The American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2019 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. Musco Lighting, LLC has been a proud sponsor of the Gold Medal Awards program for more than 10 years.
Founded in 1965, the Gold Medal Awards program honors communities in the United States 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, awarded on odd numbered years, for state park systems.
Agencies are judged on their ability to address the needs of those they serve through the collective energies of community members, staff and elected officials. Four finalists in each class are chosen to compete for grand honors each year.
The 2019 Gold Medal finalists are as follows:
Class I (population 400,001 and over)
- Chicago Park District – Chicago, Illinois
- East Baton Rouge Recreation & Park Commission (BREC) – Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Fairfax County Park Authority – Fairfax, Virginia
- Mesa Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities – Mesa, Arizona
Class II (population 150,001 – 400,000)
- City of Norfolk Recreation, Parks & Open Space – Norfolk, Virginia
- City of Tampa Parks and Recreation Department – Tampa, Florida
- Greensboro Parks and Recreation – Greensboro, North Carolina
- Metroparks Tacoma – Tacoma, Washington
Class III (population 75,001 – 150,000)
- City of Greeley (CO) Culture, Parks and Recreation – Greeley, Colorado
- City of Thornton (CO) Community Services – Thornton, Colorado
- The Woodlands Township – Texas
- Waukegan (IL) Park District – Waukegan, Illinois
Class IV (population 30,001 – 75,000)
- City of Westerville – Westerville, Ohio
- Coppell Parks and Recreation – Coppell, Texas
- Glenview Park District, Glenview, Illinois
- Lombard Park District – Lombard, Illinois
Class V (population less than 30,000)
- East Goshen Township Parks and Recreation – West Chester, Pennsylvania
- Glencoe Park District – Glencoe, Illinois
- Rolling Meadows Park District – Rolling Hills, Illinois
- Vernon Hills Park District – Vernon Hills, Illinois
State Parks
- Department of Environmental Protection — Florida State Parks
- Maryland Park Service
- Department of Environment and Conservation — Tennessee State Parks
- Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
Armed Forces Recreation
- Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler – Okinawa, Japan
- Naval Air Station Whiting Field – Milton, Florida
- United States Army Garrison Bavaria – Grafenwoehr, Germany
- USAG Rheinland-Pfalz – Kaiserslautern, Germany
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 NRPA General Session at the 2019 NRPA Annual Conference in Baltimore, Maryland, Sept. 24–26, 2019.
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