| Silkey’s career a work in the parks |
By: Pauline Schreiber
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Posted: Saturday, November 7, 2009 12:19 am
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Chuck Silkey stands by playground equipment in one of many neighborhood parks he helped develop in his 35 years in the city’s parks maintenance department. Silkey, 62, retired last week. During his time with the department, 22 new parks were developed i
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FARIBAULT — In 35 years, Chuck Silkey figures he’s plowed enough snow to equal a 132-foot high snow bank.
Silkey, 62, retired last week after working for the city of Faribault’s Parks and Recreation Department since 1974.
For the past four years, Silkey served as parks superintendent. Before that, he served 24 years as parks department foreman, and the balance of his 35 years as a parks attendant.
When asked how he spent his first week as an official retiree, he said, “It was great. I got my 10-year-old son up for school, and then went to my usual coffee group at Hy-Vee, but stayed a whole half hour longer because I didn’t have to go back to work.”
Silkey also said he went bow hunting. Retirement will give him the freedom to do whatever else he wants to do and spend more time with his family.
The only thing Silkey said he’ll miss is the new offices in the public works building, which opened in fall 2006.
“It’s a great facility,” Silkey said. “I wish it had been around sooner in my career so I could have had more time in it.”
When Silkey started his career as a parks attendant, gas-powered lawn mowers were hand pushed. There were no riding lawn mowers in the department, he said. And the largest mower cut a 7-foot swath.
“Today, there is a (riding) mower at the airport that cuts a path 21 feet wide,” he said.
Gas-powered weedeaters also weren’t an option when he started. “You used a hand clipper for weeds after you mowed,” he said.
He estimates that one park worker today can mow three times the amount of grass in a work day.
Silkey said one thing that hasn’t changed in the parks maintenance department since he started is the number of workers.
“When I started, it was five,” he said. “The day I quit, it still was five.”
With Silkey’s retirement, the ranks are down to four.
“We plan to replace Chuck’s leadership position, but not right away,” said Paul Peanasky, Faribault’s director of parks and recreation.
Until city staff and the Faribault City Council have worked through what reductions are needed in next year’s budget, Peanasky said, Silkey’s position is being kept open.
Parks worker Keith Walker has been given the duty of coordinating day-to-day parks operations, a task Silkey had done.
“Definitely, Chuck will be missed,” Peanasky said. “The parks flourished under his leadership. In fact, 22 different parks, most of them small neighborhood parks, were developed during his years in the parks department.”
And 6.2 miles of the Straight River Trail, an inner-city recreational trail, was created.
“The city has a great parks and recreation system and a lot of that has to do with Chuck’s leadership,” said Faribault City Administrator Tim Madigan.
A testament to Silkey’s leadership abilities, Madigan said, is the fact that the parks maintenance staff is able to care for more parks today, with the same amount of staff.
To accomplish that, Madigan said, Silkey increased his workload over the years, and figured out how to best use his staff and parks equipment to get work done.
“What I liked about park maintenance is that just about the time you get tired of one thing, such as flooding outside hockey rinks, the rinks melt and it’s spring and you are bringing out picnic tables,” Silkey said.
But when the first snowstorm comes this year, rather than driving to work to get into a truck and plow snow, Silkey can stay warm and dry at home, drinking his coffee and watching it snow.
— Staff writer Pauline Schreiber may be reached at 333-3127.
FACT FILE
Name: Chuck Silkey
Age: 62
Family: Wife, Jean; three grown children and a 10-year-old son
Hobbies: Fishing, bow hunting, teaching religion classes in St. Patrick’s Catholic Church parish in Shieldsville
Favorite season: Fall
A LOOK BACK
Then: Nine parks with addresses totaling 90 acres
Now: 38 city parks with addresses totaling 260 acres
Then: Gas-powered push mowers; 7-feet greatest swath cut
Now: Riding mowers; 21-feet greatest swath cut
Then: Snow plow blades with pins that needed to be manually changed to move angle of blade
Now: Hydraulic systems on snow plow blades to change angle
Then: Five parks workers
Now: Five parks workers
Bosses during his tenure: Frank Pemrick, Robert O’Banion, Howard Radatz, Richard Moravec, Brian Wagstrom, Dan Behrens, Paul Peanasky
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Member Opinions:
By: JohnBlackmerSSM on 11/7/09
In my years at River Bend I worked on projects and problems with Chuck on dozens of occasions and I can tell you that this guy is truly a class act and was an incredible asset to the city and the park system. It was great working with you, Chuck, and I wish you well in retirement!
By: gobush on 11/10/09
Chuck gave me a summer job when I was in college, and looking back it was one of the best jobs I ever had, to that point. When you're 19 or 20 and need summer work, there was nothing better than being outdoors, making a paycheck. Chuck was always a class act, very understanding and reasonable. I can see completely why he will be missed so much. His leadership was invaluable. Congratulations Chuck, on retirement and a job well done! And again, Thank You for helping me when I needed it oh so many years ago! It will never be forgotten!
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