There’s a new face at the Similkameen Rec Centre and he’s going to need our help.
Thirty-five-year-old Shane Marsh took charge of the facility just this Monday.
The young man, with a love of hockey, seems to know the right things to say in a small community that’s just gone through a recreation shakeup.
He wants to see what programs work and improve on them, add to programming when it seems the right fit, but not rush into anything. And has a goal of getting more people using the facilities.
He’s not dreaming of drastic changes overnight (except maybe getting some weeding done, taking the lock off off the ice rink and cleaning out the front entrance).
Taking over after someone tirelessly took care of a facility for 27 years isn’t an easy task, but in an interview with the Review earlier this week, he said repeatedly he had nothing but respect for former facilities manager Karl Donoghue’s work, despite not having met him, and was highly impressed with the facilities our the community has.
Marsh grew up not far down the road in Summerland, has relatives living in the area he hopes to reconnect with, and has a passion for getting people active.
But he also knows he can’t do it alone.
The controversy over Karl Donoghue abruptly retiring, members of the rec commission quitting, and the delay in the pool opening certainly has left a bad taste with some people on the role Regional District Okanagan-Similkameen politicians and senior staff play in recreation in the community.
But, hopefully the community can get past this and start a dialogue with the new recreation manager and help brainstorm ways the facilities can be utilized more.
If you’ve been sitting on the fence about joining the rec commission, maybe now is the time to try it out or at least stop up and talk to Marsh, he’s a chatty guy that wants to talk with and learn from anyone that has a passion for recreation in this community.
-T.B.