Pictured is Mike Aho, Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District (FORPD) district administrator who will retire June 1, 2026. Courtesy photo

FAIR OAKS, CA (MPG) - At the Nov. 19 meeting of the Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District (FORPD) Board of Directors, they considered the recruitment process for the district administrator position as the current administrator, Mike Aho, will retire on June 1, 2026. 

The board reviewed proposed updates to the district administrator job announcement to reflect the district’s current strategic priorities, including long-term planning, sustainability and community partnerships. 

Staff are currently evaluating potential recruitment firms to assist with the hiring process. A separate request for board approval of a recruitment firm, along with associated costs, is expected at the Dec. 17 meeting.

Once selected, the recruitment firm will create a comprehensive brochure outlining the position’s role, responsibilities and qualifications. The brochure will also highlight the new capital improvements and the district’s evolving mission. 

The board of directors voted 4-0 to approve the job announcement, with Director Ralph Carhart absent. 

The board then transitioned into a meeting of the Fair Oaks Recreation Foundation, and the financial reports, as required twice each year, were reviewed and approved. 

The board also reviewed the updated foundation bylaws, as part of the process to change the foundation into a separate entity. The bylaws’ key changes included a name change to the Fair Oaks Recreation and Parks Foundation, as the board previously approved, and mission updates to include support for arts and entertainment and human needs.

Voting board members were expanded from five to seven, with no more than two Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District directors serving on the foundation board. The membership structure was also updated to allow for the inclusion of nonvoting members. The district administrator or their appointee will serve as a non-voting CEO of the foundation.

The district’s attorneys have already reviewed the changes. If approved by the board, the updates will be submitted to the Secretary of State to approve the transition to an independent board. The district’s goal is to complete this process before June 1, when Aho retires. 

The updated bylaws were approved 4-0. 

“I’ve been talking about resigning sometime in the near future,” Director John O’Farrell said, and he will potentially time his departure with Aho’s retirement in June, after serving on the board for 21 years. The board will then need to appoint a new director to serve O’Farrell’s term remainder. 

The next Fair Oaks Recreation and Park District Board of Directors meeting is scheduled for Dec. 17.