February 28, 2011
City Administrator Malin announced today that Director of Parks & Recreation Seve Ghose has accepted an offer of employment with the City of Longmont, Colorado, and will be resigning his position. Mr. Ghose will remain with Davenport until May 27, and will continue to lead the department's efforts to become accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Parks and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) prior to his departure. A CAPRA site visit will be conducted in May, as a final review step in the accreditation process.
Mr. Ghose was hired by Davenport from the City of Portland, Oregon, in July of 2008. He has overseen significant expansion of park facilities and recreation programming during his tenure, including re-opening the Quad City Sports Center as the River's Edge, a City owned and operated multi-purpose recreation facility that has exceeded use and revenue expectations in its first year.
Mr. Ghose expressed regret in leaving Davenport, and underscored that the move to Colorado was guided by a desire to be closer to his extended family. Mr. Ghose said "Davenport is a great place to live, but we have some family needs out west. It has been a privilege to work in Davenport for the past few years."
City Administrator Malin expressed gratitude for Mr. Ghose's professional and enthusiastic efforts to advance parks and recreation in Davenport, noting "Seve has done a great job for Davenport, and I hate to lose him. He has set the bar high for his successor."
The City will conduct an open, national recruitment for its next Director of Parks and Recreation.
