Starting salary $60,754 to $81,648 annually based on qualifications and experience. City of Davis offers paid health insurance, paid vacation and sick leave, paid Federal Holidays and retirement benefits. A relocation bonus is available and negotiable.
Applicants should send a cover letter and resume with 3 references to citymanager@davisok.city
The City of Davis, OK is looking for a dynamic committed leader to head its Parks and Tourism Department. The Department includes Turner Falls Park, home of Oklahoma's tallest waterfall situated in the heart of the Arbuckle Mountains. Turner Falls Park is a City-owned 1500-acre park offering swimming, hiking, biking, family cabins, bunk houses, luxury tipis and camping. Turner Falls Park is moving in a new and exciting direction with significant investment funds for infrastructure and amenity improvements in the park. The Department also includes a 13-acre City park--Fullerton Park. Fullerton Park offers walking paths, splash pad, playgrounds, shade structures and a stage. The park is home to multiple community events throughout the year. The Director will partner with the contract management team of Cross Bar Ranch. Cross Bar Ranch is a City-owned 6500-acre off-road park attracting 4-wheel enthusiasts and off-road vehicles of all types. The Director will also serve as a member on the newly formed Murray County Tourism Committee. The Committee is focused on economic growth through development and expansion of tourism opportunities across the county.
The Park and Tourism Department is comprised of 20 full-time employees, 5 part-time employees and approximately 70 seasonal employees. The Department has an operational budget of $7.2 million annually.
Bachelor's Degree with a concentration in Parks Administration, Tourism, Recreation or closely related field and/or 8 years directly related experience with 3 years supervisory and administrative experience. Membership and participation in professional and/or trade associations such as the National Recreation and Park Association, US Travel Association and other state professional organizations is preferred. Experience in municipal government preferred. A valid driver's license is required.
As with so many Oklahoma towns, Davis owes its existence to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Although trains still clatter along the rails, more traffic flows down U.S. Interstate 35, situated two miles west of Davis, along State Highway 7, Davis's Main Street, and U.S. Highway 77, which runs north-south through town. Davis is located in Murray County, twenty-three miles north of Ardmore and twenty-three miles south of Pauls Valley. It has a council-manager form of government.
Davis is the home of Turner Falls Park, which the citizens voted to purchase for $21,000 in 1925. Located in the Arbuckle Mountains, Turner Falls is named for pioneer resident Mazeppa Turner, who represented Murray County in the Oklahoma Legislature from 1907 until 1911. Oklahoma's Initial Point, from which all of Oklahoma except the Panhandle was surveyed, and Fort Arbuckle are about eight miles west of Davis. The Initial Point (NR 70000533) and the Davis Santa Fe Depot (NR 94001507) are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
