Back to Back - NRPA Gold Medal Finalist!!

Two years in a row, your Grand Prairie Parks and Recreation Department is an National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) Gold Medal Finalist! In our populatoin category (100,000 - 250,000) there are only 3 other cities in the nation that are part of this esteemed group. The winner of the medal will be crowned at the NRPA's national conference in Baltimore in September.

The NRPA Gold Medal is the highest award that a parks and recreation department can recieve. Departments are evaluated on several different aspects: Master planning, new parks and facility developments, environmental stewardship, community partnerships, marketing and promotions, use of technology, and several other categories that measuere if we are meeting and exceeding the needs of our citizens.

Be proud Grand Prairie, we are working every day to "Create a Grand Lifestyle" for you!

For more information about NRPA and the Gold Medal Award visit www.nrpa.org/awards

Celebrating over 50 years of existence, the Grand Prairie Parks and Recreation Department is dedicated to “creating a GRAND lifestyle”. The Grand Prairie Parks and Recreation department features world class parks and facilities, a wide-array of exciting program opportunities, and numerous special events throughout the year.

The City of Grand Prairie has over 5,000 park acres, including the exciting 3,000 acres surrounding Joe Pool Lake. The staff is proud to be the caretakers for the citizens of Grand Prairie and welcomes comments about the Parks system or recreation offerings of the city.

Dedicated to providing “world class service” the department has won the prestigious Gold Medal Award in 2004 from the Texas Recreation and Parks Society (TRAPS), the organization's highest honor. In 2007 and 2008 the department was nominated by the National Recreation and Parks Association (NRPA) as a finalist to the National Gold Medal Award, one of 4 in America. Awards are no stranger to the department, for it has racked up honors for Park Development, Maintenance Innovations and Recreation programming over the past few years.

The parks and recreation re-birth in Grand Prairie began 8 years ago with the passage of the ¼ cent sales tax for parks and recreation by the Citizens of Grand Prairie. With dynamic city leaders, trusting citizens, awesome partners and a dynamic staff, the Grand Prairie Parks and Recreation system is destined to be one of the finest in America.

Enjoy your parks. Play golf at your two golf courses. Enjoy some exciting recreation programs. Visit your exciting Ruthe Jackson Conference Center. Boat, swim or golf at Joe Pool Lake. Work out at the Bowles Life Center. Go for a jog on our trails. Take your dog to play at Central Bark. We even offer the Grand Prairie Memorial Gardens and Mausoleum for that special time of need.

Come visit YOUR parks and recreation department…
…together we are building a GRAND lifestyle!