New Leadership at Gulf and Meaher State Parks

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[QUOTE]New Leadership at Gulf and Meaher State Parks


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[COLOR=#36373C !important]Matt Young of Gulf Shores, Alabama, has been named Southwest District Superintendent for Alabama State Parks

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June 9, 2022
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) announces that Matt Young of Gulf Shores, Alabama, has been named Southwest District Superintendent for ADCNR’s State Parks Division.
In addition to managing daily operations at Gulf and Meaher state parks, Young will work closely with State Parks staff and community leaders to strengthen local partnerships and promote both parks as world-class vacation destinations.
Young said he is honored for the opportunity.
“As a frequent visitor to Alabama’s State Parks, I know firsthand what a dedicated staff they have,” he said. “I am grateful to Director Lein for providing me with this opportunity to lead such a talented team. I look forward to serving one of the best state park systems in the country and strengthening the local partnerships that benefit Gulf and Meaher state park guests.”
Prior to joining the ADCNR’s State Parks Division, Young served as Assistant Director of Recreation and Cultural Affairs for the City of Gulf Shores where he supervised department staff, oversaw the operation of public beaches and other recreational facilities, developed partnerships with local and regional organizations and businesses, and helped develop and implement the city’s parks and recreation master plan. Young has also served as Commissioner of the City of Gulf Shores Planning Commission since 2019.
Young earned a Bachelor of Science in anthropology from the University of Arizona and a Master of Science in recreation and park administration from Eastern Kentucky University. Originally from California, he has lived in Gulf Shores since 2015.
“We are excited to have Matt as Southwest District Superintendent for our State Parks Division,” said Chris Blankenship, ADCNR Commissioner. “He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this position. We look forward to the benefits his leadership will bring to these parks.”
Young joins the Alabama State Parks Division as Gary Ellis, Gulf State Park’s Director of Community Relations and Administration, retires.
Ellis served as community liaison for Gulf State Park since 2019 until retiring in June 2022. During his tenure, he helped coordinate the establishment of a world-class lodge at the park, assisted in the planning for new park amenities and worked to position the park as an international ecotourism destination.
“Gary has been a key player in our modernization efforts at Gulf,” said Greg Lein, State Parks Director. “He helped paved the way for many future improvements at the park. We thank him for his service to the state of Alabama and wish him an enjoyable retirement.”
Throughout his career, Ellis provided leadership to organizations across the Southeast, including founding hospitality-focused Compass Media, and co-founding the Coastal Resiliency Coalition and the Gulf United Metro Business Organization. Ellis is a member of the Alabama Hospitality Hall of Fame and received the Alabama Governor’s Tourism Award in 2009.
“I've been fortunate to serve the people of coastal Alabama for more than 45 years,” Ellis said. “As a lifelong resident of Gulf Shores, I have dedicated my career to promoting the area as a great place to visit while encouraging environmental sustainability. I am grateful for the opportunity to have done so with Alabama State Parks.”[/QUOTE]

Let’s all call or email Mr. Young to congratulate him on his new position. Let’s also remind him or the dollars and opportunities being lost with only 2/3 of a fishing pier.

DT, do you know this person? Any insight?

Soon I hope

I am hoping that a local person might have more insight into how important the State Fishing Pier is to Alabama tourism. The Perdido Pass public access is also a big draw. it is extremely poor that the damages to these sights are being neglected for such a long period. I was also very disappointed in the new State Park Beach hotel. I went down last year planning to stay there a few days but when I saw the physical layout of where the parking area is (about 300 yards walk from the lobby entrance) and then the layout of the rooms location in relation the the lobby area is also a long walk. I am somewhat handicapped and limited in the amount I can walk. We went and found another hotel. The Park Management did a terrible supervisory job of the design of this hotel.

I was able to get Mr. Young’s contact info.
matt.young@dcnr.Alabama.gov
251-948-7275

I couldn’t agree more. We can only hope…

As I understand it he has only visited the pier 1 time, so it seems he may not pay too much attention to us here. I was hoping for more!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by fshntime

As I understand it he has only visited the pier 1 time, so it seems he may not pay too much attention to us here. I was hoping for more!

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Great news. Fantastic. Awesome. Amazing. Wonderful.

" In addition to managing daily operations at Gulf and Meaher state parks, Young will work closely with State Parks staff and community leaders to strengthen local partnerships and promote both parks as world-class vacation destinations". Certainly, the pier, in its present condition, can't be considered world-class, except as an eyesore. As for "working closely with community leaders", let's give him a chance to see how proactive he is in that regard. The announcement is just two days old, so let's see how long it is before we see him or hear his plans for working closely with the community.

I say his honeymoon is over July 1. If he doesn't have a handle on what needs to be done by then he is the wrong man for the job. That's 15 working days to come up with something.

Tom, the announcement is only 2 days old but he's been in place for a while now.

I've been wondering lately how much money the Pier is losing everyday by not being repaired? This time of year I would guess in excess of $2000 Dollars a day. Anybody else care to make a guess?

I’d like to see how many visitors per day in the June before the renovations started as opposed to this June, or even compare the two months of May, before and now.

I say give the guy some time to see for himself. It's good as the old guy was sunset to retirement it sounds like. If not, a simple invite might enlighten him.

Superintendent Matt Young returned my call and we had about a 20 minute conversation. During our talk, Matt said he would be glad to meet with pier users to discuss where the state is in the repair process. I could tell y’all everything he told me but, it would take up too much space and, he can explain it much better than I can.

I gathered that Mr. Young understands all the moving parts of the rebuild process and is determined to do all he can to push things along. I ask all of you to call or email his office and encourage a meeting so we all understand what is and what is not happening. Matt suggested a place like Sea and Suds or the little restaurant on the pier to have this get together. Calls and emails from just me isn’t going to do it. I posted his contact info in this thread.

Lastly, my hat goes off to Matt for even calling me back. Let’s make this meeting happen. I think you all will feel better about the process.