July 2019 - Parks & Recreation - 65

Innovation in Social Equity Award
City of Santa Clarita for Jakes
Way Neighborhood Program,
Santa Clarita, California
City of Santa Clarita staff converted a vacant apartment in a densely
populated apartment complex into
a mini community center to serve
residents with limited access to
parks and facilities because of transportation, language, financial and
cultural barriers. City employees
and neighborhood committee members work alongside volunteers,
school representatives and nonprofit staff members to create ongoing
recreational and educational opportunities, including an afterschool
program, summer camp, English
classes, workshops, family events
and more. Additional supportive
services are woven into recreation
by bringing in local school staff,
sheriff 's deputies, nurses and other
service providers. This novel approach makes it much more likely
that children will participate in recreation activities and avoid negative
pressures and enhances the overall
quality of life in the neighborhood.
Innovation in Park
Design Award
Three Rivers Park District for
Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail,
Minneapolis/St. Paul Metropolitan
Area, Minnesota
Designing and constructing a nature-based, 15-mile regional trail
through five fully developed cities
required complex planning efforts,
multiple partnerships and creative
engineering on the part of the Three
Rivers Park District. The outcome,
Nine Mile Creek Regional Trail,
was purposefully routed to access
transit and major employment
nodes whenever possible and is part

PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF SANTA CLARITA

The City of Santa Clarita's mini community center provides activities for children
with limited access to parks.

of Three Rivers' 160-mile regional
trail network. The trail is also one
of the most scenic in the Three Rivers system, with nearly 2 miles of
boardwalks traversing long stretches
of wetlands and its namesake creek.
It is open year-round to bicyclists,
walkers, runners and dog walkers.
Between June 1 and June 7, the
four winning innovation award projects were put to a public vote, and
NRPA members and the public were
encouraged to vote for the project
that would receive the overall Best in
Innovation Award. That winner will
be announced on September 24 at
the Opening General Session of the
2019 NRPA Annual Conference.

Starkville Parks & Recreation,
Starkville, Mississippi
RWJF-NRPA Award for
Health Equity
Tina Fleming, community services
director, and Lindsey Jorstad, outreach manager, Gwinnett County
Government, Lawrenceville, Georgia
National Distinguished
Professional Award
Dirk Richwine, CPRE, Parker,
Colorado

NRPA Scholarships
and Fellowships

Robert M. Artz Advocate Award
Chris Riley, park board commissioner, Decatur Park District, Decatur, Illinois

The scholarships and fellowships provide recipients with the opportunity
to attend and explore the operation of
the field at the NRPA Annual Conference. A primary focus is to inspire
future participation and leadership in
NRPA and to develop professional
contacts with leadership and members from around the nation. Recipients receive complimentary NRPA
Annual Conference registration, a
travel stipend and their hotel expenses are reimbursed. NRPA is proud to
recognize the following individuals
with scholarships and fellowships:

Robert W. Crawford Young
Professional Award
Gerry Logan, executive director,

Young Professional Fellowships
* Jeremy Bajdaun, Town of Miami
Lakes Parks and Open Spaces

NRPA Spotlight Awards
The NRPA Spotlight Awards are
presented to individuals to honor
their efforts - both professional
and personal - in the field of parks
and recreation. NRPA is proud to
recognize these individuals with
the following awards:

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Parks & Recreation

July 2019 - Parks & Recreation

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