May 27, 2015 – The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), is pleased to announce Kansas City, MO Parks and Recreation as a finalist for the 2015 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. This year’s proud sponsor of the Gold Medal Awards program is Musco Lighting LLC.
Celebrating its 50th anniversary with NRPA and founded in 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program honors communities in the U.S. that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition. Applications are separated into seven classes, with five classes based on population, one class for armed forces recreation and one class for state park systems awarded on odd numbered years.
KC Parks is a finalist in the Class I category and joins three other finalists in the class that will compete for grand honors this year: Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland, OH; Mesa Parks, Recreation and Commercial Facilities, Mesa, AZ; and The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Riverdale, MD.
“We are excited to be among the elite agencies competing for this top honor,” says KC Parks Director Mark L. McHenry. Although a finalist in 2011, KC Parks has never won the Gold Medal Award.
Agencies are judged on their ability to address the needs of those they serve through the collective energies of citizens, staff and elected officials.
A panel of five park and recreation professionals reviews and judges all application materials. Judges are chosen for their considerable experience and knowledge in parks and recreation on both the local and national levels.
This year’s finalists will compete for Grand Plaque Award honors this summer, and the seven Grand Plaque recipients will be announced live during the Opening General Session at the 2015 NRPA Annual Conference in Las Vegas, NV, Sept. 15-17.
For more information on the Gold Medal Awards, visit www.nrpa.org/goldmedal or www.aapra.org.