Bettendorf Welcomes New Parks & Recreation Director

December 3, 2024 - Fortunately, he's not a stranger to winters in Iowa.

The City of Bettendorf is excited to announce a new leader of its Parks & Recreation Department. John Byrnes will join the City on Monday, January 6 after Bettendorf City Council unanimously approved City Administrator Decker Ploehn's appointment during its Regular Meeting on Tuesday, December 3.

"I cannot wait to get started in Bettendorf this winter!" said Byrnes. "I am a lifetime Parks and Recreation Professional - from being raised visiting our local neighborhood parks and rec centers to creating unique park facilities as a professional - every day I am excited to come to work and enhance quality of life. An efficient Parks & Recreation Department is essential to creating vibrant, fun, active cities and I cannot wait to begin working towards that goal in Bettendorf."

Byrnes is from Omaha, Nebraska and graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a Bachelor's Degree in Leisure, Youth, and Human Services. He has been with the Sioux City Parks & Recreation Department for seven years - first as an intern, then Recreation Coordinator, Recreation Supervisor, and was promoted to Recreation Superintendent in 2022. The Sioux City Parks & Recreation Department recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its newest park - Cone Park, where Byrnes managed both the facility and its programs. Cone Park is a unique year-round amenity that offers a tubing hill and ice skating rink in the winter and a splash pad and 10.5 miles of mountain bike trails in the off-season. You can watch a video of Brynes describing Cone Park here.

"We received 55 applications for this position and during his interview, it was clear that John was a great fit for our City," said Ploehn. "What he's done at Cone Park and across the City of Sioux City is very impressive and we are excited to have his unique perspective in not just our Parks & Recreation Department, but in our community as a whole."

The position of Parks & Recreation Director was removed when the City created the position of Culture & Recreation Director in 2021 to handle two City Departments - the Family Museum and Parks & Recreation Department. Kim Kidwell has held that position ever since and will return to her previous position as Family Museum Director once Byrnes joins the City.

"It's been an honor serving as the City's Culture & Recreation Director for the past four years," said Kidwell. "As the City continues to grow, we are ready to welcome a Parks & Recreation Director back to the team. I am looking forward to working alongside John and welcoming him to our amazing Parks & Recreation team and the City of Bettendorf!"

"I want to thank Kim for taking on the monumental task of this role and strategically guiding us for the future of the Parks & Recreation Department," said Ploehn. "I want to specifically thank her for spearheading the effort to create The Landing in cooperation with our friends at the YMCA of the Iowa Mississippi Valley. With the ice rink opening on Sunday, December 15 and the aquatic center opening in 2025, it fulfills the vision that we had for this corner of the City and our new Parks & Recreation Director will be able to use that as a catalyst to move the Department forward in a very exciting way!"