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Chief searches combined By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings The same recruitment firm will search for the new Ashland Parks and Recreation Department director and new Ashland police chief. On Monday night, the Ashland Parks and Recreation Commission decided to choose California-based Shannon Executive Search to help replace Ken Mickelsen, who left his post as director earlier this month to head the Maple Valley, Wash., parks system. City Administrator Gino Grimaldi also tapped the firm to find top candidates for the police chief position. Current Police Chief Scott Fleuter, diagnosed with the auto-immune disorder lupus, will step down at the end of the week. "Shannon will be talking to people in the community for the police chief and they could pick up more information for the parks director search," said Jim Lewis, chair of the parks commission. "They will get a better feel for the community." The parks commission will be able to trim costs for the search by doing some tasks in-house, such as preparing a recruitment brochure for director candidates, he said. Shannon Executive Search will discount its $13,500 parks director search fee by $500 since it has been chosen to conduct both searches. Expenses for the parks director search range from $2,300 to $4,750, and are not included in the fee, according to a written proposal submitted by the firm. Shannon Executive Search's fee to recruit a new police chief is $18,000 - an amount that will be discounted by at least $1,000, according to Grimaldi. Expenses for that search range from $6,500 to $9,000, he said. Recruitment firm services generally include developing a profile of attributes and qualifications for candidates; identifying candidates, including those who are not looking for a new job; conducting reference and background checks; presenting a short list of qualified candidates and facilitating interviews. Prior to the parks commission meeting, Lewis and fellow Commissioner Mike Gardiner had reviewed the head-hunting firms search proposals and recommended California-based Bob Murray & Associates be chosen to recruit a parks director. But Lewis said all three firms that were considered were qualified for the task. In other business Monday night, the commission: appointed Parks Superintendent Steve Gies as interim director; approved design plans for a stairway connecting Granite Street to the Calle Guanajuato, landscaping and a small amphitheater next to the stairs; heard the parks department has won the Government Finance Officers Association Certificate of Achievement for the 16th consecutive year. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -