New Parks & Rec Director Wants to 'Build Community'

The new Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Cortez, says he not only wants to return programming to pre pandemic levels, but he also wants to provide residents with the programs they want. You're watching the local news network brought to you by Big O Tires and TruWest Auto, I'm Wendy Grahams Settle. Creighton Wright brings extensive experience in the parks and recreation industry to his new position as the Cortez Department's new Director. And with that experience, he can honestly say that Cortez has a great foundation on which to build new programs.

I've been impressed with Cortez Parks and Rec Department, all of the great parks we have in the community, as well as the Rec Center. I mean for a small town it is amazing to have to see the amount of opportunities that are here to get outside and have fun and become healthy and well.

Wright has a Bachelor's Degree in Recreation Management and a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Arizona State University. He started his career in Queen Creek, Arizona where he helped to build a Parks and Recreation Program from the ground up. He served as Director of Parks and Recreation in Pueblo, Colorado, and more recently in American Canyon, California. Wright hopes to build on the Cortez programs strengths with the community's help and input.

My vision is really to get back to kind of pre pandemic program offerings, and then also reach out to our community, ask them what they want and start putting in place kind of different programs. Than maybe what they've seen before. Really, I want to provide services and programs that the community wants. So, it's up to us to kind of listen, be creative and then deliver on that. So that's really what I'm looking for. You know building the community, I think that's ultimately what it comes down to is how do we serve that need? And we bring people together, and to really make this a vibrant community. That's what I'm really looking forward to.

You can contact Wright through the Cortez Website at cortezco.gov. Thanks for watching this edition of the Local News Network. I'm Wendy Graham Settle.

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