The city of Arnold did not have to look far to find its new director for the Parks and Recreation Department.
David Crutchley, who has worked 27 years for the parks department, including the last four as the deputy director, has been promoted to the director job.
He took over the job on June 25, filling the job that was left vacant after Dickie Brown retired in April.
Crutchley, 51, of Imperial will be paid a $90,000 annual salary as the director. He was paid $76,500 a year as the deputy director, Richison said.
Brown was being paid a $91,686 annual salary before he retired.
“I couldn’t be more pleased,” Mayor Ron Counts said of Crutchley’s promotion. “He was the fellow who we wanted in that position.
We have been looking at Dave for a long time, and when the opportunity arose when Dickie left, (City Administrator Bryan Richison) and I felt pretty comfortable that he was the right guy for the job. Whenever possible, we like to hire from within.”
Counts said Crutchley took some time to mull over the offer.
“We took it to him, and he wanted to think about it for a little bit,” Counts said. “I think it was a good decision on his part and the city’s. We have the right guy.”
Crutchley said he was a little hesitant to take over the director position because he had been thinking about retiring from his job with the city and exploring a different career path.
He said city officials gave him plenty of time to decide if he wanted to take over the department and he received encouragement from elected officials and staff members.
“I think they knew it was a matter of time, and I needed that time to think about it,” Crutchley said. “I got support from the council, Bryan (Richison) and the mayor (to take the job). It just made sense to take the job.”
Ajsa Hukic, a Parks and Recreation supervisor who has been a full-time employee at the department since 2014, said she started working closely with Crutchley in 2017.
“Dave is very open to new ideas,” Hukic said. “I appreciate that he listens to things, and he is willing to always try things. We all have the same goals. We focus on what can bring the community together. Dave sees that and wants to bring good things for the community.”
Longtime employee
Crutchley grew up in Arnold and began working part time in the parks maintenance department when he was a student at Fox High School.
“I was taking care of the property at City Hall,” Crutchley said. “I went in and watered plants and kept the grounds clean.”
He became a full-time employee in 1994 when he was hired as a recreation supervisor, overseeing programs run at Fox Junior High School and a day camp at Ferd B. Lang Park.
He remained in that role until 2006 when he became the parks superintendent, overseeing the department’s maintenance facilities.
In 2017, he moved into the deputy director role, focusing on overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Arnold Recreation Center.
“He has done it all in the department,” Richison said. “There is not anything that he hasn’t done. He knows it all. He worked closely with Dickie and has learned what a director does and got into the management part of it.
He is well prepared and qualified. We are very happy he accepted the job. He is well positioned to do great things for us.”
In addition to the rec center and Ferd B. Lang park, the city’s parks system includes the Arnold City Park, Pomme Creek Park (formerly the city-owned golf course), Flamm City Park, the Jim Edwards Archery Park, Arnold Jaycees Skate Park, David R. Collins Park, the Paw Park dog park, the Strawberry Creek Nature Area and the Teszars Woods Conservation Area.
“The opportunity to lead a team that has a desire to improve the quality of life in our community is personally inspiring,” Crutchley said. “Creating and growing new programs that community embraces is very rewarding.”
Crutchley has lots of community connections.
He and his wife, Lori, are members of the Arnold Jaycees. The couple have two children – Cameron, 23, and Kennady, 19.
“I think I have a lot to offer,” Crutchley said. “I have been here a long time. I think I know what the community wants, and I know what has worked and hasn’t worked.”
Into the future
Crutchley said he wants to continue to grow the rec center and its membership numbers.
He said the city took a big first step to improve membership and serving the community when the City Council voted to eliminate the additional fee for non-city residents to become members and by creating a single membership fee.
“I always wanted the rec center to be affordable and to work for the community and the city,” Crutchley said.
He also said he would like to give the city’s parks a facelift.
“I know Arnold City Park is in a flood plain, but there are a lot of things we can do down there that can be flood-proofed and enhance the park,” Crutchley said. “We have done a lot to Ferd B. Lang, and I think there is more we can do there.”
He also is excited to help plan the future for Pomme Park.
“Pomme has a ton of potential,” Crutchley said. “We have a great clubhouse up there, where we can hold numerous events. I would love to see that become a rental venue of some sort. It has a great overlook of the park. We have talked about putting in a small amphitheater. There are numerous things we could do over there, and we are looking at everything we could do to add to that park.”