The Baxter Senior Center searching for a new director after Brent Lee announced he will leave to pursue an EMS career.
The board will accept applicants through Monday. Lee said many have sent resumes. He said since he took over as director two years ago, the center has grown from some 150 monthly visitors to around 500.
“We had very few events for them, as far as activities,” Lee said. “We only had like exercising Tai Chi, which now we have Tai Chi, we have chair volleyball, we have pickleball.”
Lee said the new director will need to have food service experience, managerial skills, and above all, personality. He said he believes the board has been pleased with the changes over the past two years and is excited for more growth.
“It’s actually something that I’ve always wanted to do,” Lee said. “I took the center and helped make it what it is today, and it’s just time for me to go.”
Lee said he decided to leave about six months ago. He said the board will need to have someone in place before his last day in December, but he expects to have someone on board to get a feel for the center’s operations long before he is gone.
“We’ll start the process of calling people in, talking to them, getting them to fill out an application, do a background check, and making sure that they’re a good fit for the senior center,” Lee said.
He said that ultimately, the selection will be left up to the board. He just acts as a middleman to get applicants in the door and acclimated. He said he does not expect a final decision to take very long.
