Cookeville Leisure Services Director Rick Woods plans to wrap up his 38 year career with the city when he retires this fall.
Woods said he first came to Cookeville to work as the managing director of the Cookeville Drama Center in 1985. Woods became a city employee when Leisure Services was created two years later. Woods said the thing he would miss the most about his job is the people.
“Other department heads, the staff that we have here at leisure services, and maintenance, the maintenance guys that do work all throughout the city and do an amazing job, I’ll miss that,” Woods said. “Those relationships and the comradery there.”
Woods said now was the right time to retire partly because of his age, and partly because he passed on a few earlier opportunities. Woods said there was no magic to the decision, other than he just felt like it was time for him to step away.
Woods said he would be involved in cultural arts programming during his early years with the city. In 2000, Woods would be promoted to his current role of Leisure Services Director after the original director left. Woods said it was an honor to serve as director over the last 25 years.
Woods said over his time with the department, it has grown quite a bit. When Woods started in 1987, he said the department had just 9 employees. The present-day Leisure Services Department has around 80 employees, including seasonal workers.
“That’s not directly due to my work, it’s just the nature of the business,” Woods said. “As the parks have expanded and grown, and the parkland has grown, and programs have increased, we’ve needed more people to do that.”
During Woods’ time in as director, the city has opened two new parks. It has built the Cane Creek recreation center. Woods said Dogwood Park was expanded from a small park to it’s present-day size since he has been atop the department.
“There’s been a lot of growth, a lot of expansion, and that’s due to the support of this community and the support of the council members and the support of the city managers that were in place at that time,” Woods said. “And the incredible work of the staff that we have, and the team that we have put together here with Leisure Services.”
Woods said he is proud of growth, but even more of the people that have done the work.
Woods said although he has not reflected much on his career yet, he said he has learned how to have thick skin when the moment calls for it. He said it takes resilience to be in a job like his.
Woods will officially retire October 3.
