West Des Moines parks and rec director to retire after 34 years with the city

A longtime West Des Moines leader will retire in the spring after more than three decades with the city.

Sally Ortgies, the city's parks and recreation director, is retiring on March 31 after service in various roles for the department over the past 34 years, according to a Monday news release.

She directed major city initiatives and was involved in bringing several high-profile new amenities to the community, including the Raccoon River Park Boathouse, the Jamie Hurd Amphitheater, the MidAmerican Energy Company RecPlex, new trails and public art projects. She also spearheaded the city's Five Waters Project, a quality of life initiative that began in 2019 that includes the boathouse and amphitheater, plus plans for a pedestrian bridge over the Raccoon River, trail connections to form a marathon-distance loop around the city and a renewed effort to protect the greenway around the Raccoon River.

City Manager Tom Hadden said in a statement he can’t thank Ortgies enough for her leadership, vision and the way she empowered her staff to provide the community everyday enjoyment through parks and programs.

"She is a true professional who has a passion for public service," he said.

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Ortgies started with the city in 1989 as a landscape architect intern and went full time after graduating from Iowa State University. She became the parks superintendent in 1998 and the department director in 2016.

The city will hold a celebration for Ortgies at Raccoon River Park Nature Lodge, 2500 Grand Ave., from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. March 30. The public is invited to attend.

Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: West Des Moines parks and recreation director to retire after 34 years