With 12 years serving as the Windham’s planning director under his belt, Alfred Turner has retired as the town prepares to implement a major restructuring of the planning department.

Turner said a number of factors had gone into his decision and that it was the “right time” to step down. In December, selectmen had effectively eliminated Turner’s position in favor of a new post aimed at attracting economic development. Turner’s last day on the job was Jan. 19.

The selectmen’s move to restructure the department came after an independent review of the planning department conducted last year by an outside consultant found Turner and his staff to be out of sync with the board’s economic vision for the town.

According to Turner, communication broke down between the department and the board early last year when selectmen began moving in a new direction when it came to encouraging economic development. By the time the department adjusted to the new outlook, Turner said both the economy and his relationship with the board had deteriorated quite a bit.

Selectman Charles McMahon said he was thankful for work Turner had done for the town and indicated that the decision to restructure the planning department and eliminate Turner’s long-held position arose out of a decision by the board to meet the challenge of paying for the new multimillion dollar high school.

“I appreciate the work he’s done in the past. He’s decided to move on in his professional life, and we’re moving forward to meet new challenges,” McMahon said. “We’re no longer just a bedroom community, because a bedroom community will not meet the challenge of a first-class high school.”

Though selectmen offered Turner the option of either accepting a vacant planner position – a demotion for the longtime department head – or applying for the new director of community development position, Turner has instead decided to explore his possibilities in the private sector.

Looking back over his 12- year tenure, Turner said he was most proud of developing two town-wide master plans and by bringing in over $68 million in new or expanded commercial establishments.

“The town’s been able to do that basically without much notice. You don’t notice a lot of change and that’s what attracts people to Windham,” Turner said. “Despite all the new community development, the town looks the same it did when you drive down Route 111 as it did 20 years ago. People find that very attractive, and that is why so many people are moving to Windham.”

According to McMahon, the town already had two candidates in mind for the positions of town planner and director of community development. An announcement would be made pending a background check on both individuals, he said.