For the second consecutive year, Plainfield Park District has been named a finalist for the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management as selected by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).
The Park District is one of four finalists in the Class III Category (population of 75,001-150,000) for the Grand Plaque. Grand Plaque recipients will be announced at the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference in Atlanta, October 8-10. Other Class III nominees are Waukegan Park District (Ill.), City of New Braunfels Parks and Recreation (Texas) and City of North Port Parks & Recreation Department (Fla.).
“It’s a tremendous honor to again be in contention for the Grand Plaque,” said Plainfield Park District Executive Director Carlo Capalbo. “This second Gold Medal continues to demonstrate our excellence in long-range planning, resource management and innovative approaches to delivering superb park and recreation services with fiscally-sound business practices.”
Founded in 1966, the Plainfield Park District is the 9th largest park district in the State of Illinois, serving over 110,000 residents in Will and Kendall Counties including the areas of Plainfield, Joliet, Romeoville, Crest Hill and Bolingbrook.
This past January, the District was recognized as an Illinois Distinguished Accredited Agency. The accreditation is a rigorous evaluation process by a joint committee of park and recreation professionals and elected officials and includes having to meet various standards and criteria in providing exceptional park and recreation services to the community. Plainfield Park District achieved a score of 503.4, exceeding the total possible of 500 points (bonus points awarded for certain accomplishments).
In late 2023, the Plainfield Park District was chosen the BEST park district in the Herald-News Best of Will County Readers’ Choice Awards. The District was also chosen as one of the best in family recreation.
In 2022, the District joined the ranks of elite park and recreation agencies across the country by earning accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the NRPA. CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies, and is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management and service to the community.
