By Craig Westcott
The Town of Witless Bay has a new recreation coordinator on the job this week.
Kayla Noonan started work on Monday, February 26.
"This will be our first paid recreation coordinator on the Town staff and we're really looking forward to it," councillor Jacob Hayden said at the start of his recreation committee report last week. "We're very excited to be able to offer new programing and events for residents and visitors of all ages. We're looking forward to seeing what our new coordinator is able to come up with in the future.”
The hiring follows the split by council from its association with the Bay Bulls to Bauline Athletic Association, whose staff served as a defacto recreation department for both Witless Bay and Bay Bulls in offering sports and other programming. Witless Bay council decided last year to withdraw its financial support from the group, which was jointly funded by taxpayers in Bay Bulls.
Hayden said the coordinator will work with the various volunteer groups in Witless Bay including a rug hooking club, the local 50 Plus club, the Kinsmen and Witless Bay Days Committee, among other groups.
Deputy Mayor Lorna Yard said several candidates were screened and interviewed for the job. "And Kayla really impressed us with her enthusiasm and how much she plans to do for us," she said.
Yard noted that Noonan lives in Witless Bay with her partner and two sons and has a bachelor's degree in recreation from Memorial University.
"She is very passionate about creating recreation programming for her hometown and we're really excited Kayla to have you with us," Yard said.
"I'm excited to be here," said Noonan, who watched the council meeting from the gallery.
Noonan wasn't the only one to be appointed to a position with the Town last week. Council also appointed Laurene Dobbin to the role of Finance and Administrative Assistant, also effective this past Monday.
Dobbin, who is from Pouch Cove, has already been working with the Town as a contract worker supplied by an employment agency.
Yard said several candidates were screened and interviewed for the position.
"She has been filling this role with the Town on a temporary basis for a number of months and she's proven to be a tremendous asset to the Town," said Yard. "She's shown a lot of dedication and interest in the town and we're excited to have her join our team.
The Town is also in the final stages of recruiting a seasonal worker and a planning and development officer," added councillor Ralph Carey.
"We'll have those completed in the near future and then our staff will be complete, and we'll get down to business for a busy year," said Carey. "So that will be within the next number of weeks."
The Town is also applying to hire four students for eight weeks this summer under a provincial wage subsidy program.
"Why we're applying for this is because a hundred per cent of these wages are covered," said Carey, noting the Town has also applied to hire students under a federal job program which covers 50 per cent of the wages. "So, we're trying to get the most work done for the best value."
And still on the subject of staff, council gave approval to close the Town Hall for several days to accommodate staff who will be attending conferences as part of their professional development.
Deputy Mayor Yard made the motion to close the Town Hall from April 8 - 12 so that staff can attend the Provincial Municipal Administrators annual general meeting in Gander.
"I think we all recognize the importance of our staff, first of all being able to avail of other experts in the field, other municipal administrators and find out what's going on across the province and to bring what they learn and new ideas back to help run the Town of Witless Bay," Yard said.
The deputy mayor also made a motion for the Town to cover all the associated costs for councillors to attend a meeting of Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador in Clarenville on March 1-2. Councillor Gerard Dunne second the motion, which passed unanimously.
And finally, council approved a resolution by councillor Carey to close the Town Hall this past February 23 to allow staff to attend the regional meeting of the Provincial Association of Municipal Administrators. That too was seconded by councillor Dunne and passed unanimously.
