Town hires Parks & Recreation director
The Town of Fort Myers Beach has made a decision on who will run the local government’s newly formed Parks & Recreation Department.
Patricia (Patti) Ann Evans will begin work as the Parks & Recreational Director on Dec. 19, according to Town Manager Terry Stewart who informed the Town Council of the new hire Monday morning at the regularly scheduled Council meeting.
Evans graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Recreation. On her resume, she stated her objective was to seek “the opportunity to work in an administrative capacity in a forward-thinking organization with similarly-minded professionals,” while having “the freedom and opportunity to express the mission of the organization” and “to facilitate cooperation with public, private and governmental entities.”
“We have retained a well-experienced Parks & Recreation director,” said Stewart. “We went through the full process. We had more than 60 applications from as far away as Alaska and California.”
Stewart said Town officials then narrowed their choices to 14 applicants and conducted telephone interviews with them before selecting five final candidates. The five were interviewed via skype, a video conferencing arrangement.
The Town manager stated Beach residents Barbara Anderson Hill of the Cultural and Environmental Learning Center Advisory Board and Tom Mizwa of Bay Oaks Recreational Campus Advisory Board aided in the interviews.
“I was very fortunate to have them sit in on the interviews with me and offered me their insights, thoughts and suggestions,” said Stewart.
Before accepting the Beach job, Evans was the community services director in Fort Morgan, Colo. since April 2010. She had previously been a career counselor in Phoenix, Ariz. and a community services director in Goodyear, Ariz.
Evans has experience in the parks & recreations department as director in Deltona, Fla. from Nov. 2006 to July 2008 and Prescott Valley, Ariz. from May 2003 to Oct. 2006. Both departments operated with a municipal park and recreation budget of just under $3 million.
Evans is currently a member of the National Recreation and Park Association, Colorado Parks and Recreation Association, Florida Parks and Recreation Association and Society for Human Resource Management.
“I told her to be ready to hit the ground running,” said Stewart. “She’s very anxious to be here, and we are very happy to have her on board.”
The Town is still seeking a recreational manager who will serve in a mid-level management position. The positions became available once Town officials decided on combining parks & recreation with the cultural resources department.
Evans will be responsible for Bay Oaks Recreational Campus, Mound House and Newton Park. At the Council meeting, Bay Oaks was noted as consuming 20 percent of the Town’s total annual budget.