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APPOINTMENTS

Gary N. Fenton, director of Columbus, Ohio, Recreation and Parks Department, will become the new executive director of the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority on Monday, May 8.

The NVRPA Board selected Fenton following a nationwide search for the top administrator of the six-jurisdiction Regional Authority.

"Gary Fenton will bring a wealth of experience to the NVRPA and the political subdivisions it represents," stated agency Chairman Walter L. Mess of Falls Church, Virginia.

"His special talents will help our organization continue NVRPA's tradition of sound fiscal management and ensure the future development of regional parks. We look forward to having him join us," added Dr. C. Barrie Cook, chairman of the search committee, vice chairman of the Regional Park Authority Board and a City of Fairfax appointee to the regional body.

"The opportunity to become part of a dynamic agency with an essential mission is truly exciting, and I eagerly look forward to becoming part of the NVRPA team," said Fenton. "I anticipate working closely with the Board, staff, and volunteers to celebrate and build on the success of the past, while striving toward additional achievements."

As executive director, he will oversee 19 regional parks, including the innovative Washington & Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park Trail; Great Waves at Cameron Run Regional Park, a water recreation complex; four additional outdoor swimming pools; three championship golf courses; a 95-acre botanic and display garden park; the Carlyle House Historic Park colonial mansion and museum in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia; and Temple Hall Farm Regional Park, a working farm and interpretive center in Leesburg.

A graduate of Southern Illinois University, Fenton is a Certified Leisure Professional and, in 1997, was named Southern Illinois University's "Recreation Alumnus of the Year."

Bonestroo, Rosene, Anderlik & Associates, Inc., recently named David P. Burch, RLA, director of Park and Recreational Services at its Mequon branch office. Bonestroo is a St. Paul-based engineering and architectural consulting firm with offices throughout Minnesota and in Mequon. The firm offers comprehensive services to municipalities.

Burch brings more than 20 years of experience to the firm, with expertise in park and golf course planning and design, bikeway and pedestrian facilities, and sustainable community and recreation planning. As director of Park and Recreational Services, Burch will lead Bonestroo's Park and Recreation team in providing clients with innovative solutions that focus on community, environmental, and economic benefits.

Brad Chambers has accepted the position of Parks and Recreation director for the consolidated government of Columbus-Muscogee County, Georgia. In this position, he will be responsible for 66 park and recreation facilities, including the new Columbus Civic Center, Riverwalk project, renovated college football and minor league baseball stadiums, and the supervision of a full-time staff of over 160 employees. His primary duties will include the direction of an aggressive capital expansion program, which includes four new Olympic-sized pools, three additional community centers, and a trail system that will parallel a new light-rail project, along with the completion of the Riverwalk into a 25-mile corridor along the Chattahoochee River.

Before accepting the Columbus position, Chambers had been director of Leisure Services and Public Facilities in Cookeville, Tennessee, for the past 13 years, having been the first and only director since that department's inception in 1987.

The Naperville Park District has hired Judith Lukes to function as community development manager. In this position, Lukes will coordinate the volunteer program and coordinate local grants, gifts, and donations.

Lukes comes to the park district from the Community Career Center in Naperville, where she was the executive director. At the Community Career Center, Lukes wrote grants, recruited and trained more than 40 volunteers, and developed strategies for fundraising.

"The park district created this position to help it find alternative sources of revenue for its program and services," said Joe Schultz, the park district's executive director. "With her knowledge of fundraising and volunteer management, in addition to her familiarity with Naperville's corporate community, I'm confidant that she can help the park district meet its objectives."

Naperville Park District Associate Director Ken Brissa values Lukes' ties to the community. "Judie already has a working relationship with many people in the community that she will deal with in this position, and she'll be able to hit the ground running," said Brissa. "We're very fortunate and excited to have her join the park district."

Lukes also was an adjunct faculty member of the speech and theater department at North Central College and an adjunct faculty member in the speech communication department at Elmhurst College.

AWARDS

Five Fairfax County Park Authority staff members received Stewardship Awards from the agency's Resource Management Division on March 14, 2000, for their outstanding leadership in support of the county's cultural, natural, and horticultural resources. The ceremony was held at the Great Falls Grange to honor Karen Temple, Kenneth J. Garlem, Christine Jirikowic, Chris Lamond, and Gail Taylor Wharton.

Karen Temple, a resident of Herndon, Virginia, was honored for her initiative, independence, and "can do" attitude that characterizes all of her work. Temple is the "public presence" for the Resource Management Division, fielding questions and issues from citizens, helping the staff to stay informed, and overseeing headquarters staff. Temple also serves as Enterprise Fund administrator and adroitly handles a budget that exceeds $753,000. Temple's accurate and timely tracking of the Enterprise Fund helped the division reach a critical goal: "to offer additional programs and services consistent with the Resource Management Division's mission, while maintaining a net revenue balance."

Kenneth J. Garlem, of Manassas, Virginia, was honored for his outstanding performance as a grounds-keeper specialist at Ellanor C. Lawrence Park in Chantilly, Virginia. Garlem constantly seeks ways to improve visitor services, protect park resources, and complete beneficial projects within a limited budget. He works tirelessly with group volunteers who, during the past three years, have contributed over 5,000 hours of labor. He built a fire road to improve public safety and forest resource protection with volunteer labor saving more than $50,000. Garlem assisted Eagle Scout candidates as they planned their community service projects and directed students from Chantilly High School who served 72 hours of volunteer time at the park in 1999. Garlem accomplished all these tasks with quiet leadership, a good sense of humor, and the admiration of his co-workers.

Christine Jirikowic, from Hyattsville, Maryland, is a resource archaeologist with the Park Authority's Cultural Resource department. Her maps of historic Fairfax County have helped educate the public about Native American historic sites in Northern Fairfax County. At the Colvin Run Mill Historic Site in Great Falls, Jirikowic was one of the archaeologists working at the miller's house. During the excavation, Jirikowic showed inquisitive visitors what the archaeologists had found and educated them about the archaeological process, greatly enhancing their curiosity and appreciation for history. Many people know a little more about Fairfax County, thanks to Jirikowic's outstanding work.

Arlington resident Chris Lamond, a naturalist with Huntley Meadows Park, was recognized for his initiative, creativity, and leadership with the invasive plant suppression program. Since the Park Authority's budget could not provide funds for invasive control, Lamond researched grant possibilities to prevent further spread of the invasive plants, obtaining more than $12,000 in grant funds. The program was then researched and successfully implemented at Huntley Meadows Park. The invasive plant, Japanese Stilt grass, was eradicated in 262 acres of the Huntley Meadows Park in the summer of 1999, thereby allowing regrowth of native plant species. The benefits to Huntley Meadows Park's native plant and animal life are immeasurable, and other resource management professionals are now modeling their own programs after Lamond's successful initiative.

Gail Taylor Wharton, from Vienna, Virginia, was recognized for her work with the agency's Historic Properties Rental Services. In the three years Wharton has been with the Fairfax County Park Authority, she has brought great expertise and has increased professional standards to the custodial and preventive maintenance at the eight historic properties. Her professional approach and awareness of her role as a steward of Fairfax County's resources are invaluable.