By Matt Mauney | Associate Editor
If you’re out having fun in Plant City, there’s a good chance Jack Holland had something to do with it.
Having worked in the Recreation and Parks Department since it merged in 1997 and served as its director since 2004, Holland is responsible for overseeing almost anything fun happening in Plant City — whether its kids playing baseball at a local park, the popular Daddy-Daughter Dance or the Fourth of July Celebration at Plant City Stadium.
A Plant City native, Holland certainly has done his part in giving back to his hometown.
FOOT IN THE DOOR
Holland’s involvement with the Plant City Recreation Department began in 1977 — through the game of soccer.
That spring was when the youth soccer program started, and Holland, just two years out of high school, joined the department as a game official.
“I played some soccer through my middle-school years for a private school in Tampa, but at that time, they didn’t have high school soccer,” he says.
Holland also helped launch a club program with some friends at the Hillsborough Community College Plant City Campus.
“The rec department found out about our club team, and with them starting a youth program, they wanted to get together and start a program, so that’s how I got involved,” he says.
Holland worked seasonally with soccer, basketball and flag football programs in 1979 before being hired full-time as an athletic manager that June — a year before graduating with a degree in business administration from the University of South Florida.
“I didn’t think, at the time, that I would spend the rest of my life blowing up soccer balls for a living,” Holland says, smiling. “We’ve grown from that point over the years, and I’ve really enjoyed working in this profession, because you see the kids develop into young adults. We have kids now who are second generation, with the parents having played in our programs.”
RUNNING THE SHOW
When the Recreation Department merged with the Parks Department in 1997, Holland assumed the role of superintendent of the recreation division before taking over as director in 2004.
“Now as the director, I have to split my time with not only the recreation side but (also) park maintenance issues, park staffing issues,” he says. “Our department is also in charge of the cemeteries in town, so there’s some things that come up with that. We also deal with tree trimmings of right-of-ways that the city maintains, as well as all the city properties, so it’s a much broader focus now.”
In 2008 and 2009, budget cuts forced the department to tighten its belt.
“We had to go through a lot of trimming and cost-cutting and outsourced a few of our maintenance areas to help get the budget down where the funding was available for it,” he says.
From 2008 to 2011, Holland says the department lost about 25% of its budget. The cuts were felt city-wide, affecting the general fund, which covers police, fire, recreation, the library and some of the other departments in town.
FUN FACTOR
Although smaller and with fewer resources than some regional departments, Plant City has built a strong reputation with its well-kept parks, recreation leagues and city-wide events, such as Christmas in the Park, through which toys, turkeys and bikes are given to families in need.
Other key programs include a city-wide Easter egg hunt, the Daddy-Daughter Dance and a Fourth of July celebration that returned this year after a three-year hiatus.
“To put on any program, the first thing is that you have to have a staff that you can rely on, and the staff that I’ve got to work with is phenomenal — both on the recreation side and the parks side,” Holland says.
The park system the department maintains has attracted some big events, including the United Youth Football League National Championships and the National Club Baseball/Softball Association college spring training, during which top college baseball and softball teams converge on Plant City to perfect their games.
CHILD’S PLAY
In addition to providing parks and events for Plant City residents to use and enjoy, Holland noted some of the recreation centers and after-school programs the department offers are the only options for some kids who may live in underdeveloped or underprivileged areas.
“That’s their place to be — rather than on the street — and they’ll come back to you 10 to 15 years later and say, ‘If you guys hadn’t had been there, I don’t know where I would be today,’” Holland says. “I’ve heard that multiple times from both of our rec centers from kids (who) have come through over the years. Hearing those things is what it’s all about.”
Since he has been director, Holland hasn’t had the same hands-on experience in dealing with day-to-day operations of the department’s many programs.
“That part I do miss, because you don’t see the kids’ eyes light up when they make a ball in the side pocket of a pool table or they’re out on the court and they make that first three-pointer,” he says. “It’s really neat to see all that happen, and that’s what we’re here for — to help develop these kids in our community.”