Parks & Recreation Honored as GRPA District 5 Class A Agency of the Year

City of Kennesaw Parks & Recreation Honored as GRPA District 5 Class A Agency of the Year

Kennesaw, GA (October 20, 2022) — The City of Kennesaw Parks & Recreation Department received the Georgia Recreation and Park Association (GRPA) District 5 Class A Agency of the Year Award during the GRPA District 5 banquet last night, hosted at Kennesaw’s Recreation Center.

The GRPA District 5 Class A Agency of the Year award recognizes exemplary agencies that deliver recreation, park or leisure-related services. Nominees are judged on staff development, staff involvement in park organizations, park facilities, new and outstanding programs, and major accomplishments over the past year.

The Kennesaw Parks & Recreation Department maintains 112 acres of developed parks and recreational facilities, comprised of three community parks, 15 neighborhood parks, a community-wide trail and two buildings.

The opening of the new award-winning Recreation Center in January opened new opportunities for the department and their offerings to the community. Over the past year, staff has hosted 18 special events and created 20 new programs, including pickleball, volleyball, basketball, teen summer camps and after-school programs, special needs sports clinics, cornhole tournaments and a senior luncheon series.

In addition to receiving the Georgia Recreation and Park Association’s District 5 Class A Agency of the year award, three of the Kennesaw Parks & Recreation staff members were also honored. Rolando Pardo, Park Maintenance Supervisor, received the GRPA District 5 Outstanding Facilities & Grounds Maintenance Award. Rolando has been a part of the Parks & Recreation team for 20 years. Laura Woolsey received the GRPA District 5 Administrative Assistant Award, and Director Steve Roberts was recognized with the GRPA District 5 Distinguished Professional Award. Steve has been with the department for almost four years and has led the team through many accomplishments including the addition of the Inclusive Playground and Recreation Center, updates to Depot Park and many pocket parks.