Critchfield Named Interim Administrator of Park District

The Cordova Recreation and Park District has an interim district administrator, but it’s still not clear why.

Wednesday night the district’s board of directors appointed Doug Critchfield, a senior landscape architect who has been with the agency since November of 2009, to fill the role previously held by David Edmonds.

The board met in closed session for about an hour after its work session on the district’s Strategic Master Plan, then announced it had chosen Critchfield for the job.

Board members and Assistant Clerk of the Board Danielle Sather declined to say whether Edmonds still works for the district or if he would be returning to his position, saying it was a personnel matter.

Critchfield, who previously worked as the city of Modesto’s manager of parks, planning and development, said the administrator position was part of his “career path,” but that he hadn’t expected to ascend to the top position so quickly.

“I’m very appreciative and humbled that the district would ever consider me at this point,” Critchfield said.

Critchfield said he had not yet discussed his salary with the board, and added he would still be filling his old role while working as the interim administrator.

Board members declined to say how long the interim position would last.

As for what he hopes to accomplish at the helm of the organization, Critchfield said he will push the top priorities identified by the board: completing a master plan for the district, finishing up some ongoing construction projects, earning more revenue from food sales at the district’s and shooting range, and upgrading the board’s meeting facilities–part of an ongoing project to renovate the district’s headquarters.

He said he also hopes to build “more of a relationship with community associations.”

Critchfield lives near Valley Springs, a small town in Calaveras County.