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| Debra Bilbrey-Honsowetz |
Bilbrey-Honsowetz has more than 33 years of experience in the parks and recreation field. Most recently, she led the Canton Township Leisure Services Department for five years before retiring in 2016.
She is known as a leader whose strengths include fostering development of innovative recreation programs, while managing a $10 million operating budget and capital improvement projects, along with 56 full-time and 300 part-time employees, officials said.
“I used to work with Deb,” said Northville Township Manager Todd L. Mutchler. “Her expertise in the parks and recreation arena will impact the future of our program. She is approachable, solutions oriented and has a deep network.”
She began working in Canton Township in 1994 as the community center manager, responsible for daily operations of Summit on the Park Community Center. She was promoted and served as recreation and facilities manager from 2000-2009 and worked as the economic development manager from 2009-2011 before moving to director of leisure services.
“I'm excited to come to Northville,” Bilbrey-Honsowetz said. “It's such a great community with so many wonderful amenities and I am excited to be a part of that. I look forward to delivering services that the residents desire.”
Bilbrey-Honsowetz will help search for the next permanent Northville Township Parks and Recreation director.
She replaces Mark Gasche, who held the position for nearly six years. His last day was July 27 and she began her new interim position July 29.
Northville Parks and Recreation is a shared service provided through an agreement between the Charter Township of Northville and the City of Northville to jointly operate parks and recreation, senior services and Northville Youth Network.
About 50 percent of funding for the department is self-generated revenue through rental and program fees, grants, donations and scholarships. The other half comes from both the city and township. The township portion is funded through the shared services millage and amounts for approximately 42 percent of the operating budget. The city portion comes from the general fund of the budget supplies about 8 percent of the operating budget, according to officials.
Northville Parks and Recreation Department provides parks, facilities, programs and services through three divisions. The Recreation Division hosts programming in special events, youth recreation, camps, teen enrichment, adult recreation, athletics and more. The Senior Services Division provides programming in health and wellness, social, educational, enrichment and events. In addition, staff members provide a daily curb-to-curb transportation program for adults ages 60+ and people with disabilities. The Parks and Facilities Division is responsible for a variety of neighborhood and community parks and pathways. The parks boast a variety of amenities, such as athletic fields, playgrounds, tennis courts, pavilions, dog parks, pathways/trails, boardwalks and nature areas.
“We look forward to seeing how Deb's strengths positively impact Northville Parks and Recreation,” Mutchler said.
