6 of 7 applicants selected for rebirth of Parks and Recreation Board

Bayne Hughes, The Decatur Daily, Ala.
·2 min read

Aug. 11—The 72-year-old Parks and Recreation Board is back, with the Decatur City Council considering a panel of proposed members next week.

City Clerk Stephanie Underwood said the city received eight applications for the seven-member advisory board.

The five council members each chose an applicant to represent his district and there will be two at-large members. Half of the applicants are from District 3, she said.

The council will consider the following proposed Parks and Recreation Board members at its 10 a.m. Monday meeting:

—District 1 — Chikena Crittendon, owner of CPC Services, a commercial cleaning service, term expires Dec. 31, 2023.

—District 2 — Shane Stewart, vice president of Interstate Billing, term expires Dec. 31, 2023.

—District 3 — Daniel Frith, of Letco Industrial Services, a general contractor that specializes in local industrial work, term expires Dec. 31, 2025.

—District 4 — Zac Cameron, assistant principal, Decatur Middle School, term expires Dec. 31, 2025.

—District 5 — Misti Palmer, teacher, West Morgan Elementary School, term expires Dec. 31, 2026.

Underwood said Ronnie Dukes, retired director of marketing and public relations for Pepsi-Cola Bottling in Decatur, would complete his term that ends Dec. 31 as an at-large member.

The council will now either select a second at-large member from the existing applicants or find a person who didn't initially apply. Council President Jacob Ladner said the second at-large member will not be on Monday's agenda.

"I need to talk to the other council members and decide how we want to proceed," Ladner said.

Councilman Carlton McMasters said he favors choosing one of the remaining applicants to serve as the second at-large member.

In April, Parks and Recreation Director Jason Lake proposed eliminating one of the city's oldest boards, which has been used in an advisory capacity, because he said it was ineffective and hasn't met since before the COVID-19 pandemic began two years ago.

However, the City Council unanimously voted against eliminating the board. They cited concerns about limiting public input and suggested ways to make the board more effective.

Lake this week said he believes the new members will help the board to be more useful. The board still needs to work out some logistics like when it meets and who the officers are, he said. The previous board met on the second Tuesday of each month.

"The chairman (most recently Lynn Fowler) usually set the date and we (Parks and Recreation leadership) just show up," Lake said. "It's an advisory board, and we're looking forward to getting fresh ideas from some new people."

— bayne.hughes@decaturdaily.com or 256-340-2432. Twitter @DD_BayneHughes.