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From the President
By Ross Demant, MRPA President
On the Road: St. Peter Recreation and Leisure Services
My adventures have taken me down to Southern Minnesota to visit with Joey Schugel and his team. St. Peter, Minnesota is located next to the Minnesota River with approximately 12,000 residents, 23 parks, and a community center which is home to the parks and recreation department. The population of St. Peter is very diverse which creates many opportunities for inclusive programming. As part of their focus on being inclusive, the parks and recreation department is working on replacing their wood playground structure with a fully inclusive playground, splashpad, and other park amenities. One of the cornerstones of the department is the 96,000 square-foot community center. This center brings many partners together, including the library, parks and recreation department, community education, and two private daycare providers. The community center was built approximately 21 years ago. The original community center and area was devastated by the Comfry-St. Peter tornado of 1998. Since then, the City of St. Peter has rebuilt their community into a thriving diverse community. Other amenities the department is proud of are the Minnesota Square Park, Riverside Campground at Mill Pond, and community events such as Rock Band Folk Fest, Bluesfest, and the 4th of July event. Joey has been the director for the past four years. He stated he feels he has found a home in St. Peter because the community values and supports the parks and recreation department. Joey’s team includes eight full-time staff and over 100 part-time and seasonal staff. He added Tim in maintenance and Jen in administrative are the longest tenured employees currently in the department. Joey stated his involvement in MRPA and SMRPA have provided him opportunities and have been a great resource for networking and professional development. Thank you to Joey and his team for showing me around St. Peter. They are providing high quality parks and recreation services to their residents.
