Barkley pursuing other interests after 25 years of service to Sunset Haven

by Becky Uehling

Grant Tribune Sentinel

Sunset Haven has a new executive director with Mindy Dickinson stepping into the big shoes of former Director Debbie Barkley on Monday, April 18.

Barkley hasn’t gone too far away, however, as she has stuck around this summer to help Mindy learn the ropes of the job, which Barkley has held for 25 years. 

Barkley, who started as executive director of the low-income housing units run by the Grant Housing Authority in June 1997, is stepping away to pursue other interests.  

Barkley had no experience in running a facility like Sunset Haven when she took the job, but thought the parameters of being part-time fit well with raising her young family of two sons with her husband Steve, who works for Carlson Electric and also farms.

Barkley admitted the job was a bit overwhelming and challenging at first, with all of the government regulations and paperwork that had to be dealt with to run the facility, but she just dug in and learned little-by-little. 

“I do like a good challenge, so it was something I enjoyed,” she said.

The housing units are a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) facility through the federal government, with oversight by the City of Grant and a local board. 

Changing Times,
but Not People

Barkley said because of technology, the way paperwork is handled has definitely changed with the dawn of the Internet. In those first years as executive director, she spent a lot of time on the phone with HUD representatives working on paperwork. Now, she said, there is very little interaction with real people at their department, with everything automated. 

Although things had changed with the paperwork side of the business, she commented that the people who she interacted with at the units hadn’t changed. 

“Working here for 25 years had given me a great opportunity to get to know so many fascinating and wonderful people,” Barkley said.

Helping Dickinson
Learn the Ropes

Barkley has stayed on through the summer to help Dickinson navigate through all of the HUD paperwork requirements, reports, and preparing for board meetings, and just the day-to-day ins and outs of running the facility. 

“Debbie has been amazing to work with,” Dickinson said. “She has been so helpful in getting me up to speed on everything that goes into this job.”

Dickinson comes to Sunset Haven from being the Manager at the Assisted Living Facility Park Ridge, which is part of Perkins County Health Services. 

Although she loved her position at Park Ridge, Dickinson said she sought different employment because of a knee injury, and wanting to spend more quality time with her teenage daughter. Dickinson felt the part-time job at Sunset Haven was a better fit for her at this time in her life. 

“I’m very excited to be here (at Sunset Haven) and to try a new and different challenge in my life,” Dickinson said.

Barkley said she knows Dickinson will do well in the position, bringing new enthusiasm and ideas to the units. 

A Long History

The 20 apartments of Sunset Haven units have been open since 1966, serving the needs of low-income individuals, with preference given to the elderly, and the disabled, Dickinson said. 

All but one of the units, which is being completed now, have been renovated over the years. Barkley has overseen many of these large projects, which has included new sidewalks, roofs, siding, and windows for all of the units. This fall, the units will be getting a new boiler system, Dickinson said. 

“Debbie put a lot of effort and work into positioning Sunset Haven to get these (the boilers), and applying the needed paperwork to get that project done,” Dickinson said. 

A five-member board, appointed by the Grant City Mayor, oversees Sunset Haven. Currently on the board are Debbie Hutsell, Robyn Riggs, Mike Engle, Jim Howerter and Jeff Wallin. 

Anyone wanting information on Sunset Haven, or on how to serve on its board, are asked to talk with Dickinson during her office hours, which are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The phone number at Sunset Haven is 352-4346.