Meet John Schacher: NWPRD Maintenance Supervisor, Girl's Softball Coach
Northern Wasco County Parks & Rec. Maintenance Supervisor John Schacher talks the daily job, building the parks maintenance team and creating space for staff to work well together. He tips his hat to Scott Baker for giving him the tools.
By Tom Peterson
The Dalles, Ore., June 11, 2024 — It’s Friday, May 31, and there’s a wedding at Riverfront Park on Saturday.
“We’ve been prepping the shelter, mowing, and picking up litter,” said John Schacher who supervises a crew of seven at Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation District.
Schacher is talking from behind his desk in the antiquated Parks building on 5 acres off Liberty Street in The Dalles.
Schacher understands the weight of the moment. It is one of the most important days in this couple's life.
And he wants it to be a success - from clean picnic tables to a well-manicured lawn.
“I live here,” he said. “We all want to make this community a better place. We want things to go well. “
And that’s not just Parks staff. It’s also people at The City of The Dalles such as David Mills or Crestline Construction’s Bill Ketchum, he said.
Schacher, born and raised in The Dalles, has skin in the game.
He is a girl's softball coach, and he had practice later that evening. His involvement in youth sports over the years led him to want his full-time position with Parks.
“Farmer’s Market starts at City Park tomorrow too,” the 57-year-old said. “That park has come a long way,” noting the improved grass through overseeding and the burying of a water backflow device after Devco installed a 1-inch potable water line.
File photo - John learned the parks system well, here he is removing leaves at Ctiy Park in 2020.
Schacher came to Parks after decades of heavy equipment operation with Jim Ellett Construction and later Vance Construction. He was part of a team of equipment operators that built roads for powerlines. He spent some time in the backcountry of Yellowstone Park, drinking in the beauty and wildlife.
They used a D8 bulldozer followed by an excavator, then another smaller bulldozer, a grader, a roller and a water truck.
And this is what he learned - If everybody did their job, it would be easier for the person coming behind them and everything worked better.
It is a lesson he has internalized and uses daily to meet demand.
The Park District maintains eight community parks totaling more than 200 acres. These parks include multiple athletic fields, an 18-hole disc golf course, tennis courts, shelters, restrooms, picnic areas, playgrounds, and a 10-mile Riverfront Trail.
And no two days are the same. One day it’s prepping for a wedding, the next it's sinkholes.
Two small “sinkholes” in Riverfront Park, where the asphalt fell below grade appeared this spring. Schacher said he worked with David Mills with The Dalles Public Works and the city had the excavation tools to dig into the matter.
Repaired sinkhole at Riverfront Park.
They found sand and water below grade, undermining the surface and so gravel and a base layer of 1.5-inch rock were dumped and compacted in the holes to provide a proper base for the asphalt. They are leaving the areas unpaved until they are sure it is stable.
Schacher said it’s this kind of transparent partnership that helps them achieve the mission of providing safe and beautiful spaces for locals to unwind, celebrate and restore themselves.
He’s also had a lot of help from Executive Director Scott Baker.
Since Baker’s arrival in 2016, he has worked toward properly equipping staff.
“Scott changed the finances and has given me the tools to do the job,” Schacher said.
That can be simple things - such as having an extra belt for a mower deck when one breaks. Or it can be ensuring that each truck is equipped with enough tools to make repairs in the field, such as replacing a sprinkler head.
It can also be long-range thinking, such as mapping all the new irrigation lines and utilities at Sorosis Park so that current and future staff can quickly locate them for repairs or upgrades.
Time is money.
Schacher pushed for greater communication between staff by creating a staff break room and developing greater organization at the shop off Liberty Street.
Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation Executive Director Scott Baker at the Mountain Bike Skills park east of Safeway.
These details lead to better morale, greater efficiency, and ultimately satisfaction when going home after a hard day’s work.
“He could work anywhere,” Baker said of Schacher. “He works for us because he cares about the community. He’s been on the Little League board and now he coaches softball. He’s been a mentor in the community for the kids for a long time.”
“We have a good work relationship,” he added. “I trust him and try to give him the tools to get the job done and get out of the way. Parks under his leadership look the best they ever have.”
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