After 5 months vacant, Beaufort County fills parks director position
After a five-month vacancy and following previous months of tumult, Beaufort County has filled the Parks and Recreation Director role with the announcement that Eric Brown was selected to lead the department. Brown has more than 35 years of experience in Parks and Recreation departments, according to a county press release. Previously he worked for the City of Hollywood, FL and Dania Beach, FL in their parks departments.
The county’s release notes that Brown is a native of Hollywood, FL and according to his Linkedin profile, he is an alum of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach. Hollywood, FL is located just outside of Miami and is home to more than 150,000 residents and boasts of having approximately 35 parks.
Brown’s first day with the county was Monday.
“I believe that competent professionals must consistently endeavor to perform to the best of their abilities, have integrity, create a streamlined approach to issue resolution, and deliver exceptional customer service,” said Brown of his new position in the county’s released statement.
Brown’s hiring brings the hope of a new chapter for parks department
The Parks and Recreation Director role has been vacant since October of last year, when the previous director, Shannon Loper, was fired.
Loper’s termination from the county came on the heels of news that her department had approved purchasing nearly $800,000 in “handicapped accessible” playground equipment. It was installed at the Port Royal Community Center and the work was completed on July 6.
Assistant County Administrator for Development and Recreation Chuck Atkinson brought the issue to the county council’s attention, citing the violation of the procurement approval rules. An invoice submitted to the county for the $799,052 playground equipment is dated May 25, 2023, meaning the purchase was approved at least four months before it was presented to the council. The expense associated with the equipment exceeded the $200,000 threshold needed for council approval by nearly fourfold. When the council did review the playground on Sept. 25, months after the equipment was installed, the purchase was approved in an 8-2 vote.
Two weeks later, Loper was terminated by Interim Administrator John Robinson. At the time of her firing, the grounds for her termination were cited as “violated the Beaufort County policy manual,” according to Beaufort County.
Early last month, Loper was hired as Parks and Recreation Director for Rincon, GA. She’ll serve as the interim until the two South Carolina Ethic Commission investigations into her are resolved.
