FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 3, 2020

Mayor Noble Announces Changes in the 

Departments of Public Works and Parks & Recreation

KINGSTON, NY – Mayor Steve Noble has announced an ambitious plan to improve service delivery and reduce redundancies through the proposed integration of leadership teams of the Departments of Public Works and Parks and Recreation. 

Under Mayor Noble’s proposal, Department of Public Works (DPW) Superintendent, Ed Norman, will oversee both the Department of Public Works and the Parks and Recreation Department. A new Deputy Superintendent of Environmental Services will be established who will work alongside the existing Deputy Superintendent and oversee several divisions, including: Parks maintenance, recreation programming, environmental education and sustainability programs, and the sanitation division. A Recreation Director will be appointed to supervise and lead new and existing recreation programs and services. 

The new partnership between DPW and Parks and Recreation will not result in any layoffs of current employees nor changes to existing CSEA contracts. The plan will not affect the 2020 Budget and will not interrupt any current or planned work within the departments.

“Both of these departments play unique and distinct roles in the day to day lives of our community members,” said Mayor Noble. “However, there are a variety of core service areas offered by each department that intersect, and many large scale projects in the pipeline that will benefit from improved communication and collective planning. We are in the midst of our city’s largest investment in municipal infrastructure and parks in a generation. Now is the time to break down silos and work together to get the job done.”

"I am excited for the opportunity to lead these two departments and build a strong, unified team,” said DPW Superintendent Ed Norman. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to effectively manage our limited resources and support our great staff who work hard every day to address our aging infrastructure, preserve our beautiful parks, and maintain the essential services our City residents expect.”

Julie Noble, the current Environmental Education and Sustainability Coordinator, has been provisionally selected for the Deputy Superintendent of Environmental Services position and will report to DPW Superintendent Ed Norman. A longtime Parks and Recreation employee, Noble also works in the DPW office, where she has been collaborating closely with the Sanitation department on recycling and solid waste initiatives. This new Deputy Superintendent position will require a Civil Service examination, a request for which will be sent to the New York State Civil Service Commission immediately. For the position of Recreation Director, Lynsey Timbrouck, who is currently a Recreation Leader will be appointed off an eligible Civil Service list. Timbrouck will report to the new Deputy Superintendent of Environmental Services. 

Julie Noble has worked for the City of Kingston under the Parks and Recreation Department since 1999, starting full-time in 2007. As the Environmental Education and Sustainability Coordinator, Julie manages the City’s environmental projects, initiatives and programming, including energy, land use, climate adaptation, transportation, recycling and environmental education. She serves as the Climate Smart Community Coordinator and Conservation Advisory Council Chair, and is the Vice President of the New York State Association of Conservation Commissions. Julie has a Bachelor's Degree in Environmental Studies from Binghamton University.

“I have had the opportunity to work side by side with the dedicated Parks and Recreation staff since I was in high school, and over the past 20 years, I have gained an in-depth and intimate knowledge of our city's expansive parks system and programming," said Julie Noble. “For the past year, I have worked directly with DPW, immersing myself in its operations and effectively and collaboratively managing projects with the administration and staff. I have served as a project manager for multiple interdepartmental projects, as well as the Recycling Coordinator, working firsthand with the Sanitation Division during the switch to dual stream. There is so much opportunity in aligning the departments and I look forward to being part of, and building, a team that will improve efficiencies, streamline communication, and collectively move this city forward."

Lynsey Timbrouck is currently a Recreation Leader within the Parks and Recreation Department, where she is responsible for organizing, planning and implementing community programs, including the department’s youth basketball programs, and coordinating special events within the city. Prior to her current position, Lynsey served in various roles in local government, first as a Community Liaison for New York State Assemblyman Kevin Cahill, and then as the Confidential Secretary for Mayor Noble for the duration of his first term. Lynsey attended the College of Saint Rose on a full basketball scholarship, where she graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Communications in 2011. 

“Growing up in the Parks and Recreation Department, I had strong role models who cared about me and supported me to work hard and achieve my goals,” said Lynsey Timbrouck. “Managing this department and giving back to the community who raised me has been my dream for as long as I can remember. Through this work, we have the opportunity to touch the lives of thousands of children, adults and seniors each year and I am honored to have the opportunity to lead us forward."

Mayor Noble will present his proposal to the Common Council Laws & Rules and Finance Committees at their February meetings. If approved by the Common Council, the reconfiguration of the departments will begin in April.