Tom Velek has been chosen to lead the Lowndes County Recreation Department as the short-term successor to the late Roger Short.
The board of supervisors on Friday approved hiring Velek as interim recreation director on a 4-1 vote at its last meeting of 2022, with District 5 Supervisor Leroy Brooks voting no.
County Administrator Jay Fisher told the board he had interviewed three candidates, but he felt Velek was the best choice.
“(Velek) is very familiar with our recreation program and is experienced in the field,” he said during Friday’s meeting at the courthouse.
“He has a lot of local knowledge, has a record working with (Short) and a lot of experience in the overall recreation space.”
Short passed away suddenly in October. He had been recreation director since 2017, the first person to hold the post.
Velek will be paid $3,000 a month and will serve through the end of the current fiscal year, Fisher said. Like Short, he is a part-time employee.
Velek, who has been a history professor at Mississippi University for Women since 1997, also is the director of coaching at the Columbus Soccer Organization. He has been heavily involved in local recreation, especially soccer, for years, including working with the now defunct Columbus-Lowndes Recreation Authority prior to the city and county splitting into separate programs.
Velek said he was inspired by Short himself.
“It was a real shot when (Short) passed away,” Velek told The Dispatch after the meeting. “He and I were friends, and we worked together for years, and it’s almost like he prepared me to do it.
“I admire how he found joy in creating recreation opportunities for others,” he added. “He was very altruistic, and the joy he found helping others inspired me.”
Brooks said his no vote wasn’t about Velek.
“I’ve just got concerns about recreation altogether, comprehensively,” Brooks told The Dispatch Friday afternoon. “It’s not anything against him personally.”
Brooks has historically voted against motions pertaining to the new county sports complex — a multi-million facility under construction off Highway 82 west of Columbus — due to his disagreements about the direction of the recreation program overall, especially the lack of alternatives to baseball and softball. He also has historically opposed the split between county and city recreation, preferring the two entities find a way to work together rather than compete with each other.
Velek said he wants to look at adult recreation, as well as children’s recreation.
“Recreation is not age specific and it shouldn’t be ability specific or geographically specific,” he said. “We need to expand what we consider recreation. It’s not just offering T-ball and soccer. It’s offering opportunities and facilities for people to recreate on their own.”
The soccer complex located near downtown Columbus is a great example of this, he said.
“You can go down there any day of the week and there are people at the dog park,” he said. “The playground is covered over, people are walking, people fly drones out there. None of that is organized, none of it is a program, nobody pays a registration fee for that. The community uses it in their own way, and that’s an important part of recreation.”
District 4 Supervisor Jeff Smith said he wants to start now planning for the long-term future of the sportsplex and of the recreation director’s position itself. Fisher said he thinks the logical next step is to look outside the county.
“I want us to consult with outside experts on what the job description for the permanent director needs to look like,” Fisher said. “There are a lot of unknowns about the complex and how it needs to be staffed, and all of those questions need to be asked.”
Brooks said he wants to see the “full picture” of Lowndes County recreation.
“I don’t think we can put a job description together until we understand what we want to do with recreation,” he said. “… It’s a big-ticket item; it’s going to cost money. We can’t not take care of it, and we’ve still got community centers in these outlying communities. Are they just going to stay where they are?
“I just don’t see where this community is going to be able to afford two recreation programs,” he added.
Brian Jones is the local government reporter for Columbus and Lowndes County.
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