The town's director of community services, Barbara Hill, retired on June 28 after spending 40 years in municipal government.
Including four separate stints in Olds totalling eight years, Hill also worked in Canmore, Coleman, Calgary and Red Deer. Hill started her last tenure in Olds in February 2010.
Hill first came to Olds as a university student and ran summer programs for the town. She later came back and was part of the staff that operated the newly-built sports complex, developed Hartman Green park area with the cooperation of the community and developed the museum.
“What made Olds a great place to (work in) is mostly the people and the programs and services that are available here,” she said. “There are an absolutely dedicated group of volunteers who support the programs and services that make this a great place to live.”
Norm McInnis, the town's chief administrative officer, who hired Hill in 2010, said Hill was a leader in the parks, recreation and community services field in Alberta. Hill was hired on just as she was working as a consultant on the Mountain View Recreation, Parks and Trails Master Plan.
“We were quite fortunate that the timing worked out as it did (in 2010) and this opportunity came up just as Barb was actually doing some work in Olds,” he said.
McInnis will serve as the acting community services director until the town finds a replacement for Hill.
