The Town of Cobourg has announced its new director of community services, with Lacricia Turner starting in the role on Monday (November 24).
She replaces Brian Geerts, who announced he would be leaving in September after more than three years in the role to become the director of parks, recreation, and culture in Norfolk County.
Turner worked for the City of Kingston for more than 25 years, including as director of recreation and leisure services for her last four years before leaving the position in 2023.
According to a media release from the Town of Cobourg, Turner is an “experienced management leader with a diverse background in recreation and leisure,” which includes recreation programming, facility operations and maintenance, asset management, special events, parks and sports fields, community development, marinas, waterfront master planning, and building community partnerships.
She is familiar with Cobourg as she has spent time in the community and at the Cobourg Community Centre with her family, the release noted.
“I’m eager to support and enhance the programs, spaces, and experiences that make Cobourg such a vibrant place to live and visit,” Turner said in the release. “I look forward to working closely with residents, staff, and community partners to build on the great work already underway and to help shape a welcoming, engaging future for everyone who calls Cobourg home.”
Cobourg’s director of community services is responsible for setting the overall vision, strategic direction, and execution of corporate and departmental initiatives for the town’s community services division, including parks, recreation, and culture and tourism.
“We are excited to have Ms. Turner’s expertise as the town continues to develop its new Parks and Recreation Master Plan,” said Cobourg’s chief administrative officer Tracey Vaughan.
Cobourg recently issued a call to residents and visitors who frequent the community’s parks and trails and use the town’s recreation facilities to share their feedback to help shape the plans for those spaces over the next decade, and held a drop-in community workshop for the public at the end of October at the Cobourg Community Centre.
Town of Cobourg Mayor Lucas Cleveland recently shared his thoughts with kawarthaNOW around the importance of both public input and the overall parks and recreation master plan.
“The Parks and Recreation Master Plan is an opportunity for everyone who enjoys Cobourg’s parks, trails, and facilities — residents and visitors alike — to share their experiences and ideas,” Cleveland said.
In addition to the open house, Cobourg provided a survey through the town’s online community engagement platform for people to share their thoughts about the town’s offerings. As well, 300 randomly selected households received a call recently from Oraclepoll Research to participate in a survey about the use and enjoyment of parks and recreation spaces in Cobourg.
“Through this engagement, we aim to understand what’s working well, where we can improve, and what our community envisions for the future,” Cleveland said.
The town said it will summarize and incorporate community feedback into the master plan. To help understand strengths and gaps, the feedback will be combined with geographic, technical, and demographic analyses to identify barriers, priorities, and potential linkages between neighbourhoods.
The new plan will provide direction on Cobourg’s parks, recreation and sport facilities, open spaces, and service delivery through to 2036.
