Southern Pines welcomes new recreation & parks director

The Town of Southern Pines announced Thursday that Cindi King, CPRP, has joined its staff as the new recreation & parks director. She replaces previous director, Robert Reeve, who retired in December 2020 after many years with the town.

King comes to Southern Pines from the Town of Wake Forest where she served as a recreation manager. King opened the town’s 32,000 square-foot community center at Joyner Park in 2019 and then managed that facility until her departure, overseeing the programming, staff, and maintenance.

Prior to Wake Forest, King spent over 16 years with the Town of Cary, where she was promoted up through a variety of positions, last serving as a senior operations & programs supervisor. Other experience in North Carolina includes the cities of Raleigh and Roanoke Rapids, and King also served in South Carolina with Aiken Technical College and Lexington County Parks & Recreation.

King received her graduate degree from East Tennessee State University, a M.Ed. in Physical Education Administration. Her undergraduate degree is in Physical Education with an emphasis in Exercise Science from Carson Newman College.

King has a long history of serving the state through leadership roles with the North Carolina Parks & Recreation Association. She has been honored at the state level, both individually and through contributions to the municipalities she has served.

Town Manager Reagan Parsons shares, “We received applications from across the country for this position, resulting in three rounds of interviews. We were consistently impressed with Cindi’s innovative yet pragmatic ideas, collaborative leadership style, and demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement. We think Cindi is the ideal director to lead our Recreation & Parks department as we transition forward from the COVID-19 pandemic to serving the community full-time again with some necessary re-invention to meet the public’s expectations and comfort level.”

Southern Pines offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities, ranging from day camps, athletics, and after-school programs for youth, activities and classes for adults aged 55 and over, and events throughout the year for the whole family to enjoy.

Many of these activities are offered at town facilities such as the Morganton Road sports complex, athletic fields at Memorial Park, the swimming pool and splash pad at Pool Park, the Douglass Community Center, and the Downtown Park, which hosts the popular Saturday farmers markets and other events.

Outdoor enthusiasts enjoy the natural beauty of the Sandhills at the town’s many parks, including the popular Reservoir Park with its 18-hole disc golf course and 95-acre lake. Campbell House Park is another community favorite with its beautiful greenspaces and unique offerings such as a gaga ball pit and golf practice area.

Smaller neighborhood parks include Elizabeth High Rounds Park and Sandhurst Park, which offer amenities such as playgrounds and picnic areas. Even the four-legged citizens of Southern Pines have their own place to play at the 50-acre off-leash Martin Dog Park.

The town’s extensive greenway system offers over 11 miles of trails that connect many of the parks to surrounding neighborhoods by foot or bike. The Town’s recently acquired Whitehall tract will provide the public access to another 157 acres of protected land on Pee Dee Road.

Reflecting on her attraction to Southern Pines and the town’s director position, King notes, “I was attracted to Southern Pines due to its Southern small-town charm, as it reminded me a lot of the horse and golf country of Aiken, South Carolina where my husband and I resided after we were married. I look forward to leading a well-established Recreation and Parks department and hope to look at trends and new programs to bring to the citizens of Southern Pines, as well as surrounding areas.”

King’s office is located in the Campbell House at 482 E. Connecticut Avenue. She can be contacted by phone at 910-692-2463 or by email at [email protected].

 

Contributed.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email