B.A. Mayor Thurmond Attends White House Meeting; Parks Director Scott Esmond to Retire
GOVERNMENTAL ACTION: Broken Arrow Parks Director Scott Esmond introduces the Rose West Dog Park earlier in 2018 as Mayor Craig Thurmond, directly behind Esmond, and City Manager Michael Spurgeon look on.
Broken Arrow Mayor Craig Thurmond was invited to the White House for the fourth time in 2018, this time to be part of a Roundtable on Housing Affordability on Friday, Nov. 16.
The purpose of the housing roundtable was to gather input from local government leaders and discuss the unique challenges faced by municipalities. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, as well as other key officials, spoke during the event.
Thurmond was previously invited as a select group of U.S. mayors to attend Mayors’ Day at the White House: A Conversation with President Trump in January where President Donald Trump announced plans to spend $1.7 trillion on infrastructure.
Earlier this year, Thurmond was invited to attend the Mayor’s Infrastructure Discussion, where a select group of mayors met with D.J. Gribbin, Special Assistant to the President for Infrastructure. Thurmond was also part of the White House Conference with Oklahoma Local and County Leaders in August.
City Plan Development Manager Larry Curtis accompanied the mayor to the roundtable.
Esmond Retiring
After 20 years with the City of Broken Arrow, Parks and Recreation Director Scott Esmond will retire in January. A nationwide search for his replacement is underway.
Under his leadership, the B.A. parks and recreation system has grown to include 38 parks, over 800 acres of land, three community centers, a nature center and more than 20 miles of walking and biking trails. It also offers a wide variety of athletic and recreation activities all over the City, as well as an increasing number of special event opportunities each year.
“The Broken Arrow City Council and I want to commend Scott Esmond on the fantastic work he has done for Broken Arrow’s parks,” said Mayor Thurmond. “Broken Arrow is widely recognized as one of the most beautiful cities in the region, and a large part of that is because of Scott’s leadership over the last two decades. We wish him and his family the best.”
Esmond came to Broken Arrow after spending 12 years with the City of Tulsa’s Parks and Recreation Department. He also worked at LaFortune Golf Course after college and began his career in parks and recreation as a seasonal worker at the age of 16. He is a past president of the Oklahoma Turfgrass Research Foundation and the Oklahoma Recreation & Parks Society.
Updated 12-16-2018
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