Cicero parks director to retire

By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

After 33 and a half years, Cicero Parks and Recreation Department Director Jody Rogers is “calling it a career,” as her colleague, Youth Services Coordinator Toni Brauchle, said.

Rogers is retiring effective July 10. She will stay on part-time as interim director until the town hires her successor.

With the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, family obligations and recently turning 62, Rogers said it is the right time for her to retire.

“The community’s probably ready for new blood … not that I feel I’ve run out of ideas,” she said.

Rogers said her Cicero parks career has been “a lot of fun, a lot of work, but very rewarding.”

“You sit back and you do a lot of reflection when you get to this point,” she said.

Chief in Rogers’ reflections have been the Cicero Senior Center and the CanTeen. The senior center is approaching its 30th anniversary in 2021, and the CanTeen celebrated its 20th anniversary last year. While seniors and teens are at opposite ends of life’s spectrum, the populations have quite a bit in common, Rogers said.

“They’re looking for a safe place where they can enjoy the company of others, prolong life and give positive vibes to others,” she said.

The CanTeen came under the town of Cicero’s umbrella in 2002. Brauchle said she had crossed paths with Rogers briefly before that through her children’s involvement in Little League and other parks activities. Brauchle said Rogers is kind-hearted, organized and willing to learn.

“She knew a lot about parks and recreation and the program side but she didn’t know a lot about youth development,” Brauchle recalled. “She was patient and willing to help me build a program in which kids have a voice at the table, and that’s not the norm.”

Over the years, Rogers has accompanied CanTeen members on field trips, learning what the CanTeen means to youth in the North Syracuse Central School District.

“I’ve had so much fun over the years going on field trips with her, working on events whether it’s a tree lighting or opening the ballpark,” Brauchle said. “Jody tries to be everywhere. She tries to serve the community and that’s what brings a smile to my face.”

Rogers, who lives in Hastings, “is a Cicero resident at heart and has been since the day they hired her,” Brauchle said.

“I don’t think someone has to live in the town to know what it’s about,” Rogers said.

Rogers grew up in the Skaneateles area and began her parks and rec career with the town of Skaneateles while still in high school: managing playgrounds and ball fields and writing grants. While she first dreamed of becoming a teacher, she went on to graduate from SUNY Cortland in 1980 with a degree in recreation. After college, she worked for Hillbrook Detention Center, the town of Van Buren and even spent a stint in Florida before landing in Cicero in 1987.

“Cicero may seem like a big community, but to me it’s a very small community filled with people who will step up and support a lot of different causes,” Rogers said.

Among the organizations who have stepped up over the years are the Cicero-Plank Road Chamber of Commerce, the American Legion and youth sports leagues. Rogers also acknowledged the supporters of the senior center who have passed on.

“There were a lot of folks who stepped up and made things successful that aren’t here today,” Rogers said.

Also key to the parks department’s success is Rogers’ staff.

“They step up every single day and put forth the effort,” she said.

The first round of interviews for Rogers’ successor will start in early July, she said. She shared some advice for whoever steps into her shoes.

“Listen. Your team is well-qualified that you’re coming into,” she said. “Get involved in your community. Make yourself available and helpful.”

Brauchle said Rogers’ shoes will be difficult to fill.

“She’s leaving a legacy of high-quality, fiscally responsible management of the parks and rec department and all of the years she has watched over it,” she said. “Jody is also kind of a history buff so she knows a lot about the town of Cicero and the cemeteries … and the history that comes with the residents.”

Brauchle said Rogers has built thousands of relationships with community members and local leaders over the years and always has the residents’ best interests in mind.

“We’re going to look fondly on her service to the community with a big smile on our faces. She made a huge impact on our legacy that we’re going to remember for years to come,” Brauchle said.

As for what is next, Rogers said she is looking forward to spending more time with her family and traveling once it is safe to do so. She has family up and down the East Coast, including a stepson in Buffalo, and her stepdaughter lives in Portland, Oregon. Her husband, Mark, now a teacher, used to travel extensively when he worked for Carrier.

“He wants to show me the world,” she said.

While she is looking forward to traveling someday, Rogers has no plans to uproot her stakes in Central New York. She and her family live in her husband’s childhood home in Hastings.

“We’re very happy with our home here in Central New York. We’re not going anywhere,” she said.