Four NW suburban park districts vie for gold medal

Four Northwest suburban park districts - Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Buffalo Grove and Hoffman Estates - are among the 2009 finalists for a National Gold Medal award for excellence in park and recreation management.

The annual awards are sponsored by the American Academy for Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with the National Recreation and Park Association.

This year's finalists will compete for Grand Award honors this summer, and all winners will be announced live during NRPA's annual congress and exposition in Salt Lake City, Oct. 13-16, 2009.

Here are the classes where Chicago area park districts are finalists:

Class III

(pop. 50,001-100,000)

• Arlington Heights Park District

• Glenview Park District

• Hoffman Estates Park District

• Temple (Texas) Parks & Leisure Services

Class IV

(pop. 25,001-50,000)

• Bartlett Park District

• Buffalo Grove Park District

• Downers Grove Park District

• Lombard Park District

Class V

(pop. less than 25,000)

• Batavia Park District

• Golden (Colo.) Parks and Recreation Department

• Itasca Park District

• Vernon Hills Park District