As originally planned, this would be the year the last of the original members of the Caledonia Park Commission served in overseeing the town’s parks and recreation department.
Established by the Caledonia Board of Aldermen in September 2017, the Park Commission was made up of seven members, ultimately serving five-year terms. The initial commission appointed members to staggered terms ranging from one to five years so that the entire commission would not have to be replaced at once.
It has not worked out that way, however.
Earlier this month, the board of aldermen amended the ordinance creating the Park Commission to reduce the term from five to two years.
“Most people left before those five years,” said Mayor Betty Darnell. “It was just too long a commitment and we think it may have discouraged people from applying. That’s a pretty long time commitment. There were times when we didn’t have any applicants, but most recently we did have four or five because they knew we were going to change the term.”
In 2018, the aldermen amended the ordinance reducing the number of commissioners from seven to five.
“I think, as we have gone along, we’ve been adjusting (the ordinance) to make the commission more effective,” said Darnell, who was elected mayor in June.
The Park Commission operates the city’s lone park — Ola J. Pickett Park — as well as its parks programs, including baseball, softball and, most recently, an expanded soccer program at its new lighted soccer facility located at the south end of the park.
Ultimately, Darnell said, the biggest issue facing the town’s parks department is finding — and keeping — a director.
Aside from Mike Savage, who served as parks director for 15 years in the late 1990s/early 2000s, the position has been a revolving door. The town is now looking for its fourth parks director since the Park Commission was formed.
“We had an interim director through the summer, but we’re looking to fill that on a permanent basis now,” Darnell said. “The commission can only do so much. We need to have somebody who is running the department on a daily basis.”
Park Commission attorney Corky Smith said the process for hiring a new director is ongoing.
“We’ve had some applications and some interviews were done in August,” he said. “Hopefully, we’re getting pretty close.”
Darnell said operating an independent parks and recreation department is a challenge for a town the size of Caledonia.
“We’re a town of 1,100 people,” Darnell said. “The truth is, a town our size can’t afford to pay a director what other cities are paying. It’s very low, compared to what other cities are paying. What we need is someone who is committed to the town, not looking for the next step up. It’s a challenge.”
The pay rate is not set by the ordinance, Smith said.
“It varies, depending on a lot of factors,” Smith said.
The pay rate has ranged from $12,000 to $18,000 to $25,000 depending on whether the city hired an assistant director as well as a director.
“Whoever does this, it’s not for the money,” Darnell said. “It has to be somebody whose main interest is the success of our parks and its programs. It would probably be an ideal job for somebody in the community who maybe has retired and sees the job as a way to give back to the community. That’s the kind of person we are looking for.”
Smith said the park department is coming off a good year.
“The budget looks good,” he said. “We were in the black for the year, so that’s a very positive sign.”
The town’s budget includes $158,750 for the Park Commission, an autonomous body that runs the town’s parks, facilities and programs. The Lowndes County Board of Supervisors has also designated up to $50,000 per year to Caledonia parks through the county’s restaurant tax.
“That money is strictly for capital improvements, though,” Smith said. “The way it works is that if there’s a capital improvement the Park Commision wants to make, they pay for the project and are reimbursed the county up to $50,000. It’s not money that can be used for salaries or anything outside of capital improvements.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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