Special to the Surveyor

For the past several years, the Town of Berthoud has operated without a Deputy Town Administrator. As of January 6, current Director of Parks and Recreation, Jeremy Olinger, is now filling that role. In the role of Deputy Administrator Olinger will retain his responsibilities as the Director of Parks and Recreation while also assuming additional management and oversight of the town’s operational and planning divisions.

Since joining the town organization in 2003, Olinger has been instrumental. He started as a member of the Parks and Recreation Department and rose through the organization, becoming the Director of Parks and Recreation in 2005. In 2017, he served as Interim Town Administrator while the town conducted a national search to fill the role.

“Since his arrival to Berthoud, Administrator Chris Kirk has stressed teamwork and positivity in our work culture. This promotion affords me a greater opportunity to steward that same message as I work alongside my co-workers to become add support in their departments and projects for the betterment of the Berthoud community,” said Olinger. “Being the Deputy will allow for more investment of my time and passion into advancing our community and getting to work alongside great people on the future of the town, so for that I am very appreciative. I am proud to be in a capacity that allows me to provide more effort within other divisions working toward common goals together.”

During his tenure with the town, Olinger has overseen several influential parks and recreation projects. He has been an integral part of the Pioneer Park construction, numerous trail improvements throughout town and the town’s forestry management efforts. Olinger has also taken the lead on several major parks and recreation master plans including the Parks, Open Space, Recreation and Trails (PORT) Master Plan, the Park Capital Improvements Master Plan and Berthoud’s Unified Trail Master Plan.

Most recently, Olinger has overseen the Waggener Farm Park Phase I construction project and the creation of a new park and trail system at Berthoud Reservoir.

“This is a great first step in a number of planned organizational shifts,” said Berthoud’s Town Administrator Chris Kirk. “Mr. Olinger is an asset to our organization and will serve an important role as we continue to make organizational changes over the next several years, helping our town organization grow while remaining both cost-effective and efficient.”