SYLACAUGA, Ala. – After a very successful first year at the helm of Sylacauga Parks and Recreation, Executive Director Steve Masters has been recognized as the Recreational Professional of the Year by the Alabama Recreation and Parks Association (ARPA).
Masters won the award at the annual ARPA Conference held in Orange Beach over the weekend.
Masters was voted onto the Sylacauga Parks and Rec Board of Directors in 2005 and four years later was named Athletic Director.
Working under former longtime Parks and Recreation Executive Director Jim Armstrong, Masters helped bring about a great increase in participation across all rec sports. During his 12-year tenure, Sylacauga Parks and Rec teams won 13 state championships.
Since taking over for Armstrong last February, Masters has overseen the restoration of Sylacauga’s parks, increased public usage of the J. Craig Smith Community Center through regularly-scheduled free gym time, full-week meal service to seniors in the community, the addition of frequent, family-friendly entertainment events, and the initial planning for a proposed indoor aquatics center.
Although Masters is thankful receive such an honor, he believes that there is still much to be done with Parks and Rec nor could he have done this without all the help he gets from within the department.
“It is very humbling to be recognized by your professional peers,” said Masters. “We all are doing similar jobs and we understand the long hours of the job and what the standards of the job should be. Obviously this is a total team effort and we are blessed to have an outstanding team at Sylacauga Parks and Recreation.”
