Washtenaw County bids farewell to Parks Director Coy Vaughn
Washtenaw County Parks Director, Coy Vaughn. Photo courtesy of Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission.
submitted by Ann Ziolkowski, Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission
The Washtenaw County Parks and Recreation Commission (WCPARC) will be losing a dynamic parks leader with the retirement later this month of County Park’s Director, Coy Vaughn. His contributions and commitment over the past 25+ years have made a significant impact on Washtenaw County’s parks and natural areas, especially in the Manchester area.
Coy’s interest and passion for parks and trails began in the 1990’s. Early in his career, he worked for the Livingston County planning department and then went on to work for the planning department at the City of Ann Arbor. He took a position with WCPARC in 2007 to lead the planning team and became the Director in 2017. Vaughn oversees a department of 57 full-time staff and about 375 seasonal employees. Under his leadership, the park system acquired and developed Watkins Lake State Park and County Preserve, the first ever State/County owned and operated park in the State of Michigan, located in Manchester Township; expanded the Leonard Preserve northwest of the City of Manchester and Sharon Mills in Sharon Township; and recently purchased a new preserve on the south end of the City (not open yet and yet to be named!)
Outside of the Manchester area, the park system added Staebler Farm County Park and 15 more nature preserves throughout Washtenaw County under Vaughn’s leadership. He has managed the development of master site plans for the primary county park facilities including: Pierce Lake Golf Course in Chelsea, Staebler Farm County Park and the Meri Lou Murray Recreation Center in Ann Arbor, Rolling Hills Water Park in Ypsilanti, and Independence Lake County Park in Whitmore Lake. This past year, Vaughn and his team completed a Comprehensive Master Plan and Strategic Plan which provides the vision for the organization for the next several years.
In addition to his impact on preserving open space and overseeing a bustling park system, Vaughn supported the creation of the Washtenaw County Road and Trails millage that allows essential tax-payer support of the trail and established the Connecting Communities Grant Program. Washtenaw County Parks Connecting Communities grant program helped fund the planning and construction of the multi-use path along an old rail bed that runs from one end of the City of Manchester to the other and the planning and still ongoing construction of the Watkins Lake Trail which will connect Watkins Lake to the City of Manchester through Manchester Township. Outside of the Manchester area, he has been a tireless advocate and leader in developing B2B Trail throughout Washtenaw County. Currently at 42 miles, the trail extends from Ypsilanti on the east side of the county to the Stockbridge area on the west side.
Vaughn’s impact in the Manchester area doesn’t end with physical spaces, however. He has been supportive of and provided sponsorship for Manchester’s annual canoe and kayak race. County Parks supports the Manchester Community Schools summer camp program. And, in 2021, under Vaughn’s leadership, Parks collaborated on “Passport to Manchester” during which a guest speaker presented about the Underground Railroad in the Manchester area.
When asked about his career and the impact he has had, Vaughn said one of the accomplishments he is most proud of is being a champion of protecting open space, natural areas, and farmland. Undoubtedly, his contributions to WCPARC and its residents will be felt for generations. Post retirement, he plans on spending his time enjoying the parks and preserves, traveling, golfing, and supporting the development of Main Street Park in Chelsea.
The WCPARC Board of Commissioners recently announced Meghan Bonfiglio, current WCPARC Chief Deputy Director, as the new Parks Director. She will begin her new role on June 30. Further details will be provided at a later date.
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