Danville Parks and Recreation received Best New Program, Best New Facility and Best New Renovation awards during the recent Virginia Recreation and Park Society Annual Conference held in Roanoke.
“We are extremely proud to have represented Danville during the conference and recognize that these awards not only celebrate the accomplishments of our staff but also reflect the unyielding support of our city’s management and citizens,” said Department Director Bill Sgrinia. “Without participants attending our programs and city staff and council supporting our efforts, there would be no honors.”
The VRPS awards program is to recognize departments across the Commonwealth who demonstrate excellence. This year, 101 applications were received vying for awards in 14 different categories and were judged by a jury of parks and recreation professionals from across Virginia. Danville entered the Population 25,001-50,000 category.
For last year’s Rover Walk, Danville earned Best New Program. During the initial Rover Walk campaign, 38 participants “checked out” and walked 60 dogs from Danville Area Humane Society over a 60-day period, logging 669 miles and helping 12 animals find their forever homes. The purpose of the program met a community need by providing an opportunity for person and pooch alike to get out and get some much needed exercise, combating sedentary lifestyles in humans and extra hyperactivity in the dogs.
Since the first campaign in 2015, Rover Walk has been repeated three times and seen consistent results each session. Another Rover Walk will be scheduled this spring. For more information, call 434-799-5150.
For the Danville Art Trail, Danville earned Best New Facility (Parks, Playground, Greenways and Trails). The art trail, which connects seven points along the River District and Riverwalk Trail, was created to provide social, cultural and economic value to the city. The trail provides residents and visitors access to art and acts as a catalyst for art initiatives while encouraging users to exercise while interacting with the community.
Currently, the trail features seven pieces art which will soon be replaced by new pieces, two of which were selected by an online vote while five more were selected by a jury. The new pieces will be on display in 2017.
For the recent upgrades to Ballou Recreation Center, Danville earned Best New Renovation/Addition. The renovation project was designed to make historic Ballou Recreation Center more accessible without losing programming space and also to bring the facility up to date without major construction while preserving historical characteristics.
The building is open to the public Monday – Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is available