Bill Lockwood, who has served as director of the Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department, has announced his retirement date, all while the department tries to complete one of its biggest projects.
On Friday, the Parks and Recreation Commission announced Lockwood's retirement effective March 2016, which means he'll leave the department he's led for more than 33 years before finishing one of its most significant projects - the multipurpose building, also being called the university and community wellness center.
Last year, the Parks and Recreation Commission authorized parks staff to pursue a potential collaboration with Lincoln University on the proposed multipurpose building where it would operate as both a multipurpose facility and a student wellness facility on Lafayette Street.
Between LU and the parks commission, $10.1 million is available for the collaborative project. Anticipating that would not be enough for a facility with four basketball courts and an elevated walking track, the City Council approved a $1.5 million line of credit in December, at the commission's request.
In July, commissioners approved shrinking the building's proposed footprint from 90,000 square feet to 79,000 square feet after cost estimates had risen above the available funds for the project. By trimming the overall square footage, the estimated cost of building the facility became between $11.4 million and $13.6 million, which still leaves a potential funding gap of up to $2 million.
Tensions within the multipurpose project
Lockwood said he has been eligible to retire for a while, but his goal was to stay until the multipurpose building was complete, which is anticipated to be in late fall 2016. When asked what changed that goal, Lockwood said there had been continuing discussions.
"It's been a tense project for the commission and the staff," Lockwood said of the multipurpose project. "No one's done this before and we didn't always agree."
In fact, it appears staff had been cut out of at least part of the multipurpose discussions.
An email from Commission President Denise Chapel on July 8 informed Architects Alliance and Lincoln University officials that effective immediately she would become the point person for all communications on the multipurpose project.
Also, in minutes from a special commission meeting July 28, it notes after a closed session, "Lockwood expressed his opinion that the parks staff feels in the dark on much of the multipurpose building information. He does not have a problem having President Chapel as the lead contact, but administratively it is the responsibility of the staff to be involved."
The minutes later note Chapel said, "she knows that staff has been talking with consultants and she has expressly requested that this not occur."
However, Chapel said the decision to become the point person for communications had nothing to do with any tensions between staff and the commission, and instead came out of a desire to ensure the process run as quickly and smoothly as possible on a tight timeline.
"We have undertaken a lot of different partnership efforts in the past, but nothing to this magnitude," Chapel said. "We're on a very expedited time frame so my ability to know what our partner may need or be requesting of us, being able to poll the commission and speak on their behalf, really helps bring us back in line.
"It was just the needs of this particular project. It is not in any way (to be taken) as me taking over anything operationally."
She said the normal process of having a partner contact Lockwood - who takes it to a committee, which makes a recommendation to the commission - would take too long within a project that needs to be completed within the next year. By taking point on communication, she added, she was able to speed up the process.
"We can't wait two months to get something in front of the commission," Chapel said. "It's just what needed to get done in order for us to meet the time frame."
Finding a successor
The commission began to openly discuss a succession plan for Lockwood earlier this month at its Aug. 11 meeting. After that meeting, Chapel said there were no plans for Lockwood to leave the department and the commission simply was making sure they were ready to find a replacement, if needed, adding the commission was "just making sure we've covered our bases."
After Lockwood's retirement was announced, Chapel said the timing was right to begin looking for a successor and, while the commission is "saddened" by Lockwood's departure, they also are excited about the possibilities that come with a new director.
"The timing is right in line with being able to have a successor be able to take a significant role in the programming of the (multipurpose facility) and be able to initiate relationships throughout the city," Chapel said. "We have to accept that and move forward ... fortunately, we're in a place where we have a process for hiring a successor."
During the Aug. 11 discussion, commission members talked about establishing a committee to review applications and conduct interviews, as well as whether to include the public at any point during the selection process.
Chapel said commission member Marty Miller has taken the lead on the succession plan and hiring process, and the commission has decided to put together a selection committee of many different community leaders, including commission members and city leaders, to review applications and make recommendations for one or more finalists. She said that committee likely will be limited to eight people and the commission has already begun asking some people if they'd be interested in being involved.
The search will look at both external and internal candidates, she said, as there are many park staff members who have served under Lockwood for many years and may be ready to take the lead in the department.
"We're throwing a very broad net to make sure we get the best candidate," Chapel said.
The commission is solely responsible for finding and selecting Lockwood's replacement, and the City Council actually has no role in the process. The City Charter states the commission "may appoint a suitable director and the assistants necessary to take care of the parks and fix their compensation, and may remove appointees."
Chapel said no decision has been made on whether to have any part of the hiring process be made public.
Lockwood's retirement plans
While retiring in March should allow the multipurpose project to be underway when he leaves, Lockwood said he now believes the commission and staff have made "great progress" to ensure it will be successful.
Lockwood said the more he thought about it, the more he realized retiring one year sooner meant he could begin enjoying, as well as working on his wife's to-do list. For now, he plans to stay in the Jefferson City area, though he is looking forward to having more time to travel, especially since he has one daughter who lives abroad.
However, he said he is still looking to be involved wherever he might be needed in the community.
"I'm interested in the future of the city," Lockwood said.
In the next six months, Lockwood said there is a lot of work to do and he won't have time to be a lame duck leader.