Residents given opportunity to voice opinions with survey
Ocean Pines residents have received a survey from the Ocean Pines Association in their mail. The hopes of officials is these surveys can help improve the aesthetics and services of the community.
Ocean Pines Association general manager John Bailey tells us it’s a good time to get a pulse on the community, seeing as they are celebrating their 50th anniversary. The survey will show what residents are interested in adding, or making better.
One of the main purposes of the survey was safety. A long time resident we spoke with suggested lowering speed limits along Ocean Parkway, from 35 MPH to 30. He says it should be considering the community is all residential.
“I was surprised the speed limit is 35 through Ocean Pines. I just think that’s too high. And I think they ought to consider putting up street lights along the main way,” said Ocean Pines resident Bob Bates.
Another issue is the lack of lighting in the Pines. The vast majority of Ocean Pines has no lighting along its streets, including the main artery, Ocean Parkway.
“The issue of lighting is one of they’re either really for it, or really against it,” said Bailey. “Let’s see what the survey comes back with.”
We found folks who were opposite sides of the issue.
“There’s people walking all times at night. Most of them aren’t lighted, they don’t have any lights or reflective gear. And it would just be safer generally you can see where the road stops and starts,” said Bates.
“I don’t think we need street lights. Ocean Pines has its character within itself and it should stay that way,” said Olga Novy, an Ocean Pines resident for 12 years.
Another issue is the appearance of the Pines. By enforcing regulations on homeowners and renters, the hope is it can lead to a rise in property assessments.
“I think everybody should have a defined driveway, and that’s not true in a lot of cases. We need to work on improving the appearance of those properties in the older sections of Ocean Pines,” said Ocean Pines resident Budd Heim.
This is the first survey done by the Ocean Pines Association in years, and officials tell us by having residents fill out the forms, they can better strategically manage its budget.
“We need to figure out a way to fund these new things that a lot of people want, but there’s no actual funding mechanism for it,” said Bailey.
The deadline for Ocean Pines residents to respond is Friday September 7th. These surveys were mailed out to all homeowners in Ocean Pines, some we talked to today say they have already filled their forms out.
The survey can also be found online at the Ocean Pines Association website.
