GLENWOOD SPRINGS - Dan Rodgerson, the Parks and Recreation Department director who saw through construction of the Community Center here, announced Wednesday he will resign to take a new job in South Carolina.
Rodgerson, 34, accepted a job as executive director of the Greenville Recreation District. He'll be leaving Glenwood Springs at the end of February.
"It's a step up in the right direction. I just submitted my resignation to Mike (Tuesday)," Rodgerson said of his boss, Glenwood Springs city manager Mike Copp.
Greenville, S.C., a city of about 300,000 people, has more than $6 million budgeted yearly for its recreation district. Rodgerson will oversee a staff of 55 employees - 41 more than he had in Glenwood Springs.
Rodgerson said one of the motivating factors for his move is a chance to earn his master's degree in public administration at Clemson University. His tuition will be paid by his new employer once he gains South Carolina residency.
"I enjoyed my time here," he said Wednesday. "It was certainly a difficult decision to make."
But another reason Rodgerson and his wife, Minda, are leaving, he admitted, is the high cost of living in the Glenwood Springs area.
"We never bought a house," he said. "Property values are about half in South Carolina."
Rodgerson said his replacement has not yet been chosen.
"They'll probably do a national search," he said.
Rodgerson took the reins of the recreation department in July 2001.
Since then, he oversaw completion of the Community Center and operated it during its first year.
The recreation department also started construction on ballfields behind Sopris Elementary School, a roof and support building were installed at the Community Center skating rink, and tennis courts for the Community Center were approved.
Rodgerson also helped garner two grants for a new swimming pool, and was instrumental in the purchase and construction of the Community Center climbing wall.
"I really feel good about the facilities and the department," he said. "Council has been incredibly supportive of me and recreation in a lot of ways."
Dan Rodgerson exploroo
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