February 2016 - Parks & Recreation - 59

not necessarily translate to winning the
NRPA Gold Medal. In the past five
years, more than 90 percent of all winners have NOT been special districts -
they have been municipal departments,
bureaus or divisions of a city or county
government. So, the Gold Medal is for
everyone. If you are not a special district, don't count yourself out!

Myth 3:

You must be from an
affluent community to win
With the statistical data required from
applicants, judges have at their disposal
several important pieces of information. They know the amount of funds
allocated per capita in a particular jurisdiction. They also know the median
income of the community. They have
the total acres of parks, the numbers of
facilities and the total employee count
for each applying agency. All of this is
helpful information when profiling and
understanding the agency.
The judges evaluate each applicant
based on a few broad principles: their
demonstrated overall management effectiveness, the spectrum of programs
offered, consistency of agency operations with an adopted public plan or
policy, and engagement of the local
community in park and recreation decisionmaking. These considerations
and evaluations are made regardless of
the median income of the community and/or size. In fact, for less-affluent
communities, judges factor in successful
demonstration of the agency's ability to

" do more with less. " In other words, the
specific evaluation questions have no
relation to the wealth of a community.
The reality is that in the past three
years, 33 percent of winners have had
a Community Median Household Income of less than $60,000, with the
average being $71,000. So, whether
your community is affluent, poor
or in the middle, showing in your
application that your team delivers
well-managed services to your residents is what's important.

Myth 4:

There is favoritism in the judging - you need to know a judge,
have recently retired or be from a
certain state
The five sitting judges each year are
reflective of the diversity of the profession, communities of various sizes,
geographic regions, gender and ethnicity. NRPA and the Academy are
committed to ensuring that the judging
process is completely objective and fair
for all. The table below is a breakdown
of the 2016 panel of judges.
Judges volunteer to spend between
50 and 100 hours each year evaluating applications and ensuring that
the process is fair and accurate. Each
judge is committed to make rankings
and recommendations fairly and
without prejudice or favoritism. With
each applicant, judges disclose any
past relationship with the applying
agency and its staff, and recuse themselves where the integrity of the Gold

Medal program could be jeopardized
by their past knowledge.

FACTS

Beyond the myths, here are a few facts
that might help convince you that
your agency should apply this year:
1. The process of preparing an application will bring your team together, regardless the outcome.
2. The process of applying helps you
see where there may be gaps in
your agency and cause you to become better in the process.
3. If you are selected as a finalist, it
means you are one of the four best
park systems for a community of
your size. This type of affirmation
from an unbiased panel can unite
staff and give them great pride!
4. If you are selected as a finalist, it
helps you better tell the story of your
agency's value to your community,
elected officials and partners.
5. If you are declared the Grand
Award Winner, you will be recognized across the country, and
more importantly, your efforts
will be an immense source of
pride for your citizens, elected
leaders, media and staff!
Mike Abbaté is Director of the Portland,
Oregon, Parks and Recreation Department and
2016 Gold Medal Head Judge (mike.abbate@
portlandoregon.gov). Mary Beth Thaman is
Director of the City of Kettering, Ohio, Parks,
Recreation and Cultural Arts Department and
Gold Medal Committee Chair-Elect (marybeth.
thaman@ketteringoh.org).

Position

Name

Location

Class Category

Gender

Ethnicity

Chief Judge

Mike Abbaté

Portland, OR

male

White

4th Year Judge

Darrell Crittendon

Norfolk, VA

male

African American

3rd Year Judge

Carol Potter

Retired Dept. of Defense

Military

female

White

2nd Year Judge

Susie Kuruvilla

Gurnee, IL

female

Indian/South Asian

Guest Judge

Cathy Metz

Durango, CO

female

White

W W W. N R PA . O R G | F E B R UA R Y 2 0 1 6 |

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February 2016 - Parks & Recreation

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