Parks and Recreation Department Receives CAPRA National Accreditation 

The City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Department is one of 192 agencies throughout the nation that are currently accredited through the National Recreation and Park Association’s Commission for Accreditation. There are many benefits for the community to have their Parks and Recreation agency accredited which include: demonstrating that the agency meets national standards of best practice, recognizing the community as a great place to live, and helping secure external financial support and reduce costs for the community. Others also include holding the agency accountable to the public and ensuring responsiveness to meet the community’s needs and ensuring that all staff are providing quality customer service.

In 2016, the City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Department officially became an accredited agency for the first time. This achievement is something that agencies across the nation strive for year after year. Once the department was accredited in 2016, reaccreditation was to occur in 2021, but with COVID outbreaks, the reaccreditation was deferred to 2022. For reaccreditation, there were 154 standards, and the agency must successfully meet at least 96% of them. Successful once more, the department received reaccreditation in September of 2022 at the National Parks and Recreation Association’s Annual Conference in Phoenix, AZ!

 This accreditation has created an environment for the regular review of operations, policies, and procedures, and promotes continual improvement. Having these standards in place and fully practiced by the department allows the operations to run smoothly, enhances staff teamwork, and engages all staff throughout the process.

The Fairfax City Parks and Recreation Department will continue to strive for
this mark of excellence to provide the community with the highest level of service.

Ratcliffe Park Tree Sculpture is a Cut Above the Rest

The Best New Renovation/Addition (Parks, Playgrounds, Blueways, Greenways or Trails) goes to the Ratcliffe Park Tree Sculpture! The Virginia Recreation and Parks Society awarded this project the winner for the category of under 25,000 population at the annual conference in Virginia Beach in early November.

When it became evident that a beloved Sycamore tree in Ratcliffe Park had died the local community was devastated by the loss. A generation of Fairfax City kids grew up playing under the tree loving the shade it provided on the playground at Ratcliffe Park. Instead of just taking it down, in April of 2021 the Fairfax City Parks and Recreation Department and the City of Fairfax Commission on the Arts hired local chainsaw artist, Andrew Mallon, to turn the tree into a whimsical tree house full of local woodland creatures, for the next generation to love

Check out the sculpture anytime at Ratcliffe Park, 10300 Sager Ave!

Ashby Pond Receives Wildlife Sanctuary Designation

Recently the City applied for and received Wildlife Sanctuary designation from the Audubon Society of Northern Virginia. The Wildlife Sanctuary Program is a volunteer project that promotes citizen participation in conserving and restoring local habitat and biodiversity. In order to qualify you must prove that the area provides habitat for at least 10 Sanctuary Species. Sanctuary Species include selected native birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects needing help due to loss of habitat. In addition, the City also met the “healthy park” pledge of reducing our pesticide and fertilizer use, planting native species and supporting birds and other wildlife through the use of pollinator and rain gardens, meadows and water aerators. Thank you to the volunteers who tracked and reported the species at Ashby Pond!

City of Fairfax wins the National Gold Medal Award, 2011

AAPRA and NRPA selected agencies to compete for one of park and recreation’s highest honors. The Gold Medal Award honors communities throughout the United States that demonstrate excellence in long-range planning, resource management, volunteerism, environmental stewardship, program development, professional development and agency recognition. Each agency is judged on its ability to address the needs of those it serves through the collective energe4is of citizens, staff and elected officials. A panel of five parks and recreation professionals reviews and judges all application materials. Judges are chosen for their considerable experience and knowledge in parks and recreation on both local and national levels.
Communities submit an extensive application that is judged among other communities in their classification. The classification is based on population. The City of Fairfax is in Class V (population 25,000 and under). The City of Fairfax was selected as one of the four finalists in this classification. The other 2011 Gold Medal Finalists were: City of Green River, Wyoming; City of Lafayette, Colorado and City of Cullman, Alabama. The finalists were then required to submit a 12 minutes DVD that best depicts the community and the parks and recreation department.
The 2011 Grand Plaque Recipients were announced live during NRPA’s Annual Congress & Exposition in Atlanta, GA in November 2011.
The American Academy for Parks and Recreation Administration (AAPRA) is a non-profit organization founded to advance knowledge related to the administration of recreation and parks; to encourage scholarly efforts by both practitioners and educators that would enhance the practice of parks and recreation administration’ to promote broader public understanding of the importance of parks and recreation to the public good; and, to conduct research publish scholarly papers, and sponsor seminars related to the advancement of parks and recreation administration. www.aapra.org
The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts that enhance quality of life for all people. Through its network of roughly 21,000 professionals and citizens, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy lifestyles recreation initiatives, and conservation of natural and cultural resources. www.nrpa.org

Best Promotional Effort

Basic Award for the 2010 Sponsorship & Opportunities brochure in the category for cities of its size awarded by Virginia Recreation and Park Society (VRPS).
The City of Fairfax Parks and Recreation Department was recognized for its promotion of the 2009 Leisure times by Virginia Recreation and Park Society (VRPS) at the VRPS annual conference held in Hampton on September 13, 2010.

Other awards include:
• Winner, 2011 National Gold Medal Award
• Finalist for the 2010 National Gold Medal Awards
• Best in Virginia Award – Van Dyck Park (2012)
• Best of Fairfax Award – The Washingtonian – Van Dyck Park and Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts (2010)
• Forbes #3 – Best Place to Live in USA (2009)
• VPRS – Best New Facility Award / Stafford Drive Park (2009)
• Community Appearance Award / Stafford Drive Park (2009)
• VPRS – Best Renovation Award / Draper Drive Park (2009)
• VRPS – Best Promotional Piece Award (2008, 2009, 2010)
• Tree City USA – 23 years
• Virginia General Assembly – Resolution of Commendation Fairfax Spotlight on the Arts
2009 Outstanding New Professional award by Virginia Recreation and Park Society (VRPS)

Karen Lussier, Recreation Manger, was awarded the Outstanding New Professional Award at the VRPS annual conference held I Hampton on September 13, 2010. This award is in recognition of outstanding commitment and achievements in the parks and recreation field.