Army installations clean up as award finalists for outstanding park and recreation management

By Susan MerknerOctober 8, 2020

Army installations clean up as award finalists for outstanding park and recreation management
Fort Knox Soldiers work out at Gammon Physical Fitness Center, a Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation facility, in June. Fort Knox is one of four Army installations named as military finalists this year for an industry award for best park and recreation management. Fort Knox won the top prize in its category in 2013. (Photo Credit: Eric Pilgrim) VIEW ORIGINAL

When industry awards for best park and recreation management are presented later this month, it’s a sure bet the U.S. Army will be a winner.

All four finalists in the military category are Army installations: U.S. Army Garrison Fort Knox, Kentucky; U.S. Army Garrison Fort Riley, Kansas; U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz, Kaiserslautern, Germany; and U.S. Army Garrison Bavaria, Grafenwoehr, Germany.

The four garrisons are among the 24 military and civilian organizations selected as finalists for the 2020 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management. The awards are sponsored by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association.

This year’s award winners will be announced Oct. 27 during the NRPA’s virtual conference.

Judging is based on long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and community engagement.

There are six classes of competition, five based on community population and one for armed forces installations. Community entrants are typically park districts, city- and county-run programs, and other civilian enterprises.

The armed forces competitors must show why their Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation programs are considered outstanding and how they make a positive impact on their installation. They also must show efforts toward social equity, health and wellness, and conservation.

“We thank the installations who applied in 2020, particularly in light of the management demands during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Jane H. Adams, AAPRA executive director.

Last year, Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler, Okinawa, Japan, won the top award, the Gold Medal Grand Plaque, in the armed forces recreation class. The Bavaria and Rheinland-Pfalz garrisons also were finalists last year, along with Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Milton, Florida. The 2018 gold medal winner was the Naval Air Station at Pensacola, Florida. The Army’s most recent gold medal winner was Fort Knox in 2013.

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