SANDPOINT — In December 1996, Austin Hull walked into Sandpoint City Hall with one thing on his mind: he needed to pay his water bill. 

While he waited in line, he heard the Parks and Recreation Department needed help shoveling snow off roofs that winter. After bargaining his way up to $9 an hour, Hull accepted the offer and said he quickly impressed the boss. 

“I went up, got up there, and the other parks crew was up there, and I did one section of roof, and the boss came up and was like, ‘Did you do all that?’ Hull said. “I had a big green shovel. You cut [the snow] into these big squares, to loosen it and push it over. They were like ‘Work smarter, not harder.’”  

While he wouldn’t join the department full-time for another two years, that day moving snow was the beginning of a 26-year-long journey for Hull. It’s a story which will end on Thursday, when Hull retires as Parks supervisor.  

“At first, I was a little worried. You never want to leave a good job, but once we started doing the math, I'm like, ‘I'm going to get paid more to stay home,’” Hull said with a laugh. “No, it doesn’t feel real, I marked them down, but I haven’t really counted it. 

Spend any amount of time in Sandpoint, and you’ll be hard-pressed to not run into Hull’s work. Of all his works, Hull said he was most proud of his work helping build the playgrounds at Great Northern, Centennial and Hickory Park which he built as a member of the Parks crew because it exemplified his favorite parts of the job. 

Hull said he loved working in the Parks because there was always something to be proud of. From the freshly cut grass to cleaned up trees, the moments of reflection after a job is finished was a consistent source of fulfillment. 

“This job is awesome, because it's like a walk in the park, you are walking in the park,” Hull joked. “[When] that grass is beautiful green in the summer mode, that makes you really proud.” 

In his over two decades, Hull said he saw Sandpoint evolve from a small town to a bustling city of about 10,000 people which brought its own challenges as the city tried to keep up with the needs of the community. He said he has felt the change the most on Fourth of July, when the team now works three straight shifts to keep City Beach as clean as can be. 

“The Fourth of July is not a holiday. I don't care what anybody has to say,” Hull said. “Lately, Sandpoint has over 100 and some events every weekend. We got to clean bathrooms and generate some more trash. It does weigh on you, but I have too much pride, so I never quit.” 

Hull said Parks and Rec is the only department that hasn’t expanded since he joined, but the team’s dedication makes his job possible. The crew works over 350 days a year and, up until his last day, Hull was out working with them in addition to his administrative responsibilities. 

The mindset of working with his team comes from how he was raised, Hull said.  

“If you treat people with respect, you get respect back and it makes you feel good... but I've always helped my neighbors, because that's the way we grew up,” Hull said. “It's the way my dad raised me to always be positive. If a job is worth doing, do it right. If you don't do it right, you're going to have to come back and do it again.” 

Before joining the city, Hull worked a number of manual labor jobs from co-owning a towing company to numerous lumber mills. During that time, Hull said he did whatever he could to make ends meet as a single father raising two kids. 

Hull said he always wanted to find a job with the city or county for its pension and benefits, which helped him push through tougher times.  

"My dad always said, ‘Get out of the mills, they're a dead end,’” Hull said. “The city has treated me good, and the only reason I can retire is because of the benefits.” 

With his demanding work schedule over, Hull said he’s looking forward to traveling in his retirement. The first stop on his list is Nashville, the capital of his favorite music genre, country music, before heading on a camping trip up to Alaska through Canada.

Hull said he’ll continue his hobby of making fishing lures and hopes to pick up woodworking using his dad’s equipment.  

"I'm a homebody. I haven't been past Montana, really,” Hull said. “From Nashville, go up to Canada, to the Northwest Territories, and eventually end up Alaska, it’ll be like a month long, because you don't have to be anywhere.”