Arlington Parks And Recreation Takes Top Honors At State Conference
By Office of Communication
Posted on March 15, 2013, March 15, 2013

APRD receives three awards at recent TRAPS conference in Lubbock, Texas

The City of Arlington Parks and Recreation Department received three awards from the Texas Recreation and Parks Society at its state conference in Lubbock, Texas, on March 8, 2013.

Sue Phillips, a long-time resident of east Arlington, received the "Outstanding Service Award'. The award is given to an individual that has contributed extensive volunteer time toward providing leisure service programs, facilities, actively supported bond proposals through the local community. Phillips is a member of the Arlington Parks Board and the founder of east Arlington renewal.

The APRD received the "Planning for Excellence' award for the city-wide skate park master plan. On March 12, 2013, the APRD hosted the grand opening of the Cody Rocamontes Memorial Skatepark, located at Randol Mill Park. Arlington's first skate park was built with funding from Cody Rocamontes Inc., a Tony Hawk Foundation grant awarded to CRI and a grant from the Arlington Tomorrow Foundation. A city-wide facility at Vandergriff Park, as well as several small skate-lets located in liner parks, is scheduled to open in 2014.

The ReLEAF program earned the APRD the "Lone Star Recreation Programming Achievement Award' in recognition for innovative and effective recreation programming during the Arlington Tornado ReLEAF tree planting event. During the one-day event last November, the city planted 1,000 trees to replace ones that were lost during the tornadoes that ravaged southwest and west Arlington in April of 2012. Over 500 volunteers came together to assist the APRD with the effort.

"The Parks and Recreation Department was honored to be selected as recipients of three awards considering we were in competition against some of the best departments across Texas,' Arlington Parks and Recreation Department Assistant Director Gary Packan said. "The awards are an affirmation of the hard work our staff, as well as our park board members, provide to the community.'

Texas Recreation and Park Society (TRAPS) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 educational and professional organization founded 75 years ago. For more information call 512-267-5550, or visit them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TRAPSTX.

News, Parks & Recreation