The Schuylkill County Commissioners have approved the retirement of the county's parks and recreation head.

Robert Evanchalk says he will retire from his position as parks and recreation supervisor at the end of the month.Evanchalk served the department for 12 years - taking office just after the county acquired Sweet Arrow Park.Over that time, he oversaw the development of roads, trails, and pavilions that made it easier for residents to access the waterfalls and other natural features at the park."When I started, there was a gate at the top, and we wouldn't allow anybody down," he said. "In the time since then, we renovated the clubhouse, pavilion, sidewalks, main entrance road, and undertook lots of other trail improvements."The park is now a destination for weddings, family reunions and barbecues. They generate some revenue to offset the operating expenses of the park through rentals. Evanchalk said he has taken pride in the venue getting good reviews from groups who have rented there."Everyone who comes here loves it," he said. "We have a great demand for pavilions."Evanchalk said that the park's growth wouldn't have been possible without the support of the commissioners, who took the leap of purchasing the park from Pine Grove when they had no county park system. They continue to support the park even as other counties cut their parks programs to save money."We don't pay for ourselves, there's no doubt about it. I always run a pretty lean ship. We haven't asked the commissioners for a lot, but they've always generously supported us," he said.Evanchalk said it's a good time to step away and let his assistant, Drew Kline, take the job as parks and recreation supervisor. But he will stay on part-time, with hopes of completing more projects, like securing funding for a large pavilion to be placed near the park's waterfall parking area."He's young and ambitious," Evanchalk said of Kline. "But it's too much for one person. I still have unfinished things I want to see done."