PARKS & REC NEWS

Adding a creative touch, Detroit City Walls and SpaceLab Detroit commissioned three sidewalk murals designed by local artist Miranda Kyle, selected through the City Walls Blight Abatement Artist Residency Program. Featuring lemon trees, a symbol chosen by the community, the murals are expected to be completed by the end of June.

“ The City of Detroit’ s investment in this beautiful park highlights our commitment to providing residents with safe, modern outdoor spaces,” said Crystal Perkins, director of the General Services Department.“ We hope families in the neighborhood, as well as the Emerson School community, enjoy everything Milan Park now has to offer.”

The National Recreation and Park Association( NRPA) announced the recipients of this year’ s NRPA Innovation Awards, Spotlight Awards, and Scholarships and Fellowships. The awards will be presented during the 2025 NRPA Annual Conference in September when NRPA will announce the winner of its Best in Innovation Award, which recognizes the best of the best in park and recreation innovation.

NRPA Innovation Awards recognize park and recreation agencies nationwide that have improved and strengthened their communities through innovative practices in park design, health and well-being, environmental resilience and equity. The recipients of this year’ s awards are as follows:

Innovation in Health and Well-being Award: Care Camp, Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation, Alhambra, California

Innovation in Equity Award: Athene North Shore Recreation Area, Polk County Conservation, Granger, Iowa

Innovation in Environmental Resilience Award: Blackland Prairie Restoration & Education, Play Frisco, Frisco, Texas

Innovation in Park Design Award: Taylor Farm Park, Henrico County Recreation & Parks, Henrico, Virginia

NRPA Spotlight Awards are presented to individuals to honor their efforts in the field of parks and recreation. The following individuals are recognized with NRPA Spotlight Awards:

National Distinguished Professional Award: Timothy Herd, CPRE, chief executive officer, Pennsylvania Recreation and Park Society, State College, Pennsylvania

Dirk Richwine Professional Mentoring Award: Karen O’ Donnell, CPRE, director of parks & recreation, City of Wheat Ridge, Colorado

Robert W. Crawford Young Professional Award: Gabrielle Vera, CPRP, director of parks & recreation, Lake Havasu City, Arizona

Robert M. Artz Advocate Award: Adrian Dell Roberts, community advocate, Adrian Dell and Carmen Roberts Foundation, Riverside, California

NRPA Scholarships and Fellowships provide recipients with the opportunity to attend and explore the operation of the field at the NRPA Annual Conference. Congratulations to the awardees in the following categories:

Young Professional Fellowships: Samantha Grainger, CPRP, Indian Trail( North

Carolina) Parks and Recreation Megan Keul, CPRP, Kannapolis( North Carolina) Parks & Recreation Katie MacCammon, CPRP, Fairfax City( Virginia) Parks and Recreation Sydney Paredes, CPRP, Schertz( Texas) Parks

& Recreation Diversity Scholarships:

Jose Rodriguez, AFO, CPSI, Mount Vernon( Washington) Parks & Recreation

Tina Royer, CPRP, Mesa( Arizona) Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities

Student Scholarships: Olalekan Tunde-Ajayi, Clemson University

( South Carolina) Jacob Vasquez, Texas A & M University( Texas)

“ We’ re so excited to celebrate our incredible awardees who are shaping the future of parks and recreation with passion and purpose,” said Kristine Stratton, NRPA president and CEO.“ Their innovative, community-driven efforts embody the values we champion at NRPA. We’ re proud to celebrate these impactful leaders and look forward to recognizing them in Orlando.” sportsfieldmanagementonline. com July 2025 | SportsField Management

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