Longtime Darien Parks & Recreation Director To Leave Town

DARIEN, CT — After 8.5 years of service, Darien Parks & Recreation Director Pam Gery is leaving town.

Gery, who has commuted to Darien Town Hall nearly two hours each way, has accepted a job to be the parks & recreation and senior center director in Guilford where she lives. Her drive to work will be shaved down to approximately one minute.

Prior to arriving in Darien in 2015, Gery oversaw parks & recreation departments in Westbrook and North Branford.

"Leaving the town of Darien is definitely a mix of emotions. I'm so grateful for the enriching experiences and meaningful connections and the opportunities to contribute to the community's vitality," Gery told Patch. Her last day in Darien is Thursday, Jan. 18.

"The decision to move on was not made lightly, but it was definitely something I could not overlook," Gery added. "There's just a sense of pride in all the accomplishments we achieved here in my tenure. I made some great friends and great relationships with colleagues and stakeholders. I really enjoyed this community a lot."

The Darien Board of Selectmen mentioned Gery's impending departure during its recent regularly scheduled meeting.

"She's terrific and has added more energy than any of us put together. She is bright and vivacious and program-focused," First Selectman Jon Zagrodzky said. "For all the time she's had that job, she's tried to bring fresh energy to that important function in town, and you can feel it when you go to our parks, you can feel it when you see the programs, you can feel it when you see the sheer numbers of people who sign up for these programs. We definitely will launch an active search and find the next great person for this role."

Selectman Monica McNally, who served as the town's chief elected official before Zagrodzky, also praised Gery's work in town.

"I think she brought fresh energy. I always appreciated her eye toward the business side of the parks and rec. department, and her ingenuity for creating programs and for just running a really great department as far as personnel goes," McNally said.

Gery said she's particularly proud of implementing several community events that have become staples on the calendar, like the Old Fashioned Holiday event at Tilley Pond Park which saw record attendance last month, or Rocktoberfest and Weed Beach Fest.

Before coming to Darien, there were hardly any community events in town from parks & recreation.

"The town supported my proposal to get a full-time recreation supervisor on board, and that was pretty much a key element because most of the staff had been here close to 20 years and they had been doing a lot of the same things for a long time," Gery said. "It was really great to get that new, fresh blood on staff. We were able to, as a team, come back around and make a lot of changes in town."

A visit back to Darien might be in order once the town completes the Weed Beach Meadow and Trail Project, one of the first initiatives Gery tackled when she came to town.

Darien purchased a piece of land at Weed Beach which expanded the park, and one of Gery's first goals was to figure out what to do with the property.

"Now we have a plan and we're going out for construction bids soon, and unfortunately I won't be here for it. I'm sad for that, but I'm really happy for the town we've gotten this far," Gery said, calling the project "near and dear" to her heart.

The proposal calls for an expanded beach area, parking area, new green space and a trail loop.

Teamwork was an important element for Gery, who thanked her volunteers, staff, the Darien Parks & Recreation Commission and other key government boards for their support and help over the years.

"It's just been a terrific experience here. I've learned a great deal," Gery said. "I came here with just an unbelievable amount of enthusiasm and passion, and desire and commitment to give Darien beautiful facilities and great events and lots of things to do to make sure [residents] love their town as much as I ended up loving it, too."