The city of Sedona is in the process of finding a new parks and recreation manager to lead the way through another year of a pandemic and oversight of a revamped look to the city’s largest park.
Parks and Recreation Manager Steve Richardson recently announced that he will be leaving the city, after just a little more than a year at the helm. His last day is Thursday, Jan. 28.
“While it was not an easy decision, I have accepted a position with the city of Goodyear running operations at the new recreation center slated to open in May,” Richardson said last week. “It hit me pretty hard just how much I missed working in a recreation center. I am passionate about fitness and wellness and believe I am at my best in that type of environment.”
Richardson started with the city in November 2019, replacing Rachel Murdoch, who left for another job in the Sedona area. Originally from Mesa, Richardson grew up working for the parks and recreation department there, doing everything from summer camps to refereeing sports. After graduating with a degree in parks and recreation from Northern Arizona University, he stayed in the field, most recently serving as the parks and recreation director in the Greenlee County mining town of Morenci, in the southeastern part of the state.
“Overall, my experience in Sedona was positive,” he said. “I enjoyed many aspects of the job and people I met in the community. I will miss the interactions I had with folks utilizing the city parks during my routine walk-arounds. It always made me happy seeing people recreate inside the parks.
“I will also miss many of the city staff members across several departments and of course, I’ll miss the beauty and awesome views in Sedona.”
He went on to add, “I do carry guilt leaving after only one year and three months, but with this being such a desirable position, I am certain the city will not have an issue recruiting a terrific Parks and Recreation manager.”
Assistant City Manager Karen Osburn said she was certainly disappointed to hear of Richardson’s resignation but also wishes him nothing but the best.
“He has done an exceptional job in the time he has been with the city, and done so despite the significant challenges associated with the pandemic,” she said. “It is unfortunate that COVID stood in the way of Parks and Rec offering many of its normal programs and events this past year, let alone the new things Steve had initially been planning and was so excited about.”
This past year was a difficult one for many department within the city but may have hit parks and recreation the hardest as many programs, classes and large, special events were canceled.
“It was tough to cancel signature events that the community looks forward to each year but I tried to keep public safety at the forefront of these decisions,” Richardson said. “That said, I am proud of what the team was able to accomplish during the pandemic such as getting the pool open safely for a summer season, hosting concerts and movies in the park, as well as keeping the parks open during the pandemic.”
Osburn said the position has been advertised and the city is accepting resumes. The first review will take place at the beginning of February but she expects the position to take at least a few months to fill.
