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Hayden — The deadline to apply to be Hayden's next Parks and Recreation coordinator is quickly approaching, and town officials would like as many options as possible.

"We're a little short on applications for our new Parks and Recreation coordinator," Hayden Town Manager Russ Martin said Tuesday.

Members of the Parks and Recreation Board are expected to meet with Martin during lunch Friday. Together, they will decide which applicants to interview during a Sept. 12 Park and Recreation Board meeting. People need to submit their applications to Town Hall before then.

To date, five people have submitted applications for the position. The interviews will be conducted during executive session, which means the interviews will not be open to the public. After the Parks and Recreation Board selects a candidate, the Town Board likely will consider that recommendation during its Sept. 21 meeting.

"Hopefully we will be able to get the board to ratify it," Martin said.

The Parks and Recreation Department has been without a leader since July, when J.D. Paul resigned to accept a higher-paying job at Twentymile Coal Co. Paul said he felt overwhelmed with the amount of work he did as the Parks and Recreation supervisor.

Town officials have spent the past two months talking about changing the roles of the supervisor. Paul's responsibilities included organizing recreation and town events in addition to maintaining park facilities.

The new coordinator will be less responsible for day to day park maintenance, and will concentrate more on event and recreation program planning. The maintenance duties will be taken over by an additional town employee, a position that will be discussed during upcoming budget hearings.

The employee would be shared between the Parks and Recreation and Public Works departments.

- To reach Matt Stensland, call 871-4210 or e-mail mstensland@steamboatpilot.com