Reichle notes 20th year as parks and rec director

Twenty years ago, in 2001, Holton city officials were looking into the development of a 13-acre plot of land at the southern edge of the city into a new park where young people from the area could play soccer. They were also looking for someone to lead a new soccer program as the city’s parks and recreation director, a newly-created position at the time.

Mike Reichle stepped up to fill the position — and he’s enjoyed it ever since.

“It wasn’t about the pay,” said Reichle of his two decades as the city’s parks and recreation director. “It was about this job where I saw something I knew I could do.”

Over those 20 years, Reichle’s been involved in turning that plot of land into Countryside Park, one of the city’s key destinations for recreation with its soccer fields, concrete walking trail, dog park and community garden. It’s a transformation that he said has involved more than just his efforts.

“The whole city as a unit helped me to get to where I am today,” he said. “I couldn’t have done it without all the other departments.”

That includes the street department, where Reichle began his 22-year tenure with the City of Holton after working in Jackson County’s road and bridge department for four years. From 1999 to 2001, Reichle said he “got an idea of how the city operated” and was, to an extent, involved with taking care of the city’s existing parks, including Linscott Park, Rafters Park and Prairie Lake.

During that two-year period, city officials were talking about opening up the possibility of a soccer program to local youth, even though there was no place to put up soccer goals for games. That began to change with the donation of the 13.73-acre plot of land that would become Countryside Park.

At that time, there were sports programs in Holton, but they were run by different organizations — the Holton Ball Association was in charge of baseball and softball, and the Optimist Club was in charge of basketball, Reichle said.

But when the city announced that it was looking for someone to become the city’s parks and recreation director, Reichle — who said he had “a type of recreation mentality” for getting young people involved in sports and had been an official for Kansas State High School Activities Association-related games for a few years — saw an opportunity.

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The Holton Recorder

109 W. Fourth St.
Holton, KS 66436
Phone: 785-364-3141
 

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