Newport is considering reconstituting its parks and recreation division, which would allow for more youth activities and the return of popular events.
Newport City Manager John Hayden said the city hasn’t had a formal parks and recreation division in over 20 years, namely due to the economic downturn in the early 2000s. Two new positions, a parks and recreation manager and a parks and recreation clerk, are being proposed to fill that need.
Hayden said he and assistant Newport City Manager Brian Steffen have spent time with the finance department examining the roles and figuring out how to do these jobs without significantly increasing the budget. The city will be utilizing two of its existing employees to fill these roles.
Kim Colston, the executive secretary for the Newport Police Department, will fill the parks and recreation clerk role. Hayden said Colston has spent significant time planning events on Monmouth Street, such as pictures with Santa and the Easter egg hunt.
“She’s going to be helping with a lot of events in Newport,” Hayden said. “I’ve heard over the years, why don’t we have the chili cook-off anymore? What about the Halloween parade? You know, remember when we had a Christmas parade? A lot of those types of front-facing events that went on in our city have fallen by the wayside for one reason or another.”
Daylin Garland, currently a city code enforcement officer, will fill the parks and recreation manager role.
“Daylin Garland, who is, I think, a role model to a lot of young people all over the city and has been for a long time on his own personal time, spends a significant amount just working with kids and being with kids at their sporting events,” Hayden said.
One repeated request in the city has been for a place to play basketball in Newport.
“Some of the concerns over time have been, if we have a basketball hoop, then the older kids or young adults come, they take it over then the young kids don’t get a play or whatever,” he said. “I understand that, but that can’t just be an excuse. We have a challenge, and we have to find the answer to that.”
Garland will work to create basketball leagues, youth pickup games, and other similar activities in a supervised environment. The department will also investigate the return of softball and baseball, as the city has done in the past.
Hayden said the city got a commitment from FC Cincinnati last year to build a soccer pitch in the west end. Hayden said FC Cincinnati wants to participate in leagues, which will fall under the parks and recreation division.
“I’m so proud of our staff, and already John and Brian in your new leadership roles, the thinking and the planning that you have done for efficiency and significant need, meeting those with these new positions, reconstituting parks and recs, that’s a really big deal,” said Newport Vice Mayor Julie Smith-Morrow. “Promoting from within is a big deal to me.”
Newport Mayor Tom Guidugli Jr. said the roles address the concerns that the board has put forth and put the city on a plan to actually activate and do some of the things that they’ve been talking about.
