BY LUCIE KRISMAN
Upon first click of the city's website, Sally Pennington was impressed and intrigued by Eudora.
"They care about their community and you can tell," Pennington said. "There is a ton of history here, which I love."
Pennington has spent the last month working as Eudora's new parks and recreation director. In this position, she spends time maintaining parks, recreational programs and facilities both in and out of the office.
No day in that position is the same, Pennington said.
"It's different every day, but I love that part," Pennington said. "I'm not just a figure behind a desk. I'm actively involved."
Hiring a new parks and recreation director involved a one-day interview process with four interview panels, including a one-on-one interview. Eudora community members, department heads and current parks and recreation staff comprised the other three panels.
"We were looking for somebody who could balance engaging with the community and creating a vision for where the department could go with programming and facilities," Assistant City Manager Leslie Herring said.
Before taking on her new role in Eudora, Pennington worked as parks and recreation director in Neosho, Missouri, for over two years. She also previously worked with the YMCA in Joplin and spent five years on the Park Board in Springfield, where she worked with afterschool programs, youth sports and day camps.
To Pennington, parks are a crucial part of representing any city.
"It's the first thing you see when you come off K-10, in Eudora's case," Pennington said. "You want to always represent your city the best that you can."
Pennington has enjoyed learning from the parks staff who are longtime residents of Eudora during her first month as the new parks director, she said.
Assistant Director Jimmy Kegin, who served as the interim parks director for a year and has worked for the parks department for 12 years, said Pennington's perspective has been valuable in Eudora.
"It's really nice to have a new set of eyes," Kegin said.
When it comes to brainstorming new ideas for park and playground equipment, Pennington wants to continue to create equipment that can include everyone, such as the accessible soundguard in Lucy Kaegi Park.
Pennington is looking forward to further incorporating inclusion and total accessibility into the parks department. Trails that will connect the entire Eudora community are in process, which will make it easier for students to walk or cycle to and from school, she said.
Plans for a new sports complex in Eudora are also underway, and Pennington hopes to later expand the disc-golf course from nine holes to 18 holes.
"I want there to be something for everybody to do, whether you're 3 or 83," Pennington said.
Pennington also wants to create more activities aside from exercise and sports programs for the Rec Center, she said.
"I don't want people to think that you can only come to the rec center to work out," Pennington said. "It needs to be a place where everybody can say that they are a part of something."
Reach reporter Lucie Krisman at eudoratimes@gmail.com.
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