Published September 18 2015
Seal of approval recognizes continued commitment to highest level of service
Bellevue Parks & Community Services was reaccredited this week by the National Recreation and Park Association.
The accreditation, by the NRPA's Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies, is the only national accreditation for park and recreation agencies, and is a measure of the Bellevue department's quality of operation, management and service to the community.
This spring a team of reviewers from across the country graded the department on 151 rigorous standards related to the management and administration of lands, facilities, resources, programs, safety and services.
"Bellevue is known as a 'city in a park' with good reason," said Patrick Foran, director of Parks & Community Services. "Maintaining world-class parks and natural areas, recreation programs and human services requires vision, diligence and passion -- standards recognized by our recent reaccreditation."
National accreditation is an extensive, multi-year process that consists of an application, self-assessment report, site visit and final assessment by CAPRA. The reaccreditation announcement was made during the NRPA 2015 Congress and Exposition in Las Vegas, Nev. Bellevue has been CAPRA-accredited since 2005, and has the distinction of being one of only 136 accredited parks agencies in the U.S.
Bellevue Parks & Community Services is dedicated to building a healthy community through an integrated system of exceptional parks, open spaces, recreation, cultural and human services. With nearly 3,000 acres of parks and open space, the system includes Bellevue Downtown Park, Kelsey Creek Farm Park, Bellevue Botanical Garden and Mercer Slough Nature Park. The system’s Lake to Lake Trail connects these and other exquisite parks from Lake Washington to Lake Sammamish.