City of Prince Rupert on the search for a Recreation Coordinator

It would seem that it's just not while taking in the home games of the Prince Rupert Rampage that we will need a program for when we drop into the Civic Centre.

With word of another search for employees for the recreation complex on McBride Street, just keeping track of the staff members requires a bit of research.

Last week, the City posted an advertisement for help to their website, seeking resumes for the position of Recreation Coordinator, a position last held by Rudy Kelly who left the City's employ back in February.

The departure of Mr. Kelly seemed to bring upon seasons of change for the Recreation Department, timed around the arrival of a Recreation Consultant in January, Mr. Brent Meunier who began his work with the City at that time taking on the title of Recreation Specialist.

Through the spring and summer the City added a Recreation Commission to the mix and then launched the quest for a Recreation Director,  a search which brought us the September announcement of the hiring of Ms. Willa Thorpe to the position.

Now, the City will look to add to the Recreation Department personnel listings with the latest job opportunity announcement, something which would seem to be designed to provide additional resources for Ms. Thorpe.

You can review the background on the job and the requirements to apply for it here.

The deadline for applications is October 17th.

One location where the City might receive some interest from, is that of Prince George, that City's Administration recently eliminated eleven positions from the inventory of city workers in that community, many of them from recreation.

Those layoffs marked the second major round of staff reductions in the Central Interior city in the last year.

With all of the change in Recreation Department over the last year and the addition of a Recreation Commission to go with that change, Council might wish to take some time to bring the public up to speed on how our Recreation Department has evolved since the start of the year.

Back in January, the City issued this press release outlining the nature of Mr. Meunier's terms of employment and what results they anticipated from his work.

The last line highlights the focus on the Recreation Centre and Commission and the need for improved communications.

The need for better communication from many City Departments is something that the City should strive for.

Considering the events surrounding the Recreation Department over the last year, Council might wish to revisit that theme and take some time to bring the public up to speed on where they are  at when it comes to Recreation and where they are going.