The Bismarck Parks and Recreation District are the recipients of the Gold Medal Award. The award is known as the highest and most prestigious honor a park and recreation agency can receive.

The sponsors for the award are the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association and Musco Lighting.

A press release announcing the award states:

The Gold Medal Awards program honors communities throughout the U.S. that demonstrate excellence in parks and recreation through long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition.

In response to receiving the award, Bismarck Parks and Recreation District Executive Director Randy Bina made a statement:

Bismarck is already known as an amazing and supportive community. This prestigious honor recognizes the investments we are making in our programs, parks and facilities. We are very honored to be a two-time recipient of this Gold Medal Award. This places BPRD in a very rare category of park agencies, and we accept this award on behalf of the citizens of Bismarck.

Bismarck Parks and Recreation District had previously won the award in 1993. They are now also seven-time finalists for the award, including this year and also most recently in 2016.

BPRD beat out three other finalists for the Gold Medal Award; Alpharetta Recreation and Parks Department, Alpharetta, GA; Lombard Park District, Lombard, IL and City of What Ridge Parks and Recreation Department, Wheat Ridge, CO.

Congratulations to the Bismarck Parks and Recreation District for winning the 2017 Gold Medal Award!

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