For the second year in a row, the City of Greeley Culture, Parks and Recreation Department is a finalist for the coveted National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks and Recreation Management. The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and their long time sponsor Musco Lighting, LLC, announced the finalists for each competing category on May 15. The City of Greeley is competing in the Class III category (population 75,001-150,000.) As part of being a finalist, Greeley and other cities had to prepare and publicly post a five-minute video representing what their city highlighted in their award application for judges to view in the coming weeks. 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.
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.
“We are excited that the Culture, Parks and Recreation Department is a finalist for such a prestigious award. The City of Greeley staff works hard to make sure our citizens enjoy all that we can offer. We are ready to bring the Gold Medal to Greeley this year!” commented Andy McRoberts, Director of the Culture, Parks and Recreation Department. “Go to https://playgreeley.com/ and check out our video,” concluded McRoberts.
Finalists will compete for the Grand Plaque Award honor this summer, and the seven Grand Plaque recipients will be announced live during the NRPA General Session at the 2019 NRPA Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland on Sept. 24-26, 2019.
For more information on the Gold Medal Awards, visit www.nrpa.org/goldmedal or www.aapra.org.
