Rick Barnett

Parks & Facilities Maintenance Manager

I have the pleasure of working with a team of seasoned professionals who take care of 900 acres of park land and natural spaces and more than 25 city buildings and properties.

When away from work I enjoy spending time with my wife Janelle, my children and grandchildren. I am slightly addicted to classic cars and refuse to eat brussel sprouts.

Amy Bennett

Aquatics

I organize our youth lesson program at Albany Community Pool. I also plan and teach the water awareness program and mentor our instructors. I love getting to work with different age groups at the pool. I am a very social person, so this job is perfect for me!

In my spare time, I love spending time at the beach, road trips with my husband, and spending quality time with my family and friends.

Linda Booth

Registration

I am a Clerk 3 for Parks & Recreation. I work at the front desk helping customers register for classes, trips & tours, camps, or Maple Lawn Preschool, and provide reception for the City of Albany. The thing I love most about my job is connecting people with our programs to enrich their lives. In my free time I enjoy playing piano, singing, and reading.

Wayde Burrese

Park Maintenance

I work as a Park Maintenance 2 and am a Certified Arborist for the Urban Forestry Program. I love my job - making things safe and beautiful for the public to enjoy. I enjoy spending time outdoors with my family and friends.

Brandon Curry

Facilities Maintenance

I work for the City of Albany as the Facilities Maintenance 2. We take care of the city buildings as well as the people within them.

I enjoy spending time outdoors with the family, hunting, fishing, camping, sports and just relaxing.

Richard Dowell

Park Maintenance

I work as a Park Maintenance 1. My primary duties are custodial for all our city parks. I clean and open the bathrooms in the summertime, and help with miscellaneous park maintenance projects that people need help with.

I love spending time with my family, fishing and eating.

Bob Grady

Park Maintenance

My Park Maintenance 2 job consists of playground inspection and repair and sometimes installing new playgrounds. I do some turf care and sidewalk and concrete repair in the summertime. We do a bunch of shrub bed pruning in the winter months. I also do a little bit of construction and tree maintenance.

I am a proud father of a beautiful daughter and am very family-oriented. The coast is one of our favorite places to go to get away. I am also a big Beavers and Seahawks fan, so I like potlucks and getting together to watch the games.

Becky Hunter-Froemke

Park Maintenance

I am a Park Maintenance 2 for the City of Albany. Being in park maintenance I do a variety of jobs including irrigation and plumbing, turf maintenance, shruband tree maintenance, concrete, and construction. I love being outdoors, so this job is a great fit for me. It is also a bonus getting to meet new dogs in the parks!

Scott Jackson

Aquatics

As an Aquatic Programs Coordinator I get to teach swimming lessons, lifeguard, perform pool maintenance and other administrative tasks. Working for the City gives me the opportunity to interact with my community and help make Albany a great place to live and play.

In our spare time, my wife Dorie and I love to travel or play with our 3 grandchildren. We’ve traveled together to Canada, Italy, Germany, Poland, Belize, Cuba and Peru. We also love to go hiking, camping and rafting all around the great State of Oregon.

Melissa Kemmer

Registration

As a Clerk 3, I work at the front desk helping customers register for classes, trips & tours, and camps. I love my job because I get to serve the community by contributing to a department that offers some of the greatest free concerts and activities in the Valley. In my free time I enjoy hiking, canoeing, reading, watching movies and spending time with my family.

Rose Lacey

Recreation Manager

As Recreation Manager, I oversee recreation programs for our department. My favorite thing about my job is that every day is different, and I work with an amazing group of people. We get to provide the Albany community with FUN! People often ask if working here is like the show Parks & Recreation… I have only seen a few episodes but from my experience real life is much stranger thqn fiction.

My favorite things to do are hiking in the cascades, camping at Waldo Lake, skiing with my family, tailgating with friends (Go Beavs!), traveling to warm places, eating delicious food, and spending time with my favorite living creature, my dog Charlie.

Misha Lind

Recreation Programs Specialist (Families)

I serve Albany as the Children, Youth, and Family Recreation Programs Specialist. My role is to coordinate classes, camps, and events for kids, teens, and families. I believe that physical activity, fun, and play are extremely important for healthy people and a healthy community, and I love creating opportunities for Albany residents to participate in all of these!

