William “Bill” Salvatore started his role this week as Cheltenham Township’s new Parks and Recreation Director.

A resident of Roxborough, Salvatore came to Cheltenham directly from Philadelphia’s Parks and Recreation division where he served as deputy commissioner, overseeing all programming and 150+ recreation centers throughout the city, including swimming pools, older adult centers, ice-skating rinks, and environmental centers.

The position’s fulfillment has been a welcome change as the township has been without a full-time director since the September 2023 departure of Fabien Desrouleaux, who started the role in late 2022. 

A few weeks later, longtime township employee Kelly Rebitz was promoted to a newly created Parks & Recreation Administrator position.

“Kelly is the glue holding our parks department together. Her skillsets will be combined with Bill’s experience to make something special in Cheltenham,” Lauren Walter, public information officer, said.

“We’ll be working side by side. I think it’ll be really refreshing. I was taken aback by the potential here. Between the park space and the significant capital investment over the next few years, the opportunity is huge,” Salvatore said. “Time outdoors in public spaces is super important. We need to grow and develop them.”

Salvatore says he grew up a “rec kid” as a summer camp counselor in high school before taking on part-time and full-time positions in local recreation centers in Philadelphia.

“The Township conducted a thorough search for the right candidate to revamp and build Cheltenham’s Parks and Recreation Department, and Bill brings a versatile skillset and a great deal of valuable recreation experience to our team,” Walter said. “It comes at an exciting time as Bill will also lend his expertise to the ongoing planning for the future of Cheltenham’s community facilities.”

Salvatore plans to facilitate as much community input as possible over the coming months. He intends to hold open dialogue sessions at each of the township’s community centers.

“There will be a robust community engagement plan to figure out what people want,” Salvatore said. “If they want a beer garden, we’ll do that. If they want adult programming, we’ll do that. I’m not going to do anything without talking to people first.”

Walter noted that the township is looking to hire a program coordinator within the next month or so.

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Photo: Bill Salvatore