Lebanon
In what he and CCBA Board of Trustees Chairman Bruce Bergeron are calling a mutual decision, Richardson’s last day will be Sept. 2, 26 years after he became executive director in September 1990.
Richardson announced the decision in an email to CCBA employees on Monday. The Lebanon-based organization’s personnel committee this week is charged with developing a search committee to seek Richardson’s replacement, Bergeron said.
Both parties indicated on Tuesday that a change is needed to help CCBA adjust to a shifting recreational landscape in the Upper Valley.
Richardson was named director just three years after the opening of the Witherell Recreation Center, a then-state-of-the-art facility featuring fitness rooms and one of the Upper Valley’s only indoor swimming pools.
“Curtis’ dedication to the CCBA is unbelievable,” Bergeron said in an interview at the original Carter Community Building on Campbell Street, today used primarily as a pre-school and drop-in recreation center. “No matter who comes in (to replace Richardson), they’re not going to be as committed or dedicated as he is.
“Recreation opportunities in the Upper Valley have changed, and the CCBA faces challenges to change and adapt to these challenges. Both (Richardson) and the board agreed that it’s time to bring in someone with a fresh outlook and ideas,” Bergeron said.
The 66-year-old Richardson said his management style differs from what he feels the board currently seeks.
“There are several different kinds of managers. I’ve always felt like it’s been my job to put good systems in place so that (employees) — hopefully, creative ones — have the ability to develop strong programs,” said Richardson, a Thetford resident who holds master’s degrees in social planning and humanistic education. “Other managers are very motivational and inspirational on the management side, always putting out ideas for fitness programs. … I think the board now is looking for someone with a bit more of the latter qualities.”
Richardson and Bergeron each acknowledged financial challenges CCBA faces in light of competition from other nearby recreation and fitness facilities. While Witherell was the only viable indoor swimming option for many Upper Valley residents when it opened in 1987, today swimming is offered a few miles away at River Valley Club as well as at the Upper Valley Aquatic Center, a nonprofit which opened in 2009.
“The market has changed a lot,” said Bergeron, a Lebanon resident and 1984 Lebanon High graduate. “There are fewer kids around than there were when I was a kid, and there are more opportunities in the area for families.”
While fundraising for capital improvements has been largely successful in recent years, Bergeron said, he also noted the organization has needed to utilize more endowment money since the recession.
CCBA had a 2016 budget of a little under $1.7 million, and Richardson’s salary is $74,900.
“Five percent of our endowment is set aside for operating expenses, and our reliance on that endowment has gone up since 2008,” Bergeron said. “It hasn’t been anything too dramatic.”
Asked if the need for a leadership change was primarily the result of financial struggles, Bergeron answered, “I wouldn’t say that, no. I think that there is a life cycle for any management position in an organization like CCBA, and that 25 years is a long time to have leadership from a single person.”
Richardson has overseen numerous facilities upgrades during his tenure, including outdoor amenities such as tennis and basketball courts and a playground; a new wing inside the Witherell Center featuring a meeting room and children’s activities area; and renovations to the original building that allowed it to remain in use.
“I think what I’m most proud of is the incalculable number of lives that the CCBA has touched while I’ve been here,” Richardson said. “It’s always been a safe, effective, clean, approachable place for people to exercise.”
Bob Moses, who was the board chairman when Richardson was hired and remains on CCBA’s finance committee, was initially surprised when he learned Richardson was stepping down.
“What I’ll always remember about Curtis is that he took over an organization that probably quintupled in size (after the Witherell Center was built) … and he put in a lot of policies and procedures that made the new set-up great,” Moses said. “We needed a real professional to put those systems in place, and that’s what Curtis has been.”
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.