You probably missed this on the melting season thread
http://forum.arctic-sea-ice.net/index.php/topic,1493.msg84359.html#msg84359, these images show how the stem of the buoy can be freed of ice by increased melting near the buoy. This could be due to stronger absorption of sunlight by the buoy.
A gap around the buoy (is this what you mean by open water pond?) regardless of size means that the water surface in the pond is at the same level as the surrounding sea water. There was no large drop in water level when the gap opened (I take the dropping of the buoy as its first appeareance) so this indicates that the ice surface is not far above the sea level. That low freeboard in turn shows that the ice is not very thick.
As I have pointed out earlier ice thickness at installation was only 45cm
http://imb.erdc.dren.mil/2015H.htm Unfortunately 2015H soon was damaged by the shearing of the floe seen in the video so we do not have information on how much thickness grew over winter. IMBs 2015F, I and J had growth between 90 and 60cm.
Of course the ice surface is not flat, the place where the meltpool has formed is a low point so we can't actually derive ice thickness from these observations with any precision other than it confirms the ballpark of numbers quoted above. Some bottom melt will have taken place, more will be happening over the next month. I still think melt out is a possibility, but not a guaranteed event. But then there is little point in claiming to know in advance what we will see in mid September unless your main interest is who said what first