Region of Queens hires specialist for rec centre

Her first day on the job was April 1.

“I’m so excited, I think it’s great for me personally,” said Gilmour, “But for the community I think we’re on the cusp of something that could be really very exciting in terms of development and growth for the community.”

Gilmour is originally from Ontario.

Beginning her education in photography, her career path soon switched into the food and beverage industry, she said.

Soon she dabbled in event planning and management.

With a lot of sales background she also has small facility management under her belt.

“My most recent job was with a hospitality group in Halifax,” she said. “There was a great deal of sales and event planning involved with that, which will be a big part of this job.”

One of Gilmour’s first steps is to get a fundraising plan and a communications strategy in place to ensure they are communicating appropriately with the public, she explained.

“The primary focus of my job right now is to lay out the ground work of what our next process is going to be,” she continued.

Establishing a fundraising committee of volunteers is one of her tasks.

The $20-million recreation facility will house a NHL size arena with seating for 900, an aquatics centre, walking track, fitness centre and community room.

With a goal of raising $2-million for the Queens Place recreation facility Gilmour knows it could be a little stressful.

“It’s definitely a challenging number but it doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s unobtainable. I really think that it is a valuable project,” she declared. “It’s giving people an opportunity to invest in the future of their children and their children’s children.”

Gilmour understands there are bound to be concerns with a project like this.

“I think that’s part of the reason they established a position for somebody to head up communications,” she said.

People with questions regarding fundraising, communications, media or public relations can contact Gilmour at 354-5741.

Persons with questions about infrastructure or operations should contact the Region of Queens Municipality.