KANNAPOLIS –  We know we have great parks and recreation facilities and programs and now the nation knows!

The Kannapolis Parks and Recreation Department has been recognized by the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) for excellence in operations and service.

They are now recognized as one of only 149 departments in the country to receive this accreditation, which establishes them as being in the top 1 percent of parks and recreation departments in the United States.

Kannapolis Parks and Recreation staff members began the accreditation process in 2014. All facilities, programs and events were independently and rigorously evaluated against established benchmarks to ensure the city delivers a high level of quality parks and recreation services. A team of parks and recreation professionals from across the U.S. visited Kannapolis this summer as the final step in the national accreditation process.

Accreditation was based on the city’s compliance with the standards set for national accreditation. To achieve accreditation, Kannapolis met 149 of 151 standards. Standards include achievements in planning, administration, finance, programming, maintenance, facility management and safety and security for the city’s parks and recreation facilities, services and programming.

“We are very proud to be one of the premier parks and recreation departments across the United States. Our City Council, staff members and citizen led Parks and Recreation Commission have worked hard to ensure we have a master plan for the development of quality parks and recreation programming and facilities. It is an honor to be recognized by our peers as a department that brings a variety of high quality services to our citizens,” said Kannapolis Parks and Recreation Director Gary Mills.