IMG_9459.JPG

Ditto Landing in Huntsville. (Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com)

The search is over for Ditto Landing's new executive director in Huntsville.

Brandi Quick speaks March 2, 2016 at Ditto Landing.

Brandi Quick, assistant director at the Von Braun Center for 19 years, is the new leader of the riverside park and marina after a months-long search by the Ditto Landing Board of Directors.

Quick, a Hazel Green native and University of Alabama in Huntsville graduate, will direct the Huntsville/Madison County Marina and Port Authority and implement the BIG Picture master plan that includes renovations, expansions and new construction. She will also oversee administrative duties, fundraising and communications as officials work to transform Ditto Landing from a "diamond in the rough" to a family-friendly destination.

"I'm just so excited for the opportunity to see an organization like this grow from being the best kept secret to being the most known secret around Huntsville, and even in the Tennessee Valley," she said.

The park, located on a stretch of the Tennessee River in south Huntsville, has several near-term projects on the horizon:

Reopening of the historic Old Trestle Bridge.

Development of infrastructure specifications.

Relocation of utility and sewer services.

Design of new high-end campground with 200 spaces.

Excavation of two new lakes.

Construction of base for a new divided, four-lane street off Hobbs Island Road into Ditto Landing.

Relocation of On Land Storage facility.

Development of hiking and mountain bike trails through the Land Trust of North Alabama.

Quick, who said the master plan was created with help from the community, plans to expand the boat harbor and develop an event facility for Ditto Landing parties, meetings and receptions. A restaurant with a river view may also operate at the property, she added.

Click here for a view of the master plan on the city's BIG Picture website.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said Quick will be a great asset for Ditto Landing because of her proven track record in the community and at the VBC.

"We've taken the visioning and we've turned it into a plan," Battle said. "Now the plan has to be executed and you need a strong executive director to execute that plan and I think that Brandi Quick is a great one to do that through her years and years that she worked at the Von Braun Center."