New rec, senior services director comes on board
BY DAVE BENJAMIN
Staff Writer

Eric Schubiger

JACKSON - A former recreation director in Warren Township, Roosevelt and East Windsor is Jackson's new director of recreation and senior services.

Business Administrator William Santos said Eric Schubiger began working in Jackson on April 9. He was selected for the position from a field of 40 applicants.

Santos and Mayor Mark Seda were joined in the selection process by Township Council President Angelo Stallone and council Vice President Ann Updegrave.

Schubiger's background includes working as the recreation director of Warren Town-ship, Roosevelt and East Windsor. He served on the Bogota Recre-ation Commission and worked as a counselor, supervisor and intern in the Lacey Rec-reation Depart-ment. He served as a volunteer and has written articles and covered sports for the Bergen Newspaper Group, Palisades Park.

Schubiger is a certified parks and recreation professional, a playground safety inspector, a certified instructor of the Rutgers SPORT (Supportive Parent on the Right Track) Program, and he has first aid and CPR training.

"It certainly seems like Mayor Seda and the council undertook an in-depth process of selecting a candidate for the position," he said. "That really impressed me."

Schubiger said he believes Jackson officials are committed to providing residents with recreation services.

"It makes me feel good to know I will have support when I want to provide residents with recreation and senior services," Schubiger said, explaining that he is reviewing all existing programs and events.

"There's a staff here that does a fine job doing a lot of things in the community and I'm very fortunate in having a staff that knows a lot about what's going on," he said. "They are helping me to get acclimated to my new position."

Schubiger said many big events occur during the summer. He said he will be working on the community's Indepen-dence Day celebration and Jackson Day festivities.

"We will be doing a lot of fundraising for those events and getting local organizations involved," he said. "One thing I'm going to focus on is [making] all of the programs and activities we sponsor community events. Not only will they be available to the community, but the community will be involved in how they operate. I want this department to make residents feel like it's their department."

He said residents know what they want.

"That's where I'm at right now," Schubiger said. "Getting a handle on existing services and making sure they are good services and operating efficiently, and then the next step might be looking at what people may want to have added to our department."

Down the line, Schubiger said, he wants the recreation program offerings to be comprehensive.

Although sports is an important part of the community, the director said he wants to start offering more cultural programs, such as theater arts for students, science enrichment for students, drama, music, and arts and crafts.

"I'm also interested in the community parks," he said. "I will be working closely with the Department of Public Works to make sure the facilities are in good condition, because they are used extensively by residents."