Sedalia Park Board Recognizes Part-Time Employee of the Month

The Sedalia Park Board met at Katy Trail Community Health on Thursday night to recognize the parks department part-time employee of the month and discuss a part-time pay scale.

The Part-Time Employee Recognition Program began this summer, with Dylan Rogers as the first recipient. Rogers was surrounded by family as he was honored.

Sedalia Parks and Rec Director Amy Epple said that Rogers works mostly in Liberty Park about 30 to 35 hours a week. Epple praised Rogers work performance saying, "He is the kind of employee you want to work with."

Rogers' name will be engraved on a plaque that will hang inside Convention Hall. He said that he "loves working at the park."

Epple also introduced the new park superintendent at Thursday night's meeting. Matt Harris took over the superintendent position in mid-June following the retirement of Dave Moore.

Epple expressed gratitude to Harris, saying "he has hit the ground running," with several projects that have been in the works. In turn, Harris thanked Moore for his years of service to the department.

The issue of a part-time employee pay scale was also discussed at the board meeting.

Epple recommended following the City of Sedalia's policy as an example, which would include raises for employees based on criteria such as merit, experience, and performance reviews. The policy was only discussed Thursday night and no official action was taken.

If a part-time pay scale is approved, it would go into effect April 1, 2019.

The board was updated on a few details from the Fourth of July Celebration. Epple indicated that nearly 1,200 people were served during the Independence Day picnic at Centennial Park, with several hundred attending the pool.

The total cost of the fireworks show at the Missouri State Fairgrounds was around $12,000. The board had originally budgeted about $10,000, however the City of Sedalia picked-up nearly $5,000 of the total cost.

The parks department had a cost of around $7,000 in the fireworks display. Board members were pleased that the Sedalia Parks and Rec Department came in under budget for their cost in the fireworks.

PIC 2: New Sedalia Parks Superintendent Matt Harris