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Tom Gerard appointed interim recreation director; council raises concerns about dual DPW/recreation duties
Summary
The Council appointed Tom Gerard, superintendent of the Department of Public Works, as interim recreation director while noting the workload and the plan to transition him to a full‑time recreation director once he retires from DPW; members discussed salary handling and timing but no specific retirement date was provided.
The Glens Falls Common Council on March 24 approved Resolution 5.21 appointing Tom Gerard, the city's superintendent of public works, to serve as interim recreation director following a departmental reorganization that moved recreation under DPW oversight.
Council members questioned whether combining the DPW superintendent role with recreation oversight would overburden Gerard and discussed continuity and staffing concerns. Council members noted that the arrangement preserves a prior pattern where the recreation role was combined with another position and that Gerard will transition into the full‑time recreation director role when he retires from the DPW superintendent position; no definite retirement date was specified in the public exchange. The council noted the salary treatment mirrors prior practice for combined roles and that the change reduces overall personnel costs for the recreation department by consolidating roles.
Why it matters: The personnel move reorganizes departmental responsibility for recreation and affects how the city budgets for salaries and manages DPW workloads. Council members asked staff to monitor operational impacts and to advise if additional support is needed during the transition.
What’s next: The administration will implement the appointment and manage the transition; council members reserved the right to raise further concerns if workload or service levels are affected.
