Kettering parks department changing some positions, planning upgrades

City of Kettering is making changes to senior management of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts. A new position, Superintendent of Recreation, has been created. City Council has also approved a project to make $175,000 in upgrades and improvements to the pool and locker room areas at the Kettering Recreation Complex.

City of Kettering is making changes to senior management of Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Arts. A new position, Superintendent of Recreation, has been created. City Council has also approved a project to make $175,000 in upgrades and improvements to the pool and locker room areas at the Kettering Recreation Complex.

Kettering is changing some senior management positions in the Parks, Recreation and Cultural Arts Department as it prepares for upgrades to its recreation complex, one of its key facilities.

The department will add a new senior-level position and upgrade another to add to its management staff. One of the key parts of that restructuring is the new position, Superintendent of Recreation.

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The city is planning to recruit from outside the department for the post, and the position is expected to have a pay range of $77,770 to $108,014, depending on experience and qualifications.

City officials say the position will be responsible for planning, organizing, prioritizing and directing the nearly 2,000 annual programs, services and events of the Recreation Division. It will also be responsible for overseeing the facility operations of the Kettering Recreation Complex, indoor pool and outdoor water park, senior center, ice arena, fitness center, Kettering Fitness and Wellness Center and Polen Farm.

Another position dealing with department administration is being upgraded to Superintendent of Business Services. That slot will be a promotion of an existing position and is expected to increase compensation costs by $11,000.

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Community Information Manager Stacy Schweikhart said several positions in the PRCA have been restructured.

Meanwhile, Kettering’s city council has approved a project to make $175,000 in upgrades and improvements to the pool and locker room areas at the Kettering Recreation Complex. It is the first time in seven years that major renovations have taken place at the complex.

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City Manager Mark Schwieterman said the project will involve the replacement of the pool deck and the surrounding locker room areas.

“This is the indoor pool. It involves complete replacement of the pool deck around the pool as well as into the men’s and women’s locker rooms,” he said. “It will also include drainage work in the locker rooms to improve conditions there.”

The work will also involve replacing attachments to the deck so future work will be easier to complete.

“We will be replacing attachments to the deck with stainless steel attachments so when we reattach ladders and the dive board and things like that it will be done in a proper fashion,” Schwieterman said.

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He added that the project will start during the pool’s closure period, which starts the week after Labor Day and runs into early October.

The indoor pool is open year-round and boasts eight lanes and stretches 25 yards. Several activities, from swimming lessons to water exercise lessons, are held at the indoor pool. It is also home to the Kettering City Swim and the Fairmont High School swim teams.

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