Familiar face in Oxford for years ready to spend time with family

By Dean Vaglia
Leader Staff Writer
Ron Davis, director of the Oxford Township Parks and Recreation department, is retiring this summer.
Announced through the township’s Facebook page on Wednesday, Jan. 12, Davis will leave his position as the head of the township’s parks on July 1.
“It’s just time,” Davis said. “I’ve been here 27 years and been in the parks and rec field for 33, so it was just time to turn the reins over to someone else and let them continue where the department has started, where it has been to and where they can take it to the next level.”
Davis joined the department in 1995, a time when there were only two parks and one other staff member. Since Davis joined the department, the township has expanded to around 500 acres of park land spread over four parks and the team has grown to eight full-time people.
Along with adding the Powell Lake and Oakwood Lake parks, park updates and events to come about during Davis’ tenure include the playground and splash pad at Seymour Lake park and the creation of the Seymour Celebration.
“I am blessed for the community, the taxpayers for so many years of their support,” Davis said.
With around five months left until he leaves the position, Davis says it will be business as usual until July. The decision to leave so late into the year stems from Davis not wanting the new director to be tasked with the challenge of organizing and running Seymour Celebration, giving his replacement time to learn the ropes without such a big event looming over them.
“I will not leave this community or the department hanging,” Davis said. “Whatever I can do to help the transition to a new director, whoever that may be, that’s what I’ll do.”
Davis says he does not know who will replace him and that he does not want to get too involved in the search process.
“It is up to the commission to find out who they want to be in there,” Davis said. “I just offered my services if they need me to help with the process to get posted, but I do not want to get involved with the hiring or interviewing or the selection. That is not my position.”
Whoever his replacement may be, Davis is certain ongoing projects like the proposed township farmers market are in good hands.
“I was just one sail on the ship at parks and rec, so all they are going to do is change the sail and that ship will still float,” Davis said. “I have been blessed to have a great staff over the years and those guys know how to run the department without me … There’s qualified professionals there outside of me, so they know the key people in the community to surround themselves with to make those projects happen, and like any other project we do in this town it will get done.”
While Davis says he will take time to relax, his retirement from the department is not the end of his working days.
“I will be around if people need me for anything,” Davis said, “but it’s about time to step away from the parks and rec field.”