News Café

Batavia Park District is Named an Illinois Distinguished Agency

Batavia residents have a lot to be proud of. For instance, Batavia is nationally ranked by BusinessWeek Magazine as the 21st best small city to raise children, the Chicago Tribune ranked the Batavia Riverwalk as one of the top 10 in the Midwest region and now the Batavia Park District is officially ranked amongst the top park and recreation agencies in the State.

The Batavia Park District was recently declared an Illinois Distinguished Agency at the Illinois Association of Park Districts and Illinois Parks and Recreation Association’s annual State conference, placing the District among the top 10% of recreation agencies in the State of Illinois.

“This accomplishment is something the whole community can be proud of,” said Mike Clark, Executive Director for the Batavia Park District. “It shows that the board and staff are committed to providing high quality programs, safe parks and an overall better quality of life for Batavia residents.”

Earning the Distinguished Agency distinction is not an easy task. The process includes an evaluation of the park district based on 60 pages of standards and criteria. Agencies are evaluated on six main categories including: general management; finance and business operations; facilities and parks; personnel; recreation services; and legal.

The certification process is a long and tedious process that can take months or even years to achieve. “Going through the extensive process shows the residents that the park district is committed to raising the level of standards to achieve greater things for the community,” said Clark. “We worked with a mentor for an entire year,” said Deanna Kellum, Administrative Assistant to the Executive Director at the Batavia Park District, “The evaluation team came out in November to complete the review.”

The Park District couldn’t hear the decision soon enough. “I have never been more excited than the moment I was informed that we passed,” Kellum said.
Not only did the Park District pass the evaluation to receive the Distinguished Agency distinction, but they did it with flying colors. “This is the highest designation given for park and recreation services in the State of Illinois,” said Clark, “and I’m proud to say that we received 492 out of 500 possible points!”
The Distinguished Agency award was presented to the Park District at IPRA and IAPD’s annual state conference January 24 - 26 in Chicago. For more information about the award, please visit www.ilparks.org.

“This award shows Batavia residents that we’re among the elite. We continue to look for bigger and better ideas to grow,” Clark said. To learn more about how you can take advantage of the valuable programs and services the Park District has to offer, please visit www.bataviaparks.org or call (630) 879-5235.

back