Cherokee County Recreation And Parks Earns National Accreditation

CHEROKEE COUNTY, GA — Cherokee Recreation and Parks is now a nationally accredited agency.

Cherokee Recreation and Parks joins the ranks of park and recreation agencies across the country by earning accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). This accomplishment was awarded during the 2021 NRPA Annual Conference held Sept. 21-23 in Nashville.

“I am proud of the hard work that our recreation and parks staff do every day and glad to see that their work and programs for Cherokee County citizens are being recognized nationally,” County Manager Geoff Morton said.

Cherokee County has 22 parks and facilities across the county, including recreation centers, both active and passive parks and an aquatic center. With the voter approved $90 million parks bond in 2008, Cherokee Recreation and Parks has been able to establish new parks and facilities. Those include Badger Creek Park, the Aquatic Center, Hunkey Mauldin Sports Complex, Patriots Park and Cherokee Veterans Park, as well as renovate or expand a dozen other parks and facilities.

The department is recognized by the National Association for Youth Sports as a Better Sports for Kids Quality Program Provider and its programs have been recognized by the Georgia Recreation and Parks Association. In early 2021, Cherokee Recreation and Parks completed the Southwest Cherokee Parks and Trails Plan that opens doors for new facilities in the southwest area of the county. This summer, the Cherokee Board of Commissioners approved a contract with TSW to do similar planning in northeast Cherokee County.

“Our previous Chairman Buzz Ahrens was fond of the phrase ‘raising the bar,’ which I love," Community Services Agency Director Bryan Reynolds said. "And, one of our values at Cherokee Recreation & Parks is ‘quality and continuous improvement.’ National accreditation is difficult to achieve and represents a major milestone in the growth and improvement of our agency. It really speaks to the professionalism, work ethic and quality of our team."

CAPRA accreditation is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies, and is a
measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management and service to the community. This mark of distinction indicates that an agency has met rigorous standards related to the management and administration of lands, facilities, resources, programs, safety and services.

As part of the accreditation process, Cherokee Recreation and Parks had to demonstrate compliance with 154 recognized standards and document all policies and procedures. Often the process helps identify efficiencies and heighten areas of accountability, all of which translate into higher quality service and operation to benefit the community.

The process for accreditation involves a formal application, self-assessments, a site visit by a team of trained visitors that results in a written report, and a hearing with the commission to grant accreditation. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year's visitations were held virtually. Once accredited, the agency must uphold the standards by submitting an annual report and is reviewed again in five years.

“I remember when we first discussed the challenge ahead of us with accreditation. We knew it was
going to be a daunting task, but if we took it one small step at a time, we would eventually conquer it and that’s exactly what we did,” Cherokee Recreation and Parks Director Jay Worley said. “I am
extremely proud of all our staff in the way that we handled it. The collaboration, the attention to detail, and the determination to complete the process was simply awesome.”

The Commission is comprised of representatives from NRPA, the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration, the National Association of County Park and Recreation Officials, the International City/County Management Association, the Academy for Leisure Sciences, the Armed Forces Recreation Network and the Council of State Executive Directors.