“I am greatly honored to present this to Lanny Corcimiglia,” said Melody Ducote as she presented the 2022 Person of the Year Award.
She granted the award at the annual Butler County Community Resource Council Partnership Luncheon. Ducote said Corcimiglia has been an “integral part of Butler County Wellness Council.” He is also the director of Poplar Bluff Parks & Recreation.
“(He) has provided leadership and collaboration on several community events to benefit individuals and families within our community. (He is) also dedicated to supporting businesses, creating and improving public amenities that attract new residents, businesses and tourists to our community,” she continued.
Corcimiglia was visibly emotional as he accepted the award, thanking his wife Bree Savat, and coworkers Murray Hammond, Chris Waite, Amanda Hughes and Betty Borders-Flowers, all of whom were present. He also extended his immense gratitude to all the staff serving and partnering with the Parks & Recreation Department.
“It’s all about my staff, it’s all about what they do — not what I do,” he said.
He learned about the award the day before the luncheon and was “first surprised, then honored,” he said. Meanwhile, his Parks & Recreation staff kept trying to hide the upcoming recognition from him, not realizing he already knew.
“It’s another good, funny story because that’s what we do at Parks and Recreation: we continue to drive forward and we continue to have a good time at it,” Corcimiglia said.
In the last year, Poplar Bluff Parks & Recreation has updated the pool lining at R. W. Huntington Municipal Pool; worked at the baseball fields at McLane Park; almost completed fencing around playgrounds at Linc and Hillcrest parks; and invested in portable floors for Black River Coliseum events alongside the City of Poplar Bluff.
Corcimiglia praised his staff at Parks & Recreation for their hard work, noting they have generated a reputation for quality in every project they take on.
“Our organization is what makes Parks & Recreation go, and there’s more than me,” he said. “I’m not really a big awards person, I just like doing my job.”