SEDONA MONTHLY: How did you get interested in this type of work?
STEVE RICHARDSON: I grew up as a parks and recreation kid. My mom signed me up for just about everything. I grew up in Mesa, Arizona. I started off in summer camps and art classes and every sport there is. When I became a teenager, I started volunteering for summer camps and then was hired by the City of Mesa Parks and Recreation Department. I just fell in love with it. I went to college at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff. I was going to get a degree in elementary education but realized you can get a degree in parks and recreation management. I switched over then and never looked back.
What have you always enjoyed about the great outdoors?
My dad took me out into the wilderness a lot as a kid. We hunted and hiked and fished. I just feel better when I’m outdoors and out in nature. I feel connected to nature.
Any early memories of being outside you want to share with us?
I was seven or eight years old. My Dad took us to the Yellowstone National Park. And this was in the 80s, when it was on fire. So it was a pretty surreal moment to see this beautiful, beautiful park. I mean, literally, there were flames all around us. To see the impact and how powerful nature can be.
Although most of your career has been spent in parks and recreation, you opened and ran a restaurant in Costa Rica for one year. What was that like?
My best friend and I opened Tasty Waves Cantina, and it’s right on the beach. It’s a really popular surf spot on the Caribbean side. Oh man, it was amazing. It still is amazing. I’m supposed to go back in October if things work out. I hope they do so I can celebrate our 10-year anniversary. Fingers crossed. It was a really cool experience. We started from nothing. And now it’s a true destination. We sell the best fish tacos in the whole wide world.
Were you also exploring Costa Rica too?
I surfed like crazy. We did a lot of snorkeling and spearfishing. Tons of hiking. The hiking is really cool. You kind of trek through the jungle. You have to have a machete with you. But it was just amazing. The wildlife there is surreal. There are sloths and monkeys and iguanas and beautiful birds everywhere. You really feel connected to nature in Costa Rica. Everything’s alive.
What do you feel like you’ve accomplished?
This first year so far has been a lot of learning and getting to know the community and seeing their wants, needs and desires. What I love so far is we have these beautiful parks here. Posse Grounds Park is just amazing with so many wonderful amenities there as well as Sunset Park. I’ve really enjoyed, obviously, the views here are ridiculous, and I just feel very blessed I get to work in this setting and serve this community.
How do you feel like you’re serving the community?
I walked into a great situation. There were some wonderful programs and events already in place. So I really have just been evaluating them and trying to add value to existing programs. And then seeking feedback and collecting information from the community to see what we’re missing, what we need. The big thing for me is, obviously, we’re in a beautiful outdoor setting. I really want to put a focus on outdoor recreation: encouraging it, promoting it, working with other groups to host events. One event we do is the Sedona Stumble, which is a trail run.
Could you give us some examples of programs you’re trying to build on?
We’ve tried to incorporate some youth programs. We have a drumming program. It’s very, very unique and different. It’s like a drum circle. The kids learn different techniques, and they learn to kind of put together different rhythms and play together. Something I want to do more are one-off tournaments for softball, basketball and soccer for both youth and adults.
What do you do on a daily basis?
It’s a little different right now. We have a lot of programs and events on hold. But it’s a lot of communicating with different community entities, different partners we work with, typically on programs and events. And right now, the focus has been on the parks and the pool. So trying to just improve our parks. We did an evaluation process for Posse Grounds Park. Looking at ways we can kind of make some changes to the layout. We went to the community and invited them to give their feedback that was very successful and put together some options of some possible changes to the park for that will better serve the community in the future.
Can you give us an example of some specific changes you hope to make to Posse Grounds Park?
There’s different options out there, and we’re going to send a survey out about this in the coming months. One thing is adding a children’s garden. There’s a group in town that’s been pushing for that for quite some time now and something that we’re certainly considering. We’re looking at having more of an events space, like a big grass event area. Adding pickleball courts is another idea that was big.
What do you love about Sedona?
I love driving into work every single day. Sometimes I joke that I drive by three vortexes on my way in, but it’s really not a joke. I actually do drive by three vortexes, but I love that. I just feel better in nature. I’m very blessed to get to work here because I get that all the time. And I told myself when I took this job that I will never take these beautiful views and these amazing rock formations for granted ever. So far, so good. I truly enjoy the beauty here.
What are your favorite local hiking trails?
Probably my favorite trail is the Soldier Pass Trail. I like it because I can get to it from Posse Grounds Park. So I can jog to that trail and go by the Devil’s Kitchen sinkhole and Seven Sacred Pools. I like that it attaches to different trail systems. So you can really just go for miles and miles. Another one I like is Chimney Rock. I do it on my lunch break. Sometimes when the weather’s nicer to get a quick one in. You get great views.
What do you feel like Sedona has to offer people from a recreational standpoint?
There is truly something for everyone here in Sedona. There are hikes that are achievable for all ages and all abilities. You can come to Sedona and have a slew of different experiences. I always say that “fun” means different things to different people. So you can come to Sedona and shop and enjoy the vendors, the wonderful restaurants here. You can come to Sedona and get off the grid and not see another person and go for miles and miles on a mountain bike. Come get your side by side and go off-roading and get to some incredible views that are just unreal. And, of course, the hiking. It’s legendary here. That’s what’s amazing about this place: there’s something for everyone here.
