SYLACAUGA, Ala. – Sylacauga Parks and Recreation executive director Jim Armstrong will retire in February, and his successor has been named.
Armstrong, 62, has been the executive director of the city’s parks and recreation department since 2003. A lifelong Sylacauga resident and graduate of B.B. Comer High School and Faulkner University with a degree in business, Armstrong worked at Avondale Mills for 25 years in its technical service department prior to taking on the executive director role for Sylacauga Parks and Recreation in 2003. Now he will hand the reigns over to the department’s director of athletics, Steve Masters.
Armstrong’s finest accomplishment in his tenure is heading the construction of the Veterans Memorial at Pinecrest Park which is slated to be officially unveiled on Nov. 9. The project has been in development since 2006.
“That’s going to make Sylacauga look good,” Armstrong said. “When people go down [Highway] 280 and see that, it’s going to make our town look good. That makes me proud.”
Taking over for Armstrong, Masters is no stranger to what is expected of the role of Parks and Recreation Director or what the job entails. The center is in the process of finding a successor for Masters’ post as athletic director.
“You’ve got to know what you’re doing today and what your plans are for tomorrow,” said Masters. “It’s going to have to be a self-motivated, hard working individual.”
Armstrong has plans for what is in store after his retirement, including spending time with family, visiting the lake as much as possible, and pursuing his hobby of painting. His last day on the job is Feb. 23, 2022.
“It’s been 20 years. All in all, I would do it again,” he said.
