Published November 19 2020
Seal of approval recognizes commitment to service
Bellevue’s Parks & Community Services Department, which maintains the city’s impressive network of parks and trails, received a perfect score (151 out of 151) from reviewers at a national accreditation agency.
“Reaccreditation validates our vision and effort to deliver high-quality parks, services and programs to the city,” said Michael Shiosaki, director of Parks & Community Services. “Our evaluators noted that we take the time to get to know our customers, listen to their wants and needs, and make modifications based on what we hear.”
“The repeated reaccreditation of all of our operating departments is a tribute to the city staff’s hard work, dedication and attention to detail,” City Manager Brad Miyake said. “The perfect score for Parks & Community Services offers a measure of the quality of service employees in that and other departments consistently provide.”
A team of reviewers from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) visited Bellevue this fall and noted the department’s commitment to diversity, public engagement, program evaluation and partnerships.
They scored the department on rigorous standards related to the management and administration of lands, facilities, resources, programs, safety and services. The accreditation measures Bellevue’s quality of operation, management and service to the community.
National accreditation is an extensive, multiyear process that consists of an application, self-assessment report, site visit and final assessment by CAPRA. Bellevue, CAPRA-accredited since 2005, has the distinction of being the only parks department in the state reaccredited four times and one of 186 accredited agencies in the U.S.
Bellevue Parks & Community Services is dedicated to building a healthy community through an integrated system of exceptional parks, natural areas, recreation, arts and culture, and a broad base of community services.
With 2,800 acres of parks and open space, the system includes Bellevue Downtown Park, the Bellevue Botanical Garden and the Mercer Slough Natural Park. The system’s Lake to Lake Trail connects these and other exquisite parks from Lake Washington to Lake Sammamish.
For more information, please visit BellevueWA.gov/parks.