American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration awards Durango the top national honor
Durango, CO – The Durango Parks and Recreation Department received the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in the Field of Park and Recreation Management. The Gold Medal Award was granted by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association. This most prestigious award is given to only one Parks and Recreation agency in the entire nation each year by population. Durango Parks and Recreation received the award for cities less than 25,000.
View the Durango video: http://bit.ly/UvuHHv
Durango is a leading community in the provision of exceptional parks, open space, trails and recreation facilities. Community based planning documents guide Durango’s current and long range planning. Key goals in the Parks, Open Space, Trails and Recreation Master Plan that have been successfully completed include: (1) Development of a regional sports complex at Fort Lewis College with the 15-acre Smith Sports Complex; (2) Establishment of an open space program with dedicated funding to preserve natural lands as well as develop parks and trails; (3) Trail system expansion and connectivity with the completion of the Main Avenue Underpass and Mall corner trail section creating a 7-mile continuous Animas River Trail in Durango; (4) Development of the state-of-the-art Durango Community Recreation Center and Chapman Hill Ice Rink and Pavilion; and (5) Enhanced stewardship and sustainability initiatives including the creation of the Durango Animas River Corridor Management Plan.
Significant projects implemented in the last 5 years include the Recreational In-Channel Diversion (RICD) water rights for boating on the Animas River. The Durango RICD was the first recreational water rights in Colorado that were obtained through negotiation, rather than litigation in Water Court. The City also signed a 50-year intergovernmental agreement with Fort Lewis College. In addition to the development of the Smith Sports Complex, the City plans to make improvements to the softball field complex and reconstruct six tennis courts on campus.
Durango Parks and Recreation is a model for collaboration, citizen support and advocacy. The Department provided the leadership and guidance for two citizen driven initiatives to successfully pass a dedicated sales tax to fund community priorities. In 1999, voters authorized a half cent sales and use tax to fund the construction of the Durango Community Recreation Center and complete the construction of the Animas River Trail. In 2005, voters authorized an additional one quarter cent sales and use tax to fund the preservation and stewardship of open space and the development and maintenance of parks and trails. Trails 2000, in partnership with the City of Durango, Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service, has developed over 100 miles of natural surface trails in the urban interface surrounding Durango. The Durango Winter Sports Foundation and Chapman Hill Improvements Association have contributed toward the recent enhancements to the ski hill and ice rink at Chapman Hill.
The Parks and Recreation Department continually strives and achieves excellence in the provision of quality of life services to benefit public health, wellness, economic vitality, and developing community assets to make life better in Durango.
View the video or enter http://www.durangogov.org/index.aspx?NID=713 and click on Gold Medal Durango Parks. For additional information, contact Cathy Metz, Durango Parks and Recreation Department at 970-375-7321 or [email protected]
