WOOD RIVER - Jason Woody has officially resigned from his post as the director of the Wood River Parks and Recreation Department, submitting a letter of resignation which was read aloud at the City Council meeting earlier this week. City officials expressed their sadness to see Woody leave the department but wished him the best of luck in his future endeavors with the Village of Roxana.
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Woody wrote in his letter of resignation that he received an offer from Roxana to be their Village Administrator, an opportunity he said was too good to decline.
Woody had been Wood River's director of Parks and Recreation for 15 years, starting in November of 2008; his official last day as director will be Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
“Thank you again for the opportunity to work for the City of Wood River. It’s been a pleasure to work with everyone,” Woody wrote. “I’m truly grateful for all the opportunities that have been given to me throughout the years. I wish you all the best of luck. Sincerely, Jason Woody.”
Parks and Recreation Board member and longtime resident Mike Young spoke highly of Woody’s accomplishments as Parks director. He recalled the recent grand opening of the Wood River Rec Center and said anyone who wasn’t in attendance “missed out on a great day.”
“I just want to really thank Jason and the guys in the [Parks and] Rec Department … all the guys that worked so hard to get this stuff lined out,” Young said. “The grand opening was a great success, we’re blessed to have a facility like that - there’s a lot of communities that would give their right arm and leg to have that kind of facility.”
Young said he’s seen several “improvements” take place over Woody’s time as director, including 14th and 16th Street parks and walking/biking paths. He also commended Woody’s knowledge and ability to secure grants.
“I’ve been on the Parks and Rec Board for a while, and I’ve worked with Jason for 15 years,” Young said. “This guy is the most amazing go-getter. You’re never going to see another man that knows and can go out and get the grants, and has the knowledge, the drive and ability to get those grants.”
City Manager Steve Palen said he was “here when Jason started,” so the two “came up together.” He agreed with Young that Woody’s resignation is a “tough loss” for the city.
Mayor Tom Stalcup said he and the rest of the city officials wish Woody “all the best.”
“You’ve been just an upstanding guy to work with and a good friend,” Stalcup said to Woody. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for this city throughout the years, and the work that you did to open the Rec Center Saturday was just phenomenal.”
The mayor closed by saying: “I agree with Mike that you’ll sorely be missed, and good luck to you.”
Councilman Scott Tweedy said it’s been a pleasure getting to know Woody and agreed that he’ll be missed. Councilman Jeremy Plank said that while he and Woody had disagreements about the Rec Center, he was impressed with Woody’s day-to-day work ethic and added he has “big, bright things ahead” for him with Roxana.
A recording from the Wood River City Council meeting including Woody’s letter of resignation and related comments are available at the top of this story, on the Riverbender.com Facebook page, or on Riverbender.com/video.
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