Awards

The Spokane Park Board, management team and department staff are proud stewards of the Olmsted 100-year legacy and work hard, day in and day out to provide and support this community’s wonderful parks and activities system.  We are dedicated to continuing to maintain high standards of care for the public assets assigned to our safe keeping.

The following recognitions are proud reminders of this legacy:

2011 Awards & Recognition

Regional Spokane CVB honored two excellent staff members. Congratulations to Dave and Olga and to all of the staff who work day in and day out to make city parks and programs the very best they can be.

 Dave Randolph, Facilities Foreperson at Riverfront Park was a Finalist for the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitor Bureau's "Heart of the House Award."

Olga Pasher, Guest Services Lead at Riverfront Park was a Finalist for the "Superior Service Award."

 

 Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living magazine awarded the following to the City of Spokane Parks & Recreation Department:

- Best Golf Course: Gold Award – Downriver Golf Course

- Best Place for Family Fun: Gold Award – Riverfront Park

- Best Place for Kids Under 12: Bronze Award – Riverfront Park

- Best Place for First Date: Gold Award – Riverfront Park

 

 

The national Arbor Day Foundation recognized Spokane as a Tree City USA for the 8th consecutive year.

 

  

The Inlander’s Best of the Inland Northwest 2011 honored the following:
 - Best Playground: 1st place Manito Park, 2nd place Riverfront Park

 - Best Outdoor Recreation Guide Service: 2nd place Spokane Parks and Recreation

 

 KREM’s “The Best of the Inland Northwest” awarded the following:

-Best Golf Course: 1st Place - Downriver Golf Course

-Best Place to People Watch: 1st Place - Riverfront Park

-Landmark Award: Riverfront Park Carrousel

 

 

 The Dwight Merkel Sports Complex Received a SPOTLIGHT AWARD for “Facilities and Parks, Best Sports Complex” awarded at the annual Washington Recreation & Park Association (WRPA) Awards Banquet held April 26 – 29, 2011, in Wenatchee.

 

  

2010 Awards & Recognition

 
 
Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living magazine awarded the following to the City of Spokane Parks & Recreation Department:
 
 
- Best Place for Family Fun: 2nd place Riverfront Park
- Best Golf Course: 3rd place Indian Canyon Golf Course
- Best Place for a First Date: 1st place Riverfront Park, 3rd place Manito Park
 

  

 
Gary Lindeblad, Head Professional at Indian Canyon Golf Course, qualified to compete in the U.S. Senior Open.
 
 
 
 

 
Riverfront Park was a finalist for the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau Attraction of the Year Award, and Don Largent for "Heart of the House" Award.  The Carrousel was also recognized as a semi-finalist.
 
 
 
 
East Central Senior Center’s Melinda More, shown here with senior Drew Holt, received the City of Spokane’s Employee of the Month for August 2010.
 
 
 
 
KREM-TV’s Annual Z-Best of Spokane recognized The Creek at Qualchan as the Best Golf Course for 2010.
 
 
 
Riverfront Park Maintenance started Capital project to install new energy efficient lights for the Ice Palace, saving approx 61% in energy costs and receiving a $14,600 rebate from Avista. They also bought and installed restrooms at the Riverfront Rotary Fountain.
 
 
 
 
The Inlander’s Best of 2010 honored the following:
 
 
- Best Golf Course: 1st place Downriver, 2nd place Indian Canyon
- Best Place to Go on a First Date: 1st place Riverfront Park, 2nd place Manito Park
- Best Place to Pop the Question: 1st place Riverfront Park, 2nd place Manito Park
 
 
 
The national Arbor Day Foundation recognized Spokane as a Tree City USA for the 7th consecutive year. Spokane also received its 1st Growth Award from the National Arbor Day Foundation.
 

 

 

2009 Awards & Recognition

The Mayor’s Urban Design Awards recognize and thank people who contribute to Spokane’s quality of life and help implement the City’s Comprehensive Plan through good urban design. In 2009, Parks and Recreation projects received three awards:
 
 

WINNER

City of Spokane Pools
Mayor’s Choice Award 2009
The highest honor for overall urban design excellence.

