After nearly four decades working for the City of Iola, Berkley Kerr has bid farewell to his role of Superintendent of Parks and Cemeteries. Kerr celebrated his retirement Friday with a celebration at the Riverside Park community building.
Kerr, 62, began working for the city in May 1985 when he was hired as a seasonal worker at the water plant after which he soon transferred to the Parks and Cemeteries department. He took over as its superintendent in 1991.
“I’ve been doing it for a few years,” he chuckled.
The most rewarding part of the job has been helping the public. “It’s been a good job. I’ve enjoyed it,” he said. “Not that I don’t still enjoy it. It’s just time for me to step down and let some of these younger guys do it.”
Reflecting on his tenure, one of his favorite projects was the 2014 installation of the Mothers of Miracles (MOMs) playground — an inclusive playground that features handicap-accessible equipment at Riverside Park. “It was a community build and we had a lot of volunteers involved,” he said.
The job has also come with challenges. Kerr noted that flooding in Riverside Park has been an ongoing battle. “Dealing with the flood waters has been the most challenging. I think I wake up every time we get a downpour,” he said.
KERR has some opinions about the proposal to install some artificial turf fields in the park and water mitigation efforts. In front of Iola Council members and USD 257 trustees is a proposal by Mammoth Sports Construction of Meriden to replace a baseball, softball and the football field with artificial turf as well as redirect excess rainfall and add larger pumps.
“You’re never going to solve the flooding problem down here. You might help it,” is Kerr’s opinion. “It’s kind of like your bathtub — if you turn the water on full blast and you don’t put the plug in it, eventually it’s going to run over.”
Kerr noted the park doesn’t have a big enough underdrainage system or adequate pumps to remove flood waters. “Besides, the park is sitting on river gravel. On the south end, water comes up through the ground,” he added. “It’s not really that the river floods the park, but when the river level gets up and Elm Creek backs up, the park floods.”
Over his years working in the park, Kerr said the Community Building’s gym floor has been replaced four times because of flooding. In the 2007 flood, the water was 10 feet deep in the gym.
“We had one opportunity to move everything out of the park and that was after the 2007 flood,” he said. “We didn’t and here we are. Hindsight is 20/20 and we’ve got what we’ve got.” He added it’s not a matter of “if” a major flood will happen again — it’s a matter of “when.”
Kerr has seen many changes over the years in his department. He recalls a time when 30,000 people would go to the pool over the summer season. “Now, you’re lucky if it’s half that,” he said. He attributes this to kids becoming more tech-driven with video games and people having pools at their homes. “There’s also a lot more activities today for kids to do than there was back then,” he added.
Recreation is not a money-maker, said Kerr, but that doesn’t mean the city shouldn’t provide recreational opportunities.
“You’re giving back to the public and you’ve got to have that,” he stressed. “If the city were to lose $30,000 a year operating the pool, that means it would cost the city $2 per person to provide that service. That’s not a bad deal.”
His role with the city has had its share of complexities. “Dealing with someone at the cemetery and dealing with someone at the park are two completely different things,” he explained. “You’ve got people grieving versus people at the park enjoying stuff.”
