“Mike and I were a strong team because we each had different strengths,” Figy said. “ He had more knowledge of trails and like trails and park systems, where my experience was more programming and sports-oriented … Originally, when Mike was here, he was the only [employee], and then when he added my position, our department doubled, and we were able to do a lot more. I had a lot of good ideas, and we were able to put those into play, and then we were able to continue to grow our division.”
Figy’s said her short-term goals will be filling the recreation supervisor position and addressing issues with the Heritage Pool. The pool had to be closed early this summer “due to significant mechanical issues affecting water quality and safety,” the town stated in an Aug. 16 press release.
Bids for new filtration and chemical automation equipment were reviewed by the town council on Dec. 18.
“Shawna has demonstrated exceptional leadership, unwavering dedication and a deep passion for serving our community,” Town Manger Miranda Fisher wrote in her Dec. 15 weekly update. “Her ability to navigate challenges with determination and a steady commitment to excellence has been invaluable during this period of transition.”
Looking forward, Figy said she will be focused on the continued development of the Camp Verde sports complex, describing it as a “20-year project to get it to finish … there is a lot of unprogrammed space out there.”
“We are waiting on the delivery of the concession restroom building. That was a prefab building that has been ordered, it takes about six months,” Figy said. “I believe that’s supposed to be delivered at the end of February. Then once that’s in, they’ll do the walkway between the soccer and baseball fields. It’ll be all concrete, and then we’re waiting on irrigation pumps so we can get the [water] all set up for the trees.”
“I moved to Arizona in 1999 and in 2001 I started with Yavapai County as a juvenile probation officer. I worked for the county for 10 years,” Figy said. “I worked for a financial planner after that, as an office manager in Sedona for five years. And then I came here. I started with the town of Camp Verde Parks and Rec as a recreation coordinator. I moved to rec supervisor three years ago, and now I’m the manager.”
Figy is from Wauseon, Ohio, and has a bachelor’s degree in physical education and exercise from Michigan State University. She married her husband Brandon Figy in 2006.
“We both grew up in the same hometown in Ohio,” Figy said. “He [is] younger than me, so we did not go to school together. He went to school with my brother, and we met at a bar in our local town in 1999 and then I moved out here.”
“Athletics have always been a significant part of my life; I began playing softball at the age of five and was a dedicated member of my high school swimming and softball teams,” Figy’s departmental biography states. “My husband and I have raised three children here, actively engaging in youth sports as board members and coaches.”
This spring will be Figy’s 10th year coaching at Mingus Union High School and her third year as the varsity softball coach.
“I love coaching. I love the kids and watching them grow, challenging them, and my love of working with kids is what keeps me enjoying the sport,” Figy said.
Figy said that she plans to use that enthusiasm to make “events and programs bigger and better” every year, and offered as an example the growth of the Christmas Magic on Main Street program from 32 vendors and 12 parade entries in 2016 to 62 vendors and 37 parade entries
this year.
The next regularly-scheduled Camp Verde Parks and Recreation Commission meeting will take place on Monday, Jan. 6 at 5:30 p.m.
