Petaluma Profile: Summer an exciting time for Parks and Rec supervisor Drew Halter

Drew Halter is eagerly anticipating the coming of summer.

As Recreation Supervisor with Petaluma Parks and Recreation, he’s been a big part of organizing the exciting slate of summer activities now scheduled for the city’s 400 acres, 45 parks and two pools, while keeping a remarkably clear head.

“The spring-summer slo-pitch softball leagues start this week, so the fields at Prince Park and Casa will be hopping,” he says, explaining that under the direction of Rec-Coordinator Kevin Hays, a total of 40 slo-pitch teams will compete in a double-elimination, city-only tournament. “There’s really nothing else like it in Northern California,” he says.

Halter comes alive when talking about such stuff, with an especially high level of enthusiasm on display when describing the upcoming summer camp activities planned for the Community Center at Lucchesi Park. Summer camps are coordinated by Rachel Beer, and offer something for everyone from preschoolers to 9th-graders.

“We provide weekly field trips to places like the Sonoma-Marin Fair, laser tag, Scandia and the bowling alley,” he says. “We even have specialty camps for Harry Potter and Lego engineering, Incredi-Flix movie-making, video-game coding, and stop-motion animation as well as sport camps for T-ball, swimming, basketball, tennis, cheerleading and fencing.”

The city also operates programs at the Petaluma Senior Center, coordinated by Sandra Karaus, who sets up the food and games for the city’s popular Movies in the Park activities. This year, on the big screen at Luchessi Park, the city will be showing “Monsters, Inc.” (July 26), “Space Jam (Aug. 24) and “Incredibles 2” (Sept. 20).

“This year,” says Halter, “we’ve added the Halloween-themed film “Hocus Pocus.” (Oct. 25)

“The energy that annually takes place when the Community Center comes alive is a jolt in the arm for everyone,” Halter points out, noting that many of the city’s park and recreation workers selflessly responded to the needs of firestorm refugees on that dark and crazy morning of October 9, 2017, and in some cases are still feeling the impact.

“It’s been tough,” he admits, “but on the plus side, that time restored my faith in humanity and the willingness of people to help others.”

With degrees in Kinesiology from Cuesta College, Public Administration from Sonoma State, and Recreation, Parks and Tourism from San Francisco State, Halter is particularly well suited to his work. He is also the former Program Director for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sonoma Valley.

“This line of work is important,” Halter says. “A mixture of right brain-left brain perspectives, creating opportunities for as many people as you can while sustaining open spaces and nurturing the living, breathing fabric of the parks. It’s an incredible responsibility to care for some of the city’s most precious resources.”

When asked what the biggest surprise has been for him personally, Halter answers, “The number of non-profit partnerships the city has with organizations of mutual interest. Petaluma residents have an incredibly vibrant engagement for a city of this size.”

Since moving to Petaluma in 2013, Halter and his dietician wife have “stuck pretty-close to home.” They are the proud parents of 2-year-old twin boys.

“I’m looking forward to getting out in the field with my sons by my side,” he says, “to celebrate first-hand Petaluma’s Department of Parks and Rec’s many successes.”

(Contact Gil Mansergh at gilmansergh@comcast.net)