Travis Young has been with the Cabot Parks and Recreation Department for years, but he’s just moved into new office digs.
This month, Young began his role as the department’s new general director, leaving behind a three-year stint as program director. In his new role, he oversees the day-to-day operations of the department and makes sure its facilities are running efficiently.
“One of the reasons I came to Cabot was the growth of the city that was moving forward,” said Young, a North Little Rock native and a resident of Vilonia. “But also, Cabot is a small-town community, [and] the citizens of the community get behind the programs that they provide.”
Young said the previous general director left the department in good shape and that he’s excited to be taking on the new role.
“With our new facilities that are coming on line for us to be able to use, I believe that we’re only going to be able to grow that much more,” Young said. “While it is exciting, there’s a lot of work ahead of me. I understand that. My No. 1 priority is providing services and programs for the citizens of Cabot.”
Many of the planned and soon-to-open facilities can be seen in the stack of architectural renderings that leans against one of his office walls. But to truly see the growth and goals of the department, one should just drive around the city.
Cabot is celebrating the completion or near completion of a $7.6 million sports complex, a $4.1 million aquatic center and a $5.3 million Veterans Park Community Center expansion. The Community Center, where Young’s office is located, is undergoing a renovation to add an aerobics room, a weight room and a banquet facility to the property.
After playing college baseball at Dyersburg State Community College in Dyersberg, Tennessee; North Arkansas College in Harrison; and William Penn University in Oskaloosa, Iowa, Young returned to Arkansas to study recreation with an emphasis in community sports at the University of Arkansas. Originally a finance major as an undergrad, Young went on to receive a master’s degree in recreation at the U of A.
“The reason people are moving here, No. 1, is because of the schools; No 2. is the quality of life that you have,” he said. “We are trying to provide some of that through our programs and efforts at Parks and Recreation.”
According to the department’s master plan, which over the past year utilized surveys from the community to identify desired additions to the city, Cabot residents most want more walking and hiking trails, indoor fitness and exercise facilities, playground equipment, an aquatic center and a dog park.
“It’s good to see [surveys] like that come along because you can actually see the taxpayers that are helping fund some of our programs and things that we offer, and facilities,” he said. “You can see exactly what they’re wanting.”
From July 2013 to today, Young said, the Parks and Recreation Department has seen construction and renovations take place.
“The completion of this progress will continue the growth of Cabot as a whole and not only provide for the citizens of Cabot, but for people from the outside to come to Cabot,” he said.
Young also said state-of-the-art facilities benefit the area because some, like the city’s previous baseball facility, have been around for more than 20 years, and Cabot voters approved of updates for these.
“Our older facilities are starting to show some of their age, so these new facilities were what the community wanted,” he said. “It had to be voted on through a bond project, so the citizens had to vote for it, and it passed unanimously.”
Young said the department’s structure differs from what one might find across the state.
“Most of the cities that you go to, the parks department is run by the city,” he said. “We are run by a seven-person autonomous commission, so the parks department is autonomous from the city, but we operate on city property.”
It’s hard to tell how many residents use Parks and Recreation facilities, Young said. The department oversees the city’s “passive parks,” such as outdoor parks and walking trails, along with centers that are membership-based. Renovations at the Veterans Park Community Center will provide 25 percent more space for activities, he said.
“One of the biggest programs that we have in our community center is our health and fitness stuff,” he said. “But our aerobics classes
— and Zumba, Pilates, yoga
— they’re bursting at the seams, and they need a little bit more space.”
Space is also a characteristic of the city of Cabot, and the department plans to implement facilities and methods to connect everything together, especially because every major road in the city is a state highway, Young said.
“One of the industry standards now that’s growing is bike lanes and walkability of a town, connectivity,” he said.
Cabot Parks and Recreation also has a joint-use agreement with the Cabot Public School District, which gives the department access to more sports facilities for its programs.
“As director, I would like to try to grow that joint use even further and make it beneficial not only for Cabot Parks and Recreation, but for the schools,” Young said.
The department runs its own youth sports programs in baseball, basketball, wrestling and more, and provides upkeep for the facilities used by outside sports associations. However, there is a community that the department isn’t reaching as well, Young noted.
“Where we do not provide is for special-needs kids,” he said. “One of the things I’d like to see under my direction is the development of special-needs programs within our department. Cabot has a large population base of special education [students] within the school system, so I want to tap into some of that.”
Young said he hopes to one day develop a league specifically for special-needs children and to build a special-needs sports facility with the help of grants, fundraisers and donations.
The department currently has a few open positions that need to be filled, and Young will be responsible for hiring his own replacement. He said he plans to hire a leader who is able to be direct and work in a fast-paced environment.
Over the next three months, Young plans to spend one-on-one time with each department employee in order to build a relationship and understanding.
“Even though I know what they do, I will get a better, clearer understanding of exactly what they do and find out ways I can help them do their jobs better,” he said. “I want all our staff to be successful, but at the same time, I want to make sure that they have the resources and tools provided to them to do their jobs to the best of their ability.”
Five years from now, Young said, he hopes to see Cabot undergoing another master-plan-based expansion and to have communities across the state implementing the improvements Cabot has made.
“One of my philosophies in parks and recreation is, you don’t have to do everything. But what you do, you have to do well,” he said.
Staff writer Syd Hayman can be reached at (501) 244-4307 or shayman@arkansasonline.com.