Rimsie McConiga
Special to the Citizen
Ryan Crowley recently began his new position as Platte City parks and recreation director. He has also taken the helm as Platte City public works interim director.
He was previously the assistant director of Spring Hill Recreation Commission in Spring Hill, Kan. and he was the parks and recreation director for Osawatomie, Kan., where he grew up.
Ryan Crowley
His interest in serving in parks and recreation goes back to his high school years when he worked for the recreation commission. Platte City Parks and Recreation offers many recreational level sporting activities for the youth of the community and the surrounding area. Crowley’s new duties include maintaining all of Platte City’s facilities and amenities.
“Maintaining all of these are important to me, especially the trails,” Crowley said. “Trails and parks provide an additional quality of living to the residents of the community and surrounding areas.”
As far as different programs, Crowley said he doesn’t have a favorite, but his favorite part of all the programs is being able to see the joy and entertainment from the participants and their families.
As the community continues to grow, he would like to see the expansion of the programs and also offer activities that would involve the entire population of Platte City.
In general, the challenges Crowley sees in the parks and recreation field include being able to provide a quality product at an affordable price.
“The private and club organizations continue to expand recruit participants in all sports,” Crowley said. “Platte City Parks and Recreation will need to be creative and innovative to have a high level of participation, while continuing to put an emphasis on customer service.”
Developing a mission and vision statement is one of his goals for the department.
The Platte City Parks and Recreation Department offers a Independence Day celebration, a winter holiday lighting ceremony and many sports activities, such as an adult coed winter volleyball league, youth basketball, youth softball, youth baseball, youth volleyball and youth soccer.
Platte City Parks and Recreation provides multiple activities for children and residents of all ages. Crowley said he is glad the skate park has been expanded and he has witnessed the usage of that facility grow in the past month.
“The playgrounds located in our parks seem to be utilized at all times of the day,” Crowley said. “Our shelter houses are consistently being reserved for family and neighborhood gatherings. The ability for all children to participate in our programs is important. We offer a scholarship program for our sporting activities so everyone is welcome.”
For the new director the ability for all children to participate in the programs is important because recreation provides an organized activity that allows children to develop their social and team-building skills
“By participating the children are positively impacting their health and fitness levels,” Crowley said.
While serving the residents of any community can be a challenging and rewarding career and while the challenges never cease, he said there is something new every day in parks and rec to look forward to.
“The most enjoyable thing about a new position is building relationships with individuals and organizations in the city and local areas,” Crowley said.