 
 

 
  

WINNER

Riverfront Park/Expo ‘74 special acknowledgement of King Cole’s contributions
Heritage Award 2009
For a design project that has significantly contributed to Spokane’s quality of life.

 
 
 

 
 
 

WINNER

Hillyard Skate Park
Shrinking Lilac Award 2009
For a project that was not submitted for an award, but the Design Committee considers to be excellent.

 

 

 

Manito Park was identified as "Best of Attractions - Spokane, Washington" by UpTake.com. UpTake.com awards are based on a careful analysis of customer reviews and expert ratings from across the web, collected from over 5,000 different websites and millions of customer opinions.

 

 

 

The Inlander’s Best of the Inland Northwest Readers Poll honored Manito Park with a Hall of Fame Award for being recognized 10 years in a row. Honors this year and in previous years include:

 
Best Park in 1994, 2005, 2009
Best Place to Walk Your Dog in 1998 and 2009
Best Swing Set in 1995 and 2007
Best Place for a Picnic in 1995 and 1996
Best Terrain Park in 1999
Best Place for an Outdoor Wedding in 2000, 2006 and 2007

 

 

 

Creek at Qualchan golf pro, Mark Gardner, qualified for the Senior PGA Professional National Championship in Port St. Lucie, Florida, and at the Hudson Cup matches for the Pacific Northwest PGA he won all of his matches and received the Bob McKendrick Award which recognizes the outstanding senior professional.

 

  

 

 
 

Dave Randolph, Labor Foreperson at Riverfront Park was City of Spokane Employee of the Month for June.

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

Arboretum gardener Sally Sullivan received a bronze medal in softball at the 2009 National Senior Games, the Olympics for those over 50.

  

 

 

 

 

 

Golf World Readers Choice Awards ranked Indian Canyon nationally among seven Washington State courses scoring more than 75 points out of 100.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Northeast Youth Center received the “Non-Profit Trustee Leadership Award” from the Leadership Spokane Class of 2009.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephanie Watson, CHOICE Program Supervisor at Sinto Senior Activity Center was awarded the New Professional Award by the Washington State Association of Senior Centers.

 

 

 

 

 
 
Therapeutic Recreation Supervisor Alice Busch received the Community Therapeutic Recreation Specialist of the Year Award from the Washington State Therapeutic Recreation Association.

 

 

 

 

 

Corbin Arts Center Director Lynn Mandyke received two awards for her work as project manager for the Moore-Turner Heritage Gardens restoration - the National Preservation Medal from the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Washington, D.C., and a DAR Washington Historic Preservation Award.

 

 

 

 
 
Riverfront Park and Manito Food & Beverage Service had the best team ever according to manager, Sam Song, with 50% returning staff and less than 10% turnover rate. Average turnover rate industry-wide is 100% to 300%.

 

 

 

 

 

The national Arbor Day Foundation recognized Spokane as a Tree City USA for the 6th consecutive year.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minnehaha Park celebrated its 100th anniversary.

 

 

 

 

2008 Awards & Recognition

Spokane’s Japanese Garden was renamed in honor of the Garden’s founder, Ed Tsutakawa.  The Nishinomiya Tsutakawa Japanese Garden
moved up in rankings to number 16 out of 300 in North America according to a 2008 Public Garden Survey done by 45 Japanese garden specialists for the publication, Journal of Japanese Gardening.

 

 

 

 

 
 
Rose Hill Garden in Manito Park was named #1 in the nation by All-America Rose Selections (AARS), a nonprofit association dedicated to the introduction and promotion of exceptional roses.

 

  

 
Jordan Longinotti, one of Peaceful Valley Community Center’s homework club youth received the 2008 President’s Education Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement from President Bush.  Council President Joe Shogun presented the award to Jordan at the Town Hall meeting January 26, 2009. Pictured left to right:  Peaceful Valley Community Center Director, Mark Reilly,  Jordan Longinetti and City Council President, Joe Shogan.
 

 


 

 
The Friends of Manito and the Spokane Park Board commemorated the 50th Anniversary Of Cancer Patient Care with the dedication of “The Walk of Hope” in Manito Park.
 
 

 


 
Expo ‘74 President, King Cole, was honored as a visionary leader with the dedication of “King Cole Way” In Riverfront Park.
 

