Parks & Recreation Services director Nicholas Montoya retired officially on May 5 after 28 years of service to the city of Mesquite.

Montoya began his career with the city right after college. He said that he started, “Believe it or not, digging graves. From there, I worked my way up the ladder.” He went from Maintenance Worker I & II to recreation coordinator, supervisor and superintendent. Then he was Parks and Recreation’s manager, followed by assistant director and interim director and then director for the past 11 years.

“Recreation coordinator was the most fun,” said Montoya, “I was hands-on with the kids, organizing activities and coaching.”

Around 10 years ago, Montoya founded the Diamond Dawgz Baseball Program, which supports a lot of different athletes who are passionate about excelling in baseball. He has also coached the SUNYFL program for approximately 22 years. Montoya said, “The Dawgz and SUNYFL have been an incredibly rewarding experience.

He has been married for 23 years to his lovely wife Stephanie. They have two kids. Montoya expressed his love for his family, saying they are what makes his life so rich.

Montoya said, “My proudest accomplishment is my work ethic. I believe in showing up, working hard and being dependable and open to learning. I hope I have passed those values on to my children and work staff. I must give credit where credit is due. My staff has played an enormous role in the success of our department and in my work journey. I will miss them, but they will always remain close to me. They share the vision and the mission for the department. I am confident they will continue serving this community with passion and integrity.”

Mayor Jesse Whipple said, “We are very appreciative of all the years of service Nick Montoya has given the city. He has done a lot for this city, and we are going to miss him.”