Amanda Gutierrez will have some extra responsibilities on her plate for at least the next month following the Emporia Recreation Commission’s recent meeting Monday evening.
As part of their meeting agenda commission members voted unanimously to appoint Gutierrez, the Assistant Director of Rec Operations, as the interim Executive Director of Rec Operations until further notice. Gutierrez says it is an honor to be taking the reigns for the time being crediting the tutelage and mentorship of longtime and retiring director Tom McEvoy for preparing her for the position.
She also says her main focus, and the focus of staff, will not be changing in the coming weeks emphasizing their mission and desire to grow programming and continue serving the recreational needs of the community.
As for if she plans to “throw her hat in the ring” for the permanent director role, Gutierrez stated she only wants what’s best for the rec center.
Speaking of a permanent director, ERC members chose to move forward with a search for that position after it was put on pause for a short time with members awaiting the results of the March 4 vote on a funding mechanism for the proposed new rec facility at Champions Landing.
With that endeavor being put on pause earlier this month, members chose Monday to move forward with launching the search by posting the official job description effective January 1, 2025. The description will be available on both the Kansas and National Recreation and Parks websites with ERC Chair Jeremy Dorsey noting they want to cast a wide net and bring in a large pool of potential candidates.
This followed separate, yet related action, by members to amend the separation agreement with retiring executive director Tom McEvoy pushing up his retirement date to December 21 rather than January 1 as originally announced. Dorsey says this was a mutual decision between the ERC and McEvoy and also thanked McEvoy for his nearly 40 years of service to the community.
In other business, ERC members voted to retain the services of Michael Fowler and the law firm of Prelle, Eron and Bailey to represent the rec center in legal matters for the foreseeable future. Dorsey noted that throughout his tenure on the rec commission, there have been no lawsuits or legal troubles for the rec center to his knowledge, however, that does not mean it cannot happen.
With that in mind, he says it is always best to be prepared for any potential situation.
Commissioners were also informed that a grant writing effort in support of the new Emporia Rec facility project will continue despite the March 4 vote on a rec center funding mechanism being put on hold.
Staff plans to bring proposals for grant writers back to the ERC in months to come. The Emporia Recreation Commission will next convene for its first regular meeting of the year in January.
