Abbeville Council may decide on park/rec director Tuesday

The Abbeville City Council will likely take a final step today in securing a new director for the city’s parks and recreation department.
The council will interview five candidates prior to this evening’s regular council meeting. The interviews will take place at city hall.
The five finalists are Trenton Baudoin of Abbeville, Clifton Francis of Carencro, Demetrius Trey Hopson of Gautier, Miss., Starya Moore of
Abbeville, and Donald Wood of Anniston, Ala.
Abbeville Mayor Mark Piazza confirmed the list late last month. The five finalists come from a list of 27 original applicants. Fourteen of those applicants, including the finalists, went through the testing process with the city.
The city council will make its vote on the new hire under new guidelines. The Municipal Civil Service Board agreed recently to change the requirements for the parks and rec director. In the past, the hire had to have a college degree in the field of parks and recreation. That has since changed to say that a degree is preferred, but the council has the choice of hiring someone with experience, who may not have a degree.
Piazza said the change allows the council a wider range from which to select a candidate.
“We can consider experience in a recreation related field in lieu of a college degree,” Piazza said recently.
The council is looking to make its third hire for parks and rec director since February of 2012. The council hired Jerry Martinez at that time. He resigned in August of last year.
The council then began a search that led to the hiring of Jerry Smith in October ‘13. The council voted 3-2 in April to not grant Smith permanent status after the completion of his six-month probational period.
Volunteers and other city workers helped conduct baseball and track and field programs during the spring and summer. The Vermilion Football League is currently in the middle of its season.
The new hire’s first season will be basketball. That season is expected to begin later this fall.