Wichita hires new director for parks department

The city of Wichita has hired Troy Houtman as the new Park and Recreation Department director, according to a news release.

Houtman was the assistant director for Center City Development and Operations in San Antonio for the past year. He was operations division manager for Parks and Recreation in Austin, Texas, from 2007-2013. He has also worked in Leesburg, Fla.; Longmont, Colo.; Santa Fe; and Colorado Springs.

Houtman was a construction manager from 1984 to 1997 in the U.S. Army and Army Reserves in Fort Benning, Ga.

His starting salary is $120,600 and his start date is Oct. 20.

He has a master’s degree in public administration from Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, and a bachelor’s degree in business from the University of Northern Colorado.

The Park and Recreation Department has nearly 160 employees and a budget of about $14 million.

Houtman replaces Doug Kupper, who took a similar position in Oklahoma City in May.

The city has eight recreation centers, nine swimming pools, 52 athletic fields, five golf courses, six interactive fountains, adult and youth-based activities and athletics programs and 2,407 acres of rights-of-way, according to the release.

This story was originally published September 15, 2014 at 11:07 AM with the headline "Wichita hires new director for parks department."