‘We are doing something right.’ Grapevine parks & rec finalist for national award.

Healthy residents can help make a happy city.

Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than the city of Grapevine, which prides itself on the work of its parks and recreation department to provide opportunities for a healthy lifestyle. Of course, there’s also the kiddos to consider, and there is no shortage of entertainment for them, thanks to the city P&R department.

As a result, the Grapevine Parks and Recreation Department has been named a finalist for the 2021 National Gold Medal Awards for Excellence in Parks and Recreation Management. The awards program, sponsored by Musco Lighting, LLC, is through the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA).

This is Grapevine’s first time to be named a finalist for the prestigious award that will be presented to only seven winners, Sept. 21-23 in Nashville.

Founded in 1965, the National 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.

“It is a huge honor to be selected as a finalist and my team and I are excited to compete for the Grand Plaque,” said Kevin Mitchell, Director of Grapevine Parks and Recreation. “To be recognized as one of the best parks and recreation agencies in the nation means that we are doing something right.”

Grapevine Parks and Recreation is a finalist in the Class IV category (population 30,001 to 75,000). The agency recently became accredited by the Commission for Accreditation for Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) in 2020 and received the Texas Recreation and Park Society’s Gold Medal award in March 2021.

“The Grapevine Parks and Recreation Department proved in its application to excel in parks and recreation management by demonstrating innovative and focused initiatives that aligned with our three pillars of health & wellness, conservation, and social equity,” said Amanda Rodriguez, the city’s marketing manager.

Grapevine Parks and Recreation joins three other finalists in their class that will compete for the Grand Plaque.

The other three finalists in Class IV are Coppell, along with Centerville, Ohio, and Oak Park, Illinois. Only one other Texas city, New Braunfels in Class III (75,001-150,000), was nominated among the 28 finalists nationwide in seven categories.

Rodriguez noted that not only does the Grapevine P&R serve the city’s own population of around 55,000, but it also serves a significantly higher number of people due to its unique location near DFW Airport. Grapevine manages almost 50 acres (49.7 to be exact, according to city officials) of parkland per 1,000 residents.

“Additionally, we have a high rate of volunteerism with an average of over 6,500 volunteers that contribute 60,000 hours annually,” Rodriguez said.

For more information on the National Gold Medal Award Program, visit www.aapra.org.