Park district looking to find new executive director

Amid financial difficulties and resignations, executive board members of the Carbondale Park District met Saturday morning to discuss filling the district's vacant executive director position, during which time the board narrowed the candidate field from seven to four.

Board members said narrowing the field was not an easy task because each of the seven candidates was highly qualified for the position. Vice President Harvey Welch said choosing among the four would be even harder.

The executive director position was left vacant in June when former Executive Director Richard Grant stepped down, opting to act as a consultant for the park district until his retirement in November. Grant had served as executive director of the park district since 1998. Park District Treasurer Mike Heck said the board is looking for someone who is focused on finances and able to lead the district financially to fill the position of executive director, a task he said he thinks the board is handling well.

"We are moving in the right direction in terms of going after a new director, one that would be better suited for the district, one that's going to help the district in moving it forward in the upcoming years," Heck said. Grant said his decision to step down early was a result of dissent among the board on how to operate the park district and remedy the district's financial crisis. The park district faces a $260,000 deficit, which has sparked plans to sell 40 to 60 acres of the districts land. Grant, who attributes the district's deficit to the Hickory Ridge Golf Course, said too much money is going into the golf course and not enough money is coming out. Grant said the park district is under such a financial strain he does not know how it will make payroll.

"We did not agree on how the park district should be operated," Grant said. "They wanted to spend money in order to make money, and that didn't fit my style of management." However, Heck, who said the deficit has decreased significantly between $400,000 and $600,000 since he became treasurer, attributes inadequate leadership to the district's financial crisis.

"We have not had the proper leadership, especially from a fiscal management perspective," Heck said. "We have not had the right type of individuals, both on the board and the director to some extent. That's why we're looking for somebody who could fill those shoes." Heck said by selling the land, which is unused, the district could immediately pay its entire deficit as opposed to paying it off over several years.

Heck said plans to sell the land did not move forward this year because the park district did not have a legal definition of the land and would not be able to obtain one by April when the referendum was due. He said the issue has been tabled for 2006. Since Grant's resignation in June, a second board member and several park district staff members have also resigned from their positions.

Carbondale Park District Recreation Superintendent Eden Thorne, who was unavailable for comment, abruptly resigned from her position during the board's Feb. 17 meeting.

Park district staff member Jeff Ratajczak was named interim superintendent in Thorne's place but also resigned from the position shortly thereafter. As recreation superintendent, Thorne oversaw the district's two child-care programs, LiFE Center and aquatics program. The position is still vacant.

The names of the four candidates for the executive director position have not yet been released, but board members said they hope to complete interviews within the next four weeks. The board said it plans to have the two positions filled by its April meeting. Heck said he wants the public to know the board is working hard to bring its situation under control.

"I think it's important to let the public know that the district, even though we've gone through some hard times in the last couple of years, has been moving very much forward with respect to our finances, with respect to revenue generation and with respect to going after new leadership," Heck said.