CHICAGO — The Chicago Park District was awarded the 2014 National Gold Medal Award Tuesday by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration and the National Recreation and Park Association.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel called even being nominated for the award a "tremendous honor" in a statement Tuesday, noting that the prize marks Chicago as having "not only the top park district in the country, but ... the first urban park district to receive this award."
The park district beat out three other finalists in the category of cities with more than 400,000 residents: Gwinnett County, Ga.; Mesa Parks, Ariz.; and Maryland's National Capital Park and Planning Commission.
The Gold Medal Award, established in 1965, recognizes parks and recreational programs that excel in long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition.
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