Cordova Recreation and Park District Receives Award for Mather Sports Center

The Cordova Recreation and Park District received the 2009 Award of Excellence from the California Park and Recreation Society (CPRS) for its Mather Sports Center: One Stop Shop for Family Recreation. Cordova Recreation and Park District’s recognition in the category of Facility Design will take place at the 2009 California and Pacific Southwest Recreation and Park Training conference, held in Palm Springs, CA on March 9-12, 2009.

Mather Sports Center is a state of the art “big league style” complex which includes modern, synthetic triplex softball and soccer fields, a plaza style skate park, complete field lighting, stadium seating, patio seating to dine at the snack bar complex, restroom facilities, state of the art playground structures, outdoor basketball courts and outdoor roller hockey rink. The complex includes plenty of grass fields for open play and abundant parking

According to District Administrator David Edmonds, “The CPRS awards program is the highest statewide recognition our agency can receive and this award is a credit to the staff that made this happen.”

CPRS Executive Director Jane H. Adams states, “The Cordova Recreation and Park District was selected to receive this prestigious award due to its commitment to setting new directions by addressing a community-wide issue. In addition to remodeling a former military facility closed as a result of the base closures of the 1990′s, this project created new recreation opportunities for an underserved community. Families, teens and young adults now have a safe, approved venue for inline skating, skateboarding and BMX use. Schools have an ideal location for introducing students to positive lifetime recreation activities that promote healthy lifestyles, teamwork, sportsmanship, and civic pride.

Tournament and league play has stimulated additional spending in the business community. In addition to addressing the community-wide issue, the agency identified clear and measurable outcomes and the Cordova Recreation and Park District played a leading role to bring together multiple community resources to address this challenge. CPRS and the award sponsors, Hunter, Little Tikes Commercial Play Systems, and RJM Design Group, Inc., are proud to recognize the Cordova Recreation and Park District for its efforts in creating new recreational opportunities with this unique regional asset…”

The California Park & Recreation Society Awards Committee presented awards in six categories: Recreation/Community Services, Agency Showcase (for marketing materials and campaigns), Professional and Service, Facility Design, Park Planning, Maintenance Management and Operations.

CPRS is a membership organization with approximately 4,000 members representing the 525 local parks and recreation agencies throughout the state. The mission of CPRS is to provide the leadership and resources to promote the role of parks and recreation in creating community through people, parks and programs.