A City of Picayune employee will retire from city service to pursue marine research along the Gulf Coast.

Glade Woods has performed duties for the City of Picayune for years as Director of Operations and will now focus his energies on the marine assessment studies along the Gulf Coast with the Northern Gulf Institute, he said. Woods said he is still waiting on approval from the Institutes of Higher Learning.

“I don’t look at retirement, you just shift from one gear to the next,” Woods said.

If approved, he said his research will cover the coast from the Florida panhandle to the Texas-Louisiana state lines and will be based out of Stennis Space Center in Hancock County.

Picayune Mayor Greg Mitchell expressed his gratitude for all Woods has done for the city since he began working for the city in 2001. Mitchell said even though he will miss Woods, he understands his motive for moving on.

“He just had an offer he couldn’t pass up,” Mitchell said.

Woods said he was not looking for the opportunity but after it had knocked three times, he figured he would answer the door. Woods said while he is leaving employment with the city he will continue to be a member of the community.