 

 

 
The 30th Anniversary of Riverfront Park was commemorated with a day-long celebration on August 25 featuring 1978 rolled back prices on rides, a former Riverfront Park Team member “no host” reunion for 10,000 former Park employees, Clocktower stage entertainment, and, what else, Anniversary Cake served at the Pavilion.
  
 

 
For the 5th year in a row Spokane has been awarded the designation, Tree City USA, given by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.
 

 

 

 
Sinto Senior Activity Center celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2008.  It opened in 1958 as the first senior center in Spokane and only the second in the state, right behind Seattle.

 

 

 
 
Northeast Youth Center was selected to host the first “Kids Café” Program in the state of Washington by Second Harvest.  There are over 1700 Kids Café‘s across the United States and it is an honor to host this program in the lowest income area per capita in the state into 2010.
 

 

The Moore-Turner Heritage Gardens received three awards:

*    The 2008 Valerie Sivinski Award for outstanding achievement in historic preservation by the Washington Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation.

*    The Washington Chapter of the American Public Works Association Project of the Year in Historic Preservation.

*    The Association of Washington Cities Municipal Excellence Award

 

  
 
The Creek at Qualchan head professional, Mark Gardner, qualified to compete in the 42nd PGA Professional National Championship.

 

 

 

 
 
Corbin Senior Activity Center celebrated its 40th Anniversary.
 

 

 

 
Golf Digest magazine in its “Best Places to Play” feature gives high marks to all four City of Spokane championship golf courses:
 
Indian Canyon and Qualchan Rated “Outstanding”
Downriver and Esmeralda Rated “Very Good”
 
 
 
The Pacific Northwest Inlander’s “Best of…” Readers Poll for 2008 recognized the following:
 
#1 Golf Course Indian Canyon
#2 Golf Course Downriver
 
#1 Place to Skateboard Hillyard Skate Park
#2 Place to Skateboard Downtown Spokane Skate Park

 

 

2007 Awards & Recognition

The Spokane Park Board, management team and department staff are proud stewards of a 100-year legacy and work hard, day in and day out to provide and support this community’s wonderful park and activities system.  We are dedicated to continuing to maintain high standards of care for the public assets assigned to our safe keeping.

The following recognitions are proud reminders of this legacy:

 
 
 
Spokane was awarded the designation, Tree City USA for the fourth year in a row, an award given by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the USDA Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Inland Northwest Tourism Awards presented by the Spokane Regional Convention and Visitors Bureau awarded Manito Park its Top Attraction Award for 2007.
 
 
 
 
 
 
East Central Community Center's Recreation Supervisor, Kathy Armstrong, was awarded the 2007 Professional of the Year by the Washington State Association of Senior Centers.
 
 
 
 
The Moore-Turner Heritage Gardens and project manager Lynn Mandyke received the Shrinking Lilac Award from the Mayor’s Urban Design Awards Design Review Committee under a special acknowledgements category that noted the project “highly deserving of recognition is this recently unearthed and freshly restored piece of Spokane’s history and the people who made it happen.”
  
 
Mark Gardner, Qualchan Golf Course’s golf professional, was awarded the 2007 Pacific Northwest Professional Golfer’s Association Merchandiser of the Year Award for Public Facilities.  This prestigious award is given annually to only one person in the Pacific Northwest section which is comprised of Washington, Alaska, Oregon, Northern Idaho and Western Montana.
 
 
 
 
  
Gary Lindeblad, head professional at Indian Canyon, was inducted into the Pacific Northwest Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America Hall of Fame, the highest honor the Section can bestow upon one of its members.
 
 
 
  
 
 
 
The Pacific Northwest Inlander ‘s “Best of…” Readers Poll named Manito Park the “Best Place for a Picnic” and “Best Playground” for 2007.
 
 
 


Spokane Coeur d’Alene Living magazine awarded the following to the City of Spokane Parks & Recreation Department:

-      Best Place to Picnic: 1st place Manito Park, 2nd place Riverfront Park
-      Best Golf Course: 1st place Indian Canyon, 3rd place Downriver
-      Best Place for Family Fun: 2nd place Riverfront Park