OCEAN PINES—The Ocean Pines Association Board of Directors re-elected Tom Terry as president during its Aug. 20 organizational meeting, the first official gathering of the group since the Aug. 12 elections. Sharyn O’Hare was elected vice president, Terri Mohr was elected secretary and newly-elected director Bill Cordwell was elected treasurer, during the meeting.

The nominees for the vice president and secretary were elected by acclamation, but Terry and Cordwell were elected to the president and treasurer positions by secret ballot after Jack Collins nominated himself for the posts.

The board approved Terry’s nomination of OPA General Manager Bob Thompson for one of two assistant treasurer positions and Director Dan Stachurski nominated Pete Gomsak for the other. Terry’s nomination of Dan Stachurski for parliamentarian took a humorous turn when it was approved by all members of the board sans one—Dan Stachurski. The major vote prevailed.

Director Marty Clarke expressed reservations about Stachurski’s nomination of the local law firm Williams, Moore, Shockley and Harrison, represent by partner Joseph Moore, and the Salisbury auditing firm Trice, Geary and Myers Group, L.L.C., which would be represented by Chris Hall. He cautioned that the board should solicit bids from the open market for both its legal and accounting representation, although he said of OPA legal counsel Moore, “I don’t know anyone who could do it better.”

But Clarke called it “silly” for the board to use the same auditing firm for nearly 19 years and voted to oppose that nomination.

The meeting began with Moore’s administering the oath of office to Collins, Cordwell and Terry. Moore then proceeded to brief the board on the legal documents from which they will govern. He described the legal authority and purpose of the Maryland Homeowner’s Association Act (Real Property Article Title 11B of the Annotated Code of Maryland), the Charter of the Corporation, its restatement and most recent amendment; the Ocean Pines Association By-laws; the Ocean Pines Declaration of Restrictions; and the Architectural Review Committee Guidelines.

Stachurski questioned Moore on the formal turnover agreement between the OPA and the Point, a private residential community in an undeveloped section of Ocean Pines. Moore said the OPA was trying to complete the final act that would include the conveyance to the title to the streets. The OPA Declaration of restriction was a legally binding obligation to the homeowners of the Point, but the legal titles to the open spaces and streets were not under the OPA’s jurisdiction. “I have been trying to get that accomplished for several years,” he said.

Moore also said the lender had recently filed to foreclose a developed area that was intended to be the clubhouse in Phase 4 of the Point, which the OPA apparently has no interest in owning the facility, which would have been restricted to use by members of the Point.

In response to a question from Clarke, Moore said the most recent legal guideline were the Architectural Review Committee Guidelines as amended in 2006.

Terry proposed adding non-voting work sessions to the board’s meeting’s agenda, as a way to shorten board meetings, which he said can currently last four to five hours, while giving directors an opportunity to be brought up to speed on issues in advance of board votes. The work sessions would be open to the public, held two weeks prior to board meetings and at 4 p.m. rather than 3 p.m., he said.

Former board candidate Roland Langevin addressed the group during the comment period and asked for a show of hands from directors who had recently voted in favor of a salary bonus for a staff member that had been reported in the press. When advised that the information was from a meeting of the executive session he complained that the bonus was unwarranted.

Lnagevin also suggested that board members who had accepted complimentary memberships to OP amenities were in a potential conflict of interest if called on to vote on those amenities.

The next board meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 28 and will include announcing the winner of the naming the Yacht Club competition. Thompson said he was in the process of trying to schedule a training session for board members in mid September. Cordwell suggested the training include information on the OPA’s advisory committee, which he said would be especially helpful for the new directors who would be appointed as committee liaisons.