After stepping away from the city of Durango last fall, Kevin Hall has officially landed at La Plata County, where he will serve as the deputy county manager. He began the job Monday.
The move is somewhat of a homecoming for Hall, who first worked in the county’s planning department in the late 1990s. He went on to spend over two decades at the city, where he served as assistant city manager; managing director of Community Development; natural lands, trails and sustainability director; and open space and trails development manager.
“I bring years of experience – 25 years in Durango – working on the inside as well as knowing the vast majority of the issues that are going to be coming before us,” Hall said. “I have a lot of foundation already with those things to help continue evolving and moving them forward.”
In December, County Manager Chuck Stevens called upon Hall to serve as the interim director of the Community Development Department, which had just lost its manager and was in need of strong leadership. Hall agreed, with the understanding that he and Stevens would revisit his employment in April.
Mike Segrest left the position of deputy county manger on March 3.
The county hired a recruiting agency to spend the last several months in search of a director for the Community Development Department. However, Hall said he was interested in something different.
“I've been doing community development a long time,” he said. “I like the diversity of multiple subject matters. ... This really gives me a broader participation in the organization.”
As Hall begins the job, one of his first tasks will be to support the incoming Community Development director take the reins.
Although no one has been named to the position, the county has announced that a single finalist, Durango resident Lynn Hyde, was selected after a nationwide search. The public is invited to meet Hyde at a reception in the county Administration Building from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
Until someone begins the job, Hall said he will continue to manage the Community Development Department.
“We still have staffing challenges that need to be addressed and there's code work and plans that need to be updated and all those things will come in time with the new director,” Hall said. “I'll be here to help participate in that.”
In addition to continued work with Community Development, Hall will oversee the directors of several other county departments, although the exact division of labor has yet to be determined.
“I am thrilled to have someone with Kevin’s institutional knowledge, vast local government experience and more than two decades’ of personal investment as an engaged member of this community,” Stevens said in a news release. “Kevin embodies our core values of accountability, integrity and respect and I know our organization – and more importantly, our residents – will benefit from his experience and expertise.”
rschafir@durangoherald.com
