After a few months of searching, the City of Weyburn finally has a new Director of Leisure Services. Andrew Crowe took over on October 29 and is slowly getting acquainted with the Opportunity City. The job opening became available when Matthew Warren was named City Manager. Warren had been operating under both titles for the better part of this year. 

Crowe and his wife, Kara, recently made the move to Weyburn after both had grown up and spent most of their lives in Rosthern. They bring along their six-month-old son with them. The 31-year-old said the last few weeks have been a rollercoaster.

"It's been a stressful one, lots comes along with picking up your family and moving somewhere where you're starting fresh and putting down new roots. We left Rosthern where we had lots of family and friends – both of us grew up there," Crowe said. "But, it's been really enjoyable. Everyone we met has been extremely friendly and welcoming. It seems like it's going to be a good new home for us."

Leaving a place you've known your whole life is never an easy decision. Crowe and his family took a leap of faith and are excited for new challenges and new opportunities. 

"It was definitely a tough decision. It was time for a change and there are lots of new opportunities going on here. When I saw the job description come up, I took a good, hard look at it. You hear all the positive reviews about the community and how it's the place to be on the prairies," he said. "Just hearing about all the new opportunities that are on the horizon for the community is something that intrigued me and was something I wanted to be a part of."

Crowe spent the past seven years as the Recreation and Community Development Manager in Rosthern. Prior to that, he obtained a diploma from the Saskatchewan Institue of Applied Science and Technology in Saskatoon. His old job is quite similar to the one he took here in Weyburn and Crowe think his experience has prepared him well for the new endeavour. 

"A lot of the job is very similar, just different title more or less. Being small-town recreation compared to a larger center such as Weyburn, you are spread out a little bit more thin. More than worrying just about the leisure services department, you're also worrying about parks, facilities and tourism, economic development, that kind of stuff," the new director said. "Working in Rosthern set me up to understand how an entire municipality works and how everything works together. It'll be nice to now to focus more specifically on an individual department."

He thinks down the road he might put his own touch on some of the leisure services, but for now, he wants to learn the lay of the land. Although Crowe is still getting to know the facilities and the staff around the city, he has already noted some first impressions.

"I've been super impressed with the people and how friendly everyone has been. It's refreshing when you come to a new community with no ties and everyone wants to say 'hello' and 'how's your day going?'" Crowe said. "From what I've come across through the arts, the facilities and the staff, it just seems everything has been really well cared for. I can really sense the pride that's felt throughout the services the city offers. I'm really excited to be a part of that."

As he and his family begin to settle down in the southeast, Crowe had a few kinds words to the community. 

"I just want to say thank you for welcoming us to your community. My wife and I are both looking forward to putting down some roots here and raising our son in such a positive place."