this election.  Will we appoint four more members who do not believe that the rules apply to them?  Will we elect four new directors who will not allow our manager to use our own OPA publication to actually inform, good news and bad, the majority of our membership?

New Community Center or not, we need to move forward as good neighbors and friends with a firm commitment to correct the long deferred maintenance of some of our finest amenities.  The Swim and Racquet Club and its surrounding park are in disgraceful condition; our Beach Club, Country Club, and existing Community Hall all need immediate attention to be restored to their once beautiful condition which was the envy of the entire Eastern Shore.

New Community Center or not, we need to address our drainage problems. As we reach build-out there are less and less pervious surfaces available, and more and more water runoff. There is a major issue with regard to our obligations to the Internal Revenue Service.  Should the new Community Center pass, there is the issue of how we will pay for it. I think we can all agree that the 19 building lots should be sold regardless of the referendum outcome.

New Community Center or not, we need to move forward as good neighbors and friends in this Easter season and in the best interest of Ocean Pines.

"Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, or with leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" 1 Corinthian 5 – 8

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For:

It’s not business, it’s personal
By Tom Olson
Ocean Pines Association General Manager

This will be the last opportunity that I have to discuss with you the community center project and my vision for Ocean Pines. In the last three installments of this commentary we've discussed why the Community Center is needed, what it would cost if we were to break the contracts and how the Association intends to pay for a project with a price tag of $5.4 million.

My wife and I will be voting to approve the referendum, supporting the effort to improve Ocean Pines facilities and the quality of life experienced by its members.  Is our support given out of blind loyalty?  No.  Our support is selfish. Much of our life's savings has gone into purchasing a home in the Ocean Pines community. The investment represents many years of toil and sweat and the appreciation of the property is critical to our future.  

So why should we care whether or not a new community center is built?  Just for a minute close your eyes and picture the Ocean Pines Town Center Complex that includes a Federal Post Office, the Worcester County Library, the Worcester County Veterans Memorial, the Sports Core Pool enclosure and the new Ocean Pines Community Center. The image projected is one of stability and vision that has planned for today's needs and tomorrow's demands. Now close your eyes and picture the current Ocean Pines Community Hall. You will see a decaying structure weathered and worn by 35 years of loyal service to the community. It fails to meet a minimum space required for a population of the size of our community. Although the structure should be preserved, its role as a community hall has passed its time.

I ask myself what community would I want to live in; the community framed by a town center of rock solid buildings or a community weathered and worn with the passing of time?  We are convinced that the image of a well planned, well constructed town center that includes a new community center is the one we want to live in and the one new buyers who help build property value will want as well.

Can it be built cheaper, faster, better? Can it be built by people with greater skills in construction, creatively financed, with new designs, or sometime in the future? Can it be delayed and will the delay be productive in the end? The answer is maybe, and then again the answer may be not. The real question is whether this initiative is good for Ocean Pines.

Let's take a look at some other "controversial" initiatives from the past. I think it is important to take a brief look at Ocean Pines history over the last 15-20 years. Does anyone remember the controversy over purchasing the land at the Sports Core Complex? How about the opposition to the construction of the Post Office or the Library? Is there anyone out there who does not firmly believe that these have been great and wonderful things for the Ocean Pines community? Were they popular? Will failure of this referendum delay this project indefinitely? I bring these up because it is important to put into perspective the fact that the views of Ocean Pines residents are diverse and passionate.  Leadership was required then and leadership is required now.

The local press are all too eager to bring passionate views to headlines. The more controversial, the more dramatic the story, the greater the readership. The image of the community as being divided and the reported controversy disturbs me greatly. This community is full of so many of the finest people on the Eastern Shore and they deserve better than the negative image bestowed on them.  It's an unfair image, one that hurts property values and creates community tensions that are unnecessary and unproductive. It trickles into the staff causing morale problems and distractions from truly important work.  It affects our ability to recruit high quality employees and affects the overall operations. It erodes community confidence and negatively impacts property values. This (property values) brings me back to where I started; it's time to put controversy behind us and come together as a community.

Property values in this community are affected by many different things. First and foremost is a safe and secure environment. I'm pleased to tell you that, we enjoy this privilege as a community. Another important factor is the quality of life that the community offers. Attractive modern facilities offering a variety of programs that meet community needs are the cornerstone of a quality of life unmatched on the Eastern Shore. Finally, property values are supported by a harmonious environment and community spirit where neighbors are helping neighbors, a community supports its leaders and they work together as a team to keep the community strong and growing. Without these ingredients, property values cannot be sustained or grow, eventually they will fall. When real estate gets cheap, the quality of your community will deteriorate. That's why it is important that we work as a community to improve each and every one of our facilities restoring them to their former glory and making sure that they meet today's needs and tomorrow’s demands.

I hope you will join me in being selfish by approving the referendum question and taking another step in increasing our property values and making a great community better. Thank you for allowing me the privilege of sharing my thoughts with you on this most important project.

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