Yorkville’s superintendent of parks grew into the job as city grew

YORKVILLE – Over the past 30 years, Scott Sleezer is the man who built the Yorkville park system.

When he went to work for the city of Yorkville in 1992, Sleezer was the first designated staff member to handle maintenance for the city’s few parks.

Sleezer grew into the job as Yorkville grew, becoming the city’s superintendent of parks.

“I built every park in Yorkville. Every one has some of me in it,” Sleezer said.

“I was fortunate to be at the right place at the right time to grow and have input on every park,” Sleezer said. “Parks play a big role in building our community.”

A native of Yorkville, Sleezer graduated from Yorkville High School in 1986. With only about 3,500 residents, it was a different place then.

“Everybody knew everybody else. That’s what I enjoyed the most,” Sleezer said.

A hard worker, Sleezer already was employed before finishing school.

“I was the guy who worked 40 hours a week,” he said.

Sleezer worked as a cook at The Williamsburg, a restaurant that will bring back fond memories for longtime Yorkville residents.

“I had dreams of being a chef,” Sleezer said.

After graduating high school, Sleezer took a second job as a cook at the NiGas headquarters cafeteria in Warrenville.

Between the two jobs and culinary classes at Joliet Junior College, Sleezer was working days, nights and weekends.

“I was missing a lot of parties and family things because I was working,” Sleezer said. “I started to kind of feel that this chef thing was not what I wanted.”

Feeling trapped inside windowless kitchens, Sleezer soon realized what it was that he did want.

“I wanted to be outside,” he said.

With no experience, Sleezer started his own landscaping business while taking classes in landscaping design and plant identification at the College of DuPage.

When Sleezer was hired as an employee of the Yorkville Public Works Department in 1992, his primary job was park maintenance, but he also plowed snow and performed other duties with the department’s street workers.

When he started, Town Square Park was not in good condition, Sleezer said.

“The sidewalks were overgrown and all of the trees needed edging,” he said, noting that his equipment consisted primarily of a shovel and a wheel barrow.

“Today I give my guys a hard time about it. I tell them it’s a breeze now because they have all this power equipment to use,” he said laughing.

Now, as superintendent of parks, Sleezer oversees a crew of eight full-time, two part-time and four seasonal workers.

Today’s Yorkville’s city park system covers 240 acres. It includes 39 parks, 19 baseball fields, eight basketball courts and four tennis courts.

This summer, Sleezer and his crew will build a pair of pickleball courts in Rotary Park.

“A big part of my job is to get my guys the tools and training and manpower necessary to be successful,” Sleezer said.

Just as when Sleezer started all those years ago, the parks department workers assist with snow plowing and other street-related work on a city staff that prides itself on cooperation.

“We do a lot of planning in the winter, getting our ducks in a row for work in the spring,” Sleezer said.

The parks workers support the recreation staff with setup, electrical connections, barricades and trash cleanup during special events, he said.

In addition to a lawn-cutting and tree-trimming regimen in every park, crew members who have been certified in playground inspections take a close look at the equipment every month, often resulting in repairs.

“The kids are tough on them,” Sleezer said.

All of Yorkville’s parks and playgrounds meet or exceed the requirements of the Americans With Disabilities Act.

Sleezer is particularly proud of playground swings that are designed to provide safety and comfort for those with special needs.

Sleezer had a special needs daughter who enjoyed playing in Yorkville parks before she died at a very young age.

“It made me appreciate the needs of the handicapped,” Sleezer said. “It made me a better parks guy.”

Sleezer believes that a park system is an important amenity for people to relax, play, exercise and socialize.

“I want people to feel community when they go to one of our parks,” Sleezer said. “We make a point of making them all different and want people to get out and enjoy the differences.”

The recent pandemic proved the worth and the potential of the park system, Sleezer said.

“Our parks were jammed during COVID,” Sleezer said. “We know because the volume of trash was going up tremendously.”

Sleezer started the park system’s popular tree donation and park bench donation programs, which have provided shade and seating for park visitors.

At 54, Sleezer said he loves his job and thinks it has been a privilege to develop the parks for a growing community.

“I got to see it all and be part of it all,” he said.

Last month, the Yorkville Park Board congratulated Sleezer on his 30th anniversary with the city.

Sleezer and his wife, Lisa, will be celebrating 29 years of marriage in September. Their 17-year-old daughter, Evelyn, is a college prep student at Benet Academy in Lisle.