All-Points Bulletin #3–Congratulations to Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma!! September 29, 2019
All-Points Bulletin #3–Congratulations to Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma!! September 29, 2019
Posted on October 5th, 2019
This morning I was greeted with two pieces of wonderful news about one of Cross Island Consulting’s premier clients, the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma, and I’m pleased to share it with you now.
As you may be aware, Metro Parks Tacoma has a vast, diverse array of recreational, cultural, experiential and educational opportunities in their portfolio. These special places include four community centers, Point Defiance Park, Zoo and Aquarium, Northwest Trek, the Tacoma Nature Center, seventy-plus parks including the newly-minted Dune Peninsula Park, Fort Nisqually and the Point Defiance Marina.
Executive Director Shon Sylvia notified his staff today that it was announced during the National Recreation and Park Association’s annual conference, being held in Baltimore, MD, that Tacoma Metro Parks received the prestigious NRPA 2019 Gold Medal Award for Excellence, in the division of agencies serving populations between 150,001 and 400,000. Metro Parks Tacoma has long been recognized by NRPA, the state affiliate Washington Recreation and Park Association, and the Tacoma community for its quality facilities, opportunities and staff. This accomplishment also recognizes a consistency in performance, as Metro Parks Tacoma has been a finalist in this annual competition for two of the past three years. View the receipt of the award in Baltimore at https://youtu.be/Fs3hauSDS1Q . For a look at the video submitted for the nomination of the agency, your attention is invited to
Further, Executive Director Sylvia was informed that Metro Parks Tacoma had received its re-accreditation from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association. Achieving CAPRA accreditation is considered the pinnacle in the industry and is the best way to demonstrate that an agency and its staff provide the highest level of service to their community. Tacoma Metro Parks is one of only 178 agencies of any size in the United States to meet the 151 rigorous accreditation standards.
Both of these awards—reaccreditation and receipt of the Gold Medal Award Grand Plaque—are the top honors in the discipline of parks and recreation. Cross Island Consulting and Training Services extends its heartiest congratulations to the Board of Directors, staff and management of the Metropolitan Park District of Tacoma—STRONG WORK!