Abbeville begins search for new parks, rec director

Abbeville will soon begin its search for a new parks and recreation director.
The Abbeville City Council voted 5-0 Tuesday during its regular meeting to open the position, left vacant after the April departure of former director Jerry Smith and Laura Briggs not accepting the position on a provisional basis.
“We have learned what we can do and what we cannot do,” Councilman Brady Broussard Jr., District C, said of the options of filling the vacancy. “I make the motion that we begin the process of filling the vacant director of parks and recreation position.”
Broussard’s motion came after discussion on various means of manning the post. That discussion included Elaine Livers, the city’s civil service director, informing the council that the civil service board by itself cannot make the parks and recreation director position unclassified. Doing so would allow the council to hire a director not using civil service guidelines.
“Legislation would have to be changed in order to make it unclassified,” Livers told the council.
The earliest that could be done is when the Louisiana Legislature, which is already in session this year, meets for its 2015 session.
“You would have to get it in by January or February and have someone (in the legislature) sponsor it and get it prefiled,” City Attorney Ike Funderburk said.
Again, that leaves civil service board no room to make a change prior the legislative possibility.
“On this subject, that was final,” said Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza, who attended the civil service board meeting.
The council also looked at changing the job description, in that parks would separate from recreation. The idea would be to have someone oversee the city’s parks and have different groups run each of the recreation leagues, such as the Vermilion Football League (VFL), which does operate under the city’s umbrella.
“Perhaps our most successful operation is an independent, outsourced operation in the Vermilion Football League,” Broussard said. “Maybe the council could look at outsourcing a person who is an expert in baseball organization to lead baseball, and a skilled Biddy basketball person could be a point man for basketball, etc., etc. I don’t know if that is where we are as a council.
“Getting people who are experts in those particular sports, particularly with organizational skills, would be a value to the city.”
Piazza agreed, but mentioned it is not that easy.
“This pertains to every league,” Piazza said. “We talked about a park director and to see if recreation could go on its own and to have a private, independent league, so to speak. The problem you run into with that is, that if they are not under the umbrella of the City of Abbeville, then they won’t have liability .
“Liability coverage is very, very expensive.”
Lawrence Williams of VFL attended Tuesday’s meeting. He told the council that it would be difficult to operate without the city, with liability coverage running at least $14,000.
“If you want individual leagues to operate,” Piazza said, “then they are going to need to be under the city’s umbrella and authority. They can still have boards and people in charge, that is no problem. That is what Vermilion Football League does. The registration would have to be done through the city.
“You can’t have it both ways, you have to do your own thing, 100 percent, our be under the city.”
Abbeville currently has 132 kids signed up to play baseball and softball. Opening day for the city is scheduled for June 7. Bryan Suire, the president of North Vermilion Youth Athletic Association, who has helped Abbeville organize summer ball, told the council he fills getting a parks and rec director is important.
“It’s got to move forward,” Suire told the council during the meeting. “There are different things that you can do out there, as far as leagues, but everyone has to come together as one to get it done. If you don’t do something, then you are going to loss those 132 kids you have out there right now.”
After Suire spoke, Broussard made his motion to hire a new parks and recreation director. Councilman-at-Large Francis Plaisance offered a second.
“After all that has gone on,” Plaisance said, “everything is going to remain the same. Everybody can go about their business, happy that there are no changes.
“We have a good baseball program ready to go this summer.”
Councilman Francis Touchet Jr., District B, agreed that everything will remain as it has in the past.
“We are going to hire a new parks and rec director and everything is going to continue,” Touchet said. “When that position is filled, he or she will handle basketball, baseball and take care of everything.”