Over 350 delegates from around the state gathered last week at the Annual Conference of the Virginia Recreation and Park Society at The Homestead in Hot Springs. Highlighting each year’s conference is a formal presentation of awards, and Roanoke’s Elmwood Park won the Best New Renovation/Addition Award.
The awards ceremony is a state-wide program that honors individuals, agencies and organizations throughout Virginia who have demonstrated excellence in several areas during the previous calendar year. Over 90 applications were received vying for awards in 13 different categories. “Entries in every population category, from around the state, allow us to recognize the best in our business while raising the standards and quality of programs, facilities and events in every region,” said VRPS President Art Thatcher.
We knew Elmwood Park was going to be a huge hit amongst our citizens, but it’s nice to receive such a prestigious award from our fellow peers as well,” said Steve Buschor, Roanoke’s Director of Parks and Recreation. “Winning this award just further solidifies all of the hard work our citizens and staff put in over the past several months to make Elmwood a prominent and vital part of downtown Roanoke,” he added.
The award submission focused on many key features of the new park including the 4,500 capacity amphitheater with its cascading grass terraces for seating and array of fountains that line the walkway and stage.
