The Town of Fountain Hills Community Services Department was awarded the prestigious 2022 Grand Plaque Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management at the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) annual conference being held in Phoenix. The department was honored in the Class Five category for populations of 30,000 or less.
The department was recognized as a Gold Medal finalist for the second consecutive year by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration (AAPRA), in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).
“This is such an exciting and well deserved recognition for the department and the leadership of department director Rachael Goodwin. Being honored two years in a row, then to win the highest honor, is an amazing, and well deserved accomplishment. It demonstrates the quality of leadership and staff in the department,” said Mayor Ginny Dickey. “We are fortunate to have world-class parks, trails, and services that residents and visitors enjoy. Our small, but mighty department, deserves this acknowledgement.”
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 six classes, with five classes based on population and one class for armed forces.