Baton Rouge’s parks and recreation agency, BREC, has been named one of the top parks systems in the U.S. by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration.
The AAPRA, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association, announced this morning at its national conference in Phoenix that for the third time in its history, BREC has won the national gold medal award for excellence in park and recreation management.
Founded in 1965, the awards program honors communities in the U.S. that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition.
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BREC competed in the Class 1 Recreation category, which is the largest category and includes agencies serving communities with populations over 400,000. Previous winners in this category include the Cleveland Metroparks and the Fairfax County (Virginia) Park Authority. BREC also received the award in 1975 and 1991.
Agencies are judged on their ability to address the needs of those they serve through the collective energies of the public, staff and elected officials. A panel of five parks and recreation professionals reviews and judges all application materials.
This story originally appeared in a Sept. 20 issue of Daily Report. To keep up with Baton Rouge business and politics, subscribe to the free Daily Report e-newsletter here.