BOONE, Iowa—KWBG News had announced late in 2022 that the Boone Parks and Public Works Director John Rouse was retiring. The City of Boone has provided a press release about Rouse’s time with the city and his retirement:

Long-time Parks and Public Works Director John Rouse marked the end of his career with the
City of Boone on the final day of 2022.
Rouse, a Boone native and 1984 Boone High School graduate, retired 32 years after beginning
as a part-time parks department employee.
“I loved being outside and doing something different every day, so it was a good fit,” he said.
Rouse became a full-time employee in 1994. He succeeded Greg Thede as superintendent of the
parks department in 2005.
The department’s first big project under Rouse’s leadership involved the replacement of tennis
courts at McHose Park. “I’ll never forget it. I was really nervous and worried I was over my head,
but we had some very good engineers so that really helped,” he recalled.
Despite limited budgets, the department had numerous other successes under Rouse’s guidance.
Renovation of the Herman Park pavilion, which included a new floor and stage; a new bathroom
at the Scout cabin; resurfacing the city pool multiple times; and construction of a new bathroom,
concession stand and ticket booth at Memorial Park baseball field followed. “We also redid the
McHose Park road all the way through and dredged out what we call the frog pond and stocked
it with fish so kids can fish. This last year, in a joint effort with the City Council, we improved the
sledding hill to make it the right angle for sledding,” Rouse said. “We also added a portable iceskating rink and got the John Hansen Skate Shelter built at the Gutterridge area.”
The arrival of emerald ash borers in Boone County forced the parks department staff to undertake
the sad but necessary process of removing 1,300 ash trees from city property. “That was
devastating,” he added.
Rouse faced a new learning curve and challenges when he became the director of the newly
combined parks and public works departments in 2008 at a time when a national recession was
squeezing local, county and state budgets across the country.
“I really didn’t know that side – water, sewer, roads. That was something different for me, and I
really relied on staff and engineering. They were very, very helpful,” Rouse said. “The guys in
both departments – parks and public works – they’re just great guys. They really worked their tails
off. If I didn’t have that I never would’ve been successful because they really pulled me through
the last 15 years.”
During his years overseeing the city’s public works, projects have included:
• The $22-million sewer and water trunk system,
• Improvements to other water and sewer lines and mains,
• a new construction on South Marshall Street and in the city’s industrial park,
• the 11th Street mill and overlay, and,
• removal and replacement of Crawford Street from 13th Street to 17th Street.
“It’s easy to take it for granted but our infrastructure is about 100 years old and there’s a lot of it,”
Rouse said. “You’ve got to maintain it. You’ve got to replace it. The work is never ending.”
He was involved in developing and implementing the city’s current snow removal ordinance and
was instrumental in the property protection program that provides financial aid to property owners
affected by sewer backups.
Rouse also offered high praise for the city’s elected and appointed leadership during his long
tenure. “They’ve been fantastic. They know there are struggles out there and not everything is
perfect, but they’ve had my back the whole time. They’ve been great to work for – all the city
councils, all the park commissions,” he said. “Mayor John Slight has been awesome. I’ve had two
city administrators. Luke Nelson was the first and he was a fantastic guy. Bill Skare came in right
after him and has been great. I couldn’t say enough about those two guys.”
With Rouse’s retirement, parks and public works are again becoming separate departments.
Rouse’s public works successor, Waylon Anders, is a long-time department employee and has
been its daily operations manager for more than three years.
“He’s pretty much had his hands on everything anyhow, so he’s been elbow deep in it,” Rouse
said. “On the parks side, it’s Mike Cornelis. He’s been here for a long time – 17 years or so – and
is doing a really good job. They both know what’s going on and are prepared to lead.”
Rouse will take off several months before returning to something he’s already done for 20-plus
years: serving as an assistant coach for Boone middle and high school sports teams. He’ll also
become an assistant coach for the Des Moines Area Community College women’s basketball
team.

(contributed press release, City of Boone)