For the second consecutive year, Plainfield Park District has been named a finalist for the National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in Park and Recreation Management by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA).

The Park District is one of four finalists in the Class III Category (population of 75,001 to 150,000 people) for the Grand Plaque. Grand Plaque recipients will be announced at the 2024 NRPA Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, from Oct. 8 to 10.

Other Class III nominees are Waukegan Park District in Illinois, City of New Braunfels Parks and Recreation in Texas and the City of North Port Parks and Recreation Department in Florida.

“It’s a tremendous honor to again be in contention for the Grand Plaque,” said Plainfield Park District Executive Director Carlo Capalbo. “This second Gold Medal continues to demonstrate our excellence in long-range planning, resource management and innovative approaches to delivering superb park and recreation services with fiscally-sound business practices.”

Founded in 1966, the Plainfield Park District is the ninth largest park district in the State of Illinois, serving more than 110,000 residents in Will and Kendall counties including the areas of Plainfield, Joliet, Romeoville, Crest Hill and Bolingbrook.

This past January, the park district was recognized as an Illinois Distinguished Accredited Agency. The accreditation is a rigorous evaluation process by a joint committee of park and recreation professionals and elected officials and includes having to meet various standards and criteria in providing exceptional park and recreation services to the community, said Capalbo. Plainfield Park District achieved a score of 503.4, exceeding the total possible of 500 points as bonus points were awarded for certain accomplishments, he added.

In 2022, the district joined the ranks of elite park and recreation agencies across the country by earning accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the NRPA.

CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies and is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management and service to the community.

Melanie Chiara of Joliet, who regularly uses the trails at Van Horn Woods on Frontage Road, said she can see why the park district garners such positive reviews.

“The trails provide exceptional beauty, and it is breathtaking to take a stroll outdoors,” she said. “Plus, the best part is I can bring my dog, too. You truly feel like you are in the woods and away from everyone.”