POST FALLS — Between meetings, Parks and Recreation Director Dave Fair took advantage of the time to try to repair sound equipment for Winterfest. 

Moments later, he grinned with pride as a cheery Christmas tune burst through the office as a staff member completed the repair.  

“They figured it out,” Fair said. 

Fair will hang up his hat for the last time in January after 30 years as the Post Falls Parks and Recreation director. 

“When I started, we had six parks. We have 37 now,” Fair said. “It’s been a good run.”

Fair is known for fixing or repurposing items to stretch city dollars. 

A broken-down van that didn’t work when Parks and Recreation received it from North Idaho College sat for 20 years before council members finally voted to replace it on Tuesday.     

Similarly, as part of his recent state of the city address, Mayor Ron Jacobson said that the parks director was known for his can-do attitude when it came to making equipment work.   

“If somebody is getting rid of something in the city, Dave finds a new use for it,” Jacobson said.      

Fair started his career in biochemistry and found an internship at the Kingdome in Seattle. He took to the work and looked into sports management before settling into recreation jobs as his career trajectory. 

Working in Mountlake Terrace, he learned a great deal about popularizing recreation in ways that generate revenue for a city. He also learned the hard lesson of what happens when the city's goals change drastically and how that can affect programming. 

“I can go to any community I’ve been in and see an impact I’ve made,” Fair said. “That’s hard to say with a lot of jobs.” 

Building out park infrastructure “goes in plateaus,” but is always about the big picture, Fair said. 

“We wanted to keep what made Post Falls, Post Falls,” Fair said. 

Recreation Manager Traci Stevenson said she found a great mentor in Fair. He asked her to stay on for several years to provide the department with some stability.  

Twenty-seven years later, she occasionally teases him about whether he regrets that decision.  

“My longevity is a credit to his incredible skills as both a mentor and a boss,” Stevenson said. “He has an uncanny ability to let you know he expects more from you, or that he’s disappointed, without ever saying it directly. I call it his “Dave Dad skills.”  

Stevenson said the job can often be demanding, but Fair has always kept the team on track.

“He taught me never to forget who we serve, to be fiscally responsible and to approach all work with passion, integrity and a good attitude,” Stevenson said.  

Bringing out the best in others is the main quality Fair has inspired in Parks Planner Robbie Quinn.      

“He has a calm, level-headed nature about him that has a way of grounding even the most stressful situations and a steady presence that always makes the workplace feel more balanced and supportive,” Quinn said.  

Quinn said Fair always accepts his teasing with a smile when the Cougars lose a game.   

“Dave has been more than just a boss – he has been a true mentor," Quinn said. "His breadth of knowledge seems endless, and he’s always willing to listen, offer thoughtful advice and lead by example."  

Kris Ammerman is Fairs' replacement. He is a certified parks and recreation professional and certified arborist, bringing extensive experience in parks management and community recreation. 

He serves as the Parks and Recreation director in Oregon. Ammerman will overlap with Fair as he prepares to leave, beginning mid-December. Ammerman assumes the director position Jan. 1.  

Fair said he hopes his legacy is that people can tell they have a good time while they’re here. 

“It’s that they have an experience. That’s what life’s about — memories of our experiences with our families,” Fair said.