The National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) in partnership with the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) bestowed its highest national award, the Gold Medal Award, to the Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation Department October 27 at NRPA's Congress and Exposition in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lee's Summit competed with Waukesha Parks, Recreation and Forestry, Waukesha, Wis.; Schaumburg Park District, Schaumburg, Ill.; and the city of Temple Parks & Leisure Services, Temple, Texas to win the populations group of 50,001–100,000.
The Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Parks & Recreation, which has been in existence since 1966. Since its creation, only two agencies in the state of Missouri have received the prestigious Gold Medal Grand Plaque, and only one within the metro area.
To qualify as a finalist, Parks and Recreation Departments are evaluated on long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development, and agency recognition.
Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation had several examples in each area to highlight in its application for the Gold Medal Award including: using in-house resources to stretch dollars allowing for quick response to rapid growth; the development of Legacy Park that houses 39 athletic fields, a 58,000 square foot community center, 20,000 square foot park construction and operations center, 5.2 miles of multi-use trail, inclusive playground, shelters and 18 hole disc golf course; and an effective use of citizen based groups and task forces to create facilities, parks and programs.
"This is the highest recognition the parks department can receive and it just makes us so very proud of our community, park board and staff," Tom Lovell, Lee's Summit Parks and Recreation Administrator told the Lee's Summit Tribune." What a great town we live in. There were so many people responsible it would be hard to thank everyone, but we couldn’t have done it without the involvement and support of our community."
Once named as a finalist, departments must submit a 12-minute video about the community, its parks and recreation services and facilities and how it developed into what it is today for final review by the national panel of five judges who are chosen for their considerable experience and knowledge in parks and recreation on both local and national levels. LSPR worked closely with locally owned Cinematic Visions for a month to create the script, gather footage, and add music and effects to create the winning video.
Mayor Randy Rhoads who was in attendance at the awards ceremony said "Speaking on behalf of the community there is a tremendous source of pride on how effective our parks department is. To be recognized by their peers elevates their recognition to a national level".