An official of the Greater Fort Dodge Growth Alliance is resigning to take the No. 2 spot in the Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department.

Todd Redenius led parks and recreation departments in Fort Dodge and Ankeny before taking his current job as the Alliance's community development director last year.

In announcing his resignation Monday, Redenius said he has a passion for the parks and recreation profession.

''It's in my blood, if you will,'' he said. ''That's ultimately what tipped the scales and led to me taking this position.''

He will begin his duties as the deputy parks and recreation director in Des Moines on May 5. His last day with the Growth Alliance will be May 2.

Redenius said he was not seeking a new job.

''This was not a position that I applied for,'' he said. ''This was a position I was recruited for. This was just a real unique situation that I was not expecting to come along.''

He said Ben Page, a Fort Dodge native who is the parks and recreation director in Des Moines, contacted him about the job.

''This was a really tough decision for me,'' he said.

Redenius began working for the Fort Dodge Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department as a teenager. He was the department director from 2000 to 2004. He was the Ankeny parks and recreation director from 2004 to 2012.

He became the community development director for the Alliance in February 2013.

Redenius thanked Dennis Plautz, the Alliance's chief executive officer; Tim O'Tool, its former board chairman; and Cindy Burke, the current board chairwoman, for their support and leadership.

''The Growth Alliance is poised for tremendous success,'' he said. ''It's a growing organization. I think there's really bright times ahead.''

Plautz said Redenius has ''done a tremendous job for us.''

''He has made the position a lot more relevant and beneficial than I thought it was going to be by initiating ideas and changes that we had not thought about,'' Plautz added.

He said a search for someone to replace Redenius will start soon.

In his new job, Redenius will manage the daily operations of a department with 100 full-time employees that is responsible for 3,800 acres of park land, five swimming pools and major attractions like Blank Park Zoo.

In addition to Page, he'll work closely with another former Fort Dodge resident, Matt Salvatore, in Des Moines. Salvatore is the department's recreation manager.

[Todd is on the left.photo via Nick Woolley]