Stencil retires a director of parks system
Dan Stencil is saying goodbye to Oakland County after spending 43 years working for the county’s parks system.
For the past 15 years, Stencil has led the 14-park, 7,000-acre system, serving as executive director. His last day will be
March 15, although he plans to provide transition support as the parks and recreation commission sees fit.
During the course of his long career, starting as assistant park supervisor at Independence Oaks County
Park in 1977, the parks system has seen many significant changes including the opening of the county’s 14th park, 106-acre Holly Oaks OffRoad Vehicle (ORV) Park, in Groveland and Holly townships last September. In November, voters overwhelmingly approved the system’s first property tax increase, which will fund park operations and improvements for the next 10 years.
For Stencil, the ORV park was a 25-year dream and bucket list project that finally became a reality in 2020 for the parks system, which was founded 55 years ago. Stencil is only the fourth leader of the system since its inception in 1966.
In an interview with MediaNews Group, Stencil said he stayed with the county for so long because of the co-workers who became like family and the network of relationships he formed with elected officials and community partners, including the board of commissioners, parks and recreation commission, and county administration, and others that really helped to bring about the park system’s successes.
“It’s been a passion-filled career — providing parks, special events, recreation programs and services to visitors of all ages, abilities, diversity and economic backgrounds,” said Stencil, a longtime Independence Township resident. I’ve been blessed to work with the most professional and talented staff that makes these visions become reality.”
Over the years, Stencil said it has been satisfying to see the difference that the parks system has made in the quality of life of Oakland County residents.
Gary McGillivray, county commissioner and chairman of the parks commission, said the position probably won’t filled earlier than May 1 with the commission wanting to take their time in identifying the right candidate. He said that the national search may include the hiring of a search firm to help identify and vet qualified candidates.
He added that Sue Wells, longtime manager of park operations, may become the interim executive director until a permanent replacement is hired.
Stencil will be writing up the job description.
“It’s sad to see him go,” said McGillivray. “It has a lot of knowledge about the parks being here for 43 years. He has all of that institutional knowledge that we are losing. That will be hard, but we will make it. We’re looking forward to starting the search process of replacing him. Dan has been a terrific employee for all these years and we hate to see him go, but everyone calls it quits at some point.”
Other notable projects that came to fruition during Stencil’s time leading the parks system include: the acquisition of additional park land for Catalpa Oaks County Park in Southfield, Red Oaks Dog Park in Madison Heights and Independence Oaks-North County Park in Independence Township; enhancing park system accessibility by opening paradise Peninsula, a universally-accessible playground at Waterford Oaks County Park, and increasing programming and special events for individuals with physical and cognitive disabilities; and assuming operations of the Oakland County Farmers Market and Red Oaks Nature Center.
Normandy Oaks, a cooperative venture between Royal Oak Township and the parks system, will be opening this spring. The property was previously a city-owned golf course.
Stencil said he sold his home in northern Oakland County and will be joining his wife, Susan, at their new home in the Florida panhandle next month when his career at the county comes to an end.
“It’s time to go,” he said. “I bought a house in rural Florida and my wife is currently there so I need to join her. I’m driving my new pick-up truck back up from Florida at the end of the month. I’ll be working for a week, picking up my goods here, loading up my truck, and heading back. We moved down there in early January.”