Gary Pinkerton, the Butler County parks and recreation director, is retiring in the spring.

No one could argue that retiring county parks and recreation director Gary Pinkerton hasn't left the county a better place than he found it.

Pinkerton has put the wheels in motion for a spring retirement, when he will leave the Alameda Park office he has occupied since 1994.

Pinkerton's retirement was announced at a recent county commissioner's meeting, where Lance Welliver, the new parks and recreation director, was introduced.

The upgrades at Alameda Park during Pinkerton's tenure include the addition of the Odd Fellows Circle, two renovations of the pool, the addition of the Kid's Zone Playground in two phases and the addition of 10 picnic shelters.

“But the overall accomplishment of the department is aiding municipalities in outlying areas,” Pinkerton said. “It's one of our success stories.”

Pinkerton is referring to the county's unique program he started in 1995, in which townships and boroughs can get recreational grant administration services from the county parks and recreation department.

He said municipalities can apply for state grants through his office, which also provides grant-writing services or will sometimes finance a municipality's project and be reimbursed when the grant funds come in.

Pinkerton also helps find money for strapped municipalities that must match the funds provided in a state grant.

His most recent example of such help is an upcoming $740,000 pool renovation project in Evans City.

“The cost to the local community is $80,000,” Pinkerton said.

He said he has helped municipalities with parks of a quarter-acre up to the large parks in Adams and Penn townships. Pinkerton appreciates being able to find dollars for matching funds in the smaller municipalities' park projects.

“In some cases, the (matching fund requirement) may be more than 50 percent of what a small community's budget is,” he said.

He said the in-county grant program in Butler County is unique, and that other counties use it as an example when attempting to start up their own programs to help municipalities with parks and recreation grants.

Pinkerton's 23 years in the county have been made easier, he said, by each and every county commissioner since 1994.

“I've had the support of all the boards,” he said.

Leslie Osche, chairman of the current county commissioners, said the commissioners worried about losing Pinkerton's connections with state funding sources when they learned he planned to retire.

“The job he has done has been pretty amazing, countywide,” Osche said.

She said Welliver, who will work with Pinkerton until the spring, will do a good job.

“It's kind of hard to fill these shoes these days,” she said.

Welliver, a Wilkes-Barre native, has worked for 15 years in municipal capacities ranging from assistant program director to parks and recreation director.

He most recently worked in Moon Township, Beaver County, and looks forward to growing Pinkerton's programs.

“There's a lot of opportunity to progress and develop, and to continue what Gary has put in place,” said Welliver, who started work on Monday.

Pinkerton, who has coached high school football for 30 years in Butler and Armstrong counties, said he is not one to sit around the house after retirement, but he has no definite plans.

“In my whole career here, I could count on one hand the times I had any hesitation about wanting to come in to work,” Pinkerton said. “It was a great opportunity to be here and I've enjoyed every minute of serving the residents of the county.”

Osche said she will miss Pinkerton when he leaves the county in the spring.

“He's just fun,” Osche said. “On a personal level, working with him is what makes this job pleasant.”