Q&A: John Hunt, parks and recreation director
Published 8:17 pm Monday, December 26, 2005
John Hunt is the director of the City of Cullman’s Parks and Recreation Department. He recently spoke with The Times about the role the department plays in the lives of the citizens of Cullman County.
Q: How do you feel about the state of the parks and recreation department right now? How does the department stack up against other departments in towns of similar size?
A: Right now, I think the parks and recreation department is the best it’s ever been. We’re bursting at the seams with every program we have.
I feel we’re head-and-shoulders above other parks and recreation departments in the state in cities of our size. That is not because of me as the director, but because our community demands a great recreation program and because of our staff.
Q: How important is it for a city to have a strong recreational program?
A: I think it is as important as any department the city has. I know the fire, police and sanitation departments all play very important roles, but our department impacts every age group.
I feel a strong recreational program can cut down on crime. It can also strengthen family values and improve the quality of life in a community.
We have programs that allow families to spend quality time together. The more you also have for kids to do in the community, the less time they also have to get into trouble.
Q: How many facilities does your department maintain, how many employees does the department have, how many programs does your department oversee?
A: I don’t know if many people realize what all we oversee. We oversee nine structures and 13 parks.
We oversee the Civic Center, Heritage Park, Cullman Golf Course, the Cullman Gymnastics and Cheer Academy, the Art Guild, Ingle Park and recently Hurricane Creek Park. We maintain the swimming pools and the tennis courts next to the high school.
We have a very diverse program and do it all with 29 full-time staff members. We also have part-time staff members, but that is seasonal.
During the summer, we may have as many as 80 part-time employees, including concession workers and game officials.
Q: What are some of the biggest events your department puts on each year?
A: The standing joke around here is that if the city is planning an event, we’re involved with it. Obviously, Day In the Park is a big event and we’re adding a concert this coming year.
Heritage Park is booked for 36 straight weekends with tournaments. I don’t think people realize that the civic center is also booked 52 weeks a year. We have very few openings on Friday through Sunday at the civic center.
But our work isn’t limited to putting on events here. We try to help make sure our all-star teams and other teams that participate in our programs are able to participate in tournaments and meets in other parts of the state.
If senior program is planning a trip to Cancun, we’re involved with that as well.
Q: How big of an asset to the community is a facility like Heritage Park?
A: In my eyes, it is one of the biggest. When visitors come to Cullman, one of the first things we want to show them is Heritage Park. We’ve brought in numerous state and national tournaments because of it.
I think you have to look at the area around it to realize the impact it has had. When it was first built, there wasn’t much around it. Now look at what’s been built up around it.
Q: How diverse are the programs the department offers? Are there any new programs in the plans?
A: We’ve got an extremely diverse program. Angie Jochum has done a tremendous job with our senior adult program. They’re taking trips, they’re exercising, their singing group is cutting albums.
Shelby (Williams) is doing a great job with our athletic program with our baseball, softball and soccer leagues. I’m extremely excited about the direction our gymnastics and cheer academy is going in. We have more than 500 participating in the academy.
We’ve got rock climbing, repelling and hiking going on at Hurricane Creek. We can’t forget about Cullman Golf Course. The community band has been tremendously successful. It’s over 70 strong, with the age group of members ranging from 18 to 76.
We’ve also got the Midnight Run and the children’s theatre. (Programs coordinator) Nicole Els has done a tremendous job in coming up with new ideas.
Q: The Field of Miracles is in the beginning stages of coming to pass. What are some other future projects the department is working on? What is the vision for the future?
A: We’ve got a lot going with the Field of Miracles project.
Right now there is a big need for an indoor aquatics center, and Ingle Park is bursting at the seams. I’d like to see us build a skateboard park at the old tennis courts and swimming pool facility.
Because of all of the growth, we are in desperate need of a new civic center.