Rehoboth arborist leaving for career advancement
After a little more than seven years with Rehoboth Beach, city arborist Liz Lingo is leaving for a new job, effective Friday, Dec. 1.
Lingo took over as arborist in April 2016. The news of her departure was made public during a trees & green infrastructure committee meeting Nov. 17.
Lingo said her new job will be as an urban forestry consultant for CN Utility Consulting, a division of Wright Service Corp., which is based out of Des Moines, Iowa, and does work all over the country.
“It’s an opportunity that I couldn’t say no to,” said Lingo.
She will be working with communities to develop tree inventories, maintenance plans and urban forest management plans, she said, adding she’ll be able to work remotely for the most part, which means she’ll be staying local.
“Even though I’ll no longer be employed by the city, I love Rehoboth,” she said. “It’s my hometown and my parents still live in the same house that I grew up in.”
In addition to overseeing the day-to-day maintenance of the city’s trees, Lingo helped with a number of initiatives during her tenure, including a revival of the commemorative tree program, the installation of the new tot lot at Lake Gerar, the revitalization of the island sandwiched between Olive Avenue, Maryland Avenue and Second Street, and perhaps most importantly, a rewrite of the city’s tree code.
“While I’m excited for my new opportunity, it is a little bittersweet to leave my current job. I’ve enjoyed working for the city and am grateful for all I’ve learned from my coworkers,” said Lingo.
The years-long process of rewriting the tree code may have been completed, but the city’s next arborist will still have work to do. Rehoboth’s urban forest is an important component of the city’s character and environmental goals, said Lingo. The city’s comprehensive development plan calls for the creation of a community forest plan, which will be necessary to provide staff and citizens a framework for how to maintain that character and accomplish those goals, she said.
Maintenance-wise, Lingo said, the city exceeds industry standards due to a solid schedule, budgeting and adequate funding. As long as the maintenance plan continues to be prioritized, the program should stay in good standing, she said.
Looking forward, the city is actively hiring for the position. Interim City Manager Evan Miller said there are no changes in responsibilities and the salary currently advertised is $52,000.
Lingo’s departure marks another significant employee change for the city – Mary Ellen Gray took over Oct. 23 as the city’s first director of planning and community development; former City Manager Laurence Christian’s final day was Nov. 3, after 10 months on the job; and the city has already begun advertising for a replacement of Public Works Director Kevin Williams, who has indicated he would like to retire soon. He has been with the city since May 2018.
