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WESTCHESTER
COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF PARKS, RECREATION AND CONSERVATION EARNS NATIONAL
ACCREDITATION After
an exhaustive two-year internal review process and an extensive “This
national accreditation by the NRPA is one of the most prestigious honors
that can be bestowed on a parks system and sets us apart from thousands of
other parks systems throughout the nation,” Spano said. “It confirms
what I have always believed – that our parks system in Westchester
County is among the finest in the country. I am very proud of our parks
department.” The
announcement was made yesterday at the NRPA’s annual conference held in
St. Louis this week. According
to Spano, Westchester’s parks system is one of only 47 agencies that
have been accredited since the program was introduced by NRPA in 1994. The
goal of the program was to create a system of standards that would allow
parks and recreation agencies to compare their practices to what is
considered a professional model, to measure their delivery of recreational
services and to identify their effectiveness and efficiency in meeting the
interests and needs of their constituents. Spano
ackowledged the hard work and commitment of the parks department staff and
thanked County Parks Commissioner Joe Stout for his determination in
making national accreditation his priority. Stout
said, “Now, when residents walk into one of our parks, they can be
assured that the facilities, programs and services that we provide are ‘top
notch.’” The
extensive accreditation process began with the submission of a preliminary
application to the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation
Agencies (CAPRA), which comprises representatives from the NRPA, the
American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, and the National
Association of County Park and Recreation Officials. Once
the application was accepted, a special committee of administrative and
field staff was appointed to conduct the comprehensive self-assessment
report. During the rigorous two-year process, the committee conducted an
exhaustive review of parks systems in which they had to provide
documentation fulfilling at least 36 of 155 fundamental standards, and at
least 85 percent of the other 119 compliance standards in ten major
categories: Agency Authority, Role and Responsibility; Planning;
Organization and Administration; Human Resources; Finance; Program and
Services Management; Facility and Land Use Management; Safety &
Security; Risk Management; and Evaluation and Research. The
self-assessment report was presented to CAPRA for a preliminary review
last March, and was followed up in July by a team of certified park and
recreation professionals and experienced citizen board members from all
over the country. During their week-long visit, they reviewed all of the
documentation that had been submitted to meet each of the standards, met
and talked with parks staff, and toured parks. “It
has been a pleasure working with our dedicated staff during the
accreditation process, and I am proud to be among our peers in other
recognized agencies,” Stout said. Other agencies that have achieved NRPA agency accreditation are the Chicago Park District (Illinois), City of Scottsdale -- Community Services Department (Arizona), and the City of Coral Gables Parks and Recreation Department (Florida).
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evaluation
of 155 criteria in ten different categories, Westchester’s parks
department has earned the distinction of being the first county in New
York State to become accredited by the National Recreation and Parks
Association (NRPA), County Executive Andy Spano announced today.