Shoreline Earns CAPRA Accreditation
The City of Shoreline is celebrating becoming just the third city in Washington State to earn national accreditation through the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA) and the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA). This esteemed accomplishment places Shoreline in the good company of Tacoma and Bellevue as they join the top 1% of Parks and Recreation agencies across the country.
“I applaud the commitment of city staff to providing the highest quality services to the residents of Shoreline. I am very proud to work with such dedicated professionals and pleased that they have been judged by their peers from across the country to be one of the very best.”
—Debbie Tarry, City Manager
CAPRA accreditation is a measure of an agency’s overall quality of operation, management and service to the community. This mark of distinction indicates that an agency has met 151 rigorous best practice standards related to the management and administration of parks and open spaces, facilities, resources, recreation programs, safety, and services.
Shoreline’s accreditation process began in December 2016 and involved a formal application, self-assessments that span the breadth of the department’s services, a site visit by a team of trained visitors that results in a written report, and a hearing with the CAPRA Commission to grant accreditation. Now that they are accredited, Shoreline must uphold the standards by submitting an annual report and undergo a similar review again in five years.
“Achieving national accreditation that places Shoreline among the best of the best is a great way to assure the community that we are using resources efficiently, effectively, and creatively. It’s a well-deserved pat on the back for a staff who truly excel in their service to the community every day in countless ways.”
—Lynn Gabrieli, Shoreline’s CAPRA Coordinator
If your agency is a WRPA member and you have a story you would like to share please email the WRPA office at [email protected].