PINE GROVE — There have been many projects at Sweet Arrow Lake County Park since Schuylkill County bought it from the borough in 2001 and Robert “Bob” Evanchalk has been involved in nearly all of them as the conservation district’s parks and recreation supervisor for the last 12 years. But soon, a retiring Evanchalk will pass on his signature green supervisor cap to his successor, Drew Kline.
“Drew has got the right personality for the job,” Evanchalk, 64, of Washington Township, said Thursday. “He knows how to deal with people and is committed to the point where I felt comfortable to retire. This has been my baby for the last 12 years and I didn’t want to leave it in the wrong hands.”
Kline, 25, of Hegins, has worked with Evanchalk at the park for the last few years. He was the first intern to work at the park as a senior at Penn State University in 2013 and then managed boat rentals that summer.
“I just fell in love with it and wanted to stay,” Kline said.
As an intern, Kline spearheaded the project of installing an 18-hole disc golf course at the park. After graduating with a degree in recreation, parks and tourism management, he worked as parks and recreation supervisor for New Rockford, North Dakota. However, he returned to Sweet Arrow Lake last February in the newly created position of part-time assistant supervisor.
“We’ve grown to the point where it was too much for one person,” Evanchalk said. “My last year before retirement was the first time I got some weekends off and about a 40-hour work week instead of about 60.”
Kline said he missed the mountains and woods of Schuylkill County and wanted to live closer to his family. He returned to Hegins, but is looking to relocate to the Pine Grove area.
“Here I get to work outside and do something different every day and interact with people,” Kline said. “Bob has really set a gold standard. He has been a fantastic mentor. Pretty much everything I know in the field he taught me. It’s definitely inspiring to see what one person can do.”
Kline also said he was impressed by the number of volunteers and groups that have supported the park.
“It’s pretty amazing all the programs people want to put on,” he said. “They just want to see the park improve and it makes it nice to work here.”
Evanchalk is officially retiring as supervisor at the end of the month, but said he still isn’t ready to give it up entirely and will stay on temporarily as an assistant when Kline takes over.
“I do have a small farm and that’s something I have been neglecting,” Evanchalk said. “My wife also has a retirement to-do list a mile long.”
His advice to Kline was to not get frustrated and be ready to work long and hard.
“There’s absolutely nothing that’s not in your job description,” Evanchalk said.
That includes everything from plumbing and emptying trash cans to updating the website and writing grant applications.
“You got to be able to do everything or know who to contact,” he said.
Although he has had many responsibilities as the man in charge of the park for more a decade, Evanchalk said the experience has been “extremely gratifying.”
“There is no way to put a dollar value on what we have here,” Evanchalk said.