My husband, Taylor, and I like to hike, go camping, and watch movies. On my own, I read as many books as possible, run often, and watch Chicago Cubs baseball!

Debbie Little

Administrative Services Coordinator

As the Administrative Services Coordinator for Parks & Recreation, I help keep the department organized and running within budget. During the summer I also help with the events and get up bright and early to send up the hot air balloons at Northwest Art & Air Festival.

I love my job because I get to work with an amazing group of people who work so hard to bring activities and events to Albany to make it a great place to live.

I enjoy spending time at the beach, taking drives through mountains, and cheering on my Beavs. My husband Gary and I love to watch movies, listening to music, and having family over for BBQ’s.

Don Lulay

Park Maintenance

I am a Parks Maintenance 3. My main responsibility is taking care of City park irrigation systems. The part I enjoy most is troubleshooting whenever there is a problem.

When I am not at work, I enjoy spending time with my wife Kris. I also like to refurbish old yard ornaments and do wood carvings.

Hunter Luhrs

Facilities Maintenance

I have lived around Oregon but have lived in Albany the longest. I enjoy spending time with my family, fishing, hunting, playing video games and watching movies. I currently work in facilities maintenance doing miscellaneous tasks such as fixing toilets, doors, and other preventive maintenance. When I'm not working on inside, I am out landscaping and helping to keep our buildings looking nice.

Kim Lyddane

Parks & Recreation Director

I’m the happy gal who gets to be the Director for the Albany Parks & Recreation Department. I guide staff in finding effective ways to support Albany’s recreation needs. I love my job because of the people. From the staff to our patrons, community partners to visitors; their passion and energy is what makes this town great.

My husband, kiddos, and I love living in Albany. How do I recreate? I love visiting National Parks, road trips, hiking, camping, dance fitness classes, food factory tours, yard sales, and anything involving dressing up in a costume.

Nicole Markel

Resource Development Coordinator

Resource Development Coordinator is just a fancy way of saying that I work with community business partners on sponsorships for all of the amazing events & programs that are put on by my co-workers.

I love my job because I get to work with so many incredible people in our community that care deeply for Albany and help to make it a wonderful place to live by generously supporting things like River Rhythms, NW Art & Air Festival and Fun in the Park just to name a few.

I love to spend my time outside of work hiking, wine tasting and exploring our beautiful state. My husband David and I love to travel and visit new & exciting places!

Francisco Santiago

Park Maintenance

I serve in the City of Albany as a Park Maintenance III with lead worker responsibilities. I have the pleasure of working with a professional team to keep the 36 parks of the city in good conditions, as well as the flower beds in the summertime.

When away from work I enjoy spending time with my wife, daughters, and son. We enjoy watching soccer games.

Jay Sharpe

Natural Resource Specialist

I help manage the city’s urban forest, parks, and natural areas from an ecological perspective, which includes planting beneficial trees on city streets and in parks, performing ecological restoration, and fielding natural resource concerns from the public. I’m a proud graduate of Oregon State University’s Forestry Program.

When I’m not at work I’m probably cooking a large meal, spending time with my beautiful family, snooping around in the woods, or playing loud music with my friends.

Pete Shelby

Park Maintenance

I work for Park Maintenance. My main job is to keep parks and city right of ways safe and functional. I enjoy interacting with the people around town and working in the community where I grew up.

Lynne Smith

Event and Program Coordinator

My main job is coordinating our summer events like the Northwest Art and Air Festival, River Rhythms Concert Series and our trips and tours program.

In thinking about my workday, one quote comes to mind: “Variety is the Spice of Life!”. I am fortunate enough to have a job that keeps my day interesting and fun! I work on a variety of tasks and projects, all with the goal of bringing joy to our community members. Seeing my teams hard work bring happiness and fun to our community makes this job more than worth it.

When I’m not working, I like to go camping, float the river, spend time with my family and friends, play board games & cards, and anything that is outdoors and in the sunshine! My husband Mark and I love to travel and explore new places.