News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Pam Kirchoff, left, Kurt Pratel, center, and Chuck LeFebvre discuss business at Monday’s Alpena County Parks Commission Pointperson Committee. The committee discussed hiring a parks and recreation director to oversee the parks and recreational facilities.

ALPENA — Alpena County, in conjunction with the Alpena County Parks Commission, is considering hiring a director to oversee operations, rules, policies, maintenance, and long-term planning of county-owned parks and recreational facilities.

The parks include Long Lake, Beaver Lake, Sunken Lake, and Manning Hill parks, as well as the county fairgrounds. County Administrator Mary Catherine Hannah said the director could also oversee the county-owned Plaza Pool and Northern Lights Arena.

As the county continues to expand and update its parks, a director who works with managers and management groups could make decision-making and the sharing of information more efficient, officials said.

The director would report back to the county and the Parks Commission.

Officials unveiled the idea at the Parks Commission Pointperson Committee meeting on Monday and will discuss the idea further at the Alpena County Parks Commission meeting on Wednesday.

Hiring a director would likely reduce the role of the Pointperson Committee, which is made up of representatives of the park managers, the Parks Commission, and the county.

Chuck LeFebvre, point person for Sunken Lake Park, said he favored hiring a director.

“The parks are growing, and it isn’t something that is going to happen today or tomorrow, but it is an interesting concept,” LeFebvre said. “It is definitely something we should be looking at for the future. It would add some expertise, from a management standpoint.”

Hannah said having a director would change what the managers’ responsibilities are at the parks.

Two of the county-owned campgrounds are expanding, with 15 new campsites created in the day-use area at Sunken Lake and new waterfront sites planned for Long Lake Park. The more people use the parks, the more accounting, maintenance, and rule enforcement duties increase, officials said.

A director would help ease the workload of the park managers, whatever his or her role becomes, if the county hires a director, Hannah said.

“Essentially, (parks managers) would be site managers or camp hosts, and the parks and rec manager would be the person who takes the day-to-day management over,” she said. “They would have the responsibility to go out to the parks, to check sites, do audits, and review management reports.”

Hannah said the director would also coordinate with the county’s maintenance department for projects and repairs.

Because the director would oversee more than just the three campgrounds, a portion of the salary would come from the Parks Commission’s budget and the balance from the county.

Hannah said that, because it is early in the process and a full job description has yet to be created, she isn’t sure what an appropriate wage would be.