Yesterday at the Kentucky Recreation & Parks Society’s (KRPS) annual conference held this year at Lake Barkley State Resort Park, KRPS honored Paducah Parks & Recreation with two awards: Outstanding Department Award - Class IV and Outstanding Program Award – Class IV for the Veterans Day Program.
KRPS classes, which range from one through four, are based upon the size of the department with Class IV as the category for a department with 20 or more full-time employees.
Director of Paducah Parks & Recreation Amie Clark said, “We are honored to receive the Outstanding Department Award – Class IV from the KRPS. This is a competitive award in which our applications are judged against much larger departments. I am grateful for the support by the Paducah Board of Commissioners and community as we work to improve the quality of life for our local and regional residents and visitors.”
“During the previous fiscal year, we were able to accomplish several projects including the Robert Cherry Civic Center renovation, opening of pickleball courts, replacement of playgrounds at Coleman Park and Keiler Park with new accessible surfacing, and the relocation of the dog parks in preparation for the construction of the Paducah Sports Park. Our motto is that there is always something to do, and we work hard as a team to make sure that our programs and facilities are accessible, fun, and bring value to the community,” added Clark.
At the conference, Paducah Parks & Recreation also received the Outstanding Program Award – Class IV for the Veterans Day programs.
Clark said, “Working with our local committee of veterans to develop a meaningful Veterans Day full of activities and recognition is one of the most rewarding programs that Paducah Parks & Recreation gets the honor to develop. Receiving the Outstanding Program Award the day after our local ceremonies was amazing. Thanking our local veterans for their service fills me with pride and humility.”
During this year’s Veterans Day Parade, nearly 1100 people including school groups lined the streets to watch the parade. Paducah Parks & Recreation has helped organize the parade since the mid-1990s.
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Picture 1 (Department Award – left to right): Jared Marsden, Assistant Director of Parks; Greg Shelton, Parks Maintenance Supervisor; Patrick Manning, KRPS President; Taylor Morsching, Assistant Director of Recreation; Emelyn Herndon, Recreation Supervisor; Elizabeth Kimball, Recreation Specialist; and John Willoughby, Parks Maintenance Supervisor
Picture 2 (Veterans Program Award – left to right): Jared Marsden, Assistant Director of Parks; John Willoughby, Parks Maintenance Supervisor; Greg Shelton, Parks Maintenance Supervisor; Patrick Manning, KRPS President; Larry Baker, Veterans Day Planning Committee Member; Taylor Morsching, Assistant Director of Recreation; Emelyn Herndon, Recreation Supervisor; Elizabeth Kimball, Recreation Specialist; and Robert Worden, Veterans Day Planning Committee Member
