Woodstock Parks Given National Accreditation

The Woodstock Parks and Recreation Department is now part of an exclusive club of agencies that have the distinction of achieving national accreditation. 

The agency is now one of 125 across the country that have been awarded accreditation by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA).

The announcement was made last week in Houston during the annual Best of the Best Awards Ceremony at National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Congress and Exposition.

Woodstock Parks and Recreation Director Preston Pooser gave credit to his staff who he said worked to make sure the department, which was established five years ago under a city government reorganization plan, met all the qualifications to receive the title. 

He also praised City Manager Jeff Moon, Mayor Donnie Henriques and the Woodstock City Council for their "daily support and their ongoing efforts to ensure that we can provide the best parks and recreation facilities and services possible."

The commission, overseen by the National Recreation and Parks Association, is the only national body that grants accreditation to parks and recreation agencies across the state. 

It's made up of representatives from NRPA, the American Academy for Parks and Recreation Administration, the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials, the International City/County Management Association, the American Association for Physical Activity and Recreation, the Armed Forces Recreation Society and the Council for State Executive Directors.

The accreditation process includes various steps to ensure every aspect of an agency in question is up to par with the organization's standards. 

Moon noted that while the city has always known its Parks and Recreation Department was "great," he added "it's always nice to get outside affirmation of this fact."

"We are extremely proud of the work that Preston and his entire team and department did in meeting this goal," he added. "I think it is quite an honor for them to become just the seventh such department to receive national accreditation in the state of Georgia."

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