Park District wins National Gold Medal Award - country's highest honor

SALT LAKE CITY – The Fox Valley Park District has been awarded the country’s most prestigious honor in the parks and recreation profession, winning the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management as presented by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).

The announcement was made Wednesday at the NRPA’s Annual Congress & Exposition in Salt Lake City. Fox Valley took top honors in the nation for park districts serving populations between 100,000 and 250,000 residents.

Sponsored by Musco Lighting LLC, the National Gold Medal Awards are presented annually to recognize excellence in the field of park and recreation administration and management through a nationwide competition. Fox Valley won the Class II division, besting a field of finalists that included Pleasure Driveway and Park District of Peoria, Illinois; City of Fort Collins Culture, Parks, Recreation and Environment, Colorado; and City of Peoria, Arizona.

“On behalf of residents of the Fox Valley Park District, we are extremely proud and honored to receive the greatest distinction a park and recreation agency can achieve,” said Executive Director Steve Messerli. “This is the Academy Awards for park and recreation agencies. Winning the National Gold Medal Award demonstrates Fox Valley’s continued commitment to providing the best park district facilities, programs and services we can offer.”

The Gold Medal Award honors communities throughout the United States that demonstrate excellence in long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, technological advances, agency effectiveness and efficiency, special populations, professional development and agency recognition. Each park district is judged on its ability to address the needs of those it serves through the collective energies of citizens, staff and governing officials.

“This is a shared honor for which all our residents in Aurora, North Aurora and Montgomery can be proud,” said Fox Valley Park District Board President Rose Smilgys.“To rank among the best in the nation is a testament to the Fox Valley Park District and its mission to improve the quality of life for its residents by providing park and recreation opportunities that meet the highest standards.”

Fox Valley’s winning Gold Medal plaque will be presented to the Board of Trustees during the Park District’s monthly meeting Oct. 19 at the Prisco Community Center.

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