Atlantic, Iowa) – Roughly two dozen people attended this (Wednesday) evening’s meeting of the Atlantic City Council. Most of the audience was there to oppose getting rid of the Parks and Recreation Board, and Park Director’s position. First to speak was Vicki Nordskog, of Atlantic. She said the City needs someone to be an effective leader of the Parks Department. She acknowledged Assistant Parks Director Jeff Christensen’s role in taking the lead since recent the departure of Wyatt Adderton.

Nordskog said former Parks Directors set the bar for those who followed in their footsteps.

She submitted a four-page petition to the Council with 48 signatures, asking for the Parks and Rec Board and Parks Director’s position to be maintained, not dissolved. Roger Herring, who was the Parks and Rec Director from 2011 through 2016, acknowledged the City of Atlantic has made “great strides to improve our parks and draw people to the Atlantic area for family gatherings, and more.

Herring said the improvements and renovations were accomplished through the support of the Mayor, City Administrator, and the City Council, to support the initiatives, and helping to bring a parks department out the slump it was in up until 2009. That collaboration, he says, was one of the keys to the success of the parks board.

He said the other key to success was having a parks director.

Roger Herring said with no director or park and rec board, “the value of parks recreation in Atlantic has been diminished to a maintenance crew and to maintain status quo. I don’t’ believe that’s what we’re about.”

Others who spoke included Parks Board member Jeremy Butler, Scott Bennett with Nishna Net, and Atlantic School Board member Nick Hunt. They essentially reiterated the need NOT to dissolve the Parks Board and Park Director’s job. Each member of the Atlantic City Council said they had received calls and/or e-mails in support of keep the Parks Board and finding someone for the Park Director’s position. As we’ve previously reported, the City’s Personnel and Finance Committee submitted a recommendation to the Council, saying “with all respect due to the Board and the service of its members,” the Parks Board should be dissolved. Their recommendation followed the Committee’s meeting on July 10th, when they reviewed the situation of losing yet another Director for the Parks & Rec Dept, with regard to last month’s resignation of Wyatt Adderton.

Since then, the City Council has passed a Resolution that creates the position of Parks and Recreation Coordinator, including the job description and compensation for 2024. The Parks Director’s position will likely be divided between Public Works Director Kirk Knudsen and the new Parks Coordinator position, with the stipulation the Coordinator reports directly to the Public Works Director.

Following today’s (Wednesday’s) hearing, the Council must now wait 30-days before acting on the first-reading to repeal Chapter 24 of the City’s Code of Ordinances, and discontinue the Board.