Corbin looking to hire downtown, recreation directors

The Corbin City Commission is looking for a downtown director and a recreational director.

At Monday’s regular monthly commission meeting, the commissioners approved a motion authorizing City Manager Marlon Sams to advertise the positions.

The downtown director position will become vacant effective May 1 as current director Andy Salmons is leaving to pursue other opportunities.

The recreation director position became vacant when Wes Lanham resigned in 2014.

Sams, who previously served as recreation director prior to being named city manager, told the commissioners in October that he could not continue to do both jobs.

“It is a 24/7 job,” Sams of the recreation director.

“We have got to have one,” said Mayor Willard McBurney.

Commissioner David Grigsby Hart noted that the city is just 60 days from the beginning of the new fiscal year and the budget committee would soon begin the process of putting together the city’s annual budget.

“We should table it for 60 days to let these guys work on our budget just to make sure we have got enough funds to pay for everything starting July 1,” Hart said.

McBurney asked Sams whether the position had already been accounted for in the budget.

“Not for this year, it isn’t,” Sams replied.

Commissioner Andrew Pennington asked Sams how well the recreation department had been operating without a director.

“It goes both ways. You got to have someone there to handle situations,” Sams said. “We have, so far, done it that way. It is up to whatever you all want to do.”

Commissioner Trent Knuckles asked Sams what kind of salary someone seeking the position would be expecting.

While it depends on the individual’s education and experience, Sams said the average for someone with a degree and four to five years of experience is $42,000.

Hart said he is not against hiring a recreation director, but noted with the timing being so close to putting together the new budget, it would be wise to take the extra time.

“I really do think we need one,” Hart said. “I just think where we are this close, I just think we need an extra 60 days just to study the numbers to make sure we can fit it in there.”

“I want to do it, but it would be better if we can do it starting in the new fiscal year,” Knuckles said.

McBurney noted that the entire hiring process would take two months between advertising the position and interviewing the candidates.

Knuckles said the city could go ahead and advertise for the position, while crunching the numbers to determine whether it is feasible to fill it.

“If it looks like we can, then we have got the application process started. We can start doing interviews with folks and whatever and then, right about the time the new fiscal year rolls around, we can have a new recreation director in place,” Knuckles said.

“You don’t have to fill it,” McBurney added.

In other business the commission:

• Approved a motion authorizing City Attorney Bob Hammons to begin the process to close Eighth Street between Kentucky Ave. and Poplar Street and deed the property to Corbin Independent Schools.

The request was previously made by Corbin Independent Schools.

Corbin Superintendent Dave Cox said the school system plans to renovate the current Corbin Middle School building on Kentucky Ave., which will be vacant later this year when the new middle school building opens.

A second construction project will add a new wing of classrooms at Corbin Primary School.

Upon the completion of that project, the third grade classes would be moved to the primary school. The sixth grade, which is currently house at the intermediate school will move to the new middle school.

The fourth and fifth grade classes will then be moved to the Kentucky Ave. building, allowing the school system to close the elementary and intermediate schools buildings.

As part of the renovations to the Kentucky Ave. building, Cox said administrators want to build an enclosed walkway between the main building and the neighboring gymnasium.

As part of the proposal, Cox said the school system would construct a two-lane road to carry traffic off of Poplar Ave., around the gym and out onto Kentucky Ave.

“Legally, we can’t design anything on property we don’t own,” Cox said in explaining why this is the first step in the process.