The city just hired a new parks and recreation director named Andy Coleman.
Coleman earned a bachelor’s degree in recreation management from Eastern Washington University. He started his municipal career as a recreation specialist for the City of Pasco before joining Walla Walla’s parks and rec department in 1999.
(Photo: Walla Walla School District Arbor Day Tree Planting/Andy Coleman far right)
The Washington Recreation and Park Association named Coleman a Young Professional Award recipient in 2006. In 2022, the association’s members elected him to its board as Eastern Washington director.
Coleman is scheduled to begin working on September 16th. His hiring follows a nationwide recruitment conducted after former director Meredith Petit left the city in May for another leadership position in Washington.
Coleman worked for the City of Walla Walla for roughly 26 years. He began in the city’s Parks and Recreation Department and then moved up to the recreation supervisor, park maintenance supervisor, before eventually becoming the director.
According to the City of Corvallis, Coleman’s experience includes overseeing the construction of an $8.5 million aquatic facility, which might come in handy. He also developed programs supporting Walla Walla’s downtown district. Which also might come in handy.
There is almost always something that follows a person with a prior tenure as long as his. Coleman comes with a recent experience that involved navigating a public debate over how parks and recreation services should be funded.
In 2025, he helped present a proposal to create a Walla Walla Metropolitan Park District. The district would have been supported by a property-tax levy of 75 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, which would have generated roughly $3.4 million annually for parks and recreation.
The proposal also contemplated a $15 million loan that would allow Walla Walla to accelerate work on nine major projects. Turns out, Walla Walla voters rejected the proposal through a special election. 72.3% voted against creating and funding the district.
Following the special election results, Coleman said the city would review the lessons learned from the campaign and consider its next steps. He later presented those lessons to the Walla Walla City Council.
“Corvallis is a fantastic fit for me, both in terms of the community’s engagement with parks and recreation services, as well as the opportunity to lead a dynamic department full of dedicated staff,” Coleman said in the city’s announcement.
Coleman’s experience could prove relevant here. Outside of the budget shortfall, Parks and Recreation has also been managing the closure and reconstruction of the Osborn Aquatic Center.
“I’m excited to welcome Andy to Corvallis and support him as he steps into the leadership role for the Parks and Recreation Department,” City Manager Mark Shepard said. “We have an incredible team of staff, along with beloved facilities and natural resources, and I’m sure Andy will feel right at home working with the Corvallis community.”
This article was written by Jesse Grant, a contributor to The Corvallis Inquirer. Feel free to send us your stories or articles to publish at: editor@corvallisnow.com
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