Markeshia Ricks Photo
David Panagore, who has overseen improvements at the train station garage as head of the New Haven Parking Authority the past three years, is one of two finalists for the job of town manager of Provincetown, Mass.
“I’m not actively seeking,” the new job, Panagore (pictured), who’s 50, said Friday morning. “This is just too unique an opportunity that I’ve actually been looking at for 20 years.”
He said the final round of interviews is scheduled for July 14 and 15. The other finalist is Provincetown Finance Director Daniel Hoort, according to a report in the Provincetown Banner, which first reported the story.
“My family’s from Cape Cod. They live on Cape Cod. My grandparents lived out there. It’s a jewel in terms of the natural seashore and the life on the Cape. Also the challenges that are out there — they have problems as difficult as any of the biggest cities in New England. They have a housing crisis that reaches up to the middle class. I look forward to being down there and seeing what happens,” Panagore said.
“But we have a lot of great stuff going on in New Haven. It’s difficult for me, but these opportunities come up only once a decade.”
Under Panagore’s watch, the overcrowded Union Station garage has instituted valet service as well as expanded bike-storage and repair facilities. He has been involved in plans to remake Union Station itself, which the authority manages under a lease with the state. (Read about some of those plans here.) The authority, which operates surface garages and parking lots throughout town (but has nothing to do with street parking or meters) has sought to rebrand itself (as “Park New Haven”) and arrange for taxi service from a downtown stand on weekend nights.