THPRD Receives National Parks & Recreation Accreditation, Officials Say

BEAVERTON, OR — Tualatin Hills Park & Recreation District officials on Monday announced the agency had received a highly coveted national accreditation from the sole commission that accredits Parks & Recreation agencies across the country.

The Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) gave THPRD the recognition based on the Beaverton-based organization's commitment to deliver high-quality services as defined by CAPRA standards. THPRD now joins Parks & Recreation agencies in Hillsboro, Medford, and Bend as the sole four agencies in the state to have obtained CAPRA accreditation.

Nationally, less than 2 percent of Parks & Recreation agencies — 155 in total — have earned CAPRA accreditation.

"This is a significant milestone," THPRD Board President Jerry Jones Jr. said in a statement. "The 151 standards that accreditation requires are all indicators that THPRD is an agency that is acting strategically and responsibly on behalf of Beaverton-area residents."

CAPRA's standards mostly consist of bureaucratic logistics, such as developing measurable goals that staff and administrative officials can work toward, as well as ensuring agency heads make an effort to connect with other local organizations not only for facility use but also for creating programs that benefit local residents.

According to THPRD spokesman Bob Wayt, "The accreditation process 'assures policy makers, department staff, the general public and taxpayers that an accredited park and recreation agency has been independently evaluated against established benchmarks as delivering a high level of quality.' "

Ultimately, Wayt said, CAPRA's standards act as an effective way to evaluate the quality of a Parks & Recreation agency's overall system.

To begin the process, THPRD heads in April submitted a self-review to CAPRA's accreditation committee, outlining its adherence to CAPRA's detailed standards. CAPRA officials then peer-reviewed the application materials themselves before making a decision.

"This valuable process has made us a better agency," THPRD General Manager Doug Menke said in a statement. "We've reviewed, updated, and documented plans that will guide our long-term operations and make us more effective at providing high-quality programs and services.

"It's a wonderful way to show residents that we're acting with their best interests in mind," he continued. "We are responsibly going about our long-term planning, developing new programs, protecting natural resources and expanding opportunities for indoor and outdoor recreation."

THPRD officials also said the agency was recently selected as a National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) Gold Medal Award finalist for the second year running. Along with sponsoring CAPRA, the NRPA also doles out gold medal awards to parks and rec agencies "that demonstrate excellence in long-range planning, resource management and innovative approaches to delivering superb park and recreation services with fiscally sound business practices," according to the NRPA website.

"This experience has been nothing but positive," Menke said. "These recent accomplishments are helping our residents, our board and our industry peers recognize the work we do to make the Beaverton area an even better place to live."

Photo Courtesy: Tualatin Hills Parks & Recreation District