Playing outdoors and in youth athletics was as natural to Cory Tobin as the mountain ranges and coastal waters of his North Carolina home. So, when Tobin discovered those pastimes could be part of a productive adult life, he set a path in that direction and hasn’t looked back.
“Everyone loves a playground,” said Tobin, parks and recreation director for Thomasville, North Carolina, a city of about 27,000 people in the Piedmont region of the state. “Once I figured recreation was actually a career, to be able to still be involved with the outdoors, with athletics, it was just something I naturally gravitated towards.”
Tobin joined the city staff in 2011 and moved into the Parks and Recreation leadership role three years ago. The Exemplary Public Servant award winner is earning kudos for leadership skills that have “elevated the quality of life for residents and enhanced the department’s long-term sustainability,” said Thomasville Deputy City Manager Eddie Bowling.
Tobin has led the completion of Thomasville’s $7 million aquatics and community center, the city’s first new recreational facility built from the ground up in more than seven decades. The project required “meticulous planning, stakeholder collaboration, and adherence to tight schedules and budgets,” Bowling said, and Tobin delivered.
With the project spanning less than two years from conception to completion, the state-of-the-art facility now serves as a hub for community engagement and wellness.
“Cory ensured the project was completed on time and within budget, delivering a modern facility that meets the needs of current and future generations,” Bowling said.
While meeting those criteria was of the utmost importance, Tobin said he also made sure the center serves everyone year-round.
In overseeing the facility design, Tobin studied similar centers nationwide but also found plenty of inspiration close to home.
“I'm very proud of the North Carolina Recreation Association, which offers a lot of support for recreation,” Tobin said. “I think that North Carolinians, in general, appreciate the outdoors and being able to play outside and have a good time, and with that comes activity centers.”
The center features a swimming pool with a zero-entry design, varying access points, chair lifts and areas geared toward different age groups, from infant to seniors. In addition to the pool, the center offers walking trails, meeting rooms and community spaces designed to host programs varying from holiday gatherings to classroom instruction.
“We were really trying to see how many hats the facility could wear and how many different ways it could serve our community members because, ultimately, that's what we're here for,” Tobin said. “People expect good-quality things out of their local government, and it's our responsibility to do that.”
High-quality community programming and spaces are important, Tobin said, “because essentially, they’re our front yard. We want to make sure it's something that our community can be proud to utilize as well.”
The city honored the department’s long history in the community by utilizing timbers from the original 76-year-old pool house in the new facility. And despite the many new features, Tobin kept access to the center affordable for residents.
“There was no increase to our admission; it's remaining at $3 for adults and $2 for children,” Tobin said. “We wanted it to remain equitable for our entire community. … To see all the families over the last few years be able to enjoy a space that's right here in the heart of our city has been just a pleasure to see. I think anyone who's been involved in the project can have pride in that, because that's what we are here for, and why we do what we do each day.”
