As director moves on, North Huntingdon reorganizes recreation department

North Huntingdon’s recreation and parks department will be reorganized under a plan township officials will consider this week on the heels of the former director’s resignation.

The commissioners are expected to vote Wednesday to advertise to replace the former director, Daniel Miller, with a coordinator of parks and recreation, whose focus will be on programming and supporting recreation and athletic activities, said Harry Faulk, township manager. The job description requires experience in conducting recreation activities for a community recreation program.

Miller, of Penn Hills, worked 17 years as director and was paid about $81,000 per year. He left North Huntingdon to take a job as Allegheny Township’s manager and will be paid $102,000 when he starts the new job July 8.

While focusing on the programming and activities at the township’s 11 parks, Faulk said the new recreation coordinator will no longer be in charge of park maintenance. That department’s maintenance crew of about four workers will fall under the public works department, which is headed by Richard Albert, Faulk said.

With the change in responsibilities, the township is expected to approve a salary schedule for the new parks and recreation coordinator at a range of $45,000 to $65,000. The director’s salary range had been from $59,242 to $92,448.

Miller left the parks and recreation job at a time when North Huntingdon is considering leasing about 40 acres of property at the township public works department to two North Huntingdon residents, who have proposed to create an indoor-outdoor youth sports complex. Part of the land that David Ponsonby and Josh Zugai want for a 29-year lease, with options for three 29-year extensions, would be subleased to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer team for soccer fields. The developers proposed that they pay just $1 a year to lease the land.

Township officials have yet begin negotiations on the property, Faulk said Monday. The township commissioners on May 15 gave Ponsonby and Zugai a window of 120 days for the exclusive right to negotiate a lease agreement.