Plainfield Park District announced today that it has been named a finalist for the 2023 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 2023 NRPA Annual Conference in Dallas, October 10-12.
“This is something we all can be proud of,” said Plainfield Park District Executive Director Carlo Capalbo. “This demonstrates 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 105,000 residents in Will and Kendall Counties including the areas of Plainfield, Joliet, Crest Hill, Romeoville and Bolingbrook.
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 National Recreation and Park Association (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.
The Plainfield Park District is also an Illinois Distinguished Accredited Agency for excellence in delivering parks and recreation services, and was honored as one of the best park districts in the 2022 Herald-News Best of Will County Readers’ Choice Awards.
